Welcome Angel Martinez #mmromance #serioustopics

Hi, Lee and thanks for having me! I’ve probably written as many humorous stories as I have serious, and even the more serious stories usually have lighter moments.

Restoration is not a funny story. It’s not in any way a funny subject. But talking about male rape can be tricky since it’s one of the most under-reported crimes in the US. We’re not comfortable talking about it and so the myths people have spouted for years are perpetuated. In perpetuating the myths, we minimize the seriousness of the crime and often the credibility of the victim while we also minimize the responsibility of the rapist.

I wrote this story, originally titled Aftermath as a reaction to one of these myths being spouted on the radio. This is not a story about rape – it’s a story about a survivor and his partner and how they put the pieces back together. All cases of rape, male or female, have myths attached to them, but there are some myths specific to male rape.

The biggest one? It’s one I’m surprised to still be hearing, but it’s still out there:

Myth – Men can’t be raped.

Of course they can. A man’s strength, his appearance, and his sexuality have nothing to do with it. It has nothing to do with engaging in behaviors or dressing in a way that “asked for it.” Rape, no matter the gender, is not a sexual crime. It’s a violent crime designed to exert power and control.

But male rape so often goes unreported because the victim blames himself. From the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault: “Another major concern facing male rape victims is society's belief that men should be able to protect themselves and, therefore, it is somehow their fault that they were raped.” This, coupled with the fear of dismissal and disbelief that many male victims experience contribute to non-reporting.

If you are a survivor, only you can make that decision. No one should try to compel you in either direction. If you do report, please take support with you—a friend, an advocate. Reach out. Don’t feel you have to get through this alone.

National Sexual Assault Hotline
800-656-HOPE


Restoration
by Angel Martinez
Mischief Corner Books
All Romance
Amazon

Victor and Cody have the American dream - a house, two cars, upwardly mobile income, and each other - but all is not well in paradise. Cody's trust in other people’s goodwill led to one recent assault. A few months later, a friend’s betrayal leads to another. Battered every waking moment by fear and shame, all his joyful creative energy transforms into brittle, aggressive lashing out.

Victor, wracked by guilt and shackled to a grueling, time-devouring career, must find a way to help Cody back from the darkness and to keep him safe from his self-destructive behavior. With the help of a common-sense therapist, some loyal friends and Cody's own impetuous nature, their recovery and their relationship might even stand a chance.

Please Note: This is a re-edited third edition with expanded content. (Formerly titled Aftermath)


About Angel:

Angel Martinez is the erotic fiction pen name of a writer of several genres who writes mainly Science Fiction and Fantasy with gay heroes. Currently living part time in the hectic sprawl of northern Delaware, (and full time inside the author's head) Angel has one husband, one son, two cats, a changing variety of other furred and scaled companions, a love of all things beautiful and a terrible addiction to the consumption of both knowledge and chocolate.

For more information on Angel’s work, please visit:

Website: Erotic Fiction for the Hungry Mind
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Angel.Martinez.author
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1010469.Angel_Martinez
Email: ravenesperanza@yahoo.com

Out Visiting Today: #giveaway

Good day friends! I'm over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue words today with a blog about childhood ambitions and a giveaway to make reading it worth your while. *blinks innocently*

Want to win a $10 ARE gift card?

Check it out! 

http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com/2014/08/15/in-our-author-spotlight-lee-brazil-on-writing-pulp-friction-and-growing-up-contest/

*Contest begins Friday Aug. 15th and ends Friday August 22. One entry per person, winner selected by random number designation and notified via email. (Must provide valid email with comment). Winner will be selected Saturday-Sunday Aug. 23/24 and notified/announced Monday Aug. 25th.

What Romance Readers Expect...#2

What The Reader Wants – The Mutation Factor

The original meaning of “Romance” was not a love story with a happy ending. The term originally referred to a medieval epic poem, a tale packed with knights and battles, often scattered about with magic and fantastic creatures. The Song of Roland? Gawain and the Green Knight? Romance. In some, but certainly not all of these tales, a love interest pops up with the emphasis on pure, courtly love. Readers of the day, more often listeners since only a small percentage of the population could read, expected action, grand, life-threatening mistakes, heroic last stands, and noble sacrifices.

Happy endings optional.

The word morphed through the centuries. In the 17^th and 18^th centuries, a Romance referred to a Gothic style tale—horror, dread, supernatural happenings. Hardly the love story we think of today, but the titillation factor was certainly there. Young girls weren’t supposed to read that stuff. Too exciting. In that respect, the Gothic has much in common with the modern Romance, that forbidden, wide-eyed, often loin-stimulating excitement.

Skip ahead a bit to the 20^th century and the classic Harlequin style romance. What did readers expect out of these? A set, predictable formula with set, predictable character types. We lambaste this sort of thinking today (oh, heck, a lot of us did then) but the reader wanted this comfort, wanted to be able to shake off the real world and bask in a world where perfect men exist and the ending is always HEA.

While certain elements still apply, the modern romance has mutated like a virus over the past twenty years, reader expectations both leading and following this constant evolution. Today, the reader tends to be more experienced, more jaded, at least in a literary sense. We know the perfect man doesn’t exist. We don’t want perfect. We know happy doesn’t always last.

The expectations of today’s reader vary, sometimes the gulf between one reader and another enough to toss the well-intentioned author into the pit of despair. Becky wants yummy Alphas, but Max is sick to death of them. April wants only HEA, but Caroline’s content with a little HFN and will even condone a character death if done well. Tabitha wants more sex, less plot. Aaron wants more plot, less sex. More erudite language – challenge us! Less literary language – don’t make us look stuff up!

You get my point. The wonderful part about modern romance is that the reader can have it all. You just have to know what you like, understand where to find those things, and encourage those authors. What do I look for in a romance? I’m not a traditionalist. Give me something different. Give me damaged characters with quirks and twitches. Give me magic and extrapolations on science and society. Give me weird and wild. Just write it well, don’t get lazy, and for the sake of all that’s holy, please have a plot.

What do readers want? Everything. Good thing today’s romance offers a buffet instead of a prix fixe menu. Try a little of everything. Then come back for more.

Angel Martinez is the erotic fiction pen name of a writer of several genres. She loves beer and chocolate if you ever need a good bribe, writes mainly M/M fiction and is a geeky fan girl where several other authors are concerned. Her latest?

Semper Fae: Endangered Fae 3

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-semperfaeendangeredfae3-1045438-142.html

http://www.amazon.com/Semper-Fae-Endangered-ebook/dp/B00B4FD192/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1358951390&sr=1-3

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/274478

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/semper-fae-angel-martinez/1114195365?ean=2940016035383

Zack thought he had a strange job before. Marine medic in a secret government base was odd, but personal assistant to a sidhe prince is downright bizarre. Lycanthropy and loose cannon mages conspire to make a hellish mess out of things - but the real peril begins when Diego Sandoval, Human Consul to the Fae, loses an important piece of his mind.

For more info on Angel’s work, visit:

Erotic Fiction for the Hungry Mind

Romance Readers Expect....

What Do Romance Readers Expect From A Story? A Raven's eye view.

"Simple," you think. "Well duh it's love. And romance," I hear you say, along with rolling eyes and, "huh she say's she's a romance author."

But what is romance?

 All things to all people.

That old well used expression of one persons terrorist is the next person's freedom fighter comes to mind here. (Or horses for courses.) If you ask ten people (like I did) what romance is to them, and what they expect from a story, you'll get twenty answers, most of them differing in some sway. Reaches for wine.

To some people it's all hearts and flowers. They want a story from meet to wedding, and everything in between. Others like it short hot and steamy. Some half way from one to the other. The one thing everyone I quizzed said was, that it wasn't a romance unless there was a connection between those involved. A wham bam thank you sir or ma'am isn't romance. In its place it can be an enjoyable read, but it's not what a romance reader expect from a story—except when…Argh, read on. Wipes brow—opens wine.

How detailed a story is depends on the author and their voice. What sort of romance a person reads depends on their taste. But the one thing that shouts out is connection. Something more than an itch. A deep seated need.

Now that in itself can cause arguments. Define what is a connection. Oh-oh, now were going down the road of hard stares and gritted teeth. Remember the freedom fighter and terrorist? Yeah, yet again its different things for different people.

What seems like a simple straightforward question is a mine-field. Pours the wine. I wondered if I was going to need a referee at times. Luckily this wasn't areal face-to-face meeting. Truly the internet is a wondrous thing.

And at the end of an hour full of giggles, shouts, sighs, drools (and some shall we say 'inspiring' pictures) had I come to a definitive conclusion?

Sadly no. Drinks the wine to cool down after some of those photos. What I decide was that every romance reader expects something different. Something personal to them.

That can only be good news for authors. We all write with our own voice, which suits some but not others. However as everyone expects something different, somewhere, our something is perfect for someone.

'Phew'. Finishes wine.

Did that help? Probably not, but the wine did.

As I said recently, Raven books at the moment are like London buses. Now for a while then lots at once.

March 19^th Will You Dance Miss Laurence, a short Romance on the Go, contempory BDSM themed story from Evernight Publishing.

Dancing lessons were supposed to be fun, but who ever heard of attending them without your knickers on?

Shibari Master Ryan is intrigued by Ava, so when his cousin asks a favor, he is only too happy to help Ava out of the rut she says she is in.

Will her past allow her to enjoy his bondage, or will true submission prove a step too much?

And…

March 22^nd A Rose Between The Thornes, A Regency menage from Breathless Press.

Propriety is a lonely bedfellow, until twin delights show this lady her true desires.

At three and forty Rose Sophia, Lady Symonds has resigned herself to life passing her by. Overhearing her protégée in the throes of passion with not one but two lovers, leaves her wanting and wishing.

That is until she is accosted at a ball by Jasper and Nathaniel Thorne. Newly back in the county the eccentric and much younger twins, have set their sights on Rose, and they are determined to have her, even it means cheating at cards.

Will accepting their wager free Rose and lead her to the heights of passion she craves? Or will their desired drive her away?

Find me here…

http://www.ravenmcallan.com

http://www.ravenmcallan.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/rmcallan (my page)

https://www.facebook.com/ravenmcallan       (author page)

https://twitter.com/RavenMcAllan

Happy Reading,

Love R x

Welcome Guest Silvia Violet!

Good morning everyone!

 Today I have the always lovely, always amazing Silvia Violet visiting, sharing a recipe, and a look at her latest book. 

After a round of hot morning sex, what could be better than walking downstairs to see your man flipping pancakes at the stove, ready to re-fuel you with a hearty breakfast. That's the scene Jonah sees one morning after being rescued by Cole and moving into his farmhouse. And luckily for Jonah, Cole really knows his pancakes. I've never tasted better ones.

He was kind enough to share his recipe with me so I'm passing it right along to you….

Cole's Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat)

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1.5 Tbls baking powder

1 egg

2 cups milk

2 Tbls butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients. Add milk and egg. Mix thoroughly, then stir in melted butter. Cook on a hot griddle dropping batter by ¼ cupfuls.

Finding Release by Silvia Violet (Wild R Farm Book 1)

https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/products_id/894/

Blurb:

Coleman Wilder is a half-breed werewolf. Some days he believes the tension between his human side and his werewolf instincts will tear him apart. But the challenge of running a horse farm as a gay man in a conservative Tennessee town keeps him focused until he meets horse shifter, Jonah Marks.

Jonah's family insist that using their shifter abilities is sinful, but Jonah finds freedom when he lets his stallion run free. And he's got another secret, he likes men, Cole in particular. Desperate to escape from his family's preaching, he asks Cole for a job. Cole turns him down, scared his desire for Jonah will make him lose control.

When Jonah's brother threatens his life, Cole struggles to save him, forcing the two men confront their feelings for each other and their willingness to fight when running would be easier.

Excerpt

"That should be the last of it." Jonah tossed the final sack of feed on the back of Cole's truck parked outside his family's feed store. "You need anything else?"

Jonah looked at Cole with his big brown eyes as if he needed something. Cole caught his scent, and his wolf stirred to life. He smelled like horse and sweat with an underlying citrusy scent, young and clean. Prey. Cole's cock wanted to fulfill all Jonah's needs, but Cole wasn't stupid enough to even flirt with an eighteen-year-old high school senior whose stepfather had been the most vocally anti-gay preacher in town. The only reason the Marks family deigned to sell him grain was because in these hard times they needed his money.

Cole tried to ignore the fantasies playing out in his mind. "Nope. We're good."

Jonah looked down at his dusty boots. "You got a minute?"

Cole took a deep breath. He glanced around. They couldn't talk here, not openly. Jonah needed a friend, and Cole had once been young and different and scared. "Sure. You wanna get a cup of coffee?" He tilted his head toward the diner down the street.

"Yeah." Jonah looked at his watch. "I'm due for a break."

"All right. Mind if I leave the truck here?" Cole asked.

"Nah, we're not expecting another big delivery until this afternoon."

They walked to the diner in awkward silence.

Cole couldn't let himself think about how gorgeous Jonah looked, staring at him with those puppy dog eyes. Jonah was off limits for too many reasons to count.

They got a booth by the front windows, and Cole ordered coffee for them. Once the waitress brought the steaming mugs, Cole let himself look at Jonah. His red-brown hair was rumpled from finger combing. A combination of sunburn and embarrassment tinted his cheeks. His denim jacket hugged his broad shoulders and… No! Cole wasn't going to let his perusal go any lower, not even in his imagination. His wolf growled deep inside, his werewolf nature recognizing the equine inside Jonah, the shifter side his family forced him to deny.

He concentrated on Jonah's strong, pale hands as they wrapped around the coffee cup, holding it tight for warmth and stability. Cole wanted to reach out and take Jonah's hands in his own, but that would be bad for both of them.

Cole realized he'd made a mistake. He should have told Jonah he was in a hurry to get back to the farm, or something that would've kept him from sitting here alone with a very young horse shifter who was having an indescribable effect on him.

"Mr Wilder?"

Well, being addressed as 'Mister' certainly burst the lurid fantasy in his mind. He was only thirty, but now he felt ancient. "You know you can call me Cole."

Jonah's cheeks got even redder. "I know… it's just… I was wondering if you'd consider hiring me. I know I don't have experience working in a barn, but, I… well… I'm kind of a natural with horses." He grinned as he said this.

His cutely upturned mouth made him look even younger, and Cole cursed his inappropriate thoughts. The boy needed his help, not his perving.

Jonah's home life had to be hell. His father had left them when he was little, and his mother and elder brother were both self-righteous Bible-thumpers. From what he could tell, Jonah couldn't do a damn thing right in their eyes, but Jonah working at Wild R Farm would be a disaster. Cole could smell Jonah's desire for him. Sooner or later, he'd give into his own desire and exploit that. Jonah deserved freedom and a man who had more self-control.

Cole's wolf growled, the sound almost escaping Cole's mouth. If he put his hands on Jonah, he feared his wolfish instincts would take over. Jonah smelled like prey, like something to be consumed, possessed. Cole shuddered. No. He could never let those desires loose. "Jonah, I—"

"Please…" He dropped his voice to a whisper. "My family… I can't live with them anymore."

"Your mother's not going to let you work for me."

"I'm eighteen. She can't stop me."

Cole tried a different tactic. "You need to finish school. Didn't I hear you'd won a scholarship?"

Jonah looked directly into Cole's eyes as if willing him to understand. "Yeah, but I can't take it anymore."

"You'll graduate in four months. Then you can get out of here, go to college."

He shook his head. "I won't last that long."

He wouldn't last long on Cole's farm either, if Cole snapped and let his werewolf side take control. "Why ask me?" Cole thought he knew, but he wanted confirmation.

Jonah glanced around the restaurant. Only a few tables were occupied, and no one sat nearby. In a voice so low even Cole's sensitive ears could barely hear, he said "Cole, I'm… different, like you. If my brother finds out…"

If Nathan found out, he'd kick Jonah out, maybe beat him. Cole wished Jonah didn't stir him up so much. "I'm sorry. I've got all the hands I need right now."

The eager light went out of Jonah's eyes. He sloshed coffee on the table in his haste to get out of the booth. "OK, I understand. I'm sorry."

Cole grabbed Jonah's arm before he could run. Heat snapped between them, nearly making Cole let go. "I'm sorry for what you're going through."

Jonah shook his head. "Not sorry enough." He pulled free and left.

Jonah's condemnation hit Cole like a punch to the gut. Cole leaned back and closed his eyes, willing the thick, bitter coffee to stay down.

Welcome Guest Rosana Leo!

Good morning readers! Join me in welcoming Rosana Leo today! 

Hello fans of romance!

I wrote Up In Flames when I realized that women go absolutely crazy for firemen!  And I’m one of them!  It occurred to me that it might be interesting to pit a hot fire chief against a stubborn beauty who has grown to despise the firefighter uniform, because of how she was once treated by these men in uniform.  It was a lot of fun writing this book and watching the sparks fly between my hero and heroine.  I hope you’ll enjoy it too.  It’s a tale of sizzling desire, betrayal and learning how to trust again. 

Blurb:

Juliet Baker is not looking forward to coming home after six months. Yes, the fiery brunette wants to make a go of turning her parents' farmhouse into a B&B. She’s just not looking forward to seeing the place where they died. To make things worse, she knows she'll finally have to face her cheating, firefighter ex-boyfriend.

Luckily, her sister has found Jules a boarder. Easy money, right? Not when she realizes the boarder is Captain Shane Gaskill. Not only is Shane a firefighter, he’s the town's hot new fire captain.

Jules is determined to hate all firefighters. After all, the men of that precious brotherhood protected her cheating ex. Shane, however, proves he’s different from the start. He's protective and kind, and she can't stop looking at his smoking, Viking-hot body. She learns, though, that Shane isn't so willing to love again either. He's been hurt, too. They both fight the sexual chemistry, and resulting tenderness, between them. But when a stalker begins to target Jules, they realize they can't fight their desire forever.

As the threats escalate, Shane and Jules are thrown together. The resulting passion overwhelms them. But are they willing to trust each other and surrender to the flames of love?

Excerpt:

When he saw the woman, his breath caught in his throat. It was her, the rude but delectable brunette from the gas station. The one, he loathed to admit, he’d been thinking of almost the entire drive over.

“We meet again,” he whispered. “Maybe Ms. Baker has a gorgeous granddaughter?”

Gorgeous didn’t seem to be the right word for her, he decided, as he watched her argue with the firefighter. Her delicate face had blushed rosy pink from anger, and her bright eyes shone with indignation. She was splendid in her fury, from her cropped black hair to the shapely legs extending from her khaki shorts. Her body was tense, but her stiff shoulders could not detract from the soft, swelling bosom below them. The woman’s fists were clenched, so much so he ached to calm and relax her. Her generous lips were pursed into a tight line, but he remembered their sweet fullness when she’d gawked open-mouthed at him at the gas station.

No, her anger did nothing to diminish her many charms. Gorgeous wasn’t quite a strong enough word to describe her. Stunning seemed more appropriate.

“Oh, come on, babe,” the other man replied. “You always took things so seriously.”

“You mean, like our relationship? Yes, I did.”

“I swear, those others meant nothing to me.”

Listening to the other man, the other firefighter, Shane felt his own anger rising. How many others did he have when he had this knockout as a girlfriend?

“Kevin, I can’t do this right now. Please, just go.” Her eyes grew moist.

Her tears were not lost on Shane. He felt his stomach clench, and he was seized by the extraordinary impulse to protect her. She might be a bit odd, careening away from him earlier, but something in her luscious figure and angelic face called to him.

He heard the other man, Kevin, begin to protest. And then, Shane heard his own baritone voice cutting through it. “I believe the lady asked you to leave.”

Shocked, the other two turned to see Shane hurtle over the porch railing to the yard below. He pulled himself to his full height and approached Kevin and the brunette.

“Who the hell are you?” Kevin demanded. “This is a private conversation.”

“The lady asked you to leave.” He nodded at her, and then came to within a foot of Kevin’s face. “Consider it an order from your captain.”

“What?” Kevin blurted, as the woman’s jaw hit the floor.

“You’re the new fire captain?” she asked. And then her eyes dropped to his chest, the one he’d last displayed in its naked, sweaty glory.

Shane inclined his head toward her and smiled. Damn. Up close she was even prettier. At that moment, he would have given anything to get rid of that Kevin.

“Captain Gaskill?” Kevin ventured. A comical flurry of emotions flew across his face, betraying everything from anger at being interrupted to fear for his job.

“And you are?”

“Kevin McGuinness. It seems you’re my new boss,” he said slowly, as if mentally choosing his tactic for dealing with the unwanted newcomer. “You’ve got the wrong idea, though. This lady and I have a relationship…”

“Had a relationship,” she broke in.

“Mr. McGuinness, we’ll talk again when I’m settled at the station.” Shane used his most authoritative tone, the one that brooked no opposition.

Kevin, blue eyes blazing and blushing himself now, stared down his captain. Shane suppressed a chuckle, wondering at his luck at making an enemy in Riverbend, despite having only been there a few days. He could see Kevin wanted to take a swing him, but had enough brains to decide against it.

Instead, the man addressed the woman. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Whatever,” she replied. As soon as Kevin pulled away in the Mazda, she stormed toward the house.

Shane called out to her. “Miss, excuse me. Do you know where I can find Ms. Baker?”

“Why, Captain Gaskill, you’ve already found her.” She turned about, hazel eyes flashing and then pounded down the walkway to the house.

Buy Links:

www.liquidsilverbooks.com

http://www.amazon.com/Up-In-Flames-ebook/dp/B0086WCFN4/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338243336&sr=1-2

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-upinflames-804341-149.html#.T8Px1de3UwY.facebook

Cheating Heroes With Jean Joachim

Please welcome back an author I am proud to call my friend, Jean Joachim. Jean is sharing with us today her views on cheating in romance novels. 

CAN A CHEATER BE A HERO?

Before we can discuss cheating, let’s define the term.  In romance novels, a cheater is someone who violates the rules of a relationship. The hero and heroine or two heroes can be lovers who have made a pact, simply strayed into monogamy or actually gotten married. But if there is a spoken or even unspoken bond that the couple will remain sexually faithful and the hero sleeps with someone else, he is cheating.

Escape from life

Why can’t a hero cheat? Plenty of men do in real life? Why don’t romance publishers want to publish books with cheating heroes? One reason readers flock to romance is to escape from real life. Some romance books are more realistic than others. I write contemporary romance and strive to make them as realistic as possible within the boundaries readers are looking for: faithful heroes and happy endings. That rules out cheating men.

Makes the hero look untrustworthy

Another reason cheating leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a romance reader is that it’s a break of basic trust between the hero, his lover and the reader. A relationship doesn’t work if trust is broken. Once the lover discovers a cheating partner, it’s practically impossible to regain the same level of trust. And if that trust is violated in the bedroom, where else is the lover being dishonest? Suspicion created by cheating taints all aspects of the hero’s life in the mind of his lover and the reader. 

Faithful heroes become supermen

            Romance readers are the first to admit they love the men in their lives. But those men are flawed, as are all human beings. In romance novels we read about the perfect hero. One aspect that makes him perfect is being sexually faithful to the heroine or significant other. I like to write imperfect heroes, slightly flawed men, but my men are never so flawed they can’t stay faithful to the heroine.

Tarnishes the Lover

Whether the object of desire for our hero is a man or woman, if the hero is cheating it makes his lover look less than wonderful. If he’s off making love to someone else, we tend to think less of his main squeeze. We wonder what’s wrong with him or her. If the SO is painted as irresistible, how come the hero is screwing around? Why does he need someone else if he or she is so great? So his unfaithful behavior taints his lover as well.

The Strength of Love

            Hopefully everyone reading our books has experienced true love at some time in their lives. True love is a powerful emotion. It can move mountains, start wars and heal the sick. If our hero and his lover have true love, it should be so strong, so captivating that he is overwhelmed with enormous desire for his lover. This won’t ring true if he is off bed-bouncing with someone else. Their love loses power, credibility if the hero is messing around with someone else. We don’t believe he truly loves the principal man or woman in his life. We think he’s a phony, a liar and we cease to believe the love story.

What do you think? Can a hero be a cheater without losing you, the reader? 

Jean Joachim is an author, married, a mother of two boys and owner of a rescued pug named Homer. She lives in New York City. She writes contemporary romance and has ten books published with two more scheduled to be release within the coming months. Jean has one book in the Amazon top 100 listing. She also has seven non-fiction books published. Her bestselling activity books are frequently in the top 25 on Amazon. Jean has been writing non-fiction for over twenty years and fiction for three. Her review column, "Movie Choices for Kids" has been syndicated in weekly and parenting newspapers and on websites for the past twelve years.

Find out more about her books on her website: http://www.jeanjoachimbooks.com

Buy links for Now and Forever 3, Blind Love

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Forever-Blind-Love-ebook/dp/B007Z4V0A8/

Are

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nowandforever3blindlove-786809-149.html

Secret Cravings:

http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=13&products_id=310

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Now-and-Forever-3--Blind-Love?keyword=Now+and+Forever+3%2C+Blind+Love&store=ebook

 Bookstrand

http://www.bookstrand.com/now-and-forever-3-blind-love

LeeLee's View: Cheating in Romance

Cheating in romance books from a reader's perspective. This subject came up, Lee Brazil talked about and had me thinking and at first I thought any cheating is bad but then I thought you can't lump all cheating, let me explain just like a lie, all lies are different. We do it all the time if we don't think someone looks great we lie to not hurt their feelings, the little lies we tell our children etc. We all can't stand up and say all lying is bad because we all do it. Okay back to the cheating in romance books. Right now I read only m/m so I'm talking from that view. I've read a book where one MC is confused and doesn't know if he's gay and at the same time he has a girlfriend and he meets the other MC he's attracted to them and they do something, of course he cheated on his girlfriend but I have to say and this will sound bad but I didn't really feel bad for her, okay in my defense she's usually made out to be a b*tch, hehe I've also read where the MC is once again confused he gets with the other MC but then gets scared believing he's not gay and he does something with a female or even another guy just to make sure, not crazy about this one, but I can understand even though I don't like it. The one that really gets me though is the big misunderstanding/fight, run out and have sex with a guy to show him. This one bugs me the most. Still cheating in romance can be tricky, it can even depend on the person who did it and how they did it. It's just not black and white and I have to say that it wouldn't necessarily stop me from reading a book . I do know for some people that if there is any type of cheating at all they won't read the book and I have to say sometimes it really fits the story and works as funny as that sounds. I have to say Lee Brazil you made me really think about this one. This is only my opinion for romance and not real life, lol

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.

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.

Welcome Guest Silvia Violet

Hello everyone! Lee invited me to talk about reality vs fantasy in romantic stories, and I will, but I'm also going to talk about one of my favorite topics – chocolate cake. Chocolate cake is, to me, one of the most perfect foods. I love cake and I love chocolate. When they are blended together and then topped with rich, buttery chocolate icing, an orgasmic eating experience ensues. Mmmm…..

Where was I….oh yes, reality vs. fantasy. Let's say for the purpose of this post that a peanut

butter sandwich represents everyday reality. It's tasty, serviceable food. But it's not typically the thing fantasies are made of (Of course I'm now pondering a way to work a peanut butter sandwich fantasy into my next book.) People don't normally eat a peanut butter sandwich as an escape or a treat. Chocolate cake on the other hand. Chocolate cake is pure fantasy - scrumptious dessert fantasies, foodie fantasies, and possibly on occasion….well, you can imagine those fantasies for yourself.

When I read romance, I want to read about chocolate cake experiences, not peanut butter experiences. But chocolate cake doesn't have to be perfect to be a treat.

Imagine, if you will, a cake that didn't want to co-operate coming out of the pan. The layers are lop-sided, making the cake slant off to one side. When you ice it, the broken pieces add crumbs to the icing. It's not a show piece, but it still tastes amazing. The inside is still moist, rich, and sinfully good and the icing patches it up nicely. I would be happy with just such a cake, and I'm happy to read about heroes who need a little patching up or who aren't perfectly put together.

A chocolate cake with no flaws might be too pretty too eat, but a chocolate cupcake that got knocked about coming out of the tin, one iced by a kid more eager to eat the cake than look at it, that's a treat I can relate to. If a hero has no flaws, he's so far from my reality that I can't relate to him. I can't put myself in his shoes or imagine myself in his bed. But if he's got flaws – he's arrogant, naïve, stubborn, afraid to take any risks, no longer as young or fit as he's "supposed" to be – then he's real to me. That amount of reality won't prevent him from being as delicious as chocolate cake.

I want my reading to take me to a world where two people fall in love despite their flaws and then get their happily ever after. Maybe in a peanut butter sandwich world, their relationship would never work, but in the world of fantasy, they are each other's chocolate cake.

Lark Zaccaro and Derek Carlson aren't perfect men. They've both made choices in the past that have left them scarred, hurt, and alone. In Abandoned, they get a second chance to see past each other's flaws.

Galactic Betrayal 1: Abandoned by Silvia Violet

https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/abandoned-ebook-p-773

Blurb:

Lark Zaccaro and Derek Carlson were partners and friends. Lark wanted more. Then someone at the Intergalactic Investigations Bureau sold them out to enemy aliens. Lark was forced to abandon Derek to the enemy, and Derek bought the IIB’s story that Lark betrayed them all.

When Lark’s deep cover mission and Derek’s new job in search-and-rescue collide, the desire simmering between them explodes. Lark needs Derek’s help to escape a new enemy, and Derek needs to

discover the truth about what really happened on that alien planet. Can they overcome lies and betrayal and find the love and comfort they seek, or will their past forever keep them apart?

Excerpt:

Lark Zaccaro smiled as he stepped out of the dripping jungle heat, and into the prison building. Even inside, the stale air was so splyvin' hot it belonged in an oven. He didn't know how anyone could breathe. Not that he was supposed to give a fuck if his prisoners got air or not. He took as deep a breath as he could and headed straight for the interrogation room.

A few hours earlier, his guards had discovered a man crouched in the underbrush, spying on their enclave. Lark's morning had been hell so far, and a vicious interrogation suited his mood perfectly. The two guards flanking the door stepped aside, so he could enter what was truly more of a torture chamber than an interrogation room. At least that's what it had been for his predecessor, and the longer Lark lived on Lancarina, the more he found himself becoming like the man he'd assassinated and replaced. He pushed that disturbing thought away. He wouldn't dwell on how low he'd sunk since he'd left his partner to die in a Lithusian prison cell.

The captive hung from the ceiling, suspended by a heavy chain circling his bound wrists. His toes barely scraped the floor, forcing his arms to support the weight of his large body. The dirty chain bit into his wrists, and blood dripped down his arms. In this squalid jungle, he'd have a deadly infection in no time. Lark would have to do something about that. The man had a ship with advanced defenses. Thus, he was Lark's ticket off this cesspool of a planet.

The man's clothes hung in shreds, and Lark couldn't help but admire his muscular body. His gaze slid over the captive's hard thighs, the impressive bulge in his pants, and the well-defined and disturbingly familiar planes of his chest. When he saw the man's face, he froze. No. It couldn't be. His former partner would have no reason to be here. But Derek Carlson, the man who had haunted Lark's nightmares and his fantasies every day for the six Old Earth months he been in this hellhole, was right in front of him. Chained. Suspended. His to do with as he pleased.

Lark's cock hardened, pressing against the confines of his pants. His body knew what it wanted from Derek, but his mind was less sure. Retribution? Forgiveness? A hot fuck before he threw him in prison to rot? Salvation? His gut knotted at that thought, and he fought to keep his guards from noticing how off kilter he was. He had to play his role, not rush this moment.

There would be time later, in his private quarters, to decide what he wanted to know and how he was going to get the information. If the vessel they had captured in the jungle was Derek's private issue ship, then he'd finally forsaken the lying scum at the Intergalactic Investigation Bureau. They might say their mission is to protect everyone in the five galaxies, but they only care about protecting their own asses. Lark intended to find out why Derek had left, but his guards would play no part in that interrogation. Derek was his.
Lark took a few steps toward the prisoner and studied him. He'd wanted him for years, from the moment they were assigned to work with each other at the IIB. Derek had turned down all his advances, saying they should keep their relationship professional. But now Derek was his prisoner, not his

partner. If he wanted to live, he'd do whatever Lark told him to.

From the way Derek limply hung in his bonds, he was either unconscious or doing an excellent job of faking it. His former partner had fought hard from the look of him. A livid bruise stood out on one cheek and purple splotches decorated his ribs. A deep gash on his arm had dripped blood trails that were now dry. He would have to tend to Derek’s wounds.

Lark needed the man's piloting skills. If he were going to kill Derek for believing those liars from the IIB when they told him Lark had turned traitor, he intended to do so with his own hands after they got off planet. Fortunately, he kept a fully stocked first aid cabinet in his quarters. He just needed to find a way to get Derek there without making his men suspicious .

Nothing but fear and the promise of a huge payoff on their next deal kept Lark's men from turning on him, in the same way he'd turned on the man he had been sent here to investigate. He pulled a long thin blade from his boot and pretended to examine the sharp edge as he circled Derek. He had to suppress a gasp when he saw the maze of scars criss-crossing Derek's back. If he let himself think about how Derek got those, he might be sick right here.

"Leave us," he said to the guards who were eyeing the prisoner in obvious hope of getting some play time.

Buy Abandoned here:

https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/abandoned-ebook-p-773

Visit Silvia online:

Website: http://silviaviolet.com

Blog: http://silviaviolet.com/blog

Facebook: http://facebook.com/silvia.violet

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Silvia_Violet

Realism and Romanticism: SA Meade Speaks

Reality versus Romanticism in Fiction

Romanticism: The state or quality of being romantic.

Romantic: Given to thoughts or feelings of romance.

When I jumped at a chance to write a guest post on Lee’s blog, I had no idea I'd be set an essay question…jeesh.  Anyway, I’ve given the matter some thought and this is my take on this brain-twister of a topic.

Ever since I stumbled across my first Victoria Holt novel in the school library many, many years ago, I’ve been a sucker for a good romance. I’m one of life’s daydreamers and I like a novel that can take me away from bills, the price of petrol in the UK and what to make for dinner for under £2.06. Having said that, I’m also a reader who likes my books grounded in some sort of reality. 

My pet peeves in romance include love at first sight and perfect characters. Give me lust at first sight and I’m happy and give me real people with sharp edges, broken dreams and issues. I can’t be doing with excessive mooshiness. I read an m/f romance once that ended with the dashing hero arranging for the local peasantry to ski down the local mountainside at night carrying blazing torches so that his girlie could be impressed by the spectacle. It was one romantic gesture too far for me. A romantic gesture, to me, is a cup of tea brought upstairs in the morning, a brave smile when life is crap and a goodnight kiss.

I try to reflect my views on romanticism as much as I can when I’m writing. I try to remember that I’m writing about real people with problems and quirks. All right, they may not fart in bed or clip their toenails in the living room, but they’re stubborn, bad-tempered or too quiet for their own good. I love weaving reality into my romances. I love reading romances with real people.

So, there’s my essay. Did I pass, Lee?

I'll say!  Thank you so much for not including the nail clipping scenes in your books!  I like fantasy in my fiction, and a touch of reality.  Blend it right and you've got a reader for life in me! 

Check out SA Meade's work at her blog: http://kestrelrising.blogspot.com/

Want a preview? Just to make sure SA has the right blend of reality and romance for you? 

Here's a delightful excerpt from Orion Rising

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

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.”