Chat at Ethan Day's

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Sunday, April 25th is Gay Day at my Yahoo Group.  Gay Day is the one day a month when the best authors in GLBT Romance stop by to post excerpts of their new and upcoming releases. 

 

The following authors will be generously offering giveaways you can enter to win:

AKM Miles – Love, Grant – Available April 26th

Andrew Gray – An Unexpected Vintage

Clare London – Winners Choice from Her Backlist

Trina Lane – The Perfect Union

TC Blue – A Game of Chances

Leiland Dale – A Prophecy of Destiny

Jambrea Jo Jones - Retribution – Available May 3^rd

Kimberly Gardner – Bound to Please

Stephani Hecht – Man Down

P.A. Brown – L.A. Heat 

Z.A. Maxfield – Fugitive Color – Available April 27th

The amazing Authors below will be popping in and out to chat & post excerpts from their latest books:

Lynn Lorenz – Pinky Swear

Amanda Young – Pool Boy Seduction

A.J. Llewellyn – The Book and the Rose – Available April 25th

Jamie Samms – Spinning & Life After

Kimberly Gardner – Blush from Red (An MLR Antho edited by Kris Jacen)

P.A. Brown  - L.A. Bytes

Lex Valentine – Where There’s Smoke

Clare London - Heart & Home

 

The day will begin from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST in the Ethan Day Yahoo Group where we’ll be posting excerpts, running contests for free books, and chatting about all the new and upcoming releases from your favorite authors.

From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. CST we’ll be hosting another LIVE Chat which is pretty much a free for all, anything-goes-chat that’ll inevitably have you uttering the phrase, “What the f**k?” : )

***You will need to have Downloaded Skype in order to take part in the Live Chat.***

Once you’ve downloaded the FREE software, simply add me as a contact: ethandayonline -- and I'll be able to add you to the chat room!

I hope everyone will stop by to catch up with your favorite authors and join in all the fun!

Zombie Love

By A.J. Llewellyn

One of the most coveted, most stolen books in the Los Angeles Public Library System is a book called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
I figured this title had to be a joke at first. I discovered the joke was on me when I realized Austen's novel of love and small minded British folk was not the only classic to receive the 'mash' treatment. Authors are weaving zombie tales set during the same era in and out of the original texts.
I took the time to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and was fascinated. I love the movie 28 Days Later and had always understood from my work as a script reader that zombies are political metaphors. Suddenly, they are so much more than that.They are sexy.
Studio executives are turning away vampire stories in favor of zombies, but like vampires, the new breed zombies are hot and sexy...and romantic.
I did some research and saw that a few erotic romance authors are penning zombie tales. I pondered the thought: Can I do this?I decided the hot new trend being trilogies or collections of short pieces could be combined with erotic, romantic zombie tales could be a winner. I approached my publisher Tina Haveman who had to be convinced.
She thought I was smoking wacky tobaccy when I first suggested it until she went online as I cradled my phone against my ear and she could see how huge zombies are.
"My God," she said. "They're even putting zombies in Tom Sawyer!"
Yup. And now, thanks to my two frequent co-authors D.J. Manly and Stephani Hecht saying yes, My Zombie Pride, a trilogy of hot, lusty gay zombie stories has been released.
My story, With This Ring focuses on a TV writer who meets his dream man. Jude has an unusual problem, he can't sleep, has an erection that won't quit but there's something odd about him...I wonder what?LOL.
D.J.'s story Louisiana Lust combines voodoo and a hot prospect: zombie hookers.
Stephani's story, Salting Zombies is like a gay Romeo and Juliet.
Oh, the agony, the ecstasy! The Blood!
Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/y8f6q9c
And forget everything you ever thought about ugly, face-falling-off zombies. Zombies are hot, baby. And they have gay pride.

Aloha oe,
A.J.

A Love Story

The other day during dinner, my daughter announced, “I have a boyfriend.”

Even though she’s only eight, my husband immediately got a panicked look on his face. “What do you mean a boyfriend.”

Daughter rolled her eyes. Funny how at third grade she already has this move perfected. “You know, Daddy. A boy who loves me.”

“I’m sure you don’t mean he loves you,” I told her.

“Oh, but he does. You see I was running on recess and he was running too. We ran into each and fell on the ground. As soon as we got up, we looked at each and...” she paused for drama as she put a hand to her heart”…it was true love.”

I should point out that my daughter has a speech delay so it came out as “Trew lub.”

By this point my husband was so worked up I thought he was going to piss kittens. “You’re too young for true love,” he argued.

“Oh, but Daddy it is,” she sighed.

“What’s his name?” I asked, as I got up to pour my husband a strong drink.

Daughter scrunched up her face. “I don’t know his name. I just call him Bad Boy because he’s always in trouble. That’s okay though, because all girls like the bad boys.”

I poured my husband a double.

The love affair lasted a whole week before there was trouble. Daughter came home from school, threw her backpack down, then fell back on the couch in a dramatic fashion that would have made Scarlett O’Hara proud. “I had the most terrible of days.”

“Really, what happened? Did they run out of your favorite ice cream bars again?” I barely looked up from my computer, because quite frankly there is always tragedy where she is concerned. I’d be worried if she didn’t come home with tale of woe.

“Bad Boy and I broke up!”

Now that did get attention. After all it’s not every day “trew lub” is thwarted. “Why? How? When?”

“We both got in trouble in recess line for talking. I told him it was his fault. He told me it was mine. Then we got mad and broke up.”

Now I was the one panicking. How should I help her get over this loss? Do I get her ice cream? Chocolate? A sappy chick flick? “Are you okay?”

She shrugged. “I think so. After all, there are way more boys in my class than girls. I think I’ll start searching for a new boyfriend tomorrow.”

“Another bad boy?”

“Nah, I think maybe this time, I’ll pick someone who is more quiet and doesn’t get in trouble all the time.”

True to her word, the next day she had a new boy in her life. I met him at the class Valentine’s Day party. She was right, he is nice, quiet and totally under her control. I wonder how long this love affair will last?

-Stephani Hecht

Stealing My Heart

Book piracy is a crime that impacts all authors. With every new release, I know my book will be uploaded to a pirate site within hours. Not days, folks, but mere hours. The debate rages on whether or not piracy hinders sales. Some would give a resounding yes. Others think of it as free publicity. Personally, neither one of these is an issue with me. It all boils down to one simple point--people are stealing and it's wrong. I'm not going to let this discourage me from writing, however. This is what I love to do and nothing could me want to quit. I have vowed, however, to do my very best to educate others about this subject.

Piracy hurts. For some insane reason, people think that all authors make a fortune. Wrong! Most authors have to work a day job to make ends meet. We work for pennies an hour, often under immense pressure and little payout. If I can make one person understand this and they stop downloading "free"copies of my books because of it, then I consider it a success.

I was given the wonderful opportunity to participate in an anthology with some wonderful authors. Like me, they have been the victims of piracy. All the proceeds from this book will be used to educate and promote the anti-piracy message. It will be available March 1st at Total-E-Bound-Books. I consider it a huge honor to be able to work with such a wonderful publisher and group of writers.

-Stephani Hecht

e it in another time, another dimension, or another world, the authors of the Stealing My Heart Anthology will take you away to a world where male/male love and passion reign.

Stephani Hecht, Jambrea Jo Jones, A.J. Lewellyn and D.J. Manly, Carol Lynne, Jaime Samms, and Serena Yates, have all contributed their talents and their time to make this exciting contribution to male/male erotic romance.

All proceeds will go to help fight illegal e-Book downloading. Thank you, and enjoy!


Stolen Memories by Carol Lynne

On the eve of his mother's funeral, Aden Brousseau met Victor DePasse for the first time. For years his mother had warned him to stay away from the dark-haired neighbour, but on that particular evening, Aden hadn't listened. He'd been fascinated with the handsome man since the day he'd overheard his mother and grandfather refer to Victor as a vampire.

Now, twenty years later, Aden once again is in the presence of Victor DePasse. Only this time he's older and knows exactly what he wants.

After years of visiting his charge in his dreams, Victor suddenly has the man he's fallen in love with in front of him. Does he defy his orders and make Aden his, or does he obey and give Aden up to his destiny?

Stealing Rain by A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly

In the not too distant future, water becomes so scarce the hunt is on for any drop on other planets. Drew and Trace, former lovers find that love, not just rain, is high at any price.

Drew Lecour was once the pride of the military, until he'd decided to leave the federation and became a rogue, selling water to the highest bidder. Trace had a history with Drew, one that involved some hot sex and broken promises. And now, after not seeing him for years, Drew and his crew suddenly show up on a planet Trace has been contracted to protect, a planet where Drew is set to drill for water.

Trace doesn't have a choice. He has to defend the water supply. His men are waiting for their leader to give the order to kill, but he can't bring himself to do that. So he confiscates Drew's equipment and takes him prisoner; but having Drew naked and at his mercy proves far more challenging than he'd anticipated, and then, there are others forces at play.

Hotwired Heart by Jaime Samms

A good car thief needs sixty seconds, but grand theft heart might take even less time than that.

Freedom and trust; opposite sides of the same coin that could give expert car thief, Marky, the win he's looking for. Little does he know escaping his gang ties will lead him through heartbreak and into cuffs he hadn't even thought to watch out for. Now he can trust the powerful man who wants to help, or he can keep running.

It all depends on how much he values his freedom, and whether or not Roland has managed the impossible; hijacking Marky's carefully guarded heart.

The Magic Thieves by Serena Yates

Elryk Muyd'omir is the most powerful lightning wizard born on Tah'Nut in two hundred years and a pacifist. When he refuses to co-operate with the illegally ruling Xoh'kas family they torture and kill his lover. Rather than risking the death of thousands by losing control over his lightning magic in his rage, he flees to Earth—a place without magic. When the gateway that connects Tah'Nut to other worlds opens Elryk knows that the Law Forces have found him. It is time to either face cruel punishment or fight.

Kaythan Vs'urr is a Law Force Commander who is sent to retrieve the criminal wizard Elryk. He is expected to return him to Tah'Nut for ‘reprogramming'. Secretly disgusted with the Xoh'kas' lack of determination to stop the magic thieves, he has decided to win Elryk for his plan of defeating them. All they need to do is find the fabled Magic Shield to prevent further thievery.

Can Elryk trust the gorgeous Law Commander who wants his help? Will the two men be able to work together to defeat the Xoh'kas and eliminate the magic thieves?

Stealing Michael by Jambrea Jo Jones

Can one wrong make it right?

Robert's mother pushes him into stealing a painting. He is in over his head when the homeowner catches him in the act. It leaves him wondering what to do now?

Michael's life turns in a new direction when a stranger enters his home and the urge to protect the thief overcomes his common sense. He knows he should be angry but who can resist a thief that looks like an angel?

Dragon's Eye by Stephani Hecht

After a decade of living under the iron rule of a sorcerer, dragon shifter, Duncan Moore finally has his chance for freedom. With his former master dead, all Duncan has to do is steal the very thing that has been holding him captive all these years, his dragon's eye. The stone holds his magic and his dragon self and without it, he can never go home again.

What should be an easy theft turns complicated when he finds that someone has beat him to the eye and he has no idea where it could be. To add to things he suddenly finds himself teamed up with the dead sorcerers' son, Trent. For years Duncan has longed for Trent, but had never dared act on his desires. Then one night of passion between the men changes everything and Duncan realises that he could lose something far more valuable than his dragon's eye, he could lose Trent.

Will Duncan be able to save them both? Or will he have to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Playing Nicely Together

By A.J.Llewellyn

One of the questions I'm often asked by readers is how does a collaboration work between two writers living far apart?

I have been extraordinarily lucky that D.J. Manly first contacted me 19 months ago and asked me if I wanted to collaborate. I'd always seen myself as a lone wolf - and so did D.J. - but he had an idea and sent me the first few chapters via email. I loved it.

I've said this before so I am not telling tales out of school, but D.J.'s idea of two romance writers meeting over the Internet and falling in love just grabbed me.

He wrote the chapters from Thomas' point of view and his growing feelings for Marcus.

As I read the pages, I realized I'd be writing from Marcus' POV.

I emailed D.J. saying I couldn't get into the name Marcus, would he mind if I changed it to Matt.

He didn't mind at all and I jumped all over the story that became Black Point. The funny thing is, I've sat in rooms with people and had difficult collaborations, but not this time.

A friend of mine is an author and approached me to write a book with her. She had a wonderful idea but presented me with sloppily-written pages and inserted A.J. - SEX SCENE NEEDED HERE.

I don't write like that. Neither does D.J. Thank God.

The sex scenes must be organic to the work, I think.

She also freaked when I did write the first sex scene - a blow job. She thought it was dirty.

I knew right away we couldn't work together. It saved our friendship and our sanity.

To write in any genre, it's important that you both have a love for it. If one author is squeamish about explicit sex, you are doomed to failure.

Trust me on that.

If one of you has trouble writing and the other keeps pulling the wagon, ditto, as Patrick Swayze was fond of saying in Ghost.

Oh, D.J. and I didn't always agree, but it was one point we argued and D.J. turned out to be right. I think the success of any collaboration lies in trust.

At some point, one of you is gonna jump the shark. So somebody has to be unafraid to paddle the canoe back to the right pool of water. Sometimes it's me, sometimes it's D.J. To be honest, it doesn't happen much with us, because we seem to be so in tune.

I trust D.J.'s heart and his mind. He loves the characters we have created as much as I do. As we wrap up the final work on our 15th book together, Blood Eclipse 4: Apocalypse, I find it hard to do anything except think about Rory, Carden, Dennis and Thiago.

We have become so comfortable writing together now, our styles blend so well even our editor can't tell who wrote what. Neither can many of our readers.

I think this is the sign of a successful series. I've had conversations with other authors about their collaborations and from what I see I am lucky. Some collaborations become volatile and painful. I feel especially lucky because I now also have a fantastic partnership with Stephani Hecht.

We have the same wonderful discussions, nutting out ideas, leaving each other to float and dream and when sharks approach, we yell, "Ahoy!"

As D.J. and I wind up work on Apocalypse, I feel a sense of sadness saying goodbye to our characters. This is our last book in this particular series but D.J. and I have many more lined up. It's just so hard to say goodbye.

I think this is a good sign though, that the characters cling to me, and I to them. We play so nicely together.

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Found Writing

By A.J. Llewellyn

You hear about Found Art all the time, but I rarely, well in fact I never read about the literary equivalent, Found Writing.
This is the story of how a #1 best-selling E book almost wasn't...and how some stories finally find their homes...
Back in the day when I went to pitch meetings at film studios, my house was filled with story synopses (four pages) and treatments (ten pages) all of them ready at a moment's notice to be sent via fax to some development executive's office.
I had an agent and she loved my work. I practiced all my pitches on her and went off to meetings, but in spite of some great responses and near-calls with actual deals, I remained empty-handed.
I had a dream after watching a particularly odious athlete mouthing off about love and women and wondered how he would react if he woke up as a woman one morning?
Well, it was an idea but I took it even further and ran to my agent's office the next morning and pitched her the idea for Tall, Mean and Darkly, a play on the 'tall, dark and handsome' stereotype.
My idea was this: A guy's wife dies. They had a pretty good marriage, not perfect, but he loved her. She comes back. As another man. How will he cope with not only having her back from the dead but with a dick?
The agent stared at me. "And?" she said.
And?
Was she kidding me? I thought this was a great idea. I could see it as a movie. Right there and then she burst my bubble. I put aside the four-page synopsis I'd pounded out.
A couple of months ago when I was in a rare mood to clean up the place, I found it again.
Tall, Mean and Darkly, was I think a little too adventurous back then even though Ghost was a big hit...I realized my agent at the time didn't like the gay element in the story because for the husband to accept the wife as a man he'd have to be...gay.
In my newish career as an author of gay erotic fiction, I didn't have to worry about upsetting any executive's sensibilities. I pitched the idea to my co-author Stephani Hecht and I think the book is not only one of my best and certainly our best collaboration to date, but its stellar sales have been a redemption for all those shutdown ideas I ever had.
It was a reminder that agents and those in The Biz who should know a good idea from a bad one, don't.
It was a reminder not to listen to negative thought. Not to stop the creative process. No doesn't mean no in the writing world. It just means its time to get it to somebody who'll say yes.
I owe a lot to Stephani who jumped in with both feet and contributed her own wonderful ideas to our collaboration.
I have to also thank our publisher, http://www.extasybooks.com/ for running with it - and to our fantastic cover artist Martine Jardin for turning out such a wonderful cover.
Yesterday I sent my former agent a note letting her know about Tall, Mean and Darkly. She wrote back that she often wondered what I did with it. She said she'd followed my career and had this to say, "I think of all the commissions I could have been earning from your book deals. Let me know if you need help in that area."
Yeah, right!
If you have an idea, however remote or weird, don't listen to No. Find your lost writing and Just Do It.
In the meantime, Stephani and I are doing the sequel to our book. Taller, Meaner, Darker comes out February 1. I can't wait!

Aloha oe,
A.J.

Taking Stock

Good afternoon everyone! Well, this week I decided it was time to take annual stock of my life. I have a tendency to do this every year right after my birthday. A year older, not sure if that means I'm a year wiser, but who knows. What it does mean is that 365 more days have passed and what have I accomplished?

I know that in the past 365 days I have kept myself as healthy as I can, baring a few unexpected surgeries, a few more missing body parts, a few more added pounds (why is it never less pounds), and a few more book contracts.

Literally a year ago August I told myself I would be New York published by the time September rolled around this year. That didn't happen. I could probably come up with a million reasons why, but the truth is it didn't. What did happen is I signed a 12 books contract for a series of contemporary novellas with eXtasy Books called The Zodiac Club. The first two are now out, Midnight Seductions and Candid Seductions just released this past Thursday, Oct 15th. I did sign a contract with eXtasy Books for a new series of paranormal novellas to be written with Stephani Hecht. The first will be out October 31st entitled Salem's Seduction. And I sold an erotic short story Coffee, Tea or Mimi to Noble Romance which was out in May 09. And I finished a two year stint as President of the Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America. I have been on our local board 11 years of out 14 years.

That being said, I think it is definitely time for Patti to focus on Patti. Don't you agree? Am I discouraged that I didn't sell to New York? Of course I am, but it won't stop me from trying again. Am I discouraged that I didn't sign more contracts this past year? Heck no, I am very grateful for the ones I did sign. And add to this taking care of myself, my hubby, my kids, my four-legged kids and running my household. It's a full-time job, on top of a full-time writing career. Can I ask for more? Sure, but then I would sound greedy (G)

Till next time, I hope you are all taking stock of your lives and enjoying every minute of every day, doing what you love. I know I am.
Patti