The Countdown Continues...

Title: Theory of Love

Authors: Kayla Bashe, Alain Bell, M.D. Grimm, Asta Idonea, D. C. Juris, Dale Cameron Lowry, Lila Mathews, Charles Payseur, Jessica Payseur, Maia Strong, Lynn Townsend, K.S. Trenten.

Edited by Deelylah Mullin

Publisher: Torquere Press

Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Release Date: May 18, 2016

Heat Level: 5

Pairing: both M/M and F/F stories

Length: 80,000 words

Genre/Tags

Romance - Contemporary, Erotic Romance, F/F Romance, M/M Romance

Science Fiction – Hard Science, Romantic, Futuristic

Synopsis

In Theory of Love, we wave our geek flag high! Tales from deep space, sci-fi realities, technology, academia, and cosplay are brought together in this collection. In Dale Cameron Lowry’s Far From Home, long-distance spouses fan the flames of passion while fighting to save humanity. Meat Space by Lynn Townsend, brings virtual space and the real world crashing into a new reality. Asta Idonea’s Captive shows us that love can form in any manner of situations. Beta Tester by Charles Payseur immerses the reader—and the characters—in a virtual reality that brings a friendship to a whole new level. K.S. Trenten’s A Symposium in Space, love is a different meal to every guest. Unexpected Dilemmas by Jessica Payseur long-distance lovers face hijacking and natural disaster to be together. Kayla Bashe’s Medic to the Hivemind a stranded student is saved by a mysterious voice with secrets. Being Jake by Lila Mathews shows readers that smart is sexy. In D.C. Juris’ Torn Apart, love provides the will to survive. Shattered Space by Alain Bell shows how love can grow from destruction. Maia Strong’s All ‘Ships May Sail connects cosplay, fandoms, and something more. Trash and Treasures by M.D. Grimm gives us a deal made in interstellar space that could be more than either party bargained for.

In theory, love is easy.

Purchase

Torquere Press

Giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: One winner will be selected to win an eBook copy of Theory of Love

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Enter to win!

Torquere is hosting a Book Blitz! Enter at this link to for a chance to win a copy of Theory of Love!

Count down to new release!

The countdown is on to the release of the new anthology from Torquere Books Theory of Love, in which my f/f story All 'Ships May Sail is included. Here's what the TQ site has to say: "In Theory of Love, we wave our geek flag high! Tales from deep space, sci-fi realities, technology, academia, and cosplay are brought together in this collection."

I'm excited to be in this collection with such a great and diverse group of authors! Head on over to check out the list and read a little more about the stories. You might even want to pre-order your copy while you're there so you'll have it in your hot little hard drive come release day, 18 May. ;-D

I'll be posting more as the countdown continues, and next week I'll be hosting the lovely and talented Asta Idonea, author of the m/m sci-fi story Captive. I've read her excerpt and her teaser, and it looks excellent! I look forward to sharing it with you!

Rose & Thorn Release Day Extra!

It's release day! *happy dances* And you don't even have to go out in the cold to buy yourself a copy. Isn't that convenient? ;-) Just pop on over to Torquere Books and you can buy it right now! Whee!

Here, as promised, is a scene you won't find between the covers of the book. I hope you like it!

ROSE & THORN by Maia Strong
Torquere Press, December 28, 2011


"There's a new fellow in town for auditions," said Jasper.

His sister, Jade, looked at him with one eyebrow raised in challenge. "There's a hundred new fellows in town, and all for Rose and Thorns auditions," she reminded him. "And I only care about them if they're bringing their business to my pub."

It was in that very pub that the two of them currently sat. It was past closing time, and they were the only ones there. Even the boy who swept the floors had long since finished up and gone to bed.

Jasper shook his head and persevered. "No, I mean, I think this fellow's got potential, you know?"

Her reply was cautious. "What makes you say that?"

"Just something about him. He's got a presence."

"He'd be a damned poor actor if he didn't."

"No, no. There's an air about him that feels like the mountains."

Jade sighed with a weariness that was only partially due to long hours on her feet tending to customers. "You and your mountains."

"They're your mountains, too."

She shook her head. "We live here now, boyo. You need to let go of the past."

"I have!" he protested.

She turned on her seat and leaned an arm on the wooden bar. Her keen eyes regarded him closely. "Have you? Jasper, you're my little brother and you know I want you to be happy. I'm just worried about you, is all."

He knew what she meant. There was no way he couldn't. He looked away. "I'm fine."

"I'm sure you are." Her tone belied the words.

The empty bar room was quiet around them. The few lanterns that were still lit glowed warmly. The darkness beyond the windows was absolute. They might have been the only people left in the world.

It was Jade who finally broke the silence, her voice soft and kind. "I just don't want you getting your heart broken again. You open it up so quickly, and you hurt so much when someone disappoints you like that."

He met her gaze once more, and this time he held if fast. "I'll be careful. I promise."

Letting that subject go, Jade chose another. "And what about the job? If you don't get it? How will you be then?"

"I can handle it," he said firmly. "I'm an actor. I'm used to rejection. I know how not to take it personally." He gave her a little smile, which she returned.

"All right," she relented. "Maybe I'm worried about you for no good reason. You're a grown man, and I should mind my own business."

Jasper reached out and took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "You're family, and don't you dare."

They both chuckled at that.

"In that case, off to bed with you, young man!" scolded Jade, a twinkle of mirth in her bright blue eyes. "You need your sleep. You may well be starting a new job in the morning, and they're going to want your best work."

Grinning, Jasper called her on her contractions. "First, you say I won't get it, and now you say I will?"

She made a dismissive noise and waved a hand at him. "Since when does logic apply to theater, or to me, for that matter? Now off you go!"

He hopped off the bar stool and stood up especially straight. "Yes, ma'am!" Letting his amusement go, he reached out and hugged her. "Thanks, sis."

She returned the embrace warmly. "I'm always here for you, Jasper."

"I know."

*****

I hope I've managed to pique your curiosity. Why not pop over to Torquere's site and pick up a copy for yourself. And while you're at it, pick up a second one for a friend!

Happy (almost) New Year!

Release Day - Compass Hearts!

That's right! Compass Hearts released today from Torquere! Woot-woot! I'm so excited that this little novella has finally found a home and can now go out to readers who, I hope, will love it as much as I do. It's been a long road for this one, originally written as an anthology submission in 2007. Four years old and it's finally leaving the nest. *teary-eyed* But seriously, I very much hope you like this story. There are sexy college boys and cold winter nights. Put those elements together and what's not to like, right? ;-)


As the fourth son of merchant parents, Matthew Morgan has always been superfluous. The only guidance he ever received was to behave and stay out of the way. Now, at a university half a world away from home, he must discover who he is and what he wants. Too bad he's never made a decision in his life.

When Ash Thearon meets Matthew, the handsome fellow student he's been ogling all quarter, he finds him sweet, sexy, and more than a little puzzling. To solve that puzzle, he must first collect all the pieces, which is easier said than done. The new friends quickly become lovers, but Matthew's sheltered life has taught him only how to follow. Ash wants the give and take of an equal, and Matthew's tendency to try too hard to please others leaves Ash wondering how to teach him independence without losing him.

I think of this as a "quiet" romance. I'm not sure I can define that adequately outside of my own brain, but see if you don't agree with me when you read it. 'Cause you're going to read it, right? I sure hope so. And to make it easier for you, here's a handy link so you can buy it now! :-)

Oh, and there's a bonus scene available either at the above link or over on my website.

Happy release day, everyone!

One Day More!

No, not until a new revival of Les Miserables, until Compass Hearts releases from Torquere!

And, to whet your appetites for sexy college boys, here's an excerpt for you.

***

He barely recognized his own voice as he went on. "The human body is... fascinating." There was a question, an invitation, underlying his statement. He hoped Ash would hear it and understand. Despite this sudden swell of bravery, he knew he couldn't say that out loud.

A slow smile spread across Ash's face. Matthew grinned back, guessing his message had gotten through. His guess was confirmed when Ash asked, "Have you ever had a live model?"

"No." Matthew's cock strained at his breeches. He yearned to draw Ash, see him stripped and posed. He couldn't remember ever wanting anything so much or so urgently in his life.

Then reality crashed down on him. His face fell. "My materials are at my apartment." In the time it took to get there and back, the moment would be beyond lost. And there was no way he was taking Ash back to his flat. He didn't want Ash to see it. It was so unbearably grim, lacking in any charm or comfort, especially when compared to Ash's quirky and inviting room upstairs.

"What do you need?" Ash asked.

"Charcoal pencils, largish paper."

"I have that."

"You do?" Matthew perked up at this spark of hope. It was almost too good to believe. "How? Why?"

"Botany class. We do a lot of plant sketching. I not only have charcoal pencils, I have pressed pigment pencils."

Matthew's eyes lit up and Ash grinned and grabbed his hand. "Come on." Ash pulled him to his feet and toward the stairs.

Matthew's practical side asserted itself and, still clinging to sense, he asked, "What about our books?"

"No one will bother them. Come on!" He practically dragged Matthew from the parlor. By the time their feet hit the stairs, though, Matthew was plenty willing to follow him up.

Inside the cozy comfort of the little attic room, Ash went immediately to the window seat. He opened it and fished around inside, coming up a moment later with a large tablet and a tin box. "Here." He handed the box to Matthew who opened it and looked in wonder at the myriad colored pencils within.

"Where did you get these?" he asked, awed and envious.

"Some of them I bought in town. Some of them my dad gave me before I came here." Ash flipped through the tablet of his botany drawings, Matthew looking over his shoulder. The plants were barely recognizable, and then only because he'd labeled them. "They're awful, I know," said Ash. He pulled a disgusted face. "It's all right to say so."

"I just have one question," said Matthew.

"Yes?" Ash turned and looked up at him. "What?"

"Are you actually passing botany?"

Ash burst out laughing. "All right, Master Critical." He flipped to a blank sheet and shoved the tablet at Matthew. "Let's see you do better."

"That much I can guarantee."

"I've never been an artist's model." Ash's eyes looked deep blue in the lantern light and his voice was husky. "Tell me what to do."

Matthew swallowed hard once. The heat and tightness in his groin were intense, and he was glad for the tablet he held in front of him. What was he thinking? He'd never get through this! Panic began to rise in him, quelling his arousal. No. I want to do this, damn it! Steeling himself and taking control of his fear, he said with as much authority as he could muster, "Strip."

***

And tomorrow I'll have an "author bonus" scene to post both here and over at my website. It will give you a little insight into a lesser-seen character of the novella. I'll also have a buy link so you can be the first on your block to rush out, so to speak, and get a copy. ;-D

Kate Davies' New Release!

Check it out, check it out! Kate Davies' latest, Take a Chance on Me, released today! You need to go read all about it on her blog right now. I just went and got my copy over at Samhain's Bookstore, and you totally need to do the same! And BONUS, it's on sale. So get yourselves on over to the Samhain site and pick it up. You'll be glad you did!

Book BIN Tuesday!

I'm totally stealing Kate Davies's shtick by using her Book B(uy) I(t) N(ow) Tuesday, but I think she'll forgive me. See, my friend Boyd Morrison's book The Ark comes out in mass market paperback today and I'm super excited to get a copy. (Love the guy, but I just couldn't afford the hardcover price, you know? And I can say that here because I told him the same thing. LOL)

Here's the blurb from Barnes & Noble.com:

When brilliant archaeologist Dilara Kenner is contacted by Sam Watson, an old family friend who says that he has crucial information about her missing father, Dilara abandons her Peruvian dig and rushes to Los Angeles to meet him. But at the airport, Sam speaks instead of Noah’s Ark—the artifact her father had long been searching for—and the possible death of billions. Before Sam can explain, he collapses. With his dying breath, he urges Dilara to find Tyler Locke—a man she’s never heard of.

Two days later Dilara manages to track down former combat engineer Tyler Locke on an oil rig off Newfoundland. Her helicopter transport goes down well short of the oil rig’s landing pad and Dilara and those aboard nearly drown. No sooner is Dilara safely on the rig than she convinces Tyler the crash was no accident. Tyler agrees to help her uncover the secret behind Noah's Ark and, more important, her father's disappearance.

As the picture begins to come into focus, they realize they have just seven days to find the Ark before its secret is used to wipe out civilization once again.

Tell me that doesn't sound like an awesome ride! Woo-hoo! So why don't you all pop out to your local bookstore and Buy It Now? I know I'm going to!

False Dawn Blog Party - WINNERS!

Hey there! My week has been nuts, and it's only Wednesday. Oy! However, I have managed to get my act together enough to use my handy-dandy random winner generator to pick winners from this past weekend's new release blog party!

The winner of the coffee mug with the awesome book cover on it is from over on the TQ Social LJ:

foggynite!

The winner of the free download of False Dawn is from right here on the blog:

Erika!

If you would each be so kind as to contact me at "maia at maiastrong dot com" (with all the necessary conversions to make that a real email address, of course) I can arrange prize delivery.

Foggynight, I will just need a mailing address for you. And, Erika, I need an email address and your preferred format for your ebook.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who came out party it up at the space barbecue!

False Dawn - Author Extra!

Where did the weekend go? And on top of that, where did this morning go!? (Okay, I know where this morning went. It went to making two apple pies for the freezer. And there are still apples left for a nice crumble.)

It's the last day of my space barbecue and I've had great fun! I hope you have, too. To celebrate, I have the author extra I wrote especially for Release Day. Just because some lines got crossed and the book actually came out Saturday doesn't mean we can't keep the party going through today. Right? Right!

And along those lines, here's that Release Day Author Extra I mentioned. Hope you like it!

False Dawn by Maia Strong
Available from Torquere Press

EARLY NEWS HOUR THEME MUSIC RUNS AS TITLE TEXT AND GRAPHICS GIVE WAY TO:

SHOT OF MALE NEWS ANCHOR SEATED BEHIND DESK

IMAGE OF ENGINEER DAYAN ANDRUS, DRESSED IN STANDARD ENGINEERING COVERALLS, APPEARS IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF SCREEN

NEWS ANCHOR: Good morning. Here’s the early news. Our lead story, a senior engineer has vanished into thin air. Yoshiko Didier reports.

CUT TO FEMALE REPORTER STANDING IN CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DOOR MARKED “SECURE AREA -- AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY -- CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR ACCESS”

DIDIER: Thank you, Steven. I’m standing outside Section 4 of Sector AP-10 on Aconcagua Deck. It’s beyond here that Senior Engineer Dayan Andrus supposedly disappeared over forty hours ago.

DIDIER CONT. [IRONIC TONE]: Of course, we can’t access the area directly without authorization due to the security precautions around the File Room, and that authorization has not been forthcoming. But is it just the sensitivity of what’s behind this door that’s keeping us out?

SCHEMATIC APPEARS ON-SCREEN

DIDIER: What you’re looking at here is the schematic for the section behind me. You’ll note the lack of doors and internal access hatches. There aren’t even ventilation ducts in the area of the alleged disappearance.

CAMERA RETURNS TO DIDIER LOOKING SKEPTICAL; SCHEMATIC SHRINKS TO UPPER LEFT CORNER OF SCREEN

DIDIER: Security claims to have no leads in the case. Judging by the obvious inaccessibility of the location, one might not be surprised. But can Lažna Zora’s vaunted security force really be so in the dark as that? Or could there be more here than meets the eye? I believe there’s more to this story than we’re being told. Could this disappearance be a case of experimentation gone wrong? Might Engineer Andrus have been the subject, knowing or unknowing, of new technology designed to transport a human being from one location to another instantaneously?

IMAGE OF SCHEMATIC IS REPLACED BY PICTURE OF DARK-HAIRED MAN IN ENGINEERING COVERALLS

DIDIER CONT.: I spoke earlier today with the Assistant Chief Engineer Alan Zamyatin who assured me, quite emphatically, that no one in Engineering was performing any experiments along these lines. He denounced such ideas as, and I quote, “ridiculous” and “absurd science-fiction”. Doth the gentleman protest too much? Chief Engineer Johnston was unavailable for comment.

IMAGE DISAPPEARS AND CAMERA RE-CENTERS ON REPORTER

DIDIER CONT.: Given such vehement denial of even the possibility of this new technology, one is forced to wonder what we aren’t being told. Whatever happened here, whatever Engineering’s involvement, or not, in the alleged disappearance, it seems highly unlikely that Security would be completely ignorant of that department’s activities--whether those activities are “secret” or not. Yet, if they aren’t ignorant? I, for one, don’t like to consider the alternatives. This is Yoshiko Didier reporting.

END REMOTE FEED

*****

Remember, just comment to be entered to win one of two FABULOUS PRIZES! You have until midnight Pacific Time tonight to enter! I'll announce the winners in the next couple of days. :-D

False Dawn - Review!

Okay. So. Much to my surprise, I discovered that False Dawn is available for purchase as off...YESTERDAY! (The wrong book cover is on that page, FYI. I'll be emailing about it shortly. Although the cover that is there intrigues me and I plan to go find out what that book is about shortly, too. :-D )

The review that's posted is rockin'! I'm now going to be happy dancing all through cycle class this morning. ::bounce, bounce::

I'll be back after class to party some more!

False Dawn - Excerpt!

I said I would be posting an excerpt very shortly, so here it is, and would you believe it's only PG13 due to the language? What the hell??

False Dawn by Maia Strong
Available from Torquere Press 26 July 2010

Galen tossed and turned in his bed. Usually it felt too small for two people but tonight, lacking Dayan's warm, solid presence beside him, it was like an ocean of space. He should be used to the absence. They worked opposing shifts often enough that it wasn't uncommon for each to spend a sleep period alone. Several, in fact. On nights like that, he would fall asleep safe in the knowledge that his husband was out doing his job and would come home at the end of his shift.

But not tonight. Tonight he didn't know where Dayan was. He didn't know when or how they would find him. Didn't know if they could.

No. They had to. Losing Dayan forever wasn't an option.

Damn it! They must be missing a clue.

Well, duh. He rolled over, disgusted with himself. Of course they were missing a clue. If they weren't, they'd have solved the case by now and he wouldn't be complaining about how the stupid little bed was too big without his husband to share it.

The afternoon's investigations had left them no further along than the morning's. No one had seen anything. No one knew anything they hadn't already disclosed. No one could explain how a full grown adult male could disappear in a corridor that had no doors, no interior ports, and no access hatches. And the ship's chief engineer assured him and Flint quite soundly that there was no experimental new technology that could teleport anyone or make them invisible or shift them between dimensions or any other "science-fiction nonsense" like that.

"Fuck this!" Giving up sleep for a lost cause, Galen threw off the covers and sat up. "Lights to half."

Dull gray light filled the bedroom, enhancing rather than dispelling its cramped dimensions. There wasn't even satisfactory room to pace. He briefly considered taking a mild sedative; there were some in the bathroom's medicine cabinet. What time was it? He looked at the clock in the wall over the bed.

Blue numbers glowed softly. 02:54.

Okay, so the tranq option was out. He had to be up too soon. He should have taken something hours ago if he was going to go that route. Damn.

He wanted a drink.

Galen made a noise of disgust and shook his head. "Not an option," he said aloud to the empty room. He had to get a grip. Getting wasted--again--wasn't going to do him or Dayan any good.

He padded barefoot into the small living room, the light level adjusting automatically as he went from one room to the next. "Play live video. News feed." He sat heavily on the sofa as the wall holograph of the early a.m. news report was projected. The farm report, which covered all hydroponics and livestock updates, was on. He almost smiled. Who needed a tranquilizer when they had the farm report?

Unfortunately, it was just wrapping up. And the next news at the top of the hour was coverage of Dayan's disappearance. Galen watched with growing anger as the news reader's report got increasingly hyperbolic and sensationalist. Barely veiled suggestions that Engineering was tinkering with secret teleportation technology and an experiment that had gone bad. The woman went on to imply that Security was either complicit in the public deception or they were Engineering's unwitting victims. Either way, it made the force look bad. Incompetent at best, and, at worst, a bunch of conspiring liars.

"Video off!" ordered Galen more forcefully than necessary. The projection shimmered and vanished.

"This is bullshit." He needed to get back to work. Find the clue that eluded him. Find his husband.

Decision made, he rose from the sofa, grabbed a quick shower and shave, and dressed. His presence at the station at this hour would raise some eyebrows, but no one would challenge him. The security scuttlebutt network was almost as fast as the ship's computer core. By now it was a given that everyone in the department knew Galen's husband was missing.

He clipped the PG that Flint had requisitioned yesterday to his belt and headed out.

*****

Remember, comment to be entered to win and tune in for more fun as the weekend progresses!

False Dawn Party Time!

We're kicking of a pre-release online space barbecue today! Woo-hoo! and hailing frequencies open!
False Dawn is an m/m erotic romance detective story (Could I have more qualifiers on that genre, please? I don't think there are enough.) set in deep space (Ah! There we go. Thanks for that.) aboard the generational starship Lažna Zora. Police Detective Galen Traub and his partner must find a missing person, and that person just happens to be Galen's husband, Dayan. Dun-dun-dunnnnn!

To celebrate, I'll be partying the weekend away starting TODAY because all weekends should really start on Friday, don't you agree?

To get things going, I'll be posting an excerpt very shortly. Then, later in the weekend, we'll be grilling up the burgers over our specially designed plasma energy barbecue, toasting the marshmallows over the engine core, and swigging back the space beer!

And of course there will be prizes! Just comment on any of this weekend's party posts and you'll be entered to win either a fabulous coffee mug with the gorgeous cover of False Dawn emblazoned on the side, or a free download of the ebook itself! Wheee!

But wait! There's more! Ask me all your questions about this ridiculously subgenred novella and I'll answer them for you in a special Q&A post on Sunday! So hit me with your whos, whats, wheres, and hows; your whithers, whethers, whences; your wherefores and your big old side orders of whys, and I'll do my level best to come up with at least vaguely coherent answers. (And a bonus contest entry to the first person to recognize that list I just gave you. It's not 100% accurate, but it's close enough for those in the know to know. You know? ;-) )

Now, Party ON!

Tick-tock, tick-tock

The clock is ticking down to release day and that means it's almost Party Time! The spiffy prize I ordered has arrived and some lucky someone will win it! And another lucky someone will win a free download. Woot!

Watch this space...

Gearing up to party!

Edits are in and prizes are confirmed! I'm so jazzed about this next release I can't even tell you! I've said many times that my first literary love is fantasy, and it is. But coming very, very close on its heels is sci-fi. I am not joking when I say that I read Asimov's Foundation Trilogy when I was in sixth grade. Did I understand its full depth and meaning? HELL NO! But I read it and I enjoyed it (and one of these years I'll read it again and maybe I'll get a few more of the layers ;-) ). Yes, folks, I grew up on a diet of J.R.R. Tolkien, Andre Norton, Isaac Asimov, Susan Cooper, William Sleator, and Ray Bradbury. Sure, I read some Judy Bloom...but I didn't like it. And I never read Beverly Cleary. :-P So the fact that I have a space opera coming out is very exciting!

So, the details on the party:
Dates: 23-26 July
Theme: Sci-fi Summer Barbecue! (I have no idea what that means, but we'll figure it out.)
Prizes: A fabulous False Dawn coffee mug (since my characters drink a lot of coffee when they can get it) and a free download of the book!
There will be an excerpt one of those days, and extra scene on release day. There might even be a character interview. We'll see if I can pin anyone down on that. They are very busy people, these characters.

Check back as the date approaches! Standard rules apply: post a comment to be entered to win. It's that simple!

See you soon!

Blog Party Winner!

Here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for. The winner of the free ecopy of I Put a Spell on You, contaning not only my short story, Play Music, Play Magic, but EIGHT MORE fabulous m/m/f stories, is...

WildePet!

Woo-hoo! Email me at maiastrong (at) maiastrong [dot] com and I'll get that sent out to you right away.

Thanks to everyone who came to party with me! I look forward to partying with you again this summer when my novella, False Dawn, is realeased!

Party Day Three - Release Day!

Woo-hoo! Today's the day! Play Music, Play Magic is officially released. Oh yeah, and there are other fabulous stories in this magic-themed anthology, I Put a Spell on You. As a special release day bonus, I have a "missing scene". (I can't call it a "deleted scene" because, well, it wasn't deleted; it was written later. I know, I know. Semantics. Shut up and get on with it, Maia!)

Okay, here it is. Another little taste to get you excited for the whole story!

*****

Rhys awoke with a smile on his face. Perhaps he’d been dreaming of Isaac. Yawning, he reached out under the covers, knowing that his husband’s side of the bed would have long since gone cold. As early as Isaac rose, Rhys slept late. It was now well past dawn and the sheets were chilly to his touch.

He sat up and pushed back the covers, shivering at the change of temperature. Finding his soft-soled house shoes nearby, he slipped them over his bare feet and clambered over the bed to the edge of the sleeping loft, the soft cotton flannel of his loose pants tugging against the wool of the blankets. He climbed down the ladder to the main room of the little house.

Smile still on his face, whether from forgotten dreams or a sense of what the day would bring, he went into the kitchen. On the table was a note from Isaac. Every day, as regular and reliable as the bells in the cathedral tower, he left one there.

Rhys’s smile widened as he read the single scrawled sentence. Then he set the note back on the table, placed a clean mug for tea beside it, and went to heat water. He would wash, breakfast, and set to work—and spend the day in anticipation of the sweet promise in his husband’s love note.

*****

Don't forget, you have until midnight PST tonight to comment on any blog party post to be entered to win a copy of I Put a Spell on You including Play Music, Play Magic. I'll announce the winner here tomorrow, so remember to swing by and see if you've won!

Party Day Two - Music!

In Play Music, Play Magic, Wand'ring Minstrel Noula Tuomi uses music to weave a magical web around herself and her lovers. A lot of writers, me included, like to write with a soundtrack in the background. It doesn't always manifest in the end product. One of the tenderest sex scenes I've ever written was written to a soundtrack of '80s hair metal, while a light BDSM scene was written to a mix of Dar Williams songs. Yes, my brain can be a very strange place to live.

Music can have a profound effect on one's mood, but it isn't always the effect one might expect. So my question to you is, what music puts you "in the mood"? You know the mood I mean. ;-)

And don't forget, your comments are your entries to win an ebook. And guess what? It's not just Play Music, Play Magic, but the whole I Put a Spell on You anthology!

Party Day One - Excerpt!

Welcome, one and all! We're partying here for the next three days in celebration of my new release, Play Music, Play Magic, part of the Torquere anthology I Put a Spell on You. This story is in the same universe as my first two books, but in a town we've only heard of in passing before. This is only a short visit to the small coastal city of Yanto (one extra entry into the drawing for the first person who can guess where that name came from), Kanbec. In this tale, you'll meet Isaac Fisher and his husband Rhys Silverthorn, and their dear friend, Wand'ring Minstrel Noula Tuomi.

Isaac and Rhys are delighted when Noula Tuomi arrives in town. Noula and Isaac have been close friends and lovers for many years, and when Rhys became a part of Isaac's life, she embraced him and his relationship to her old friend without hesitation. Now, the three share company and comfort whenever she's in town. As with every visit, Isaac hopes that she'll decide stay. But Noula is a Wand'ring Minstrel. Some Minstrels do retire and some do settle down, but will Noula? And will it be this time? Each of the trio privately ponders this question, but even these heavy thoughts can't detract from their enjoyment of one another and the magic that Noula brings.

Here's a nibble to whet your appetite.

*****

Putting such heavy thoughts aside, Rhys let himself relax into the music.

He didn't know the song she played, but it hardly mattered. Noula's music was… enchanting. The notes intertwined like a tapestry growing on the loom of a master weaver. Complex, subtle, haunting. Beautiful. He'd listened closely to every Wand'ring Minstrel he had ever come across -- here in Yanto, back in Western Zephren, and everywhere in between -- and no one he had heard could do what Noula could do. And with such a deceptively simple instrument as a recorder.

Simple. There was nothing simple about what was happening. Colors and light that had nothing to do with the candle lanterns began to swirl slowly around the edges of his vision. Rhys sighed and leaned into his husband, resting his head on Isaac's strong shoulder. Isaac reached an arm around him, kissed him on the top of his head. For that suspended moment, everything was perfect in Rhys' world.

Subtly, the tone of the music changed. Where before it had buoyed him on pillows of flannel stuffed with the softest down, now it grew sleeker and less cozy, and yet no less welcoming. He floated on the melody, rich as silk, spicy as cinnamon, and exotic as the island paradise Noula had spoken of earlier. The music flowed over his skin and into his blood, warming it from within. The heat grew and centered itself quite deliciously in his groin, and he grew hard.

Isaac's arm around him squeezed a little tighter, and Rhys opened eyes he hadn't realized had fallen shut. The colors he had seen in the room had continued behind his eyelids, and now, as he opened them, those swirls and eddies of rainbow light were there with him in the room again, too. He turned his head and looked deep into his husband's jet-black eyes, sparkling like obsidian with every flicker of light. He didn't have to look down or reach out a hand to know that Isaac felt what he felt. Craved what he craved.

Together, they turned and looked at Noula. She played on, but a knowing and eager twinkle was in her eyes.

Wordless and as one, the three of them rose from the table and headed for the ladder to the sleeping loft. Noula played the men up, bringing the tune to a suspended end as they reached the top. Pocketing her recorder, she climbed up after them, humming as she went.

*****

If you liked that, you'll love what comes next! Too bad you have to wait until Wednesday to find out what that is. ;->

Remember, comment on this or any post during the blog party to be entered to win a free copy of Play Music, Play Magic!

Resurfacing

This blog has been sorely neglected of late, and for that I apologize. I've been scattering my energy, and therefore my focus, in too many directions lately and when that happens, something inevitably falls through the cracks. But there is hope! In fact there is...

A BLOG PARTY FOR MY NEW RELEASE!

That's right. My short story, Play Music, Play Magic, is coming out in the anthology I Put a Spell on You from Torquere on 24 February. (Holy crap! That's WEDNESDAY! *eep!*) So check in Monday through Wednesday this week for an excerpt (just one - it's a short story, after all), perhaps a visit with the characters, and a bonus scene on release day. And, of course, there will be a CONTEST. Just leave a comment on any of the party posts and you'll be entered to win a free download of Play Music, Play Magic.

I'm looking foward to partying with you guys!