Author Guest Post

Sweet William by Dianne Hartsock: Blog Tour, Guest Post and Giveaway

May 3, 2016 by Denise

William Wilkerson leads the life of the privileged rich. Head of his father’s shipping business, he indulges to his heart’s content in the pleasures of the flesh with Boston’s finest young men.

That is, until he reunites with Fredrick: his former tutor and the one man who captured his heart.

But William’s father has declared Fredrick off limits. And Fredrick, himself, believes he’s beneath the attention of the Wilkerson heir.

After having lost his current pupil to graduation, and with no prospects of a replacement, Frederick is homeless, hungry, and easy pickings for the men on the docks.

When Frederick is shanghaied into service on William’s own merchant ship, will William discover his plight in time to rescue him?

Title: Sweet William

Author: Dianne Hartsock

Genre: Gay Romance, Historical Romance

Length: Novella

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Thank you, Two Chicks, for hosting me today. In my story, SWEET WILLIAM, William is the pampered eldest son of a shipping merchant and has come to Boston to check over the cargo arriving on one of their ships. This is how he might spend a typical Sunday morning.

William stifles a yawn and leans back on the church bench to catch the ray of sunlight filtering through the stained glass. The minister’s voice becomes a pleasant murmur in his ear, unintelligible, lulling him toward sleep and a dream of brown eyes in a serious face.

His head bobs, startling him awake, and he catches Tiggy’s amused glance from across the aisle and sits up. Good heavens! Had he been drooling? His dream had become heated rather quickly.

His neighbors on the bench don’t seem to see anything amiss with him, and his heartbeat evens out as the minister brings his sermon to a resounding close. Organ music fills the church and William files out behind the others to make small talk in the yard with the various families connected with his own, mostly friends of his father.

Finally he makes his escape and Tiggy catches up with him on the path running behind the church along the riverbank. The air has grown warm and he loosens his cravat, wishing he could remove his coat as well.

“The minister had an interesting sermon today,” Tiggy offers, voice full of laughter, and William flashes him a rueful grin.

“If someone hadn’t kept me up late at cards—”

Tiggy throws up his hands. “Don’t blame me for falling asleep! And by the look of bliss on your face, it wasn’t me you were dreaming of.”

William snorts, but couldn’t deny his words. They walk a moment in silence, William enjoying the flash of sunlight through the trees, sparkling on the swift moving water. The air smells of roses and dry grass. He wonders if Fredrick would enjoy a picnic in the park this afternoon.

It hardly registers when Tiggy takes his arm, but then he suddenly pulls William between two trees, into the graveyard attached to the church. They’re in an older section of the yard and large headstones surround them. Tiggy pushes him up against one and William willingly parts his lips when Tiggy’s familiar tongue seeks entrance. They pass a pleasant few minutes this way, then Tiggy pulls back with obvious reluctance.

He traces William’s lips with his thumb. “You’re thinking of him again.”

“I’m sorry, dear. I don’t mean to ignore you.”

“Never mind. I’m happy for you, in a way. I’ve never seen you this taken with anyone before.”

They part after one last lingering kiss, and William watches him depart with mixed feelings. They’ve been friends for years, intimate for most of them. He’ll miss Tiggy’s sweet flirtations. A robin flies passed him, chased into the trees by another. William’s lips curl into a smile. Maybe he’ll walk downtown and see if Freddie is free for lunch.

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DIANNE HARTSOCK is the author of m/m erotic romance, both contemporary and fantasy, the psychological thriller, and anything else that comes to mind. Oh, and a floral designer. If she can’t be writing, at least she has the chance to create through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage to bring a smile to someone’s face.

Currently, Dianne lives in the Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play.

Social links

Website: https://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock

Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannehartsock

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diannehartsock/

Safe in His Heart by Renae Kaye: Exclusive Guest Post, Release Day Review and Excerpts

May 1, 2016 by Denise

Andrew and Paul learned about God and Jesus in different churches and realize their views of spirituality are worlds apart.

Andrew was raised Catholic and was told his homosexuality was a sin. For his entire life, he hid the truth. He married and had children to present a façade to the world—that of a straight man. It’s not until he has an affair with Paul, who shows him a different side of Jesus, that Andrew realizes he can be gay and still believe in God. Paul’s Jesus is one of acceptance and love, and in Paul’s church, being gay is not a problem.

For Paul and Andrew, falling in love is the easy part of their journey. They must make it through the fires of cheating, being discovered, Andrew’s wife leaving, the necessities of childcare and family life, the demands of their jobs, and working on their commitment to each other. Only then can they be safe in each other’s heart.

Title: Safe in His Heart
Series: Safe: Book Two
Author: Renae Kaye
Release Date: May 2, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 270

Safe in His Arms was my first introduction to Renae Kaye. I loved the glimpses of Paul in that book and was beyond excited that he was getting his own story. Adding to the excitement was the fact that it deals with the balance of sexuality and religion.

I will warn you, there is cheating in this book. I fully understand that it’s a hard limit for some readers, but Safe in His Heart is written in such a way that I was strangely okay with it. First of all, because there wasn’t a promise of fidelity in the marriage (read the book and you’ll understand just how they came to be married with children) and secondly, because there’s no deception. Paul knows exactly who and what Andrew is from the first time they get together. And before you feel too bad for Kristy, know that she has her own issues, which in many ways trump the physical needs Andrew sated with Paul. Really, it’s going to be okay, and I’d hate to see anyone not buy the book because of the cheating aspect.

Now, for what really matters in this book. Religion. Holy hell! I can’t remember the last time I read a book touched me when it comes to the reconciliation of sexuality and spirituality. Not only did Renae Kaye write about the guilt and negative feelings associated with Andrew being raised in a conservative Catholic family, but she showed the love and acceptance of Paul’s Anglican faith. In the middle of reading Andrew’s conversation with Paul’s priest, I had to put down my Kindle and send a verse which was referenced in the book to a family member who is going through this very struggle right now.

Safe in His Heart wasn’t just a great story for me, it was an awakening. For years, I’ve struggled with my own spirituality, due largely in part to how many “modern” Christian religions still shun people for being gay. One of the weights on my shoulders lifted through the course of this book, because I no longer feel like it’s one or the other. I know that might sound a bit deeper than a lot of reader’s want, but that feeling has more to do with how I processed the book and absolutely nothing to do with feeling beaten over the head by religion. This is not a religious book. It’s a love story where one character helps the other get through a dark time in his life in multiple ways.

Now, the question is when will we get Devon and Ash’s book? They have to have one!

5 pieces of eye candy

I was unsure about this book before I started it. The thing I was most weary of was the cheating aspect of it. However, once I got into it more the author explained the relationship between Andrew and Kristy.

Paul was a great character. He was fun and entertaining and I absolutely loved him. He has such a good heart and kept his faith and belief in Andrew the whole time.

Andrew was very well written. I was leary of him in the first couple of chapters because he seemed to come off as a player. However, the further into the story and more we get to see Andrews thoughts and feelings the more lovable he became. He was a very strong character when it was needed.

I also really liked how in the end Kristy didn’t wind up being the “bad guy.” A lot of books I’ve read make the wife of the closeted guy out to be horrible and Renae Kaye didn’t do that. Renae did a wonderful job creating a story and characters that were entertaining and I read the entire book in one sitting.

5 pieces of eye candy

The religious themes of Safe in His Heart

One of the big themes about Safe in His Heart is religion. It was a hard thing for me write, because I didn’t wish to offend anyone, and let me state that because a character has a religious belief, it is no reflection on the author’s view of the world.

Me, personally? My views of religion and homosexuality are not important. What I think is important is the representation of all types of people in our romance stories. If you’re straight, you can read M/M. If you’re a vegetarian, you can still read about a character eating a steak. If you’re an atheist, you can still read about a character who is a Catholic.

I try to pick from a range of different types of people. My characters are differing in their outlooks, their ages, their jobs, their religion, their families, their appearance… Just like we are in life.

I love reading about people who are different religions and backgrounds to me. It exposes me to their customs and explains to me a little bit more about why people act the way they do. For example, although the Australian Aboriginal people have varying beliefs through their different tribes, one of the things that is common is that it is rude to their customs to look another person in the eye. To most modern white people, it is a sign of honesty, and when they can’t look a person in the eye, they tend to judge that person as dishonest. A simple realisation on behalf of the white person that this is the Aboriginal culture, their religion, and their custom, is sometimes enough to ward off the negative feelings they get when an Aboriginal person won’t look them in the eye.

It was therefore, with openness and acceptance of all people that I welcomed two characters who are from differing, but strong religious backgrounds to my book.

Andrew is Catholic. He’s grown up in the Catholic Church and had the beliefs of his religion impressed on him from a very young age. As a young man growing into his sexual identity, he struggled to reconcile his faith with his inner feelings. This is an extremely common story. You don’t have to look far on the internet to see true stories of gay men and women who are persecuted by their families for this. Recently I saw this project: The Trevor Project, and Tom Goss’s song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJStTqPmcMY) that is about two gay boys growing up in a religious environment. We like to think that this story has a happy ending, but can we be sure?

Excerpt, Safe in His Heart

Andrew tried hard to be straight. He tried to please his father. He consciously ignored his sinful urges and married a woman like the Bible told him to. He used his seed to bring children into his marriage, and that was about the best damn thing he’d already done in his life.

His children were the only good thing about his marriage to Kristy. The day he stood in front of the altar of Kristy’s church and promised to love and honor her, he lied. He felt sick at the time because he made that vow in front of God, and knew that he would break it. But the church hadn’t fallen in like he dreaded. He looked Kristy in the eye and lied, and she looked him in the eye and lied right back.

Safe in His Heart (Safe #2) is about Andrew’s journey out of the closet. The reason he is in there has mostly to do with religion, so therefore he needs to come to grips with his faith and beliefs as he moves through that doorway. Is this book about religion? No – not at all. But it involves religion, and the character’s belief in religion. As a reader of this book you will journey with Andrew as he discusses his problems and works things out in his head.

You will also journey with Andrew as he embarks on a flaming affair with Paul, argues with his PA, is hurt by his wife leaving, struggles with raising his children, and tells his family about his homosexuality.

Someone asked me, how do I balance the romance with the religion? I don’t think it is a balance. This is a book that sits squarely in the Romance genre. If someone thinks to file it with Christian Romances, then I will have to object. This book isn’t about living life as a Christian. It’s about a man’s journey while he works out his Christianity… and has a lot of gay sex with his lover. It’s about bravery. It’s about working out who you are, not what your parents want you to be. It’s about perceptions. It’s about love.

Does this story have religious themes? Of course. Just like a book that has a professional hockey player coming out of the closet may deal with how he tells his teammates, how he is treated on the field, and how the media treat him. You can’t write a book about a hockey player without mentioning hockey. You can’t write a book about a soldier without mentioning the armed forces. Andrew’s religion – and on the flip-side, Paul’s more liberal religion – are crucial in the telling of the story.

So I hope the love and romance is plain to see, despite the secret lovers, the religious headache, and the everyday life that comes into Andrew’s world. Enjoy!

Excerpt, Safe in His Heart

And Andrew had no clue what the hell he was doing. But when he had to, he knew how to “fake it until you make it.” Hadn’t he faked being straight all those years? Hadn’t he successfully faked a marriage? Didn’t he fake knowing what to do as the CEO of Cabott’s until they allowed him to do the job, and then he forged his own path?

But the situation with Paul was completely beyond his control. His common sense told him to get out before he got caught. His logical brain told him someone was always watching. His sixth sense told him no secret was ever a really a secret. But for some reason, Andrew continued to cling to Paul. He was his daily dose of sanity.

The first time Erica told him he had to cancel his “meeting” with Paul in favor of an important business teleconference, he gritted his teeth and let it go. The second time he asked her to change it.

“No. I’m not canceling Paul. Ring Brian and find another time he can meet,” Andrew demanded.

Erica shook her head in the negative. “I’ve tried, Andrew. He’s stepping onto a plane at five our time. We need to slot him in at two, or else we’ll miss our chance.” She made a scribble on her notepad and then gave him an understanding nod. “Look, I’ll ring Paul myself and reschedule. I’m sure he can make it an evening appointment, like last Tuesday.”

Andrew dug his fingernails into his thigh. “He can’t. He’s back on night shift this week.”

“Oh.” Erica paused, and then her eyes turned sympathetic. “You need to choose, Andrew. Either Paul or Brian. Because this is our last chance with Brian before he flies home to the US.”

With an angry nod, he agreed, but told Erica he would ring Paul. Bad news should come from him. Besides… getting his PA to schedule his cheating sessions…?

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ARe

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Renae Kaye is a lover and hoarder of books who thinks libraries are devilish places because they make you give the books back. She consumed her first adult romance book at the tender age of thirteen and hasn’t stopped since. After years – and thousands of stories! – of not having book characters do what she wants, she decided she would write her own novel and found the characters still didn’t do what she wanted. It hasn’t stopped her though. She believes that maybe one day the world will create a perfect couple – and it will be the most boring story ever. So until then she is stuck with quirky, snarky and imperfect characters who just want their story told.

Renae lives in Perth, Western Australia and writes in five minute snatches between the demands of two kids, a forbearing husband, too many pets, too much housework and her beloved veggie garden. She is a survivor of being the youngest in a large family and believes that laughter (and a good book) can cure anything.

How to contact Renae:

Email: renaekaye@iinet.net.au

Website: www.renaekaye.weebly.com

FB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9

Twitter: @renaekkaye

Unstable Stud by Ariel Tachna Release Day Review and Guest Post

April 14, 2016 by Denise

Horses were his passion, until he laid eyes on his boss.

Eighteen months ago, tragedy struck Bywater Farm when a riding accident killed Clay Hunter’s lover and traumatized his prize horse, King of Hearts. Clay and King lingered in limbo, surviving but not really living, until a breath of fresh air in the form of Luke Davis, a new groom in the stud barn, revives them both.

When a fall from King’s back sends Luke to the emergency room, Clay watches the shaky foundation of their budding relationship tumble down. Can Clay really love a jockey again, or will his fear of losing another man he loves keep them apart for good?

Title: Unstable Stud
Series: Lexington Lovers
Author: Ariel Tachna
Release Date: April 15, 2016
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 204

Going Home

I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, but I haven’t lived there, not really, since I was eighteen. It hasn’t even been my official permanent address since I was twenty-three. (We won’t discuss how many years ago that was.) And yet when you say “home,” Lexington is still what comes to my mind. It’s also what comes to mind when you say a number of other words.

Horses.

Racing.

Stables.

Those were the words Elizabeth said to me not quite a year ago when we were first discussing the Dreamspun Desires line and my possible contribution to it. It would perhaps have been more logical to set the book in Texas, where I live now, instead of setting it in Lexington, where I haven’t lived in a number of years, but people don’t ride the same in Texas as they do in Lexington. It’s a horse culture, but it’s not my horse culture. My horse culture is English saddles, three-day events, Thoroughbred auctions, and Derby Day. (No, not Kentucky Derby Day. Nobody in Kentucky needs to specify which Derby we’re talking about because really, in our world, there’s only one.) Big hats, fancy parties with betting pools, the race on every TV in sight. That’s my horse culture. In Texas you can barely find it on TV at home, much less out in a bar or restaurant. Sacrilege!

Bywater Farms, the horse farm in Unstable Stud, is a Kentucky horse farm through and through, an amalgam of a couple of different farms I spent quite a bit of time on when I was younger, but ultimately a true racing farm with hot-blooded stallions kept separate from the mares, in stalls that are nicer than some houses I’ve seen, with heat in the winter and fans or even air conditioning in the summer. They each have their own paddock, because everyone knows stallions don’t play nicely with each other. They have their own equipment, their own grooms, and their every whim catered to because their bloodlines are golden and their sperm is worth thousands or even tens of thousands per ounce.

This is the world Clay Hunter has grown up in, fallen in love in, and lost his lover in. He’s jaded and heartbroken and used to being as universally recognized and revered as his horses. And then there’s Luke Davis. Stable boy, not even a groom when the book starts. He’s a literal muckraker, cleaning up after the stallions because at least that lets him be with the horses. He’s poor, has only a high-school education, and grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. He has no place in Clay’s world except to get rid of the detritus left behind by the beautiful beasts he adores.

This is the horse world I grew up in, the one that still calls to my soul. Yes, writing a book set in a town I know, but from twenty years ago, is a challenge, but it couldn’t be set anywhere else. Fortunately for me, my family is still there, and my mother is tickled every time I ask her a question. You’ll see more of her and her input in A Matchless Man, which comes out in October, but for now, enjoy Unstable Stud!

Thank you, Two Chicks Obsessed, for hosting a stop on my blog tour, and thank all of you for reading. Leave a comment with a horse-related entry to be eligible to win an ebook of your choice from my Dreamspinner publications.

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I’ve really enjoyed the Dreamspun Desires series so far, and Ariel Tachna’s book in this category was another one I enjoyed. Luke was a sweet, kind, gentle man who just wanted to pay the bills left behind by his mother and find someone who would love him. Meanwhile, Clay still mourning the tragic accident that took his partner allowed Luke to take on the care of King, his partner’s horse.

This book was a very slow burn, first kiss at about 70%. It harkened back to the sweet Harlequin books that rarely went much further than a consummation with a virgin bride. I enjoyed the sweetness of it, as that is what I have come to expect from this series.

However, there were areas of the book that I felt could have been expanded, questions that I thought should have been dealt with or answered. Those things left me feeling like the book was somewhat unfinished. They reached their HEA, but as a reader, I was left somewhat unsatisfied with how things were glossed over, or left unanswered.

I did like the relationship between the two MC’s, as well as their relationships with the secondary characters. I just wished for a little more development.

3.5 pieces of eye candy.

“Is Mr. Hunter as handsome in person as he is on TV?”

So much for not talking about his reaction to his boss. “Yes,” Luke said simply, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Don’t give me that, young man,” Mrs. Twitchell scolded. “I’m old, not dead. I know how these things work. He’s gay and single, and so are you. There’s no reason for you not to have noticed him.”

“He’s also my boss and completely out of my league,” Luke reminded her. “I may be single, but that doesn’t make me interesting to a man like him.”

“A man like what?” Mrs. Twitchell pressed. “Lonely because his partner died almost two years ago? Or maybe afraid to trust again because all the news ever talks about is how much money he has? Oh, or maybe ostracized by at least half the horse world for being gay in the first place? Have I forgotten anything?”

Luke squirmed in his chair, trying to formulate a reply. The waiter brought their steaks before he could decide what to say. Luke hoped the distraction would allow him to change the subject, but Mrs. Twitchell had the bit between her teeth. “You didn’t answer me.”

“I think he is lonely,” Luke said, “but he’s used to cultured, powerful men like him who know which fork to use and which wine to pair with what dish. Men who have a different suit for each day of the week and a full wardrobe for the change of seasons. I watch the news too, and I hear how people in his circles are judged. I wouldn’t last ten minutes at his side. They’d crucify me and take him with me.”

“There’s nothing those men know that you couldn’t learn given a little time, and there’s nothing they have that you couldn’t have with a little money,” Mrs. Twitchell said with a dismissive wave of her fork. “But I’ll tell you what they don’t have, most of them. They don’t have your passion for the horses in your care. They don’t have your compassion for those less fortunate than you. And they don’t have the kind of heart that has you taking an old woman out to dinner rather than going out for a night on the town when you’ve surely earned it. If you’re right—and I’m not saying you are—but if you’re right, you’re better off without someone like that. But here’s the other thing I know: that horse you spent today taking care of would be a liability in most people’s books. He’s unrideable and barely even useful as a stud. And yet Mr. Hunter kept him. That should tell you something about the kind of man your boss is, no matter what face he shows to the world.”

When Ariel Tachna was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.

She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).

Visit Ariel:

Website: www.arieltachna.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArielTachna

E-mail: arieltachna@gmail.com

Escapade by Dolce : 5 star Release Day Review, Guest Post and Giveaway

April 11, 2016 by Denise

Twenty-nine-year-old Lucas Thompson is at the top of the corporate ladder. But when his lifelong friend and ex-boyfriend invites him to his last-minute destination wedding in the Bahamas, Lucas realizes his corporate success can’t hide his private loneliness. Nor will he be able to escape seeing his family at the wedding—and having to explain, yet again, why he’s rich, handsome… and still single.

Fate and a taxi ride change everything when Lucas meets the charismatic and clever Jack McQueen, who just so happens to be a male escort. Jack’s presence on Lucas’s arm at the wedding keeps questions at bay, but their pretend relationship turns into something more after ten days of sun, sand, and sex. And before the trip is up, both men will discover that what started as a simple escapade in paradise might just lead to their very own happily ever after.

Title: Escapade
Author: Dolce
Release Date: April 11, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 380

Amazon eBook

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All Romance eBook

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The “Pretty Woman” storyline has been retold many times but not like this one.

Lucas, a successful attorney is forced to attend his ex-boyfriend’s destination wedding on short notice. He doesn’t want to be surrounded by his whole family for 10 days forced to answer questions about why he’s still single. Fate steps in when Lucas ends up sharing a cab with Jack McQueen. Jack is a professional escort, who better to accompany Lucas to the wedding?

As the two iron out the details of there agreement and spend time together on the island they start to realize that their “pretend” feeling maybe real. Can 10 days of fun in the sun be enough to show Jack and Lucas what love is?

This was a great slow burn romance, and boy oh boy once it got hot it was scorching! I loved all of snarky comments and witty banter back and forth between Jack and Lucas. All of the wedding activities were hilarious, especially the Zill-lympics.

The character development was great, by the end of the book I was so invested in the characters they felt like my own family. This was my first read by Dolce, definitely won’t be the last.

5 pieces of eye candy

Let’s go on an Escapade!

Hello! My name is Dolce and I’m a fiction writer. My new contemporary romance novel, Escapade, will be released on Monday April 11, 2016 by Dreamspinner Press. I’m very excited to be a guest on Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy!

Your blog name is so fun and definitely relates to the Escapade characters, who are oiled up on a beach and in swimsuits for a good majority of the story. Even when not at the beach, eye candy is especially applicable to Jack McQueen, one of the lead characters in Escapade. Jack is a high-end male escort who is very conscious of his appearance. Never vain, he merely likes to be prepared. He goes to the gym, takes excellent care of his skin with very specific products, is meticulous with grooming, and dresses well.

I wrote Escapade over the course of about five months. It began in a writing challenge where a friend prompted me to write a story about someone needing a date for their ex-boyfriend’s wedding. I tend to write more at night, but due to my work schedule, I often had to find pockets of time during the day to sneak a thirty-minute writing break in a Starbucks. I think my shoulder is permanently sore from carrying my laptop around. Café workers started to notice that I was always typing things, and I finally earned the honor of baristas remembering my exact order! For the record, I love coconut iced coffee and chocolate chip scones.

I am most definitely not up to Jack’s level of self care, though I do love the spa, but I was surprised to find that my own fictional character inspired me to start working out again once Escapade was written. Unfortunately, those chocolate chip scones add up. I felt pretty out of shape after spending so much time sitting and snacking on baked goods. Thank God for Jack McQueen, who helped me lose the scone weight (and then some) and work to better myself. I have no idea where he came from, but I’m thankful for him, and I hope you enjoy him in the story, too.

I have a background in theatre and music, which makes me moving into writing kind of a shock for family members and friends. They had no idea I was even interested in writing. My writing started very script-like, very barebones, but my style has grown a bit warmer through the years. That said, I still tend to prefer simple. I write in a way that mimics, in my mind, the eye of a camera or the view of an audience. We live in a world where most watch television and films regularly, and I definitely try to tell stories in a similar style.

I also like to take the reader along for the ride with each character. I’d rather not do a quick summary about what has happened over the course of time. I like letting things develop in real time, which can sometimes lead to a longer story, but I’ve found that people who love the story don’t mind an extra few pages.

Escapade was inspired by my own summer reading experiences. When I was younger, I would stock up on romance paperbacks from the library before I went on vacation. I wanted to write a romantic comedy that featured two men falling in love in an exotic, beautiful location with lots of adventure and fun. It might sound silly, but it’s always been a dream of mine to have my book published and available in an airport bookstore. Maybe someone who feels left out by the standard romance novel pairings on the shelf would pick up my book to read on vacation.

Escapade is light and something to read at the beach, but also tackles realistic issues people face. Loneliness, the prick of discomfort you feel when you’re single amongst couples—even if you don’t want a relationship, balancing your personal and professional life, and growing into adulthood with your family.

The main character, Lucas Thompson, deals with all of those things. He is wealthy and successful, but in the eyes of his family, he’s still just Lucas. The secondary main character, the charismatic Jack McQueen, deals with the same issues, though he comes from a completely different place compared to Lucas. My hope is that in reading Escapade, readers see both characters growing together to conquer loneliness with love, laughter, and kindness.

Music plays a huge role in Escapade. I love soundtracks and while I wrote Escapade, I listened almost exclusively to music from the eighties. Something about that era of music fit with Escapade. Fun, sexy, a bit silly—songs that when the DJ throws them on, you know all the words (even if you’re a bit tipsy) and want to dance. Here is a link to a playlist I made while writing, that includes lots of songs from my process:

https://play.spotify.com/user/dolcepiccante/playlist/1Pq1vipoL6ravQ1iCAd7Ne

Strangely enough, when I was editing Escapade, I listened to a mix of pieces from the Star Wars soundtracks, especially “Rey’s Theme” “Cantina Band” and “The Imperial March.” I have no idea where that mix came from, but I listened to “Rey’s Theme” for hours on end while editing in a café. Maybe that’s why one of my next planned projects has to do with a futuristic world!

So! What’s your favorite holiday you’ve ever been on? Where would you want to go? I’m in New York and it’s chilly, so I’m dying for a vacation someplace warm right now. Maybe…Hawaii? That sounds good to me!

Leave a comment about your dream vacation for a chance to win an Escapade eBook! I will randomly select the winner in three days.

Thank you for reading my guest post! I hope you enjoy Escapade.

Love,

Dolce

Dolce is a thirty year old New Yorker who loves to write, cook, sing, and laugh. She got her start writing fan fiction and is excited, and a touch frightened, to make the jump to original fiction. She is a big fan of the band Muse, who inspired her to choose a single word for her pen name: DOLCE. Plus, Cher has the one name thing going for her, too. Everyone loves Cher.

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The Last Favor by Meg Harding: Release Day Review, Character Interview and Giveaway

April 6, 2016 by Denise

Three years ago Andrew Wilson and Flynn Barnett were in a relationship, until Flynn made a mistake that nearly cost Andrew his life. Andrew walked away from the FBI, his home, and his partner, and started over back in Montreal, running a restaurant.

Fast forward to the present and Andrew is knee-deep in preparations for his sister’s wedding. When an ex-colleague calls to ask for one last favor, the last person he expects to walk through his door is Flynn, in need of a place to stay. Only thing is, Andrew can’t say no.

Two weeks of wedding hijinks bring back all the old feelings that have simmered below the surface. Caught in a cycle of fighting and making up, the two men try to figure out if there’s anything they can salvage. And even if there is, Andrew can’t be sure this time will be any different.

Title: The Last Favor
Author: Meg Harding
Release Date: April 6, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 124

Thanks for having me today Two Chicks! I’m here today to introduce everyone to Andy and Flynn, the stars of The Last Favor. They’re a special little duo, and I thought it would be fun to let them interview each other for the readers. The story centers around a wedding, so we’re going to keep the questions wedding themed. So, without further ado: Flynn and Andy!

Andy: Would we have a casual wedding?

Flynn: As in no suits? God no. You are definitely wearing a suit.

Andy: *blushes* What flowers would you want to have at our wedding?

Flynn: *rolls his eyes* You’re allergic to flowers. We won’t have any.

Andy: We could have a few. As long as I’m not breathing them in for too long.

Flynn. No flowers. Why do we need flowers? Are we flower people? *waves hand* It’s my turn to ask a question. Where do you want to go on the honeymoon?

Andy: *thinking about it* I want to go to Britain.

Flynn: What? Why? I thought you’d want some cliché place, like Hawaii or Tahiti.

Andy: Because I’m such a cliché. Love you too. No, I want to go to Britain so you can see how not British you are. And how awesome Canada is in comparison.

Flynn: Canada is a frozen tundra in which you have trapped me. I was thinking we’d do our honeymoon in Thailand.

Andy: Why Thailand?

Flynn: I’ve been doing research, and I think it offers the best mix of activities that we would both find acceptable and be willing to partake in together.

Andy: That’s actually really sweet.

Flynn: *smiles widely* I’m always sweet.

Andy: *snorts*

**side note** The character interview was awesome! It really is exactly how these characters are, and their relationship

I had not read anything by Meg Harding before, so this novella was a jump in for me. However, I enjoyed the premise that these lovers who once were so passionate about each other could be torn apart by one moment, and Andy would just walk away, and that Flynn would just let him.

Flynn suddenly showing up at Andy’s parents house for a wedding, and putting himself in the position of getting hatred from all sides was a brave way to get his man back. He knew that by forcing the situation at a time when Andy really couldn’t just disappear again would allow him to work through the walls that had been built up in the three years they had been apart. Flynn just wouldn’t go away.

These men apart were strong individuals, both making choices that, in the end, may not have been correct, but they were necessary, in their eyes at the time. Together, you could see what made their relationship tick originally. Interestingly, though, it became obvious that although their relationship might have worked for them in the past, all their secrets would need to be revealed in order for them to work in the future.

The smallest things were unknown between each other. Flynn had no idea Andy could cook. How do you live with someone for that long and not know that they can cook? It was as if when they were together the first time they only wanted each other on the terms that the other person had put forth, and not the reality. Those things struck me as odd, since the men lived together for a considerable length of time, even if they were off on jobs.

The banter between them was witty and engaging, although it could easily have been expanded. I kept hoping with it being a winter wedding, and the lights and white Christmas tree that I would get some National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation from it, but alas no. 🙂 I enjoyed that they were able to connect during such a stressful time, but were able to walk away from each other knowing that they needed some time to process what they both knew was inevitable.

The epilogue left me wanting more, with more questions than I thought were answered. All in all though, I enjoyed the book a lot, it flowed well, made me laugh, and kept me turning the pages.

4 pieces of eye candy.

He isn’t expecting much when he opens the door, just a reasonably attractive man by Clint’s standards, which aren’t always credible. He hasn’t given any thought to what color hair the man would have (rich sable), or the color of his eyes (bright blue like the sun off a lake), or how tall he might be (several inches taller than Andy himself).
He hasn’t given any thought to whether he’d know the man.
He closes the door in that familiar face only moments after opening it, his stomach plummeting so far down it feels like it’s at his feet. His breathing is fast, his heart thumping away double time. He braces himself against the door, letting his head hang between his arms. There’s a good chance he’s having a panic attack. Flynn Barnett is standing on his doorstep. He tries to take a slow, long breath in.
“Seriously?” asks a deep, familiar voice in a slow drawl that’s somewhat muffled by the door. “This is a bit petty, no?”
Andy is going to kill Clint. He is going to tear him to pieces. “There’s been a misunderstanding,” he says. “I think you should ask your driver to take you to a hotel for the night.”
“My driver left.”
“Andy?” asks his mom, appearing in the hall behind him. “What’s going on? Let the poor man in.”
Andy shakes his head no. “He can’t stay.”
“You’re being ridiculous and very rude,” she says, eyeing him with concern. Her concern doesn’t stop her from gently prodding him out of the way so she can open the door. “You,” she breathes, standing frozen in the doorway, staring at their guest.
“Hello, Mrs. Wilson. Pleasure to see you again. It has been quite some time.”
She shuts the door in his face.
Andy can’t help it. He starts to laugh, and he can’t make himself stop. His mother doesn’t say one word, waiting for him to calm down on his own time. “You know he’s not going to leave if we don’t let him in,” points out Andy. “Probably climb the side of the house and come in through one of our bedroom windows.”
“I’ll go check and make sure they’re all locked.” And bless her, she starts to move like that’s exactly what she’s going to do.
“No,” says Andy, rubbing at his eyes, which are watering from his laughter. “I’m going to let him in. It was just the shock at first. That’s all. I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.” He can be a mature adult about this. Clint wouldn’t have sent Flynn to him if it weren’t important. He knew their history.
He reopens the door and stares into a face from his past. A face he’d never thought to see again. Had kissed and stroked and even at times mended. The face of a man he had loved beyond words. A man who had given him the absolute happiest and the horrifyingly worst moments of his life.
“Hello, Flynn.”

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Meg Harding is a graduate of UCF, and is completing a masters program for Publishing in the UK. For as long as she can remember, writing has always been her passion, but she had an inability to ever actually finish anything. She’s immensely happy that her inability has fled and looks forward to where her mind will take her next. She’s a sucker for happy endings, the beach, and superheroes. In her dream life she owns a wildlife conservation and is surrounded by puppies. She’s a film buff, voracious reader, and a massive geek.

Website: Megharding.wordpress.com
Facebook: facebook.com/meghardingwrites
Twitter: twitter.com/cumberstone61

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About Last Night by Caitlin Ricci: Release Day Review and Guest Post

April 4, 2016 by Denise

Before jumping into his first semester of college, Thomas Maloney decides to lose his virginity at a party to a stranger he’s sure he’ll never see again. Only the next day, he’s surprised to learn the same one-night stand will be sharing his dorm room. Thomas considers himself lucky, but his new roommate—not so much.

Closeted as they come, football jock Remington “Rem” Daniels is on track for a shot at the pros. Rem tries to play it cool and avoid falling for the confidently gay Thomas, which could hurt his chances. Dealing with their constant need to get in bed together wouldn’t be so hard if Rem didn’t have a girlfriend and Thomas didn’t have a conscience.

When she delivers news that will change Rem’s life forever, Thomas knows it’s time to move back home to Thornwood, Colorado. But neither the distance nor knowing Rem belongs to someone else helps Thomas get over him. Rem’s feelings haven’t changed either. When it comes down to love or football, Rem will have to make the hardest choice of his life and hope Thomas will still be waiting for him when he does.

Title: About Last Night
Series: Thornwood
Author: Caitlin Ricci
Release Date: April 4, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 200

This is the story of Thomas, while off to college in a new city decides to lose his virginity at a party before college starts next week. The hottie he hooks up with ends up being Rem his roommate and closeted football star with a steady girlfriend. Even knowing it’s wrong, Thomas can’t get enough of Rem and they continue sleeping together. Rem and his girlfriend end up getting some pretty shocking news and as Thomas sees that Rem will never be in a position to “come out” for him he leaves college and returns home at the end of the semester.

As time passes Rem and Thomas both have growing up to do, but their feelings never fade and only the test of time will tell if they are meant to be.

I am in awe of this book, the character development is beautiful. Rem put Thomas through some pretty crappy stuff, but Thomas made it through without looking like a doormat and I feel like Rem learned and grew from those experiences as well. He never came off as an entitled jerk.

The story takes place over several years and you get to watch the characters grow and mature. Their lives change drastically but their love is a constant, tangible thing.

I think this book was very well written. The story moved along at a good pace. It was angsty at times but it wasn’t overdone.

Being the greedy person that I am, I would have loved an epilogue to show how they were doing a year or so down the road. I can see myself rereading this one again soon.

5 pieces of eye candy

About Last Night by Caitlin Ricci is the second book in the Thornwood series. I hadn’t read the first, but I can assure you, it’s not necessary to feel in the loop when you start this book.

At first glance, I will admit, it sounded like it had the potential to be one big cliche. Thomas, the small town virgin, decides he’s going to lose his virginity the moment he gets to Miami, where he’s going to college. Little did he know the masked man who gave it to would be his roommate.

Rem is a very conflicted young man. He knows he’s bi, but can’t be out because he has dreams of playing pro football. Okay, I can accept that, because I believe it’s likely still a very prevalent issue. Unfortunately, his girlfriend of five years also doesn’t know that he’s bi. Or that he’s been scratching the itch, so to speak.

Even with the cheating, I was sucked into this book. My heart ached for Thomas, having to watch the man that he loved with the girl who loved him. And yes, it’s clearly pointed out that while Rem likes Amanda, he’s not in love with her. It was uncomfortable to see Amanda and Thomas becoming friends, mostly because that meant he was keeping secrets from someone who at one point told him that he’s a great friend to her.

Everything changes when Amanda announces that she’s pregnant. And this is where it gets weird… for some unknown reason, Thomas’s mother thinks it’s the perfect solution for her and her husband to adopt the baby, even though she knows her son is in love with the baby daddy. Yeah, because that wouldn’t be awkward at all. So, the three of them fly out at Christmas and when Rem and Amanda go back to Florida, Thomas stays behind because it’s too painful.

The second half of the book is a lot of phone calls. It spans years, but didn’t feel choppy. You can tell Rem was never sold on giving the baby up for adoption and loves her with all his heart. He’s glad that Thomas is in his baby’s life if he’s not. It was uncomfortable, again, but it felt real and raw.

There’s a wedding, and eventually a divorce, and Rem see his dreams come true. He falters, upsetting Thomas, which makes him realize that he can’t let him walk away again. So, they are going to make it work. He drives up to see Thomas and meet Madeline, who’s now a five year old instead of the newborn she was the last time he saw her, and Thomas takes Madeline to a game. The whole time, she just thinks Rem is her brother’s friend.

Up to this point, I was honestly going to give the book five stars. Caitlin Ricci handled some uncomfortable topics very well and made me feel their pain. Seriously, I was bawling my eyes out through much of the book.

But then… that ending. It’s impossible for me to ignore how upset I was with the ending of the book. There were two major struggles for Rem: his career and the baby he gave up for adoption. When I read the words “The End” I knew I wasn’t going to get resolution on either point. Yes, he came out, but the reader is left with zero indication of how it was handled by the team or by the public. And yes, he mentioned possibly buying a condo in Thornwood to move closer to Thomas and get to be part of Madeline’s life a bit more, but we have no clue if that happened. We don’t know if Madeline ever learned the truth about him (which she may have, given the terms of the adoption) or if he and Thomas were a huge part of her life. Hell, we don’t know if he followed through on teaching his daughter how to throw a football. All of those issues could’ve been resolved through an epilogue giving us a glimpse into the future, but instead, they weren’t and it completely destroyed the feels I had going on before that.

3 pieces of eye candy

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Hey. I’m Caitlin Ricci and I’m here to talk a bit about my new novel, About Last Night, and the tiny town of Thornwood where all of the characters in this series live.

Sometimes with a series, especially one that you don’t have to read in order, it’s hard to keep track of how everyone is connected. I’m hoping that this post helps clear some of that up.

Thornwood was first introduced in Weathering the Storm, which is a young adult novel with Harmony Ink Press. In that novel Robbie, and his brothers Daniel and Ben come to live with their Uncle Caleb after their mom dies. Dan, their dad, comes with them and for a while it works out for them. Caleb is dating one of Thornwood’s cops, Trent. Trent is the son of the Thornwood police chief.

I had so many editors ask me for Caleb and Trent’s story that the Thornwood series was born. They fall in love in One More Time, which is Thornwood book 1. Before Caleb and Trent got together, Trent had sex with Eli who works at the horse rescue where Caleb adopts a horse from in that book. Eli’s book is the third in the series, which comes out late 2017.

Weathering the Storm would come next in the reading order.

In Thornwood, there’s a diner called Rosie’s, which is really the only place to get anything to eat unless you want to go to the deli at the grocery store and get something there. Most people in town go to Rosie’s a few times a week at the very least. They have the best milkshakes.

Trent’s mom owned the diner and her best friend, Roxie, worked there. Because they both had names starting with R they decided that their children would have matching names too. Roxie calls Trent her son Thomas’s cousin. Roxie looks after Trent since his mom has passed away, but sometimes he can be frustrating. She’s convinced that Thomas is essentially a perfect little angel who can do no wrong most of the time. She was a great character to write.

Thomas lives with his mom, dad, and multiple children they’re fostering in a townhouse in the center of town. The grocery story is behind them and Rosie’s is just down the street. These are the only townhouses in Thornwood and Trent’s is just a few doors down.

The idea for Thornwood came from getting lost on my way from Denver to Black Hawk, which is our little version of Las Vegas. Only we have mountains and little creeks and old mining towns that are so tiny there are barely enough people in them to even consider them a town.

That’s the kind of place I wanted Thornwood to be. It started off as a mining town and most of the people have left. The ones who have stayed do so for the small town life. They don’t mind that I-70 often gets shut down in the winter, or that sometimes they can’t go very far because there’s a rockslide blocking the highway because they enjoy the community and the slower pace of life there where everyone knows each other and Roxie is the source of the town’s gossip.

Thank you for spending some time with me today. What would your ideal town be like?

Caitlin

Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful husband and their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.

Sweet William by Dianne Hartsock: Blog Tour, Guest Post and Giveaway

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Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy