Contemporary vs Historical Voice

I’ve thought about this a lot lately.

It’s no secret that my friend and guest blogger, Ava March, has a wonderful historical voice. I know she goes to great pains to make sure she has each detail correct, titles, clothing etc. When you read one of her Regencies it feels right. Ava swears she cannot write a contemporary book (I don’t really believe her by the way).

I’ve written historicals. The Squire and the Sorcerer’s Lover series are both set in medieval times (quick shout out to E.H. for the best movie ever, Ladyhawke). And so is A Knight For All. Of course, Another Chance, is set in the Regency. But I definitely do not have a deep historical voice. I write what could be considered “historical light”. I try to get simple things like titles right, but you aren’t going to find lots of historical details. If that is what you are looking for probably my historicals won’t be for you.

I originally started writing historicals, actually, because I always loved reading them myself. But I decided not all that long ago really that for the most part my voice is better suited to contemporaries. Probably in much the same way Ava has decided her voice is suited to historicals.

Does that mean I won’t write more of my male/male historical lights? No, I definitely will. I already have plans in the works for more so I can’t say I will write strictly contemporaries. But likewise I can’t or won’t change my style of writing. My brand of historical light will not be for everyone.

And speaking of contemporaries, Elisa Rolle did a lovely review of Most Likely to Succeed over at her livejounral. Elisa is a wonderful supporter of our genre as most familiar with the male/male genre know.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/617713.html

As some of you know, Trust is probably my last release for EC. I have released five books with them now, four of which were male/male, and one of my stories made it into a print anthology (which got 4.5 stars from Romantic Times Magazine).

I'm sad to see the end here. I was always treated very well and had a very good working relationship with my editor. I am also very proud of all my releases there. So why is it the end?

Well, as I've stated on my website and here, for the most part I am concentrating my career in the direction of the male/male genre. That's what I want to write. Both Wanting Sam and It's Only Make-Believe were very well received and I don't want to say I won't ever write another male/female pairing but I don't see it happening in the foreseeable future.

The publisher at EC has made statements that the male/male genre is a "diminishing fad" even though most other epublishers would disagree. Therefore while not outright refusing to take any more male/male romances they are discouraging the submission of them.

At present all my works in progress are homoerotic romances so you can see why that would not make me compatible with EC at present.

Trust by Shawn Lane is released

Brad Callahan has lived with regret for thirteen years. In college, he broke Justin Lowe’s heart by cheating. Justin hasn’t spoken to him since, but his love for Brad never died even if some wounds never heal. When Brad’s paramedic unit is called to an accident, he finds Justin in the wrecked car. Still in love with Justin, Brad visits his former lover and well-known mystery writer in the hospital. When Justin reveals he believes he was forced off the road and has been receiving ominous letters, Brad takes Justin home. Passion long held back ignites and they cannot resist being in each other’s arms. With someone wanting to tear them apart and Justin’s inability to trust Brad again, will love be enough to unite them forever?

Jasmine Jade Enterprises - Trust

Also Trust has had its first review posted at Erotic Horizon's blog: erotichorizon.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-trust-shawn-lane.html

Bound to Him by Ava March is released

Lord Vincent Prescot’s life couldn’t be better. Thriving investments, well-respected by his peers, and mind blowing sex with a man who submits to his every desire -- what more could he want?Lord Oliver Marsden should be more than happy with his life. He’s been in love with Vincent for over a decade and six months ago the impossible happened and they became lovers. But since then, nothing has changed. More specifically, Vincent hasn’t changed. Oliver has tried to be patient -- it took a lot for Vincent to accept the fact he preferred men. But what felt like a tiny distance between them six months ago now feels like an ever-widening chasm. Why can’t Vincent stay the night? Is it too much to ask for Vincent to call him Oliver and not Marsden? He knows Vincent cares for him, but does Vincent love him?Then Vincent’s father asks him for a favor -- one that involves marriage. If Vincent agrees, he’ll have the respect he’s craved from his father his entire life but he could lose Oliver. Nor does Oliver make the decision easy. To keep Oliver, he’ll have to do more than deny his father. He’ll have to give Oliver his heart.

Bound to Him from Loose Id, LLC

Congratulations to Ava on the release

Blog Changes and Releases

I've been tweaking the blog a bit over the weekend. I'm not very good at technology I am afraid and it took me this long to figure out what I've done in the last few days (I started the blog like a year ago or maybe slightly more, though it has evolved over time).

On the other hand I know of some blogs that are so graphics heavy they take forever to load and I don't want that either. I'm a fairly simple sort.

I think Ava March's first post on my blog was a success and now we will have to think of some more things for her to post about since she believes she is boring unless given a specific topic to post on. I'm sure we'd take any suggestions on subject matter.

Both Ava and I have releases this week. Ava has the long-awaited sequel of Bound by Deception out tomorrow, April 28, 2009 from Loose Id, called Bound to Him. And I have, of course, Trust, releasing Wednesday, April 29, 2009, from Ellora's Cave.

Winners Announced

Thanks to those that participated in the giveaway of a free copy of Trust.

Will the following please email me at authorshawnlane@gmail.com with your email address and preferred Ebook format:

Shayne
Erotic Horizon
Stacey
Natesmom

Congratulations. I'll probably do another giveway when Car Wash is released in June.

Thanks and hope you enjoy the book.

April 25, 2009

Today is the last day to enter your name for a chance to win an advance free copy of my April 29, 2009 M/M erotic romance release, Trust, from Ellora’s Cave. Please leave your name if you are interested in the chance. Contest ends 04/26/09 at Noon, PDT.

The winner(s) will be announced Sunday, April 26, 2009.

The Hardest Part of a M/M Historical Romance…

(by Ava March, guest blogger and new official moocher of Shawn's blog)

No, not that! While I prefer my heroes hard in my m/m historical romances, I don’t find it particularly difficult to get them hard. No, what I’m referring to is the HEA (happily ever after) in a m/m historical romance, Regency-set romances to be specific.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Regency time period in English history, it technically began in 1811, when the king’s son (George, Prince of Wales) was appointed Regent, and ended in 1820, when King George III died. But since the king’s illness (i.e. madness) started earlier than 1811, an extended or greater Regency time period is commonly used and goes from around 1790 to 1830. I personally prefer to set my books around 1820, give or take a couple years. Why? Because men’s trousers became accepted as eveningwear around 1816. I prefer my men in trousers versus breeches or pantaloons (I mean really, what hero wears pantaloons and stockings with ‘pumps’????). Plus, I’m not a huge Napoleonic war buff. Therefore, I set the time frame for my stories accordingly.

The Regency is bracketed by the Georgian era (think powered wigs and highly stylized clothing – i.e. the movie Dangerous Liaisons) and the Victorian era (think uptight and VERY restrained). The Regency era is very elegant, with a strong emphasis on proper manners and spotless reputations. You get a mix of the extravagance of the Georgian era with the Victorian preoccupation with maintaining appearances. Makes for a very interesting time period to write in…at least I think so. And yes, I just had to throw the picture of Colin Firth from the movie Pride and Prejudice in there – I think Mr. Darcy just epitomized the Regency period. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it really is a shame Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley never hooked up. They would have been so great together!!

All right. Enough of the primer on the Regency and of my own fantasies involving Bingley and Darcy. Back to the topic of this post. In the Regency time period homosexuality was not just frowned upon by Society, but it was illegal. If you were convicted of ‘buggery’, you could be sentenced to death. And yes, they did have trials and they did hang men if convicted. In fact, the executions were public affairs and people gathered outside the prison to watch the poor fellow(s) die. Rather gruesome afternoon outing, if you ask me, but I guess there were some back then who found watching an execution a form of entertainment. The newspapers of the day seldom used the term ‘buggery’ in articles about trials and convictions. It was commonly referred to as an ‘unnatural crime’ – just further drives home how they thought of homosexuality.

Therefore when it comes to writing a m/m Regency-set romance, the whole ‘could get hanged if word got out’ thing is something that authors can’t ignore. It’s a constant opposing force acting on the romance. Add to that Society’s expectations that men of good families marry well (not necessarily for love, but to form alliances with other families, increase a family’s wealth or land holdings, etc) and the preoccupation for maintaining a spotless reputation, and it makes crafting a HEA for a gay couple very difficult. If a man held a title or was an heir to a title, then it was expected he marry and produce the required heir and a spare. Duty to one’s family was very important, and ingrained in men at a very young age.

So, given all that, is it possible to have a HEA in a Regency gay romance? Of course. But it is a challenge, and it most certainly had to have been a challenge for gay men in the time period. The constant need for discretion, to keep their love for one another behind closed doors, the fear of being discovered…it must have been a horrible truth to have to live with, and I can just imagine that it tried many a relationship.

Are you wondering yet how a gay couple could realistically have a HEA? I hope so, as I’m going to give you some examples from my own work, and from another author’s work. In Object of His Desire, Arsen’s a titled lord (the Marquis of Somerville) yet he has no desire to marry. Realistically, while most lords married, not every titled lord married. In Arsen’s case, he didn’t wish to marry, and was willing to let the title go to one of his brothers' sons. Conveniently, he had four brothers, one of which already had an heir. So, the title would stay within the immediate family. As for the social pressures, Arsen had had enough of London and wished to remain at his remote Durham estate (in northern England). Henry, the other hero, was the 3rd son of a country gentleman. Since his family wasn’t titled, he didn’t have the huge pressure to produce an heir in the event his elder brothers died without issue (i.e. didn’t have any kids or only had daughters). The book ends with Henry agreeing to remain at Arsen’s country estate, where they would have greater freedom than in London, but would still need to be careful. Arsen had servants, and while they were loyal, one can never predict what employees will do (disgruntled employees and all that). So no heavy make-out sessions for Henry and Arsen at the breakfast table, but at least I tried to craft it so that the constant pressing threat of discovery would be lessened.

Another example would be Bound by Deception. The two heroes, Vincent and Oliver, are both second sons to marquises, and as such are aware of the expectations placed on men of their station. In Vincent’s case, he was also very concerned about appearances. He strove to be the perfect gentleman, so his desires for Oliver were contrary to his own expectations of himself, and something he needed to come to terms with before the two men could have their HEA. Bound by Deception ends with Vincent coming to terms with his desires, and Bound to Him continues their relationship. It picks up six months after Bound by Deception, and in it I tried to give a glimpse for what it could have been like for a committed gay couple in Regency England. Of course, Vincent is still very concerned about appearances, and their relationship is further tested by the social expectations of the time period. Duty to one’s family, and all that. And, of course, you’ll have to get the book when it comes out on April 28th to see if the two men are able to maintain their HEA.

One last example for you, and it’s different than my own works because it deals with a widower. In Shawn Lane’s Another Chance, both heroes are titled lords. Aubrey, Viscount Rothton, has a title though it’s not much of one anymore. One night during their last year at Oxford, Aubrey and his friend Daniel had a scandalous encounter in a carriage. But before their relationship could go any further, Daniel’s father unexpectedly died and Daniel became the Earl of Greystone. He married and produced the required heir and a daughter. Years later, his wife passes away and he’s left a widower. He and Aubrey reconnect, yet even though Daniel has already satisfied the ‘heir’ requirement, there are still many obstacles in the path to their HEA. Since he has children who will someday move about Society, he needs to keep up appearances and continue to move about the ton. Plus, well, he has children who live with him, so he needs to keep his relationship with Aubrey hidden from them, as well. Both men are left knowing that their relationship will not be an easy one, and that they likely won’t be able to see each other often, but it’s a reality they accept in order to be together.

So you see, a HEA in a Regency-set romance is possible, but it is a challenge to craft one that is realistic to the time period. Personally, I find the HEA the hardest part of a gay historical romance, but also the most satisfying element of the story. If a relationship can survive in the Regency, then it must be very strong and meant to be. A true love match.

All right. So what do you think? Do you like to read Regency m/m romances? And if so, what attracts you to them?

Thanks!

-Ava

----------------
Object of His Desire, Samhain

Bound By Deception, Loose Id

Bound to Him, Loose Id/April 28th 2009

www.AvaMarch.com

April 23, 2009

Recently two blogs I follow got me thinking. One was Shayne's This and That where he talked about dreams we have when we are young and the other was Erotic Horizon's blog where she mentioned our changing reading habits over the years.

Some comments on E.H.'s blog reminded me that when I was a young girl even before I started reading romances I read Nancy Drew. I had forgotten that. I guess that is where my love of mysteries really came from and really even romance because Nancy had Ned. All perfectly innocent of course since they were children's books. I spent hours and hours engrossed in those novels. I don't remember now when I gave them up for other fare. First innocent but sweet Regency Romances and then books by Rosemary Rogers and Bertrice Small. I drifted from those eventually to Julie Garwood and Amanda Quick (and eventually Jayne Ann Krentz). I still read those two authors.

I've always liked variety though so I got into reading horror (Stephen King and Dean Koontz--still read King, haven't read Koontz in a while), the late Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series, Martha Grimes mysteries, and True-Crime non-fiction books. I still read horror when I can, unfortunately I've now read all the existing 87th Precinct books, no longer read the Grimes books because they began to change, and I still read True-Crime. For instance, I am completely and utterly fascinated by the Jack the Ripper murders.

I have even read all the Harry Potter novels and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Eventually I found ebooks and loved the instant gratification of having the book right there, right now. I read almost exclusively ebooks now which is helped enormously with my new Kindle. And of the books I read probably 85% are homoerotic romances. I've been reading those for several years now, well before I wrote them. I've sometimes thought if there is such thing as reincarnation I was once a gay man in another life. Strange disclosure probably.

What is the scariest book I've ever read? Without a doubt for me it is Stephen King's The Mist. The movie sucked. But the book was just breathtaking in it's terror. In just a few short pages King made me care about the main family, made me hold my breath as the mist started creeping toward them. It terrified me as well as breaking my heart. It was so intense at times I had to close the book and let my heartbeat and my mind return to normal. Even still when I think about some moments in that book, I get chills. Fantastic work, in my opinion.

What is my favorite book of all time? I couldn't say, really, I love so many, but I will say I absolutely love, love, love Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I think it is brilliant.

Anyway, thanks to E.H. for making me think about what I've read over the years. I've always loved to read. And I think my love of reading created the writer in me.

Shayne got me thinking about dreams. When I was a kid I always wanted to be a writer. I communicate better through writing than any other way. I'm pretty much a solitary person. I'm often called anti-social by the people who know me because I prefer to stay home over going out to party or whatever. Often when I am out, others most certainly dominate the conversation. My mind wanders to what stories I can create.

Even when I wanted to ask my parents for permission for something as a child I would ask in a note. I was famous for my notes. I always did well in creative writing. I thought what career can a writer have other than novels so I planned to be a journalist. It seemed to be the way to go but when college came around I ended up not going for it. For a long time I regretted that lost opportunity until I realized more recently that though I do wish I had gotten a college degree being a journalist was never my dream.

I thought my dream of being a romance writer would take me to the big New York pubs. Even had an agent for a while. I wrote four historical heterosexual romance novels, all of which have been published now by e-publishers. But oddly enough when I went to write more of these historical romances I'd be more interested in the men and what they thought of each other and what they wanted to be to each other. I had a series I had intended to be heterosexual medieval paranormal romances but I'm now thinking very seriously of letting them go where I seem to want them to, to homoerotic medieval paranormal romances. And I must say Ava March has been mercilessly encouraging me in that direction.

Anyhow, I realized I want to write gay romances more than I want to write other romances. I realize that isn't mainstream. Avon or Ballantine or Harlequin are not going to publish them. It's fine. I'm okay and even happy with where my dream has taken me. I have my days where I read a bad review or I think what I am writing is crap. But then I get a lovely email from a reader telling me how much they enjoyed my book and it's all worth it.

So yes, I have realized my dream to be a writer, though as a child I couldn't have imagined where I am now. I am quite happy with things though as they stand considering it will only be a year in June when my first Shawn Lane gay romance was published (The Squire).

And now I realize that this post is horribly long and no one will likely read it anyway, lol.

Song I'm Currently Hooked On: Lie to Me by Johnny Lang

April 22, 2009

Damn, this has been a bad week. Very depressing. Don't want to go into it too much, but a lot of stress at the day job, can't relax, not making much progress on books, not happy with stuff going on. Just ugh. So because I am very unhappy right now I thought I'd post a nice picture. Hope it cheers everyone up.

Thus Far...

I have seven people entered in the Trust free ebook contest.

There is still time to enter by commenting on the blog that you would like to enter. Contest closes on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at noon PDT.

Trust is a m/m erotic romance.

Trust Blurb:

Brad Callahan has lived with regret for thirteen years. In college, he broke Justin Lowe’s heart by cheating. Justin hasn’t spoken to him since, but his love for Brad never died even if some wounds never heal. When Brad’s paramedic unit is called to an accident, he finds Justin in the wrecked car. Still in love with Justin, Brad visits his former lover and well-known mystery writer in the hospital. When Justin reveals he believes he was forced off the road and has been receiving ominous letters, Brad takes Justin home. Passion long held back ignites and they cannot resist being in each other’s arms. With someone wanting to tear them apart and Justin’s inability to trust Brad again, will love be enough to unite them forever?

April 20, 2009

So I suppose I should mention that one of my stories, Stone of Wrath, is available in a print anthology from Ellora's Cave called Torrid Topaz. Don't know if I have mentioned it here or not. Honestly, I haven't really plugged it much since my story is the only gay romance in the book. Nothing wrong with heterosexual romances, but since most of my readers probably prefer gay romances it seems a little strange to encourage them to buy the print anthology. I thought I'd mention it anyway. Should be kind of interesting for those readers who expect all heterosexual romances in the anthology to come across Jed and Topaz's story.

Plugging away on Beyond the Norm, my Goth/Biker story. I'd like to have it done and off to publishers by the middle of May, but we'll see how that goes. Life gets in the way sometimes.

After that, I'll have to decide what to work on. I'd like to get started on The Other Side 2, the continuation of Ray and Nick's relationship, but also I'm reminded that I agreed to do a song-title book, Ticket to Ride. It's not due until September but I loathe waiting until the last minute. Not to mention I still have, Never the One, my cop partner-murder mystery book, and Pieces, my next very, very angsty book I want to write (one hero is still devastated over the suicide of his lover). As my friend Shayne would say, it will definitely be a two-hankie story.

Don't forget to comment if you want to win a copy of Trust, my last Ellora's Cave release coming out later this month. I'm really proud of Brad and Justin's story and I think my readers will really like it. So don't miss out. Right now there are so few comments, ALL those who have commented may win a copy.

April 19, 2009

I've invited historical m/m writer, Ava March, as a guest blogger on my blog.

Ava writes Regency set gay erotic romance for Loose Id and Samhain. Currently she has Object of His Desire with Samhain and Bound by Deception with Loose Id.

Later this month she has the sequel to Bound by Deception, Bound to Him, coming out from Loose Id. It will be released April 28, 2009.

This summer she will have a new release from Loose Id, Convincing Arthur.

You can also visit Ava at http://www.avamarch.com/.

Don't know yet when her first post will be, but Welcome Ava.

Trust Giveaway

I'm giving away a free copy of my April 29, 2009 M/M romance, Trust. In order to be eligible to win you need only leave a comment on this post before Sunday, April 26, 2009 which is when I will choose a random winner of Trust from those who comment.

Here's the blurb:

Brad Callahan has lived with regret for thirteen years. In college, he broke Justin Lowe’s heart by cheating. Justin hasn’t spoken to him since, but his love for Brad never died even if some wounds never heal. When Brad’s paramedic unit is called to an accident, he finds Justin in the wrecked car. Still in love with Justin, Brad visits his former lover and well-known mystery writer in the hospital. When Justin reveals he believes he was forced off the road and has been receiving ominous letters, Brad takes Justin home. Passion long held back ignites and they cannot resist being in each other’s arms. With someone wanting to tear them apart and Justin’s inability to trust Brad again, will love be enough to unite them forever?

Ratings

I seem to be particularly gabby today.

I’ll be away from home for a few days. Taking a little trip with my family. Should be fun. I’ll have my laptop with me but doubt I will visit every site I usually visit. Have to have some time for the actual trip (Sin City).

I signed up for the reader sites Library Thing and Goodreads last year. I remember finding Library Thing because of Elisa Rolle’s reviews and I think I found Goodreads because Ava March mentioned it to me.

Anyway, as I think anyone who writes ought to also read, especially in the genre they write if they are an author, I find the sites quite fascinating.

If anything it has been my experience those that are on Library Thing are a bit harsher with their ratings than those that are on Goodreads. Don’t know why that is, but that’s what I have found with the genre I read and rate there, M/M romance. But even on Goodreads I am amazed when a book that I absolutely loved didn’t appeal at all to someone else. I wonder what they didn’t see that I did. But such is life. We are individuals with differing tastes. Much the same way I love lobster and someone else hates it. Sure, I can think they are a bit insane.

But it also makes me wonder about ratings. On Goodreads, if you pause your cursor over an unrated book it will tell you that one star means you didn’t like it, two means it was okay, three means you liked it, four means you really liked it, and five stars means you thought it was amazing.

Now see I think this causes a lot of people who really liked a book that might have normally given it five stars to give it four simply because “amazing” is pretty damn subjective. So I ignore what Goodreads says what the stars mean and go with my own.

1 star – hated it (reserved for books I really, really didn’t like)
2 stars – didn’t like it (reserved for books not for me but someone else might like it)
3 stars – average (probably most people who read the genre would like it, some more than others)
4 stars – liked it a lot but there were one or two things preventing me from giving it a 5 star rating)
5 stars – really enjoyed it, would recommend it to readers of the genre, very well written in my opinion
5 stars –books-i-really-loved – these are the books I could gush over and read again and again.

There are books I give really high ratings to and then my jaw drops when someone else gives it 1-3 stars. Say what? I’m learning to deal with it though. Just because I am a gushing fangirl over the book doesn’t mean everyone else has to be.

What prompted this post? Well, there was a book I loved. I’ve already read it a few times. It’s part of a series in fact and I loved both books. Someone else I know on Goodreads gave it a three and this person has loved books I probably would give twos to and someone else didn’t finish the book (this person rarely likes any books though so it’s not surprising and even less likes books I do, we obviously just disagree).

There are millions of people who love the Harry Potter books and millions too who probably wonder what the fuss is all about. Ah, well, such is human nature, I suppose.

Another Excerpt - Car Wash

This one's not out until June but might as well whet the appetite.

Blurb:

Kevin Flaherty’s life really sucks. Laid off from his job, forced to sell his motorcycle, and facing eviction from his apartment, things can hardly get worse. Forced to work a low paying job at a car wash, Kevin is too embarrassed to even tell his friends, Noah and Charlie (from Pulling Away), even though Kevin is barely surviving.

Hotshot lawyer, Michael Bennett, comes in to have his Maserati cleaned. Kevin knows Michael well. When Kevin was fifteen, an openly gay twenty-one year old Michael was Kevin’s dream. But when the teen-aged Kevin made his move, Michael rejected the too young Kevin. Nine years have passed and Michael is surprised how attracted he is to Kevin. He soon takes him out and then takes him home. This time the beautiful man is not too young.

When he learns of Kevin’s situation, a smitten Michael makes it his job to clean up the disaster that Kevin’s life has become. But his take-charge, bossy way irritates a sensitive Kevin who starts a fight, ending in the breakup of their budding relationship. A breakup neither of them really wanted.

Excerpt:

Michael watched Kevin spin around the front hallway of his two-story house. The younger man had a natural energy Michael had always admired and envied. And there was a sexy elegance to the way he moved, too.

It hadn’t been a lie when Michael had said he had rejected Kevin because of his young age. Kevin’s energy and enthusiasm alone drew Michael to him. Now, all these years later Kevin had finally fulfilled what the cuteness of his youth had always promised and he was absolutely gorgeous.

“This is a great place,” Kevin said after a while. He stopped in front of the stairs. “Must’ve cost a pretty penny.”

“Mmm.” The only pretty thing on his mind was Kevin. There was nothing stopping him. Kevin was definitely old enough now. He held up the doggy bags from the restaurant. “Want to see the kitchen? I’ve got to put these away anyway.”

“Sure.” Kevin practically bounced toward the archway leading to the kitchen.

Michael’s mouth watered, keeping watch on the man’s tight ass. He figured he’d better get it together or he’d be taking him in the kitchen.

Kevin was smiling when Michael caught up to him. It was an almost innocent smile and it tugged at something inside Michael he didn’t want to analyze.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked, walking over to his refrigerator to stash the doggy bags.

“I always wanted a big kitchen with one of these islands,” Kevin said. “Sometimes I go to model homes and check out the amenities and usually I go straight for the kitchens.”

Michael laughed. “Do you cook?”

“Well, I did when I had my old job. Not so much since I got laid off.”

Kevin ran his hand along the black marble island almost lovingly. To Michael’s surprise Kevin jumped up to sit on the edge. He swallowed heavily, his gaze taking in the height of the island. About waist high.

Michael walked between Kevin’s slightly spread legs and closed his hands on his hips. “Kiss me, Kevin.”

Kevin didn’t hesitate. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Michael’s. Kevin’s lips were warm and soft and still tasted faintly of the wine they’d shared. Michael slipped his tongue inside to collide with Kevin’s, pulling the younger man closer.

“Tell me,” Michael said, breaking their kiss, but staying less than an inch from the young man’s amazing lips. “When you thought about wanting one of these islands, did you ever think of being fucked on one?”

Kevin’s breath hitched, his long dark lashes dropping over his intense blue eyes. “No,” he said softly. “But I think I could be persuaded.” His hand closed over the bulge in Michael’s trousers.

Too Much?

To follow up my April 11th post, nobody thinks I write too much sex? Nobody? Or just enough? Or do I not have any readers to comment? Entirely possible!

First Quarter Best Seller Lists For Amber Quill

The lists are out for the first quarter best sellers at Amber Quill. Three of my books are on there, so that's pretty cool.

At Amber Heat A Knight For All is still going strong.

1) Magic Man by Caitlyn Willows (Ménage [M/F/M])
2) If Looks Could Kill by Caitlyn Willows (Ménage [M/M/F]/Bisexual [M/M])
3) Dirty Love by Lacey Savage (Ménage [M/F/M])
4) A Knight For All by Shawn Lane (Ménage [M/M/F]/Bisexual [M/M])
5) Fast Forward by Christiane France (Ménage [M/M/F]/Bisexual [M/M])
6) On The Follies Tour by Shara Bloodstone (Ménage [M/M/F]/Bisexual [M/M])
7) Paris Heat by Christiane France (Ménage [M/F/M])
8) The Cowboys And The Courtesan by Mimi Riser (Ménage [M/M/F]/Bisexual [M/M])
9) Lucky Haunts by Jamie Craig (Ménage [M/M/F]/Bisexual [M/M])
10) Caution: Wet Paint by Adrianna Dane (Ménage [M/M/F]/Bisexual [M/M])

And at Amber Allure, both At Long Last and The Other Side made the list.

1) Passion by M. L. Rhodes (Gay/Contemporary)
2) What We May Be by Vivien Dean (Gay/Contemporary)
3) The Prince Who Never Smiled by Pepper Espinoza (Gay/Fantasy)
4) The Wolfe Proxy by T. D. McKinney & Terry Wylis (Gay/Contemporary)
5) At Long Last by Shawn Lane (Gay/Contemporary)
6) The Elf And Shoemaker by M. L. Rhodes (Gay/Fantasy)
7) Making Waves by Pepper Espinoza (Gay/Contemporary)
8) Hangin' With My Window Man by Carolina Valdez (Gay/Contemporary)
9) The Other Side by Shawn Lane (Gay/Contemporary)
10) Furtive Liaison by Amanda Young (Gay/Contemporary)

Most Likely To Succeed is released

Thomas Harrigan can't help but admire his sexy, single and openly gay boss, Clark Sterling. He never expects the gorgeous lawyer to put the moves on him. But when Clark makes his interest shockingly clear, Thomas find himself involved in a passionate affair with the man of his dreams.
Badly burned by an office romance once before, Clark knows he should keep his relationship with Thomas on a strictly business level. But there’s something disarmingly genuine about the beautiful, intelligent young man, and Clark throws caution to the wind.

As Thomas spends more time in Clark’s company and his bed, he realizes he is falling in love and he’s pretty sure Clark feels the same way. But when Thomas’s resumé finds its way to a rival firm, Clark is livid. Just when he had started to picture a life with Thomas, complete with a house in the suburbs, the man betrays him, just like his ex-lover did.

Clark cuts Thomas out of his life, and his firm. Left unemployed and reeling from a broken heart, Thomas struggles to put the pieces of his life back together. But when Clark learns the truth, can he open his heart to Thomas once again and take a chance on happiness?

April 11, 2009 or Too Much Sex?

So now that I'm done with the excerpts of all of my currently available books, I'd like to bring up the subject of sexual content in my books.

Is there too much? Recently I've had a number of reviews of Wanting Sam commenting on how much sex there is in the book between Sam and Krystal. I admit the book is probably fairly heavy on sexual content, but I've also had comments about some of my other stories having high sexual content.

For example, At Long Last. Someone mentioned Preston being insatiable. Another person mentioned my Male/Male stories having frequent sex. I know in my book coming out this weekend has several encounters.

I like to think I have plots in my books too.

So, for my readers, my question is, do I write too much sex? Should I dial it back and have less sexual content in my upcoming stories or do you like them the way they are?

Excerpt of Sorcerer's Lover by Shawn Lane

About Sorcerer's Lover: I decided to write this because I was writing a heterosexual paranormal historical romance which included a sorcerer. In that book my sorcerer was straight (although I have even been rethinking him being straight as I am tempted to pair him with a very cool axe wielding knight), so I developed Sorcerer's Lover which I always intended to be a series. Sorcerer's Lover was released in September 2008 by Amber Quill. Book 2 comes out in July 2009.

...“You’re awake.”

Benedict tugged at the shackles locked to his wrists. It started to come back to him. Samson and the others were escorting him home and then…

“Fight all you want, you can’t get out of those.”

Lord, he was naked, too. Benedict stared at his bare flesh, lit by what seemed to be dozens of wall sconces. Yet where was the voice coming from?

“You might be a little dizzy still. It takes some adjustment to come back from that particular spell.”

Benedict blinked, and his head hurt. Spell? Then he really had been shrunk? And his men… Had they been killed?

“I’m not going to hurt you, your highness.”

That man. He’d fallen from the tree. A dark angel. But not an angel. Something far more sinister.

“I’m…I’m not a prince,” Benedict whispered, finding his voice, seeming to speak to no one.

“You are the king’s son.”

“A bastard son only.”

“Ah, but you are infinitely more than that to the king. You are well-favored.”

Benedict shook his head. “Who are you? Why do you hide yourself and where are my men and my…clothes?”

For several moments, a low rumbling chuckle was his only answer.

There was movement by the door, but still Benedict could see no one there. “What trickery is this?”

“I know not the current whereabouts of your men. Or whether they live to tell of their failure to protect you. If they did survive, no doubt your father will see to their execution. They are no longer a concern to you, your highness. As for your clothes…you do not need them for what I have in mind. You are my prisoner and are mine to do with as I please.”

Benedict’s heartbeat raced. He swallowed the lump of fear forming in his throat.

“As for who I am, your highness? We met once, though I think you do not recall me. It was a year ago at your father’s court.”

Benedict tried to remember meeting the dark angel who’d fallen from the tree, then attacked them. He would have thought he would recollect a man that handsome. Before the attack, Benedict had been thrown by the masculine beauty of the man.

Though most of his life he’d resisted his attraction to men, Benedict hadn’t been able to prevent his cock from growing half-hard just looking at the man. Dark curly hair, soulful dark eyes with impossibly long lashes, the man from the tree had instantly reminded him of a fallen angel. Only now, it was clear just how far the angel had fallen. The devil’s apprentice, no doubt. Had he been able, Benedict would have crossed himself.

“Think, your highness. Think hard. You had much to drink that night and in a dark hidden corner you allowed…”

Benedict gasped. The memory came rushing back, flooding his already pained brain. He had been drinking heavily, and when he’d been approached by a hooded, faceless stranger, had not resisted.

The man had undone his braies, taken Benedict’s cock and stroked him until he was so hard he could not stand it. Then the stranger knelt before him and took Benedict’s erect length into his mouth.

“You!”

Moaning, Benedict closed his eyes against the memory. His skin flushed with his shame.

“Ah, you remember now, your highness. I remember, too. How wonderful you tasted. The way you released in my mouth. Your knees gave out and I had to hold you up against the wall.”

Benedict clenched his eyelids shut, feeling the betrayal of his own cock as it lengthened and hardened. He was in hell and the voice was his tormentor...

Excerpt of Jake's Regret by Shawn Lane

About Jake's Regret: My number one best seller at Amber Quill for March and a number one best seller for Amber Quill at All Romance Ebooks , Jake's Regret was part of the I Remember You pax. I wanted to show a character, Jake, who some might view as weak, struggling with being gay and coming out as gay and admitting he loved a man. Jake grew up the son of a very bigoted, homophobic father so it was not easy for him. Fortunately, he had the very patient and loving Damian as his lover. Released in March 2009

...Jake came to stand by the kitchen and suddenly, with his large muscular frame there, the kitchenette seemed even smaller.

Damian inhaled, he couldn’t help it. He’d always loved the smell of Jake. He couldn’t have explained it under torture, but Jake smelled right. If they’d been wild animals, Damian would have sniffed Jake out as his mate. It was masculine and spicy and just such a turn on.

Before he arrived at the funeral, Damian hadn’t been sure the intense attraction he had for Jake would still be so potent. The moment Jake had stepped near him at the graveside, he’d recognized the man’s scent. It rocked him. He wanted Jake all over again. So bad he ached. His cock ached right now.

Damian spooned some fudge into a bowl for the microwave, no longer remotely interested in pouring it over ice cream. He set the timer for a few seconds and turned to face Jake.

“We’ve always been direct with each other, right?”

Jake nodded. “I think so. Why?” The microwave beeped that it had finished.

Damian smiled. “I don’t want ice cream for dessert, I want you.”

Jake stared, blinked, and then his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “I-um, you do?”

It had always amazed Damian how shy Jake actually was. He’d never realized just how damn appealing he was to others. He figured out Jake was a product of his dickhead father. Jake had no clue how charming and gorgeous and wanted he really was.

Damian pulled Jake into his arms, deliberately pressing his erection against his leg. “It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Jake whispered, his blue eyes glazing over with lust, “that’s kind of hard to miss.”

Damian couldn’t wait any longer to taste Jake’s lips. He covered the other man’s mouth with his. He tasted of coffee and spaghetti and the sweetness that was Jake. Damian threaded his fingers through Jake’s hair and pressed even closer. There was no mistaking Jake’s arousal, too. He slipped his tongue between their lips, searching for the tastiest tongue ever.

Jake gasped a little, but allowed the entrance. His arms came up to encircle Damian’s neck. Hard and demanding, he slanted his lips over Damian’s.

The microwave chirped to remind Damian what was inside.

Oh, yeah.

He broke their kiss and indicated the microwave with a flick of his head. “As soon as you’re naked, I’m pouring that fudge all over your bare skin...”

Excerpt of The Other Side by Shawn Lane

About The Other Side: This was part of the themed pax collection for Amber Quill of Opposites Attract. Released in February 2009 by Amber Quill. Expect a sequel, The Other Side 2, hopefully later this year.

...Ray leaned toward Nick at the same moment Nick leaned toward him. Their lips met, touched, scorched across each other. Ray’s lips moved to the pulse of the other man’s throat, searing a path there to his collarbone. Nick had on way too many clothes. Ray’s hands found the hem of Nick’s shirt and tugged upward.

“Dinner?” Nick gasped, tilting his head, providing Ray better access to his throat.

“Later.” Ray yanked the shirt over Nick’s head and dropped it in a pile at their feet. His fingers reached for the belt at the other man’s waist. He was suddenly as eager as his first time. His hands were shaking so much he was having trouble unfastening the belt.

“Let me.” Nick pushed away Ray’s hands. He kicked off his black loafers before he undid the belt, then dropped his pants and stepped out of them.

His mouth watering, Ray admired the erection straining against Nick’s boxers. He swallowed, trying to calm his racing pulse. He didn’t want to rush this, didn’t want to embarrass himself by coming too soon.

“Lube and condoms?” He went to work on removing his own clothes.

Nick nodded, licking his lips. “Be right back.” He disappeared into the bathroom...

April 10, 2009

I'll post my last three excerpts today and then I will return to regular posts. The first one will be about the sexual content in my books.

Excerpt of Wanting Sam by Shawn Lane

About Wanting Sam: Just a hot, sex-filled fun erotic interracial romance I wrote. It started with wanting to have a guy, Sam, who thought he was geeky but is actually just a sweet, shy, sexy guy. Wanting Sam was released from Ellora's Cave in February 2009.

...“You have a nice place, Sam,” Krystal Blake heard herself say. Okay, so how many times had she used nice when it came to Sam?

Sam’s place was an average sized one bedroom apartment found anywhere in suburban Los Angeles. This particular area, Calabasas, was a nicer more middle-class section of Los Angeles County. Pretty much vanilla as far as Krystal could tell.

But vanilla was really a good description of Sam Kane himself. He drove a beige compact, had beige carpets and beige furniture. As for his looks well, fortunately they weren’t beige. Not exactly.

Behind his round-framed rather thick glasses Krystal spied ocean blue eyes. Until he looked away as fast as he could. She’d noticed he had trouble meeting her gaze. She guessed he was shy.
His skin was flawless, a peaches and cream complexion Krystal figured most white women would envy. His lips were full and very kissable. Or they looked like they would be. Truth was Sam had a damn fine face.

Sam’s short spiky blond hair had been bleached lighter. Krystal figured he’d been a little blond boy as a child but the hair had darkened somewhat as he got older. If he didn’t bleach it no doubt it would be a light shade of golden brown.

He wore faded jeans with holes in the knees and a dark blue pullover sweater.

“It’s a mess. Sorry. Wasn’t expecting anyone.” His cheeks pinked slightly, which Krystal found oddly appealing. He bent at the waist to pick something off the floor and the faded jeans strained against his tight round ass.

Oh yeah.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t so vanilla. Or if he was maybe she liked that flavor more than she thought.

Straightening, Sam hurried into the small rectangular kitchen. “You… I could make some coffee. Or tea. Are you hungry?”

“Tea would be nice,” Krystal said, smiling to try to put him at ease.

“Okay, yeah.” He opened a cabinet. Closed it. Opened another one. “Is it hot in here to you?”

Krystal followed him into the kitchen and leaned against the doorway. “Well take your sweater off.”

“Oh.” He bit his lip and Krystal found herself staring at the spot where his teeth nibbled.
Sam turned on a kettle on the stove, then reached for the hem of his sweater. When he pulled it he also caught the t-shirt underneath and her gaze flicked to naked skin.

Good lord, he had abs to absolutely die for...

Excerpt of A Knigt For All by Shawn Lane

About A Knight For All: My one and only menage. I was new to Amber Quill and anxious to get something else to them so when they asked for themed m/m/f menage I volunteered. The result is A Knight For All which was released in December 2008.

...It had been Katherine’s idea that they enter Gregory’s chamber together. Even though he’d been intrigued and even anxious, Edward couldn’t help but enter the room with some trepidation. His days of swiving multiple partners were in his youth and, he thought, over. And in those days he did not have tender feelings for most of his partners.

His wife, however, had said Gregory was a willing participant, but still Edward found himself a bit nervous. He wanted to make them both happy. He certainly hoped he would be up to the challenge.

When they entered Gregory’s chamber hand in hand, he was sitting up on the bed. The furs from the bed only covered his lower half. Edward immediately spotted a large, ugly bruise on his ribcage.

He halted their approach a few feet from the bed. “Are you…this injury looks severe.”

Katherine smiled and shook her head. “My lord, I would not risk further injury to Sir Gregory. He has given me his assurances that it is merely tender.”

She withdrew her hand and went to stand on the other side of the bed, leaving Edward to stand by the nearest side. “And your head? How does it feel?”

“Just a dull ache. ’Tis naught but an annoyance,” Gregory said.

It felt strange to be nervous. Edward had lain with both Gregory and Katherine. He had no fear of being judged. They’d both made it clear they wanted this.

Gregory gave him a loving and welcome smile and invitingly pulled aside the furs...

Excerpt of Pulling Away

About Pulling Away: This is a really short story for me, probably the shortest I've ever done. I wrote it very quickly and on the spur of the moment. My publisher mentioned needing stories and I decided to write it for them. No theme ahead of time, just pulled it out of my head. I think it was done in three days. It was released Thanksgiving weekend 2008 and prior to At Long Last was my best seller for Amber Quill.

...Charlie knew Sly Cat had a day job because he never came on until evening. But usually he showed up eventually. Not so tonight and Charlie felt the loss.

He could continue to be stupid and go to his empty bed with his hand, or he could walk across the street and tell Noah he changed his mind and wanted sex. He didn’t even need to get into his car. How difficult would it be?

Charlie tossed his now-empty soda can into the recycle bin and went to his hall closet to take out a windbreaker. Did Noah have condoms and lube? They’d always had sex at his house, so he didn’t know for sure. If Noah was into sex toys it was likely, but there was no point taking any chances. He walked to his bathroom, opened a cabinet and scooped up the supplies.

A short time later, when he stood in front of Noah’s house, he paused. The house looked dark, which was unusual for Noah. Charlie glanced at his watch. 8:30. Surely Noah wasn’t already in bed? He rang the bell.

Charlie heard footsteps approach, then Noah pulled back the front curtains and peered out the window.

“It’s just Charlie,” he called.

Charlie heard the lock being flung back, then the door opened. A toothbrush stuck out of Noah’s foaming mouth.

“Charlie?” Noah asked around the toothpaste.

“Yeah. Can I come in?” Without waiting for Noah to respond, Charlie pushed passed him and entered the house. “I thought maybe you’d gone to bed. It’s pretty dark in here for you.”

Noah stared at him, his hand frozen, clutching the toothbrush.

“Why don’t you go take care of that?” Charlie suggested with a grin.

The other man disappeared down the hall and Charlie glanced around the front hall. As usual, the house looked spotless. Noah was a near freakish housekeeper. Unlike himself.

Noah returned sans toothbrush, but he still looked perplexed.

“Listen, I changed my mind. Sorry about before. I guess I was a little grumpy. Is it too late?”

“For?”

Geez, Noah was going to make him spell it out?

Charlie held up the condoms and lube he’d been holding. “What do you suppose?”

“Oh.” Noah blinked behind his glasses, then grinned. “Oh.”

Charlie laughed. “Yeah. So, is it too late?”

Noah seized the condoms and lube and simply walked down the hallway. Charlie guessed that meant it was not too late. He pulled off his T-shirt as he followed Noah to the bedroom.

He watched Noah pull the quilt, blanket, and sheet off his sleigh bed in one swift motion. Charlie kicked off his deck shoes, all the while noticing Noah had tugged off his jeans. He licked his lips, waiting for Noah to remove his snowy white briefs. Noah made short work of it. Last, but quickly disposed of, was Noah’s shirt. Though it was true Noah wasn’t all rippled muscles, he had nicely defined pecs. Charlie’s mouth went dry.

Noah ripped open a condom package and glanced at Charlie. “Aren’t you going to finish undressing?”

Charlie nodded and removed the remainder of his clothes, a strange warmth filling him when he saw the clear admiration in Noah’s gaze. He stepped closer to Noah, reached out and took off the man’s glasses, then set them on a nearby nightstand. Noah really did have pretty eyes...

Excerpt of Perfect Man by Shawn Lane

About Perfect Man: I don't know where Perfect Man came from, honestly. I like books with angst and for some reason writing about about an abused, suicidal hero finding love appealed to me. I'm not sure how such an angst filled book ended up coming out from Ellora's Cave. There doesn't seem to be any similar books there. Anyway, I loved Alex and Craig and the book was incredibly easy to write in spite of the subject matter. Craig is still one of my favorite heroes I have ever written. Perfect Man was released in December 2008 from Ellora's Cave.

...
Alex tried not to read too much into it, but if that wasn’t the best sex of his life he didn’t know what was. Two best, actually, because when they’d made it upstairs and into his bed, Craig fucked him again. Three if you counted the blowjob. Hell, he hadn’t come so much in many, many months.

Even before Travis ended it with him they hadn’t been very passionate lovers. Their entire affair had been comfortable. They’d hooked up in the first place because it seemed entirely natural that Jill’s gay brother and Ken’s gay brother got together. The sex was nice, but not mind blowing.

Craig had blown his mind. And he was worried. Alex didn’t think Craig would take a joke so far as to sleep with him. No, he wasn’t worried about that anymore. Craig was without a doubt gay. But Alex was afraid it wouldn’t take very long at all for his heart to be fully engaged. Already his crush was back in full swing.

"Who was your first?" Craig asked in a sleepy voice.

Alex’s head rested on his broad, muscular chest. He couldn’t stop touching the man’s chest. He was like Adonis from mythology, Alex thought.

"A guy in college. My college roommate actually. Pure sex, no feelings behind it." Alex’s heartbeat raced. He prayed Craig wouldn’t make some comment about how that’s the way it was between them now. He cleared his throat. "You?"

"Well, the first time I had sex was in high school with a girl. You remember Becky?"
"Sure, your girlfriend."

"Yeah. I guess, really, that’s when I first started to seriously think about it. Before that, you know I’d see some actor or athlete and think he was hot, but I kind of pushed that idea away. It wasn’t that unusual to be able to tell someone of the same sex was attractive. But when I had sex with Becky I had to think about another guy just to get an erection."

"Yikes."

"Anyway, it wasn’t until I was twenty that I was with a guy. All my life I wanted to be a police officer. I almost entered the police academy, so my first guy was a cop I knew. We saw each other for a while, but it ended up not working out. It’s hard for a cop to be openly gay even now."
"I didn’t know you wanted to be a cop," Alex said, peeking up at him. "Why didn’t you?"

Craig shrugged. "Like I said, my dad was an accountant. I guess after he died I wanted to honor him that way."

The way his voice sounded, almost like it was a rehearsed speech, Alex knew Craig hated being an accountant. He’d sacrificed his own desires to please his father. If things progressed between them, Alex fully intended to discuss the matter further with him.

"So how come you waited until you were twenty for your first guy?" he asked.

"When I first realized it back in high school things were crap. My dad was dying and did die and then my mom…she didn’t handle it well. She’d always been a bit fragile and when Dad died my family had to have her institutionalized."

"Wow, I’m sorry. I had no idea."

Craig sighed. "It’s not like I was sharing much then. Nobody knew. I had to move in with my grandparents for the remainder of school and they drove me there every day. But I wasn’t close to my grandparents. They had their own lives and resented having to deal with me. I counted the days when I didn’t have to ever go back to their house or school again. Needless to say, sex of any kind wasn’t a priority for me for a while."...

Excerpt of It's Only Make-Believe by Shawn Lane

About It's Only Make-Believe: This was actually the first erotic romance I started writing. I had just discovered eBooks and was reading a glutton of interracials. Eventually I set it aside to work on male/male romances which were my true love, but last year decided it deserved finishing. I finished it up and it was released by Amber Heat in October 2008.

...Sebastian clicked the automatic locks on the Lexus and tried to resist the urge to run to Melody’s front door. She’d gone in ahead of him while he parked.

Approaching the door, it occurred to him rather belatedly he had no condoms with him. Lord, he prayed Melody did.

Of course he knew she was only using him because she couldn’t have Luther. Sebastian knew he should say it wasn’t a good idea and go home. Hell, it could ruin their relationship, and he might even have to leave the firm if things between them soured too much.

But he was also a guy, and he knew very well he was going into the house to have sex with Melody.

He tapped lightly on the partially open front door. “Hello?”

“Come in, Sebastian.”

Maybe it was because his cock was hard and stabbing against his briefs, but to his ears, her tone sounded low and sultry and made his balls tighten. Swallowing heavily, he stepped into the house, then closed the door behind him.

“Lock it, will you? Want a beer?”

Her voice came from what he guessed was the direction of the kitchen. He was standing in a large cozy living room with dark hardwood floors and an oversized brown leather couch. Across the room was an archway.

“No, thanks.” He walked through the archway and into the kitchen. Melody was bending down to place a dish of cat food in front of a large orange tabby.

She straightened and smiled. “Sorry, Ginger has to have her dinner first.”

“Of course.”

She opened the refrigerator and returned the can of cat food. “Are you sure you don’t want something to drink?”

“Nothing.”

Melody held out one of her manicured hands, and he clasped it. She tugged him through a second doorway in the kitchen and down a hall that led past a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom, then to the last room on the right.

“I…um…don’t have any condoms,” he admitted. He glanced at the queen-sized bed beckoning in the middle of the room. If she didn’t have any, he would offer to drive to the drugstore and buy a package.

Melody linked her arms around his neck and pressed her full, round breasts against him. “Don’t worry, Sebastian. I’ve got two full boxes.”

Though he was glad to hear it, he briefly wondered if she’d been stocking up in anticipation of taking Luther to her bed.

He was losing it. Did he really care why she had them?

“Sebastian?” She yanked just a little on a hunk of his hair.

“Hmm?” He gazed down into her chocolate eyes.

“Kiss me...”

Excerpt of Stone of Wrath by Shawn Lane

About Stone of Wrath: Wrote this one in four days when a friend mentioned the birthstone book series at Ellora's Cave for 2008. I had a vague idea and went with it. Four days later, Stone of Wrath was born. I submitted it and it was accepted. It was published in November 2008 from Ellora's Cave. Next week it comes out in the print anthology, Torrid Topaz from Jasmine-Jade.

...Jed flung the covers off and got out of bed. He walked into the bathroom and flicked on the light. He licked his bottom lip and scooped up the stone. It really was ugly and scorched. Dirty, too. Maybe if he cleaned it up it would look better. Turning the faucet on, Jed rubbed at a clump of soot and stuck it under the water to wash it off.

A bright light flashed and glowed. The stone turned flaming hot. Jed gasped and tossed it in the air. It landed with a loud crash on the tile floor at his feet.

“Shit.” He stared at his hands. They were red and throbbing.

The stone burst into a blinding yellow light. Jed backed up so fast he crashed into the glass door of the shower. The light shimmered and grew larger.

The glow took shape…human shape. It dimmed, brightened, then dimmed again.

Standing, dripping wet on his bathroom floor was a naked, muscular, sculpted African-American man. Droplets of water stood out on his hairless chest, one hanging from his left nipple. His black hair was close-cropped and his eyes were a strange dark brown mixed with flecks of…topaz.

He stared Jed up and down, his gaze assessing and appraising.

“How? Who the fuck are you?” Jed demanded, finding his voice at last.

The man smiled. It was as sexy as hell. “How? You rubbed the stone. And I am Topaz.”

Topaz nearly dropped to his knees and thanked Eros, the god of love. For surely Eros was behind this gift.

The man trying to scramble into the tall, narrow glass box was beautiful. Breathtaking. He had to have him. Now.

“Do not fear me.” He reached out to touch the man but he had scooted so far away Topaz had to step forward. He stumbled slightly. How long had it been since he’d formed a body? Too long.

“Look, I’m-I’m calling the cops.”

Topaz thought that meant the police but the words did not matter. He loved this man’s voice. It was deep and sultry. It reminded him a bit of his old lover, Diam’s voice. He would not think of Diam now. Those memories were too painful.

It didn’t take Topaz long to realize his man could not get very far. The box he backed into was enclosed. No doors. He thought it was probably a modern day shower. It gave him the perfect opportunity to stare at his would-be lover.

The man was very tall. Taller than Topaz himself by about four inches, he would guess. Dark curly hair, deep green eyes. His pale skin had a hint of being kissed by the sun. His arms were muscular, nicely defined but not as thickly muscled as Topaz’s own. This man was young. Unfortunately he was not naked on the bottom but rather wore a peculiar pair of checkered pants.

“What is your name?” Topaz asked.

The man blinked uncertainly. “Jed. Jedidiah, actually.”

“Jedidiah. An ancient name. But you are young. You have not seen thirty summers.”

“Um, no. I-I’m twenty-four.”

Topaz smiled. “You are quite young. You do not need to fear me, Jedidiah. I have not come here to harm you.”

Jedidiah shook his head. “I don’t understand. You were that stone?”

Topaz’s heart twisted. “Yes, I was cursed. Punished. A jealous man called down the wrath of the gods.”

“The…the what?”

Topaz sighed. “I know this is difficult for you, Jedidiah. In truth, there is much I do not understand. It has been years since anyone found me. What year is this?”

“Two thousand eight.”

He blew out a heavy breath. His chest hurt. Yes, the wrath of the gods was extreme...

Excerpt of Another Chance by Shawn Lane

About Another Chance: Originally called, If Only You, Another Chance released by Ellora's Cave in September 2008, was the first gay erotic romance I'd written. It was actually the first erotic romance I completed. I originally wrote it with the Amber Heat Wave contest in mind when my fellow author, Ava March, and I decided to enter it. When The Squire won a publishing contract there I tweaked If Only You and submitted it to an editor at Ellora's Cave, where it was renamed Another Chance. Another Chance was a nominee this past year for the CAPA award from The Romance Studio.

...Daniel took the last step into the ballroom. The place swarmed with people. Men all dressed in formal black, ladies in spring colors. Not unlike insects, really.

He’d nearly forgotten how tedious these affairs could be. Almost always were. No hope for it though. Perhaps if he were lucky he’d come across someone he knew.

It didn’t take long before the heads of nearby women turned toward him. After all, Daniel mused, he was an earl. And a wealthy widowed one at that. No doubt the buzzing insects could almost taste him.

He turned away from the nearest crowd, looking for a place he might escape. The card room might be best. He took a few steps in that direction and then stopped.

Directly in front of him, only mere feet away, coming out of a long hallway…Aubrey St. Clair.
Daniel stood frozen in place. His mind blanked and he was unable to form a thought. At least one that made any sense.

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

Lord, he’s still as gorgeous as ever.

Merely handsome didn’t really cover Aubrey. Daniel wasn’t entirely sure gorgeous was enough. The same silky, dark brown tousled locks, the brown eyes darker than any eyes he’d ever seen, nearly black and so intense. Full lips…and dimples. The kind of sheer masculine beauty that would make every woman there desperate to make him hers. Daniel clenched his fists.

He hadn’t seen Aubrey since the night his father died, yet seeing him now affected him the way it always did. Daniel was rock-hard.

And there coming from the hallway mere moments behind Aubrey was Lady Whittington. Apparently the rumors were true. The two were lovers.

Daniel exhaled. He forced himself to turn his back to them, resisting the nearly unbearable urge to rub the spot on his chest where his heart beat painfully.

Why hadn’t he paid attention to those rumors when he accepted Lady Whittington’s invitation? Hell, it was even rumored that Aubrey fathered her children. Had he realized he would see Aubrey he would have stayed away. Or would he?

Daniel wondered if it was too late to escape. Could he now make his escape and pretend he never arrived? He closed his eyes. Aubrey had looked right at him. He didn’t miss the subtle widening of those intense eyes.

“Graystone.”

His already aching cock throbbed at the sound of Aubrey’s warm, deep voice. He was in trouble. Turning around, he faced him.

Lord.

The man was sin walking and talking.

“Rothton,” Daniel said, proud his voice didn’t crack. He struggled desperately to keep his eyes from drifting to Aubrey’s lips. He’d tasted those lips.

“It’s been a long time,” Aubrey murmured. His gaze went somewhere over Daniel’s shoulder as though he couldn’t quite bring himself to look directly at him.

“Ten years.” Daniel swallowed. “You look…well.” Lame, he knew but he didn’t think Aubrey would appreciate him saying you look edible...

Excerpt of The Squire by Shawn Lane

About The Squire: The Squire was my first published gay erotic romance, published in June 2008 from Amber Allure. It was the second gay erotic romance I'd written (Another Chance came first by about a week) and I completed it the end of 2007 for the 2008 Amber Heat Wave Contest (and final contest). It turned out to be a winner.

...Duncan hurried to the right where there was a small lake and some trees. It was too cold to linger. He undid his braes and relieved himself next to a tree. He’d turned to make his way back to his tent when he heard rustling close to his position.

“Who’s there?” he whispered. Why hadn’t he picked up his sword before venturing out? What kind of knight would he make if he wasn’t prepared?

The only answer he got was a low moan. Frowning, Duncan walked toward the noise, being careful not to step on any leaves that would give him away. Crouching down next to leafy foliage, he peered through two branches.

Standing with his braes down around his ankles was one of the other knight’s squires, Aaron. Aaron was bent at the waist, leaning against a tree trunk. Two muscular hands gripped Aaron’s hips and a thin, but long cock thrust between his ass cheeks. From his current spot, Duncan could only make out the lower half of the man fucking Aaron, the rest being obstructed by leafy branches.

Holy Christ.

He hadn’t expected to come upon this. Aaron moaned again, this time a little louder.

“Hush,” came the whispered response from the man moving in and out of the squire. “Half the camp will hear you.”

Duncan tried to place the voice. He was dying to know who fucked Aaron. The man looked a bit too thin to be Aaron’s knight, Magnus, who was on the heavy side. Another squire?

The man’s balls slapped against Aaron as his thrusting sped up. His fingers tightened on the squire’s hips. Duncan huffed, frustrated at not knowing the identity of the second man. Mayhap if he stood, he would get a better view.

Slowly, he straightened from his crouch. A hand pushed on his shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

Duncan swore. He’d recognize the deep, masculine voice of Sir William anywhere. He tried to slip under his hold, but the knight’s grip on his shoulder was strong. He could just make out his handsome features in the glow of the torch light coming from the camp. He was frowning.

Sir William pushed Duncan behind him, but didn’t loosen his hold. He peered through the trees where Duncan had just been.

Duncan tried again to squirm out of his grasp.

“Hold still,” Sir William hissed.

Duncan heard his knight’s sharp intake of breath. Then he turned abruptly away and pushed Duncan toward the small clearing leading back to the camp.

“Sir—”

“Taking to spying on your fellow squires, Duncan?” Sir William bit out.

“I didn’t—”

“Be quiet, you’ll call attention to us.” He pushed Duncan back into view of the camp. He stopped and glared at him. “I came looking for you because you’ve been gone for a while. I thought mayhap something had happened to you.”

Duncan warmed at the thought Sir William was concerned for him. “I…well…I heard a noise.”

“You left without your weapon again.”

Duncan hung his head. Judging by the heat radiating from his cheeks, he was blushing. Great. He’d been caught without his weapon and watching two men have sex. He hoped Sir William didn’t plan on getting rid of him.

“I did forget, but I thought with all the knights surrounding us it wouldn’t matter.”

“A knight never goes anywhere without his weapon, boy. If you intend to be one someday, you’ll do well to remember that...”

April 07, 2009

I've decided to spend much of this week posting excerpts from my available works just to remind everyone what's out there.

Excerpt of At Long Last by Shawn Lane

About At Long Last: Released in January 2009 from Amber Allure, At Long Last, is my first number one best seller for Amber Quill. It also reached the top ten best sellers for All Romance Ebooks. At Long Last will be part of my print anthology, Lawyers in Love due out in July.

...Scotty opened his office door and flicked on the lights. He didn’t bother to close the door either. He loved working in an empty office. He was hot and tired and maybe even a little hungry, but he wasn’t sleepy. He didn’t want to go home to his parents’ house. They always asked too many questions. And until he could find a place of his own he was stuck.

He walked to the stereo and punched the button. Instantly loud rock music blared from the speakers. Scotty smiled. Just the way he liked it. He didn’t know why. He just liked loud music. Always had. His mom told him that was why he was already hard of hearing at twenty-five.

He realized how blazing hot it was in his office then. Still wearing the suit. Man, he hated that part of the job. Really, he would much rather have found a job away from the family business. Scotty wanted no handouts. But his dad had asked, said that with him cutting back his own hours, they needed the help.

Scotty went to his desk and sat on the edge, kicking off his shoes. Figured he might as well get comfortable. No one around to tell him he wasn’t toeing the company line.
Thoughts of Preston entered his mind, unbidden. He was supposed to be getting work done, not daydreaming about the unattainable. But damn, he’d been thinking about Pres all day. Life sure sucked some times.
He let his thoughts drift to his favorite fantasy. Scotty would be sitting behind his desk, his slacks undone, stroking his cock. His eyes closed, he wouldn’t hear Preston come into his office until he stood right next to Scotty. Then Preston would offer to take over the stroking of Scotty’s cock.
Shit, he was getting hard.

Scotty leaned back his head, closing his eyes. The tie and collar suddenly choked him and he reached up to loosen them.

“God, it’s hot,” he said aloud.

“Yeah, it is.”

Scotty’s eyelids flew open, his heart hammering in his chest. Preston stood only a few feet away. His chocolate brown eyes were focused on Scotty with what he could have sworn was lust. Scotty licked his dry lips. He had to be imagining Preston. No one else was in the office. And he sure as hell did not see desire in Preston’s gaze.

“Preston?” His own voice sounded coarse to his ears. “I…I didn’t think anyone else was here.”

Preston didn’t answer. He took a couple of steps closer to Scotty, stopping to stand just within Scotty’s parted legs.

“Uh.” Scotty couldn’t say anything else. His mouth closed, tongue frozen. Tangible desire thrummed through his veins. He didn’t want to act too rashly. Didn’t want to read something he wanted desperately to be there when it wasn’t. Couldn’t be.

Preston reached out and ran his thumb along Scotty’s bottom lip. A shiver went up Scotty’s spine.

Preston leaned forward, his breath caressing Scotty’s skin. He lowered his lips, grazing Scotty’s mouth. “What the hell are you doing to me?” Preston asked in the barest of whispers...

April 6, 2009

Despite the fact that I am ridiculously tired (getting up at 2:38 am and not going back to sleep until after 3:30 am and getting up at 5:00am will do that, but I digress...and yes there was a reason for all that), I have still managed to add another 852 words to Beyond the Norm. Pretty cool. Not great, but anytime I can get more than 500 words done during lunch at the day job is a good day.

But now, as I approach 3:00 pm PDT (work day is over at 3:30 pm),I find myself barely hanging on to consciousness.

That puts me up to just about 13,000 words and honestly I have no clue how much farther/longer this story is going/will be. I'm guessing novella length rather than a short story or a novel. Truly I am not sure I am capable of novel length anymore. Once upon a time I wrote four of the darn things.

One of my books is part of the giveway over on the birthday celebration of the blog of Reviews by Jessewave on Wednesday, April 8th. With all the other great author giveways I'll be lucky if anyone wants my book!

I'm currently in fangirl mode and reading Josh Lanyon's The White Knight. How I find time to read and write, well...not sure, honestly.

April 04, 2009

Next weekend Most Likely To Succeed will be released from Amber Allure. Here is the blurb:

Thomas Harrigan can't help but admire his sexy, single and openly gay boss, Clark Sterling. He never expects the gorgeous lawyer to put the moves on him. But when Clark makes his interest shockingly clear, Thomas find himself involved in a passionate affair with the man of his dreams.

Badly burned by an office romance once before, Clark knows he should keep his relationship with Thomas on a strictly business level. But there’s something disarmingly genuine about the beautiful, intelligent young man, and Clark throws caution to the wind.

As Thomas spends more time in Clark’s company and his bed, he realizes he is falling in love and he’s pretty sure Clark feels the same way. But when Thomas’s resumé finds its way to a rival firm, Clark is livid. Just when he had started to picture a life with Thomas, complete with a house in the suburbs, the man betrays him, just like his ex-lover did.

Clark cuts Thomas out of his life, and his firm. Left unemployed and reeling from a broken heart, Thomas struggles to put the pieces of his life back together. But when Clark learns the truth, can he open his heart to Thomas once again and take a chance on happiness?