New Release! Midnight and Mayhem by Nevea Lane

CLICK TO BUY! Midnight and Mayhem by Nevea Lane

I’ve got a new release for you all and it is longer than most stories I’ve written.   I’ve always wanted to create a vampire.  I didn’t think I had enough knowledge to create a believable one.  Let’s face it, I was a pre-teen when Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles hit bookstores and Ms. Rice created such angst and believable characters, I was convinced that she’d captured what a vampire should be. I’ve been hooked on the blood suckers ever since.  I read every book in that series, some of them twice.   A part of me hid away the desire to create a vampire universe because I thought it would be too time consuming. The thought nagged at me for years.  Finally, on a whim, a hunch and a really good bottle of red wine, I tied myself to the computer and created this.  Book One in my Midnight series, Midnight and Mayhem.   Continue reading for an excerpt.

Blurb

Etienne Le’Maistre was dedicated to hunting rogue vampires and anything that threatened his status as the vampire leader of his coven. Everything he did was part of his vow as a warrior and a leader. When he heard the terrifying screams of a child in the night, he acted from a new perspective, that of protector. Saving the life of a human mother and child from a vampire attack was just a part of his duty—or so he thought.

Thirty years later, that child was a grown China Kincaid. Since that fateful night, she’d focused all of her energy on one thing: revenge. She knew vampires were real and she was going to kill them all, or die trying. When her hunting led her back to Etienne, the vampire who’d saved her all those years ago, China realized there was another world out there she didn’t know. Would she be able to survive in Etienne’s world of midnight and mayhem?

***EXCERPT***

“Miss Kincaid, please understand you are going to start a lot of trouble, and I can assure you there are less understanding people out there than I. You could get hurt.”

“People, you aren’t people! You are dead things playing alive and you…”
Before Etienne could stop himself, he rounded the desk and had China in his arms. He looked down at her shocked face, her pink mouth slightly agape, yet her eyes half-lidded, as if she was drunk. There was nothing he could do against the strong pull to kiss her. Before he could find the willpower not to kiss her, his hand had entwined in her ponytail and he tugged her hair back just a bit. His lips danced lightly over hers, kissing, prodding. The pleasure of her mouth on his forced him to keep his top lip curled over his incisors, even as they began to descend. He didn’t want to nip her. However, there was nothing he could do to shield her from the hard line of his painfully aroused cock pressing into her stomach.

Breaking the kiss with a hiss, Etienne backed away from China and made sure she saw his gaze. He knew what he looked like caught in lust: his eyes would be glowing, and his skin would be flushed. His pronounced canines would be gleaming by now, fully descended and ready for a drink.

“Did that feel so dead to you, Miss Kincaid?” Her hand flew to her lips in horror. He told himself that he kissed her to make her see the danger she was in, but he just couldn’t bring himself to believe that lie.

THE NEXT BIG THING – Blog Hop

BLOG HOP-The Next Big Thing

Okay, I was tagged for the BLOG HOP- The Next Big Thing

Thank you to Kimmie Thomas from http://shereallysaidit.wordpress.com.  Now, I’ve blogged and ranted, but I’ve never hopped, so this should really be fun.

The rules for the Blog Hop are as follows:

*****Give credit to the person/blog that tagged you

*****Post the rules for the blog hop

*****Answer these ten questions about the current WIP (Work in Progress) on your blog

*****Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for the Nest Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book?

I’ve been real busy.  First there was Falling Leaves in Autumn which is out now.

 

Right now, I’ve submitted one story for a new series I am working on, Midnight and Mayhem.  It is my first foray into paranormal with a sexy vampire.  It is is the editing stage now.

Next on my list is a Christmas Domination tale that will be placed with a very special publishing house (Shara Azod, some of you may know her) I’m working on the plot line now, although I might need to  post some thoughts on my blog to get some feedback.  This one is going to be way way different and outside the box, so stay tuned for that.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Like any fiction writer, I think a bit of our stories always involve real life scenarios.  Some of us write true to life scenarios and take only a bit of creative license.

What genre does your book fall under?

Romantica? Romance with a little Erotica? Erotic?  I can’t be pigeonholed but you can bet your bottom dollar it will be hot.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I would love to see Eric Bana play Clark Pinot in Falling Leaves in Autumn..  He is so Clark  and I think I was watching him in an Adam Sandler movie when I came up with the character of Clark.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Never judge a book by its cover.

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?

I use several publishers but my absolutely favorites are Beautiful Trouble Publishing, Mocha Memoirs Press and Shara Azod Presents.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

That depends on what manuscript I am working on.  I can write one in a week or take several months to draw it out.  For example, my free read, Private Dancer took me a year to write.  So I guess I should say that all depends.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I think my books are more like movies.  Since I practice safe short writing I try to start with a bang and end with a bang.   So if I were to label my writing style it is like Crash or  Mobsters.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Falling Leaves in Autumn was inspired by life events.  I tried so hard to keep my husband a ‘late night snack’ he just kept getting into my heart and mind and eventually became my husband.

What else about your book might piqué the reader’s interest?

It is written in first person, but the characters do come alive.  I know that is the biggest issue with some who write in first person is getting to know the other characters.

The writers I’m tagging are:

http://sherrodstory.wordpress.com

http://valloryv.wordpress.com

http://roslynhardyholcomb.com/

http://musetracks.wordpress.com

http://liviaellis.com

Tag!

Well That was fun…  I hope everyone can participate.

 

Quick Post Poem – The War (Against the Paper)

The War (Against the Paper)

 

I believe that  white page is staring at me. 

Sitting there, blank and mockingly.

I try to crumple it up, and walk away.

I am still staring at it, by the end of the day.

Writing is seduction of a word, to make it do what you want,

To describe the perfect character, tall, fat or gaunt.

Does the paper know the thought process it takes,

To stain it up with ink, the panic it creates?

I can’t help it though, writing is in my veins,

It is a war against the paper, every day, sun, sleet or rain. 

 

(c) 2012 Nevea Lane

Why Are Free BWWM books Hard to Find

All of this work isn't free

Why Are Free BWWM Books Hard To Find (or How the Internet told on You)…

I love technology.  I’ve been given the title Techy by a select few and here is an example why I love technology, the internet and the right to free speech.   I was checking my WordPress analytic for the search terms people have used to stumble across my blog.  (Savvy, I know, right?)   This one came across my radar today: why are free BWWM books hard to find?   Obviously this was typed in a browser search engine and someone wanted to know why.  I’ll be happy to step up to the plate and answer that question with some bias but with stark honesty.

It depends if you are looking for GOOD free BW/WM books.  Of course the emphasis being on GOOD.  Now, you can go on to Smashwords, Literotica and various other places to find BW/WM stories.  They are all over and you have to ask yourself the question: is it good?  If you want just a ‘story’ there are plenty and they aren’t hard to find.   If you want GOOD, well let me break it down for you why it won’t be free.

We know we are a niche group, and for those of us that band together, we know just how small or large this niche can be while writing.   We know that we are a quiet genre that doesn’t get much exposure except for among ourselves, and what we represent, we want to represent it well.    Let’s say you are getting dressed for the prom, are you going to put on your holed up jeans, a mustard stained t-shirt and flip-flops?   No, you are going to present your best side because it is important to you.   I will only speak for myself, but being ‘good’ in the world of authors these days is hard work.  You have to know your own worth, you have to know your story’s worth and you have to be willing to grind out that manuscript, sit down and write as the muse strikes, not to mention work your job that has nothing to do with writing.  You have to hone your skill, learn vocabulary, research your topic, ferret out facts, learn your characters, get their habits straight, and come up with a story that will compel readers to go beyond page 1.   Not only do you have to know what you are talking about, you also have to make time to write.  I’m  a short story author, and if I could have a nickel every time I heard a story was too short, well, I wouldn’t have to work so much overtime some days to cover my bills.   So not only do we have to make time to write, we have to pour out our character’s heart, our heart and our story into something that won’t get slandered as ‘too short’.  Try writing 9,000 words that string together beautifully and you will see it ain’t a pretty picture or process.  Now, do you expect a free work to be error free and without some grammatical mistakes? No, so we use proofers and beta-readers.  They don’t work for free either.

So after our hard work. our toiling, back-spacing and rewriting until we find a better word for ‘said’, why would we throw it up for free?  We all go to work every day, but wouldn’t one get mad if they asked you to work for free?  I love my job, but seriously, free?    Some of us, myself included, have written plenty of free stories.  We felt like we owed something to our fans, we felt like we needed to ‘give back’.  Guess how we were repaid: plagiarism.  Plagiarism and having our free work lampooned for various reasons.  A free work,  shared out of love for the genre and knowing there isn’t much out there to get your hands on, gets plagiarized,   and some other is making money off of what you put out there in love.   That would be one reason that some of us don’t post free reads anymore.  We find our work repackaged and our name replaced with someone who didn’t write not once sentence in it.   Can you believe that?

Good BW/WM is so hard to come by, true.  It is hard to come by, and it is harder  to please the readers of BW/WM or any other interracial combination you can think because we are picky.  We want a GOOD read.   If you want a GOOD steak, do you really expect someone to be on the street corner giving away 16 oz porterhouse steaks for free?  No you go to a steak house and you pay for what you want.  The same thing with books.    You pay for what you want.

As much as I would love to live a life of leisure and spend the day writing, I can’t.  I’ve got obligations, a mate, a job, a car to pay for… none of which are free.  We’ve been nice, we’ve tried the ‘free’ route and got screwed.

So to the searcher out there looking for free bwwm, there are plenty, but if you want quality, ante up and just buy what you crave.

 

Welcome Lenise Lee – Simone: Second Chances

pLEASE WELCOME TO MY BLOG THE FABULOUS mS. lENISE LEE!  *APPLAUSE*

Ms. Lee has stopped by to share with us a tantalizing tidbit of her book, Simone: Second Chances.

Simone: Second Chances by Lenise Lee

How often does a second opportunity to win over our heart’s desire come long?  In real life, probably not as often as it should or as frequently as we hope for.  In Simone: Second Chances, I have granted such a wish to my leading lady and the man who has secretly loved her for quite a while.  

This new tale from my wandering thoughts also gives me a chance to pursue the same. Before this story, it had been far too long since I desired to become wrapped up with love and all of its curiosities and rewards.  When my attention turned  to my second go-round with Simone, there was finally a spark to return to the sweet and spicy side of romance.  While drafting this piece, I had to learn to fall in love all over again with the wonderful possibilities and the tender affections that true love can offer.  

As always, thank you for your time and your support, Dear Reader.  True love and happiness to you all..always..LL ♥♥

♥Read Now @ AMAZON♥

Description

We all deserve a second chance to get it right, especially in matters ofthe heart. Simone has been granted such a wish. After a secret and brief affair with a man in her office, she struggles both with her ongoing attraction to him and the guilt of her indiscretion. Will the object of her affection be able to ease her worries and convince her that he is truly the man she should take a chance on loving?  READ MORE HERE

You can contact Ms. Lee at the addresses below.  Contact her, she is cool people!

Lenise Lee Publications

www.leniseleepublications.com

www.iamlenise.wordpress.com
contact@leniseleepublications.com

Absolutely Delicious: Review of “A Valentine’s Day Love Story” by Delicious Thoughts

http://beautifultroublepublishing.com/xcart/A-Valentines-Day-Love-Story-EBOOK.html

There are certain books or stories that make you say “ahhh, the perfect treat.” A Valentine’s Day Love Story by Delicious Thoughts is one of those books. In this short but sexy read you begin with tension as we encounter Sally, the heroine, standing in a garden, troubled. Is it because that she is engaged but not to the one she loves.  Her best friend, Georgina, knows this and aims to provide comic relief. I love the way the author inserts humor into a tension filled scenario. That is a skill that is much needed to deal with life’s dramas. You find yourself able to relate to the characters no matter what, well besides Gordon whom I think we all want to kick in the arse by the end of the story.  The tension mounting in the story built on top of the sexual tension the reader can feel as soon as you begin to turn the page. It is well worth the climatic ending. Pick up this title at Beautiful Trouble Publishing.

Getting Better, All the Time

Can you believe that it has only been one year since I was actually published?  (Thanks Beautiful Trouble Publishing for taking a chance on me.)  Today I stopped and wondered, how do authors improve?   That being said, let me state that writers/authors/songstresses/singers all get better over time.  I don’t think anyone can look back and say they haven’t grown in some way, shape or form.  I don’t want to be the same I was last year, I want to be better.

How do we get better?  Taking criticism for starters is the only way that you can get better.  Some of us may get down in the dumps after being criticized.  I used to be one of those that would sulk and wonder why don’t they like me (cue sad puppy eyes and violin).   After a while, I got tired of hearing the same sad song and decided to let the violin be a fiddle.   I looked at everything with the critical eye and said to myself, yes, this could be better, longer, easier.

So back to my original point; how do we get better?   Run towards everything with fresh eyes and with courage.  We are going to be scared to try new things and we are going to always be skittish to step out of our comfort zone, but do it with courage.   Courage is one of those things that separates the movers and shakers from the wallflowers.

How else do we get better? We listen.   Sometimes the best things you get out of life is when you just shut up and listen.  Say nothing.  Be Silent for a moment and listen, let it come to you.

How am I improving?  I’m writing longer works for one.   I love the short story format,  a lot of yum in a little space.  I realize that sometimes people need, want and earn for a longer work.  I’m trying to do that but to do so in a way that makes me proud of my work and not something that is just long for the sake of being long.

So that was my quick check in… Back to the races people… some of us are chained to our laptops .

RIP: to the Inspiration behind a lot of us – LA Banks

 

All I can say is that she will be missed… Rock On L.A.

Pulling, Tugging, Screaming and Finally a Hot Toddy

To borrow a line from one of my favorite lyricists, “Some people ask where the fuck I’ve been; shit I don’t know, but what I do know, is that I’m back now!” (Eminem, “Underground”, Relapse)

Where have I been?

I will only answer that if you promise not to squeal, scream or tell my probation officer (The probation thing is a long story). I’ve been trying something deliciously new.  I’ve been attempting to write with a plot line.  Rarely do I ever actually plot a story.  More often than not, I’ll hear a line in a song, or hear a funny anecdote and I take off running, and my fingers will only leave the keyboard long enough to wipe my brow.

I know, I know.  Some true writers will probably want to blow up my condo with a nuclear missile for that approach.  However, it works for me.  Except on this last particular story.  I haven’t been in the habit of posting excerpts of work in progress lately because of the fact that there are some characters that I’m keeping close to my heart, but my work, before it is edited, is probably atrocious.   If you’ve read most of the free works that I’ve posted here, you realize that I don’t contract all that much.  So one new approach that I’m trying is to actually contract while writing instead of going back and using the beloved ‘find and replace’ feature.

Still not answering the question of where you’ve been Nevea….

I digress then.   Where I’ve been is writing.  I hate going back and re-reading what I’ve written.  (If you ask how do I edit and re-write, it is this simple, I usually start over).  So I’ve gotten to read some of the things that I’ve written, and I found myself wishing things like, this should have been longer, or his eyes should have been blue. So how does one deal with those I Wishes? I just do it.  I’ve got enough chips on my shoulder and so on where I don’t need another one, so I would rather re-write it than wish I had.     When do we get to the point where we just stop wishing?  So I did it.  I’ve begun the process of re-writing some of the works you’ve seen here.  Stay tuned on what happens with these free reads.

Now, I’m working on some delicious stories with my beloved publisher; and I wish I could tell you just how delicious these stories are, but I’m still tweaking and working various plot twists.  But I can tell you this much, they are longer.

Speaking of longer, and you would have had to been there to understand, I just celebrated my birthday for about a week.  A week-long celebration for a heck of a milestone… one over the big 3-0.   Why would I celebrate that occasion for a week?  We don’t do things for ourselves often enough with purely selfish intentions.  We, as people, do things because it seems like the right thing to do, or it would look good in someone else’s eyes.   This is commendable, respectable even, but that is why I chose to do a 180║ on my moral compass.

I hung out late, stayed up for two days straight, had great times with friends and lived each day as a celebration.   At the end of the week, I caught a cold but it was so worth every single minute of living each moment to its fullest, and it gave me an excuse to have a hot toddy and nurse my cold.

So there is an update on where I’ve been.   Just wait till you see where I’m going…

Disturbing the Yuletide – Available now at Beautiful Trouble Publishing

Disturbing the Yuletide [EBOOK]

 

Click the Link to Purchase

Topaz Aura Sinclair, aka DJ Bluefire, has been feeling a little lonely this holiday season—the first one she’s spending without her family. She’s even taken on extra gigs just to stay active during the season. At one of her assignments, she meets Sebastian Rosser, an ex-military officer turned caterer. Sparks fly immediately… But when one of Topaz’s gigs turns dangerous, will she and Sebastian find a way to keep their holiday bright? 

---

**EXCERPT**

Topaz laughed and looked at Sebastian. She finally took the moment to really study the man who was before her. He looked delicious and dark in his black slacks and turtleneck. His toned arms seemed about to split the shirt at the seams. The deep green of his eyes gave him a dangerous air and made Topaz shudder. Then she remembered the way he’d gotten her out of the brawling fiasco at the Den. 

“What did you do before you became a chef, Sebastian?” He couldn’t possibly have been just a caterer all his life, not with those moves.

“I was in the British Army. I enlisted young, and applied for my discharge about three years ago.”

“I kinda figured you were military. You’re too sharp.” 

Sebastian lifted his eyebrow at her. She giggled and took another sip.

“What I mean is that you were cool under pressure. You didn’t seem to mind I was poking around in the kitchen when we met. Most caterers I know aren’t like that—they’re territorial.”

“Oh, I’m territorial, but not about food,” Sebastian countered, his tone serious.

“I see. So what brings you to the States?” Topaz knew the hour was late, but she didn’t want to let him go just yet. It was better than being in her small apartment, lonely and cold. Christmas was merely a week away, and she didn’t want to think about spending it alone. 

“Opportunity and a change of pace. Working with The Det, I spent most of my time in Northern Ireland, and London no longer seemed like home after my parents died, so the States seemed logical.”

Topaz could relate to what Sebastian was feeling. She knew what it was like to feel out of place. “The ‘Det.’ What is that?” Topaz asked.

“It’s a special recon unit. We’re plainclothes operatives, and that’s all I’m telling you,” Sebastian said, his lips playing around with the idea of a smile.

“Oh, it’s like that?” Topaz said, lifting her own eyebrow and staring at him. Sebastian gave a slight nod, and this time he actually did smile. 

Topaz gasped at the smile that transformed his face. It seemed to make the hard lines around his mouth disappear, and he looked so human. She felt a lump in her throat, and her words were lost. Sebastian Rosser was one fine man when he smiled.

* * *

Sebastian felt the sides of his face ache as he broke into a grin. He was sure he had smiled before he entered the military, but he’d never remembered it feeling so good. He was sure it was because of the company of one Topaz Sinclair.

From his days in the military, Sebastian had used his contacts to dig up important information on Topaz. Even with the little information he could find, he found that she soothed the restlessness he had been plagued with most of his life. He’d always been known as the one to take the first shot, the one to take the lead. With her, he didn’t want to jump in too fast, but he felt like he was on a roller coaster of emotions. “So tell me about you.” Sebastian said, knowing her soothing voice would calm the restlessness he was feeling again.

“What do you want to know?” Topaz asked, taking another sip of her coffee.

“Everything. Every last detail.” Sebastian didn’t mince words, but he didn’t think she would mind.

“Well, let’s see. I’m an only child. My mom and dad had me late in life, so they didn’t get the chance to have other children. They passed away earlier this year.” 

Sebastian nodded and again grabbed her hands. He was amazed at how small they seemed in his own. His thumbs circled over her palms, mindlessly tracing figure-eights on her warm skin. He looked at her long fingers, nails without polish, the simple silver thumb ring the only jewelry she wore. She was simplicity personified, and he wanted to know everything about her.

“I’m sorry. This time of year must be rough for you.” Sebastian gave his sympathy, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she would mind spending the holiday with him.

“Yeah, that’s why I took on so many extra gigs. I needed to be moving, doing something, anything.”

“So, what are your plans for the holiday then? More shows? Your calendar seemed pretty open.” 

Topaz looked at him, and Sebastian could see the scrutiny. He braced himself for the question.
“Was tonight the only night you came looking for me, Sebastian?”
“No. I think I’ve been looking for you all my life.”