Five star review for Black Carnival!

When your debut novel is still getting some serious love after six years, and you feel that you have done good...
"...It would be easy to label Black Carnival merely as a sex manual, thanks to its extensive explorations of different sexual positions, tools, and “tastes” – from tender sensuality and romance on one side to near-sadistic games on the other, and everything you can think of (or haven’t, until now) in between. It is all narrated and explained in such length and graphic detail, don’t be surprised if at the end of each chapter you are in sweat, panting, repeatedly brought to climax by the spectacular depiction of the author’s imagination.
But there is more. There is art, the art of mastering the written word. Like the huge, glowing painting screen in Lukan’s home displaying a new magnificent mythical scene each time Ivory comes to visit, every scene in Black Carnival is an art tableau carefully and skillfully painted by the author. I’ve rarely read a book whose colorful settings as well as character actions and wide palette of urges, emotions, and senses are so vividly brought to life, I am immersed in the story and seeing (feeling) it unfold like a motion-picture. In fact, should I be asked to pick a book to be adapted for the big screen, Black Carnival would be an obvious choice. Just remember to bring a fan (or your boyfriend)."

 

Find it on Amazon... 

or at Evernight 

LGBTQI Tales - Serenity Snow - Hearts on Fire

Well, dear readers, we have come to the end of this fabulous series of posts about LGBT and Trangender Tales! It's been a blast, and I want to thank all the authors who wrote posts for me, and all the readers that joined us for the ride (and I know there were many!). 

We go out with a bang with a very very unusual story by Serenity Snow, who wrote somany fine F/F books. This story is particularly interesting in featuring an almost unique character... I will let Serenity tell you about her...

"Dear Katherine, thank you featuring Heart on Fire. It’s a story in which I did two things I’d never done before. The first was to write about an intersex lesbian character. Cyanna is a dominant female part of a cynogryphon pack. While I’d written about shifters before, I’d never written about a cynogryphon.  

In doing research I met a someone who further shaped the character of Cyanna. She had decided not to allow her physical anomaly to shape her mentally or emotionally. I also realized just how hard it can be being physically different as well as being gay."

This is especially interesting to me, because, when I was writing Woman as a Foreign Language I had seriously considered having an intersex character (Julia/n), but then I simply didn't dare to go there. Not for any scruples in particular ... I just felt I could not handle the emotional implications of such a very particular character, when there was already so much emotion going on in the story! 

Maybe in some future book!

So, respect, a thousand times, Serenity, for writing this story, and I am happy and honoured to host it 

today!

Joslyn Browning’s got it bad for her boss, Cyanna Storm, and Joslyn would love to show up at her sister’s wedding with her boss on her arm. There’s just one problem. Cyanna doesn’t know Joslyn exists.

Cyanna wants Joslyn in her bed, but she’s always been careful about getting involved with her employees. However, Joslyn’s one honey she can no longer resist. So, when fate hands her the perfect opportunity, Cyanna grabs it, but she has no idea that the object of her hunger is also being hunted by two jackals who want to claim or kill Joslyn.

Blind to the danger stalking her, Joslyn wallows in the affections of her boss until a jackal attacks. It is then that Joslyn and her pursuers realize a cynogryhon in the grip of mating heat will stop at nothing to protect prey she’s marked as her mate.

Excerpt:

Joslyn put the box of pastries on the desk and wondered why there were no pictures of family or friends. She didn’t live with her family, but pack was important, and honoring their presence in her life with pictures was the least to be done.

“You’re late, Miss Browning.”

Cyanna Storm’s quiet, slightly husky voice was a caress down her back, and her wolf almost arched into it. The wolf felt the power of the woman and wanted to wrap itself in it. Joslyn wanted to do the same, but she jerked around with a startled gasp.

Cyanna was striding toward her in a navy suit with a gray blouse and red tie. Her black, wavy hair was cut short with bangs swept casually to one side. The cut emphasized Cyanna’s beautiful, chestnut-brown eyes with their darker outer ring, her high cheekbones, and lush lips. Her gaze was as enigmatic as ever, but her tone held strands of tiredness.

Joslyn swallowed. “I—”

“Let’s cut to the chase this morning,” Cyanna cut in, moving around her, and their bodies brushed, sending shivers of heat running down Joslyn’s spine.

Joslyn’s wolf growled in her mind, enjoying the faintest feel of the other woman.

“I need you to get the documents typed. I need them for a meeting today.” Cyanna folded her five-foot-eight-inch frame into her leather chair without breaking eye contact with Joslyn.

“I’ll get right on it,” she said apologetically. Her stomach twisted in knots and her mouth dried out. Her heart beat fast as nerves and desire washed over her. “That’s a nice dress,” Cyanna said. Her gaze took a slow stroll down Joslyn’s body. Joslyn felt branded, undressed. “And thank you for the…the pastries.”

Joslyn blinked, taken aback by the compliment. Cyanna was sporadic with them, but Joslyn didn’t think her boss really noticed her at all. “Thanks.”

“It cups your ass so perfectly,” she said without looking up from her computer.

Joslyn flushed and her tongue felt like a lead weight had been tied to the end of it. Her jaw was stuck closed and her mind grappled desperately for a comeback that wouldn’t sound like a come-on.

“Really, Joslyn, I need those papers ready in an hour. I’ll admire you all you want after that.” Cyanna didn’t even look up, though her tone held a distinct hint of amusement. “Don’t dally. I don’t want to look unprepared for the meeting.”

“Umm. Yes, ma’am.” Her cheeks were so hot with mortification that she was glad Cyanna hadn’t looked up to see her beet-red face. Damn. “How can I not make a fool of myself in front of that woman?” she asked in a whisper as she stepped out of the door. “She must be laughing at me, thinking I’m an utter dumb-ass. Ugh.” She pushed out a rough sigh, sat down at her desk and got the computer fired up.

Joslyn was working for ten minutes when she got an email. Joslyn ignored it with a rueful look. She didn’t want to start appearing unreliable. The papers looked like some kind of contract.

Joslyn finished ten minutes before the hour was over and snagged the phone on her desk when it rang. “Eye of the Beholder, how may I help you.”

“Hey, Joslyn.”

“Mariana. I’m going to have to call you back,” she said. “I’m working.”

“I just want to know if you’re bringing a guest. We’re finalizing things today.”

“Mari, I can’t talk about your wedding right now,” she insisted. “My boss asked me to finish something up.”

“It’ll only take a minute or two for you to answer the question.”

The humor in her sister’s voice just ticked her off. Mariana was the oldest and most popular of the two of them. Their parents adored her, doted on her, and she had so many friends it should be illegal.

 Yeah, Joslyn was jealous. Mariana had everything. Never mind that the marriage had been an arranged one by their parents to ensure their daughter didn’t marry a human.

 “I’ll call you right back,” she said, picking up the scent of her boss as she opened her office door. Joslyn hung up just as a six-foot-two-inch-tall male strode into the reception area. Damn. Double damn. This wedding was turning her into a nervous wreck and she wasn’t even the bride.

“Mr. Anchorman,” Cyanna said coolly. “Please, step into my office. I’ll be right with you.”

There was no ice, but there was irritation coming off Cyanna that made Joslyn’s wolf bristle. “I’ll bring the papers in shortly,” she said facing her boss. “I apologize.”

“We’ll talk after the meeting,” she said patiently.

Find Hearts on Fire on Bookstrand

Or download a sample from Amazon

And don't forget to check out Serenity's website!

LGBT Tales - Kory Steed - Lightning's Hidden Menace

As we come close to the end of my LGBT tales series, I am happy to host once more Kory Steed, who wrote such a beautiful post for his first release, From Lightning to Love. Today he is back to the Lair with the second book in that series,and another very interesting post about his experiences as a (gay) novelist. I will let him do the talking!

"Thank you so much, Katherine for inviting me to share my personal views on contemporary LGBTQ lifestyles with your readers. While thinking about what would make a suitable topic for your series, and how it relates to my novels, several questions ran through my mind. “What was my inspiration for writing my Lightning Series, and why me, a former medic? Why now? What do I try to communicate through my novels? What's important to me in my life, in my writing, for American society, for the world?” This got me to thinking about how I reached this point in my career, and why I believe I have something to offer in the gay novels that bear my name.

The adage, write what you know, has always rung true for me. To try to write anything that didn’t contain at least some part of what I’ve experienced would never come across as genuine. I’ve learned so many lessons from the people and animals I have known and cared for, both personally and professionally over the course of my lifetime. I’ve learned how to live my life, as often as I’ve learned how not to. I’ve intentionally include animals here because from a very young age, animals were some of my closest friends and they played a large part in molding my personality as a nurturer and caregiver.

While I credit many positive experiences in shaping me as a person, I cannot discredit the negative ones for there are lessons just as valuable in them as in the ones that have allowed me to soar. I think this rings true for all people, but as a gay man who has finally found a degree of love that goes far beyond the physical passion of youth, I’m at a point where I believe I can convey a depth of substance in my characters that reveals their internal struggles with morality as much as mortality. They ask the questions “Why am I here? What is my purpose? What can I offer in the time I have left on this planet?”

I think many gay men who are now in their 40’s, 50’s, or beyond, and who have done (and are done with) casual sexual encounters in all their forms, be they one night stands, the baths, the hook-ups, the drug-riddled sex parties, or even their infatuation with maintaining a youthful appearance or a toned or muscular body have reached the point where they recognize that time continues to march on and can’t be beaten. At some point they ask themselves, “What do I do now? What comes next?” This is the moment where they are presented with the opportunity to look inward to discover who they are and what is important to them. What do they want to impart on the world? What will be their legacy?

Many gay men do not have biological children so what else is there to leave behind? Good works, helping others to realize their potential, and making a difference whenever and wherever they can is a good place to begin. For Jason (from my Lightning Series), these questions arose when he was in his 20’s, and carried through into his 30’s. As an army-veteran-medic, he suffered from PTSD for over a decade. He was forced to face death on an immense scale and in doing so, he came to recognize his own mortality much earlier than most. Rescuing and caring for Aaron gave purpose to his once sequestered life because he was able to channel all his energies and attention onto another human being. The fact that Aaron was also gay and lost his lover in the airplane explosion presented both characters with a second chance at love, and they grabbed for it together and held on for dear life.

Introducing the altruistic component of Nathan’s Promise (dedicated to Aaron’s deceased lover), an LGBTQ(S) focused physical rehabilitation facility for athletes and military and law enforcement personnel, will enable them to give back to the world and make a difference in the lives of others. The fact that Jason is a billionaire, gives them the means to do it and surrounding themselves with loving, like-minded, and skilled supporting characters will give them the tools they need.

Finally, I instill these characteristics and situations into my writing in an attempt to reveal that members of the broad-spectrum LGBTQ community are no different from the heterosexual one and in doing so, hope that I can convey that we are all in this together.

In the end though, we cannot forget that this is all fiction, portrayed within an imaginary world, drawn from my own aspirations and inspirations, but that does not mean it cannot inspire us to be kinder, more conscientious, and giving people who pause every now and then to do good work."

Thank you, Kory, for this beautiful post!

And now, the book!

"From an author that really knows how to play your heartstrings and make you believe in love again, I was taken to places I totally didn't expect not only through shocking plot twists, but also when romance is found in the tender moments you wouldn't expect. "

 

Jason cannot believe that Aaron, the man whose life he saved and who helped him break free from PTSD, has suddenly returned to him. Healed, whole, and ready to renew their growing love, they begin to plan a future together. With their first night of torrid lovemaking, they dream of many more, but fate is against them.

A dark nemesis from Jason’s past reappears with lethal intent, driven by a grudge from having been disgraced by a military tribunal. The fallout for Jason and Aaron is far-reaching and heart-wrenching and tears into the fabric of the life they have so carefully begun to weave.

When hatred strikes in a barrage of gunfire, they are left fighting for their lives. Their only focus is to take back what has been ripped away from them; their only hope, that the strength of their love will be enough.

Read an Excerpt at Evernight

Or download a sample fromAmazon