9/05/2015

Melting, Progress Report, Rebate Sale #malexmale #caffeinateme #writestuff


 Good morning everyone! *sips coffee* It's never too hot for coffee, but it's darn near too hot for anything else here! Where oh where has my beautiful cool fall weather gone? There will be no baking, and no cooking here today. My kitchen will melt if I turn on anything besides the coffee maker.

I remember hot summer days when I was just a kid- playing outside. The heat didn't slow us down any, and my parents sure weren't letting us sit on the couch and veg all day! Not that it would have mattered. We didn't have air conditioning, not until we moved to Texas in the eighties. I'm not sure how we survived… but we did. Then again, the whole concept of air conditioning is relatively new, isn't it? Certainly our ancestors never had it. And look at what they wore! *shudder*

Progress report on the work at hand: Havan and I finished chapter two of At the Heart of Christmas yesterday. On schedule, and loving the way it's flowing. Plus, I just love Sprocket and Chaz. Then what does Havan do but create Mason… Mason is Sprocket's roommate, and well he's pretty awesome. Can't wait for you to meet him. No snippet today… don't want to give too much away.

What kind of guy does a mummy take on a date?
Any old guy he can unwrap!

Mum's the Word is zipping along as well. I just need another 400 or so words on the next post. Chapter Six will be up here on Monday. Come on back then to see how Izzy and Owen are doing with their task.

Have to cut it short today because I'm running late, but I do want to make sure to get the word out about an awesome rebate sale this weekend at All Romance. (Yep, my books are all included.)




Alert! All Romance Rebate Sale In Progress! #buynow&later #malexmale #romance


Greetings Friends and Readers! 

Happy Labor Day Weekend! 

Celebrate the end of summer, and welcome fall at the 



I have dozens of titles there to choose from...


How It Works: 

Buy books today. 

Get $ back to buy again tomorrow! 

For every $1 you spend, you earn 0.30 cents in rebates to use on a future shopping trip! 



9/04/2015

Pumpkin Spice, Meeting Chaz, Nipples #writestuff #caffeinateme


Good morning all! It's another gorgeous summer day here in the Midwest, by which I mean sweltering hot at dawn, but hey! I got to see the sunrise over the forest and that was awesome! Plus… today, I am getting a jump start on fall by adding a splash of pumpkin spice creamer to my coffee. Mm. *sips coffee* *hums These Are a Few of My Favorite Things* I happened to pick up this bottle of creamer at the grocery store, but it reminded me that I found a recipe for making your own creamer that I intend to try out.  Once this bottle is empty, I plan to refill it with my homemade version. It goes perfectly with my music of the day: Renegade by Styx.  
Do you enjoy any particular seasonal coffee trends?


Yesterday, Havan and I started working on the opening chapter of our project. We're currently calling it "At the Heart of Christmas" but that's strictly a working title and is likely to change between now and the end of the book. We worked out some back story and basically introduced ourselves to our characters. There's a bit of humor and a lot of potential for disaster in the offing. Chaz and Sprocket are today's top priority as well. Here's a tiny taste of what went down yesterday: (Remember, this is completely unedited and is subject to change!)

The jangling bell attracted both Xander and Sprocket’s attention. Xander’s smile widened, his mouth parted to utter a greeting. Before any words came though, Sprocket whirled with an excited squeal.
Chaz saw it coming. He held up a hand, as though that would do any good.
Xander saw it too. He stepped back and raised his Chinese take-out boxes.
Even Sprocket saw it coming. The squeal died. His cute little bow of a mouth turned into a startled “o” that triggered filthy memories Chaz had been suppressing for months.
The breeze caught one plastic lid, swirled it in a delicate dance of passion and denial, then swept it off down the street. A pumpkin and spice scented arc of coffee, thick and creamy and scalding hot, whirled up from the cup like a genie from a brass lamp,  seemed to hover in midair, choosing its target, before darting forward and tagging Chaz squarely in the chest.
He dropped his hand, squeezed his eyes shut, and counted again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. He opened his eyes, and reassessed the situation. “Hello, Sprocket, Xander.”

Still working on Mum's the Word as well. I'm at chapter seven, which will post to the blog on Sept. 14th. It's good to be a little ahead of the game instead of playing catch up!

Drinking my coffee this morning, I skimmed Pinterest, just because, well, that's what I do after the sun rises, and nearly spurted coffee all over when I saw this article:


Well, yeah. I was all over that. Clicked right away. Because you know how old sex is? As old as the human race, right? How can anything about it be trendy and hip? Once you get past fifteen and start actually having sex instead of thinking about it, well... Anyway, I'm not much of a trend follower. Not fashion trends (give me a good pair of Levi's and a t-shirt any day), or trendy cars, or music, or anything really… But I thought I could probably get into trendy sex.

Except that as it turns out, these trends are uh… kind of not all that trendy. Risky sex? 35 % of people surveyed admitted to having sex outside? Please. Human kind has been fornicating outside in public for centuries. This isn't a trend. It's a confession. If everyone were being honest, their first time was probably risky public underage sex.

Showing your nipples? What does that have to do with sex? Nipples are body parts. Some people find them sexy. The "Free the Nipple" campaign isn't about sex, is it? Isn't it about equality and the right not to be treated as a sex object because your nipples are female and not male?

Anyhow, I got a kick out of the sex trends, even if there wasn't anything useful I could take to the sheets. Except maybe the sex toy thing- that might require more research.


Signing of with an FYI: If you're an ipod/ipad user, I have 33 titles available at the i-TunesBook Store. Click and download some sweet, sexy m/m romance to your i-device today!


Have a great weekend! 

9/02/2015

Rush, Free Reads, Kissing Mistakes #writestuff #caffeinateme

Good morning everyone! *sips coffee* managed to haul my butt out of bed in time for the sunrise this morning. That always makes for an inspiring start to the day. Sunrise, coffee and a little bit of good music, like Tom Sawyer by Rush. That will really put you in the frame of mind to accomplish something!

I finished the edits and the dreaded blurb for A Man of Unusual Talent yesterday. I'm planning a September release if all goes right with the cover art. Meanwhile, Mum's the Word is on the agenda today. I am finished through chapter six, but yesterday I didn't do any work on it at all. I was seriously unproductive after noon yesterday. So I'd like to get at least a head start on chapter seven today, but I'm also really excited about Chaz and Sprocket's story, which Havan and I are starting today. Yesterday we did some character work, but today… we plot. *rubs hands together* * resists maniacal laughter* I'm looking forward to this.
 
What is the mummy’s favorite flower?


Chrysanthamummies!

Meanwhile, just a reminder that I have two free reads at All Romance eBooks in the historical section: Centurion (about a roman centurion and a captive) and The Aristocrat and His Servant (regency malexmale). And whilst I drank that second cup of coffee this morning, trolling Pinterest, this gem crossed my feed:



Naturally, I had to check that out. Kissing is the essence of lovemaking after all, so one definitely
doesn’t want to be doing it WRONG. Turned out to be a pretty basic list with some good tips… this one cracked me up though:

"The only thing that should be stiff on a date is your drink."

Really? Before or after coffee, there is no way to read that and keep your thoughts out of the gutter. But it made me smile, and so I thought I'd share it with you all!


Speaking of smiles, it's that time. Heading over to the WIP to get some words on the page. Y'all be good. And if you can't, well, then we want details in that comment box, y'hear? 


On Tour With Pride Promotions: Keeping House 2nd Edition & Giveaway #mmromance #malexmale #pridepromotions


I am thrilled to announce that I have partnered with Will and Paul at Pride Promotions to conduct a tour and giveaway for the release of the second edition of Keeping House. 

Keeping House is the first book in the Truth or Dare series and was the first story I wrote to be accepted by a publisher. It has been re-edited and revised. The new edition has a beautiful new cover designed by the fabulous Laura Harner.


The tour takes place on September 7th. Check back here on the blog on the morning of the 7th for direct links to the participating blogs, where you'll have a chance to enter to win a $5 All Romance eBooks gift card.

BONUS GIVEAWAY: COMMENT ON THAT BLOG POST AND YOU'LL BE ENTERED TO WIN A SECOND GIFT CARD.


Participating Blogs:

BLURB
Mischa knows his brothers are up to something. He doesn't realize it will lead him to Donovan Holloway and change his carefree lifestyle forever.
Having grown up in a free-love hippie commune taking care of the parents who should have been taking care of him, Donovan Holloway, advertising executive, newly made vice president of the company where he’s worked for twenty years, has come a long way. He’s worked hard to put himself through school and achieve the American dream. All he’s ever wanted is a normal family life—house in the suburbs, two cars, two kids, a shaggy dog. A family to come home to, to care for, to care for him has been his dream since he was a small boy.
Green-eyed, liberally pierced, black-haired, Mohawk-wearing spoiled youngest son of a Hollywood producer and his actress wife, Mischa Blake has made a terrible mistake. In a fit of childish pique, he’s accepted a dare from his older brothers. The dare? Live on his own, supporting himself completely, for a year without accessing his trust fund. No problem. Except Mischa has never worked a day in his life, hasn’t finished college, and has absolutely no skills to bring to the table.
When he sees Donovan’s ad for a housekeeper/gardener, he has nothing to lose by applying, because really…how hard can it be?

Reviews
Top2Bottom Reviews 5 Kisses - "Lee Brazil brought Mischa and Donovan, as well as the secondary cast of characters to life on the page. Their strengths, conflicts, and emotions were genuine, and I become entirely involved in the outcome of the story. These characters are each entirely endearing"...Reviewed by Lisa

Night Owl Reviews: 4.5 Stars & A Night Owl Top Pick - "Keeping House by Lee Brazil is a fun, fast-paced and sexy story that kept me up well past my bedtime. I have a huge fondness for the `opposites attract' storyline. Throw in a little humor, likeable characters and some hot sex and I'm as content as my lazy dog, napping in the warm sun." Reviewed by DaisieMae

Long and Short Reviews- 4 Cherries- "Keeping House will capture your interest form beginning to end. The characters are realistic and could be anyone you would no. With such different personalities struggles are a given that add to these characters believability. The author did an excellent job of writing about the wants and hopes people seek at any age. Keeping House is a must read." - Reviewed by Coreopsis

Book links:


9/01/2015

Fall, Mars Photos, Keeping House #caffeinateme #malexmale #writestuff






Good morning everyone! Happy September! *sips coffee. Not that you can tell here, because the temperatures have zoomed back into the nineties, but it will be Fall in just another 22 days! There are so many things I love about fall, but one of my favorites is the warm gold, red, and orange colors. Seeing the world like that… it's incredible. I think fall is one of the things I missed most when we lived in California. When I was a child I'd have told you without hesitation that summer was my favorite season, and Saturday my favorite day, but now? I've grown out of the heat and into milder temperatures. Fall and spring are my favorites because of the gentling of the temperatures. I am more able to fully enjoy the seasons. As for days of the week, well, there comes a point where they all kind of blend together, but Saturday's are no longer top of the list for sure. I wouldn't step foot in a mall or store on the weekend, or attend an event or attraction like an amusement park. Saturdays are too full of people intent on cramming all the joy of life into a day for me to enjoy.
Today on the blog, in conjunction with Pride Promotions, I have a reveal posted for a great cover of Unbreak Broken by JK Hogan. There's a book giveaway along with that, so click HERE  if you're interested.

Why do mummies love Halloween? 
All the free candy wrappers!

Still working on Mum's the Word. I've finished chapter six yesterday. The bulk of that being written while I was at the dentists in the morning. The rest of the time there I spent looking at this: Mars Photos Show Alien Life. I don't know. That one they say looks like an iguana looks more like Kermit the frog to me, what do you think? I'm not going to say there's no life on Mars- and I'm definitely not going to claim that Earth is the only habited planet, but I will say that most likely evidence of extraterrestrial life will not take the form of Earth type icons like mermaids and Barack Obama. There are more things in this world Horatio…

Ahem. Before someone starts a rumor about alien abductions… The last of today's news is that I am thrilled to announce that I have partnered with Will and Paul at Pride Promotions to conduct a tour and giveaway for the release of the second edition of Keeping House. Now available at AMAZON ,  All Romance , and  Smashwords,  Keeping House is the first book in the Truth or Dare series and was the first story I wrote to be accepted by a publisher. It has been re-edited and revised. The new edition has a beautiful cover designed by the fabulous Laura Harner.
The tour takes place on September 7th. Check back here on the blog on the morning of the 7th for direct links to the participating blogs, where you'll have a chance to enter to win a $5 All Romance eBooks gift card.

BLURB: Mischa knows his brothers are up to something. He doesn't realize it will lead him to Donovan Holloway and change his carefree lifestyle forever.
Having grown up in a free-love hippie commune taking care of the parents who should have been taking care of him, Donovan Holloway, advertising executive, newly made vice president of the company where he’s worked for twenty years, has come a long way. He’s worked hard to put himself through school and achieve the American dream. All he’s ever wanted is a normal family life—house in the suburbs, two cars, two kids, a shaggy dog. A family to come home to, to care for, to care for him has been his dream since he was a small boy.
Green-eyed, liberally pierced, black-haired, Mohawk-wearing spoiled youngest son of a Hollywood producer and his actress wife, Mischa Blake has made a terrible mistake. In a fit of childish pique, he’s accepted a dare from his older brothers. The dare? Live on his own, supporting himself completely, for a year without accessing his trust fund. No problem. Except Mischa has never worked a day in his life, hasn’t finished college, and has absolutely no skills to bring to the table.
When he sees Donovan’s ad for a housekeeper/gardener, he has nothing to lose by applying, because really…how hard can it be?

Reviews
Top2Bottom Reviews 5 Kisses - "Lee Brazil brought Mischa and Donovan, as well as the secondary cast of characters to life on the page. Their strengths, conflicts, and emotions were genuine, and I become entirely involved in the outcome of the story. These characters are each entirely endearing"...Reviewed by Lisa
 Night Owl Reviews: 4.5 Stars & A Night Owl Top Pick - "Keeping House by Lee Brazil is a fun, fast-paced and sexy story that kept me up well past my bedtime. I have a huge fondness for the `opposites attract' storyline. Throw in a little humor, likeable characters and some hot sex and I'm as content as my lazy dog, napping in the warm sun." Reviewed by DaisieMae
 Long and Short Reviews- 4 Cherries- "Keeping House will capture your interest form beginning to end. The characters are realistic and could be anyone you would no. With such different personalities struggles are a given that add to these characters believability. The author did an excellent job of writing about the wants and hopes people seek at any age. Keeping House is a must read." - Reviewed by Coreopsis
  

 Thanks for hanging out with me this morning,  guys! I've got to go put some Deep Purple on the stereo and start slinging words. 

Cover Reveal: Unbreak Broken by JK Hogan with Giveaway! #malexmale #coverreveal #comingsoon #pridepromotions

Unbreak Broken by JK Hogan
Series: Coming About #3
Release Date: September 16, 2015

Blurb:
Rory Donovan’s life is a hot mess. His marriage is failing and he’s in intensive psychotherapy, working through the unfortunate side effects of memories from a childhood trauma. The only thing good in his life right now is his job—teaching photography to gifted high school students.
Harbor Patrol officer Bennett Foster is co-parenting his teenage daughter with his high school best friend Jessie. When he meets Addison’s teacher and realizes they’ve met before, he can’t get the sexy stranger out of his head.
Striking up a sexual-tension-filled friendship, together they must help an angsty teenager deal with a dying friend. Bennett must keep his little family from falling apart while Rory struggles to come to terms with his new reality. Somewhere along the way, most unexpectedly…love happens.


EXCERPT

Dr. Conlan treated me to a rare fond smile, almost motherly in its warmth. “I’m pleased to see you happier than you have been.”
I grinned back, but then my brow furrowed. “Does this make me gay?”
“Does that matter?”
“I don’t know. Should it?”
“I’ll never understand the fascination with labeling things that our society seems to have. To me, sexuality is as intangible as the universe. There’s no way to truly know what’s out there, and how it all relates to everything else.
“As humans, we seek to know, to understand, and somehow we feel that putting things in boxes and labeling helps us do that. But some things are fluid, changing and developing with the tide of the evolution of life. Do me a favor, Rory. Don’t put yourself in a box.”

I was dumbfounded, stunned speechless. I knew I’d remember Dr. Conlan’s words for the rest of my life, and I would try to stay as true to them as I could. “I won’t,” I whispered.
Pages or Words: 98,000 words

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance


Buy the book:

Meet J.K. Hogan:
J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them. J.K. is hoping to one day have a little something for everyone, so she’s branched out from m/f paranormal romance and added m/m contemporary romance. Who knows what’s next?
J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives in the country with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit www.jkhogan.com.

Where to find J.K. Hogan:
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26118822-unbreak-broken
Publisher: Wild City Press
Cover Artist: J.K. Hogan (KHD Graphics)

Tour Stops:

Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of ‘Unbreak Broken’




8/31/2015

Story Orgy Creature Feature: Mum's the Word Part 5 #malexmale #creaturefeature #storyorgy


Good morning friends and readers! Today I have a special post for you- the third episode of my new Story Orgy story! Just one more "catch up" post this week, and I'll be on track next Monday. Now that we've met both Izzy and Owen, it's time to meet the professor.


Mum's the Word
Chapter Five
Aug 31: "Open the box!"

“Well, here we are again.” Owen frowned, staring  glumly into yet another dark, dusty, musty storage room lit by a single dust covered yellow overhead bulb.

Izzy couldn’t blame him. It was their third room of the day, and the fifth one of the week. The museum had turned out to be two floors of dull exhibits, offices and work rooms and two floors of cubicle sized storage rooms, some of which hadn’t seen the light of day in decades.

“I’m sure we’ll find something this time.” Izzy had to fight to keep his voice light. In truth, he’d given up hope on their second day of work, when they’d discovered that Gregoire intended to deal with the files and offices, and expected Owen and Izzy to tackle the storage rooms blind.

“Oh sure, we will. Maybe another collection of squirrel skulls… or a few more mummified rats. We can put together a super exhibit on mammals of the suburbs.” Owen was bitter, and he wasn’t even bothering to hide it anymore.

Izzy rose on his tiptoes to peer over Owen’s shoulder. It didn’t look all that promising, but unlike some of the other rooms they’d been in, this one had shelves, and the shelves were lined with shoebox size containers. He hefted his broom in one hand and a bucket of rags in the other. “Right. Let’s get through it.”

“It’s a lot of boxes.” Owen entered the room and set down his notebook and tablet to pull the first box from the shelf. “This is going to take forever.”

Izzy skimmed the shelves rapidly. “Depends. Don’t know what’s in the boxes. If it’s one artifact per box, it’ll go quick.”

Grunting, Owen tipped the box in his hand toward the light and brushed the dust off it. “It’s labeled.”

“What’s it say?” Izzy crowded up close to his roommate and tried to get a good look. “Is it labelled?”

“Hold your horses.” Owen shook the box, eliciting a muffled thump. “It’s not going to be anything. Maybe a packet of Dear John letters from the Civil War.”

They’d found enough of those types of things to create a dismal exhibit on the futility of war. Not exactly the sort of thing to make donors open their pockets or write big checks.

“Open the box!” Impatience overtook him, and Izzy snatched the box from Owen’s hands and pulled the lid off. He hadn’t been aware of how much hope he’d had, how the organized interior of this room had affected him. It looked like someone with purpose had spent time here, it had held promise that his soul had responded to without his awareness. Not until he saw that bundle of letters wrapped with a faded blue ribbon. “Damn.” He shoved box and lid back at Owen, who took them.

“Yeah.” Owen stared down at the letters, a bitter twist to his lush mouth. “Blue. Bet it’s a Confederate war widow’s collection.” Pink ribbon, red ribbon, plain brown twine, they’d seen it all.

Sighing, Izzy went to the opposite wall and grabbed the first box he saw. “I have to leave in an hour to go trim hedges at the nursing home.” It was a good thing he’d kept the other jobs. He had the feeling that if their searches didn’t come up with something soon Gregoire would have no qualms about firing them.

Gregoire. The man was an enigma. He seemed interested in Izzy. More than once, Izzy had caught him staring… but he was completely impervious to flirting and seemed blind to every overture Izzy had made.

“Better move fast then.” Owen set down the first box and started pulling others from the shelf, stripping the lids off efficiently and revealing the contents. Izzy followed suit with the boxes from his own shelf.

Soon they had two neat lines of boxes ready to be photographed and cataloged. Izzy picked up the notebook and pencil ready to write. Owen adjusted his tablet and zoomed in to photograph the contents of the first box.

Izzy waited. And waited. “What?”

Owen lowered the tablet. “Those letters… look at the postage.”

Izzy picked up the packet gently. Paper this old was fragile. “Egypt?” He sat down, cross-legged on the floor. “World War II, maybe?”

“Maybe…” Owen joined him. “Let’s…” His words trailed off. A single tug released the ribbon. Owen took half the stack of letters and put them on the floor.

“What are we doing?” Izzy held the other half, bemused by Owen’s actions.

“Looking for something that museum patrons would like to see.”

“They’re just letters.” Izzy watched Owen open the first envelope and extract a single sheet of yellow paper, covered with bold strokes of thick black ink, fountain pen no doubt. Definitely more than seventy-five years old.

Unfolding the paper, Owen whistled softly. “1898.” He skimmed the page.

“Egypt in 1898?” Izzy felt a spark of renewed excitement. “Lots of expeditions going on then.” He slid a finger into the first envelope in his stack and withdrew the paper.

“Izzy…”

He glanced up from the spidery script. Owen had sounded… like he had when Izzy gave him his birthday present last February. Cautiously excited. “What is it?”

“This letter is from Harold J. Fordham, Esquire. It’s not to his wife, either. It’s to the museum director, and it’s about donating his collection.”

“Augh.” Izzy dropped the envelope and let his head dip, clenching his fists in his hair. “Another stupid arrowhead collection. Great.” They’d found a whole room full of them, mounted on velvet backgrounds, under glass, dumped in piles in boxes, most unlabeled. Gregoire had declared them all fit only for the gift shop.

“Yeehaw!” Izzy startled as Owen leaned forward, bumping their heads together and stealing a quick kiss. “No.” Owen’s voice shook with his emotion. “He was a scholar… a gentleman. He made six excursions to Cairo.”

“Cairo?” His head snapped up so quickly his neck cracked. “It’s a collection of Egyptian artifacts?”

“I assume so. This letter doesn’t list anything, it’s just an inquiry asking if the museum would be interested in his collection.”

“You think it’s here somewhere?” His heart beat rapidly. They might not have discovered it themselves, but rediscovering it… “If we find it…”

“It would make a great display.” Owen cast a significant glance at the pile of letters. 
“Only one way to find out if it’s here.”

“It’s here, I know it is. I can feel it.” The prickle of certainty spurred him on, and Izzy picked up the letter again.

If you enjoyed my post, click on over to the rest of the Orgiasts and read more! 

Be Yourself

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~e.e. cummings, 1955
The Romance Reviews