Coconut and cocoa butter At the Southern Cross

Summer means sand and surf to a lot of folks. One whiff of the mingled scents of coconut and cocoa butter and I'm ready to pack a bag and head to the water, too. I can't do that every weekend, so I do the next best thing - I write about it. KC

AT THE SOUTHERN CROSS

A three-story paperback compilation containing Netting Neptune, Taming Triton and Poseidon's Pleasure, available now at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/At-Southern-Cross-KC-Kendricks/dp/1602728194/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261099817&sr=8-9

Netting Neptune, Taming Triton and Poseidion's Pleasure are also available individually by download in your choice of format at Amber Allure.

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When Fate and Lady Luck conspire to design the destiny of three sexy sea gods, they mix warm tropical breezes, white sands, and blue waters to create the perfect Caribbean retreat. Add one gorgeous partner for each and heat to sizzling.

NETTING NEPTUNE

Contemporary gay romance

 #6 Best Seller, Amber Allure, September 2009

 http://www.amberallure.com/NettingNeptune.html

Theron Bowman is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. At forty, he needs to make some serious decisions about his future. He splurges on a two-week vacation in the Caribbean, and like everything else in his life, things go horribly awry and he ends up working to pay for his room.

Forced by his father to break ties with his family, Colby Denton came to rest on St. Lucia, and opened an exclusive resort. To celebrate his tenth year on the island, and his birthday, Colby arranges for a series of festive beachside parties. When a sexy sea god swims out of the ocean in front of him, Colby has a brand new plan – netting Neptune.

To read an EXCERPT and purchase, please visit http://www.amberallure.com/NettingNeptune.html
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-573-7
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TAMING TRITON
Contemporary gay romance #2 Best Seller, Amber Allure, October 2009 http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/TamingTriton.html

Austin Michaels accepts his brother’s standing invitation for a Caribbean vacation at his island resort. Some time in the sun is just what he needs to map out a plan for his future. He gets lucky and meets a handsome teacher willing to have a little vacation fling with, as long as they can keep things fun.

Steve Guthrie’s secret longings have haunted him all his life. It’s time to face his questions and find the truth of who he really is beyond a staid college professor. His love of the sea prompts him to take a vacation at a Caribbean hide-a-way for relaxation and reflection. A sexy stranger with a tattoo tempts Steve to abandon his plans, enticing him to share a vacation romp.

Now Steve’s the student in a high stakes class of one, and to pass the course, he has to tame his very own Triton.

To read an EXCERPT and purchase, please visit
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/TamingTriton.html
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-586-7
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POSEIDON'S PLEASURE
contemporary gay romance available at #8 Best Seller, Amber Allure, November 2009
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/PoseidonsPleasure.html

Brett Houston triumphed over his life. Raised by an abusive father, Brett sacrificed his personal happiness to keep the ones he loved safe. Ready to make big changes in his life, Brett treats himself to a Caribbean vacation. To his surprise, he ends up at a seaside ball, wearing a G-string and presiding over the festivities as Poseidon, the God of the Sea.

Mark Matthews left behind his hometown, and his first love, to put down roots in California. With vacation time to use, or lose, Mark books a holiday on the island of St. Lucia, unaware of the surprise reunion Fate has waiting for him. Brett cautiously examines the fractured bonds of the past, while questioning the possibility of a future with Mark.

It’s simpler for Mark. He won’t settle for anything less than a future tending to Poseidon’s pleasure.

To read an EXCERPT and purchase, please visit

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/PoseidonsPleasure.html

ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-599-7

KC Kendricks

website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/

blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Take the Heat to the Beach - Amber Heat Summer Reads...

Amber Quill Press ...take the heat to the beach...
	Summer breeze, summer break, summer--take me away reads. Stories to make your imagination burn hotter than a summer sun. Rediscover your passion with Amber Heat.
Viola's Inheritance by Isabella Jordan When Viola Underwood's mentor and dear friend dies, he leaves her something quite extraordinary in his will. The statue of Isis, which she feels fortunate to have. Being a professor of archaeology herself, she recognizes the piece as something any historian would be proud to receive. Yet her inheritance also includes two mysterious Egyptian men. Identical twins. She can't bring herself to refuse her late friend's wish for her to accept the men along with the statue any more than she can tell them apart. The alluring twins turn her plans for the summer upside down, filling her days with hard confrontations about how she views life. And filling her nights with unimaginable pleasure... Find out more about this story here. Tempting Fortune by Jamie Craig Paperback Collection. Individual stories available in electronic format. When it comes to the perfect night with your lover, there are no sacrifices too great, no consequences too severe. Time In A Bottle Opposites in temperament, success, and genre, two artists find they literally make beautiful music together... The Hoolabaloo Musical Festival is one of the summer’s biggest events, but country artist Macaulay Jensen isn’t there for the much-needed career exposure. He’s there to see one woman—rock and roll superstar Wendy DeMartino. Beautiful, wild, and wildly successful, Wendy is out of his league. So Macaulay is shocked when she agrees to an after-concert date. Wendy has always been attracted to Macaulay, and she’s thrilled when he asks her out on a date. But the reality of their lives is too pressing to ignore, and the most she hopes for is one perfect day... Fortune's Honor Clay Putnam has always been the responsible one in his family. He runs the family ranch, Good Fortune, by himself and takes care of his ailing mother. He is happy to make sacrifices so his brothers can follow their own dreams, especially his younger brother, Ty, a bull-rider on the professional rodeo circuit. But he leads a very lonely life, and he longs to meet a woman who could love his home, and his family, as much as he does. Paige Murphy fell for Ty’s boyish charm and exuberance, and she agrees to spend her summer vacation at the Good Fortune Ranch while Ty follows the rodeo all over the western states. She is happy to be engaged to Ty. Until she meets his older brother. Clay is mature, thoughtful, and very attractive. She thinks he might be interested in her as well, but they resist their mutual desire out of love and respect for Ty. Passion and a surprising tragedy, however, drives Paige into Clay’s arms, but honor, not infatuation, dictates who they are... Find out more about these novellas here. Reunion by Kelsey Lewis Allie's daughter Lily is getting married. And the father of the groom is…Allie's lover from twenty some years ago, Sam Quinn! When they were both twenty-two, Allie and Sam made a decision to end their engagement and go their separate ways. But they never forgot each other, and through lives on opposite ends of a continent, marriages, and children, they stayed friends. Will being together for a week to plan their children's wedding reignite the fire that raged between them twenty years ago? And if it does, will it end differently for them this time, when the week is over? Find out more about this story here. Amber Quill Press Links Amber Quill Press - New Releases Newsletter Sign up to receive weekly updates on our newest releases and find out what's coming soon for Amber Quill Press and its imprints! http://www.amb erquill.com/AmberHeat/AH_newsletters.html Join the Amber Heat Readers Loop http://groups.yahoo.com /group/amberheatreaders/ Follow Amber Quill Press on Twitter http://twitter.com/AmberQuillPress< /a> Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook. com/AmberQuillPressPubishing

K.C. Kendricks is tomorrow's Gimme Fever Friday Spotlight Author at the amberheatreaders@yahoogroups.com. If you'd like to chat with KC and enter her contest, just click on Birdie and he'll fly you over. Christiane France

Swept Away By Romance: Historical Romance Week 4: The Duke of Shadows by ...

A new five star review of Darlene Marshall's Sea Change:

Swept Away By Romance: Historical Romance Week 4: The Duke of Shadows by ...: The last week of Historical Romance Month has arrived and we’ve got two wonderful books for you. One of our guest reviewers, Kathleen, rec...

Excerpt-PG 13 Rez Dogs and Scooter Trash

Rez Dogs and Scooter Trash by Deirdre O'Dare
www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/

Blurb: Mike Dufrane fled a traumatic youth, years haunted by an abusive biker father, poverty and degradation,. by escaping into the military. But there he found only more savage violence. Then a chance encounter with an animal rescue group showed him another way. On an Indian Reservation in the southwest, he finds a place to make a difference. Rez Dogs Rescue Shelter will be his route to build a positive life. Then a handsome Native American rides up on a Harley and throws Mike’s plans for a loop.

Adam was not there when his kid brother needed guidance and a firm hand. Back from two tours with Special Forces, he starts a youth center on the Rez to try to atone for his error but he cannot give up his Harley or his image as one bad ass biker. When an outsider starts a shelter for abused and neglected dogs, Adam initially finds it ludicrous but then recognizes a purpose similar to his own. But the stranger seems to fear or hate bikers and is reluctant to begin a friendship. When crime and danger threaten both their projects, they have to join forces to prevail and suppressed attraction bursts into flame.

 Excerpt: (Mike's first Rez Rescue)
 
He jumped when the phone rang. The voice on the other end sounded muffled, as if the speaker was either talking very low or trying to disguise his or her speech. "You really saving dogs? If you are, there's a bitch with a bunch of pups out at the fairgrounds. The coyotes or somethin' will get them pretty quick. Look down by the porta-potties behind the grandstand."


Before Mike could ask for any more information, the caller hung up. Well, this was a start. He didn't try to trace the call or anything like that. Such an act could be seen as a betrayal of trust, and anyway it would probably just lead to one of the few pay phones still in place around the town or a cheap throw-away cell phone.

He got in the van, now equipped with some cages and a catch pole, and headed for the fairgrounds. He made a couple of wrong turns, but finally got there. The portable latrines stood in a double line, back to back, about a hundred yards behind the grandstand. Even before you saw them, the odor provided a foolproof clue. Mike pulled up at one end and got out.

He saw the momma dog first, a mottled brown, gray and white mid-sized dog of no obvious breed. This was clearly not her first litter. From the looks of her, she had suckled quite a few pups over her life. When she got close, he could see the scars and bites on her, some nearly healed and others fresh and raw. It looked like she'd been whipped on quite a bit and maybe had had to fight to defend her den and the litter.

She crouched, caught between a whimper and a snarl as he approached her. He talked in a soft voice and moved slowly, crouching to get down closer to the dog's level. "Come on, girl. I know you're hungry and it's hard to take care of those babies. Come on up here and let me help you. I've got a warm place for you to sleep, a safe place, and full dishes."

A tiny twitch of the dog's whippy tail rewarded him. It took a while, but at last she crept close enough to sniff his outstretched hand. No collar. Well, he hadn't expected one, but she was clearly not a feral animal. She might even have known a bit of care and kindness at some point. She whined in protest when he picked her up to put her in one of the cages. Although she didn't want to leave her pups, he didn't want her to attack while he hunted out the den. The scars and wounds she bore proved she was capable of putting up a good fight in defense of her litter.

Again, the effort took some time. He'd made a circuit around the twenty outhouses twice when he heard the first faint whimpers. He narrowed down the location of the sound to a spot near the middle of the rows and between them. Then he saw a bit of fur caught on a ragged spot on the fiberglass panel siding one latrine, and a trace of a path between it and its neighbor where the dog had come and gone from her den.

By then the stench was getting to him, but he couldn't go off and leave the puppies now that he'd caught the mother. She whined and scratched at the mesh cage, but he saw she soon dug in to the kibble he had in a corner dish, too tempted to ignore the chance to fill her slack belly in spite of her concern for her babies.

The individual latrines were heavier than he expected. After a struggle, he got one dragged out and shifted to one side enough he could lie down and force himself through the gap if he turned sideways. An occasional squeak or whine induced him to keep after it.

He edged in, lying on his left side because he could never stoop or squat in the limited space available. Finally, he reached a place where he could peek down the narrow aisle between the privies. He realized at once the pups were behind him. There was no way to turn over in the gap so he inched out and back in again. Then he saw the den, a hole dug in the narrow space between the two rows of huts, partly under one of them. A spotted white head poked out of the hole for a minute before it disappeared again.

He had to grab the wiggly pups two by two, one in each hand, crawl out and take them to the truck. It took four trips to get all seven puppies. He put them in the cage with the female. She answered their whines with soft sounds of her own, while she sniffed and licked each one, as if to be sure they were all right. Only after she seemed to know all of them were there did she lie down and allow the litter to nurse. The satisfaction he felt at the sight took Mike by surprise. He blinked back a mist from his eyes before he went to put the porta-pottie back in place.

The pups' eyes were just starting to open. Mike guessed they were a week to ten days old. It was almost a miracle the mother had been able to protect and feed them that long. He knew a pack of coyotes roamed around the edges of town, raiding garbage cans and snatching stray chickens or any small dog or cat out in the open and whatever else they could get. Perhaps only one at a time could have reached the den. Still, the fact they had not raided it amazed him. With this very small start, Rez Dogs Rescue was at last in business.

Rescue Dogs

It is common knowledge that Deirdre O'Dare is a dog lover, no? Many of you have probably read at least one of my Canine Cupids stories. There are eight so far and a couple more that could fit into that category but are not 'official' additions. 

Anyway over the years I have had some great dogs and they were all some kind of rescue, either formal and official, simply found, or given to me. My first dog was Flash, probably an English Shepherd or at least that was his predominant type. Loved him so much but he sadly came to a bad end while still too young. I shared that story on my deirdre-fourds blog a few weeks back. He was given to me by some friends who had a litter and needed to find homes for them. That was on my 11th birthday. That got me started and Flash was followed by many more.

In my household today there are three K-9 kiddos. My old girl is Belle Starr, a purebred Australian Sheherd who began her life as a back yard breeder's puppy-producer and then developed an auto-immune disorder called Discoid Lupus and was abandoned. That made her a special needs adoption when I got her thru Aussie Rescue in February 2007. The other two dogs in the home are KayCee, probably purebred Blue Heeler (aka Australian Cattle Dog) and BeeBee, who we think is a Heeler/Corgi mix.  I am partial to the herding breeds. Most of them are quite intelligent and very loyal when they take on a human or family to protect. They are mostly high energy and need exercise and activity though or they can be destructive or aggravatingly hyper!

Belle wound up being the star of my first Canine Cupids story--even before I got her. I'm not sure if I am clairvoyant or what but the dog that introuced Damon to Eric was Dixie Belle, a blue merle Aussie! Call it coincidence? Well, I cannot say for sure but I believer there are no 'coincidences'--everything is part of a plan or serendipty of some kind! Anyway the idea for a hero in a story to be someone who wanted to help animals in a major way worked out well for me as I wrote Rez Dogs. I'll share an excerpt in a minute and you can see for yourself .

The fun picture above has been going around on the net; I have to laugh every time I see it. That is a Border Collie and an Aussie trying to crowd thru the doggie door. The Aussie looks a lot like Belle! Ours have never gotten into that kind of a traffic jam but it has been close at times. The other pictures are Belle and KayCee as a 'pound puppy' in Colorado Springs about three years ago! He was about 8-10 months old at that time.

Dogs are great companions. I have never bought a dog. I don't say do not do it or that I never would as it depends and what you want to do with your dog but just for a companion, I do feel strongly that adoption is the best way! Rescue dogs rock!

‘FAIR LIBERTY’S CALL’—The War of 1812

"Jacob was an American who signed on with the Magpie after the war, and he called this 'The Liberty Song.'" She hummed for a moment and then began to sing:
"Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans all,
And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty's call;
No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim,
Or stain with dishonor America's name."
Daphne sang two verses and the chorus before she realized Dr. Murray was staring at her, and the only way to describe the expression on his face--there was no way to describe the expression on his face. She'd never seen anything quite like it before.
"There are more verses," she said helpfully.
"Miss Farnham!" He shook his head and started again. "Miss Farnham, that was the most treasonous piece of trash I have ever heard. Do you know what melody that is? Heart of Oak! Heart of Oak, Miss Farnham! I implore you, never, ever sing those lyrics around a navy man, for I could not answer for the consequences if you do."

 --Castaway Dreams, Darlene Marshall

I’ve been writing Regency era romance for years now, and yet it never fails to amaze me as an American that my countrymen and women are so abysmally ignorant, for the most part, about the War of 1812.

Of course, it’s not called that by most Brits.  To them it’s a blip during the long, drawn out Napoleonic Wars, a brief sidebar where those lousy Yanks objected to the Royal Navy impressing their (very necessary) sailors. Then the upstart Americans had the gall to try and take over Canada!  Burning the president’s mansion and Washington D.C (which, let’s be honest, was mostly wooden shacks in a swamp) was only what they deserved for burning York.

Aside from any lingering ill-feelings over that conflict, my fellow Americans would do well to brush up on their War of 1812 history.  After all, this is the 200^th anniversary of the beginning of the war.  This makes it an excellent time to revisit the events that started with us still being viewed by much of the world as an interesting political experiment likely to fail, and ending with us a nation.

It was also in a sense the first world war.  Britain was fighting in Europe, in Egypt, in the Caribbean, in the United States and Canada.  We were fighting in the South Pacific, all through the Atlantic and in the Caribbean as well. France involved the United States as a trading partner, and also through Napoleon’s sale of France’s territories in North America, the Louisiana Purchase. Spain and Britain fought the United States in East Florida, land that was not part of the fledgling country but which it very much desired.  And of course, every American schoolchild knows that the Battle of New Orleans was fought after the war officially ended.  What they may not realize is that it was a necessary battle, in that if Britain had won, they likely would not have left despite the peace treaty restoring the belligerents to antebellum status.  New Orleans was just too valuable a piece of real estate, controlling water traffic into the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi.

America’s winning strategy in the war most often involved its fighting men on the water.  Some of my books have dealt with the fledgling American Navy (Captain Sinister’s Lady) and the Revenue Marine aka the Coast Guard (Smuggler’s Bride), but I have a particular soft spot for America’s privateers (Sea Change and Castaway Dreams).  Privateers and pirates are often spoken of together, but there is a major difference between them: A pirate will stop and rob you on the water, a privateer has a license to stop and rob you on the water. This license, called a letter of marque, is a right enshrined in the US Constitution.  Article 1, Section 8, reserves to Congress the right “To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.”

Congress exercised this right in 1812 with the enthusiastic support of merchant sea captains who knew arming their ships and capturing British merchant ships was a great get-rich-quick scheme (if you survived) and the patriotic thing to do. The US Merchant Marine to this day proudly traces its roots to the privateers of 1812.  They did so much damage to the British economy that newspapers in London were calling on the government to settle its differences with the US or face ruin.

There were amazing exploits by the US Navy, especially in its frigates, but they were a handful of ships and men facing down the mightiest nation on the water.  The US needed the privateers to harass shipping, causing Britain to have to divert valuable naval resources to convoys and blockades, and keeping war materiel from reaching British ports.

If you’d like to learn more about the role of privateers in US history and the War of 1812, I recommend these books:

1812: The Navy’s War—George C. Daughan

Patriotic Pirates—The Privateer War for Freedom and Fortune in the American Revolution, Robert H. Patton

The Prize Game—Lawful Looting on the High Seas in the Days of Fighting Sail, Donald A. Petrie

Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafitte at the Battle of New Orleans, Winston Groom

The Other War of 1812: The Patriot War and the American Invasion of Spanish East Florida, James G. Cusick

Award-winning author Darlene Marshall’s latest release from Amber Quill Press is the historical romance Castaway Dreams: “A dour doctor (after a fashion), a dizzy damsel (more or less), a darling (and potentially delicious) doggy. Unlikely companions sharing adventure on a desert island. One may have fleas.”

On sale now in print and ebook: http://www.amberquill.com/CastawayDreams.html

For more information on Darlene’s novels: http://www.amberquill.com/bio_Marshall.html  

    

Leather Jackets by KC Kendricks

It seems like forever since I had a new book come out instead of just since February. Or was it March? Oh, how the time gets away! Anyway, I'm very happy to announce the release of Leather Jackets (although Blogger conspired to keep the news for itself today by making posting almost impossible).
Leather Jackets is the sixth, and possibly last, of The Men of Marionille series.

I won't say it is the last because Bond, James Bond is correct. Never say never. -KC






LEATHER JACKETS
Contemporary gay romance availble now at http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LeatherJackets.html


INTRO:


Wynnn held the hip-length coat for me as I slipped my arms into the sleeves, then he let the weight of it come to rest on my shoulders. The jacket was light, but incredibly warm. I flipped open the left side to check the lining.

“Don’t bother. You’d have to cut the cloth to see what the insulating layer is.”

I stretched my arms out in front of my chest. The jacket moved with me, giving just enough to remain comfortable.

“This is a nice jacket. I see why you liked. Does he make bombers?”

Wynn reached in the closet and pulled out a black bomber complete with silver studs and chains. He caressed a front panel. “This is so you, Jude. Take it.”
For a moment, I was tempted. “I can’t accept this. It’s hand-stitched so I’m sure it was expensive.”

“Nine large. But take it. Call it a signing bonus.”

“Wynn, I don’t know the first thing about modeling. You need a professional, or better yet, model this yourself. Your fans will go wild.”

His fingers trailed down my leather-clad arm until they found mine. He hesitated, then stroked his thumb over my knuckles. His voice was so low I had to strain to hear it.

“I knew you were here. I came back to Marionville to find you, Jude.”


EXCERPT

...“C’mon on over here.” He lifted his arm, and I nestled in against him like I did it every day of my life. “Jude, where do you want to go from here?”

I could play coy—something neither of us had ever liked—or I could be upfront with him. I chose the latter.
“Wherever you’re sleeping, I’m sleeping, and you know it. Now we can try to find a bar where the clientele won’t mob you, or we can find a nice quiet—private—place and say some things that need to be said to each other.”

He grinned at me. “Damn, Mary, you should be out of breath after all that.”

I growled and turned on him. “Don’t. Call. Me. Mary!”

Wynn held up his hand in mock surrender and it was the opening I needed. I dug my fingers into his ribs. He yelped and twitched, and the next thing I knew, we were rolling around on the floor of the limo, choking with shared laughter.

We rolled left, and I rose over him. Wynn’s long legs wrapped around my waist, squeezing me. I feigned defeat so he’d release me. The ploy worked for about a second and a half and then I was on my back looking up at him. The smile faded from his face and his hand cupped the back of my head.

“I’ve thought about you so much, Jude. I was wrong not to find you years ago.”

It would do no good to argue. Too many years had gone by for either of us to resurrect blame. Nothing would be gained and all the steps we’d taken in the last day would be erased. I didn’t want that. He’d only be here for such a short time. I had to make the most of every moment.

“Maybe, Wynn, but perhaps not. You had things you had to do. I had things I wanted to do.”

“Having you with me would have made it all sweeter.” He lowered his mouth to mine.

I was startled by the gentle poignancy of his kiss. For a split second, he laid himself bare for me, then I opened my lips and invited him in. The change in him was swift. A deep groan rumbled in his chest. His pelvis flexed to mine. My balls drew up as my cock swelled, eager for his touch, for the wet swipe of his tongue.
Wynn’s lips trailed fire down my neck and along my jaw line. My heart pounded as the skin on my back and buttocks prickled. Deep inside, small muscles twitched with anticipation of something I couldn’t be sure would happen. I hooked my foot around the back of his knees and rolled us against the other seat. We ended up on our sides facing each other.

“Damn, it’s tight quarters in here.”

Wynn’s big hand clamped onto my ass and squeezed. “We had to promise no sex in the limo to keep our driver happy. But he turns a blind eye to the occasional little grope-and-pant session.” His cool hand dipped under the waistband of my pants and his long fingers wrapped around my hard shaft and moved in short strokes. I rested my forehead to his.

“Oh, God. Every time I jerk off, I think of your hand.” I cupped his balls through his slacks.

He kissed me again, his tongue teasing mine and sending my pulse skyrocketing. “Do you want to get off now?”

I pressed forward, pinning his hand between our lower bodies and stopping his subtle movements. “No. Stop. After all this time, I don’t want to you to jerk me off in the damn limo and get your driver upset.”
Wynn gave my cock a last easy squeeze and pulled his hand out of my pants.

“We need to go to your place. If any of the local paparazzi has figured out where I’m staying, they might spot us sneaking into the parking garage at the hotel.”

I rimmed his ear as I murmured my agreement. He reached out a long arm, smacked the intercom button, told his driver to head to my place and put his arm around me. Wynn paused, his lips scant millimeters from mine.

“It’ll be okay, Jude. You’ll see...”

LEATHER JACKETS
ISBN 978-1-61124-283-6
Contemporary gay romance availble
now at http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LeatherJackets.html
Book 6 of The Men of Marionville series

KC Kendricks website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Interview with Mike Dufrayne from Rez Dogs and Scooter Trash

DOD: Hi Mike. Thanks for taking a few minutes from your busy life to talk to us!  Tell us a little bit about your work.

Mike: I'm doing my best to make life for the dogs on the Navajo Reservation a little easier. I know the folks here are dealing with a lot of tough issues like poverty, prejudice and drugs and alcohol. This makes it hard for both the kids and the animals. I was lucky to be able to connect with IFPCA while I was in the military and discovered the very best way I could make a difference. IFPCA is the International Federation for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They were working in the Middle East to help domestic animals caught up in the horrors of war.

DOD: I understand you had a tough time growing up, yourself. Can you give us a little on that?

Mike: Oh boy, I try not to go there much anymore. It was not a good time but I learned strength and compassion once I grew past the trauma. My dad was a biker and a pretty hard man. I know he wanted me to grow up strong and tough so he never showed me much softness. My mother was racially mixed and she'd suffered a lot of prejudice since neither the black or the white communities really accepted her. The same thing happened to me too. We were called a lot of bad names and that hurt, but you can either get bitter and sink to the same level as the bullies or end up with a gang or you can bust your ass to get out of there and do better. Not much credit to me since it was mostly luck but I managed to do get out and decided to try to make a difference. SometimesI have to look around and holler hallelujah when I know I'm out of that for good! I'm one lucky son.

DOD: Wht happened to the two dogs you rescued from the gang's dog fight operation?

Mike: Bobby took the one and I've kept the guy who lost his eye. He goes almost everywhere with me, unless it's on the bike. Adam and I are thinking of making a little trailer so he can ride with us too. We'd have to get some goggles to protect his good eye, though. Can't afford to lose it too.

DOD: What is the hardest thing you ever did? What are you most proud of?

Mike: One of the hardest things was getting on that Harley with Adam. I hadn't been on a scooter since my last ride with my dad, one that did not end too happily for me. But I knew it was a test and if I was going to stand a chance of hooking up with a great guy, I had to do it. Am I proud? Yeah, I guess I am. And the reward was all I could ask for!

DOD: I'm happy for you and for Adam too. I know the two of you can help each other do some good things and have some fun as well. Good luck to you!

Writing about LOVE

Deirdre O'Dare here. Yesterday was Hop Against Homophobia Day and a number of us spoke out in support of both gay or GLBT romance and the overall idea of acceptance and equal rights for all. It's a topic near and dear to many of us.

Kind of fitting too that today I get to talk about my gay romance fiction--well, all my erotic romance since I write about a lot of different pairings and matches! As some of my fellow Amber Heat/Allure authors said, we are basically celebrating Love and we don't draw any boxes or circles to confine who can love whom! I figure that is totally out of our hands and it should be. I'm not sure where my characters come from but they emerge, usually in a vignette or similar mini-scene and begin to talk to me. Over the course of the days or weeks I work on their story, it gradually unfolds as they tell me bits and pieces as they choose, until we get to an HEA or HFN point where it works to stop.

In a bit I will interview Mike and Adam, the two characters from my new-this-weekend story, Rez Dogs and Scooter Trash. It is part of the Bad, Bad Boys AmberPAX collection. We all love bad boys and this serves up a feast of them! Comment here or on my blog www.deirdredares.blogspot.com for a chance to win your copy as soon as I have mine--NLT some time Sunday!

Amber Allure Authors Speak Out Against Homophobia

Amber Allure Authors Speak Out Against Homophobia


It give me great pleasure to be part of the Hop Against Homophobia Day and to stand up for the human rights of all people, whatever their sexuality, gender, race or religion. Singling out any section of society for unjust treatment should not be tolerated in our modern world, and we need to find ways to promote understanding and freedom for all.

I also want to stand up for heterosexual Christians like myself who are 100% behind the drive for GLBTQ equality and same-sex marriage - the media seem at the moment to be concentrating on those Christians who are against the idea, and I think it's important for people to know that we don't all think the same. I'm proud to say I've just joined the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement in the UK to show my support, and hope that other Christians will also stand with me on this point. –Anne Brooke

As an author who chooses to write GLBT romance, I would be a major hypocrite if I clung to a trace of homophobia. While it took me awhile to get here--heck, I grew up in an era before many people "came out" at all--I have come to a true belief that Love cannot be bad or wasted or wrong. Real, sincere love (not disguised self-seeking lust or predatory control) is The One True Thing. It may strike in awkward and unlikely places at times but we need to cherish and celebrate it, regardless. This is what I seek to do in my stories. I believe any and all discrimination based on real or merely perceived "difference" is wrong and that all people are created equal and deserve equality. While I will not do polemics in the guise of fiction, I always work quietly toward that end. I do support everyone’s right to hold to specific beliefs and restrictions in their private lives, but this should never spill over to suppressing or directing the lives of others in any way! –Deirdre O’Dare

What do I tell my kids about the books I write?

When they were younger I told them to look all around us – at the trees, flowers, birds, dogs, cats, horses, all the living things here on earth. Now, tell me which of them is best. Which is the best bird? The best flower? The best dog? Who is the best person? Is that person male or female, black, white, yellow or brown? Do they speak English or a foreign language? Are they gay or straight?

And with each question, they’d say I don’t know which flower is best. I can’t tell which dog. And I say, that’s right. Same with people. We’re all here, we’re all valuable, we’re all right. We all deserve love, romance and a happily ever after.

And now to my teenagers I also say, no matter who you are, inside or out, I will always love, respect and cherish you. No matter who you fall in love with.

That’s why I write gay romance. I write it for my kids, so they’ll know that they deserve a happily ever after with the person they love. –Lynn Lorenz

My name is Kelli Wilkins and I write erotic romances – straight, gay, paranormal, historical – it doesn’t matter to me. Why? Because my books are about characters who fall in love – and in my world who "should" fall in love with another person isn’t based on gender or preference.

I approach a same-sex love scene the same way I would if I was writing about a hetero couple. For me, it’s not about the gender or the anatomy of the characters – it’s about creating a believable, intimate scene where two people express their love for each other.

If you don’t want to read gay romance, then don’t. But I’ll still write them. It’s a free country, so read whatever you want – but don’t expect me to censor what I write because someone might think it’s "icky" or get offended.

My first gay book, Four Days with Jack, dealt with issues of homophobia, self-doubt, and self-acceptance. I’m proud that I wrote it, and I’ll be proud of the next gay romances I write. Why? Because I’m a romance writer – and in my books, everyone deserves to be in love and live happily-ever-after. –Kelli A. Wilkins

I've been writing gay romantic fiction for almost ten years now - only about six years as a published author - and when I began it was purely for my own pleasure. I admit I never really gave a lot of consideration to the facts of life for a gay man, I was purely wrapped up in the sexy romance of two hot men! However, it didn't take long once I was published and became more involved in the publishing world of gay romance to learn how much I DIDN'T understand about the subject I was writing about.

Being from the UK I'd always considered the gay people in my country were much better off than their counterparts in other countries, in particular the US, and while that is still true in many cases, there are far too many situations when homophobia is alive and kicking in the UK. However, it was very uplifting to read the following comment in a recent article and it gives me a degree of confidence in the future: "Recent polls suggest that the majority of people in the UK are supportive of gay rights." –Stevie Woods

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Some days, I like to fool myself into thinking that as a species we’re advanced enough now to put prejudice behind us. (Yeah, I can hear you snickering over there, from half-way across the world.) It’s not that I’m naive. I’m just a dreamer. I think that, as a species, we have the potential to put prejudice behind us. But does that mean that we’re doing it? Clearly not. Or at least, not all of us. The Hop Against Homophobia is a wonderful way for the M/M writer community to come together and practice what we so often preach in our books: kindness, empathy, and tolerance for all. We're coming together to fight discrimination, and to stand up for a cause we're all passionate about. After all, if we didn't believe in the beauty of homosexual love, we wouldn't be writing about it. –Hunter Raines

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Annually, on May 17^th, people around the globe join together to fight homophobia. The date was chosen in commemoration of the day in 1990 the World Health Organization finally removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. The American Psychiatric Association Board of Directors had voted in 1973 to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, saying that same-sex orientation was not inherently associated with psychopathology. Seventeen years later, the World Health Organization, at long last, agreed. On May 17, 2005, the first International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) was realized. Every year since, IDAHO has grown, and countries and organizations all around the world participate in events to facilitate awareness of just how detrimental to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people homophobia and transphobia can be.

Homophobia is generally defined as hostility toward or fear of gay people, and transphobia as hostility or fear of transgendered people. But, in truth, these terms encompass a wide variety of attitudes, viewpoints, and ideologies.

Sadly, prejudice and hostility affect members of the LGBT community every day, resulting in everything from verbal slurs, to social stigma, bullying, work and family discrimination, and physical violence. In many countries homosexuality is still illegal and homosexual acts are punishable by fines, jail time, or even death. All of these incidents are violations of basic human rights.

And these violations aren’t limited to just gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered people. They can affect anyone who is perceived as being LGBT or who doesn’t fall in line with gender stereotypes. Even families of LGBT people can be victims of hatred and discrimination, such as children of LGBT parents taking heat for their parents’ sexual orientation, or straight parents, grandparents, or siblings being shunned or asked to leave their places of worship or other organizations because of their support of a gay family member.

Homophobia and transphobia aren’t confined to any particular segment of society—they can rear their ugly heads in people of every nationality, every gender, every economic level, and every belief system.

The LGBT people being preyed upon often feel humiliated and isolated, and are sometimes rejected by their families, churches, or society in general. A shocking number of LGBT youth end up homeless after their families have thrown them out when their sexual orientation was revealed. According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in 2006 between twenty and forty percent of young homeless people in the United States were gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to think that number has grown even higher in the last few years. In spite of slowly improving laws in support of LGBT people, hate crimes against them are on the rise.

So what can be done? In two simple words: promote awareness. Only with increased awareness and better laws will we see improvement.

Some schools are beginning to incorporate tolerance education into their curricula, but many more need to take this step. Schools also need to take a hard line against homophobic (or any kind) of bullying. Teachers should be trained how to support and encourage LGBT students, and schools need to foster a sense of acceptance among students, teachers, workers in the school, school board members, and coaches.

Communities at large must come together to fight prejudice against LGBT people. Law enforcement professionals, health care providers, teachers, employers, politicians, activists, spiritual leaders, journalists…if more organizations and individuals in every community sent a strong message of tolerance and understanding, and set down laws against LGBT discrimination, it would positively influence how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people were viewed and treated. Humans are often afraid of what they don’t understand. So it’s important to bring the truth to light.

What can we, as a writing community, do to help fight homophobia and transphobia? For starters, exactly what we’re doing here today—blogging and bringing awareness to just how harmful homophobia can be. We can also spread the word that we, as writers and publishers, work hard to produce quality fiction that portrays lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in a positive light. In the tales we tell and publish, we strive to show that everyone deserves to achieve their goals, live life to the fullest, and find love and happiness. Perhaps in our stories at Amber Allure, LGBT readers can find a measure of joy, support, and even hope in the coming together of LGBT protagonists.

Abolishing homophobia and transphobia is essential for improving the quality of life for LGBT people. And we at Amber Quill Press stand firmly with other progressive groups and individuals who are working toward that goal!

For more information about IDAHO, homophobia, and how you can help, you can visit IDAHO’s global webportal at www.dayagainsthomophobia.org.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you’ll choose to stand with us!

--The owners and staff of Amber Quill Press 　

Find out more by visiting the Hop Against Homophobia Blog　

And now for the contest. Enter to win the "Stepping Out" AmberPax Collection.

5 stories by 5 different authors featuring the theme of coming out

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Look Back at Four Days with Jack – One Year Later

A Look Back at Four Days with Jack – One Year Later

By Kelli A. Wilkins

 (www.KelliWilkins.com)

Hi everyone,

Today I’m taking a look back at my m/m Amber Allure romance, Four Days with Jack. The book was released a year ago, and it was my first gay romance.

I always knew that one day I’d write a gay romance, and I’ve been batting ideas around in my head for a while. I was in between books and had just finished editing A Perfect Match when I heard about the Amber Allure “Postcards from Paradise” line, and I knew I had my next project.

At first, all I had was a basic plot (straight guy comes out to his gay best friend), a title, and one pivotal scene that takes place in a bathroom. (For those of you who have read the book, you know which scene I’m talking about – but I won’t give it away here!) From there, I let my imagination wander and came up with the resort, the rest of the plot, and the unusual cast of characters that Jack and David encounter.

Four Days with Jack is one of the very few books I wrote without an outline. I think not having an outline let the characters write their own story (so to speak), and took the book in new directions. As I wrote, David quickly revealed a major conflict – inner turmoil.

David has kept his true desires a secret from himself and everyone else. He is afraid of what people will think about him if they know (or even suspect) that he’s gay. How will they react? Will they judge him? If so, how will his life change?

These aren’t the typical types of questions that my straight characters have to deal with in their romances. And this line of thinking really got me wondering about what it’s like for people to come out in real life. Will they be shunned by friends and family? Should they tell anyone? Live a lie? Move to a new state? What if they live in a state that’s more traditional and not gay-friendly? What will their coworkers think? Is their preference really anybody’s business?

I picked up on this theme of “what will people think?” and ran with it. In the book, David points out that Jack’s family (and some friends) disowned him when he came out, and David doesn’t want to go through the same type of heartache. Jack’s reply is pretty much: “So? They’ll get over it.” 

As I was writing this story, I considered “what people would think” about this book. How can a woman write a gay romance? What will people think about the m/m love scenes? Then I reminded myself that I’m a writer, and I create the characters and scenes that make up the book. Basically, the story needs to be told, and I’m the one telling it. I’ve made up all sorts of things: an erotic Bigfoot story, detailed ménage m/m/f scenes, a first-person vampire love story, and coming soon even a m/m werewolf romance.

Writing these stories is not about me explaining myself on paper and waiting to be judged; it’s telling the story about the characters and showing readers what happens to them. It’s called fiction.

Writers need to turn off their internal editors and forge ahead with the story as it should be (and needs to be) told. If we constantly worried about what grandma would think about our writing, or if we were afraid to open up and let the characters and story take us into the bedroom, we’d never write anything except G-rated bedtime fables. And if a friend/relative/whoever has a problem with the subject matter, Jack’s right: they’ll get over it.

Recently I read a blog where a woman was “confessing” to writing an erotic romance, even though she couldn’t tell anyone about it and wouldn’t “dare” put her real name on the story. I got to wondering…why? Why hide your writing? And if you’re “ashamed” to be writing in a particular genre, why invest the time in something you’re not going to stand behind?  

I’m pleased to say that Four Days with Jack has received great reviews. Here’s a snippet from one:

“...I thought that (Kelli) Wilkins did a very good job portraying the confused David and the wary, but hopeful, Jack. David’s inner turmoil and fears about outing himself were so heartbreaking. I definitely felt for him. A strong romance with very likeable characters. I’m quite glad that I went ahead and read this story. I learned that as a romance fan I can definitely appreciate and enjoy those that feature two male heroes. An emotional, yet sexy coming-out story about two men finally opening themselves up to the possibility of a great love. It was an excellent introduction into the world of M/M romance.”--Jennifer, Romance Novel News

The book blurb and a tame excerpt are below. Check out a HOT excerpt on the book’s page: http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/FourDaysWithJack.html

FOUR DAYS WITH JACK

When David invited his best friend along on vacation, he never expected them to fall in love…

Spending four days in a tropical paradise with Jack is a dream come true. For years, David lived a lie and denied his attraction to Jack. Now that they’re together in an isolated Caribbean resort, he finally sheds his denial and admits what he really wants—to be Jack’s lover.

Jack is more than willing to introduce David to the life he has always fantasized about. Their sizzling nighttime encounters confirm David’s long-hidden desires. But what will happen when they leave the resort? Will David sacrifice everything to start a new life with Jack? Or will he go back to his old ways and risk losing the best friend he ever had?

The Excerpt:

David popped open the champagne and poured them each a glass. "A toast. To us. To our new beginning."

"To us," he said, clinking David's glass and taking a sip of champagne. The bubbles tickled his nose. "This is excellent, nice and sweet."

"Like you." David set his glass on the cart and gathered him into his arms. "I want to prove how much I love you. How much I've always loved you."

Jack closed his eyes as David kissed him. It was gentle, tender, and made his skin tingle. David really did love him, and he was thrilled that he was opening up about it. David kissed him a few more times, then picked up the bowl of strawberries. "Hungry?"

He opened his mouth as David fed him the sweet fruit. His taste buds came alive, and he sucked on David's fingertips as he pulled away.

"My turn," David said. He took a strawberry and ran it along David's lips. David's tongue darted out and licked a droplet of juice off the end of the strawberry. He wrapped his lips around it and sucked it from his fingers.

Jack grinned. "Lovely."

They took turns feeding each other the tangy fruit and washing it down with champagne. After their third glass, his head started to buzz. "I think I'm getting drunk."

"Good," David said, drawing him into his arms for a kiss.

They kissed tenderly at first, then gave in to their passion. He groaned and kissed David deeper, aching and yearning for more. David's hot mouth tasted like strawberries and champagne.

David bent his head and kissed the soft spot on the side of his neck. "Tell me what you like," he said, grinding his erection against him. "Let me know it's right."

"You're doing fine," he replied, yanking David closer. He kissed him hard and plunged his tongue into his mouth. Kissing was fine, but he wanted more.

"Why don't we go to bed?"

"No. Not yet." David stepped back. "Tonight will be different. Tonight I plan on seducing you."

He closed his eyes. "Go right ahead. I'm all yours."

***

I’m proud of my first gay romance – and I’m working on more.

On May 17, 2012 the Amber Quill Press author blog will be taking part in the "Hop Against Homophobia" blog hop. To find out more about the event, you can visit this link: http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com/2012/05/purpose-of-this-hop.html

I hope you’ll check it out.

Happy Reading!

Kelli A. Wilkins

See all of Kelli’s romances here:

Amber Quill Press Author Page: http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/bio_Wilkins.html

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Kelli-A.-Wilkins/e/B001JSAB24/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1326933452&sr=8-3