A new world of illicit pleasure -- #LGBTQI #PupPlay #MultiPartner #Halloween

Book Description

What do medical kink, pup play and Halloween have in common? Scott Vernier. A visit to the local leather bar offers an unexpected treat!

Scott Vernier is lonely and bored, but he’d rather sit at home and mope than go out. A promise to a friend forces him to attend the annual Halloween party at Sonny’s, his local leather bar. Amid the tacky costumes and seasonal desperation, Scott meets two people he never expected to encounter.

Can a man well-versed in medical kink and his leather-pup boyfriend introduce Scott to a whole new world of illicit pleasure?

When Dr. Jericho Griffin gets down to business, Scott finds himself responding in explosive ways.

Reader advisory: This book features discussion only of scat, enemas and needle play. There are scenes of pup play and a scene involving voyeurism.

Excerpt

The scariest thing about Halloween currently was how little I cared for it. As a younger gay man, I’d have planned my costume for months, figuring out the sexiest way to be a zombie, a vampire or any of the other popular standards, and I’d have attended at least three parties to try to get laid. Now I was too old and jaded to care about any of that.

But it was a week until Halloween, and I had no excuses. I’d told Duke I’d be at the local gay leather bar for the annual party. He was scheduled to bartend that night and I’d foolishly committed to being there, at least for part of the evening.

I hated Halloween.

I’d loved it as a child, and as a teen and young adult, it had been an excuse to get smashed and flirt with people I’d be too intimidated by otherwise. But now, as an adult? Halloween seemed like a waste of time. I definitely had better things to do.

Or did I?

It was true that I hadn’t socialized a lot recently, because my job was exhausting, even though it fulfilled me. As an anthropology professor at the local college, I had classes to teach most days and students to support during office hours. Then there was the prep time and marking… I’d managed to fit my life into an organized and workable routine, but I was a busy man.

I had promised Duke I’d try to have some fun, simply to get him off my back and stop him from calling me ‘old before my time’—although the annual Halloween Ball at Sonny’s wasn’t exactly my idea of a great time.

For one thing, I didn’t have a costume. For another thing, I didn’t want to wear one.

But costumes were compulsory for this event, so I had to make at least a minimal effort. I had a T-shirt, somewhere, with glow-in-the-dark bones on it. If I could find it, I’d wear that and say I was a skeleton. Yeah, that was pretty dumb, but the guys who worked the door knew me, and I was pretty sure they’d let me in. It paid to be friends with the bartender, even though he pressured me to be more social.

I liked Duke a lot. He was a bear of a man but the sweetest guy anyone would ever meet. I’d gotten to know him when he’d taken one of my anthropology courses. He’d invited me for dinner once the semester had ended, and he and his cute-as-hell boyfriend Julius had cooked me the most amazing spaghetti Bolognese I’d ever eaten. It was a fast friendship with them both after that. Julius worked in IT and made good money, so Duke could bartend a few nights a week and spend the rest of his time making small sculptures out of reclaimed ‘junk’ and taking occasional classes of interest to him.

I didn’t have many close friends, and I considered Duke and Julius to be an important part of my life, especially as I hadn’t been able to find a partner to join me on this questionable journey. I’d had the occasional boyfriend, but the long-term bond had never become anything significant before either I or the other guy decided things weren’t working. I wondered if I had the temperament for a permanent relationship.

Some people were meant to be single and maybe I was one of them.

I dug through three drawers before I found my skeleton shirt scrunched in the corner. Great, it will be wrinkled as well as dumb. Ah well, there was nothing to do about it. I wasn’t gonna fucking iron it. I didn’t even think I owned an iron. Ironing seemed like the most useless and annoying chore on this planet, and I wasn’t going to be a part of it.

I slid the shirt over my head and stepped in front of the mirror. It fit a little tight, but that was okay. That just showed off my slim build to my advantage and made some of the wrinkles disappear. The sleeves were plenty long and the fabric gathered slightly at my wrists. I pulled down on the bottom edge of the shirt. It wasn’t too bad but would probably show skin if I had to reach my arms up. I wasn’t planning to do that, so it should be fine.

The bones glowed in the dimness of the room, even though the shirt had been in my drawer. I’d wear it around the house so it could absorb more light. I’d have to be careful not to spill anything on it while doing the dishes, but the more I wore it, the quicker the rest of the wrinkles would come out.

Luckily, I was able to load the dishes and wipe the counter without incident, and when I checked myself again, I was pleased with my half-assed attempt at participation. It would have to do, and at least I looked sexy. I’d put on my brown faux-leather pants that hugged my hips and showed off my long, slim legs. I was of average height and my black hair had begun to streak with gray, but I was fit and strong and didn’t look half bad tonight, if I was honest. Maybe the visit to the popular club would be worth it and I’d be able to bring someone home for the evening. It had been a while since I’d seen any action. I didn’t want to contemplate how long.

I went to the bathroom and used some gel to muss my hair into an artfully untidy style. At the last minute, I applied some black eyeliner that I saved for special occasions when I was feeling it. Even though my enthusiasm for the Halloween party was negligible, my interest in seducing a warm body for a few hours began to rise.

Buy Links

Choose Your Store: https://books2read.com/u/bwaB7O

First For Romance: https://www.firstforromance.com/book/skeletal-equation

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58612852-skeletal-equation

About the Author

AE Lister/Elizabeth Lister is a Canadian non-binary author with a vivid imagination and a head full of unique and interesting characters. They have published 10 books, one of which received an Honorable Mention from the National Leather Association – International for excellence in SM/Leather/Fetish writing.

“Sensual and visceral BDSM.” – Amazon.ca

Find out more about AE Lister at their website, and follow them on Instagram and Patreon.

Author Links

AE Lister - https://www.firstforromance.com/index.php?route=product/author/info&author_id=11762

Website: https://www.aelister.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.aelister

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aelister

Giveaway

Enter for the chance to win a $50.00 First for Romance Gift Card!

Notice: This competition ends on 2^nd November 2021 at 12am EST. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

World change starts with educated children – #Literacy #GenderEquity #CharitySunday

Welcome to the Halloween edition of Charity Sunday! No tricks today, only treats.

Today I’m highlighting one of my favorite charities, Room To Read. They are an international organization focused on education in the broadest sense – not just literacy, but also life skills such as self-confidence, self-discipline, critical thinking and effective communication. Room To Read aims to create life-long learners. It supports projects around the world, at both elementary and secondary school levels, focusing especially on the needs of girls and young women, who in many countries have reduced educational opportunities. Many research studies have shown that better education for women is strongly associated with better overall economic conditions in the country as a whole.

I’ve been donating to Room to Read for several years now, but just noticed this slogan:

I think it captures a great truth. Education not only opens doors for individuals, it also benefits society as a whole.

Anyway, I will donate two dollars to Room to Read for every comment I receive on this post. Meanwhile, since this is Halloween, I have an exciting paranormal excerpt, set on All Hallow’s Eve, from my Faust-inspired erotic romance Damned If You Do. AND I will give away a copy of this sexy and entertaining novella to one lucky person who leaves a comment.

Blurb

Sometimes romance can be hell

Wendy Dennison is tired of being a starving author. The royalties from her critically acclaimed romance novels barely pay her bills. Her devoted agent Daniel Rochester may be smart and sexy, but he can't get her the sales she needs. Then a charismatic stranger appears at her coffee shop table, promising her fame and commercial success, as well as the chance to live out her dreams of erotic submission. But at what cost?

Nothing you can't afford to lose, my dear.

Seduced by the enigmatic Mister B, she signs his infernal contract. He becomes both her Master and her coach, managing her suddenly flourishing career as well as encouraging her lusts. Under her mentor’s nefarious influence, she surrenders to temptation and has sex with Daniel. The casual encounter turns serious when she discovers her mild mannered agent has a dominant side. As the clock ticks down to her blockbuster release and Mister B prepares to claim her soul, Wendy must choose either celebrity and wealth, or obscurity and true love.

Excerpt (Rated R)

It’s Halloween, and Wendy is in New York City, at the lavish release party her publisher has organized for her sensational, taboo-busting erotic romance Cherished Chains. She should be more pleased...

Buzzing voices rose and fell around her, punctuated with occasional laughter. The rest of the guests seemed a million miles away. “I’ve got to get some air,” she said to nobody in particular. Swaying a bit, from intoxication or maybe just weariness, she made her way to the sliding doors that led to the balcony.

As the insulated glass shut tight behind her, the voices died away. Up here on the thirty sixth floor, traffic noise wasn’t really audible either. It was quiet as the proverbial grave. Wendy felt a vague sense of relief.

A humid breeze stirred her hair, carrying a faint tidal scent from the harbor. The weather was unseasonably warm; even with bare arms she wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. She leaned against the railing, gazing out over the glittering skyscrapers of the greatest city on earth. They looked close enough to touch.

She’d finally arrived. She’d reached the pinnacle of success she’d craved for so long. The book had sold a quarter of a million copies on its very first day. One guest this evening had showed her a photo he’d taken earlier that day. The line outside Barnes and Noble stretched around the block—all her fans waiting for the store to open. In the next weeks and months, there’d be records broken, movie deals, awards and franchises. Gwen Diamante would be a household name.

It was everything she’d fantasized about, and more.

So why did she feel so empty?

I’m just tired, she told herself. Too many appearances. Too many photos. I’m a writer, not a rock star. I need to get home and get back to work.

With all her public relations responsibilities, she was behind schedule on Utterly Owned. She needed a solid two weeks, without distractions, to get back on track. She couldn’t afford to let up the pressure.

Wendy knew how the publishing business worked. Now that she’d proved her value, Harbison Frost would push her harder. For the next book, they’d expect half a million copies on Day 1. Her readers would demand more, too.

All at once, she felt so exhausted she could barely stand. Weak and sick, she closed her eyes and leaned against the waist-high, brushed steel rail that separated her from the abyss beyond

“Gwen, my dear! What are you doing out here?”

Mister B didn’t come from inside. She would have heard the party noise as he opened the door. He simply appeared beside her, as he had that first day in the coffee shop.

He wore a tuxedo with a purple brocade cummerbund, and shiny black shoes with pointed toes. His tourmaline eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness. When he strode closer to settle an arm around her shoulders, his movements had a taut, ferocious energy, like the tread of a panther. Despite her tiredness, arousal flickered through her, curling into a glowing knot in her pelvis.

“Too many people in there,” she replied, extricating herself from his companionable embrace. “And I’ve drunk too much as well. I wish I were at home, away from all this.”

“I’m afraid I can’t grant you that wish, not tonight. We have business to attend to—as I’m quite certain you recall.” His chuckle sent a chill down her spine. “You wanted fame, my dear. This sort of public performance is part of the price. However, I should think you’d find some consolation in your bank balance."

He stepped behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and pulled her buttocks toward his lean hips. He was hard. He was always hard. Wendy cursed her traitorous body as excitement flooded her pussy. She was like Pavlov’s dog, salivating in response to a meaningless stimulus.

He rubbed his erection against her satin-sheathed buttocks. She struggled not to squirm. Honestly, she didn’t want to encourage him. But then, what she wanted hardly mattered.

“So tonight…you’re going to take my soul?” she murmured as he sucked and nipped at the tender skin of her neck, just above his diamond-studded gift.

“Don’t think about that part, my sweet. Focus on the pleasure.” One of his hands crept up to cradle her breast. The other raised her skirt. He hooked the elastic of her lacy panties and dragged them down to bare her rear cheeks

“No, don’t…” She struggled in his clutches as he exposed her. “Please, not here!” A finger slid down her rear crevice and tickled her sphincter. “No—wait…!”

“I’m going to consummate our agreement in the most appropriate manner, my dear. With my cock splitting your tight ass."

“No!” Somehow she found the strength to wrench herself from his grip. She backed away, into the corner where the rail made a right angle. “Get away from me!”

Mister B put his hands on his hips and shook his head, his expression one of wounded disbelief. “I’m surprised at you. After all we’ve been through together, you reject me? Do you really want to give it all up? The adoring fans? The five star reviews? The fat advances and the hefty royalties?”

“Um…no, no, that’s not what I’m saying…” Panic swept through her. To lose everything she’d worked for? Unthinkable. At the same time, she couldn’t bear to have him touch her.

“Make up your mind, Gwen.” With each step he took in her direction, he seemed to grow taller. “It’s almost midnight.”

She cowered against the balustrade as he came closer, her mind whirling with contradictory desires. Alcohol, fear, and lust combined to muddle her thoughts.

Now he loomed over her, his teeth bared, his face a horrible, leering mask. A whiff of sulfur burned her nostrils. “Don’t resist me, woman. Give me your body. Give me your soul!”

He reached for her with taloned fingers. She stumbled, tripped by the panties he’d pulled halfway down her thighs, and fell against the pane of glass that extended from the railing to the balcony floor. Impossibly, the glass shattered into a million shards. All at once she was teetering on the edge, her frantic grip on the cold steel the only thing keeping her from an endless, deadly fall.

“Get back!” she screamed. “If you touch me, I’ll jump!”

He released a chilling laugh. A sudden, frigid wind whipped her hair into her eyes and numbed her fingers. “That will work, too. Suicides are automatically mine.”

“Leave me alone! Please…”

“You can send me away. All you have to do is say the words. But you won’t. I know you won’t. Because in fact, Gwen, you’ve already relinquished your soul.”

The wind howled in her ears. She scarcely heard it. An awful quiet crept over her. She realized, all at once, that he’d spoken the truth. In her single-minded pursuit of fame, she’d willingly jettisoned her friends and neglected her family. Blinded by the sparkle of wealth, she’d bulldozed over everything and everyone that blocked her path. She’d chosen commercial success over art, manipulation over sincerity, shallow pleasure over love. She’d become, as Daniel had accused, a cold bitch who cared about nothing but herself.

No wonder she felt so empty.

Let go. She knew that voice, insinuating itself into her thoughts, soft and persuasive. It will be easy. Just release the rail and it will all go away.

So tempting. So rational. Erase the guilt by erasing her morally bankrupt self.

The air stilled and grew warm again, more like April than October. The melancholy wail of a siren reached her from far, far below. It called to her.

Think how your fans will mourn you. Posthumous sales will push you way past E.L.James…

“Wendy! Hold on!”

Someone called out, someone she’d known long ago…it took several breaths for her to recognize it as Daniel.

She opened her eyes, blinking away tears caused by the wind. Her agent stood framed in the penthouse doorway. The brightness behind him made it difficult to see his expression, but she heard the terror and concern in his voice.

“Go away, little man!” Mister B flicked his long fingers in Daniel’s direction.

Wendy half-expected her friend to vanish. Instead he stepped onto the balcony, pushed his way past the hulking demon, and rushed in her direction. He clamped his hands around her waist and dragged her back from the edge, onto the glass-strewn floor. “Are you hurt, love?” He smoothed her hair away from her eyes and cupped her cheek, then scanned her body. No doubt he noticed the underwear tangled around her legs and the livid hickey below her ear. “Did he hurt you?”

“Get away from her!” Mister B grabbed Dan by the collar and tossed him into the opposite corner as though he weighed nothing. “She belongs to me!”

Dan’s body slammed into the barrier across from her. The glass groaned with the force of the impact, but did not break. He slumped against the wall in a motionless heap.

“Dan!” she screamed, struggling to her feet and heading toward her agent’s inert form. “Daniel—Sir! My love…”

Mister B blocked her path. He’d resumed his well-groomed, non-threatening human form. “Forget about him, my dear. He’s a mediocre wimp, not the master you need.” He consulted his Rolex. “In any case, it’s midnight. You are mine, now—mine for all eternity.”

Buy Links (Ebook)

Kinky Literature: http://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/713-damned-if-you-do/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0727RZ39B/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0727RZ39B/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/damned-if-you-do-lisabet-sarai/1126292735?ean=2940157395711

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/733108

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/damned-if-you-do-10

Excessica: https://goo.gl/dZN3dr

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35009284-damned-if-you-do

Buy Links (Audio)

Narrated by Audrey Lusk

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Damned-If-You-Do/dp/B078NC1MGN/

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Erotica-Sexuality/Damned-If-You-Do-Audiobook/B078NC27YX/

Don't forget to leave a comment! And please do visit the other authors participating in today's Charity Sunday event.

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I wrote a story about a girl who kissed a girl… and I liked it! @AliceAuthor #LGBTQ+ #Paranormal #Lesbian

By Alice Renaud (Guest Blogger)

When my fellow authors at BVS (Black Velvet Seductions) first floated the idea of an anthology of LGBTQIA+ love stories, my first thought was, oh no. I won’t be able to contribute to this anthology, because I’ve never written a romance with a same sex couple.

But the more I thought about it, the more fired up I became. It was a challenge, for sure. But also an opportunity to stretch myself as a writer. The beauty of short stories (and one of the reasons why I love writing them,) is that you can experiment with different styles, themes and genres. If it doesn’t work out, you’re only binning 10K words… not 100K!

So, a gay romance. Hmm… where to start? For a while I’d had an idea bobbing in the background of my mind, about a mermaid in Las Vegas. Why the mermaid? I’ve been writing about shifter merfolk for four years. My Sea of Love series, which follows the lives and loves of two young mermen and one mermaid, won its category in the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award 2020. I wasn’t done with the mermaids yet. Why Vegas? Because I’d heard about the hotels in Vegas, and the mermaid shows they put on, where women with fake tails swim around in a tank. I was tickled by the idea that one of these hotels could have a real mermaid in their show.

So here was my heroine, Bryony, a shifter mermaid from Wales. Now she needed a same sex partner. I have also been writing about witches for a while. My first short story for BVS was The Sweetest Magic of All, published in the paranormal romance anthology Mystic Desire. It features an apprentice witch and a sexy warlock who go back in time to find a magical amulet. So naturally I decided that my mermaid’s girlfriend would be a witch. A French witch, actually (I’m French).

Then I wrote the first love scene between those two. To my surprise, I didn’t find it as difficult as I’d feared. Love is love, and good sex is good sex, whatever the gender of the partners… or their species. It’s not about what goes where, it’s about the emotions of the characters, and how they interact with each other. And those are the same, whoever we are.

Next, I needed… not a villain, exactly, but an antagonist. Someone who would rock the girls’ idyll and force them to confront their fears and vulnerabilities. Enter Ariel, the most powerful and hottest warlock in Britain. Ariel was a secondary character in Mermaids Marry in Green, the third book in my Sea of Love series, and several readers told me that they really liked him and wanted to see more of him. I hear you, ladies, I hear you. Ariel is my favourite character. In fact I think I’m in love with him. So he too came into the tale… What happened next? You’ll have to read it to find out!

I called my story “Love Comes in Many Shapes.” It was actually a sentence in a lovely review of one of my books, and I thought it would be perfect as a title. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I produced it over just a few weeks, in November 2020, in the depths of a gloomy British winter and our second lockdown. It was wonderful to escape to sunny Las Vegas with a hot warlock, mermaid and witch, and I hope you too have fun with them!

Anthology Blurb

Rainbow Desire is a celebration of life and love in its kaleidoscope of exotic rainbow colours. The stories within the book also reflect its vibrant shades of romance from light to dark. I hope you will enjoy the wealth of narratives in this glorious LGBTQ+ anthology.

Blurb for “Love Comes in Many Shapes”

Bryony, a shifter mermaid, has run away with sexy witch Maia, and now they're living the dream in Las Vegas. But Maia is hiding a secret. When her ex, a super-hot warlock, turns up, Bryony can't fight her attraction to him. Will she choose him? Or Maia? Or both?

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3ATp0jl

https://books2read.com/u/mYZPQd

 

Excerpt (R)

Bryony cleared her throat. “They’re very conservative on the Islands. Even my Clan, the Benetynns… they never understood that I was attracted to women. When Maia came and we fell in love… things were hard.”

Ariel’s dark gaze was full of sympathy. “I get it. I’m not angry with Maia anymore. But she took something from me when she left London. Something of value. And I want it back.”

A dull weight settled in Bryony’s stomach, almost squashing the excitement. “Maia stole from you?” So that was what she’d been hiding. No wonder she’d been afraid of Ariel coming after her.

Ariel sighed. “I’d entrusted her with a powerful amulet and asked her to test its powers. She chose to take it to a remote part of Wales… the Morvann Islands.” His lips curled in a half-smile. “Who could have predicted she’d fall in love with a gorgeous mermaid?”

He leaned towards Bryony and brushed a strand of hair from her face. The tiny contact was enough to reawaken the embers between her thighs. His eyes held hers, drawing her in, as if she were a planet suddenly caught in the orbit of a powerful sun. “The amulet gave her the opportunity to take you away, to a place where you could live and love in peace.” He inclined his head towards her. “And now I know you, Bryony, I don’t blame her.” His breath caressed her face, as fresh as a breeze over a summer meadow. “I would have done the same.”

All she could see was his mouth. All she could feel was how much she wanted it. As if in a dream, she brought her head nearer to his… and nearer… until her lips brushed his. Only a fleeting touch, but it reverberated in her entire body, filling her with trembling sparks of arousal.

His hand caught the back of her head, pulling her closer. His mouth captured hers, and his tongue parted her lips. A deep shiver shook her, and she surrendered to the kiss, opening her mouth wide so he could explore her better. He tasted delicious, like her first stolen sip of whisky when she was a teenager... like the first bite into a forbidden fruit.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing?”

Maia’s scream tore through the air, yanking Bryony out of her sensual daze. A tidal wave of shame slammed into her. She broke off the kiss and jumped to her feet to face her furious lover. “Maia…”

“Don’t you “Maia” me, you little tramp!” Her girlfriend planted her hands on her hips. Her face had turned beetroot red. “How could you do this to me… and with him!”

About the Author

Alice lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she's a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in the Sea of Love fantasy romance series, inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second and third books, “Music for a Merman,” and “Mermaids Marry in Green,” are out now. Both the Sea of Love series and Mermaids Marry in Green won their categories in the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award 2020. Alice has also contributed short stories for the BVS anthologies “Mystic Desire,” “Desire Me Again,” “Cowboy Desire,” and “Rainbow Desire,” all out now. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceRenaudAuthorRomance/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alicerauthor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-renaud-author-4219b6166/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18670218.Alice_Renaud

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alice-renaud

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Renaud/e/B07L52P17B

Website:

https://nomadauthors.com/alicerenaud/alicebooks.html

Pets we’ve known and loved, and those who saved us - #FosterCats #EnemiesToLovers #Giveaway @AlexanderLyndi

By Alan Lorens (Guest Blogger)

After I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis five years ago, I went into a pretty bad funk. I stopped writing for several years, because I just couldn’t find the energy to create. It was a tough time. But the thing that really brought me out of it was pets.

Not just any pets, but foster pets.

I’d never heard of fostering animals for a shelter/rescue before. I mean, they bring you a basket full of fluffy kittens, provide all their food and needs, and then just about the time they start climbing your curtains, the shelter takes them back, finds them home—AND SENDS YOU MORE!

This applies to puppies and dogs as well, of course, but some of us are Cat People. ;^)

About the same time, we adopted a pair of 16-year-old Bengal cats whose owner had gone to a home. Felix and Jules were lovely, took to us right away, and we loved them. 

Felix the Bengal

I ended up bottle feeding one batch of teeny-tinies, which is an amazing feeling. Unfortunately, sleep requirements of my illness prevented me from more of that—getting up ‘round the clock is for the young. LOL.

As Felix and Jules passed, we ended up with Zigzag, a lone kitten left from a litter, who decided she wanted to stay. We rescued Dilly, who was six years old and free at the shelter because she’d been there so long. Now she sleeps next to me every night. Reba and Clarice were foster sisters who bonded and couldn’t manage to find an adopter who loved them both. So we did. Daisy Mae was the last of her foster litter, and endeared herself by perching on my shoulder. Another permanent resident. A couple more shelter rescues brought us to Kitty Lou, whose hooman mom went to a home. Kitty Lou is 20 years old and in pretty good shape, considering. She established herself as the Queen from the first day she was here—putting my previous Old Ladies in their place.

ZigZag

They are all a constant source of love, and reminder that when we help another being, we truly help ourselves as well.

I don’t know why none of my books have ever featured cats. I’ve definitely got to add that to the list for future topics. But TENDER MISDEMEANORS has a bunch of pets, so let me tell you about that one.

Blurb

Caryn Orlane has law enforcement in her blood; her father was a cop, and his father, too. She's a federal agent in northwest Montana, protecting the old forests and keeping the peace.

Levi Bradshaw also believes in protecting the forests, but has a very different MO. He's the leader of a group of eco-warriors, determined to save the trees of the Bitterroot by legal—and illegal—means.

When they meet in the woods at gunpoint, their encounter ignites a spark of interest, despite operating on opposite sides of the law. When their worlds turn on them, they only grow closer. If they don't work together, can either survive?

Caryn lives in an RV in a state park with her large green iguana, Niabi. Levi has a pair of Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as well as a rescued pointer he’s nursed back to health named Ophelia. These pets play an active role in the story, and I think part of my experience coming back into the world through the love of animals has transferred to these fictional relationships as well.

I will give away a PDF copy of TENDER MISDEMEANORS to one lucky commenter.

Excerpt

Rosie cocked his head like Levi was talking nonsense, and he had to laugh. He opened the heavy wrought iron gate with the remote attached to his sun visor, and pulled into his driveway, which, while fifty feet long, was a clear shot from the gate so passersby could admire the gingerbread trim and fancy touches his mother thought would bring in the guests by the hundreds each winter.

Two more dogs came running from the back: Rosie’s brother Guildenstern, a red-colored Ridgeback, and Ophelia, a German short-haired pointer, her short, bristly coat also in the red shades, with a mottling of white down over her hindquarters and onto her legs. She came a little slower, victim of a perpetual limp after she’d been hit on the road outside the house, but was twice as affectionate, seeking Levi’s attention as he climbed out of the cab.

“Hey, there! Hey, there.” Levi barely got out of Rosie’s way as he bounded out of the truck to rendezvous with his brother, both of them barking merrily as they connected and sniffed each other. Levi scratched Ophelia down her neck and back, noting she’d been out mud-rolling somewhere. She’d need a bath tonight.

What else did he have planned for the evening anyway, hmm? Some reading by the fire. A whole pile of Freedom of Information Act releases awaited him on his desk, all requested over the last six months, trying to figure out where the BLM was going to try to pull a fast one next, wiping out a whole stand of old growth before anyone could catch them. Billings might be the next target, but it surely wouldn’t be the last.

He let the dogs inside, the echoing tap-tap-tap of their nails scattering against the unfinished wooden floors. Even in June, a damp chill filled the interior of the house, probably because so much of it wasn’t finished. No insulation or storm windows in some of the upstairs rooms let in cool night air. He closed and locked the doors, then took the left side hallway, walking to the great room to light a fire.

Stacking the logs with the ease of years of experience, he tucked in bits of newspaper and old survey maps around the twigs at the bottom, then lit it. While waiting for the room to warm, he went to the kitchen and filled the dogs’ water and food bowls, their enthusiasm expressed in loud yips and staunchly wagging tails, their toes tapping with excitement in their little “food dance.” He wished he could be as excited about his own meal, but there was little of interest in the refrigerator beyond some Black Star, the specialty beer of the local microbrewery. He grabbed two bottles and headed back to the great room, to begin reading at his desk, near the fire.

Two hours later, he took off his reading glasses, his eyes burning. All three dogs lay on the rug before the fire, coiled in various poses of sleep. Yeah, not such a bad idea. They’d started pretty early in the woods today.

He glanced across at the antique sofa, its bronze flowered brocade flickering as it reflected the firelight. He remembered his mother sitting there, covered in a knitted blanket she’d made with her own hands, reading, or listening to his father read aloud of an evening. They were big on education, his parents. Probably why his poor pets got stuck with those Shakespearean names. The family never had a television while Levi and Zane were growing up, though Levi had a small LCD set in his bedroom now, mostly just to catch the news and weather. He could almost see her sitting there now, her blonde hair—

Hang on a minute.

He realized belatedly that it wasn’t his mother he was picturing there at all, but the woman from the forest. Could someone from the other side ever be a friend? He didn’t see how. Certainly he wouldn’t imagine that she’d lounge on his couch, sharing the fading embers of his evening fire.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy…

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlVFvMZw0a0

Buy Links

Amazon:

Barnes & Noble:

The Wild Rose Press: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tender-Misdemeanors-Paperback-9781509229390/416371584

About the Author

Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the aging hippie loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. One of her novellas, THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE, is set in the city of Asheville during the old Bele Chere festival. She lives with her daughter on the autism spectrum, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by two crotchety old cats, and seven other kits of various ages.

Author Links

Website      http://Alana-lorens.com

Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/AlanaLorens/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Bookbub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alana-lorens

Twitter: @AlexanderLyndi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexander_lyndi/

Sign up for Charity Sunday, October 31st - #CharitySundaySignup #Altruism #Marketing

Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay

This coming Sunday, the 31^st of October, is Charity Sunday.

Charity Sunday is a meme designed to give authors and bloggers a chance to give back to the world—as well as, hopefully, to attract new readers.

How does it work? Each participant selects a favorite charity. Before Charity Sunday, you should prepare a blog post that: 1) talks about the charity and why you support it; 2) provides a link to the charity; 3) includes an excerpt from one of your books; 4) includes the code to show links to other participating blogs.

It’s fun if you can make the excerpt relate somehow to your chosen charity, but this isn’t required.

For every comment left on your post, you commit to giving some amount to the relevant charity. The specific charity and the amount to donate are up to you. You can set an upper limit to your donation if you want.

If you’d like to participate in the next Charity Sunday, just sign up using the Linky List below. Please be sure that the link you enter will lead directly to your Charity Sunday post, not just to the home page of your blog.

For more detailed instructions, go here:

https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2019/08/sign-up-for-charity-sunday.html

You can get my Charity Sunday banner from here. (Updated this month!)

For an example post, check out this link from my last Charity Sunday:

https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-most-effective-antidote-to.html

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Review Tuesday: Heaven's Diary by Giselle Renarde -- #Lesbian #Paranormal #ReviewTuesday

Heaven’s Diary: A Succubus Story by Giselle Renarde

September 2021

For young trans woman Heaven, buying a house together with her lover Terra and her best friend Elle seems a dream come true. When the three move into the house, though, Heaven discovers she’s caught in a waking nightmare. Her bedroom seems haunted by a mysterious presence that can make lightbulbs explode and bring Heaven to orgasms so intense they’re painful. In other rooms, Heaven sees things invisible to Terra and Elle, images that reinforce her sense that Terra is growing ever more distant. That suspicion is reinforced when Heaven discovers her housemates are sexually involved.

Abandoned and rejected, Heaven finds herself more and more obsessed with the seductive but vicious creature who bestows awful pleasure in return for the chance to drain Heaven’s life energy. Heaven is caught in a deadly downward spiral, desperate for the attention of the succubus even as she understands that the malevolent being is slowly killing her.

Heaven’s Diary is a fitting read for the Halloween season. Giselle Renarde evokes a choking sense of dread, an atmosphere so oppressive that I almost stopped reading due to my personal discomfort. The book is far more like horror than erotica, though it does include some supernaturally intense sex. The succubus is skillfully portrayed as enticing but utterly non-human. The scariest aspect of the story, though, is Terra’s cold treachery. Buoyed by love, Heaven might have the strength to fight the influence of the creature that haunts her dream house, but when she is betrayed and cast aside, she has nowhere else to turn.

This book is part of Ms. Renarde’s Lesbian Diaries series. I was impressed by the fact that Heaven is unquestionably a woman, even though she still has male genitalia and indeed the succubus takes her as if she were a man. Her voice, her emotions, her feelings about her body, are all feminine.

I am glad that I persevered and finished the book; I don’t think it’s a spoiler to share the fact that Heaven manages to escape and to heal. For one thing, I don’t want you to give up in the terrifying middle part of the book, when it seems that she’s doomed.

I’ve been reading Giselle Renarde’s work for more than a decade and know that she’s remarkably versatile. She can write subtly emotional erotica as well as utterly filthy kink. Heaven’s Diary shows that she’s equally adept at horror. Be warned!