Deadly Shades of Gold Availability

Posted by admin on Apr 3, 2013 in Blog | 7 comments

Recently, Tom and I made a decision to enroll Deep Blues Goodbye and Deadly Shades of Gold into the Kindle Select  Program. It wasn’t an easy decision, because we know that many of our very loyal fans use Nook’s or other e-readers, and Amazon requires your enrolled title to be exclusive. Going exclusive with Amazon for 90-days was the only way we could market our series through the Kindle Free promotion, and increase the visibility of this small genre. It’s sort of hard to find an advertising niche for MM Erotic Urban Fantasy.

We intend for this series to be long-term, with several titles already in the planning stage, and the next book, Free Falling Crimson already in the works. Subsequent titles will highlight different members of our ensemble, plus give you more of what we know your hoping for with Travis and Sam.

For those who don’t use Kindle, we did some research before we switched over and found two ways you can still access our Kindle-only titles.
First, You can download the free Kindle reader for your computer, phone, or tablet from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

You can also use a program from Calibre (also free) to convert your Kindle files. You can access Calibre here: http://calibre-ebook.com/download

Finally, plans are under way to release a print version later this month that will include Altered States, Deep Blues Goodbye, and Deadly Shades of Gold in one bundled book. Future titles will be released in print format at the same time as the e-books.
Thank you for hanging in there with us as we continue to grow. Please know, that we value your opinion and welcome your feedback.

Laura

Honey House Kiss and Tell Excerpt

Posted by admin on Mar 15, 2013 in Blog | 2 comments

One of my favorite parts of Honey House…KC meets with her friend Gregory after a long night of rough sex with the delicious Sheriff Quinn. Considering she’d had dinner the night before with Gregory and his partner Owen and said she had no interest in Sheriff MacQuinnlan…something obviously changed.

The Excerpt 

I sat sipping my coffee and wished I could just hook up an IV. Why waste time? The paper was on Quinn’s usual table, unread. I was alone, waiting for delivery of the baked goods. I heard the kitchen door open, and knew Aaron would leave the trays on the large counter, ready for me to serve when I was ready.

Most mornings I would greet Aaron, a local high school senior who earned extra money delivering for G&O. I wasn’t in the mood this morning. Today, I planned to put out the trays, an extra carafe of coffee and return to my apartment. I didn’t want to see anyone.

It occurred to me that Aaron was taking longer than usual. I heard the refrigerator open, then close, water running in the sink, a clang of metal, and then the door swooshed open behind me. Gregory swept in, carrying the bagels and muffins, and set the tray on the sideboard. “Stay there, I’ve got it,” he sang out as he returned to the kitchen. A minute later, he had the yogurt and fruit, jams, butter, and cream cheese elegantly displayed. He filled his cup, blithely informed me another batch of coffee was brewing, grabbed a muffin, and flopped down at my table.

“Aaron’s on his way to Flagstaff this morning; he’s visiting the campus up there. I don’t know what Owen and I will do when he goes away for college. He’s been—

“Holy shit, KC! What happened to you? You look like you were rode hard and are still waiting to be hung up. What did you do after you left our house? Are you okay?”

I smiled tiredly. “I’m okay,” was all I said. I went to refill my coffee, and when I returned, Gregory was staring at me. I put a finger under his chin and gently closed his mouth.

He shook his head. “Oh no. This is too good. Spill it KC. Who’s in your bed? Don’t make me go down the hall and look, because you know I will. I have no shame.”

“No one’s in my bed.” At his disbelieving look, I added, “I swear.”

“KC, do not tell me no one was here. You were well and royally fucked last night. For God’s sake, your hips are rolling and you practically look bowlegged. Look at your arms! And you have bite marks on your neck! Not hickeys, teeth. Someone bit you hard enough to break the skin on one of them. Goddamn, girl, you must like it rough! I hope you gave as good as you got.”

The door opened and Quinn stormed in, heading straight for the coffee. He missed half a step when he saw I was sitting with someone. “Morning Gregory, Miss Carmichael.” He recovered smoothly. He went straight to his usual table and buried his face in the paper.

The heat rushed up my face as I got a good look at the scratches on Quinn’s arms and there seemed to be a hint of teeth on the side of his neck, too. Gregory choked on his coffee. He rose to leave, I think to give Quinn and me some privacy, but I restrained him with a hand. “Don’t leave me,” I hissed.

He looked from the blackness surrounding Quinn and back to me. “Hey, KC,” he said casually, “Come into the kitchen. I brought you something. Remember those dishes Owen was talking about last night?” Gregory rose, taking his coffee and muffin with him, and I followed with a reluctant glance over my shoulder at Quinn. He sat staring at the paper, studiously ignoring me.

Gregory was on me as soon as the door closed behind us. “Oh My God, Oh My God! You and Quinn! I can’t believe it. I have seriously fantasized about that man. Spill it. Was it good? What am I saying? Of course, it was good. Honey, you better kiss and tell, because if you don’t, I’m going to ask him myself, man to man.”

“Shut up Gregory. He’ll never buy the man to man thing,” I said with a tired smile.

Gregory grinned. “That’s why you have to tell me. Seriously, as far as I know, you weren’t expecting him to come over last night. What happened?”

I recognized the futility of trying to avoid his questions. With a sigh, I told him about Quinn showing up to ask about Jason, about his walk through of my apartment, and about the dead coyote on the back porch.

“Quinn was offering some comfort and one thing led to another. That’s all,” I finished lamely.

Gregory made the appropriate noises while I was telling the story, but when I tried to leave it at that, he glared. “Oh no you don’t, girlfriend. Okay, nothing too personal.” He paused for effect. “How big is he?”

I nearly spit my coffee. “Big enough,” I answered when I could speak.

“Oh God, I just knew it. As big as he looks in those jeans?”

“Bigger.”

He gave a happy sigh, and I hoped he was finished with me. He grabbed my arm as I started to turn back to the dining room. “Unh, unh. Not yet. How many times?”

“Gregory!”

“More than once?”

He kept going and my discomfort spurred him to new levels of outrageousness. He finally relented when I admitted it was more times than I could count, that Quinn had stayed all night, and that we’d not gotten any sleep. Gregory pretended to fan himself and I punched his arm.

“Okay, okay, no more intimate details. For now. But what happened? Why’s Quinn so black and calling you Miss Carmichael?” He gave a quick gasp. “Are you some kind of dominatrix? Do you make him call you that? Oh God, Quinn on his knees, you in leather. I could die a happy man with that picture in my head,” he said with his eyes closed, a beatific smile on his face.

“Gregory! Enough! You don’t understand. Everything was fine until he was getting dressed. He found the note from Jason. He knows I was holding something back. He thinks I was running a con on him last night to keep him from being suspicious.”

“Shit,” he said.

“Exactly,” I agreed.

The Blurb

Former con artist Katherine “KC” Carmichael inherits the Honey House, a Bed and Breakfast located in the tiny town of Juniper Springs, AZ, a hot bed of the paranormal tourism industry. It doesn’t take her long to discover that both the town and the House are keeping secrets. The town entices thrill-seekers with special photo-safaris at “The Way They Were” Ranch, to take advantage of the rumors that werewolves have been spotted in the area. KC realizes something doesn’t add up when the local sheriff throws her in jail for breaking the town’s full moon curfew. She soon discovers werewolves and witches are real, and she wonders what other fairy tales might be waiting to come to life. With multiple murders and men to distract her, KC needs to discover her own hidden magick in order to survive.

What Every Author Knows

Posted by admin on Feb 22, 2013 in Blog | 3 comments

Authors need attention like a cheap whore needs cologne…

One thing authors know, without a doubt-we would be nowhere without readers…we know this down to our toes. We write to invite others into our worlds, to let those trapped in our heads out, to earn a living, to have fun, because we have to…pick any or all. Make no mistake, though, if we are publishing our books through any avenue, then we want readers to like our books. No-we need readers to love our books more than we need our next breath. Got the idea?

Authors are a strange mix – most of us appear confident to the rest of the world-

After all, we can take a blank piece of paper and create a world.

Give the average Jane a blank piece of paper and tell them to produce 60,000 words that string together to make sense, tell a story, entertain or educate?

Yeah, you get the idea-they think we’re nuts.

But for all the confidence it takes to engage in the act of writing-many writers are also insecure about their writing, their promoting,their writing, their public persona, and their writing. Face it, writers have a need to hear from readers and their peers that you like us. Really, really like us.

What’s that you say, Harner? Insecure?

Yep…or if that word doesn’t work for you…hey, I’m a writer, I have a dozen more. How about one of these synonyms? Afraid, anxious, apprehensive, choked, diffident, hanging by thread, hesitant, jumpy, on thin ice, questioning, shaky, touch and go, touchy, troubled, unassured, unconfident, unpoised, unsure, up in the air, uptight, vague.

Need proof?

This week, a newsflash about the most highly anticipated event in the MM reader’s/writer’s world touched off a firestorm-and no surprise- the whole thing started over words. Specifically two words. Must. Have.

Those two little words, eight letters arranged just so, created a spear that went straight to the heart of our insecurities. Because truth be told, most of us know we aren’t going to make the “Must have” top 30 list for the MM genre. This is a relatively late date for people who need to plan months ahead for time off their day jobs, budget for travel, swag, print books, etc. To discover the number of possible chances to secure a spot was going to decrease-without any actual information was extremely stressful, and most people react poorly to stress.  Instead of accepting responsibility for a poor choice of words, the GRL Admin account posted exactly what all authors know we are never, ever supposed to do: they blamed the reader:

“The entire upset was created from a misreading of a single phrase “must-have” and spiraled into a tempest as more and more people fabricated their take on what MUST be happening with GRL and how vicious/stupid/elitist/craven we had become, even though we have never been anything but inclusive and welcoming.”

Okay, we didn’t actually misread the phrase, it was there in the newsletter. It caused problems-so own it. As authors and readers, we needed to know you understood our concerns.

And for those of you here as readers, we know it looked like a lot of drama over nothing, but every author has his or her fans, and for many, attending this conference is a professional necessity. Finding out in such an off-hand fashion and at such a late date that the opportunity for registration went from 130 slots last year to only 50 slots for an experienced author was pretty devastating news for many. I don’t think anyone, organizers or authors wants readers shut out or to have to pay more to attend, but there is a genuine concern that authors unable to obtain an author slot will register as a reader-because frankly, most of us are also readers and purchase hundreds of books in the genre per year.

Now, for the other side of it…

The GRL Organizers are volunteers. Not much else needs to be said, because volunteers are golden. Sometimes, as a volunteer, you do the best you can, and hope you’re making the right decision for the health of the event, despite not making everyone happy. Not all volunteers are necessarily good, not all motives are pure. If the situation bothers you enough, step up and volunteer or create an alternative.

So two lessons learned from all the discussions:

#1 GRL may have started in the home of one author, and out of a handful of minds, but all of you involved from the beginning to those serving today should take great pride in recognizing what yesterday’s heated exchanges mean: GRL no longer belongs to a handful of individuals, but to the MM community at large. Your wonderful concept of a retreat for readers and writers of the MM genre has grown up, and everyone wants their chance to sit at the table.  A wonderful tribute to a fantastic idea.

#2 Writers are insecure. (Yes, I know you wondered if I would get back to my first point) Many authors reacted poorly to finding out preference in registration will be given to authors deemed “must-have” and to the significantly reduced number of available author slots, AND the organizers (who are authors, too) reacted badly to criticism. Everyone just wanted to be liked…really liked. And that wasn’t happening.

And so, if yesterday’s drama wasn’t enough for you…then it’s past time to sit down and write some of your own.

Swept Away by Tom Webb

Posted by admin on Feb 16, 2013 in Blog, Free book, Gay Fiction, Guest Blog, LGBTQ, Manlove, MM, MM Fiction, Pulp Friction, T.A. Webb | 13 comments

Sorry for the late post today, but I am down for the count with a serious case of crud. I have begged good friend and superior author T.A. Webb for a guest post…which means today’s prize is his excellent brand spanking new release, City Knight.

Winners from yesterday have been contacted…I’ll catch you all up tomorrow. Smooches!

City Knight
By T.A. Webb

The Blurb

What happens when two broken men collide?

Marcus works the streets of Atlanta, determined to keep it a safe place. An ex-cop, he buried his heart years ago. Ben works the same streets, selling himself to pay for college. The victim of a horrible crime, he decided to Just. Not. Care.

When their chance meeting leads to an unlikely attraction, will the ghosts that haunt them bring them closer, or separate them forever?

Caution: This is the first in a three part series, and you WILL want to come back for part 2. Hot men WILL have sex, and I can guarantee hot angst in my stories.

The Excerpt:

The car that pulled up and stopped was so quiet Ben almost didn’t hear it. A Lexus. No wonder. Not moving, he waited to see if it was idle curiosity or a potential customer. Staring at a spot about ten feet from the rear of the car, he patiently stood there until the window whispered down and a middle-aged guy leaned across the passenger seat and nodded.

Bingo.

Flicking the butt of the joint down the alleyway with a practiced move, Ben slid his hands in his back pockets, subtly drawing the fabric tight across his groin so the guy could see what he was buying. The move pulled the tee shirt skin tight against his chest, and with the temperature dropping on the early spring night, his nipples almost poked holes through the fabric. He could practically hear the man’s mouth clamp shut, and the gulp he imagined made him mentally double the price.

He sauntered over and cocked one hip against the passenger side door, leaned and waited. Letting his client start the negotiations, he reached down and shifted his cock, slowly stroking it to half-mast when the guy’s eyes widened at the counteroffer. That seemed to clinch the deal, as it always did, and he slid into the leather seat and let the guy take him back to the room Ben had rented for the night. No way was he taking a john home; that part of his life was separate from his extracurricular activities.

One more year. I’ll have my masters and start my internship, and leave this fucking city behind. No more men pawing over him, no sloppy blowjobs or fucking married men who wanted a little bit of strange cock up their asses while the wife took the kids and visited her mother. Then he’d unfreeze his heart and, hopefully, there’d be enough of it left to cobble back together and he could begin his life.
One more year.

Available now at:

http://www.amazon.com/City-Knight-ebook/dp/B00BFMJIIM/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/285489

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cityknight-1057296-145.html

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/city-knight-ta-webb/1114565759?ean=2940016399188

Swept Away by Pulp Friction

Posted by admin on Feb 15, 2013 in Blog | 10 comments

Welcome to Day Two of the Swept Away Valentine’s Day Blog Hop.

First is the give-away side of business.I have two…that’s right TWO books to publish next week and you could win one of them. Deadly Shades of Gold, book two in the Altered States Series or Perfect, a Tavish Black Fantasy-where two best friends find that the perfect match may be a lot closer than either of them expects.

The rules are simple enough…leave a comment and be in the drawing for your choice. Winners for those books will be announced on February 18. Make sure to tell me which book you want and leave an email address.

Yesterday’s Winners of Triple Threat are: Becky and Beth!

Congratulations, and it should already be sitting in your email box, just waiting for you1!

Pulp Friction

Toward the end of last year I got on a kick of reading some of the old pulp fiction short stories from 40′s and 50′s. If you never read any pulp, you can Google and find a wealth of information-

Or…you can keep an eye on the Pulp Friction line of books and our soon-to-be revealed website! If you buy a lot of MM/Gay fiction,  you’re probably already starting to see the name pop up as part of a new line of books…

Here’s the short version of how we came to be: I love the classic hard-boiled detective story. Not a huge mystery because of the book length, but great interactions, quirky characters, and a boat load of give-a-shit attitude. I thought it would be fun to recreate that feeling for a modern day and time, with characters who happen to be gay. I went to three of the best friends a writer can have and presented a pretty nebulous concept and together the four of us came up with Pulp Friction Books.

Tom Webb, Havan Fellows, and Lee Brazil rolled up their sleeves or pulled out magick wands-I’m still not sure which, and within just a few months, we’ve created not one, but three distinct lines of books and plans for regular releases throughout the year.

Since our launch on January 1, 2013, we’ve already released eight (yup…8) titles at least one new book planned every two weeks for the whole year!

We have the Pulp Friction, which are the classic series/serials. Each author has created an Atlanta-based series, and the characters crossover occasionally, but the stories are unique to the author. Each of has a release date every eight weeks in these books.

There are also the PF Heated Exchange and PF Sweet Exchange books.These are where you’ll find short stories between 2k-8k words, and frequent release dates.

Give us a look, because with Pulp Friction, there’s always something new, and we like to think of ourselves as a writing cooperative-four friends with a shared vision of bringing our readers great stories at fair prices.

Thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget…leave a comment AND be sure to visit the other authors in the Swept Away Blog Hop for more great prizes.

BTW…todays’s daily prize will be Whisper-so leave a comment for a chance to win this best selling first book in the Tavish Black fantasies!

Dreams of the heart aren’t always secret. When the desire is strong enough—or the heart worthy enough—the words whisper on the wind. Tavish Black is the man who hears those secret desires…and sometimes makes them come true.

In book one, Mitch thinks he’s about to get that elusive ménage he’s always craved when he accepts an invitation to make his darkest desire come true. When his blindfold is removed and the third member of their trio revealed as his own twin brother, Mitch realizes Tavish Black understood the true forbidden nature of his fantasy, all along.

This is book one in a series of erotic short stories involving Tavish Black and his mysterious invitations.

Warning: This series contains material that may cause your e-reader to spontaneously combust. It is strongly recommended that you read in a place where your moans won’t disturb others. Includes content some readers may find uncomfortable. Especially without plenty of lube.

Pulp Friction: Heated Exchange…Leaving you Satisfied For Now

LATE BREAKING NEWS!! FREE PF SWEET EXCHANGE BOOKS

For both books currently available in the Pulp Friction Sweet Exchange line click right —->>>> Here!

That’s right, you can get both of these great books for free-today only. Guaranteed to leave you smiling!

Swept Away Valentine’s Blog Hop

Posted by admin on Feb 14, 2013 in Blog | 20 comments

Happy Valentine’s Day and welcome to Day One of the Swept Away Valentine’s Day Blog Hop.

First is the give-away side of business.I have two…that’s right TWO books to publish next week and you could win one of them. Deadly Shades of Gold, book two in the Altered States Series or Perfect, a Tavish Black Fantasy-where two best friends find that the perfect match may be a lot closer than either of them expects.

The rules are simple enough…leave a comment and be in the drawing for your choice. Winners for those books will be announced on February 18. Make sure to tell me which book you want and leave an email address.

Since today is Valentine’s Day, I think we should have a special give away, just for today…

One of the most enduring themes in romance is the idea that there is someone out there who is just perfect for each of us. A soul mate just waiting to be discovered.

In Triple Threat, Zachary believes he has found that person-the one who is his perfect match in every way. Zach used to work as the manager and resident Dom at Master Archer’s BDSM club, Wilde Sides. Despite their dominant nature’s, the two men eventually found the relationship that worked for them and everything was perfect. They sold the clubs and began a unique salvage business. If you lost something of extreme value, and couldn’t or wouldn’t want to go through more traditional channels to get it back- Archer and Zach are your men. And all it will cost is one half the value of what they recover.

Life is good, or so Zach believes until he comes home one day to discover Archer has made some alternative arrangements…

Excerpt one…

I stood on the balcony outside the solarium and watched as the head gardener directed a larger than normal crew. With only a week until party time, they worked on trimming branches, replenishing the beds, and stringing white fairy lights from the trees in our park-like ten acres.

The twenty-four hours since our meeting with the client had passed in a whirlwind of meetings with caterers, florists, and a local security company to arrange valet parking with a little extra kick. Archer’s excitement was palpable, which intrigued me. It had been a long time since he’d been so involved in the BDSM club scene and even longer since he’d thrown a party. He was sparing no expense and if I didn’t know better, he could almost be setting up opening night at a new club.

I smiled at the memory. It was hard to believe it had been nearly fifteen years since—

“Penny for your thoughts,” Archer said. His arms wrapped around me from behind, and he rested his chin on my head. I wasn’t a small man, but when Archer wrapped me up and surrounded me with his tall, lithe body, I felt…home.

“I was remembering how excited you were when you opened your first club.”

“I think my excitement stemmed from the swarthy, sexy Dom I hired to be the club manager.”

I laughed. “Yeah, some Dom I turned out to be. One look from you and I was ready to roll over and beg for it.”

Archer turned me around to face him. Cupping my face in his hands, his long, slender fingers stroked my jaw, the blue-green eyes turned stormy under heavy lids. “It took me three years to convince you and it’s only for me, Zachary. Only for me.”

My knees nearly gave way at the possessive hunger on his face. “Yes, Sir.” God, how this man turned me inside out.

His mouth claimed mine in a quick hard kiss, before he released me and stepped back. “You need to go, love.”

Damn.

Excerpt two…

Taking the steps two at a time, I moved quickly, hands lose by my side, unsure of what to expect. Yes, the logical part of my brain knew we’d been conducting all sorts of meetings in preparation for the party, but it was completely uncharacteristic of Archer to meet with anyone unless I was nearby.

The foyer looked almost normal…if I didn’t count the five strange men standing in a loose group near the doorway of the formal living room. As one, they turned and watched me cross the marble floor. I stepped inside, pulling the heavy oak door closed behind me, ignoring the murmured greetings of the strangers.

“Hey,” I said, masking my concern once I saw Archer across the room, staring out the window, apparently undisturbed.

Turning, Archer’s smile was easy, and relief washed through me. I went straight into his arms and stood, breathing him in.

“Miss me?” he asked. The pleasure in his voice was evident. He liked when my need for him spilled over.

“Always. What’s going on?” I tilted my head in the direction of the foyer, leaving little doubt about the meaning of my question.

“I was conducting a few preliminary interviews.”

“Interviews for what, honey? Did I forget a meeting?” This had all the earmarks of a conversation that was not going to make me happy.

“No, no, not at all. These men are here to interview for a personal assistant position.”

“Personal Assistant? But, that’s my job, love.”

Archer stepped away from the embrace and took my hand, leading me to sit beside him on the couch. “I’ve been thinking about this for some time, I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up. I thought surprise would be best.”

A slow burn started deep in my gut and I wondered if I was going throw up right here or if I’d be able to hold on long enough to get to the bathroom. I locked my jaw against the questions that fought to be asked. His play—I would wait.

“I see.” I don’t know why I said that—stalling for time, I guess. This simply wasn’t possible.

Archer smiled, as if pleased by my reasonableness. “Walker already drew up the necessary papers, with legal protection for both sides. The compensation is more than adequate.” He patted my hand.

I’d never seen it coming. To say I was stunned was an understatement of epic proportions. Devastated. Shattered. Dying. Yeah, those worked better. Realizing there was really nothing for me to say, I stood, suddenly anxious to get going. If this ended here, then I needed to leave before I lost it completely.

“Zachary?”

I shook my head and left. I made it two steps before Archer caught my arm in a strong grip and jerked me around to face him.

“Zachary? Did something happen while you were gone? I should have asked if everything went all right on your interviews, but—Jesus.” With his hands still tight on my wrists, he examined my face. I blinked furiously against the sudden stinging in my eyes.

“Zach…baby…what’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

I tried to turn away so I wouldn’t see the stormy blue-green eyes, the face I knew better than my own. I had no words…I just wanted to be gone. Yeah, I was acting like a fucking girl. So what? This man had been my life for the last fifteen years.

There was a long pause before Archer’s grip on my arm loosened and I jerked back. Long, strong fingers seized my jaw and tilted my chin up. “Look at me.”

The deep rumble in his voice compelled me to do as ordered. His face had gone pale, the tic at the corner of his left eye and the tight muscles of his jaw showed me just how truly angry Archer was. For a long minute, neither of us moved. Then on a sigh, he pulled me to him and enveloped me in his arms, holding me so tight I struggled to breathe.

“Never. I will never let you go. You are mine. Dear God, Zachary, don’t you know that after all this time?”

“But I thought—” My gaze cut to the door, thinking about the men waiting outside… “You said there were legal documents and compensation. And what the hell? I’m your personal assistant. I thought—”

Want to know more? Let me know in your comment that you’d like a chance at today’s drawing-and be sure to check back tomorrow for a chance to win a different book!

Be sure to visit all the participating authors for more great blogs and leave a comment at each site for a chance to win! The Blog Hop Spot

Wow…what a day!

Posted by admin on Jan 27, 2013 in Blog | 2 comments

Some things are hard to believe…look what I found at All Romance eBooks this morning!

You know what they say about the heat in Arizona? Don’t you believe it…

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Laura+Harner

http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Harner/e/B00573BLIU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_2

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/laura-harner

Christmas Cinnamon Rolls

Posted by admin on Dec 23, 2012 in Blog, Free book, Recipe Swap | 4 comments

As promised, here is the cinnamon rolls recipe. It’s a hybrid of a couple of different recipes-I tend to pick and choose. It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I rarely measure, and almost always add  something extra. It’s that whole coloring outside the lines thing, LOL!

Don’t forget to check your email to see if you won a copy of Taking Chance. (BIG HINT: If you left a comment, you should check your email!)

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Recipe Blog Swap

Posted by admin on Dec 22, 2012 in Angel Martinez, Blog, Blog Hop, Contest, Em Woods, Free book, Havan Fellows, Recipe Swap, Silvia Violet | 15 comments

Happy Holidays and welcome to the Christmas Recipe Blog Swap! We have a few food traditions that have grown up along with my kids, around the Christmas holidays.

The morning starts with made from scratch cinnamon rolls. This is actually the most difficult thing I make all day. Once presents are opened and the cinnamon rolls served-everything else is easy!

For the midday meal, I cook a full roast beef-yep seven ribs- I can vacuum seal the leftovers into individual servings.

Finally, if anyone can still move, a little slice of peppermint pie to top everything off in the evening…

 Peppermint Pie

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

30 large marshmallows

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

2 cups whipping (heavy) cream

3 drops red food color

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

1/4 cup crushed hard peppermint candies

Steps:

Steps:

1.   Mix cookie crumbs, sugar and butter. Press evenly in bottom and up side of ungreased pie plate, 9×1 1/2 inches. (Or buy an easy to use Oreo Cookie Crust pie crust in the tin)

2.   Place marshmallows and milk in large microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High about 3 minutes, stirring once, until marshmallows are melted. Refrigerate about 25 minutes or until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.

3.   Beat whipping cream, food color and peppermint extract in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Stir marshmallow mixture until blended; fold into whipped cream. Fold in crushed candies. Mound mixture into crust.  (Lesson learned the hard way- fold is a gentle action, not intended to stir the ingredients-just enough to distribute evenly)

4.   Cover and freeze about 5 hours or until frozen. Cover and freeze any remaining pie.

How the WSR Muse got my Groove…

Posted by admin on Dec 17, 2012 in Blog, Blog Hop, Contest, D.W. Skinner, Dan Skinner, DWS Photography, Erotic romance, Gay Cowboy, Gay Fiction, Homoerotic Art, L.E. Harner, Laura Harner, Manlove, MM Fiction | 9 comments

Genesis…or how the muse got my groove

Some of you may already know the story of the Willow Springs Ranch, from Ty Hard, to Hold Tight, to Taking Chance…

When I was with my first publisher, I received a cover worksheet for my books Whiteout and Rescued. The sheet was completely intimidating because I was supposed to give the artist my vision for the characters, the plot, the cover, in just a few words. I was also supposed to pick a “style” for the cover art based on the talents of their artists. Riiiight.

Since I’m definitely one of these “I know it when I see it” types, I followed the suggested links to their various freelance artists and…fell in love.

Dan Skinner’s photos at his Deviant Art page were simply stunning and I loved his sample covers. Although the publisher didn’t actually honor my request for a Dan Skinner cover, I kept the links to his pages bookmarked.

As luck would have it, the publisher and I parted ways…but I continued to visit Dan’s pages, until one day I came across a photo that niggled at something in my brain… A couple of hours later, I was driving my son to school, when I made him dig in my purse for something to write on. Following my desperate need, my son wrote the following words on the back of a grocery receipt: Ty Hard. SEAL. Willow Springs. Arizona ranch. Cowboys.

By the time I got home, the story was beyond simmering and I had to write it. Halfway through the story, I realized there was only one possible cover, so without knowing anything about Dan, buying photos or making covers, I sent him a note and asked if he ever sold photos directly to an author. Ty Hard was officially born:

I was still working on Ty Hard, but Dan and I continued to talk on a regular basis and became good friends. One day he sent me something from a photo shoot he’d just completed and the next story in the series was born before I’d even finished the first one. Sheriff Holden Titus, with his beautiful skin. Isn’t this photo stunning?

Then of course, I think he enjoyed seeing how many directions he could send my brain, because he showed me the photo that eventually became Taking Chance. I bought it as soon as a saw it, even though I knew I wouldn’t have the opportunity to write the book for nearly a year.

And the photo that will be Hanging Chad. I actually put the basic pieces together, just to make sure it worked for a cover-so not anywhere near the final product, but you get the idea. And obviously, I bought this one early  on, too, since Chad was present in book #2.

I’m having fun with the titles, the men at the WSR, and fun thinking of new stories every time Dan shows me one of the photos he knows is what I’m looking for for the WSR Series.

As long as Dan keeps sending such stunning photos my way, I’m perfectly content to keep writing the series. (You DO have more photos for me-right, Dan???)

Make sure you visit Dan’s Gallery at http://cerberuseros.deviantart.com 

This is the last day of the blog hop, so be sure to leave a comment to enter the drawing for a copy of Taking Chance

And be sure to visit all the other fine authors celebrating the Christmas Blog Hop. 

Yesterday’s winners:

Urbanista, MegW and Gina all received a copy of Taking Chance in their email this morning!!

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