September Updates

As you will see to the right, More Than Summer, my free summer story with Loose Id was released at the end of August. Also The Squire is once more available.

Up next is the second part to Sorcerer's Lover. Maybe some day I will write Part 3 as I meant to. Who knows.

I am trying to get a Christmas story finished and into JMS before the end of the month. Wish me luck, because I will need it.

I think I still have one or two reissues still to come but then that will be it.

And that's it for me. Hope you enjoyed the summer

Latest Story Updates April 2017

The Sutter's Bay series will be coming soon as a boxed eBook set with JMS Books. So look for that, later this month, I think.

In other news, I am in the process of contracting several more orphaned AQ stories. These include The Squire, Sorcerer's Lover and Sorcerer's Lover 2, Waking the Prince, Admiring Jesse, Jake's Regret, The Other Side, Needing Seth, Manfred's Curse, and Unobtainable. 

There are still a few that haven't found a home and I'm not certain I will be pursuing re-publication for these at this point. I never say never though.

Pulling Away and Pulling Apart, have to be technically run through Loose Id as they are connected to Car Wash, which they currently have the rights to. Right now I don't have any intention of offering them to Loose Id, so they remain unavailable.

Other AQ stories that I have have no plans for are: Hitting It Big, Lost Between, The Impostor, The Best Gift, Still the One, A Knight for All, and It's Only Make Believe. I think that's about it for my former AQ catalog.

I still have zero news on the stories orphaned by the closure of Ellora's Cave, which are, of course, Perfect Man, Trust, Another Chance, Wanting Sam, and um, the Topaz book. I forget the name right now. Sorry.

There were a few free stories I had on All Romance eBooks that are no longer out there as well, including two Christmas stories, Last Christmas and The Naughty Ones. I might some day get those up on Amazon. We will see.

And finally, I am working on a new story but I am not pushing myself to work on it too fast so I have no clue when I will get it finished nor who it will go to. It involves a Hollywood actor and a nurse.

Nothing New-Here's an Excerpt

Having unfortunately no news, here is an excerpt from the first released Shawn Lane story, The Squire. Just in case you haven't read it yet.




William knew he would need to force himself to take it
slow with Duncan. He had suspected the squire was virginal,
which was why he stroked them both to their first release. If
he hadn’t done that, he would have pounced, likely scaring
Duncan half to death.

So he’d listened to his instincts and now the boy lay naked
on his back in William’s bed, ready and willing. The dark
mass of curls on his head hung partially in his brown eyes. His
tongue kept licking his bottom lip, making his slightly pouty
mouth look decidedly kissable. William would spend all night
kissing and nipping those lips. Among other parts of Duncan.
He took a moment to gaze at the squire’s naked form.

Being nearly nine years younger than William, Duncan didn’t
have the well-defined muscles he did. Over the years, William
fought many a tournament and even more battles. The
broadsword he wielded gave him great strength in his biceps.
Duncan’s young body was slim for the most part, with a hint
of muscle in his arms and legs. He did have a large cock
which rose with interest as William studied it.

“Is…is something wrong?” Duncan asked softly.

“Nay, I wanted to look upon you for a moment. You are
beautiful.”

Duncan blushed deep red. “Women are beautiful. I am no
female.”

William laughed. “Make no mistake, Duncan. I am well
aware of your gender. But you are wrong. Men can be
beautiful. Do you not find me pleasant to look upon?”

The squire nodded eagerly.

“Well, then, you see. There is no shame in being good to
look at. Brush your locks out of your eyes,” he ordered.
Duncan obeyed instantly. He liked how the young man
was eager to please.

“Stroke yourself for me, Duncan.”

The squire bit at his lip. “But I want you to touch me.”

“Do not concern yourself with that. I will touch you all
night.”

The Squire, an excerpt

As most of you know, my first story published was The Squire, a winner of Amber Quill's 2008 (and last) Amber Heat Contest. If you haven't read it, here is an excerpt. Or if you just want to remember it fondly. I make no pretenses otherwise, I write "historical light".

Duncan squatted next to the fire the servant had thoughtfully started in Sir William’s room. He was alone, but expected the knight any time. Sir William had ordered Duncan to the room while he assessed the welfare of his father.

Yawning, he glanced around the room. It wasn’t quite as large as the baron’s chamber, but it was the next largest in the castle. Besides the fireplace, Sir William had a bed big enough for a giant to sleep in. Well, mayhap that was a slight exaggeration, but it was surely the biggest bed Duncan had ever seen. There was a small table and chairs in one corner of the room, as well as a chest of drawers with a basin on it, and a wardrobe where Sir William’s clothes were kept.

He sat down on the fur spread in front of the fire and stretched out his long legs. His cock had perked up thinking about Sir William so he adjusted his braies. He wished he had time to take care of it, but with Sir William bound to appear at any moment there wasn’t time.

Sighing heavily, he rolled his weary shoulders. He had a knot in the left shoulder blade, too. The door opened. He turned his head to view Sir William walking in. For a moment, Duncan just stared, unable to stop the awe that swept over him each and every time he saw the knight. His blond hair was tousled as though Sir William had been running his fingers through it. Duncan licked his lips, wishing he could run his own fingers through the soft locks.

Hands braced beneath him, he stood. “How is your father, sir?”

Sir William’s blue eyes looked sad, though he attempted a slight smile. “He’s still alive, though failing rapidly. I wonder if he will last another fortnight.”

Duncan grabbed one of the chairs by the table and carried it to the fire. “Come sit here, sir. I’ll rub your shoulders for you.”

“They are a bit stiff.” Sir William plopped down. The chair groaned under the sudden weight.

Duncan stared at his knight’s broad shoulders. “Why don’t you remove your tunic and jerkin, sir?”

Sir William nodded, peeled off the garments, then leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. There was nothing Duncan liked better than touching Sir William’s bare skin. It was sheer torture, of course, but a torture he couldn’t resist inflicting on himself. His palms rested on the bare shoulder and he bit his lip to keep from sighing out loud. The flesh was warm and it sent an instant tingle to his already aroused cock.

Sir William rolled his neck and moaned a little. His fingers trembling, Duncan rubbed the muscles in the knight’s upper arms. “A little harder, Duncan.”

Oh, God. His balls tightened painfully. He increased the pressure of his fingers and drifted back up to the shoulders. He closed his own eyes and inhaled the spicy masculine scent of Sir William. As though they had a will of their own, his hands inched down to massage the knight’s muscular chest. Shaking, he paused, waiting to see if Sir William would protest the bold touch. When the man kept his eyes closed, Duncan grew bolder still and used his index finger to gently stroke a nipple.

He gritted his teeth against the impossible hardness of his cock. If he didn’t stop, he was going to come. Yet, he couldn’t force his fingers to leave the object of his fascination.

Sir William let out a low growl and jumped up, whipping around to face Duncan. Duncan shrank back, afraid the knight would strike him for the liberties. Instead, Sir William wrapped those muscular arms around him and covered Duncan’s lips with his own.

Stunned, he didn’t react at first, standing stiffly under the assault. His mind couldn’t adjust to the fact his dream lover kissed him. Before he could respond, Sir William ended the kiss and pulled him to the fur in front of the fire.

“Sir William—”

Still available here: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/TheSquire.html

Jane Austen, M/M Romance, & Opposites Attract…

(by Ava March – official moocher of Shawn’s blog)

…three of my favorite things. I love Jane Austen. My favorite book of hers is Pride and Prejudice (which some of you may have picked up on already). I love M/M romances, and I love Opposites Attract story lines. And yes, all three things actually go together.

When I read Austen’s books, I can’t help but think that some of her heroes would be better suited to each other, than to their heroines. Not just my favorites, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, but also Mr. Knightley and Frank Churchill (Emma), and Edward Ferrars and John Willoughby (Sense and Sensibility). Of course, this could be because I tend to have M/M romances on the brain - I do write them and spend a lot of time mulling over new plots and characters. But Austen’s works are also prime ground for my overactive imagination because she tended to write one reserved/pragmatic hero and one playboy/easy-going hero. My personal opinion (and I’m no literary scholar) is that Austen used the two types of heroes to play off each other and drive the primary heroine to her ultimate hero.

I personally love to write gay heroes who appear as opposites but actually go together perfectly. I find the dynamics of such a pairing quite interesting. Letting the heroes smack into each other and bouncing back rather like the ends of a magnet, until they snap together like puzzle pieces. And no, not just in the physical sense. *g* But that moment when they realize how well they complement each others’ strengths and weakness, making each stronger when they are together.

That’s pretty much the underlying theme of a novella I just finished. In Convincing Arthur, one hero is the ultimate rakehell, just seeped in vice and debauchery, while the other is the workaholic solicitor. Shawn also uses opposites in a number of her books. The Other Side is a prime example, along with At Long Last, The Squire and Pulling Away, to name a few. And I also happen to know that Car Wash, which will be out in June, features a yummy pair of opposites. I love Kevin!!! He's so darn cute. *squee*

OK. Fan girl moment over, back to the post. Opposites and Austen. My personal favorite pair that never was is Bingley and Darcy. Darcy is so stuffy and reserved, and he’s not much of a social butterfly, to the point where he’s a bit intimidated to attend a country dance. But easy-going, sociable Bingley would be perfect for him, tempering Darcy’s rigid exterior. Darcy’s so aware of social standing whereas Bingley is so unassuming he doesn’t even realize he’s the object of every match-making mama. Plus, Bingley's the type to fall in love at first sight whereas Darcy has to analyze everything. The two men are the best of friends in the book, which emphasizes my belief that they’d be well suited to each other.

And Frank Churchill doesn’t really want Jane Fairfax. He’d be better suited to Knightley.

(and please excuse Frank’s hair – I don’t know what the stylists were thinking. Poor Ewan McGregor.)

My second favorite pair that never was is actually Edward and Willoughby.

All right, so that’s a rather brooding picture of Willoughby, but I think it’s hot so I included it. Perhaps this one suits the post better -

See...so happy. The devil-may-care playboy who takes Marianne for fast carriage rides about the countryside. And I think Edward would be a total missionary-man if left to his own devices (or if left with Elinor), so he needs someone like Willoughby to spice him up. *g*

So there you have it – why Jane Austen’s works inspire me to pen M/M erotic romances. Who is your favorite Austen pair that never was? Do you like Opposites Attract storylines, or do you have a different favorite? And what movies/books inspire you?

Thanks!!!

-Ava

Bound to Him, Loose Id

Object of His Desire, Samhain

Convincing Arthur, Loose Id/July 2009

www.avamarch.com