Archive for the ‘Competitions’ Category

Evernight Xmas

Well, you have all been entered now into the draw and we’ll see who wins the iPad2! But just to say thanks to you all I’m giving away an eCopy of Lorenzo il Magnifico to one lucky entrant. I’ve jumbled you all up, put on my blindfold and picked out…Gregory Payne! Gregory – look out for my email.

 

Welcome to the Evernight Holiday Blog Hop!

We love the holidays, we love making our readers happy and we love giving away swag. What better way to do that than to hold a blog hop? Here’s how it works… the more blogs you hop to (shown below) the more chance you have of winning prizes. Each site on the hop is offering a prize and Evernight is offering an iPad 2 as the grand prize! To be in with a chance of winning the site prize simply follow the blog you’re visiting and leave a comment which includes your email address. Each entry on each blog is then counted towards the grand prize draw. The more entries you have, the better your chance of winning that iPad 2! You also get extra points for liking the Evernight Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/evernightpublishing.

Just make sure you let us know in the comments that you’ve done so.

Happy hopping!

Thanks, Evernight, for running this terrific hop. Of course the graphic isn’t terribly at home on this site but what the hell? My own Evernight book is Lorenzo il Magnifico and you might win an e-copy just by leaving a comment with your email.
Lorenzo il Magnifico

Lorenzo il Magnifico

“Lorenzo il Magnifico is the journey of a young man whose past has left him a bit guarded, and possibly a little bit jaded on the subject of commitment, until he meets the man who makes him feel—a little bit different, a little bit hopeful, a little bit anxious that he could lose something really wonderful, a little bit optimistic that he’s finally found a place and a someone to call home. Tristram La Roche offers just the right touch to his story for those who believe love can start with the smallest of seeds and, with the right attention, can bloom into something terrific.”

Review by Lisa at Top2Bottom 

http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/lorenzo-il-magnifico-by-tristram-la-roche/

*

“When you fall into a book and feel as though your watching it rather than reading it, well that’s top notch writing and deserves the credit.”

Review by Lutawolf at The To Be Read Pile

http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2011/10/review-lorenzo-il-magnifico-by-tristram-la-roche.html 

*

Excerpt from Lorenzo il Magnifico

Bar Uccello identified itself among the cheap snack bars, computer stores and Chinese herbalists by a simple rainbow flag that hung over the dusty, iron grille as limp and useless as a used condom. Even without the flag it would have been hard to miss; the music paid no attention to locked doors and the overflowing dumpsters in the street vibrated to the
rhythm.

Lorenzo pressed the button on the entry phone, looked into the camera, and the grille sprang open with a raw clack. Luke followed him through the security doors and into a dimly lit passage decorated with adverts for hard core videos. He recognized most of the cocks on them. The noise was deafening and Luke could only watch as Lorenzo leaned over the counter
and shouted into the ear of the receptionist. They gesticulated at each other, then at Luke, then at the ceiling. Finally, the receptionist shrugged his shoulders and Lorenzo pulled Luke along the passageway and into the bar. It heaved with bodies. Many of the guys had discarded their shirts and Luke narrowed his eyes against the flashing lights trying to get a good look. Lorenzo pulled him close and shouted in his ear,“It’s full because of the strip show
later on.” He jerked his head towards the bar. “Shall we?”

Luke nodded and followed closely as Lorenzo ploughed through the throng, stopping regularly to receive a hug or a kiss from fellow revelers. His popularity was obvious and Luke knew that if anything passed between them it could only be a one night stand or, at most, a seven
night, vacation fling.

As the bar came into sight, Luke surged forward and grabbed Lorenzo by the arm. “I’ll get
these.”

Lorenzo shook his head. He already had the attention of one of the barmen. Luke knew Italians well enough to realize any protest was futile, so he accepted his Diet Coke with grace. Lorenzo began to dance to the music, grinding his hips. He grinned at Luke. That wink again.

Luke was drawn to him like a mosquito to a lamp. He finished his coke, rid himself of the glass and raised his arms over his head. He rotated his hips, thrusting forward the growing mound at his crotch. Lorenzo’s eyes glowed; his shirt, already damp from the heat and the
exertion, taut across hard nipples. When their eyes met, Luke opened his mouth and ran his tongue over his lips. Lorenzo took the bait. His tongue darted between Luke’s lips and filled his mouth. Luke lowered his arms, put one around Lorenzo’s neck to pull him tighter, and let the other work its way down to his ass. At last, he felt those firm buttocks that he’d watched so many times during the evening. In his mind he parted them to reveal Lorenzo’s rosebud. He pushed his hard cock against Lorenzo, wishing it were free. Lorenzo responded, and Luke
felt the other’s solid length press into his own.

A sudden flash of light, a ripple of applause and the music died. Luke glanced around, nonplussed, but Lorenzo shouted in his ear, “It’s the show. The strippers. Come with me.”

If you would like to buy Lorenzo il Magnifico please click HERE. And there are lots of buy links in the sidebar on the left of the site.

Now you need to get hopping to all the other sites and increase your chances of winning that iPad!

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to view this Linky Tools list and get hopping!

If you fancy being the lucky recipient of a paperback copy of Halloween Heat M/M (that’s the issue stuffed with gay stories) we’ve set up a giveaway on Goodreads.

All you have to do is click on the Goodreads widget below. Remember, Halloween Heat M/M from Etopia Press contains a short story each from me (Tristram La Roche) plus Kiran Hunter, Elin Gregory, Dianne Hartsock, Renee George, Tara Lain and A C Fox.

Halloween Heat I (Tristram La Roche, Kiran Hunter, Elin Gregory, Dianne Hartsock, Renee George) which is also available to buy as an eBook was the Number One selling anthology on Bookstrand for almost a month. The paperback we are giving away contains HH I plus HH IV!

There are two copies up for grabs so twice the chance of winning:

 


Goodreads
Book Giveaway

Halloween Heat M/M by Tara Lain

Halloween Heat M/M

by Tara Lain

Giveaway ends November 30, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Welcome to the Halloween Heat author blog hop. I and my fellow contributors in Halloween Heat I are joined by Tara Lain from Halloween Heat IV to offer you the chance to win prizes. I’m offering one lucky reader the choice of one eBook from my Etopia Press list: On My Knees, Fixed or The Hun and the General. All you need do is  leave a comment below  (and remember to include your email) and follow my blog. Once the blog hop closes (Sunday 14th October) I will pick a winner at random and contact you to see which book you would like to have.

Halloween Heat I
An Anthology of Erotic Paranormal M/M Romance

(last time I looked, Halloween Heat I was no2 in the All Romance eBooks anthologies)

Click to Buy From Amazon

Five stories of gay love and passion with a paranormal twist, perfect for Halloween.

“Love Lies Deep” by Tristram La Roche
“Idle Hands” by Reneé George
“Costumes” by Dianne Hartsock
“Eden” by Kiran Hunter
“Set in Stone” by Elin Gregory

Love Lies Deep by Tristram La Roche

Blurb

When a careless driver shattered Josh’s life one Halloween by ploughing into his lover, Josh found himself  living all alone in the village that had been their temporary home. He’d never liked the countryside, but stayed willingly for Sam while he wrote a novel about the area. Despite Josh’s love of the city, his love for Sam was stronger and he knew he could never move away from his lover’s resting place. Now, every day Josh visits the grave and feels Sam’s presence, but on Halloween, the anniversary of the tragedy, his visit unleashes their passion and lust as if nothing has changed.

Here’s an excerpt:

Josh handed out bars of chocolate and some toffee things that reminded him of dog chews, and waved to the kids as they ran off into the night. As he closed the door he heard another firework explode and decided it was time to be sociable. He put on his heavy boots, shucked on his quilted jacket, and grabbed the flashlight from the table in the hall. Finally, he took the carefully wrapped flowers he’d bought on the way home.

Once he’d left the glow of the outside light behind him, he noticed that the clouds had cleared completely to leave a deep purple sky, the stars shining like polished silver studs. He hoped it would last. While the rain didn’t spoil his enjoyment, good weather would certainly heighten it. As he approached the village green, the telltale crackling told him the fire had already been lit. The tops of the trees, almost bare now, clawed at the sky like crooked, orange fingers in the flames’ light. Children drew shapes in the air with sparklers, mothers fussed with coats and hats, fathers busied themselves with fireworks and the beer stall.

“Josh!” A dark figure loomed out of Josh’s peripheral vision. “Just in time for the fun.”

“Hi, Ben,” said Josh, slapping the young priest playfully on the shoulder. As things had turned out, it had been a godsend having a gay priest in the village, though no one knew apart from Josh and Sam, of course. Josh couldn’t understand how Ben could want to be a Catholic priest, but Ben simply said that he had his own beliefs and Rome was fifteen hundred miles away.

Ben took something from his pocket and, linking arms with Josh, slipped the object into his friend’s coat pocket. “Better let you have that before I forget.”

“Thanks. I’ll get it back to you before morning.”

“I know. Don’t worry about that. Just enjoy yourself, okay?” Ben winked and tapped the side of his nose. “Halloween comes but once a year.”

Now, leave your comment and then you can visit all the other authors by clicking the links in the table below (thanks, Elin, for the clever box!).

Dianne Hartsock Costumes
Kiran Hunter Eden
Renee George Idle Hands
Tara Lain Trex or Treat
Tristram La Roche Love Lies Deep
Elin Gregory Set in Stone

Welcome to the Evernight Publishing birthday blog hop

“Evernight Publishing opened its doors two years ago. In those two years we’ve signed over one hundred and sixty authors and published over three hundred books. From paranormal to contemporary, we’ve had more best sellers than we can count and made thousands of people smile, sigh and gasp. So, as a thank you to all our readers and everyone who has supported us, we’re holding this blog hop and we have a whole lot of prizes to offer you.
Here’s how it works… the more blogs you hop to (see link below) the more chance you have of winning prizes. Each author on the hop is offering a prize and Evernight is offering the following grand prizes: a Kindle, a $100 Amazon gift certificate, two Evernight swag bags (which include a tote, a tee, vouchers, a mug and other coolness) and a personalized Facebook banner. To be in with a chance of winning the author prize simply follow Tristram La Roche’s blog and leave a comment including your email address. Each entry on each blog is then counted towards the grand prize draw. The more entries you have, the better your chance of winning a grand prize! You also get extra points for liking the Evernight Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/evernightpublishing. Just make sure you let us know in the comments that you’ve done so.
Good luck and happy hopping!
EP
***

I’m pleased to take part in the birthday hop and am giving away a copy of my Evernight book, Lorenzo il Magnifico. The winner can choose any eformat. So just let those comments roll!

OK! So you’ve followed me and commented? Now click on the link below to access all the other authors and boost your chances of winning.

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to enter  the Linky Tools list

It doesn’t seem five minutes since Tara Lain’s scorcher Fire Balls came rolling along but she’s here today bouncing back with Beach Balls. I’ve had a peek at the excerpt below. An underwater blow job! How astonishing - there’s one of those in my summer scorcher, Lorenzo il Magnifico! Anyway, without further ado, I’ll hand my website over to my friend, Tara Lain. Enjoy! No kicking sand about, now.

~~~

Love on the Beach!

Thank you so much to Tris for hosting me today!  Say the words “beach romance” and chances are even the very young among us will think of the famous scene of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity chasing each other along the waterline and ultimately kissing passionately in the surf. Even if we don’t know who they were or what the movie was called, the scene is the most famous beach love scene of all time.  Sigh. This is beach romance at its finest. Just the idea of water, sun and mostly naked bodies makes for sexy possibilities.

Beach romance was my delightful task in writing Beach Balls, the newest book in the Balls to the Wall Series. All of the books in the series take place in Laguna Beach, a small, pretty, artist’s colony beside the ocean in southern California. But while Volley Balls is mostly concerned with playing ball on the sand and Fire Balls is about the artists and firefighters of the town, a lot of Beach Balls actually takes place on and in the water. My heroes meet underwater, fight underwater and get frisky underwater.

Now that was a wild scene. I’ve done a little scuba diving and a lot of snorkeling but I’m no pro. I decide I want one hero to give the other head underwater. I could have picked an easier sexual encounter, but no, I wanted oral sex. So I’m writing and holding my breath and figuring out what I can do holding a mouthpiece in one hand and my heroes’ piece in the other. How much suction can you apply while holding your breath? The result is a fun scene that I hope is also sexy. Has anyone actually tried it? Tell me how I did. (Tris: See above, Tara! I wrote that scene from memory.)

Before you go, would you like a chance to win a $10 gift card? Just leave a comment here WITH YOUR EMAIL. The drawing for the winner will be held on June 9th. And if you’d like a chance to win a Volley Balls or Fire Balls T-shirt or a Fire Balls carry bag, be one of three people to follow the most blogs and events on the blog tour. (US only. If someone outside the US wants to follow all the blogs, they can win a copy of Volley Balls or Fire Balls!) ) Everyone who follows any events will be eligible to win. If you are one of the top three, you get a prize.  All the events are listed at Beautiful Boys Books along with extra chances to win prizes. Come on over.

 

Beach Balls

Excerpt Adult : Beach Balls by Tara Lain; MM Contemporary

Available  from Amazon, ARe

Adam James is so far in the closet he could find Narnia. But coming out would threaten all he’s built as the lead attorney for WMA Development, and the million dollars he can get when he finishes pushing  a big land remediation project through the City Council. Then on an early morning scuba dive, Adam meets a tall, lean rebreather diver named Sky who makes him want to live a different life. But Adam’s dreams are shattered when he walks into the council meeting and finds the fire-breathing environmentalist who’s screwing up  his chances of winning is none other than that same beautiful man. Sky Sea Mickeljohn doesn’t compromise, so how could he find himself lusting after a damned developer? And what happens when somebody open’s Adam’s closet door? These two better start telling the truth if they’re ever going to find world peace.

He swam to Sky and extended a hand. Sky shied a little, but Adam kept coming and passed his fingers through Sky’s curls floating freely in the water like an underwater flower. Sky looked up at Adam’s hand.

He touched Sky’s cheek. For a moment, Sky was still.

He pressed his cheek against Adam’s palm.

Oh, yes. That constituted a welcome.

Adam pulled his mouthpiece out and held his breath. He tapped on Sky’s mouthpiece. Sky frowned.

Just kiss me, you idiot. Adam pointed at his mouth, stuck his mouthpiece back in for some air then took it out again. Sky smiled around his mouthpiece, removed it, and leaned toward Adam.

He pressed his lips against Sky’s. Warm and cool at the same time. Sky opened his mouth and licked along Adam’s lips. Nice. Adam turned his head to the side, grabbed a hit of air, and then came back in and pushed his tongue into Sky’s mouth.

A moment later, they pulled away for a breath of air. Adam sank down to his knees. Come to Daddy… He took hold of Sky’s tight shorts and yanked. The big cock was happy to see him. He breathed deeply through his mouthpiece once, twice, three times. Mouthpiece out, cock in.

Oh, yeah. This was easier than kissing. Who knew you could suck and lick while holding your breath?

Sky started bobbing like a crazy man, shoving that cock deeper. Adam took a breath then went back to work running his tongue over the glans as he sucked. The taste of salt and feel of silk filled his mouth. Another breath, then he worked the mushroom head in and out of his lips like a candy pop. His hands began to pump, and he sucked until his cheeks tingled.. Sky’s hips pumped in slow motion, pressing his cock into Adam’s mouth along with the tang of the sea. It gave a whole new meaning to the term “deep throat.” Adam sucked as much as he could without swallowing water and could hear the echoes of Sky “shouting” around his mouthpiece.

Sky’s body began to thrash. One big thrust, and Adam tasted cum and saltwater at the same time. Thick jism floated out of his mouth. Son of a bitch. He had the best of Sky and sea.

Tara Lain

 

You can find Tara here:

E-mail:                 tara@taralain.com

Website:              http://www.taralain.com

Author blog:       http://taralain.blogspot.com

Book blog:           http://beautifulboysbooks.blogspot.com

Goodreads:        http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain

Savvy Authors:  http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/member.php?2398-Tara-Lain

Twitter:               http://twitter.com/taralain

Facebook:           http://www.facebook.com/people/Tara-Lain/100001514105686

FB Page:               http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Lain/205042046209804

Amazon:              http://www.amazon.com/Tara-Lain/e/B004U1W5QC/

B&N                       http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Tara-Lain?keyword=Tara+Lain&store=book

ARe                       http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Tara+Lain

I’m Tara Lain’s guest today, talking about The Huns, their infamous leader and researching my book The Hun and The General. All you have to do is leave a comment for chance to win your copy. Here’s the link: Tara Lain Oh, and there’s a new excerpt!

An All Romance Bestseller

Thank you to all who entered my February competition. Wow! What a response. I guess it shows the interest The Hun and The General has generated among readers. It was a such a great success that over the weekend I will announce my Ides of March competition – so keep an eye out!

OK, the question was, what was the land of the Huns called? The answer is Pannonia (and if you look carefully at the cover of The Hun and The General you can almost see it).

An All Romance Bestseller

Lots of entries, quite a few correct ones so those went into the hat and the lucky one drawn out is – Stacie (also known as geishasmom). Congratulations to Stacie! (I have emailed you directly). Commiserations to those who weren’t lucky but – beware the Ides of March, it may be a lucky date for you.

And remember, The Hun and The General is widely available and the buy links are on the left. I might also add it’s proving very popular at All Romance Ebooks where it got its bestseller star within 24hrs and is rising yet again. Thanks to ARE readers!

I’m offering the chance to win an Amazon eGift card worth £10/US$15. All you have to do is buy any one of my e-books from any retailer (they’re on the left of your screen) and email me with the date of your purchase, the retailer and your receipt/purchase confirmation number. I’ll drop you in the hat and one lucky winner will be announced on 15th February.

Simple rules, too:

Last entry midnight PST 14th February 2012.

One winner will be chosen at random.

My decision is final.

eGfit card will be emailed to you within 48hrs. No cash alternative is offered.

Purchases will be verified.

To mark Valentine’s Day, The To Be Read Pile is running a blog hop of love in which you can win prizes. So I said I’d take part to give my readers the chance to have a go. Just click on the image below to read the full details, then you can come back to read the rest of this post (if you want to – I know you really want to win the big prize). Good luck!

Click to read full details

You can see The Hun and The General there at the bottom of that image, so here’s an excerpt for today (emphasis on the EX – ie. XXX)

Livianus departed from his villa soon after sunrise with Caecilius and four soldiers from the local garrison. Once Livianus had expressed his willingness to accept the task of talking to Attila, things fell into place remarkably quickly. Too quickly.

“Theodosius must have been sure of himself, Caecilius.” Livianusglanced at his friend riding beside him. Caecilius belonged on horseback, and Livianus was glad to have him along on the twenty-day journey.

Caecilius cleared his throat but kept his gaze on the track ahead. “Preparations were underway even before I left Ravenna. Fresh horses, men, and provisions await us at each garrison.”

Livianus pondered his friend’s reply. “And your orders? Did they include taking me by force if I refused?”

“But you did not refuse, did you?”

Livianus sighed. Theodosius treated even the heroes of the empire as slaves. Anything to save his skin. Loyalty was something to be purchased, and if that didn’t work, the threat of execution remained in the emperor’s power even today. Livianus, however, did not undertake this journey out of loyalty or fear. Attila had been increasingly in his thoughts as he rotted away in Gaul. The chance to see the Hun once more had made the decision easy. No one knew what had passed between them, and now was not the time to reveal it. Not even to Caecilius.

“Tell me,” said Livianus, “exactly what I have to bargain with. Attila knows the word of the emperor isn’t worth the scroll it’s written on.”

“Gold and slaves.”

Livianus suppressed a laugh. “Does Theodosius take the Huns for fools? He stops the payments already agreed then sends me to offer more of the same? I’m being sent with nothing to put on the table.” He shook his head.

“Precisely the reason he chose you. He says you are the only one who has a chance of pulling this off.”

“Am I to be flattered or does he now think I am expendable?”

“I’m sure the emperor has no wish to see you fail, Livianus.”

“No, I’m sure he doesn’t, but not because of his charitable feelings toward me.”

Caecilius looked up and turned to Livianus. “Do I detect the revolutionary in you?” His eyes shone with surprise.

“I have no place in my old heart for revolution, my friend. I am a Roman, and loyal as the day I was born. Do you think I would undertake this suicide mission if I were not?” He held Caecilius’s gaze until the other relaxed and turned away.

“True enough. But let us hope you are wrong about the outcome.”

“Fortunately, we have plenty of time to consider our options. And I am fortunate to have you with me. Come, tell me of Ravenna. What are the hot topics of conversation? Perhaps we will find inspiration in the deliberations of the empire’s finest.”

Caecilius spoke animatedly about Roman politics and foreign business, bringing Livianus up to date on all the affairs of state. Livianus listened intently without interrupting. The empire, he could tell, was little more than a shell of its former, glorious self. How much longer could it last?

Time and miles passed quickly. Soon the sun reached its zenith. Heat and hunger forced them to stop. While the men watered the horses and fed themselves, Livianus led Caecilius to a shaded spot under a clump of trees where they fed and drank wine.

“We should be on our way,” said Caecilius, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“A few more minutes won’t hurt. The horses will thank us for it, and the men too.” Livianus peered against the sun’s rays at the soldiers sprawled on the ground in the distance. “Let them sleep a little.” He turned on his side to face his friend. The wine had flushed Caecilius’s cheeks, and his brown eyes twinkled in the light. “My cock is hard, Caecilius.” Livianus raised his tunic and gripped his shaft to reveal its condition through his tight pants.

Caecilius laughed. “I can see you are as rampant as you always were. No change in that quarter.”

“Come, help me with it like you used to when we were young.” Livianus lay on his back, raised his hips, and tugged his pants down to the tops of his boots. His cock sprang free and slapped against his stomach.

Caecilius edged close and reached out, taking hold of Livianus’s erection. He tugged it up to stand proud and stroked the shaft.

“Ah, the touch of a true Roman.” Livianus closed his eyes and sighed, resting his head on the ground.

“Oh, I remember this. It’s still as fine and upstanding as any young man’s. What would you have me do with it?”

“To feel your lips would be wonderful. I remember the first time you sucked me, in the bath house at Paestum.”

“You were my first, you know. My first soldier, at any rate.”

Livianus sensed the approach of his friend’s lips and tensed in anticipation. He felt a hot wetness surround him and gasped. “But not your last, clearly.” He felt the touch of Caecilius’s expert tongue all the way down from the tip into his groin. He thrust his hips to meet the eager mouth, and his cock head met with Caecilius’s throat. Instead of gagging, Caecilius pressed forward, forcing Livianus between the tight muscles.

Livianus groaned and thrust faster. Pleasure rippled through him, and he clenched his fists, wrenching grass from the ground. The stubble on Caecilius’s chin scratched Livianus’s balls like a rasp as he took the engorged cock as far as the pubic bone would allow. Livianus felt the orgasm rise, as unstoppable as the morning sun. He arched his back and bellowed as his seed erupted. Caecilius’s lips tightened as if to seal in every drop, and Livianus collapsed on the ground, spent and satisfied.

When Caecilius finally released him, Livianus looked at his friend. Caecilius’s eyes twinkled like stars in the night as he wiped his chin with his hand.

“Extra sustenance for the journey.”

Livianus laughed. “Then we’d better make sure we both get our daily ration.”

I‘m pleased to welcome back chez Tris my friend and author Tara Lain. Tara’s latest release, Fire Balls, is already hot property on Amazon, and today she’s going to give you some background to the story plus a hot excerpt. First of all, here’s a reminder about who Tara is:

Tara Lain

Tara Lain never met a beautiful boy she didn’t love – at least on paper. A writer of erotic romance, mostly ménage and male/male, Tara loves all her characters, but especially her handsome heroes. A lifelong writer of serious non-fiction, Tara only fell in love with EROM in 2009 and, through perseverance and lots of workshops, had the first novel she ever wrote published in January of 2011. Then she capped off the year by being voted Best Author of 2011 in the LRC Awards and had her Genetic Attraction Series named runner-up for Best Series of 2011! A very good year. After an exotic life of travel all over the world and work in television, education and advertising, Tara settled in Southern California with her soul-mate husband and opened her own small marketing business. She paints, collages, and started practicing yoga “way before it was fashionable”. Passionate about diversity, justice, inclusion and new ideas, she says on her tombstone it will read, “Yes”.

And now, heeeere’s Tara! 

Thank you so much for having me back, Tris.  Every writer has heard the question again and again. How do you think up those stories? Where do the ideas come from? And every writer will probably answer the same way–from everywhere. But I think a particularly fun story about how the ideas spring to life comes from my brand new book, Fire Balls. So let me tell you where this story came from.

Some of you may know that last year I wrote a novella called Volley Balls. That idea was inspired by a friend who sent me a video of an Aussie Bums swim trunks ad.  I created a story of a gay art gallery owner in beautiful Laguna Beach, California who meets two Australian volley ball players on the beach. Since the setting of the story is so great and people liked the book, I decided I wanted to write a sequel to Volley Balls. Clearly, the title had to involve balls! LOL. So I sorted through the words that go with balls. Fortunately, I had lots to choose from. Fire Balls leaped out at me. Oh boy, I could write a story with a firefighter. YUM! I love contrast in my heroes so I decided to make my point of view character as unlikely as possible. In Volley Balls I had introduced a character I loved named Rodney who is my hero’s best friend. We don’t learn a lot about him in Volley Balls so I knew I could create a whole story for him. But we do know that he is small and feisty. Here was a perfect contrast to a hunky alpha firefighter. But what’s the story?

I decided to make Rodney a painter. Since David the gallery owner was his friend that would make sense. Then where does the conflict come from? I know Rod is self-assured but he’s small. What if he paints gorgeous men and considers himself unattractive? Suddenly I thought of the famous play, Cyrano de Bergerac, in which the great swordsman is also a poet and artist but thinks of himself as unworthy of love because of his huge nose. He tries to set up his friend with the woman he himself loves. Bingo. There was the framework for a story–minus the nose.  An artist who is also a black belt in karate adores a hunky firefighter but thinks the man could never love him back so he tries to play matchmaker between the man he loves and his good friend, the handsome surfer. Cyrano and the firefighter. That’s where this book idea came from.

If you would like to win a copy of Fire Balls, please leave a comment here on Tris’s blog with your email (don’t forget the email.) You will be entered in a drawing this coming Friday. Then, if you go over to Beautiful Boys Books and leave a comment with your email you will receive ANOTHER entry. There’s more. To learn all the chances to win, check my website at http://www.taralain.com. Look under events. Thank you, Tris, for welcoming me here again and thanks to all of you for coming to say “hi”.

Rodney Mansfield is tiny, flamboyant and, oh yeah, a black belt in karate. He is also one of southern California’s greatest artists. Too bad the work of art he really wants is firefighter, Hunter Fallon. But the gorgeous “straight gay” guy could never want the Runtback of Notre Dame, so when Rodney’s handsome, surfer friend, Jerry, develops an unexpected passion for the beautiful firefighter, Rodney breaks his own heart by helping Jerry land his man. And then Rod makes it worse by embarrassing Hunter when he protects him from a firehouse bully. Hunter hates gay guys like Rodney – doesn’t he? Then why can’t he get the powerful pipsqueak’s face out of his mind… and cock out of his ass? And why does he risk his job and his life to rescue Rod from a burning building? Isn’t it time for him to admit he’s not an alpha male after all and that he is the property of the artist?

Rodney glanced over to see how his model was doing. Total heart stop and brain malfunction. Perfect. Every line and curve. Every angle. Hunter’s body was so lean that each muscle stood out against his tan skin like a piece of sculpture. The pose twisted his torso just enough to make his narrow waist seem even slimmer against the breadth of his shoulders and his hard, curved pecs. His legs were long and looked carved from marble. Even his feet were perfect. Oh God. Rod wanted to suck each toe in homage.

And in the middle of all this art, surrounded by light tan skin and at the end of a happy trail of silken dark hair, was a magnificent cock lying relaxed against Hunter’s right leg. He was a low hanger, a real shower. Long and graceful, framed by loose balls and a soft pubic nest, this was a penis of the gods. Rodney wanted to paint it all alone in every possible posture. Yeah, preferably erect. Shit, he had to quit staring, or at least pretend the staring was professional and not prurient. Sure, right.

Hunter’s cock might be relaxed but the rest of his body was vibrating with tension. Rodney tried not to think how much he would like that to be reversed. Had to put the guy at ease before he had a coronary.

He grabbed his camera from the worktable and started snapping. “Looks great, Hunter. Perfect. Just relax as much as you can while I snap some photos. I’ll use these to work on the painting when you’re not here. I can use the shots to get general massing and proportion but I like to have the model live to put in texture and shadow. Nothing beats life for that kind of detail.” He was babbling but he hoped it would help the guy relax.

The beautiful body seemed to melt into the daybed, his arm over his eyes relaxed, and his fingers opened. Rod drew closer to capture a close-up of that graceful, powerful hand, then hurried back to the table and grabbed the sketch pad, leaving the camera behind. God, those long fingers. He stared at the calluses that seemed in conflict with the dance-like beauty of the relaxed hand. Scribbling, he committed the pose to paper before shifting his attention. A fast interpretation of Hunter’s carved mouth, the top lip intriguingly fuller than the bottom, giving the architectural symmetry of his face an unexpected pout. A quick swirl to capture his cleft chin, then a loving sketch of the gorgeous collarbone that defined the hard, muscular shoulder.

Down and down. Rodney hummed. Hunter seemed unconcerned, his breath having slowed. Maybe he needed a good nap. Man, look at those abs. That was a twelve-pack, baby. Down the happy trail and…he stopped sketching in awe. What a cock. Had to capture it. His fingers flew over the paper as he quietly chuckled. Yeah, he’d like to capture it. In his hands or mouth. He did study after study glancing up to be sure Hunter wasn’t watching Rod fixate on that dick.

OK, enough. “Hunter, move if you need to,” Rod murmured.

“Huh?” The arm came off his eyes, and he raised his head. “Oh man, I think I was nearly asleep.”

“Sorry to wake you. Go ahead and sleep and I’ll just draw.”

He sat up. “No. I better stretch or I’ll get really stiff. Sorry. I just got off a double shift. Didn’t realize I was so tired.”

Rod pointed to a clothes tree beside the platform. “Need a bathrobe?”

Hunter gave a shy grin. A-fucking-dorable. “Nah, I guess not. We’re both guys.”

Rodney struck a pose with hand on hip. “But since we’re both gay guys the implications are slightly different, wouldn’t you say?”

Hunter shook his head. “No fishing in another guy’s pond.”

Rod’s heart tripped. “You mean you and Jerry?”

“No, I mean Bill. He seems like a great guy.”

Rod smiled. “He is, but we’re just friends.”

Hunter sat on the edge of the daybed, that gorgeous cock hanging down between his legs. Distracting much? Rod busied himself blocking out the figure on the huge canvas.

“I thought you two were on a date.”

“Yeah. Our first and last. Dutch from now on. We realized we make better pals than lovers.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Rod looked up. “Nothing to be sorry about. Not everyone fits.”

“But wouldn’t you have liked it to work?”

He stopped drawing. Would he? “I kind of have a thing for someone else. Unrequited. But it makes getting into a relationship harder.” He spoke the truth.

“You need to find someone who appreciates you. A talent like you doesn’t come along every day.”

“Yeah, well, maybe.” A small crack opened in his heart.

“Shall I lie back down?”

“Need the bathroom or anything?”

“No, I’m good.” Hunter lay down.

Rod looked away. Shit. He would not cry. Deep breath. He returned to the canvas and tried for a rakish smile. “Besides, I imagine Bill’s a top. We would have killed each other. He’d push me down and I’d fight and grab him. It would have been ugly. Blood all over, both of us trying to dominate.”

Silence. Deafening silence. Rod glanced up. Hunter lay in the prescribed position, arm over eyes. But his formerly relaxed cock had risen to half-mast. What had gotten him going? Bill? Being a top? Killing each other. Hmm.

Let’s find out. “I’d try to stick my cock in his ass, and he’d be trying to grab me and hold me down. What a battle.”

Sure enough, the slow rise continued. Rod edged closer. Crap, the fireman wasn’t just a shower. Look at that gorgeous thing. Closer. What would happen if he touched? He wanted to touch so badly. His hand rose as he took another step.

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