Dawn of a Dark Knight - Zoe Forward #adult #fiction #paranormal #romance

What genre do your currently write? And, is there a genre you'd like to write, but haven't tried yet?

My recent release, Dawn of a Dark Knight, is a paranormal romance. I have dabbled in other genres, but every time the story gets going, it turns paranormal. I love the flexibility this genre allows for bending the world’s rules. For right now this is where I belong.

Many authors use a nom de plume, and they may use one opposite to their own sex. Do you think an author's sex or sexual orientation should dictate what genre they write?

Absolutely not. I think there should be flexibility to write whatever an author feels creatively inspired to pen. Many authors do feel more comfortable using a pen name, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Some authors have issues with character development, writer's block, plot summary etc. What is the biggest challenge you face when writing? How do you overcome the problem?

My biggest challenge with my recent novel was world building! The rules, the people, the gods…requires a lot of research, which can be fun and time consuming.  For the Scimitar Magi series I created a new hero.  As a passionate reader of paranormal romance I’ve read my fair share of vampires, weres, fae, shape shifters and demons. And loved them all. But I wanted something new. In Dawn of a Dark Knight the Scimitar Magi are ten pseudo-immortals that live within our world, but struggle to remain incognito. The guys are not exactly thrilled to discover they vowed their eternal soul eons ago to serve the Egyptian gods, and now must execute daemons for the rest of their life.  With no past-life memory, they’ve got no clue how to wield the powers gifted to them by the gods.  Man to super warrior in five minutes with no instruction manual.  So it takes a long time for each Scimitar to work it out. At first losing control at random is the norm, and irritates the bejesus out of the more experienced guys. Incidents happen like blowing up a gas station, which is misinterpreted by the government as a terrorist act.  And then there are the women. The Scimitars each get matched to one woman for all-time, and she is also reincarnated.  But when, and if, this woman shows up is entirely up to the gods, who love to muck things up for their entertainment.

Writer's block? If I ever find myself mentally doing mud-spit wheels spins, I move on to a different project until the idea surfaces as to where a stalled story is headed. I’ve usually got about four projects in the works at once. So far, it’s always worked out.

What has been the single most successful marketing tool you've used to date?

This is not a straightforward question. Primarily, at this point in my career marketing is about getting my name out there so that readers of paranormal romance might recognize it, and just might take that chance on my book. I've greatly enjoyed meeting other readers on Goodreads and participating in multiple contests.

What are you currently reading?

Waiting for me are J.R. Ward’s Lover At Last and Rick Gualtieri’s The Mourning Woods.

How do you measure success?

For me it is having people interested in my novel and reading it. I love to hear from readers and their enthusiasm is what keeps me going, and makes the writing worthwhile.

Just for fun–

What is your favourite drink? Sparkling water

Are you a cat or dog person? Love both, own both…tough call.

Love or lust? Love

Website Link: http://www.zoeforward.com

Dawn of a Dark Knight

Blurb:

In the shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop.

An ancient nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The gods' choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor couldn't have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly forbidden.

Kira Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets. But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for death by their enemies is less tolerable.

She must trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm’s length lest he bring destruction down on them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial decision—follow the gods' rules or follow their hearts.

Excerpt:

Her captor dragged Kira deep into the shadows of a recessed doorway. He clinched her chest so tight that she couldn’t breathe. A dizzy terror hazed her mind.

Keep it together.

He rolled her inwards until her face pressed tight to his chest as if he feared she would scream.

“I’ll shoot,” she murmured against his rock-solid pecs, burrowing the muzzle of her Glock into his abdomen.

“Go ahead, sweetheart. Add it to the tally for the night. It’ll sting like a bitch, but I guarantee it won’t kill me.”

He sounded disappointed about the last part. Something about that lightly accented baritone struck her as familiar. Kira reined in her escalating fear enough to do an aura screen. He had none of the inherent darkness of a Hashishin. He radiated mystical vitality and ancient power. But not evil.

With a good push, she got herself some space. Yet he didn’t release her. She cricked her neck upward. It was a good ways up since this gladiator dwarfed her by almost a foot.

“Ashor?” She shook her head and whispered, “This can’t be real.”

Purchase Links:

Nook:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Dark-Knight

Kobo:

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dawn-of-a-Dark-Knight

Publisher Link: Wild Rose Press

http://www.thewildrosepress.com

Thank you for stopping by, Zoe! All the best. :D ~ Blak Rayne

Should Your Characters Wear Condoms?-BL Morticia #sex #adult #mm

Should Your Characters Wear Condoms?

BLMorticia

Hey readers. Another post by wicked muse BLMorticia toady and I’m asking, should your characters wear condoms? Not too long ago friend and fellow author Gavin ML Fletcher wrote a post about this subject responding to a comment from a reader on one of his books. Read his article here.

In short, the person said something like his writing men on men sex without condoms was a detriment to gay men. That’s not it word for word, but that about sums up this person’s remark. When he posted this on FB weeks ago, he wrote that article about author responsibility. Although I wanted to tackle it right then, I decided to do a little investigating first. I wanted to look at the next few romances, m/m and m/f, to see if condoms were used in the love scenes. Now, I don’t have like statistics to show but instead a consensus. In most of the books I’d read, the author didn’t have its male protagonist wear a condom. Between the time of that article I read and now, I read about 15 books. I’d say 12 of them had the couple engaging in sex without the latex.

But it’s fiction, you say. Well yeah DUH! I mean, Its’ supposed to be an escape from the reality so it’s not required for the men in the stories to wear a condom. As Gavin brings up in his article, it entertainment he’s writing so he’s not obligated to show the two men in the story being responsible adults. Why this person felt the need to pick on Gavin I’m not sure, considering many of the stories both het and m/m haven’t used any condoms and seemingly not a lot of people make a stink. Did that take you out of the story? Did you immediately put it down and say, oh no I can’t read this because the man isn’t wear latex. Sorry, I think that’s bullshit. If you did, okay, it’s your prerogative but as I stated its only fiction.

Another point? It really is up to the author and how he or she writes the story. Many feel that historicals and or paranormals are the only stories where it’s okay not to use condoms. Why? Well of course, back in the early days, people didn’t have the access to latex they do now. And well, if you’re having sex with an alien or a vampire, why should you need a condom. *laughs* For me, Michael, and Rawiya, we follow the “at our discretion” rule. In most of my m/m romances, the man’s wearing something. Why? My characters though snarky and snide wanted to wear the latex. Still, I won’t even flinch when I read one where the characters don’t. Does it take me out the story? No. It really is up to the author and how they want to write the characters. In fact, ML characters Bryant and Nathan don’t discard the latex until they become a committed couple. It’s the way they wanted it and if they desired it another way, I would’ve done that. Is there anything wrong with this? Not at all. Again, I’m the author, those are my characters, my decision.

So how am I as an author being a detriment to gay men? As Gavin stated in the article, porn directors do bareback all the time. My fave studio Corbin Fisher does most of their scenes that way. Is anyone ready to criticize him or Jake Cruise? Probably, but it won’t stop them from making the movies they want to make. The same applies here. Gavin writes homoerotic stories with protagonists who don’t wear condoms. If you don’t like that, don’t read his work. I think when seeing some of his covers from his other works and his blog which is very sexy btw, *grins*, you can tell what kind of fiction he writes. Every author can write things the way they want and in my opinion, shouldn’t be thrown under the bus because of it. 

So, how about you? Do you as the reader feel the author should make their characters wear latex? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

BLMorticia is currently a published writer with Naughty Nights Press and Rebel Ink Press. She entertains her readers with hot and smexy sex, humor, and lots of swear words. She attempts to incorporate metal music or the military in most of her works. Nothin’ sexier than metalheads or military servicemen and women! She also writes a biweekly column on Blak Rayne Books and blogs on the First Thursday of the month at NNP Blog. For more info, please visit, Erotica With Snark

Thanks for the awesome post, BL! Really enjoyed it. All the best. ~Blak Rayne

Gypsy - Jacqueline George #erotica #adult #fiction #romance

Gypsy

I had a gypsy caravan once. We had dreams of running a little holiday business, with customers renting out caravans by the week and clip-clopping along the lanes of Devon, in south west England. It was a bright yellow caravan, with painted ornaments all over. It was the prettiest thing, and comfortable too.

My favourite horse came from a real gypsy, who probably thought he was over-charging me. He was a stocky, coloured horse with the build of a Clydesdale, but he only just made fourteen hands. A powerful animal, well able to pull the caravan up hills.

He had a wall eye and a long fair mane, and I called him Jack.

If you really, really want to immerse yourself in romance, take a trip in a gypsy caravan along the by-ways of Old England. Jack and his caravan were as beautiful as a postcard. We would plod along, rarely doing fifteen miles in a day, enjoying the fields, woods and villages. When you take your time, there are so many things to see, and interesting people to chat with. You spend more time walking with the horse than riding, so you are pleasantly tired at the day’s end when you put your horse to grass and set about making your own dinner.

Then, to the light of an oil lamp, you tuck yourself into bed and listen to the nightly noises around you. If it is windy, the van will rock on its springs and send you to sleep.

It was time that stayed with me, and I just had to write about it. Gypsy is a romance between Virginia, who works in an office, and an old-fashioned gypsy she meets by chance in the countryside.

Excerpt ~ After a night of music, dancing and cider, Virginia is ready for bed...

John laid his fiddle in its case. “So, Ginny. Are you coming over to Somerset with us? It’ll be a grand trip, won’t it, Sally?”

Virginia’s head was floating. It may have been the music, or the moonlight slanting through the trees, or Sally leaning against her. Or it may have been the cider. No matter what, she wanted to go travelling. She wanted to see Jack in his harness again, pulling his painted caravan along the back roads of Old England.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll come. Just tell me when.”

John raised his mug to her. “That’s the way. Now, drink up and we’ll put you to bed.”

Sally pulled the blanket off her and allowed the cold in. Virginia had not intended to stay but now - now she had nothing to say. A little cider would have done no harm, but now the bottle was nearly empty and it was too late. She wanted to lie down.

Sally pulled her to her feet. “Come on, love. We’d better get you to bed while you can still walk. Give us a hand, John.”

They led her around to the front of the caravan. Suddenly the long step up seemed too much trouble.

“You’d better go first, Sally, and pull her up.” Virginia felt confused as Sally pulled her up and John pushed from behind. The little caravan was dark and secret, and rocked on its springs as she moved. Sally led her to the bed shelf at the back and put her hand on its rail. “Here, hang on to this and we’ll get you sorted in no time.” Then, looking past her, she said, “Bugger off, John. Give us a few minutes.”

Virginia looked at the cosy bed and said, “But I can’t. It’s John’s...”

“It is too, but I’m sure he won’t mind. You won’t either.”

“But where will he sleep?”

“Right here, of course. If you let him sleep.”

“No, he’s - I mean - you. Oh, you know. He’s yours, and I couldn’t.”

“Sure you can. It’ll be fun, you see. And he belongs to no-one. Certainly not to me, anyway. Now, let’s get this off you.” She pulled the blouse over Virginia’s head, and unhooked her bra. She fumbled for the draw-string at the front of Virginia’s gypsy skirt, and slipped it and her panties off.

“Well, well, what a pretty lady you are, love. Hop into bed. I’m going to light the lamp.”

Virginia clambered onto the bed and lay on her back. The miniature window in the back wall of the caravan let moonlight in. She heard Sally strike a match and she could see her face clearly in the lamp light as she concentrated on adjusting the wick. The caravan’s arched ceiling softly reflected the light. Sally hung the lamp from a hook and went to the door. “We’re right, John.” Virginia heard him answer from the distance.

 

Jacqueline lives in Far North Queensland, on the shore of the Coral Sea. She keeps herself busy with her cats and garden, and by writing books - some of which are far too naughty for her own good. You can find out more about Jacqueline and her books at www.jacquelinegeorgewriter.com

Interview With DLC Cover Designer #books #covers #art

Welcome to BRB, everyone! My guest today isn't an author, but she is someone every author needs. Aside from an editor, maybe even a beta reader, every author requires a good cover designer, someone who can capture the essence of their novel in one image. An image that can make or break a sale. Which is no small achievement by any means. Welcome to BRB, Donna! enough of my chatter. Tell us about yourself.

First of all allow me to thank you, Blak, for having me here today. I appreciate you spotlighting my e-book cover designs and supporting my work.

About me…. My name is Donna Collier of DLC Designs. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, animal lover, avid camper, and graphic designer. I live in beautiful southern Michigan with my husband of 28 years.     

How did you become a cover designer?

My experience in this field started with learning how to design websites. I freelanced at that for 8 years learning how to work with clients to make their ideas come alive on the web. Then it was time for a change so I decided to do what makes my heart sing…my favorite part of website design…Graphic Art. With the help of an author friend, I looked into how to make that happen and that is what brings us here today.

As a writer, one of my greatest tools of inspiration is music. Where do you find the most inspiration?

I love music too, as well as browsing digital art sites like Deviant Art. It am continually amazed by the talented people out there.

What is the process to creating a book cover?

I start by talking with the client about their ideas of what they would like to see on their cover. Next they send me a blurb about the book so I can get a feel for their story. Together we decide on the images to be used and the direction the cover should take. Then I go to work. Generally I design several covers for the client to choose from. Once a single cover has been chosen I will work with the client to dial in their finished cover.   

Have you ever won an award for your work?

No awards to date. I won a website banner contest several years ago that helped me make the decision to do this full time. 

What is your favourite cover to date? Why?

I have a long time client who is a retired teacher turned author. He was one of my first paying clients and he has stuck with me to this day (8 covers later). I would say anything designed for him is my favorite. 

DLC Website link: http://dcoll1.wix.com/dlcdesigns

Which genres will you design for?

I will design any genre e-book cover.

Promo: I do freelance work from my home in southwestern Michigan. My passion lies in digital design. Let me use that energy to design an E-Book cover for you. One that makes your E-Book jump off the screen. Please see my portfolio at http://dcoll1.wix.com/dlcdesigns I would love the opportunity to work with you. Let’s get started today! 

Thank you so much, Donna! It was wonderful to have here! I wish you the best of success. 
Blak Rayne