Tag Archives: Guest Author

Jan 28 2012

Welcome Juliet Chastain today


The Captain & The Courtesan by Juliet Chastain
Releasing: January 13th, 2012
Romance, historical regency, Juliet Chastain, romance, erotic romance, captain, courtesan, brothel, regency, historical
Heat Rating: 2
Buy at: http://www.breathlesspress.com/captain-and-courtesan

Against his conscience, Captain Edward Howland buys a night with the enchanting and mysterious masked courtesan, Lady Amelia Kentley, and their evening together becomes far more than either expected.

As her first night as a courtesan approaches, the mysterious masked noblewoman is the talk of London. Impoverished Lady Amelia Kentley, wearing a mask to hide her identity, is resigned to her fate, working in a brothel to support her child and herself. When she meets the kindly and passionate sea Captain Edward Howland, she is shocked at the powerful attraction she feels for him. She hopes that he will be her first paying lover. Dare she dream of more, of running away from her degrading situation with him?

Edward disdains paid-for sex, but he is so enchanted with the masked Lady Amelia that he cannot resist the chance to claim a night’s pleasure with her before he sets sail in the morning. They share hours of overwhelming passion, and a deep affection develops between them. By daybreak, Edward is determined to find a way to rescue her from her fate as a courtesan, but can he do so without besmirching his honor?

Excerpt:
Before she entered the parlor in which the gentlemen waited to bid for her favors, Amelia took a glass of spirits, for she could not stop trembling. She had struggled to accept her fate, but she was resigned no longer. Since last night, when she had kissed the new captain, she had been filled with an unreasonable hope that she could not suppress. She warned her heart that a navy man would be unlikely to have the means to outbid Madame’s wealthy aristocratic clientele. And even if tonight were spent in his arms—she seemed unable to keep herself from longing for that outcome with all her heart and soul—in the morning he would sail and be gone from her life. Then she would be available to any man who could pay whatever Madame charged for her.

And yet she hoped. She hoped for one night with the new captain. And, in spite of herself, she dreamed of more.

She entered the parlor on Madame’s arm. Against the dark green walls, the huge lewd paintings in their heavy gold frames appeared to flicker in the light of the gas lamps, as did the gentlemen seated on the damask upholstered sofas and on the fine Chippendale chairs.

Madame led her to a small dais and helped her to step onto it. Amelia wore a pale green dress, cut shockingly low and of fine, almost transparent muslin. She wore no petticoat or stays beneath it, but only a thin shift and a string of fine pearls around her neck.

She counted eleven men. Her heart sank. The captain was not among them.

She took tight hold of Madame’s arm for a moment as she tried to gather her courage. She was glad of the mask, for she felt the blood drain from her face.

She had known she must not hope, but all the same she had anyway. He had awakened her heart and her body and she did not regret it, but now her life as a harlot would be all the more difficult. She looked out at the men and could only dread what lay ahead. If it had not been for her child, she would have wished herself dead.

Each man had a glass of spirits or wine in his hand, and each carried at least five hundred guineas in his waistcoat, more than five times the amount a workingman made in a year. She recognized a few of them, including an elderly man she had met socially in the past before she had been thrown onto the street. She could not help but be shocked to see him here, for she had always thought him the soul of propriety. Several others had sat with her, as had the captain, in this house and had a drink.

The door opened and two more men entered. One wore the navy coat of a seaman and her heart leaped. It was he, the newly made captain.

She almost laughed out loud in joy. And then she wanted to laugh at the irony. Until recently, she was a completely respectable woman, the granddaughter of a viscount and the widow of a baronet. Now she prayed that a man whose name she did not know, and with whom she had spent a mere half hour, would buy the right to bed her in a brothel.

Sep 21 2011

Welcome Jake Bannerman to my Blog

Welcome Jake Bannerman to my blog today. Just in time for Halloween a spooky take to send shivers down your spine.

Today as well, Jake is giving one lucky reader who comments an e-copy  of his new book. All you need to do is comment-say hi, ask a question, leave a comment, etc- and you are entered in to win his new book, just in time for Halloween. Make sure to leave your email address in your comment message or we can’t contact you if you won.

WHATT GENRE DO YOU WRITE AND FOR WHAT PUBLISHER?           

 I write extreme horror, and I self-publish through the Goat Franchise.

 

 TELL US ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING RELEASE,WHAT INSPIRED IT?

My latest release, ‘The Pitchfork Diaries Volume 1’ is a collection of short stories and what I call ‘terror bursts’ – some people might term it poetry. The Diaries are inspired by mankind and the sickness that has pervaded society.

The most frightening facet of the Diaries is, in my opinion, which everything you read about could have happened and can happen in the future. Unlike other horror books, there are no impossible scenarios; every story is something that will catch you off guard and shock you, and they all have a meaning and a purpose.

One of my greatest fears is that people will brush it off as trash or garbage because it is so very extreme, but from the reviews that have come in so far, readers understand the Diaries, and that is a relief.

A new volume of the Pitchfork Diaries will be released between each full-length novel. I already have six stories ready for Volume Two.

 

HOW DO YOU BUILD CHARACTERS AND THEIR PERSONALITIES AND LOOKS?

I write in a very unusual way. Everything I write starts with a title. There is more than one person who finds this unappealing, because the titles at times have no relation to the eventual story that forms from them. It is a shame to me when titles match the story, because it causes people to judge the story before they have even read it.

For example – one of the books in Volume One is called ‘The Guts of Christ’. This immediately conjures up thoughts of blasphemy and anti-religion, but it is in fact about a conspiracy that relates to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As far as development goes, large portions of my stories leave abundant room for the reader to form their own images, and many of my stories are open-ended. The true ending is up to the reader’s imaginations, so each ending is different for each reader, and I love that.

TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR HEROES/HEROINES

My biggest hero in life is my father. He taught me to question everything; when my father said ‘do the dishes’ he expected and wanted an argument. He wanted us to learn to think – granted, you never won the argument! However, it taught us to have a passion for reason and healthy debate. My siblings and I can debate your ass off, battling until we find the viewpoint never found before!

I want people to think and not just lazily accept their place in a herd of uneducated people. I often use Britney Spears as an example; she is absolutely terrible, for she sells a gazillion CDs because she lives off of the insecurities of teenage girls. We all know it, yet still with that knowledge hordes of people continue to buy her music.

I attack the obvious and put it in front of you to re-examine, and that pisses people off because then they feel stupid. I want nobody to feel stupid – I want them to know that they have the opportunity to question everything without prosecution. You do not even have to be public in your opinions; I, though, choose to be very public!

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE MUSE DECIDES TO TAKE A HOLIDAY OR BECOME VERY DIFFICULT HOW DO YOU COAX THEM BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD?

My writing demands full attention because it is very chaotic. We call it ‘vomiting’ because it’s a hot, steaming mess when it hits the paper! By the grace of God, though, I have amazing editors and a ghost writer who knows exactly how I think, so there’s always someone at hand to back me up.

If something is misunderstood or my editors don’t know where I’m going, they are awesome about just shooting me an email or asking me in Google Docs – which, by the way, is an amazing tool for writers! That is why I am so lucky; if you are involved with my writing, you have to be all in or not in at all, and I have four little miracles who are in!

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC THINGS OR RITUALS THAT HELP YOU WRITE?

I write in bars and pubs because I like a vibrant environment. I cannot stand being in a silent room looking at the walls and trying to create whilst everything is so sterile. I also smoke cigarettes, so I like to smoke whilst I write.

Other than that, there’s nothing in particular – I do like to have my iPhone with me, though. I have always wanted to try and write whilst getting a blowjob…maybe one day!

 IF THE WORLD WERE TO END TOMORROW WHAT 3 THINGS WOULD BE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

Let’s see…

1.                  Dig up Mae West and f**k the s**t out of her.

2.                  Play onstage with Motley Crue

3.                  Moon President Obama

Ask me again tomorrow, though, and I’d have three new ideas entirely…

 

 ARE THERE ANY AUTHORS WHO INFLUENCE YOUR WRITING?

This could be a long-winded answer, so I’ll make it short and simply say ‘no’.

 

IF ONE OF YOUR BOOKS WERE TO BECOME A MOVIE WHAT CELEBRITY WHO YOU LIKE TO STAR AS THE MAIN CHARACTERS?

I would absolutely demand that the girls who run the behind the scenes world of Jake Bannerman be in the movie; they are all beautiful and talented women, and they deserve the attention! To me, they are stars.

It’s hard to say really, I would want people who aren’t the obvious choices. I’d say Paul Giamanti, Scarlett Johansson and Judd Nelson, to name a few.

 

 WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING NEXT, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TELL US?

Next up is ‘Family of Dog: The Harvest’ which comes out on Christmas Day. It is a story of a group of individuals who have sold their soul to Satan, and are unhappy with the results so they sue Satan himself through the courts. I think the best way to describe the consequences is that Satan literally raises Hell.

It’s a crazy ride, and it will have you questioning everything you have ever been told about religion.

As for the second part of the question, it is very important for me to say this in all interviews – consider it a disclaimer, if you will. My writing WILL make you feel angry – no ‘might’ about it – it will anger you, shock you, and make you feel dirty and gritty. It pushes every button that you have, and even some buttons that you never knew you had!

It is violent, extreme and graphic. It is hate-fuelled, and intended for readers with a strong mind, and I have no problem in saying that. I write under a pen name for the safety of those who I love and the people who work with me. But let me assure you, I am not scared for one second for my own safety, because it is only a narrow-minded, uneducated fool who would come after me, and that is the sad reality; some people will want to hate me for forcing them to think for themselves.

 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW! I HOPE YOUR READERS ENJOY IT AND CHECK OUT MY WRITING.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE HORNS,

J.

———————————————————————————————————


Goodreads link – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12507686-the-pitchfork-diaries

Smashwords = http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jakebannerman

Book Blurb: The Pitchfork Diaries is a collection of short stories and prose unlike anything you have ever read before. Even the darkest and most violent imaginings of your mind cannot come close to matching the horrors contained within.

J.S. Bannerman, a new name in the horror genre, has skillfully woven a collection of tales that will inescapably work their way into your psyche, take up residence and relentlessly haunt you. Prepare yourself to be confronted by words that will threaten to shake the foundation of everything you thought you knew; no truth is too
uncomfortable, no thought too gruesome to share.

All are invited to read The Pitchfork Diaries. Many will never be the same.

BIO: Born and raised in the church, J.S. Bannerman has taken the dangerous stance to question events that have been spoon fed to him as the truth since his childhood. He continually pushes
boundaries as a purveyor of terror and often strives to find that disquietude that exists inside each one of us.

He is a nomad, calling no one place home; choosing the life of a traveler while on the mission of writing the Family of Dog
series. As a result you may find him in your town, writing at your local pub, crafting tales of horror so terrifyingly depraved and heartbreakingly cruel that you would never believe that they come from a mind as normal as his. Just beware, because within each tale is a message; it’s just up to you to figure out what it means.

Early Praise for The Pitchfork Diaries:

 

“It’s refreshing to find a multifaceted storyteller that can tie together a multitude of different genres. J.S. Bannerman leaves no stone unturned and attacks any subject that his mind lays purchase to. He weaves a brilliant story each and every time that pulls you in and keeps you engaged.”

Julianne Snow

Author of Days with the Undead

 A Sneak Peek Excerpts….

Short story title: Born of the Flickering

EXCERPT 1: The back room was rarely used these days. Once, it had been the room where the sisters performed the ritual of baptising the infants. The old bird bath baptismal font now stood abandoned and forgotten in the corner of the room, wispy cobwebs covering it beneath the patched and faded purple sheets that had been draped over the top, hiding the once sacred tool of Mother Mary.

The room itself, with its dirty stone walls, a once luxurious deep red carpet and elegantly stained glass windows was six steps down from the main building itself, almost like a basement. It was reminiscent of a room that you might imagine finding in an old English castle, with its thick iron chandelier and its flame shaped bulbs protruding out of the top, though they too were now neglected and covered in cobwebs. The cleanliness of the room was no longer of importance, for it had a new purpose: sacrifice.


Short story title – Juden

EXCERPT 2: And as the boy spoke, blood sprayed from his swollen lips, splattering over the bed sheets and the lap of the black man. His eyes widened, but he could not take them away from the apparition in front of him as the boy opened his mouth to speak again, despite the pain it was obviously costing him.

“Mister, you have to know! The so-called chosen people, the Jews – they’re not the chosen people at all, not in the way you all think!” he said urgently, yet more blood falling from his mouth as the gurgling noises from his throat grew louder. “The black people are the Jews; we are the punished! God marked us out at the Tower of Babel and we were put to work as slaves. He created us this way, as black people, to show we were blank – he made you to serve, sir!”

May 1 2011

Guest Author Kathryn Scannell

  Welcome author Kathryn Scannell. She is giving any commener who emails her a free read. Details are:

Leap of Faith is a short story set in the same universe as Embracing the Dragon. It was originally published by Torquere, but was not renewed after its initial contract ended. It’s an explicit M/M romance featuring two of the minor characters from Embracing the Dragon, and takes place approximately a year prior to Embracing the Dragon. If you’d like to receive a copy, please send me an email request at kathryn.scannell <at> gmail.com, and I will be happy to send you one.

How long have you been a writer?

I started dabbling about six years ago. I sold my first short story two years ago. Not long after that the same publisher picked up Embracing the Dragon for their serial fiction site.

Tell us about your latest or coming soon book(s). What inspired it?

My latest book, Embracing the Dragon, released on the 13th of April. It’s a M/M romance in an urban fantasy setting. The world is one which a good friend and fellow author, BA Collins, and I have been sharing. Embracing the Dragon is the first novel length work in the series, but there will be other coming, both from BA and myself. It started out originally as a setting for a fantasy roleplaying game, created by BA. The game ended, but we both liked the world, and decided with some judicious editing it would be a good setting to write in.

This particular story started out as kind of an outtake from an epic fantasy novel I had planned. The romantic entanglements between several of the main characters were part of that storyline, but I didn’t expect them to be on screen, so to speak. So I thought I’d just write a quick little short with a scene that I was sure wouldn’t make it into the novel in detail – Danny’s first sexual encounter with another man.  And like everything I touch, it expanded. First it was going to be one 10-20K story. Then it was going to be a set of three related ones. Finally it expanded to a novel, and then when we looked at the length, it turned into two. There will be a sequel in a year or so.

Was there a lot of research involved in creating this book?

Strictly speaking, there was very little research for this book. The Tengri Empire, where much of it takes place, shares common cultural roots with ancient China and Japan, so I did do some reading on those cultures for ideas for things like civil bureaucracies, and some other cultural tidbits. The Imperial Register of Sacrifices, which is a list of religious rituals the Emperor is obligated to participate in, is one of those. It sounds odd, but there was something substantially similar in ancient China.

Most of the development time behind the book falls into the worldbuilding category. The game where the world was developed was built up gradually over more than ten years of regular gaming sessions. Then we spent another couple of months of intermittent discussions and sifting through old notes from the game to decide how we needed to adjust the major plot arc to make for good novels rather than good gaming, what subplots should get pruned out, and how the world timeline should go beyond the point we’d developed during the active game. This included things like coming up with casualty numbers for the war which is part of the major plot arc. By the end of that we’ll have killed off in excess of 50% of the population of Asia.

How much time did it take from writing your first book to having it published?

The very first book is still in the trunk, so to speak. Someday I’ll salvage the plot and rewrite completely and try sending it out.

Embracing the Dragon was a very quick process. I was working with an editor who’d bought a short story set in this world, and thought a longer story set there would be a good candidate for Torquere’s serial fiction site. I pitched the plot for Embracing the Dragon, which was already about three quarters complete, to her, and she encouraged me to get it whipped into shape to take advantage of some upcoming openings in the schedule. I think it was about two months between turning in the draft and when it started running on the serial site. After it finished its run in December of last year, we did two more rounds of copy edits, which added another three months into the timeline.

Are any of your characters based on real people or events?

The characters are not. Some of the world history is shared with our world. The timeline diverged seriously from our in the 1980’s.

Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?

Not really. I’m not going to be quitting the day job any time soon, and wouldn’t want to.  I actually like my day job. I work in the field of environmental remediation, which means that I go home at the end of the day feeling that I’ve helped make the world a better place, quite literally.

Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?

I generally focus on one project at a time. I may put a big one aside temporarily for a smaller one like a short story that has a deadline. I have a lot of ideas in the queue, but I’m not actively writing them. I find it works better to do a draft, then set it aside for a few weeks or even months if I have time, so I can go back to try to edit from a fresh perspective. I have a finished draft on another novel in that stage now, while I’m working on completing the first draft of the sequel to Embracing the Dragon. I’ll go back to editing the first book when I’ve got the draft done on the sequel done, then return to the sequel. There might also be a short story or two in the mix somewhere.

When not writing, how do you relax?

I do a lot of reading, both fiction and non-fiction. I’m also an active member of a medieval recreation group called the Society for Creative Anachronism (http://www.sca.org) . We recreate various aspects of life in pre-16th century Europe. We’re a bit different from historical reenactors, as we focus on skills and arts, rather than re-enacting specific battles.

What song would best describe your life?

Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce

Please tell us what you got coming up and what you may be working on in the future?

The next story I’ve sold is a short in Spells and Swashbucklers, an anthology of stories combining pirates and magic, which will be forthcoming in print from Dragon Moon Press in November of this year. It’s set in this same world, but involves different characters, and no romance elements at all.

My current active project is the sequel to Embracing the Dragon. I’m hoping to get that in to the editor this fall.

In a completely different arena, I have the first draft of a supernatural thriller set in contemporary Israel done. I’m hoping to finish edits and rewrites and get it out to beta readers by the end of the year, then I’ll start looking for a home for it. It has no romance elements either.

If you could be a paranormal creature, which one would you be?

I think I’d like to be a feline shifter. Cats manage to always look so totally, bonelessly relaxed. I envy them.

What’s a guilty pleasure you have?

Book shopping. Neither my wife nor I can pass a book sale or a used book store without stopping, even though we’re running out of places to put the books.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I tried my hand at a little historical piece. I thought it would be easy because I had done a lot of research on the period and location where I was going to set the story. Then I started to write and suddenly realized just how much I didn’t know, and how few of the details I’d learned in history class or reading histories of the period were actually useful when it came to writing the story.

I knew all kinds of things about major political events, who knew who, what they’d written, and things like that. But when it came to the actual writing and I started needing to do things like describe what the characters were wearing, things they would see on the street, and so forth, I had nothing. That’s a whole different area of research that I hadn’t considered.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Embracing the Dragon is my first published novel, so by default it would have to be this one. If you include works in progress, right now I’m still in love with the thriller I’m working on. It’s not perfect, and it still needs a ton of edits, but I love the characters and the chemistry between them.

What sound drives you crazy?

Snoring. There’s nothing worse than lying in bed when you’re having trouble drifting off to sleep, and having your spouse be out like a light, and snoring. Earplugs are underrated as a marital aid.

If you were a tool, what would people use you for?

I’d probably be something like a magnifying glass or a measuring tool.  I’m a perfectionist when it comes to details in any project I tackle. So I’d be good for quality control or organization.

Where can we find you on the ‘net?

Email: Kathryn.scannell <at> gmail.com

Website: http://www.kathrynscannell.com

Blog: http://kathryn-scannell.dreamwidth.org

Live Journal: http://aishabintjamil.livejournal.com

Embracing The Dragon

Available at Torquere Books

Buy HERE

In the days of Atlantis, in other lives, Danny O’Riordan and Emperor Mordellir were lovers. Now, they’ve found each other again. But Danny already has other commitments. Can he afford to follow his heart and embrace the Dragon of Heaven in this lifetime?

Blurb:

Danny O’Riordan’s life was complicated before he had the vision of a past life that forced him to admit to himself that he was bisexual. There’s a war going on, and being Liegeman to Aran, the Elven King of Avalon puts Danny squarely in the middle of the politics of two worlds, Earth and Avalon. Adding a romantic relationship to the mix could be explosive.

His lover from that previous life has been reborn as Mordellir, the ruler of the Tengri Empire. The Dragon of Heaven is the most powerful person in his world. Will he want Danny back once he knows he’s been reborn? If he does, how far will he go to get his way?

Danny knows it isn’t smart to get involved with the Dragon of Heaven. Aran hates the Tengri. Following his heart and renewing that old relationship with Mordellir will leave him torn between his commitment to Aran and those old feelings which are still frighteningly strong. If he yields to temptation, can he balance his love for both men?

Excerpt:

Looking at him now, in this mood it was easy to see the resemblance to Demeth. Certainly there were differences. Demeth had been only part Tengri. He’d been shorter and a bit heavier built. Demeth’s hair had reddish highlights, which hinted at demon in his family somewhere. But there was still something in the body language, and the aura which reminded Danny achingly of those memories of Demeth. It wouldn’t be hard to put this man in place of the image of Demeth in those memories…

Thinking that had not been a good idea. Danny realized his mistake when he felt his cock start to swell. Just remembering the damned dreams he’d been having was enough to get him hard again, and the bathrobe he was wearing was not going to hide it. He could see a telltale bulge already. He shifted to cross his legs, hoping to keep things under control, but it just didn’t work.

Mordellir had noticed, too. His gaze followed that moving bulge, and he gave off a mix of amusement and interest. All the extra blood that wasn’t already in Danny’s cock rose promptly to his face as he realized that.

Mordellir grew even more amused as Danny turned bright red. “I didn’t think you were interested, Daniel. It’s certainly nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re a handsome young man. I’m not intimate with all my Favorites, but it’s certainly an option.”

Danny cursed inwardly. This was rapidly becoming a disaster. “No! I’m not– I mean I don’t– Oh Hell.” He ground to a halt. Doing anything would be stupid, and guaranteed to make settling the problem of those old memories worse, not better, but how did he say no without insulting the Emperor? Especially when his cock was obviously saying yes.

“Slowly, Daniel,” Mordellir said gently. “If I read that wrong, I’m sorry. Will you tell me why you’re so confused and embarrassed? It can’t be just having an erection in front of someone else, not after living among the Elves and the Kennakriz. What is it?” He looked probingly at Danny out of his good eye.

Danny took a deep breath to try to calm himself. “No. This isn’t simple to explain. You didn’t misread my reaction, but it would be a terrible idea to act on it.”

“Why?” Mordellir sounded genuinely puzzled.

“Because you’re the Emperor of the Tengri, and I’m the senior Liegeman to the King of Avalon, who happens to hate Tengri in general, and you in particular. That gives whole new levels of meaning to conflict of interest,” Danny said, wondering why he was explaining the obvious to someone this experienced in politics.

“So?” Mordellir felt perplexed. “Is this an Earth thing? A little sex hardly constitutes anything important. It’s not as if there was a commitment involved. There isn’t even a chance of children to worry about negotiating.”