Special Guest: Avril Ashton

Hi all, 

I've finally found a special guest who will help me drain my coffee supplies! Please welcome Avril Ashton, who is here today to tell us a bit about herself and her latest release, A Sinner Born. 

Hello Avril, thank you for being here today. Here's your first cup of coffee while we look at

The business ones

Please give us a short introduction about yourself:
A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y with a tolerant spousal equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing the plot points of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother.

Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.

Addicted to cake, the ID Channel and the UFC, Avril writes Erotic and GLBT Romance for Ellora's Cave, Evernight Publishing, eXtasy Books, Secret Cravings Publishing and Total-e-Bound.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write erotic romance, GLBT, Paranormal, and I/R. It’s my favourite to ad so it’s a natural step.

Do you need a special setting to write in or do you have a ceremony to get you in the mood? What does it look like? 
I’m not fussy. I just need coffee and music to get in my zone.

Describe your feelings when you learnt that your first book was accepted for publication.
Disbelief. Elation. Fear.

Has the release of your first book changed anything in your personal life? If so, what? 
Ha. Not really.

Where do you find inspiration?
Inspiration is all around me. In music, on TV. Reading my fellow authors’’ work sparks the creative juices in me. Anything and everything works.

Your favourite drink and food when writing. 
Coffee.

Coffee - what a surprise, heehee. Let's see if we have more in common. Here are

The nosy ones

How much of the real “you” is in your stories?
Not much. Maybe the curse words. I curse way too damn much.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who was it? 
Nah.

What’s the silliest error in a book you’ve submitted?
Thankfully, it’s mostly a missing word here or there, or incorrect punctuation. I’ve got awesome beta readers who catch all my craziness before I hit the “submit” button.

Who is your least favourite of the characters you’ve written? Why?
I don’t have a least favourite, just some characters that irked the hell outta me for one reason or the other. Come to think of it, that’s every character I’ve ever written.

The steamiest scene from your books.
Well. I do pride myself on writing the most fire-hot of sex scenes. Steam tends to be tame in comparison. I’d say Make Me Sweat, one of my IR m/f titles is pretty heavy on the fire, but you’ll have to read it to figure out why ;-)

Favourite comfort food?
Any food is comfort food for me. I’m a foodie.

A person you admire:
My little sister. She’s awesome and her strength humbles me.


The fast ones

Favourite colour? Red

Favourite pet? None

Dog or cat? Neither

Coffee or tea? Coffee. I live for it.

Quickie or candles? Quickie with candles. Can be done, thank you.

Hunky or chunky? Hunky?

Suit & tie or jeans & boots? Jeans and boots, but I got nothing against the suit and tie.

Walk in the park or chat over cocktails? Not a drinker so walk.





Thank you for the interview, Avril! Let's take a look at your new book now. 

 A Sinner Born (Book three in the Brooklyn Sinners series)

One man buried in secrets. Another still grieving the love he lost. Their worlds collide in a battle between memories, old and new, while trust hangs by a fragile thread.

Syren Rua is at war. He battles painful childhood demons and his intense need for the first person who makes him feel. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst while taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. He isn’t one to indulge in selfish needs, but he’ll make the time in this instance. Syren has been watching Kane Ashby, craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.

Kane isn’t over the death of his long-time partner. He’s certainly not ready for a relationship, sexual or otherwise, but Syren isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. The unpredictable Syren offers nothing but secrets and brings with him memories so dark, they could wipe out any chance the two might ever have. Syren brings Kane’s heart back to life. But it is also Syren who could inflict the most damage.

Inside Scoop: One of our heroes has a panty fetish. And it’s hot. This book also contains brief references to rape and child abuse.

A Romantica® gay/lesbian erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

http://www.ellorascave.com/a-sinner-born.html


AUTHOR LINKS

Visit: http://www.avrilashton.com

Friend Avril on: http://www.facebook.com/writeravrilashton

http://www.twitter.com/#!/AvrilAsh

http://avrilashton.tumblr.com/

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/author/avrilashton

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

Sage is Out: Sinfully Sweet with Jess Buffet

Here's to prove how scatterbrained I've been lately - I totally forgot to tell you all that I'm spending this week at the lovely Jess Buffet's blog. She made me sit down for an interview. One of the questions was "leather or lace?" and here's where you can find my answer: http://sinfullysweetromances.blogspot.com/2013/07/featured-author-sage-marlowe.html

Available to Pre-Order: Stockholm Syndrome

Hi all,

I'm thrilled to announce that Stockholm Syndrome has just become available to pre-order.

Here it is: 

We don’t get to choose who we fall in love with—and sometimes we fall too far…

Daniel Eames is a bodyguard. Usually assigned to protecting politicians, he has fallen out of his boss’s good books after getting too close to his last charge’s son but when rising Hollywood star and Academy Award nominee Bryan McTiernan receives peculiar letters and requires the best possible protection, Dan is put on the job.

While he agrees that the letters are more than harmless fan mail, he finds it impossible to narrow down his suspicions and Bryan isn’t helping by alternately seducing and irritating the hell out of him. Against his better judgement, Dan falls for Bryan’s manipulations, but the more he gets to glimpse behind the façade of the young actor, the more he realises that something in Bryan’s past has a strong hold over him. While both Dan and Bryan are aware of this, neither sees the full extent of his fixation.

With the help of Gabe, a fellow bodyguard and friend, Dan pursues different theories and even hires a private investigator to learn about Bryan’s well-hidden past. What he discovers has the potential to destroy more than just a promising career and in the end, Bryan has to make a choice—allow for his past fixation to take him hostage again or run away and into Dan’s open arms?

Buy / pre-order link:

Total-E-Bound: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2244

Equal Rights Blog Hop - Learning Equality

Welcome to my stop of the Equal Rights Blog Hop, hosted by Queer Town Abbey. The central theme is “What does being a member of the GLBT community mean to you?” and many authors have set out to answer that question. 

I’ll be frank with you. Growing up in a tiny, rural village had left me with a fairly narrow-minded, traditional attitude despite the fact that my family was neither one of the old, local ones nor a traditional family.

I’ve always been different, so maybe I just tried too hard to blend in. Maybe I learnt too much from my long-term girlfriend’s family which just happened to be one of the old, local ones. They also happened to be pretty intolerant when it came to accepting alternate lifestyles or even different views, although they would never have admitted to that. Far from it. They considered themselves open and outgoing. After all, they loved to travel and explore countries way off the paths of mass tourism—which didn’t keep them from dropping snide comments whenever conversation turned to the one, rather effeminate and obviously gay teenager in the community or frown upon everyone whose opinions didn’t quite match theirs.

Whatever the reason behind my beliefs was, until just a few years ago, I thought that the ideal way to live was being married with children, although I wasn’t sure whether that was the right option for me. I’ve been attracted to gay men since my first celebrity crush (George Michael, long before he came out, by the way), so at least I’m not guilty of homophobia.

When I finally pulled my head out of the sand and took a look around, which was incidentally triggered by my writing career, the GLBT community was one of the first places to go, and guess what? Suddenly I was surrounded by people whose beliefs fit mine—not the opinions I was taught by a bunch of bigots who never even realised just how stuck-up they were, but the convictions I’ve always known to be my truth, deep inside. 

 

At this point in my life, I believe that everyone, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, age—whatever, really—deserves to be treated with respect and acceptance. We’re all human beings. We’re all equal, no matter how different we may be. We shouldn’t even be discussing equal rights—we should have implemented them the moment we realised we didn’t have them. 

I also believe that people shouldn't be condemned for their so-called moral failures. There's a story behind every single one of us and events that have made us who we are. Nate, one of the heroes in my new book Fantasy for Sale, is open-minded enough to see beyond the fact that Cam, the man he's interested in, is a hooker. He just accepts Cam and tries to understand why he does what he does and when Cam needs a friend, Nate is there for him, offering love and support. In a way, that is what being a member of the GLBT community means to me. Even though people don't necessarily understand why others are who and what they are, they still offer support and acceptance--and sometimes even love. 

Here's Nate and Cam's story

What's the price of reality when a fantasy is for sale?

Cam is young, sinfully sexy and willing to play without limits, a combination which makes him a fantasy turned to flesh for men and women alike - and he's for sale.

Nate is curious when it comes to carnal delights but hasn't found the right man to explore his desires with.

When a friend buys Nate a few hours of pleasure with Cam, it's not much of a surprise that Nate ends up intrigued. He keeps coming back for more and the attraction between them appears to be mutual but while Nate finds himself falling for the sexy hooker, Cam makes no secret of the fact that for him, sex is just a job. 

Determined to win him over, Nathan tries to show him that sex is about more than physical satisfaction but Cam's walls seem impenetrable until a dramatic event forces him to reveal some of his secrets and Nate begins to understand that Cam pays more than just the price for the reality behind the fantasy.

Buy links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DP13JPY

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DP13JPY

Total-E-Bound: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2177

All Romance e-books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-fantasyforsale-1225636-149.html

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fantasy-for-sale-sage-marlowe/1115773654?ean=9781781843567

 

Please remember to go back to the main Equality Blog Hop page and keep hopping—there are loads of interesting posts by great authors waiting for you, promise!

Special Guest: Jess Buffet

Today's special guest is another one of my Facebook friends and she has come all the way from Australia to sit down for an interview with me. She has brought some hot, hunky males but I do hope she didn't let any spiders sneak into her luggage.

Ladies & gentlemen, please welcome Jess Buffet

Hi Jess, thanks so much for being here today. Here's some coffee to help you cope with the different time zone while we talk about

The business ones

Please give us a short introduction about yourself
I’m a married mum of two. Hubby and I have been together since I was 16 yrs old—so that’s 10 years, 10 months, and 1 day today. ;-) We live in Australia, where most of my books are set, and have a son and a daughter that keep me going.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write erotic MM romance, however I am delving into the MF world now as well. All of my books except the first 2 I ever wrote, are paranormal. It’s my preference. I love the lack of boundaries in a story, making the impossible come to life. Who wouldn’t want to live in a fantasy?

Tell us about your latest release
My latest is Dmitri’s Little Spitfire [Hunter Clan 3].

It follows Dmitri (the second-in-command) and his mate Elijah. Elijah was held by the enemy and mind controlled to do hurtful things to his friends, something he struggles with every day. He also has a secret that not even he has all the answers to, and when everyone finds out what it is, the enemy will stop at nothing to get him back.

In this book, the Hunter Clan find that with every answer comes another 5 questions. But the biggest is probably, if Elijah isn’t human, then what is he? ;-)

Do you need a special setting to write in or do you have a ceremony to get you in the mood? What does it look like?
Hmmm, kids in bed definitely, lots of coffee lined up, and quiet. If there is anything going on around me or lots of noise being made, I get distracted easily.

Describe your feelings when you learnt that your first book was accepted for publication
I wanted to cry I was so happy. But mostly I just sat there stunned in disbelief. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to make sure this is all real.

Has the release of your first book changed anything in your personal life? If so, what?
I feel I have more direction, more of an identity. Before signing my book I had injured my back and had to have surgery, so the career I had studied so hard for in Child Care was now gone. Child care had been the only thing I had ever really wanted to do, so to have that taken away was hard. But now I have my books, and a passion for them.

Your favourite drink and food when writing
So stereotypical, but coffee or wine. I don’t eat when writing though, I’m likely to make a mess all over my laptop. lol

Thank you, Jess. I believe that was my cue, so here's a glass of local red to enjoy while we talk about


 The nosy ones

How much of the real “you” is in your stories?
There are definitely parts of me in my books, and other family members as well.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who was it?
Lol. I’ve had a few. Sage, you already know about my crush on Romeo from your Romeo and Julian series :-D but I also have a thing for a certain assassin in Stephanie Hecht’s Lost Shifter series, Shane.
~Ah, yes, Romeo... He's so crush worthy, but I think you'll have to fight some people for him - including me ;)

What’s the silliest error in a book you’ve submitted?
Silliest? Probably when I wrote fainting bush instead of faint blush. In erotic romance a fainting bush can be taken a number of ways, and my poor editor wasn’t sure if it was just a mistake or an innuendo of some sort.
~LOL

Who is your least favourite of the characters you’ve written? Why?
Victor from book 1 of Hunter Clan. This guy was a bastard, but he was the bad guy. And it’s all good, cause I killed him off real quick at the end J

Favourite comfort food?
Lasagne

A person you admire
Gabrielle Evans—that woman is amazing. She is a mum, wife, successful author, and has so many others things going on. I don’t know how she does it, and still has time for her readers and patience for people like me who are always asking her questions.

I'm still chuckling over the "fainting bush", so here's another glass of wine to help us finish. Here are


The fast ones

Favourite colour? Blue (any shade)

Favourite pet? Dog (so loyal)

Dog or cat? Lol. Dog

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Quickie or candles? Candles (I’m a romantic)

Hunky or chunky? Hunky

Suit & tie or jeans & boots? Oooh, that’s tough, but if they can pull off a suit & tie like Matt Bomer then…yummy!

Walk in the park or chat over cocktails? Walk in the park

Thanks so much for the interview, Jess. And for mentioning Matt, because now I have that image in my head... Ahem. Let's look at your book before I start drooling!

 

Elijah Collins is ashamed. Used to hurt his friends by Potestas, he now finds it hard to even look someone in the face. Especially Dmitri, his mate. When a truth about Elijah is discovered, Potestas also find out. Now that they know his true worth, he becomes an even bigger target than before.

Dimitri Kalas has always prided himself on being calm and in control. It is his job to help protect his Clan, and most importantly his mate. But when he finds out that the people responsible for hurting the Kayan’s mate have also been abusing his mate, he becomes incensed.

Will Dimitri be able to convince his mate that he is worth love and forgiveness? Or will Elijah allow his guilt to consume him and turn himself over to the enemy in order to keep his friends safe?

Buy link: http://www.bookstrand.com/dmitris-little-spitfire

Author bio:
Jess Buffett was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. She married her high school sweetheart and they live on the Central Coast with their two children. Jess is a hopeless romantic who loves stories about true love that sizzle with a happy ending—which is probably a good thing given what she writes. She is a huge fan of M/M and M/F romance—anything with hunky men in all their glory, whether they be shifters, vampires, cowboys, or the boy next door. Jess is a firm believer in soul mates, happily-ever-afters, and love at first sight, but that sometimes people need a second or a third meeting for the brain to catch up.

Author website: http://jessbuffett.wordpress.com