New Excerpt: Trapping Drake

Now Available from 

Breathless Press, All Romance E-books, and Amazon

Drake Fallon's impulsive decision to stop and help a stranger change a tire leads to intriguing possibilities. 

What he doesn’t know is that there are two J. Cahils.

After miserable years looking for love in other places, Jesse and Jay Cahil have accepted that for them, illicit passion is the only one. They've built a life, a home together.

A chance encounter on a rainy night brings something Jesse never expected- an attraction for another man. Still, he's committed to the love he has for his twin, Jay, and he pushes Drake Fallon away.

Drake is intrigued by the vulnerable man he met in the downpour. Though Jesse claims to be involved, Drake is certain the relationship can't be fulfilling or Jesse wouldn't have returned his kiss with such passion.

Jay Cahil is devastated when his lover whispers another man's name in his dreams. When Drake calls, how can Jay resist meeting the man who's crept into his twin's dreams?

EXCERPT 

 Pulling into the drive, he turned to face Jesse, who had one hand on the door handle and an uncertain look on his face. Cautiously, sensing that Jesse wasn't immune to him, Drake gave in to his earlier temptation. He reached out and ran his hand down the side of that gorgeous face. When Jesse leaned into his touch, Drake's pulse sped up and he curled his finger around the back of Jesse's neck, threading his fingers into the still-damp blond locks. Tilting Jesse's head up, he leaned down, staring deep into the blue eyes, looking for any sign that his kiss was unwelcome. Jesse's eyes widened, and he expelled a sweet rush of air that hotly caressed Drake's lips. Drake sighed and brought their mouths together. Pausing, he again gave the skittish Jesse a chance to pull away. When no objection came, he tilted his head and caressed the full lower lip with his own, adoring the soft warmth, reveling in the delicate intimacy.

With a breathy whimper, Jesse's mouth opened slightly and Drake took full advantage. He swept his tongue inside, tracing hungrily over smooth velvety surfaces, teasing and massaging Jesse's timid tongue with his own. The sweet flavor and delicious heat, the residual taste of raspberry and dark chocolate intoxicated him, and he wanted more. He moaned loudly and pulled Jesse closer, pressing his mouth open wider, coaxing a response from the trembling man in his arms.

A sudden flash of bright light from a passing car startled him and Jesse shoved him away, breathing heavily. "Oh my God," he whispered, huge eyes locking on Drake's face. "I can't."

"Jesse? I'm sorry I got carried away. It's just...you're so damn sexy. I know I overstepped. Look. It's late. Can I see you again?"

"No. Not I can't sleep with you. I want to. But I can't. There's someone else."

Drake jerked back as if slapped. "Someone else? And you couldn't call him to help you, I suppose?"

"You assume it's a him?"

Drake snorted in response. He damn well knew the someone else was a him. No straight man wore three-inch heels in the rain, no matter how fucking short he was. Not to mention, he'd likely have been punched square in the jaw at the first touch if Jesse weren't gay.

"I know it's a him. Just like I know you can't be all that in love with him if you can kiss me like that."

***

BONUS: This story includes the first chapter of the sequel, Setting the Trap, coming soon from Breathless Press. 

Love Is Always Write - I'm In!

Submitted my story the other day for the Good Read's Love Is Always Write event. It's sponsored by the M/M Romance group over there- you have to join to read the free stories, but it's a fun little place.

The mods won't let me share the whole story yet.

But we were told teasing was allowed.

That's pretty cool.

Because I like teasing.

So here's the first bit- This is the picture that the prompt is based on. Yes- those are twins. 

Men and Romance: Sara York Shares Her Views

Welcome back readers!  This is our third post discussing the "men can't write romance" post I spotted on a social networking site last month. Remember to leave a comment with your two cents, or buck fifty, or whatever, to be entered to win the $10 Amazon gift card at the end of the month.

Sara York Speaks on Men and Romance

Men and Romance, few people think the two have much in common, especially when it comes to writing. Men are supposed to be action oriented, and show no emotions. They seem unencumbered by the baggage of traditional romance so how could they write it? It’s simple, our assumptions about men are wrong. We place men in an archetype, expecting the lines around them to never fuzz or cross but humans are much more complex than archetypes allow.

Throughout history there have been men who have penned romance stories. Bards and storytellers through the ages have spun tales that incited the romantic in others. In more recent history men like Leigh Greenwood, who has a healthy backlist, hide behind gender-neutral names, disguising the fact that they are men. Then there is Jennifer Wilde, really Tom E. Huff, who also wrote straight romance. There are more, like J.W. McKenna, S. L. Carpenter, and Chris Tanglen. Some men prefer to stay hidden behind women’s names in the straight romance genre, in the gay genre it seem to sway the other way, where it’s okay for men to write romance.

I love writing male characters, whether it’s straight guys or gay men, I love delving into the intricacies of men. Men are deeper and more emotional than society gives them credit. Men are very romantic but I think part of our problem in believing that men can be romantic is our notion of romance. When we believe that romance has to be a certain way, look and feel exactly as it does in our thoughts then we miss out on the opportunity of true romance.

Romance isn’t an activity or an event, it’s the twisting and turns of our emotions and our excitement that brew together leaving us breathless when our partner comes home from a trip, or the pleasure of a call or text from your lover. We place value on those little treasures because of the way we think of our partners and ourselves. So romance is manufactured in your mind and not the other person in your relationship. You decide if something is romantic and for far too long women have had a set script for romance thus blocking out the true romance of men right in front of them.

Men exhibit romance in many ways, through thoughtful gestures to words and touches of love. When you can see the depth of their romance it’s not too hard to believe that men can write romance. Every day, millions of men are being romantic, but all too often their gestures are brushed aside. It’s time to start seeing your man for how he really is and say good by to archetypes, allowing men to show, embrace and write romance.

Truth or Dare Give Away # 2

Truth or Dare Give Away 

To recap: You match six pieces of dialogue to the person who said it. 

Email me the correct answers at lee(dot)brazil@ymail.com. 

Havan and I will conduct a random draw from among those who correctly match ALL six bits of dialogue to the correct character.

The winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Truth or Dare. 

(International players accepted, must leave contact email to win, must respond to notification of winning within seven days of April 29 or prize will be forfeit.)

That's it!   Ready for the second round of questions? 

1. "Come on, Mischa. I drove your Porsche over here today. You can have it back, and we'll forget about the dare, if you come home today."

2. "Nah, you don't, not really. You just got it form Brandon. I got it from all three of you."

Shh...now, you can leave me a comment if you want, 

to let me know you're playing, but..don't give the answers! 

Check back on 

 April 22 for more dialogue

and 

April 29 for the winner! 

Upcoming Release: Trapping Drake

Trapping Drake

from Breathless Press & Lee Brazil 

coming 

May 4, 2012

Drake Fallon's impulsive decision to stop and help a stranger change a tire leads to intriguing possibilities.

Keeping House Free at ARe

Hey there! 

Just a little FYI for those who enjoy a bargain:

Keeping House, Truth or Dare #1 

Is Free at All Romance e-books

on April 16th. 

If you haven't read it, 

pick up your copy 

and get to know the Blake men. 

Description

Mischa knew his brothers were up to something. He didn't know it would lead him to Donovan Holloway and change his carefree lifestyle forever.

Donovan Holloway, advertising executive, newly made vice president of the company where he's worked for twenty years, grew up in a free love hippie commune, taking care of the parents who should have been taking care of him. He's worked hard to put himself through school and achieve the American dream. All he's ever wanted was a normal family life—house in the suburbs, two cars, two kids, a shaggy dog. A family to come home to—to care for, and to care for him.

Mischa Blake is the green eyed, liberally-pierced, black-haired, Mohawk-wearing spoiled youngest son of a Hollywood producer and his actress wife. Mischa 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 that he can bring to the table.

So when he sees Donovan's ad for a housekeeper/gardener, he has nothing to lose by applying, because really...how hard can it be?

Excerpt

Excerpt:

"So, tell me why you want to work for me." That should give him pause.

"I don’t. My brothers dared me to get a job, and it’s been a lot harder than I expected. I just came from a McDonald's where the manager had a guy with a BS cleaning the toilets and an MBA flipping burgers. The economy sucks." Mischa sounded dejected.

"Ahh." He wanted a job on a dare? What the hell? Who told a prospective employer they didn’t want to work for them? "Let me tell you a little about the parameters of the job.”

Mischa gazed at him quietly, waiting. Maybe the daunting aspects of the task would send the kid the way of the first applicant. "You’ll be responsible for preparing meals. I eat breakfast at six, daily, take a boxed lunch to work, and expect a minimum of a three course dinner. Sometimes I have guests, and occasionally dinner parties." He didn’t really, but threw out the possibility anyway. For a moment, he was distracted by the amusing vision of a room full of elegantly clad clients and coworkers staring in horror as a Goth-garbed Mischa, hair spiked and piercings glittering in the candlelight announced that dinner was served.

"Got it. Cooking. I can do that." Mischa seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as Donovan of that fact.

"You’ll have to do the shopping. I don’t have time for things like that. Then there’s the cleaning. I expect the house to be spotless at all times." He assiduously ignored the fact that the house was currently anything but clean.

Mischa wasn’t inclined to be so kind, though. He glanced pointedly around the kitchen, at the stack of dirty dishes in the sink, the debris from several takeout meals on the counter tops, and the unpacked boxes of kitchenware. "OK. Clean. I can do that."

"I need the house put together, too. The boxes," he waved around, "unpacked and stuff put away. The walls painted, furniture ordered and assembled and put in place."

Mischa looked shocked. "You trust me to decorate your house?"

"No. I have the plans here." He thumped the red leather-bound album that held the dream house drawings he’d labored on over the years on the marble counter. "I need my housekeeper to coordinate the workmen, decorators, deliveries and so on."

More nods. "I can do that."

Donovan stared helplessly at the kid. Stop calling him kid. It’s too pervy. What else? "References? Do you have references?"

Mischa bent over and the tight black t-shirt rode up as the skinny jeans inched down. Damn. All that creamy white flesh, hairless and smooth tempted him to reach out and touch, to examine the texture and resiliency. He wondered if there were any more shiny piercings hidden under that severe black garb.

"Hey," Mischa was waving a handful of papers in front of his face, and Donovan flushed slightly. Could Mischa tell he’d been staring inappropriately at his exposed skin?

"I’ll, ahh, I’ll keep these. I need to call on them later." He searched desperately for something, anything to turn the kid-man off the idea of working for him. Recalling the indignation and vitriol of the second applicant, he took a shot in the dark and threw it out there. "I’m gay."

No response.

"I said I’m gay, a homosexual, a flamer."

No response. Just inquiring green eyes locked on his face. Someone must have told the kid–man that eye contact was important.

"I sleep with other men?" Shit now he was making statements as questions.

The pierced brow rose slightly at that in an enigmatic gesture, but no response was forthcoming.

"This is a live in position. You don’t mind working for and living with a gay man?”

Finally, Mischa smiled. Donovan’s heart lurched at the sexy sweetness of that smile. The tiny silver hoop in his lower lip glinted seductively. Wonder how that piercing would feel when he pressed his lips to Mischa’s? It certainly drew attention to the swollen plumpness of the full red lower lip. Yeah—he really needed to get laid this weekend.

"No. I don’t mind working for a gay man, as long as you don’t mind hiring one." Mischa’s smile was now a broad grin, and he settled back more comfortably on the barstool, as though he were suddenly making himself at home.

Sudden sympathy overrode Donovan’s concerns. Why not give the kid a chance? If Martin Weston hadn’t hired him to work in the copy room at his company all those years ago despite his being an underage gay hippie he wouldn’t be where he was today. He’d probably regret this, but it looked like the skater-Goth-boy/man had talked himself into a job. And the corporate advertising executive was sentencing himself to a series of cold showers.

Crawl in Bed With Gemma Parkes

Crawling Into Bed With

Gemma Parkes

and a Good Book

Important things first, are these sheets silk or cotton?

            Hmm, I’m feeling in a silk mood today.

What are you wearing?

           An enigmatic smile and Channel Coco Mademoiselle.

      

What are we snacking on in bed while we read tonight?

Soft centered chocolates from a golden box, washed down with a cold crisp Rose wine!

If I open this nightstand drawer, what will I find?

Naughty toys, cherry lubricant and a book or two! Oh, and, hopefully a corkscrew!

Do you roll up in the blankets like a burrito, or kick the covers off during the night?

I can’t stand being cold so l stay under the duvet (afterwards, of course!) but l quite like to stretch out!

Can I put my cold feet on your calves to warm them up?

Probably not! But I like feet so maybe I’ll warm yours up with my hands, or even my mouth!

What are we reading?

                                                                     

I have been working on quite a few submissions for anthologies and a soon to be released novella for Rebel Ink press, but this is my last self published eBook which was released in November and is available to purchase from:

All Romance

Kindle

Smashwords

It’s called ‘Master Me, Master You’ and is a tale of sexual control.

A Brief synopsis:

A quiet afternoon in a café leads to a chance meeting with Tom, an enigmatic man with a dark compelling nature. His arrogant sexual demands grow in their intensity until a visit to his neglected apartment reveals an even darker side of him that Jenna is powerless to resist. This book is attended for Adults only and contains strong language and explicit sex.

Excerpt from Master Me, Master You:

“Do you trust me?” His soft voice questioned.

I nodded my reply.

“Lean against that tree, with your back to me.”

I hesitated, but only momentarily, before pressing my elbows against the rough bark and feeling its rippled texture against my fingers.

“Spread your legs for me.” His voice was steady, slow and calm.

My heart thudded in my chest as l spread my legs out behind me.

“I want you to keep looking at the tree,” he said, “Push your ass out behind you; will you do that for me?”

As if in a daze, l allowed my hands to slide a little lower down the tree before pushing my bottom out further behind me.

“That’s beautiful,” he said, “Good girl.”

His hands lifted my little skirt brushing against my trembling skin as they did so. The excitement building within me was sending me dizzy; l felt the familiar throbbing beginning deep within my pussy as every fibre within me ached for him.

He dropped to his knees and with two strong thumbs opened me up slipping his wet tongue deftly inside me. I gasped and jutted my butt up higher as he probed the folds of my womanhood, causing exquisite pleasure and deeper arousal to surge through my veins.

On and on he drove his tongue, pushing and lapping, l knew l was coating it with my juices on each inward thrust; l could hardly hold back and began to stiffen as the throbbing pressure increased.

He paused, stood up behind me, and within moments filled me with his cock. The thrill of his upward thrust and the harshness of the bark against my skin were almost more than l could bear. I cried out noisily into the dense thicket l didn’t care if anyone heard or saw us. I needed him, l needed this. It was just so good! I clawed at the tree as his grip around my waist intensified and he thrust harder.

“Dirty whore,” he grunted in my ear, “Fucked against a tree!”

  

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076OCA24

Men and Romance: A Bear on Books Speaks

Good morning readers!  Welcome back!  This is our second post discussing whether men can write romance. Tom from A Bear on Books is sharing his views today. Be sure to leave us a comment with your views to be entered for a chance to win a $10 Amazon card. Come back each Tuesday this month for another chance to enter the drawing, and another view on this topic.

A Bear on Books on…

Can a Man Write Romance?

I read a little.  Okay, okay, that’s not quite true.  I read a lot.  Anything from science fiction/fantasy to serial killer books to humor to – surprise, surprise – romance.  Especially gay romance.

In fact, you could say I’m getting to be a minor expert in the genre.  I have about, oh, twelve hundred m/m books on my Kindle that I’ve finished.  Everything from shifters to mysteries to space operas to romance to flash fic.  And I found a little something to like in almost all of them.  I can count on one hand the number I wish I could wash from my brain.  One in particular…shudder

Anyway, there are a few things the really good ones have in common.  Characters I care about.  Realistic situations, appropriate for the characters.  Now, this can be shifters, scifi/fantasy/horror too – the realism is specific to the world in which the book is set.  Good, crisp, interesting dialogue and story telling. 

I may be one of three who will say this, but unless the editing is egregious, I won’t let it get in the way of my enjoyment.  No book I’ve ever read is perfect – there’s a flaw somewhere.  But if the story grabs me, a few missteps won’t break the spell.

And I think I’ve said this before, but it bears (ha – he said “bear”) repeating.  I don’t pay attention to the name of the author unless it’s someone I know already and love.  Give me an Amy Lane or Sue Brown or Lee Brazil book and I’m happier than Porky in poop.  Think about it.

So I don’t know going in most times if it’s a man or woman, someone white, black, Hispanic, Asian, young, old, deaf, blind or whatever that is writing.  And I don’t care.  If when I finish, I’m moved, I’ll read more and maybe look up the author to see if I can find out a little something about the person behind the talent.

This is a long way around to get to my point, maybe, but that’s how I operate.  Does it matter if it’s a man or woman who wrote the story?  A resounding “Hell No”!

First, I guess, we have to define a Romance.  To me, a Romance is a story where there are (usually) two main characters who meet, fall in love and end up together.  There may or may not be intervening circumstances that keep them apart, interfere with their happiness, or break them up temporarily.  Here, we mean, boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy gets boy back and lives happily ever after.

With that as a working definition, I can name twenty good – no, excellent – romance authors off the top of my head.  And quite a few of them men.

Lee Brazil (shut up – I’ve read “Loving Jacob” and “The Librarian” and “Loving Eden” and you get the point).  Damon Suede. TJ Klune.  John Goode.  Rick Reed.  Xavier Axelson.  Derek Adams.  Jake Mactire.  Eric Arvin.  Scotty Cade.  William Neale.

Need I go on?

Men feel emotions just as deeply as women.  We just don’t necessarily always show them or put them on paper.  But it’s a gross injustice to men AND women to think only a woman can write a romantic scene.  Or that only a man can write a good action thriller.

We do each other such a disservice when we take the focus off the books and worry about the hand that wrote them.  Do we worry about the gender of an artist whose sculpture we admire?  The painting that moves us?  The movie that makes us cry sitting there in the dark?

Art, of whatever kind, is about the WORK, not the artist.

So, yeah, men can write Romance.  Do a damned fine job of it, too.  Thank God.  Gives me more to read and enjoy.

Tom.  Out.

Truth or Dare Paper Back Give Away

Truth or Dare Give Away 

To recap: You match six pieces of dialogue to the person who said it. 

Email me the correct answers at lee(dot)brazil@ymail.com. 

Havan and I will conduct a random draw from among those who correctly match ALL six bits of dialogue to the correct character.

The winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Truth or Dare. 

(International players accepted, must leave contact email to win, must respond to notification of winning within seven days of April 29 or prize will be forfeit.)

That's it!   Ready for the first round of questions? 

1. "Now I want to do something just for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, spoiling our nieces and nephews and and sending them home high on sugar to torment their parents."

2. "Because you two don't know me well enough. You didn't trust me. That hurt. You should have known that I would never indulge in a on-night stand. It's just not me. So, I think we should date for a while, let our relationship progress from there as we get to know one another better."

Shh...now, you can leave me a comment if you want, 

to let me know you're playing, but..don't give the answers! 

Check back on 

April 15 and April 22 for more dialogue

and 

April 29 for the winner! 

Flash Fiction Friday : Cheater

Cheater

"Don't look at me like I'm a particularly nasty insect that's crawled uninvited under your microscope lens." He puffed lightly on his cigarette.

"I didn't say you were." He was too gorgeous to be called a bug.

"No, the look says it all." He sneered.

"You're cheating."

"I'm sorry. It'll never happen again."

"Because you got caught. I'll never trust you again." My gaze lingered on the lean lines of his body with regret.

"You're overreacting."

"Did I ever really know you?"

"It's just a fucking Scrabble game, Chris."

"You cheated me. What's to keep you from cheating on me?"

Like My Flash? Check out the others:

Havan Fellows ~ Patricia Logan ~ Yvonne Nicholas ~ Davee Jones ~ Muffy Wilson ~ Gemma Parkes ~ Cassandre Dayne ~ Katie Harper ~ Sancre Darling ~ ER Pierce ~ JP Archer ~ Kendel Davi ~ S.J. Maylee ~ DH Black ~ Michael Mandrake

Crawl in Bed With SA MEADE

Crawling Into Bed With

SA Meade

And a Good Book

Important things first, are these sheets silk or cotton?

Cotton. Silk is too slidey.

What are you wearing?

Knickers and a smile.

What are we snacking on in bed while we read tonight?

Godiva Chocolates. (in my dreams).

If I open this nightstand drawer, what will I find?

Discarded scratch cards from the National lottery, the instructions for the alarm clock and whatever detritus my beloved has fished out of his pockets.

Interesting. *pokes SA* Do you roll up in the blankets like a burrito, or kick the covers off during the night?

It depends on the weather. If it’s cold then it’s the burrito thing. In the warm weather, I definitely kick the duvet off.

Ahh...I see.  Can I put my cold feet on your calves to warm them up?

Do you have a death wish?

Ahem... no.  Can I borrow a pair of socks?  What are we reading? 

 The silence left by the end of the music was broken by the soft clunk of the station’s heating system kicking in for the night. Paul’s leg brushed against mine. Without wine to dull the heat, I crossed my legs and tried not to think what his closeness was doing to me. I struggled for something to say.

            “Thanks for the curry.” It seemed as good a start as any.

            “My pleasure.” He shifted beside me until our shoulders touched. “It’s nice to cook for someone. It’s not really worth just cooking for myself. Do you cook?”

            “A bit, but it’s fairly basic stuff.I’ve been known to open a tin or two and heat the contents up.”

            Paul laughed. “You’ll have to show me what you can do.”

            “All right, I will, one of these days.”

            He slid his arm across the back of the settee. “I’ll hold you to that.”

            I fought the urge to edge closer.

            Paul moved until the gap between us disappeared. I felt his hand, light on my hair. “You don’t mind, do you?”

            The hesitancy in his voice took me by surprise. He was no longer the station boss. He was just a man, finding his way.

            “No, I don’t mind at all.”

            “It’s been a long time since I’ve really enjoyed someone’s company”—Paul curled his fingers into my hair—“the way I enjoy yours.”

            I wanted to kiss him. I wanted him to kiss me. “I enjoy your company, too.” I turned to face him.

            Paul’s eyes were veiled in the twilight of the room. He glided his fingers over my skin, bringing them to rest on either side of my face. He leaned close, his lips parted.

I twisted my fingers into his hair and kissed him, sliding my tongue along the curl of his lower lip until his mouth opened beneath mine. Everything throbbed. Everything ached.

“Oh…Jesus…Michael.” Paul sighed, his breath warm on my lips. He rested his forehead against mine. “Talk about still waters.”

Buy Orion Rising at: Buy Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1589

You can more on SA and her work at : http://kestrelrising.blogspot.com/

Men and Romance...never the Twain Shall Meet?

Welcome guest blogger Jean Joachim today. She's adding her two cents to the topic of the month: Men Can't Write Romance.  That's not my opinion- it's a statement I picked up over at GR.  Some people believe it's true- others don't.  Read Jean's column today and let us know what you think.  Everyone who comments on each post in this series will be entered to win an Amazon gift card worth $10. The series will run every Tuesday in April, and that gives you four chances to comment to win!

Who Says Men Can’t Write Romance?

 Men have been writing romance longer than women. For example, William Shakespeare’s timeless, romantic play, Romeo and Juliet has been played, replayed, imitated and rewritten, countless times. Other Shakespeare plays: “The Taming of the Shrew”, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Twelfth Night”, to name a few, have strong romantic themes. Miguel de Cervantes, sixteenth century Spanish author, wrote of the chaste love of Don Quixote for his Ducinea.

Women in those days were forbidden from writing under their own names and later on, a few brave, talented women wrote under the pseudonyms of George Eliot and George Sand. Hey, this article is about men!

Men continued to write great literature with romantic elements like, Sons and Lovers and Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Main Street by Sinclair Lewis, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller, From Here to Eternity by James Jones and Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, to mention only a few.

And that, you may say, is that for men in romance. And I say WRONG, Cupid-breath. Men are still incredibly romantic today and while some, like the phenomenally talented Brindle Chase and Nicholas Sparks write heterosexual romance books, others, like the brilliant Lee Brazil and a countless number of his friends and colleagues write gay romance books.

Some men, intrigued by romance but looking for bigger bucks, have moved away from publishing into the higher-paying realm of screenwriting. Many of the best romance movies, past and present, have been written by men. You’ll find men’s hearts take flight in this most visual of media, creating romantic situations, great dialogue for women and scorching love scenes on celluloid. From Casablanca written by Julius Epstein to Ghost, written by Bruce Joel Rubin. From The Philadelphia Story by David Ogden Stewart to, Serendipity by Mark Klein, men have been penning romance for the big screen since movies began.

Many of our favorite classic romantic movies are written by men…almost any Fred Astaire movie, It Happened One Night, While You Were Sleeping (okay, this is my favorite) and Sabrina. 

And when it comes to a more present-day movie romance, one male writer shines through the rest. Richard Curtis, a non-descript man, has written several of the most popular, most romantic movies in recent history, including: Notting Hill, Love, Actually and both Bridget Jones Diary movies.

            While women lay claim to soft hearted romantic notions, men buy most of the flowers, fancy chocolates, expensive jewelry (engagement rings) and kneel in humiliating positions to claim the hand of their lady fair. Or put their proposal on the big screen at Yankee Stadium. According to Wikipedia, Valentine’s Day, as we know it, was created by poets (men) during the time of Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages. And what of poets? Who are “The Romantic Poets”? All men: William Blake, Lord Byron, William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, Percy Shelley and John Keats, to name a few.

            What about romantic music? The most romantic music in the United States, except for Jazz, came from early Broadway musicals, dominated by men. Composers and lyricists like: Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Lerner and Loewe, Rogers and Hammerstein, Rogers and Hart, wrote some of the most romantic music ever.

            So why shouldn’t men take their romantic notions back to the written page, where it all started? No reason. Men, I hand you a pen and a pad. Please, put your sexy, romantic notions down on paper. I’m reaching into my purse and getting in line to buy your sigh-inducing, heat-producing, all-encompassing romantic books. Write on!  

             

Find out more about Jean and her work at : http://jeanjoachim.blogspot.com/

Truth or Dare Paper Back Give Away : The Rules of the Game

Y'all have met, Havan, right? My beloved muse? The one who holds my hand when I hit submit, passes the tequila when things are good, bad, or about to get ugly? 

She had this marvelous Idea for how to give away a signed copy of Truth or Dare, the paperback that contains Keeping House, Telling the Truth and Giving Up. 

It's easy. Kind of. 

We'll play our own little game of memory.  I'll post two pieces of dialogue from each book, you tell me who said what, and we'll draw a winner from those who answer correctly. 

To recap: You match six pieces of dialogue to the person who said it. 

Email me the correct answers at lee(dot)brazil@ymail.com. 

Havan and I will conduct a random draw from among those who correctly match ALL six bits of dialogue to the correct character.

The winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Truth or Dare. 

April 8 - First set of questions

April 15 - Second set of questions

April 22 - Last 2 posts - get your email sent! 

April 29 - Winner posted

(International players accepted, must leave contact email to win, must respond to notification of winning within seven days of April 29 or prize will be forfeit.)

That's it!  Come back next week for the first round of questions! 

Check out the latest/upcoming attractions 

Upcoming Release                              Latest Release             

Mark's Opening Gambit

Breathless Press

Coming April 6th, 2012

Contemporary Gay (M/M), Light Bondage, Erotic Romance

Order at http://www.breathlesspress.com/marks-opening-gambit

The son of a wealthy business man, Mark Addison is an expert at chess and hiding. Mason Grant labors with his hands in a menial position; he's open about who he is and what he wants in ways that terrify Mark. . Their paths shouldn't have crossed, but now that they have...

They came from different backgrounds, yet each adheres to his own version of family duty and responsibility. One would make any sacrifice for his family's well being. For Mason Grant that means leaving school at sixteen and working hard while living as a man of integrity to set an example for his brothers.

The other would sacrifice anything to keep his family life calm. If that means hiding who he really is from his high society, narrow-minded parents, then that's what Mark Addison will do. He just wants to run his shop, host a few tournaments, play a few games of chess.

When Mason meets fussy, precise chess tournament director Mark, he isn't expecting much more than a few hours of uncomfortable sleep in his car while his brother plays.

One disdainful look from Mark changes that.

---

Loving Eden

Breathless Press

Contemporary Gay (M/M), Erotic Romance

Buy at http://www.breathlesspress.com/loving-eden

Eden St. Cyr wants to let the boy who's crushing on him down easy. Drew Harris wants to protect his son from what he considers a disastrous relationship. Neither of them counted on being attracted to the other.

Eden St. Cyr has wandering feet. He shuffles around the country from place to place and college to college, changing majors and lovers at whim. When Bailey Harris starts following him home, mooning around, and showing signs of affection, Eden hatches a plan to let the kid down lightly before he leaves for the next semester, the next college, and the next lover.

Drew Harris is stunned at the changes in his son. His responsible, dependable, cheerful boy has become a moody, despondent, irresponsible teenager. Drew knows exactly who to blame too. When Eden doesn't return his phone calls, he's forced to be a little more devious in his plans to get the bad influence out of his son's life.

An unexpected attraction derails both men from their plans, but when Bailey walks in at the least appropriate time, can things be put right?

---