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TCO Exclusives

Heart 2 Heart Charity Anthology: Exclusive Excerpt and Interview with Charlie Cochet, and Review

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HEART 2 HEART ANTHOLOGY

May Archer * Charlie Cochet * Allison Hendricks * Sloane Kennedy *

Lucy Lennox * Ruthie Luhnow * Lily Morton * Chris Owen *

Poppy Dennison * Hailey Turner * A.E. Wasp

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 02.07.18

COVER DESIGN:  AngstyG/www.angstyg.com

ANTHOLOGY EDITOR:  Leslie Copeland

Amazon

Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered… What if a dating app that guaranteed you a love match broke down just in time for Valentine’s Day? What if you found yourself on a blind date with a random guy who might be your opposite in every single way? It could be a disaster. Or… When the code breaks down, fate just might take over.

Eleven of your favorite gay romance authors have joined forces to light up your Valentine’s Day with a collection of sweet, sexy, silly, and hot short stories, featuring a wacky cast of characters chosen from your reader suggestions! Morticians and magicians, superheroes and spies, lawyers and lobstermen, will all learn that love has nothing to do with algorithms… and sometimes you find it in the least-likely places.

And the best part? All proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!

It will only be available for 90 days, so Tuesday, May 8th will be the last time you can purchase this anthology.

Over 162k words total, contemporary MM romance

 

Charlie Cochet

The Assassin and the Dog Walker

Can you tell us a little bit about your characters?

Lymond is a gruff, broody assassin who’s just trying to have somewhat of a normal life, though his hope has been slowly dwindling until he’s signed up for a blind date through the Heart2Heart app by his younger brother Jerrott. Daniel is a professional dog walker who’s always surrounded by furry friends. He’s sweet, snarky, and looking to be swept off his feet by Mr. Right

The characters you had to choose from were readers’ submissions, correct? Were there any other characters you considered writing about before you chose this couple?

That’s write. Well, when I saw assassin, how could I not, right? As I went through the list, there were so many fabulous characters to choose from, but I needed someone who would be perfectly opposite my broody assassin, and when I saw sassy dog walker, I knew I had my couple.

How did you come to be involved in the Heart2Heart Anthology?

I was approached by Leslie Copland who did an amazing job bringing us all together. When she told me the premise, and some of the authors she would be asking to be involved, I was all over it. The chance to write a story for an anthology with a group of authors whose books I love? Yes, please!

Have you ever been involved in a group project like this before? What were some of the challenges you had to face?

I was part of the Charmed and Dangerous Anthology. That one was a little more challenging because it was a paranormal anthology with a group of fabulous authors who all had very different voices and styles of writing. The Heart2Heart anthology was focused on romance, Valentine’s Day, and the a premise of the Heart2Heart app that tied all the stories together. They were both such a great experience, and I’m so very glad I took part.

Is this something you’d like to be a part of again in the future?

I would certainly work with these authors again. Schedules can sometimes make things tricky, and I tend to take part in things like this when I personally know the people involved. Many of these authors I consider friends, so there really was no question.

You’re donating the entire proceeds to charity – can you tell us more about where the money is going?

The proceeds of the anthology is going to three charities: The Trevor Project, The Bisexual Resource Center, and One-N-Ten.

Have you ever set someone else up on a blind date? If yes, how did it turn out?

Oh goodness no! I think if I knew two people who I thought should meet, I would just introduce them to each other, and let them work out the rest. LOL

If Heart2Heart were to match you with someone, who do you think you’d get paired with?

If the app were looking for my opposite, probably the Math professor-who’d be thoroughly horrified by the C’s I got on the subject at school, and by the blank stare on my face when they tried to explain some math formula to me. I had straight A’s and a few B+’s in everything else, but Math? Nope.

 

““I’m going to kill you!”

“I hope you mean that figuratively,” Jerrott murmured before taking a sip of his latte, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Taking out your brother would be in such bad taste.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, and closed my eyes, forcing myself to count down from ten. I will not kill my brother. I will not kill my brother. Our family would surely notice Jerrott’s absence at Christmas dinner if he failed to show up. Damn it.

“You should be thanking me. You might actually get laid, and relieve some of the tension you carry around on those massive shoulders of yours. When’s the last time you had a date? I’m pretty sure Myspace was all the rage back then.”

“Fuck you,” I growled. “It hasn’t been that long. I’ve told you before. I don’t date.” I leaned in, and quietly hissed at my pain in the ass little brother. “Have you forgotten what I do for a living?”

Jerrott rolled his eyes. He actually rolled his eyes at me. The little shit! Screw him. Screw his annoying Armani suit. And screw his pretentious Skinny-Chai-whatever-the-fuck.

“Rather difficult to forget,” Jerrott murmured before taking another sip of his drink. “You haven’t dated since you-know-who. It’s time to get back out there.”

I wasn’t about to comment on the first statement, or the clusterfuck that had been my relationship with that psycho, so I focused on his second statement. “A dating app? Seriously, Jer?” The thought alone had me cringing. A dating app? A fucking dating app. “Next thing I know you’re going to sign me up to be a contender for The Bachelor.” Jerrott smiled knowingly, and I cleared my throat. “Not that I watch that shit.”

“Mhm. I’ll have you know this is the hottest dating app on the scene right now.” Jerrott was far too excited for his own good, which was a feat in and of itself considering ‘unimpressed’ was his default emotional setting. “The Heart2Heart app matches you up with the perfect partner.”

“And you didn’t sign yourself up for this why?”

Jerrott scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never had any trouble finding a date. Think of it this way. At least you get a free meal out of it.”

I glared at him.

“It’s Valentine’s Day.”

I glared at him harder.

“Are you really going to stand up some poor guy on Valentine’s Day? I know it means shit to you, but what about that poor man? Maybe he’s shy and sweet, and it’s taken him all his life to muster the courage to do something like this, and in one night you’re going to shatter him and his precious little heart.”

I rolled my eyes so hard I was pretty sure I saw the back of my head. ”

 

CHARITIES

 

We are pleased to be donating 100% of our proceeds to 3 wonderful charities:

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Bisexual Resource Centre: http://biresource.org/

One n Ten: http://onenten.org/

We encourage all readers to learn more about these groups and consider making a donation of your own. Every little bit helps.

 

As a rule, I am not a big fan of shorts or novellas. I like to dive into a meaty book with lots of words and pages. But I really, really liked this anthology.

The book begins with the first half of one story. But that sets up the rest of the stories. In it, Bailey is a programmer getting a new matchmaking app “Heart2Heart” up and running. Until a super hot window washer tempts him to leave work to go out on a date.

All of the stories that follow are a direct result of the apps algorithms being wrong and matching up complete opposites. I loved just about every story. Many were similar- one of the guys was mad because a friend or family member signed him up on the app, many had coincidentally met shortly before their blind date, etc etc. But they were still really fun to read. I had a favorite and a least favorite, but they were all fun to read.

The book wraps up with the second half of the first story- and an epilogue that was satisfying.

A fun read that is easy to pick up and put down- and the proceeds are for a great cause.

4 pieces of eye candy

What began as a random idea quickly turned into a collaborative and completely voluntary effort from 11 authors, more than 130 readers, cover designer, 2 proofreaders, and one cat herder to keep it all together.

Readers were asked to submit ideas for characters, both typical and off-the-wall, and from that list, each author picked 2 seemingly mismatched guys and helped them find love.

May Archer – The Baker and the SEAL

Charlie Cochet – The Assassin and the Dog Walker

Poppy Dennison – The Electrician and the Event Planner

Alison Hendricks  – The Professional Gamer and the Paranormal Photographer

Sloane Kennedy – The Florist and the Lawyer

Lucy Lennox – The Uber Drive and the Phone Sex Operator

Ruthie Luhnow – The Lawyer and the Lobsterman

Lily Morton  – The Tattoo Artist and the Writer

Chris Owen – The Criminal and the Sommelier

Hailey Turner – The Superhero and the NSA Agent

AE Wasp – The Magician and the Mortician

 

Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

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Second wind: a new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need. Or will it just be a painful reminder of all they had lost?

Second chance: an opportunity to try something again that failed one time. Rush and Lincoln have shared a lot of firsts—friendship, young love, and heartbreak. Cruel reality forced the two men to choose paths that took their lives in different directions. Twenty-six years later, they get a second chance to fall in love with each all over again. Can it really be that simple, or will the same issues ruin their happiness a second time?

Happily ever after: to live happily for the rest of one’s life. Rush and Lincoln know that love and life can’t be defined by words alone. Patience, commitment, and the determination to do whatever it takes will be the only way the two men achieve their happily ever after.

Second Wind is a funny, sexy, and endearing standalone romance novel about love, loss, and rediscovery. It contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older.

SECOND WIND
AIMEE NICOLE WALKER
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 02.14.18

COVER DESIGN: JAY AHEER/ Simply Defined Art
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: WANDER AGUIAR

Amazon

Rush wrapped his hand around my wrist then turned his face and kissed my palm before he pulled free. I felt that brief touch in every part of my body. His green eyes darkened with heat and promise. “Come inside with me, Linc.” Rush got out of his SUV without another word because he saw the answer in my eyes. If that wasn’t enough, I eagerly met him on the sidewalk in front of his brownstone. Somehow, I remembered to grab our carryout bags from the floorboard.

I admired Rush’s taut ass as I followed him up the steps, imagining all the things I wanted to do to it. Squeeze it, bite it, and bury my dick inside it were the top three contenders, and I even imagined them in the proper order. My mouth was salivating by the time Rush unlocked his front door, but that cooled a bit when I heard the ferocious barking coming from inside the house. I gulped as the sound of clicking toenails on the hardwood floors got louder as the beast that shared a home with Rush got closer.

“Where’s my boy?” Rush called out.

Right here. Right here.

The dark-gray pit bull rounded the corner at the end of the hallway and ran full throttle to his master. Rush dropped to his knees to hug his dog, and I tried my best not to get jealous. “I missed you too, Brutus. Have you been a good boy for Gretchen today?”

Brutus focused solely on his master, other than a brief look in my direction. He responded to Rush’s question with a short bark.

“I knew it,” he said to his dog. “You’re the best boy in the world.” Brutus finally looked away from his master’s adoration to give me his best doggie smile.

“Hey there, big guy.” I’d always wanted a dog, but my dad was highly allergic and Phee always felt we weren’t home enough to own one, which limited my pets as a child and an adult. I extended my hand and approached slowly. “You sure are a handsome boy.”

“Thank you,” Rush said jokingly as he rose to his feet. “This is my best boy, Brutus. He was a gift to myself after a bad breakup.”

“That guy was a fool.” Rush grinned up at me. “You don’t even know the circumstances. How do you know I wasn’t the asshole that caused the misery?”

“I know you,” I said, cupping his face once more while Brutus sniffed the plastic bag of goodies I held in my hand. “It doesn’t matter how much time has passed, I know one thing that has remained constant: you are all that is right and good in the world.” Rush blushed prettily, and I longed to see him flushed everywhere. “I haven’t forgotten about the way your body blushes either.”

“Food,” Rush said abruptly, “then I need to shower.” He narrowed his eyes at me when my grin stretched across my face. “Pretty sure of yourself aren’t you.”

I glanced down to where his dick pressed against his jeans and grinned broadly. “I’ve been just as hard since we climbed into the car.” Hell, I’d even rubbed one out in the shower at my hotel to take the edge off so I didn’t embarrass myself if I was given the opportunity to get naked with him again. I was pretty sure that Rush would expect me to have better staying power than I did when I was a randy kid loving him for the first time.

I dropped the bag on the hardwood floor and pushed Rush against a set of ornate doors that most likely led to a study or living room. I no longer cared about putting anything in my mouth except his cock and balls. “Linc,” Rush practically purred, rubbing himself against me and sending flames of lust down my spine to zap my balls. “Is this fucking real?”

Denise’s 5+ star review is here.

I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees. I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever- after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.

FACEBOOK
AMAZON
TWITTER
BLOG – http://aimeenicolewalker.blogspot.com/
NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/2GwKeX7

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September by Robert Winter: Exclusive Guest Post and Interview, Audiobook Tour, and Giveaway

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Join author Robert Winter and narrator Kale Williams in a wide-ranging interview that explores the process and art of producing an audiobook. The interview has been divided into five segments. Follow each stop on the blog tour to hear the entire discussion, and enter to have a chance to win a $25 Amazon giftcard.

Feb 19, 2018 – MM Good Book Reviews  Part 1—To kick off the interview, Kale describes how he got stated in audiobook narration.

Feb 20, 2018 – The Novel Approach  Part 2 – Kale discusses how his theater background informs his work as a narrator, how he got into narrating M/M romance, and what it’s like narrating those explicit sex scenes.

Feb 21, 2018 – Love Bytes Reviews  Part 3 – In this segment Kale describes his process for preparing to narrate a book.

Feb 22, 2018 – Joyfully Jay  Part 4 – Kale discusses how he makes each character unique, and lessons he took from voice actor Hank Azaria. Kale and Robert also discuss the development of voices for two characters, Brandon and Joe.

Feb 23, 2018 – Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy  Part 5 – In this final segment, Kale discusses the scenes in September that stood out to him as a narrator, and we discuss one character in particular who is very important in Robert’s next book, Asylum.

Title:  September

Format: Audiobook

Series: Pride and Joy, book 1

Narrator: Kale Williams

Author: Robert Winter

Publisher:  Robert Winter Books

Release Date: February 7th,  2018

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 10 Hours 01 Minutes

Genre: Romance, May December, hurt comfort, second chance

Goodreads

 

A May-December contemporary gay romance for lovers of second chances

David James is smart, successful, handsome… and alone. After the death of his lover, Kyle, from cancer, he buried himself in his law practice and the gym. At forty-eight, he is haunted by his memories and walled off from the world. When David injures himself working out, he’s assigned to Brandon Smith for physical therapy. The vibrant young therapist is attracted to David and realizes he needs a hand to get back into dating. What begins as a practice coffee date escalates to friendship, passion, and maybe something more, as they navigate a new relationship in Washington, DC, and the gay mecca of Provincetown.

But David remains trapped behind the barrier of fear and guilt. Will he remain loyal to Kyle’s memory if he moves on? Can he and Brandon manage a twenty-two-year age gap? Brandon thinks he understands David’s concerns, and for him, the answer to those questions is yes. He wants to be with David, and he believes he can overcome David’s barriers. But Brandon fails to account for the world’s reaction to a handsome young man attached to an older, wealthy lover.

David’s memories, Brandon’s pride, and an unexpected tragedy might cost them something very special…

 

Audible

Amazon

iTunes 

 

 

 

Robert Winter lives and writes in Provincetown. He is a recovering lawyer who prefers writing about hot men in love much more than drafting a legal brief. He left behind the (allegedly) glamorous world of an international law firm to sit in his home office and dream up ways to torment his characters until they realize they are perfect for each other. When he isn’t writing, Robert likes to cook Indian food and explore new restaurants.

Author Links

Website: www.robertwinterauthor.com

Facebook: facebook.com/robert.winter.921230

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/16068736.Robert_Winter

Twitter: twitter.com/@RWinterAuthor

Email: RobertWinterAuthor@comcast.net

 

Meet the Narrator

Kale Williams lends his voice to bring to life romance books of all stripes. Known for his distinct characterizations and natural intimate storytelling, he is as comfortable with the cowboys on the prairie as he is with the cops of the big city, from the slow burn to the hot steam to the HEA. Love is love is love.

 

 

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Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael: Exclusive Guest Post and Release Day Review

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When Jeff agreed to be the sperm donor to his best friend Beth, he never expected a tragedy to leave his newborn and three-year-old motherless. Beth’s loss has totally thrown his life into chaos: his lover has left him, his house isn’t anywhere near childproof, and his boss feels the restaurant has been patient enough with Jeff’s time off.

Donny has always known he wanted to work with kids, and he just finished his degree in early childhood education. He didn’t count on the prejudice he’d face as not only a male nanny, but a gay one at that. Job-hunting has been frustrating to say the least, so when he knocks on Jeff’s door and is greeted by the sounds of things breaking and a pair of screaming children, he thinks maybe he can begin this particular interview with a trial by fire.

Becoming the nanny to Jeff’s children might be a dream come true for Danny and exactly what Jeff needs, but are either of them ready to really be a family?

Title: Daddy, Daddy, and Me
Author: Sean Michael
Release Date: February 23, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 162

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Thank you to Two Chicks Obsessed for hosting me today.

As Daddy, Daddy and Me features a couple of kids, I thought I’d share my top five favorite kids’ books growing up. I read all the following multiple times as a kid. And yes, I adored series because that meant I got to stay in the world I loved.

 

Top Five Favourite Kid’s books

  1. Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My copies of these were dog-eared. It was fascinating reading about this little girl who grew up a long time ago.

 

  1. The Hobbit by JJR Tokien – I read the Lord of the Rings books in my early teens, but this book in my childhood and it helped form my lifelong love of fantasy/sci-fi

 

  1. Z is for Zachariah by Robert C O’Brien – I remember taking this one out of the library (more than once.) If The Hobbit turned me onto fantasy, this book turned me onto post-apocalyptic fiction.

 

  1. Anne Of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery Anne taught me that it was good to use my imagination and that being ‘normal’ and ‘just like everyone else’ were not the be all and end all.

 

  1. Famous Five series by Enid Blyton – I was first introduced to these at the English bookstore in Heidelberg and loved them beyond reason. We would go back every week and get a new one until I had them all 21 of them. Then I re-read them.

There were many more of course, we started going to the library as early as I can remember and my mother stuck a book in my crib to keep me company in the mornings from six months on, but those are five that stick out in my mind.

 

Sean Michael

Smut fixes everything

This one is such a sweet read with really cute kids and an awesome Uncle/manny love story.

Jeff agrees to be a sperm donor for his best friend in the world, thinking he could be a totally awesome uncle and nothing else. Until tragedy strikes and he is left raising two little people who miss their mom while trying prove life goes on without a best friend and now an absentee boyfriend.

Donny has recently graduated with a degree in early childhood education but is having a tough time finding a job. Once people find out he’s gay they can’t get rid of him fast enough. Praying this next interview is his last, Donny is surprised to find Jeff might need him just as much as Donny needs this job.

Trial by fire doesn’t even begin to cover it. Jeff is in way over his head, overworked and running on no sleep doesn’t help when dealing with grieving kids. Donny steps in to help and Jeff can see a noticeable difference in the kids in such a short time. It seems Donny has been good for all of them. Jeff just needs to stop the inappropriate thoughts he’s having about Donny before he scares him right out of their lives. Little does he know, Donny is fighting his own attraction.

When Jeff’s ex returns to cause trouble for the new couple, Jeff and Donny will need to decide if they’re stronger together or apart and what’s best for their little family.

The story is really entertaining , but I love that all the drama in the story revolves around outside characters. Donny and Jeff are pretty chill, letting the love evolve naturally. It felt so real, never forced. The was they come together as a family is so beautiful.

If ever I have wanted to throat punch a character Jeff’s ex would be number one on that list. What a tool! But his resurfacing just proves how blind a person can be and what they thought was love was just mere lust because true love makes everything else dull.

Great read. I couldn’t put it down.

4 pieces of eye candy

Best-selling author Sean Michael is a maple leaf–loving Canadian who spends hours hiding out in used book stores. With far more ideas than time, Sean keeps several documents open at all times. From romance to fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi, Sean is limited only by the need for sleep—and the periodic Beaver Tail.

Sean fantasizes about one day retiring on a secluded island populated entirely by horseshoe crabs after inventing a brain-to-computer dictation system. Until then, Sean will continue to write the old-fashioned way.

Sean Michael on the web:

WEBSITE: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

BLOG: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites/

TWITTER: seanmichael09

INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/seanmichaelpics/

Monthly Guest Post: Victoria Sue – Exclusive Excerpt from Joshua’s Rainbow

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As always, we love it when Victoria Sue drops by for her monthly blog post. She brings something fun, exciting, maybe a little on the the dirty side, but we are glad to have her! So check out the exclusive excerpt she brought to TCO this month from her book that is just out today, and on KU! Welcome Victoria!

Rainbow Key – an idyllic island retreat off the west coast of Florida. Think wedding destination, white sandy beaches, lurve… except at the moment Joshua is struggling to pay the electricity bill, they’ve no paying customers, and even if they did they can’t afford the repairs from the devastating hurricane that struck three years ago – and to top it off they have to take in Daniel, a grumpy businessman who has been ordered by his doctor to take some time off before he has a heart attack from too much stress.

Funnily enough, Daniel owns a very expensive hotel chain that has been trying to buy the island for the past two years. Not that Joshua knows that yet, and boy are sparks gonna fly when he thinks he’s been set up.

Of course, sparks of a different kind are also soon flying between them.

Then there’s Matt who just got let out of prison, Charlie who ran away from home, and Ben, a famous model until a devastating house fire destroyed his face.

Welcome to Rainbow Key – held together by love, family, and sticky tape.

“Joshua?” Daniel reached out and gently pulled his face around to look at him. “I’m so sorry for what I said last night. It was a culmination of a month’s worth of stress, and I’m afraid I took it out on you.”

Joshua shook his head. “Not your fault. You were right, and”—he took a breath—“I haven’t had much luck with relationships.” He paused and Daniel’s heart went out to him.

“I find that very difficult to believe,” Daniel said lightly and nudged his arm.

Joshua looked incredulously at Daniel and waved a hand at himself. “Then you’re blind,” he said shortly.

“Do you know what I see when I look at you? It’s your eyes first,” Daniel mused. “They have been pulling me in since the first time I laid my own on you.”

“I’m huge,” Joshua said flatly.

“Well, your heart is, certainly.” His lips parted and Daniel knew he wanted to tell him something, but they closed on silence. “Joshua, Josh, you are trying to provide a home for people that don’t seem to have one, with barely any facilities and no money to do so. I am in awe at your generosity of spirit.” He nudged him. “You’re also sexy as all hell and I’m struggling to keep my hands of you.”

Joshua stared in astonishment and opened his mouth again, but just then they heard a shout from the hotel and turned to see Susie waving at them trying to get their attention. Daniel sighed to himself and offered his hand to pull him upright. He ignored the tingly warmth as Joshua placed his hand in Daniel’s and let himself be pulled up.

“So, you’re staying to help me feed fifty people?” Josh’s tone was doubtful, but the question seemed loaded with other things. Daniel threw away caution and every sensible thought he had ever had. In the same pile, he buried his guilt at the deception and told himself if he was going to try and buy the island he was being very altruistic by helping them first. Though, he admitted to himself, if he was really the savvy business man he had been accused of being—and not always politely—then helping Joshua should be the last thing he was doing.

“Not just that,” he said with meaning, and let his eyes trail suggestively over Josh’s body.

Josh stiffened and Daniel knew instantly he’d made a huge mistake.

“Hey.” He snagged Josh’s hand, incredibly relieved when he didn’t pull away. “That came out wrong. For a marketing consultant, I seem to be doing a bad job of communicating my feelings.” He took a deep breath, gratified that Josh hadn’t told him to get lost.

“I am incredibly attracted to you. I think that much is obvious.” Daniel laughed awkwardly when he didn’t get a reaction. “But this is business. After twenty jaded years I get a kick out of helping someone start up, running with an idea.” He nudged Joshua. “How about when the wedding’s a tremendous success and you have bookings flooding in, we talk again and see what we both want? No expectations or promises.”

Josh regarded him quizzically for a second then took a step nearer. He whispered because Susie was nearly within hearing distance. “I like expectations,” he said throatily, and Daniel made a soft noise in the back of his throat that might have been a whimper. Damn.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but managed to dream up quite a few heroes. Loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—especially with a paranormal twist—but always with a happy ending.

Is an English northern lass currently serving twenty to life in Florida—unfortunately, she spends more time chained to her computer than on a beach.

Loves to hear from her readers and can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.
Amazon Author Page

Facebook Group

www.victoriasue.com

@vickysuewrites

Joshua’s Rainbow – https://goo.gl/VaFELb

Leave a comment on Victoria Sue’s monthly blog stop, and you are entered to win an ebook of one of her backlist books.

Going Overboard by L.A. Witt: Exclusive Guest Post and Giveaway

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Second-class petty officers Dalton Taylor and Chris Ingram have been best friends since coxswain’s school. Now they’re stationed together in the Harbor Patrol Unit of NAS Adams. They’re content as friends, but secretly, they both ache for more. Neither makes a move, though; while Dalton is out and proud, Chris is closeted—even from his best friend.

Then another coxswain’s negligence nearly drowns Dalton. After a taste of how easily they could lose each other, neither man can keep his feelings hidden anymore, and it turns out love and sex come easy when you’re falling for your best friend.

Things aren’t just heating up between the friends-turned-lovers, though. The Navy is investigating the accident, and the Harbor Patrol chief isn’t going to let his star coxswain go down for dereliction of duty, even if saving him means throwing Dalton under the bus.

As the threats and gaslighting pile up, Chris and Dalton need each other more than ever—as shipmates, friends, and lovers. But if their chief prevails, the only way they can save their careers is to let each other go.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

 

Fact, Fiction, & Creative License – Military Characters

One thing I’m asked about a lot is how much of my characters—particularly military characters—are based on reality, and how much I’ve made up.

The short answer is—a lot of both.

I grew up around the military, and I’ve been a Navy spouse for the last 15 years. As a result, I’m around a lot of service members and their families. Particularly when we’re stationed overseas (we’ve spent 7 of the last 10 years overseas), the majority of my face-to-face interaction comes from other people living on base.

So, when it comes to creating my military characters… they’re pretty much people I’ve encountered in real life. Obviously not exact clones, but very much inspired by reality. Whether it’s someone’s speech pattern (especially their cursing), the challenges they’ve faced in their careers, their pre-military background, the after effects of being in combat—chances are, it’s something I picked up from real life. I don’t really have to make up a lot of it.

The self-medicating deeply-traumatized drone pilot who can’t talk about what happened and no one will take him seriously? Real person.

The ex-Marine who drank himself stupid at the expense of his jobs and relationships because he couldn’t cope with his trauma? Know him.

The Sailor who put her life on the line to save a shipmate, only to find herself under the command’s microscope instead of getting an award, and pretty much overnight deciding she’s done with the Navy? At least three people.

The gay man who married a lesbian so they could safely stay in the closet during DADT? Officers and senior enlisted with deep regrets over using women as beards, only to wind up having their wives hate them later? Higher-ranking older service members who feel compelled to come out to set an example for their younger subordinates—both to let the queer people know they’re not alone, and to let the homophobes know they won’t be tolerated? You guessed it.

A lot of other things come from real life, either from general observations of military life or from specific experiences/anecdotes/etc. For example, when people read Conduct Unbecoming, the single most frequent question I get is if I made up the following:

“Oh, look, a cheater’s house.” He gestured out the window.

I pulled up to a stop sign, then looked at the house he’d indicated. “What? How can you tell?”

He shot me an incredulous look. “You don’t know this shit?”

“Well, on my last base, the my-husband-isn’t-home signal was a mop next to the front door.” I craned my neck but didn’t see the incriminating mop propped up next to the door.

“Not here. All the husbands found out about that one. Here, it’s a detergent box in the dining room window.”

I glanced up just before I pulled through the intersection, and sure enough, peeking down from the window of one unit’s dining room, was a box of Tide.

I shook my head. “Every fucking base.”

“Yeah, get used to it,” he said. “It’s way worse out here than it is in the States.”

The answer? No, I did not make it up. The Tide box was a thing when I was on Okinawa, and it’s one I personally witnessed. The “signal” varies, and it changes constantly—the mop against the door, a towel in a mailbox, even a red light in the kitchen window, which I thought was a little on the nose. Things like this aren’t as common anymore now that Tinder is a thing, but it is absolutely real, and that’s why it wound up in a book.

I try to work in a lot of those real details from life on a military base, whether it’s things from base housing or the rank dynamics on the job. As I said, I don’t really have to make it up—real life offers plenty of material!

Going Overboard gets into a lot of the, shall we say, unsavory aspects of being in the military. When Chris and Dalton find themselves butting heads with a chief, and they’re afraid to go to another chief or a senior chief for help because “chiefs protect chiefs”? That’s absolutely a thing. When their chief gaslights and threatens them? When one of the heroic Sailors is threatened with an investigation and chastised for losing a weapon while saving her shipmate’s life? Seen it happen.

Without getting into spoilers, there are a number of moments in Going Overboard where my editors said—and my readers will likely say—“Can he really do that?”

And the answer is “On paper, no. In practice, yes. Because it definitely happens.”

So yes, when I write military stories and military characters, I do sometimes take some creative license, but more often than not? I don’t have to. Because in this odd little world, fact really is stranger than fiction.

 

Welcome to Anchor Point!

Nestled on the northern coast of Oregon, this small town is home to Naval Air Station Adams. On base, you’ll find freshly minted Sailors who’ve just graduated boot camp, salty officers counting down till retirement, grounded pilots who’ve landed behind desks, and everyone in between—and they’re all looking for love. Well, not all of them, but that won’t stop love from finding them.

So pull up a barstool, grab a beer, and get ready for some sea stories as these men in uniform—or not—navigate the waters of love and life in the military.

Anchor Point stories can be enjoyed in any order. Hop in wherever you’d like!

Check out Anchor Point today!

 

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut…L.A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

 

To celebrate the release of Going Overboard, one lucky winner will receive their choice of two eBooks off L. A. Witt’s backlist (excluding Going Overboard) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 10, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!