Cover Art and Blurb: REFINED INSTINCTS

Hey there, everyone! I'm incredibly happy to share with everyone the cover art and blurb for my next release, REFINED INSTINCTS, Book 5 in the Instincts series!

This is another cover made by the multi-talented Lex Valentine of Winterheart Design. I'm sure some of you have heard me gush on Lex before, but for those who haven't, she's an amazing author along with having a great artistic eye for making book covers and she's made several of my covers. I really love what she did with this cover. The model to the left has that dark, brooding ruggedness that I picture for Troy. The model to the right has those sharp, aristocratic features and refinement that I think of with Renart. And I think the whole cover has a dark, but elegant look to it, complete with the Chicago skyline. My thanks to Lex for all her hard work on this cover!

Edits are about to begin on this book and we're looking at a November release date...tentatively November 1st. But don't hold me to that! There are a few new factors in my personal life that could make it so I'm not moving through edits and writing as fast as I used to. Don't worry, nothing bad :-) Mostly, I've gone through an employment change for a day job and with my new job, I won't have computer time, so that means no sneaking in author work during the day.

But enough about my personal stuff! That's not what you guys are here for! And so without further ado, I give to you all, Lord Renart Bellerose and Troy Raines in REFINED INSTINCTS!

Coming soon to MLR Press...

BLURB:
Troy Raines wants it all to end. His pain, his heartache, his regrets. Having been in hiding to avoid capture from the Tribunal, he returns to Chicago believing since that's where everything began for him, that's where it should end, as well.

Renart Bellerose has known many regrets in his long life as a vampire, but few are stronger than what he has regarding Troy Raines. As the one to make Troy a vampire, he gave him power, money, anything he thought Troy wanted, but he restrained on giving him what they both needed.

When Renart and Troy face each other again, anger and passion explodes between them. Renart wants to help Troy find redemption, but as danger closes in, it might be too late to set right the wrongs of the past.

Overdue Writing Update

Hey, everyone! I'm not sure if this update is really overdue. Since all my updates are overdue, maybe that means technically this is right on time ;-)

I do know it's been awhile since I gave some information on what I've got going on. So, here's what's been happening in my little writing world. I've been hard at work on four manuscripts.

MODEL LOVE - This story will be my first Ellora's Cave release. This is a contemporary gay erotic romance story, about 47k words. The story features former model, Ian Eldridge, trying to overcome his guilt and grief over his twin brother's death, and trying to get his life back on track with the help of the beautiful Temaru Marceau. I've made it through stage 1 of edits on the story with my awesome editor at EC. Yay! There are still a couple more rounds left to go, but so far, everything is going very smooth on it. No release date yet, but that should be coming soon and when it does, I'll be posting it.

REFINED INSTINCTS, Instincts series Book 5 - I think this is one a few folks have been waiting on. It's in the hands of my fantastic editor at MLR Press and we should be starting edits on it soon. As of right now, we're aiming for a November release on it. The book is currently 62k in length. Timeline wise, this story falls after ADAPTING INSTINCTS, and it will be the story of Renart Bellerose and Troy Raines. Once I have more info to share on it, specific release date, cover, blurb, I will be sure to.

VAMPIRE PRINCE - This will be my second Ellora's Cave release. And yes, it's a gay erotic romance/paranormal/vampire story. And no, it's not connected in anyway to Instincts. The vampires in Vampire Prince are a little closer to traditional paranormal beings, where in Instincts the vampires are natural beings. This story is finished and in the hands of my EC editor. At the moment, it's complete at about 71k, but that word count could fluctuate a little bit once edits begin. The story follows Sebastian Beaumont, a young blood slave, and a three hundred-year-old vampire prince, Valentin Wyndham.

KNIGHT OF FIRE, Terra Series Book 2 - And rounding out the list of what I've been working on is Book 2 in the Terra series. I have been working on this book pretty much since I finished book 1! But real life and writing distractions have kept me from finishing it. Right now, my goal is to finish the first draft by mid-October and have it turned in to my MLR Press editor by the first week of November. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I'll be able to pull it off! The story is already over 50k with a lot more to go, and it is the story of Torran the Dragon Speaker and Sir Karrick Brenton.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I've been up to! Hope all sounds good to you guys!

September Reader Appreciation Day: The Prize List!

Hey, ladies and gents! Here we go! This is the prize list for September's Reader Appreciation Day! RAD will be held this Saturday, September 21st, at The Sweet Spot! This great collection of prizes has been generously donated by all these talented authors as their way of saying "thank you" to the readers out there. There are links with each prize listed, so just clink on those to learn more!

• Lori Toland - ebook copy of THE REPLACEMENT GUITARIST
• Allison Cassatta - ebook copy of PATIENT PRIVILEGE
• Allison Cassatta - ebook copy of THREE LITTLE WORDS
• Kaje Harper - ebook copy of LEARNING CURVE - LIFE LESSONS BOOK #4
• Tara Lain - ebook copy of F.A.S.T. BALLS
• Willa Okati - ebook copy of IN THE KEY OF
• Angel Rothamel - ebook copy of HANDCUFFS AND LACE
• Lynley Wayne - ebook copy of ROCKY'S ROAD
• Kendall McKenna - ebook copy of STRENGTH OF THE WOLF
• Evelise Archer - ebook copy of WE ARE DADDY
• Jambrea Jo Jones - ebook copy of winner's choice from backlist
• Sloan Parker - winner's choice of $15 Amazon.com or All Romance eBooks Gift Card
• S.J. Frost - ebook copy of winner's choice from backlist

Sloan, Jambrea, and I give our thanks to all of these fantastic authors for their generosity. We appreciate you joining with us in showing appreciation to readers.

Any author who would still like to donate a prize is welcomed to. All you have to do is send out an email to: thesweetspotmm@gmail.com  Please include what you'd like to donate for the September giveaway, a link to your work, and a cover art pic. Reader Appreciation Day is also an Open Excerpt Day, so all M/M authors are invited to stop by the Yahoo group, share excerpts, and your latest news! And readers, be sure you swing by too and see what some of your favorite authors got going on.

As usual, the prize list will be posted throughout the day at The Sweet Spot Yahoo group, starting at 8:00 am EST. Reader Appreciation Day wraps up about 8:00 pm EST, with the winners announced shortly thereafter. Authors who have donated a prize will be contacted after the giveaway closes with their winner's information so you can send your prize personally. To enter in the giveaway, just reply to any of the giveaway threads on the group.

Hope to see everyone tomorrow at The Sweet Spot!

Reader Appreciation Day: September 21st

Hello, everyone! It's almost time for another Reader Appreciation Day and Open Excerpt Day over at The Sweet Spot! Here's the official announcement for September's RAD!

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This Saturday, September 21st, is Reader Appreciation Day at The Sweet Spot, the Yahoo Group run by Sloan Parker, Jambrea Jo Jones, and me! This fun event is held on the third Saturday of every month. The list of prizes donated by generous authors will be posted this Friday.

Sloan, Jambrea, and I are thrilled to announce M/M Reader Appreciation Day at The Sweet Spot. This is one day every month for authors of M/M romance to say "thanks" to all you readers out there who support our writing efforts.

This month's Reader Appreciation Day will be held on Saturday, September 21st. On that day, we'll post a giveaway thread throughout the day featuring a full list of all prizes available in the group. Just respond to one of the giveaway threads on the Yahoo Group between 8am and 8pm EST to be included in the drawing.

Readers, stop by the Yahoo Group  to chat with authors and enter for a chance to win free books and other prizes from a variety of M/M authors.

Authors, if you're interested in participating in the giveaway, send an email to: thesweetspotmm@gmail.com
Please include what you'd like to donate for the September giveaway, a link, and a cover art pic. For prizes, you can donate books, gift certificates, swag, and other items. All types of prizes are welcomed! In the future, we'll include you in our monthly announcement for a chance to donate. You can participate as little or as often as you'd like in the RAD giveaway.

Reader Appreciation Day is also an Open Excerpt Day, and all authors are welcomed to post to blurbs and excerpts of their work, and of course, share any other fun news you've got going on!

Hope to see you all at The Sweet Spot!