I got to meet my special guest today in Tampa at Rainbow Con this month - Elizabeth is not the loudest voice in the room but she is a compelling presence. I'm so pleased to be able to share a bit about her latest release, Electric Candle, with you today.

You'll find the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of the page - don't' forget to enter for a chance to win your own copy ;)

Electric Candle
by Elizabeth Noble
Dreamspinner Press
Cover art: TL Bland

When a vampire finds his soul mate, the bond is forever. It’s love at first sight. Or is it?

Flint, Ohio Homicide Detective Jonas Forge has been a vampire for nearly two hundred years. He’s fought wars, seen life go from the simple but hard colonial days to the modern high tech world. He’s evolved with the times, adapting with each new era, blending into each new life. The one constant is his best friend and lover, Declan. Until Forge’s soul mate tumbles, literally, into his life. 

Even though they’re not fated to be together forever, Forge and Declan are perfectly happy. Despite the pheromone attracting him to his soul mate, Forge isn’t thrilled with the guy, and the feeling seems mutual. While trying to adjust to his clumsy soul mate and equally awkward feelings, Forge is on the hunt for the serial killer who’s leaving a trail of bodies, and who witnesses can’t identify. But Forge better watch out. When his work collides with his love life, things really heat up.

About the author:

Elizabeth Noble started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M romance fiction. Being able to share her works with Dreamspinner is really a dream come true. She has a real love for all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural and a bit of an unnatural interest in a super-volcano in Wyoming.

Elizabeth has three grown children and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed breed canine princess named Rosie, and two cats, Murphy and Yeti. She lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe!). When she's not writing she's working as a veterinary nurse, so don't be surprised to see her men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives

You can find Elizabeth at: http://www.elizabeth-noble.com/

Earlier this week, my guys (hubby and son) announced that we would be "going somewhere" on Saturday. Somewhere? I asked. Yes, you don't get to know. When I squinted at son and asked if this was something I would want to do? Totally, he said.

With instructions to wear comfortable shoes and that we would have to leave early since it would be somewhere over a two hour drive, my suspicions and speculations ran amok. Where would we end up? Were we going north? South? Could I wear jeans and a t-shirt? My questions were answered judiciously or ignored. I was completely in the dark.

We drove up I-95 on Saturday morning and crossed the Delaware Memorial - all right, north, then, at least going into New Jersey. Something in Cape May? Nope - we continued to head north and further north.

When we approached the Newark airport, I realized we were headed to New York. Going into the big city? Oh, my....this was something interesting. By this time, hubby was dropping hints about someone needing to be brave enough to talk to a famous person, which he was unwilling to do. Celebrity? Who could it be? Now my brain was racing and the boys still weren't talking.

We parked in a garage on 56th, the kind where you leave the key with the attendant and your car gets to feel special and ride up to its spot in an elevator, and walked down the street for an early linner.

Just a quick shout out to the restaurant - Topaz - which is one of those small, tables too close spaces that they've managed to make cozy and beautiful with dark, shining wood and wonderful service.

The panang was perfect - so good. We dumped our collective rice in the bowl and scarfed it all up since letting that beautiful sauce go to waste would've been a crying shame.

Stuffed and happy, we roamed Central Park and some of the city for a bit since it was a perfect spring day and our "thing" (still no clue) wasn't until 3:00.

At one point we passed Carnegie Hall and I said to son "I wish I could show you the inside..."

Interesting how dramatic irony sometimes plays out in real life.

At 2:30, we headed back toward Carnegie - and went inside. What? Wait...really? Hubby went to the Will Call window, picked up tickets and rushed us into the auditorium. I didn't even have a chance to look at the tickets until we sat down.

Finally, I'm in my seat and manage to squint out the name on the ticket.

Natalie Merchant.

Squeee! So cool. We've been fans forever and I haven't seen her in concert for, oh dear, twenty years? Something like that. This was a special family concert, a four concert tour for the new illustrated book "Leave Your Sleep" that takes some of the poems Natalie set to music some time ago and pairs them with lovely Barbara McClintock illustrations.

Better yet? They were signing copies after the concert and hubby had brought the book for me to have it signed. Super squeee!

It was a wonderful concert - Natalie's still adorable, dang her, after all these years, and she interacted with the kids so well. No pics were allowed at concert or signing or I would have some for you, but oh, it was so cool to talk to her for a few moments. I even got some words out.

Me (leaning down to speak, eyes most likely shining with scary fan stars): Thank you - we've been fans of yours for over 25 years
Natalie (eyes traveling up to tall figure looming behind me): Is this your son?
Me: Yes! Oh, yes, he grew up listening to you.
Natalie (gracious and smiling, reaches out to shake Ian's hand): Did you want it signed to both of you?
Me: Yes, thank you! That would be wonderful.
Natalie (signing): So you're from New York?
Me: No, we came up from Delaware to see you.
Natalie (eyes a bit wide): You came all that way just to see me?
Me: Yes! Absolutely!

And there you have it folks - probably the one conversation I will ever have with a celebrity. She was so sweet and I'm glad I didn't completely embarrass myself. But it was a wonderful surprise and a lovely day I'll always hold in a painted lacquered box next to my heart.

Thank you, guys. It was worth all the not-knowing. :)

Here it is - the lovely cover for Luki and Sonny's return. Stay with us - there's an entry at the bottom of the page. ;)

Because of Jade (A Vasquez and James Novel)

Author Name: Lou Sylvre
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb(s):

Luki Vasquez receives the news he's still cancer free after five years, and he wants to celebrate with his whole family. He and his husband, Sonny James, take a road trip south, intending to gather at the home of his nephew Josh, Josh's wife Ruthie, and Jade--a little girl who was still in the womb when she and her mother helped Luki beat lung cancer.



Halfway to their destination, Luki learns Josh and Ruthie have met a tragic death. The horrible news lays Luki low, but he pulls himself together in time to be the family's rock and see to the dreaded business of tying up loose ends. The most important business is Jade, and when Luki and Sonny head home, they take Jade with them.



Luki and Sonny must combat self-doubt and fear and help each other learn to parent an unexpected child—and they must also nourish the love that has kept them whole for the past ten years. A relative's spurious claim to Jade threatens the new family, and even if they prevail in court, they could lose their little girl unless they can rescue Jade from evil hands and true peril.

Rafflecopter Prize: An e-copy of Because of Jade

For more entries, please visit these other lovely bloggers participating in Lou's cover reveal today!

http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/

http://www.parkerwilliamsauthor.com

http://angelmartinezauthor.weebly.com/the-blog-erotic-fiction-for-the-hungry-mind.html

www.lovebytesreviews.com

http://kimnsarah.co.uk

http://leebrazilauthor.blogspot.com/

http://myfictionnook.com

www.amandastonebooks.com

http://havanshawthaven.blogspot.com/

http://www.prismbookalliance.com

http://www.mrsconditreadsbooks.com

http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/

http://cateashwood.blogspot.com

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

http://shirleyfrancesbooksandmore.wordpress.com/

Author Links: Visit her at http://www.sylvre.com or contact her at lou.sylvre@gmail.com

Author Bio:

Lou Sylvre hails from southern California but now lives and writes on the rainy side of Washington State. When she’s not writing, she’s reading fiction from nearly every genre, romance in all its tints and shades, and the occasional book about history, physics, or police procedure. Not zombies, though. Her personal assistant is Boudreau, a large cat who never outgrew his kitten meow. She plays guitar (mostly where people can’t hear her) and she loves to sing. She’s usually smiling and laughs too much, some say. She also loves her family, her friends, the aforementioned Boudreau, a Chihuahua named Joe, and (in random order) coffee, chocolate, sunshine, and wild roses.

The lovely folks at Pride Promotions will be taking us on a whirlwind tour of blogs this week. Good gravy - look at that schedule!

The Mischief Corner authors did something of a divide and conquer on this one - so you'll have some promo blogs, some interview questions answered by each of the four Not In The Stars authors, and a couple of essays on taking risks.

There are, of course, prizes. You knew that.

So come on along - you're in for a fun ride!

Some time ago, though not in a galaxy far away, the Mischief Corner authors decided on a series of anthology prompts. Their lone science fiction writer (that would be me) grumbled and groused about some of them, but the Mischiefers kept prodding and suggesting and we managed some really cool collections of stories.

I think this one was to make me feel better. Or have my revenge. Or something.

The Science Fiction anthology was a first for a couple of our authors, though most of us are SF fans of one sort or another (even Toni, who's fallen in love with new Kirk and such ;) )

Still, for folks who don't normally write SF, it did cause some anxious moments. Will it work? Can I do this?

My vote? Yes. They could. They did. And here's the result.

Not In The Stars is a collections of four SF stories - all quite different in tone, flavor and subject matter. Two are on Earth, two aren't. Two are traditional romances in structure, two aren't. Two are serious with dashes of humor, one is deadly serious and one is decidedly...not.

Come join us on our little jaunt into the future, even if it's just a teensy bit of a leap forward. There's room for everyone, since like every good space/time vehicle, it's bigger on the inside.


Not in the Stars
Amazon
All Romance
By Toni Griffin, Mathilde Watson, Freddy MacKay and Angel Martinez
Mischief Corner Anthologies, #4
Release Date: April 5, 2014
Word Count: 138,700

Since the dawn of human expression, man has gazed up at the heavens in wonder, inspired by the wheeling of the stars to explain his surroundings. While our perception of those surroundings have changed, from thinking of the Earth as a flat, stable plane to realizing we’re falling through space in a tiny atmospheric bubble, our wonder remains constant.

Space stations, alien races, far-flung planets—join the Mischief Corner authors as they explore the possibilities the stars might offer. The catch? Returning to mundane old Earth might be harder than you think.

Finding Connor: The Borillian Twist, Book 1 - Toni Griffin
Mark, a RAAF fighter pilot, is on leave for the first time since the aliens decided to say 'Hello'. He meets Connor, a numbers man for a casino, at a gay bar and danced the night away. Their one night together changes their entire lives and what people think they know about life on Earth.

The Usual Conventions: Unconventional Romances 1 - Mathilde Watson
When Chris meets the alien—man—of his dreams, "Ensign Brodeich Geinn" aka actor Brody Gates, it's as one of the coordinators for the first annual OBX Science Fiction Convention in North Carolina. To his delight, Brody seems to return his interest, albeit in typical alien "Brodeich" fashion. Awkward alien or not, Chris is more than willing to play out any sexual fantasy for his SciFi crush, especially when Brody fumbles over the simplest of human conventions.

Feel Me - Freddy MacKay
One terrorist blast changed Master Tobias Zimmer's entire existence, relegating him to being nothing more than just a "Coppies" because of the metal replacing his flesh. As the once future Shogun of moon colony Orion 1, he now idles his time away keeping tabs on the Loyalists while his father and brother broker negotiations with the Earth Consortium.

A confrontation with his childhood enemy, Dr. Thorsten Nordenfelt, sets into motion events that cannot be undone and puts Tobias's sheltered heart at the center of the colony's attempts to free itself from the repressive Earth's rule.

Shax's War: Brimstone 3 - Angel Martinez
The boys desperately need a vacation. With the not-quite-ill-gotten gains from the Frog incident, Shax takes the Brimstone's crew to the exclusive resort planet, Opal. What could possibly go wrong there?

Hi all! Our special tour guest today is Joy Lynn Fielding who's been gracious enough to share the details about her brand new M/M Paranormal Romance, Shifting Sands (Strength of the Pack 4)

Blurb:

The visit to Elk Ridge is just another assignment for Tom Barrington. Then he encounters Bryce Reynolds, a generous, warm-hearted cowboy who has the easiest smile he’s ever seen. It doesn’t take long for Tom to break all his rules and end up in Bryce’s bed. Bryce Reynolds believes there’s no such thing as a hot politician, right up until he meets Tom Barrington. Tall, dark, and principled, Tom overturns all of Bryce’s prejudices, and Bryce starts to forget that he doesn’t do serious and he doesn’t do commitment.

As Bryce and Tom struggle to make sense of what’s happening between them, they’re drawn into a political battle—one which could affect the future of every shifter. And when long-buried secrets start coming to light, things turn deadly. Nothing will ever be the same again for the Elk Ridge pack.

Available at Siren Bookstrand

Excerpt:

Bryce pushed open the door, prepared for another snotty pen pusher like Taylor Cufflinks the Third, or whatever his stupid name had been. Because of that, it took him a moment to process that he was seeing what he thought he was seeing and that he hadn’t found himself in the middle of a really good dream. Except if it was a dream, presumably this guy would already be naked rather than pouring himself a cup of coffee while dressed in a crisp white shirt, open at the neck, and gray slacks that should have been illegal given the way they clung to the curves of a frankly spectacular ass.

If Tom Barrington was a pen pusher, it was a pretty heavy pen he pushed on a regular basis, because those were definite muscles betrayed by the fit of his shirt. His hair was dark and just a little wavy, his cheekbones were sharply defined beneath flawless skin, and there was the suspicion of a five-o’clock shadow on his jaw, which somehow emphasized just how strong that jawline was.

Bryce was still staring when Tom looked up and gestured with the mug he was holding. “Hope you don’t mind,” he said, then paused.

Bryce was aware that he was being studied in return and stood a little taller, opening himself up for inspection by rich brown eyes. It seemed Tom liked what he saw, because he looked for longer than was strictly polite. Bryce grinned at him when his eyes returned to Bryce’s face, and Tom suddenly looked away, biting his lip slightly as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. Even that didn’t stop him sending another look sideways at Bryce, and the combination of that with the way his teeth were sinking into his plump lower lip had Bryce’s stomach tightening with arousal. This security check might be a hell of a lot more pleasurable than he’d figured. And he was not thinking about Tom Barrington and body searches in the same breath, because that wasn’t helping things settle down in the least.

“Sorry to have kept you,” he said, and sat down at the table. “I figured you’d be another twelve-year-old.”

Tom stared at him, and then he grinned. It was a really good look on him. “I forgot—you had Bressingham visit you, didn’t you?”

“I wondered if it was ‘take your son to work day’ but mom or dad got lost en route,” Bryce said.

“He’s one of Cheung’s protégés,” Tom said, sitting down opposite Bryce. “He’s got potential, apparently.”

“Or a daddy with deep pockets to contribute to a re-election campaign,” Bryce said, and pushed the sugar bowl across the table. Tom nodded in thanks and took a spoonful.

“So what do you need to know?” Bryce asked, all business again. The thought that the sooner they got business done, the sooner they might get to other things was not in his mind at all. No way.



Author Bio:

Joy Lynn Fielding is a sucker for happy endings. She believes, however, that if characters don’t suffer along the way, they won’t fully appreciate being happy. Not all of her characters thank her for
this viewpoint, but what do they know?

Joy lives in a small English market town, but also inhabits a number of fictional worlds at any one time, reflecting what she’s writing and what she’s reading. She has a tendency to share enthusiastically with anyone who will listen to the latest fascinating facts she’s stumbled across in her research for books. Thankfully she has a very patient Labrador, who has a gift for looking as though he’s interested in what she’s saying while he waits for the food to arrive.


Blog: http://joyfielding.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joylynn.fielding
Email: joy.fielding01@gmail.com