Blog Bites with Rory

We’ve got our FANGS in Laura Tolomei’s Rory

Tell us a bit about yourself:
Good evening, I’m Rory, a hunter in Britain, trying to do my best to deal with the horror unleashed in my forest, which the Druid has set down in the pages of Bloody Passion.

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What makes you special? What differentiates you from your kind? Do you have special abilities?
I’m a hunter and that makes all the difference, particularly since I can hunt down special beasts, not just the four-legged ones. My instinct’s trained to smell out evil in whatever shape it hides and, with the right assistant, I can destroy it. But my real talent is to wield the dark forces of nature and turn them into good and that’s what my story’s all about.

Tell me about your most current adventure.
I chose to hunt down beasts and was quite capable of doing it by myself until I came up against one…no, make that two, which required a special helper. To be honest, I had looked for him ever since I realized my true calling was to fight evil, not just regular predators,so to find him was the real challenge. But I succeeded and then…well, Cedric writes of it so beautifully in Bloody Passion, I wouldn’t want to spoil your fun.

EXCERPT PG
“Do you think it’s her?” Rory asked softly.
“What?”
He was kneeling, studying each wound closely, inspecting the measures and depth of each cut. “I said, do you think it’s her?” he repeated.
“Who?”
He turned his head to look at me. I was still standing, unable to bend on my knees to take a closer look as he was doing. “The girl we were with last night. What’s her name?” He frowned in search of a name.
“Beryl,” I supplied, dropping on my ankles next to him.
“Right, Beryl.” He looked at her head. The killer had taken his swings at her face, too, slicing thin red lines on her cheekbones, under her eyes, on her chin and forehead. The final effect though, didn’t convince me at all. At a superficial observation, the killing looked like the consequence of a fit of rage, the murderer striking hard, furious and blind. Yet, despite the dried blood covering the marks, the complicated pattern I glimpsed was hardly casual or random, more similar to a premeditated design than to a madman’s strikes. Anger or cold-blooded murder? I wondered. “It doesn’t look like her,” I said, turning to Rory, “at least as far as I can tell.”
The hunter nodded slowly. “Yeah, doesn’t seem to me either, but she looks a lot like Beryl.”
“Most girls her age look almost the same,” I pointed out tartly.
Rory grinned despite the situation. “I forgot you don’t like women, but I thought you could at least distinguish one from the other.”
“I can’t tell the differences,” I scoffed. “Not my fault they all dress alike and try to look as much like each other as possible.”
Rory sighed. “Maybe you’re right,” he agreed at last, turning his scrutiny back to the lifeless body. “Strange, don’t you think, lover, the way these cuts go?”
“What do you mean?”
“Apparently, they seem to be random, sprung out of a furious rage. But if you study them carefully, there is a sort of—“
“Pattern as if someone was copying a picture from his head.”
Rory nodded. “So you see it, too?”

If you could offer advice to your author, what would it be?
I’d have made Cedric a little bit more…good looking.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
Absolutely. They perceive my strength, the knowledge and trained instinct of the hunter, but also the joy with which I live life and its many intriguing pleasures In short, readers have come to know me for who I am so they look up to me for guidance in their darkest moments, knowing I can command the situation to face whatever unknown lies out there.

Is expressing love difficult for you? Why?
I’m not sure I know what love is. I know lust, craving, burning desire, but not love. Or at least didn’t until I met Cedric. Then something happened—I’m still trying to understand exactly what—and I have strange stirrings I never felt before for anyone. But can this qualify as love? I honestly don’t know.

What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you?
To have discovered my calling. It happened when I was out hunting a wolf that had become too smart for his own good. The more I followed his tracks, the more I understood it wasn’t an ordinary animal, but a magical one, full of dark power. And I knew I couldn’t face him alone. It was then I felt the calling, my power expanding to seek its natural ally and Cedric responded from somewhere across the forest. And it was the beginning of a fantastic adventure.

Is there a message you want to get across in this interview?
Nature demands and deserves respect, not just for its survival, rather for our own, petty humans who can think we can make it ours or command it to our will, using it like a worthless or lifeless object. Balancing the energy can be the hardest thing man has to do, but the most necessary if he wants to survive, especially since nature can turn against us anytime for never, ever will we be able to control what escapes us by definition, the beastly side we each carry within.

Do you ever ask your significant other for advice?
He’s a part of it, as inextricably entwined in the dark powers as I am. Without him, none of this would’ve ever seen the light for he’s the magical connection on which I rely to show me the way. Then again, he’s also a great lay!

If you had the chance to meet another character, who would it be and why?
Mylos, the bloody sorcerer of Sacrificial Sex only to understand how he could go through a human sacrifice without apparently displaying no emotions. And he’s only a human!

What is your most favorite thing to do?
To be in the forest, living it, breathing it, controlling it, challenging it.

How many sex partners have you had? How many at one time?
Are numbers that important?
The more to play the game, the better, I always say and all my partners know it.

What’s the kinkiest thing you’ve done? Stupidest? Craziest?
To listen to a Druid.

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
With Cedric, deep in the heart of the forest, with the Druid still recovering after our hunt. I’d missed him so much, I couldn’t wait until he was fully on his feet again. No, I craved him far too much, feeling like an empty man without the proper nourishment, seeing him lie half unconscious all day long, too weak to even keep his eyes open. But as soon as I felt him stronger, not to mention burning for my touch, I didn’t waste a second. And by the gods, how sweet it was to feel him again!

What are your opinions on humans?
Mostly worthless creatures who don’t understand nature’s worth or if they do, keep going in their destructive ways, hurting our precious living resources. Bah, I have no love for them, with a few exceptions of course, and would gladly leave them to their faith, if a higher sense of duty didn’t make me help them from time to time.

What are the pro’s and con’s to being a human?
I have a limited force, which many predators could easily overcome, but I’m smarter than they’ll ever be, human cunning far outrunning any beast.

How does one become a human?
Same as one becomes an animal of any kind.

Describe your best kill. Why was it the best?
I’ll let the Druid do that since he’s so good at it.
We were staying near a small community of farmers mostly and they had sacrificed more than their share to the beast. Many of the men had offered Rory their help, but he had refused, afraid they’d spoil his slow developing affinity with Newlyn.
Too bad he hasn’t, I thought, feeling ill at ease glancing around the empty encampment, nearly expecting to see the predator right behind me. Closing my eyes, I almost saw it, a huge wolf with a fur as black as the demons’ favorite night. I felt its hot breath on my neck, but oddly, it didn’t scare me, quite the contrary for I had the distinct impression the beast recognized me enough to refrain from an outright attack. Its red eyes sparkled in the darkness just as a piercing smell of blood clogged my senses. Nauseated, I shook my head to be free from the sensation choking me when all of a sudden, I felt Rory next to me, close, very close…no much more than just close.
I turned to stare at him, unbelieving what my eyes saw. He seemed to be a part of me, his skin adhering perfectly to mine as if I wore him like the legendary wolf skin I craved. But it was impossible because he was alive, even if attached to my body. I opened my mouth to speak, but he closed it with his hand, nodding in the wolf’s direction. Not that I expected him to see anything except an empty space for the beast had probably fled the moment it smelled the second human. Surprisingly though, it was still there, either unaware or unaffected by the hunter hiding in my shadow.
“Bend down, lover,” I heard Rory whisper, his warm breath tickling my ear.
I obeyed and what happened next seemed even more unreal than Rory’s hide-out in my skin. With a feline jump, the hunter was on the wolf, grabbing its neck with one hand while the other brandished the sharp knife he always carried around. I only saw the glint of the blade as it arched swiftly under the wolf’s ear, circling the neck, then reappearing on the other side red and dripping wet, the hand holding it smeared in sticky liquid, too. Without emitting a sound, the wolf collapsed on its hind legs and fell on a side, blood gushing from the slit on his throat, spurting on the ground in angry convulsive throes. Looking at the red, thin line tearing the fur apart, I felt life ebbing out of him as if from my own flesh and my voice couldn’t help crying out his murder, howling pitifully to the wind, unsure if anyone bothered listening, but unable to stop until my body, suddenly bloodless, crashed on the cold, hard earth, lying deathly still.
What kind of abilities do you get when you become a human?
Same I always have.
What makes being with a human the best sexual experience?
Nothing but a human can spend so much time on pleasure alone so you just got to try to feel the difference.

Thank you for joining us today.
Tamara

A Mother's Duty

As a Vampire I am naturally a loner, don't really feel the need to be surrounded by family or friends or any of that sort, aside from my mate of course. My darling daughter, Alexia, I don't feel the need to overly mother, never have although I still feel a deep desire to protect her, something that is usually lost to vampires. It must have rubbed off from being around all these pack oriented werewolves. As an immortal I could, technically, have offspring forever if I was so lucky as to conceive, something that tends to be difficult for most immortals. I don't want more children however, and have avoided this easily by drinking blood from other's than my mate, especially around the full moon which is when were's are able to conceive. Fortunately my lovely mate, Tarquin, believes as I do, that creating more werepire's for our pack to loath is not a good idea, something you will get a good idea about in Alexia's book Keeping Blood out April 15Th.

Alexia grew up with such a horrible example of pack around her, such unwelcoming everywhere she went. I wasn't able to protect her from that, even if I was able to keep any physical harm from befalling her. She was always lost, not fitting anywhere. Now she is surrounding herself with so many different species as a member of the Council of Immortals. I don't think that she has found a family for herself, other than with her mate, Ian, but she has found a place that is at least accepting. The council's entire ideal is based on species unity and mingling, of which she is a perfect example of.

I am thankful that she seems so happy, full of purpose and of course, loved. However she has chosen to be such a public figure, and there is so much hate, so much anger toward Paxton and his council. I fear for her and I want to protect her, but Tarquin won't let me get involved. He says that we must let Ian deal with and protect Alexia.

How can I trust a a werewolf I hardly know to protect my daughter! I will be watching things closely, if the threats against the council don't stop I will get involved. It is my duty as her mother to protect her, even if it is from afar. I will not let her be harmed, my one and only perfect child.

Character Bites with Sun Rocket Kahoqua

RED LIONESS TAMED ~ Sun Rocket Interview

March 27, 2010

Fried fish greetings, Earthers of the 21^st century, my name is Sun Rocket Kahoqua of the Windgrass Clan. Because of my... yowls, he calls himself my husband... that’s a long eel of a tale... and, it’s the one my author tells in my first series story, RED LIONESS TAMED... meowsa, because of my Draxen’s strange orb, one he found while scavenging on an odd scrap vessel floating in an isolated sector of the galaxy... I can communicate with you from the future... what we on my homeworld, a Mars moon, say is the year, 3051.

I’m what is known as a Cat Shifter in the galaxy at large. In my tuna-loving case, a red lioness shifter because of the breed I most resemble when in my various cat-woman forms. I can also shift into a pure red lioness... that’s how I helped Draxen save us and save his sleek transport cruiser when we were attacked by a formidable lizard race... Rawrrrrring roars... and a paw swipe at any who would be my enemy or hunt those I love.

Before being accidently captured by a haul-up beam, I chased down those Cat Shifters gone bad anywhere and everywhere in the known galaxy. Since prejudice is widespread against Cat Shifters, I stay in my human form while on the job I’ve chosen. My dear mother would have had me become as she is, a revered seductress who has trained in the erotic arts. However, shark bait, my feline nature follows that of my father. Adventure, stalking down the bad guy or bad gal cat.

Purrs... paw-bat at a goldfish... special abilities, you ask... I’m more athletically gifted than many of my cat shifter brethren. My hunting instincts are superior and I’ve trained in every manner of fighting art. It’s paws or boots on the ground experience, though, that’s given me my predator’s edge, my success in capturing every kind of criminal cat.

I do have specialized shifting abilities, given my unique genetic heritage...a feline race that colonized Mars long before the antediluvian age on Earth. My ancestors were also the result of big cat hybrids created by the black ops programs during your Earth time... going on now as I speak with you... roars of secrecy! Also, add in the feline humanoid, non-shifting races that arrived on Mars in the late 21^st century... and here I am.

I have shifter abilities I’d prefer not to have widely known by those I prowl after. Now, only Draxen knows about my special sexual shifts... meow-wow, give a lioness girl a tail shake, that man has his own ‘specialized’ heritage abilities. My mother would be so proud of me now. Or proud of Draxen’s erotic talents with me. She would rumble a sensual purrrrr, then maowing-sing, Walk like an Egyptian... believe it, or not, Earthers, that phrase was used during that long lost time when those from Atlantis and other star races developed the first civilization on the Nile. Talk about a carnal loving free for all, or so my mother tells the story... and she has time-traveled there.

My latest adventure... snarls and tail-whips, getting used to the collar I must wear on Draxen’s homeworld during his sister’s wedding... my Draxen pays dearly for this choking indignity. Yowls-though, I suspect he rather enjoys my over-vigorous use of his cock.

Meowing advice to my author... gggrrrrrr... pen my next adventure, Red Lioness Tailspin ~ Adventures of the Red Lioness, Book II. Purring please...

Perception of others? Do you refer to the readers of my adventurous tale... yes, rawrrrr, my tail is adventurous... so far, I have been perceived well, by many, as I understand it... what’s not to adore about a red lioness woman? Fang-grin... especially me.

Five flounder-flopping questions, you say? Meow-okay, I think the orb will keep communicating through time.

If you were brought into this world, what would be your first order of business?
If I were to honor the stories of my big cat/human hybrid ancestors, I would work secretly to free them from the laboratory horrors they endured. And free them from the devices that were used to evilly track and control their very natures.

Is humor important? Why or why not?
Fish bones in my french fries... Humor is always important... one reason for my cat sayings... mostly mind mutterings to myself... I keep myself entertained while working alone on my bad-cat catching assignments... space is a big place and often lonely. Or, it was before Draxen.

My author is sending along one of my adventures BD, Before Draxen... titled: The Capture of BusterBalls... which has it’s humorous moments.

Is there a message you want to get across in this interview?
This is an opportunity I never whisker-licking counted on having, truth to your ears... that is, speaking with you humans on Earth during this crucial time in your history. As we see it in my time, yours is a turn of the century so dark, so evil in its undercurrents, any and all light shed by those of good heart and soul... and anyone who will bravely stand against it... these good thoughts and actions will contribute toward creating a world desired by All.
It is odd to us that one of your ‘movies’, Star Wars, a space opera, I believe you call it... so clearly depicts what actually occurs, right now, in your time.

If you could pull your author into your world, what do you think would happen to them?
Fang-fascinating to consider.... my author would be instantly placed in one of our rejuvenation centers. Once her many ailments were healed, she would be a prize on the marriage market simply for her Earth human genetics. Why do you think so many alien races visit your time now? Much of this visitation is for the purpose of harvesting what is often called, your ‘golden breeding’. Most of the harvesting is benign, hair follicles, skin cells. However, there are those few who remain vile in their methods.

Do you know we still possess the ancient of ancient rejuvenation technologies, used by the first Egyptians, on my homeworld? These technologies and more are currently on Phobos, during your time. I believe it was recently revealed by Richard C. Hoagland, and others, that Phobos is a satellite-like object, not a naturally-formed moon circling Mars.
In truth, Phobos was once a decontaminating and regenerating station orbiting Mars before the time of the solar system wars.

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
I believe my time is short to answer this question. The orb is fogging, flickering now.
Hissing whispers-shhhh... don’t tell Draxen, since he is swashbuckling ‘cocky’ enough... but his carnal way with me is far superior to any male I have known... not many, since their sexual appetites were... yawns and stretches... stinky fish boring.

Wait! Squinting my eyes... more questions... perhaps, if I brush the orb with my tail tassel... Draxen adores it whenever I remain as a lioness woman... and yowsa-powsa-sex! What my furry teasing tassel does to him when used on his anatomy, then what he does to me... plate full of shrimps-yum!

You, Earthers, have called my story sci fi... so, wilding roars, let’s go spanning the galactic stars...

So many intergalactic devices, so little mewing time... the weirdest one I’ve encountered was what looked a milky lavender-tinged blob, about the size of my two fisted human hands. At the time, I was alone on an automated vessel ferrying between two spaceports.
Thinking it might be a form of dairy cream, one of my favorite foods, I shifted into my lioness woman form... approaching warily enough, I sniffed... there was a slight gel-like movement, so I licked... the thing grabbed my tongue and wouldn’t let go... well, you can imagine... I’m spinning about, trying madly to shake the thing off... I can’t even scream bloody murder yowls... my tail is slashing about wildly, slapping against anything in the way... I end up banging the ‘blob thing’ against anything solid I can strike... turns out it was a vessel cleaner and was determined to give my tongue a thorough molecular scrubbing.

Now, I can laugh... at the time, I tried clawing the thing to death... when I could shift to full lioness.

Hmmm... maows, I’ve talked some about my times, the worlds I know... if you have any further curiosities, ask and my author will put the questions to me.

I’ve visited many, at least, a hundred planet-worlds and been on a few with little sentient life and no civilization as you would know it. One colossal planet-world is known as an apparitional world because most the life forms are white drifting plasma streams. They wrap around you and talk inside your mind. Not just telepathy. It’s as though you are speaking, not merely thinking a conversation. I ended up there, chasing a mooncat shifter who could phase to a similar state.

The one thing I wish they didn’t have on my homeworld ~ The annual Eat a Snail Festival. I can’t stand the taste of snails, but yowls and screams! I’ve been fiercely competitive since a kitten tot. I would always play in the snail football games... I’m superior at running and catching, so I passed the goal line carrying the catfish a lot... that meant I had to eat as many snails as possible before an opposing player seized the bucket they were in... because each snail I slithered down was an additional point on the scoreboard. Escargot! Hissing-yuck!

In my time, coffee like chocolate can be found anywhere the climate and soil is agreeable for the beans to grow, since it’s one of those goddesses-and-gods-gotta-have food substances, and was seeded, and is still being seeded on planet-worlds. The varieties are enormous and many folks make a trading business out of importing and exporting the beans, which are also highly medicinal for most races.
~~~~~~

The Capture of BusterBalls


Her heightened senses devoted to capturing her prey, Sun Rocket didn’t bother counting all the rainbows in the Uquenxia sky. The blaze-stained colors gently arched, one above the other, and hung as if a permanent feature of the small planet. "Meow and heart-stopping wow," she whispered for her own benefit.

Uquenxia, the fourth in orbit around a twin suns’ solar system, was a jungle paradise with an atmosphere friendly to her kind. Even the dark-skinned, pole-tall residents were friendly to her cat shifter race, unusual for a galactic world. Which made it all the more imperative to track down BusterBalls, a cat shifter gone rogue.

Allowing the amazing display to envelop her, she sniffed for the Tiger-Himalayan hybrid, who thought he was Bast’s mating gift to every woman he found carnal delectable.

"Stinking balls ass," Sun Rocket derided, scenting him. Sauntering lazily to avoid suspicion, she followed the tiny thread of odor, even though the jungle’s thick blooming fragrances surrounded her like fog and saturated her skin.

The fact that the woman BusterBalls stalked to seduce, may already be mated or with another male, rarely deterred the sly conceited cat. So named because his favorite method of getting rid of the competition–waiting with extreme patience, sneaking up on the unfortunate male, then using his massive tiger-strong jaws to crunch the rival’s testicles.

Sun Rocket winced, recalling the bloody messy visuals she’d been shown. BusterBalls didn’t possess an iota of mercy, his human side lost to his mating nature.

Aware of several creatures eyeing her as prey in this world of giant-sized animal life, Sun Rocket strolled toward an open air cantina, a chic establishment located beneath a semi-circle of enormous palm trees. She waved a friendly hand in the local style at the curious seated couples, while pretending not to notice the frank over-heated stares of two men.

An instant later her nose wrinkled in reaction to the stench of BusterBalls’ rut. Meow-yowl about a bad fish market. He’d been in the cantina recently, within half of Uquenxia’s bright long day.

Staying on the hard-packed path through the edge of the tropical jungle, Sun Rocket shifted with ease into her lioness woman form, since no one observed her, and she was on the hunt. As she chased her prey down, she became Kahoqua, her feline name. Her running strides silent and swift, despite her tourist-casual sandals, she closed in on the raunchy fucker.

Fierce, intent on ridding the intergalactic community of a bad cat shifter, she nearly rammed into a Uquenxian man who frantically hopped in agony, while holding onto his testicles. With primitive reflexes, Kahoqua jumped to the side, and raced on, knowing she couldn’t help him. Roar to hell! Catching the ball-chomping beast would save other males in the future.

Hearing the rapid moans of a woman being pleasured, Kahoqua leapt upwards into a spin, then charged in that direction. In moments, BusterBall’s mating odor competed with every jungle smell, a stink up to the suns. Once she heard his caterwauling lust, Kahoqua slowed her pace. Spying a tidy domicile, shaped to shed the frequent rainshowers, she stealthily crept forward.

Flicking her ears, she searched for his exact location. His humping smell was like a heavy mist diffusing her ability to sniff him out. Stepping behind an huge tree with smooth bark, she listened to BusterBall’s rhythmic grunts before peering around the trunk. In the filtered sunlight, his butt blatantly gleamed with striped pale tan fur. His yellow-fur balls swung like fat bulbous pouches as he plowed back and forth into the woman’s sheath. He’d only partially shifted, and was without his tail.

Kahoqua pressed against the trunk, her eyes clenched shut. Damn, the slippery trout of fate. She couldn’t bring herself to interrupt, since the woman seemed to be actually enjoying herself. And scrape hell with her claws, she wasn’t watching BusterBall’s ugly balls bounce as he fucked. Prepared to pounce, she listened for the woman’s final pleasure.

Once the woman’s cries of ecstasy joined with BusterBall’s rutting growls, Kahoqua peeked around the trunk while unsheathing her attack claws. Swinging back and forth with each vigorous thrust, the woman lay on a large hammock sideways, her dark lean limbs spread apart in a large V.

Bast, thank you. BusterBall’s testicles were hitched up tightly, ready to explode. He launched his loins forward, groaning his orgasm. Kahoqua sprang as he tiger-screamed his orgasm, the TestesTaze loop in one hand. Reaching him as he fell over the woman, she snaked her hand toward the front of his throat, and sank her claws into his fur and thick flesh.

Hauling him backwards by his throat, Kahoqua used the momentum of his weight to slide his cock out of the woman. Gripping the back of his neck with her fangs, she flung her body’s much smaller weight against his back. Unprepared for the attack and sex-depleted, BusterBalls sprawled through the air, then smacked onto the jungle floor, while the woman shrieked in fear.

Before he could whip around and savagely claw her, Kahoqua seized the slimy flesh of his sack above his balls. Her fingers squeezed into a vise. She jerked hard, sprang and straddled his back. He roared furiously as she clamped the TestesTaze loop where her fingers had been.

"Gotcha, ya bad kitty shifter," Kahoqua growled.
"No!" the woman shouted in her tongue, her desperation obvious to Kahoqua’s ear. "Love. Love."
"Love?" Kahoqua snarled toward BusterBalls slack ear. He didn’t move a big cat muscle knowing that excruciating pain would wrack his entire body from the Taze ring if he did.
"No, love," the woman continued. She rattled off a lengthy explanation of how she and BusterBalls had come to know one another, care for one another, and had finally fallen passionately in love.
"Understand, understand." Kahoqua waved a hand to halt her when she finally inhaled a large breath. "Tell me, who is the man with the crunched balls?"
"Her brother," BusterBalls croaked in a growl.
"He was here to force me to marry another."
Kahoqua rolled her eyes, and yowled a sigh. She couldn’t disbelieve. The woman was much too sincere. Plus the stars, her own lie detecting intuition didn’t wail a warning. "Holy catfish damn," she muttered.
Plopping her bottom down on the middle of BusterBalls brawny back, her tail slashing back and forth, she tried to think of a solution. "He’s been a very bad boy." Eyeing the woman, she asked, "Do you understand?"
"I told her," BusterBalls croaked again.
"Yes, he confessed his bad ways." The woman’s heart shone in her eyes, along with a ray of hope.
"Yeah, I’ll bet the shrimp farm on that one." Kahoqua growled a long sigh, listening to her own heart. "Here’s my offer. I can adjust the Taze ring to be comfortable and activate only if ‘he’..." she cast her glance down at BusterBalls, "leaves your world."
The woman smiled brilliantly, nodded, then fell to her knees beside BusterBall’s head, and stroked him tenderly.
"BusterBalls?" Kahoqua let her voice drip with fur-stripping acid.
"Yes," he simply spoke, somewhere between a purr and a groan of pain.
"Yeah, love...ain’t it grand as the galaxy," Kahoqua crooned. Rising, she efficiently adjusted the TestesTaze. "You know what happens if I have to hunt you down again," she threatened with her talking growl. And with the whipping slash of her tail.
"I know," he grrr-ed. Ever so slowly he turned over on his back. His belly exposed, his cock sheathed, he offered no challenge.
"No more happy fucking balls if you leave Uquenxia, remember that." Kahoqua pivoted, her own heart hoping for the best. Gazing over her shoulder, she added, "Be happy."

Izzy here with more on the sparklies

Since no one took this spot, and I know Tamara won't do it, I thought I'd drop by and share some more of the Sparkly "Cullen" stuff with you.

I know, I know. You're welcome.

The Things We’ll Do to Sell a Book

Here’s some fun: I work at a university and have been invited by a professor friend, Karen, to give a presentation about writing erotic romance to a group of 150 college students in her Sexual Health [averts gaze] class next week. She has asked me to not only do a reading from my short story, “Heat of Winter,” but to participate in the reading as the narrator while two of her students read the parts of my two characters. My professor friend has even adapted the story to a script.

Not to worry. No sex scenes will be acted out. Just the lead-ups. It is a state-supported university, you see. I get to cover things like how I got into this type of writing, how reading this type of literature can contribute to a person’s sexual health and improve their sexual relationships, and that kind of thing. But I wanted to share with my NLV friends how much fun college evidently is these days. They certainly didn’t offer this kind of thing when I was in school. Here’s the email exchange:

Karen: I really need to get you to my Sexual Health class (it's huge, 150 horny 19-21 year olds) and talk to them about ROMANCE!!! I'm serious! Would you consider doing that? You could do a reading too! We meet on Monday nights from 6:30 - 8:00 and I just happen to have an opening on Monday March 28th! Say you'll come! The kids would LOVE it! :-)

Delora: Oh, what a scream! I would love to, but Karen, I don't know if you want me reading such explicit material -- and it IS explicit -- to 150 horny students. I'm afraid an orgy will ensue. You may want to read it first. I'll be glad to give a presentation about writing romance and talk about anything you want me to, though. I'm open.

Karen: That sounds GREAT! We'll figure out something wonderful. This is the next to last night of class, and trust me, by that late in the semester they are TOTALLY desensitized! This class is actually set-up so that we have a BIG class on Monday nights and then they go to a "lab" later in the week with just 25 students. They have assignments due at each of these classes and one is actually about "fantasy." (We usually do it after the Monday Night Masturbation Night.) They each write two (anonymously): one they WOULD like to do and one they would NEVER actually do. Before we read a few, we talk about the differences in girl and guy fantasy; how to use fantasy in your sex life, etc. Is your target reader mostly male or female? I’m PSYCHED...this is going to be great!!!

Delora: What a class! Never in a million years would I have guessed that my tax dollars are paying to help college students figure out their damn fantasies! We didn't need that kind of help when I was in school. We were naturally wild. This is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life! I'll talk to you later about some sort of presentation. No matter what, we'll show them a good time!

Monday Night Masturbation Night? Folks, I feel shortchanged from my comparatively lackluster academic experience. The cool thing is that Karen wants me to present every semester and talk about my work. She also plans to feed the students’ fantasy assignments to me and tell them to read my books in case their fantasy appears in a future work. These kids will probably come up with things I can’t write about, but we’ll see. If I’d known they were offering classes like this, I might have re-enrolled.

[Special thanks to dear Tamara for posting my two previous blogs for me.]

Teen weres and half naked movie stars

You would think that the worst thing about being mated to a were is the other males being all male and intimidating and annoying. Well that is a pain in my ass but this weekend the absolute worst thing I have ever had to endure happened!

My home was invaded at twelve thirty on Friday night by the packs young females. We have the largest house, and being at the alpha's house is an extremely safe place, so all their overprotective parents thought it would be the best place for them. I had planned to leave Tarquin to his own bad decisions but he looked at me with terror in his eyes when they began to arrive and I gave in, decided to stay and help, not that I was any help really.

The young were girls all are afraid of me, which I prefer, and so none would approach me for a thing unless they were playing truth or dare.

Anyway the whole reason that they were there was to watch the dreaded new movie about the stupid sparkly vampires and apparently super sexy werewolves. The ten girls ranging from seventeen to twenty-two were oohing and ahhing and I could smell their hormones heating as the movie started and I began to realize why the parents were so concerned about where the young girls were at when watching the movie.

Fifteen minutes into the thing our house was surrounded by the young male weres of our pack, and even a few Tarquin didn't know! It was insane, of course what else could happen. The girls were practically in heat and as stupid as males are they came running without a thought. Most were smart enough to stay back from the house, although not all were and poor Tarquin was forced to engage more than one of the young males in a confrontation that left them wounded slightly physically and their pride in shambles in front of their pack alpha.

Of course its no news that werewolves are emotional, quick to anger and other things, so driven by them that they often are reacting before thinking. But the hormones of the young ones is insane! I am beyond thankful that my darling Alexia is only half were, I am not sure I could have dealt with a full were teenager.

And when the next movie in this horrid series is released....I will be on vacation!

Character Blog with Kyle McLaughlin

Hi! I'm Kyle McLaughlin, one of the heroes in Lisabet Sarai's book, Necessary Madness. The book will be released on December 28th. You'll be able to buy at Total-E-Bound:

Buy Link

What makes you special?
I have the power to see the future. Visions come to me, usually of some terrible disaster. It's like I'm there, living through the horror with the victims. This ability is more like a curse, actually. However, I've been learning to control it, with help from my teacher Elspeth and my lover Rob. Now I can sometimes navigate through time deliberately, change my point of view and discover the details of the future crisis so that it can be prevented.

Tell us about your most current adventure.
This would be an upcoming or new release. Feel free to share and excerpt, remember we are promoting as well as, having fun and include a release date if you have one.

Rob and my story begins in Necessary Madness. I was homeless, on the street, trying to drink myself into oblivion to escape the awful pictures in my mind. Then Rob showed up. He's a cop. He picked me up, brought me to the hospital and then home. I was attracted to him from the first time I saw him, but he resisted me for a long time. He thought that I was too young for him, that I needed an authority figure more than a lover. (Chuckle) I managed to convince him that he was wrong... Then Stefan Aries showed up, trying to steal my power through his black magic. But I really don't want to talk about that.

If you could offer advice to your author, what would it be?I think she should continue our story in a second book. Lots of people around the Quabbin Valley have psychic power. I'd like to find those people and help them before they get into the same sort of trouble that I did. I know that Rob wouldn't mind. He tries to act tough but he's got as soft a heart as any man I've ever met.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
Before Rob came along, people thought that I was just a crazy bum. My visions really scared people. I even upset the other guys in the homeless shelter. Rob changed all that. He gave me love and support. He gave me a home.

Is expressing love difficult for you? Why?
I had never really loved anyone before I met Rob. Nobody cared about me, whether I lived or died. My parents were killed in an accident when I was six. I lived my life in foster homes, always the strange kid, distant from everyone. My visions started at puberty and that pushed people even further away. By the time I met Rob I was cynical and desperate. It took me a long time to trust that his love was real.

Is there a message you want to get across in this interview?
The characters in paranormal books are usually painted as some sort of super-beings. I've got this incredible power of precognition, but all it has ever done has made me miserable, at least until recently. I suppose that creatures like vampires and werewolves might glory in their powers, but special abilities are mixed blessings at best for a human being like me.

What was the least interesting thing that has ever happened to you?
The least interesting thing? Hah! Most of my life has been boring and ordinary, except for the times when I was in the clutches of my visions. I remember my foster parents locking me in my room with a TV for hours at a time, just so I wouldn't bother them. School was a blank, a blur, everyone trying to pretend that I didn't exist. Sometimes I think I only started to live when I met Rob.

Share a little bit of the ‘real’ you with our readers. Any Dark secrets?
Well, I'm only twenty. I guess my darkest secret is the fact that when I was on the street, I sometimes gave guys blow jobs in order to get enough money to eat. Rob was really hurt when I told him this. He thought that I was some kind of tramp.

What is your most favorite thing to do?
Make love to Rob. Nothing comes in even a close second.

Have you ever lost control?
It's only recently that I've had any control at all. My visions could come at any time and they'd take me over completely. People thought that I was schizophrenic or epileptic.

How many sex partners have you had? How many at one time?
The guys that I blew in the alleys don't count. Rob's really the only lover I've ever had. He was the first person to--well, you know, to enter me. He didn't know I was a virgin at first. He thought I was a street-wise slut. Once he found out, though, he was as gentle and loving as any man could ask.

What are your opinions on Stefan Aries?
He's actually a lot like me, in some ways. He grew up feeling like an outsider. In his case, it was due to the fact that everyone in his family had psychic powers except him. He felt inadequate and unloved. Funny, I would have been happy to trade places with him.

What are the pro’s and con’s to being a precog?
Well, now that I can control my powers better, I think that I can actually help other people. If I foresee a disaster I can prevent it. Before, my life was just a hell. I wanted to kill myself rather than suffer through the agony of the visions and then the guilt at not being able to do anything about the things I could predict.

How does one become a precog?
Elspeth says that psychic powers are usually hereditary. I really didn't get to know my parents well before they died, but her theory sounds plausible. After all, Rob's sister was a telepath and Rob has powers too. He's an empath, though he didn't know that until we met.

Stefan was trying to become a precog himself, by stealing my powers. That involved a gruesome ritual that I'd rather not talk about. However, it clearly worked since that was how he became a telepath--killing Mary (Rob's sister) and taking on her paranormal abilities.

Describe your best kill. Why was it the best?
I don't kill people. Maybe you're confusing me with Stefan.

Preview of what to expect

My human author has finally releaved things from my point of view. Here is a small, but relevant preview of what you can expect.

By reading this excerpt you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age or older. If you are under the age of 18, you must exit this site.

Lustful Torment
© Copyright Annie Alvarez
All Rights Reserved, eXtasy Books

Excerpt:

Jaz soaped up my hair, massaged my scalp and then pulled me into the water flow and into her arms. As the shampoo ran out of my hair, our lips met and her embrace tightened around my waist. Her hand followed the path of the soapy water until it reached my butt cheek, giving it a little squeeze. Slippery and wet, she rubbed her breasts against my chest. Her nipples grew harder with every pass. I reached between her legs, my hand palm up and fondled her crotch. She dropped her head on my shoulder, sinking her teeth into me as she held back a cry. The hot steam rose around us, enveloping me in its warmth while her bite captivated my senses, encouraging my sadistic side to emerge. I had all but forgotten what it was like to be with another experienced vampire. We loved pain and we loved to bite.

I gripped her hair and pressed her face into my shoulder. I wanted to relish the sting of her fangs for as long as possible. I forcibly drove three fingers deep inside her cunt, and she bit harder. Tendrils of pleasure latched onto every nerve, and I spiraled into a passionate frenzy. Alice moved rapidly as I turned and slammed Jaz's back against the wall where she once stood. Jaz moaned, released her bite and then filled me with her fingers, compelling my tightened muscles to give way.

As the hot water beat on my back, Jaz continued to fuck me, unrelentingly, driving her fingers into me, adding more fervor to each new stroke than the last. My knees had threatened to buckle. I knew I would come if I didn't stop her. At the same time that I grabbed her wrist, pushing her arm down forcing her fingers out of me, I latched my teeth onto her shoulder, maneuvered my back against the shower wall and jutted my fangs into her flesh. She moaned and her knees gave. I held her tightly against my body with one arm clasped around her waist. My other hand invaded her wetness while I dug my fangs deeper and drank from her shoulder. Suddenly, the hot water turned to a cold spray. As I gripped Jaz by the waist and threw her out of the shower, I saw Alice moving her hand away from the faucet handle. I hissed and grabbed the back of Alice's head, getting a handful of her hair in my grasp.

"You were draining her," Alice pleaded in self-defense.

"She is mine to do with as I please," I snarled, then yanked her head back exposing and biting her neck. Careful only to take a small amount of blood from her, I forced her mouth to my already healing shoulder and made her taste my blood.

Baring our Fangs

Dominique: Bonjour, my name is Dominique Valois and I’m visiting here with Kia. I’m a born vampire, practically vampire royalty back in France. Kia isn’t pure blood vampire *sniff* but we won’t hold that against her.

Kia: Hello, my name is Kia Montana. Please ignore my…friend. Hybrids are extremely rare, and I think Dominique may have underestimated just how dangerous we can be.

Dominique: In my world, there are a few different types of vampire all linked to different chakras. We feed on both blood and energy. However, my type say we’ve moved beyond the need to feed on humans…but I’ve always known something was missing in life.

Kia: Human blood is as essential for a vampire and hybrid’s survival as water is to a mortal in my world. And I’ve never had any trouble seducing a man and drinking the nectar from his vein. Besides, once bitten, a human never remembers the bloodlust act. I won’t jeopardize the secret of our immortal race.

Dominique: I’m currently working damned hard to find a way out of an arranged marriage to another born vampire. He’s crazy, dangerous and has threatened my family. My only option is to ruin myself (Victorian, I know, but the born vampire court is like that)…and the best person to do that is the biggest, baddest vampire hunter in the business, Rand Wilder. Now I just have to seduce the stubborn, battle-scarred hunter…

Kia: I wish you luck Dominique. Unfortunately, I have my own problems. I have to find the Dark Lord— the most ancient of vampires. I need his blood to save my dying mother, and I’ll do anything to get it. Anything.

Here are a couple of snippets from our Nocturne Bites stories:

Dominique and Rand’s story, HUNTER’S SURRENDER by Anna Hackett, available April 1st from all major eBook retailers. For more info on Anna’s books, check out her website http://www.annahackettbooks.com/:

Rand let his gaze skim over her perfect lips, then traced over the smooth, white skin of her throat. God, he bet she’d be delicious. She’d feel silky and supple. And he’d be the first to slide his body into the warmth of hers.

Jesus. His chest heaved. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’m not interested in screwing a princess with fangs.”

Heat seared along her cheekbones. “Watch it, hunter.”

Time for him to get out of here. Before he did something stupid—like touch her. He stepped around her. “I’m leaving.”

She sidestepped in front of him. “I haven’t finished with you yet.”

That silky voice stroked over him. Rand went to move around her, but found his feet rooted to the ground.

Damn! Usually a vampire’s thrall didn’t work on him, but this woman’s voice was a powerful weapon.

She came closer and he smelled her scent. Fresh water with a hint of some flower he couldn’t name. It wrapped around him. So clean in the blood-soaked darkness.

Her violet eyes widened. “You’re so hot.”

She lifted a hand. It hovered between them for a second before she pressed her fingers to his chest.

Lightning. They both gasped. Her fingers clenched on his shirt, then moved in a caress. She smoothed those long, elegant fingers over his muscles.

“So much energy, so much rage,” she whispered. “How do you function with such chaos inside you?”


Kia and Ronan’s story, HER DARK LORD by Mel Teshco, out now from all major eBook retailers. For more info on Mel’s books check out http://www.melteshco.com/:

“Amore,” Ronan groaned. “We should go.”

It was past time to leave. If only through a tidal wave of desire and hunger, fury didn’t writhe within like a snake uncoiling, an undiluted wrath that had her jerk out of his grasp and spin around to face him.

It might be her vampire side causing her eyes to burn, her fangs sharp points on either side of her bottom lip, but it was her human side that saw her raise her hand, her open palm connecting to his cheek with a sharp crack.

Little could stop a vampire’s bloodlust. But incredibly, all motion froze. The DJ ceased play. And vamp’s with blood on their lips and lust in their stares, dropped their eyes and bowed their heads.

At some level, she recognized she’d broken some basic vampire code. Right then she didn’t care. All she saw was Ronan and his lie.

Anger bubbled within: at his duplicity, at her own idiocy, but mostly at the catastrophic waste of time, which may well affect her mother’s outcome. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a vampire?” she hissed.

With eyes shot red and incisors long, his voice was oddly calm. “There is much you haven’t been told.”

Anger grew, vibrating through her chest to feed a savage ardor. “What?”

“Not here.” He offered her his hand. “You want to meet the Ancient One. I will take you to him.”

A murmur rippled through the onlookers. He quelled it with a look, and waited, hand outstretched. “Now or never.”


Vampire hunter Rand Wilder hated vampires—even if they were as beautiful and alluring as vampire princess Dominique Valois. For years he fought the beings who had killed his father, resisting their dangerous sensuality. Yet even Rand was tempted by the intoxicating Dominique and her shocking offer: to hurt the vampire court by taking her virginity....

A desperate need to ruin her reputation had forced Dominique to seek out the hunter known as The Darkness. But she hadn't expected Rand to be so captivating and compassionate.... Soon a very different sort of need drove her desire to take Rand to her bed. And with Dominique's survival depending on it, she would have to use all her skills of seduction to make this strong hunter surrender to passion....




When dhampir Kia Montana takes a man home, she isn't looking for names or a relationship—she only wants someone who could satisfy her lust for both sex and blood. But Kia's new mission is to find Sean Maximillus, Lord Vampire and the lone being capable of curing Kia's mother. Kia thought she found the key to success with Ronan, a mysterious man who promises to take her to Maximillus...and who shares a carnal passion with Kia even bloodlust couldn't match.
But Ronan also seems to know too much about Kia...things she never told him. And as she is drawn deeper into Ronan's world, he reveals secrets that will change Kia's life forever....



Thanks to Tamara and the gang for letting us visit.

Dominique and Kia

Blog Bites with Marianne Stephens

We’ve got our FANGS in Marianne Stephen’s Serena Xavier

Tell us about yourself.
I’m Serena Xavier, from Second Sight Dating by Marianne Stephens
Jasmine Jade (Cerridwen Press)
More about me
ebook and print versions available


What makes you special?
I’m psychic. I use my “second sight” to match couples. Opening a dating agency just seemed like the most logical and natural thing for me to do!


Wow. That sounds very interesting. Tell us about your most current adventure.
Dan Reese came into my agency and the moment he walked through the door, I knew I was in trouble. I was attracted to him, and there was something about him that seemed out of place. I match men and women using numbers and letters. Men get numbers and women get letters. When I touch a man’s hand, I “see” a letter for a woman. When I touch a woman’s hand, I “see” a number for a man.
 My system’s almost perfect…except that for Dan because I saw three letters. I knew something was confusing my system. Either he wasn’t telling me the truth, or his sex appeal was driving my “sight” crazy.
This book is available in both ebook and print versions. In “Second Sight Dating”, Serena Xavier runs a dating agency using her “second sight” to match couples. However, client Dan Reese challenges her system. Is it because he’s really undercover Detective Dan Carrington and investigating her agency? Or, is it because sparks of desire flare between them and she wants him for herself?

Excerpt:

“So, explain exactly how this works. Do you gaze into a crystal ball and conjure up dead spirits?”
Ice water flooded her veins. It figured. In front of her sat the sexiest man she’d met in a long time. His strapping physique and wonderful aftershave had clouded her insight. A momentary loss of mind control had allowed her brain to maneuver a slight detour from sanity, but that was over.

Annoyed with his remark, she stiffened her spine and readied herself to dismiss him and his irritating attempt at humor. To hell if he was handsome. She wasn’t in the mood or business to tolerate skeptics.

“I’m sorry you came all this way in the hopes of finding entertainment. You’re no comedian and I don’t perform, either. I’ll be happy to refund the amount of your certificate.”

Serena rose quickly from her seat and stepped around her desk. She tripped over her blasted rug again as she approached the man in his chair, losing her balance. She reached out to steady herself but faster than she could imagine, he jumped up and caught her before she hit the floor.

His arms surrounded her in an effort to break her fall. Heat cascaded through her body the closer he tugged her to him. Letters popped into her head, over and over again.

That’s the pattern her “sight” followed. When she touched a man, she’d see a letter for a woman listed in her files. When she touched a woman, she’d see a number for a man who’d be a good match. But never before had three letters or numbers materialized for anyone. It had always been one letter or number per person.

This stud, and he definitely fit the category, filled her with conflicting thoughts of warmth, security and irritation as he squeezed her tighter into his embrace. Her heart beat in double-time rhythm.

Serena fought to regain control of her senses. He was a client. She ran a business. Professionalism and composure needed to be employed.

“Are you okay? Sorry about my lousy attempt at humor. Just trying to calm my nerves. I’m kinda having a hard time admitting I need help. Please, I want to do this.” His voice, barely above a whisper, tickled her ear, the one his lips lightly grazed as he spoke.

Do what? Lord, she could imagine lots of things two people locked in an embrace could do that weren’t remotely related to her job. Forcing herself to breathe normally, she focused her unnervingly wayward thoughts on a key word, job. She did have a job to do.

He needs help finding women? Was he some type of genius business geek who’d been locked away but now ready to test the waters of the dating pool? With her last shred of strength, she pulled away. Contact gone, the letters stopped their unending dance in her head.

“Apology accepted. I’m fine. Thank you.” While swearing under her breath to fix the damn rug, she straightened her clothes. A slight chill covered her body. Short of putting on a jacket or sweater, neither of which she had, not much could be done. Serena quickly crossed her arms in front of her, chiding herself for letting him affect her. No other client had come close to messing with her body chemistry.

“Let’s start over. I’m Dan Reese and I’d like to use this certificate.”

His smile undid her. The chilly sensation in the air disappeared and Serena relaxed her stance.

Dan sat again in his seat, a sensation of loss without her in his arms frustrating his body. I hope you’re on my list. She fit so perfectly next to him, her long, leggy body lined up against his. She had to be just a few inches shorter than his six-foot height. Her shape? Men would crave to touch that body.

Everywhere.

Her auburn hair fell freely around her face, framing it with short, delicate curls. Those lips, full and painted some shade of dark pink, begged for attention. Light, chocolate-brown colored eyes sparkled with flecks of green and changed in intensity the more he stared at her.

She’d captured his attention all right, if the prickly hairs on the back of his neck were any indication of sparking his interest. A lower portion of his body hadn’t missed responding to the delightful sensation of having her pressed against him.

Sitting gave him the edge in getting his libido and all visible signs of it, under control. His undercover job required a cool head and level thinking. Any hormonal reaction would have to take a back burner.

“What do I do first?”

Serena nodded, accepting his willingness to start anew. She offered him a handful of papers. “Fill out these forms. If there’s anything you don’t want to answer, let me know. Some information is vital, other stuff is optional.”

Dan quickly scanned the forms and noticed they asked standard questions he’d come across on everything from car loan applications to job searches. He began writing, but stopped at the preference list.


Eyeing her, he decided to list her physical qualities as to what he wanted in a woman. Career and education requirements could vary, although he did hope to be paired with someone who could carry on an intelligent conversation.

For this case, gritting his teeth while posing as an insurance salesman needing help to find a love match got the detective through the door. He used his standard choice of names as a cover, that of Daniel Reese. Easy enough to remember as Dan was his first name and Reese, his middle name. To ensure his sanity remained intact, complications and headaches involving simpering, clingy, self-centered women had to be avoided at all costs.

“Here.” He handed her his form. “I guess I’ve done my part. Now what?”

“If you’ll stand over by the door, I’ll take your picture.”

“Be sure and get my best side,” he quipped as he grinned for the camera.

“And, that would be where?” Serena shot back, making a mental note that the man could display a sense of humor when he wasn’t challenging her. After taking two quick shots, one close-up and one full-length, both returned to their seats.

Her eyes roamed the questionnaire before she spoke. Silence, except for the ticking of a cuckoo clock, reigned in the small office.

“Now,” she voiced with a slight quiver, “I need to touch you.”

If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
Go with your instincts. Your first idea or perception is usually correct.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
Most understand my gift and are happy when I match them. I get real angry with skeptics, though. I don’t force anyone to believe in my gift, so am wary or anyone making jokes at my expense. Dan annoyed me at first, but apologized and seemed really interested in how I could match him.

Is there a message you want to get across in this interview?
Go with what feels right. My second sight told me Dan wasn’t what I thought, and even after I suspected him of being a gigolo, I still couldn’t stop my heart from wanting him. Deep down inside, I trusted him and couldn’t escape his sex appeal!

If you could pull your author into your world, what do you do with her?
I’d like to test her to see if she’s psychic. She’s had a few instances in the past where she “saw” things that happened. I’m not talking about intuition, though. One time, she knew someone was in danger near a fire, and it turned out to be true. Stuff like that. Hmm. Maybe that’s why she decided to make me have psychic abilities.

If you could time travel, where would you go?
Wow. You know, I’d love to go back in time and meet Nostradamus. Now that guy seems like he was a real psychic, if you read his quatrains and believe how people interpret them. Did he truly have psychic abilities to see into the future?

Share a little bit of the ‘real’ you with our readers. Any Dark secrets?
This is crazy, but the one time I tried matching myself with someone, it didn’t work. Maybe it was because I ignored all the warning sounds buzzing in my head and let his charisma overwhelm me. He was a charmer, and I reacted like a lovesick fool. Damn. I can’t let my clients know about this. You won’t tell, will you?

What’s the kinkiest thing you’ve done? Stupidest? Craziest?
I tagged along on the dates I set up for Dan. Three dates, all disasters. I had dates for myself, although nothing special. But, Dan’s three dates were all wrong for him. Like, the woman who was more interested in my date than Dan. Then, there was the Doggie Dinner we went to, where people brought their dogs (like Dan’s date did). The howling and barking still echoes in my head. Date number three? We ended up participating in a murder mystery since Dan’s date was a cast member and gave us parts to play. Are these crazy enough for you?

Can you match me with someone?
’I’ll do it for free, since you’ve been so nice to interview me. But, you’ve got to come to my office, fill out paperwork, and let me touch your hand so I can “see” what male client “number” pops into my head as being right for you. Call and make an appointment.


I’ll certainly take that into consideration. I’d like to visit a true psychic. Thank you for stopping by and letting us pick your brains.
Tamara

Character Bio: Serena Xavier, female psychic. Serena’s had psychic abilities all her life, and so has her brother, Michael. Her business, “Second Sight Dating”, has been fairly successful, and building her reputation and clientele is her goal. And, finding a wonderful man…like Dan…would complete her life.

Silence of the Dead

Nothing is typical. That’s a mantra that I constantly reminded myself of from the moment I was turned. People carry on hoping for the different and we sit on the other side of that mirror, wondering what it’s like to be them. For the most part, this leaves us in a constant state of yearning—we live in extraordinary times… no matter what time we’re alive in. What a curse.

My guest was sitting at the island in my kitchen enjoying a glass of wine. He was older, salt and pepper hair carefully combed back. His goatee was immaculate though they didn’t match his bushy eyebrows set over eyes so brown they appeared black. I stepped in and folded my arms over my chest, inviting him to say his peace.

“I’m glad that you’re being reasonable, I was so afraid that this would be… unpleasant at first.”

“Yeah, crazy that someone might defend their home from an intruder.” I rolled my eyes. “Whoever would think that could happen? What do you want?”

“I represent certain interests… interests that have very long memories.” He took a long drink from his glass, leaving just a puddle at the bottom, hardly enough to sop up with a finger. “They had dealings with you… oh, sometime in the early nineteen-hundreds. I believe it was just before the Great War.”

“Don’t tell me, you’re a collection agent that just realized you could catch up on a debt some hundred years old.” I leaned against the wall. “Who is it?”

“Very amusing but no… it’s a friend of yours named Harrison Blythe. Do you remember him?”

I hesitated but it wasn’t necessary. I wouldn’t forget Harrison for as long as I lived. The man was a particularly potent necromancer and a bastard to boot. When I was still in England, I met one of the men who was in his little circle of influence. The resulting relationship drew Harrison into my life and I had regretted it ever since.

“What about him?” I kept my voice carefully neutral.

“He has something that he thought you might find intriguing… something that might benefit you both.”

“It’s generous of him to think of me, but really Avon isn’t my thing…”

“The sarcasm is growing old.” My guest glared at me. “We both know that you carry the Essence. Your old friend Percy made certain to tell us all about it.”

“What is this, a who’s who of my life?” I shook my head. “Get to the point. What’s he got that I would care about?”

“A soul… a very old one… something that he thinks you would barter for.”

“Um… what? What soul? And what does he want? It’s not like I can extract this… whatever you think I have. It’s in me, it’s not a pair of panties.”

“The person is someone very dear to you, I assure you,” The man said, smiling for the first time. “She’s a long lost friend of yours, someone that you haven’t seen since… well, since she supposedly passed away. Sometimes we operate rather quickly and can make sure things don’t… you know… make their way needlessly to the other side.”

“Very cryptic. I’ve known a lot of people. Who do you think you have?”

“We have your creator, Aria in our possession. Her soul, living out countless moments of torment in a soul orb…” He seemed to take glee in my narrowed eyes, the look I couldn’t quite hide that said I’d happily kill him then and there. “I’m glad I have your attention. Perhaps now we can begin negotiations.”

“For what? I just told you that I can’t give you what you want!”

“Oh, my dear Annette… we don’t need you to give us that in particular.” He chuckled. “No, my dear. We can take care of everything. You simply have to give us your life. A fair trade, don’t you think?”

Wake up early… enjoy a home invasion… welcome a psychopath to my wine… and have him ask for my life. Couldn’t anyone just send chain letters anymore? I mean, really.

A bloody message

My writer is having issues, well she calls it a break, "a creative break." I call it- I am going to start biting you and making you do as I say if you don't start writing our stories again-

Of course when I began to threaten her she began to yell and write a story that has nothing to do with me! Can you believe that! I am not okay with this side of her. When we met she was so sweet and willing, now she has begun to show her true nature. She thinks she is running the show, thinks she can do whatever she feels like because she is the talent, and I am just the life she writes about!

I can hardly believe it myself. So I went up to see her this weekend, thought a face to face would do the trick. So didn't turn out as I had planned. She was all cute and demanding and all "I will do as I please"

Normally that would have pissed me off to the point of murder! But I can't hurt my writer, so I am here to vent and say that as much as it kills me to do so, I am letting her get this 'other' story out of her system before she starts in on another of ours. I don't know that I will allow more than one to interrupt though, I am not a reasonable person, as most soon find out.

If I had a choice I would take her hostage, I would tie her to a desk and make her write 24/7 or as close as she can manage, being just a weak human after all. But I have been advised that this would not be a good idea, would 'stifle' her creativity and her willingness to write for me. So I haven't, yet.

However I am ready to, if she doesn't get back on track ASAP! And to let her know I am serious, I left her a gift last night on her bed...

JONATHAN SPEAKS! A "Lost Boys" star is truly lost...

Man, did anyone even KNOW about Corey Haim of "The Lost Boys" fame, having died on Wednesday morning? That movie is one of my top favorites--who knew vamps could look as cool as 80's rock stars? Still, its sad when you hear about someone you like having died. We all know he had drug problems and whatnot, so 38 is definitely not a good time to leave the earth.

Everytime I hear about someone...anyone dying, it just makes me feel a little weird. Humans are fragile creatures, and I think we take it for granted. Some of us believe we're invincible until something life threatening happens to us. Deep down, folks don't like to believe they're capable of 'dying'--'death' itself is something they try to hard to politely ignore. It's that side to life that no one wants to hear about. Maybe that's why I'm so fascinated with it. Kiera nearly had a hissy fit because I kept a dead bird in a ziplock baggie tucked away in the back of the freezer. I just felt bad for it, and didn't want to see it decay. (And no, I'd never go as far as trying to do that to an actual person. I'm not THAT weird. )

But back to my main topic of Corey Haim. Another cool actor has bit the dust. We lost A LOT of them last year, and it seems like Death has taken up his scythe and is going on another spree already. I can still hear Corey now, speaking one of my favorite lines out of "The Lost Boys"...that moment when he finds out his brother is one of 'them'...

"You're a creature of the night Michael! My own brother, a goddamn shit-sucking vampire! Oh, you wait 'til mom finds out, buddy!"

In many ways, Corey will never really be dead.

Brain to Brain, Word to Word

(This post is courtesy of Delora Daye)

I have a critique/writing partner about whom I am crazy. We are both Gemini writers – a turbulent combination. Intense, witty, caustic and whimsical. Hot and cold. Tame and bold. We are so much alike that talking to him often feels like talking to myself. Sometimes we feel like we are inside each other’s head. You will meet him soon because eXtasy Books has just accepted a novella of his.

I’m delighted for him – and for me. So solitary is the writing process that we writers grasp at the nearest kindred spirits who relate to us, empathize with us, and motivate us. I need my partner. I like having him to share this obsession with. I have several trusted readers/proofers, but my critique/writing partner understands precisely the struggle or success I experience in producing a solid piece of work. He and I feed each other’s creative spirit.

Our different strengths complement each other. We can achieve a balance. I am a grammar Nazi who is great with snappy, whip-sharp dialogue. He has a true gift for imagery and description. Sometimes we overdo it on both areas and rely on each other to pull us back to middle ground. Balance. We get a broader vision as a team.

I trust his opinion. Do I still get nervous passing my work to him to review? Hell, yes. I want him to like it most of all. After myself, he is the one I want most to impress. He feels the same way about my opinion. We write for ourselves, then for each other. If the results pass muster with the both of us, it is ready to send to the world.

Brainstorming, writing, proofing, editing and revising is as time consuming as anything I can imagine. My partner and I make ourselves as available to one another as much as possible when it comes to helping on a writing project. It is part of the territory. Whether is simply asking one another for the right word or nitpick proofing the final version of a manuscript, we take each other’s projects seriously and put in whatever time it takes to help the other get it right.

He is immensely talented and has both my awe and respect. As a marketing communications writer and former reporter, I have been writing professionally longer than he has. But he has been writing for years and could be an excellent memoirist if he wanted to be. We have a lucky combination of talent and rapport, the sum of which is mutual respect.

With my partner, I always have someone to bounce ideas off of, someone who will tell me when my work needs a little more refining, and, yes, someone to deliver the necessary devil: constructive criticism. We pull no punches. We’re merciless with one another. Yet we love each other and have a lot of fun. Our creative relationship has made us very, very close through a special bond that even our respective spouses acknowledge. Writing can be very lonely, but the isupport one gets as part of a team in invaluable. My partner and I do hope to collaborate as co-authors on a project, no doubt something erotic. It’s a running joke that because he tends to overuse the word "slick" and I tend to overuse "delicious," we will call ourselves "The Writing Team of Slick and Delicious." Well, not actually, but be prepared. The day will come when our partnership realizes a co-author credit, hopefully with eXtasy Books.

A taste

I am feeling off tonight, need to get out and have some fun. So I am leaving you all with an excerpt from my book Blood Visions out now at http://www.extasybooks.com/

She had pale skin and although she was very small, she was toned. He knew she would possess a strength great enough to handle a romp in his sack. The thought made his cock twitch with anticipation. His gaze followed the neckline of her dress and he saw a hint of black lace underneath. If she were a Keeper, he would already have her naked, plunging deep into her softness. Never had he stopped himself from partaking in pleasure so willingly offered, especially from someone so beautiful. But he couldn’t, wouldn’t, fuck a vampire. They were the enemy.
"Tell me Tarquin, what do you know of vampires?"
"Enough to know they are dangerous untrustworthy creatures. Not exactly mate material." Even if his cock was hard and ready between them, thinking it really was a great idea to have her any and all ways he could.
Her gaze locked onto it and he saw her hands clench in his wolf’s fur. The scent of her arousal hit him a second later and he let loose with a savage howl before he leaped at her.
He crushed his lips to hers, forcing them open and thrusting his tongue inside. His hands roamed her body roughly, pulling and tearing at her clothing. If he was going to have her, then he was going to have her his way. Rough and tough, not loving and mating. She wanted him and he wanted her. That is all it needed to be. Raw and instinctual, they were driven to satisfy themselves. No reason to fight it. Ones basest instincts always seemed to win out anyway. And his said take, take what he could without giving anything back.
She moaned against his mouth and her body rubbed against his unabashedly. He tore his mouth away and latched onto one of her perfect pink nipples. She cried out and dug her hands in his hair, holding him close, begging for more.