Blog Tour: A Restored Man by Jaime Reese (Book 3 in The Men of Halfway House Series)

Title: A Restored Man

Series: The Men of Halfway House #3

Author: Jaime Reese

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 17, 2015

Cole Renzo thinks his greatest challenge is to behave for the remainder of his term at Halfway House. Until he meets his new boss, Ty Calloway, a man who ticks off every box on Cole's list of interests.

A sought-after restorer and customizer of exotic and collectible cars, Ty had enough confidence to command what he wanted in life, until one fateful night changed everything. Almost two years later, he’s slowly rebuilding his life with great control. He's defied the odds and works tirelessly to be the man he once was—but he still feels broken.

Cole’s candor and unfiltered personality awaken Ty’s barely-remembered desire to greet each new day with a smile, while Ty’s unwavering acceptance of Cole’s quirks and brash humor makes Cole feel as if he fits in for the first time in far too long. When a nemesis threatens Ty’s personal restoration and the things he holds dear, Cole is determined to protect their relationship, even if that means sacrificing everything he’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ty will have to let his guard down, surrender control, and admit he needs Cole first, even if that puts himself at risk of breaking beyond repair.

“Excuse me,” Ty said, before making his way to the kitchen. He poked his head inside and saw Cole bent over on the left hand side, searching for, then finding, a pan in the bottom drawer of the cabinet. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips when he saw Spider-Man peeking out from the top of Cole’s jeans.
“I told you to get out. You’re not fucking this up,” Cole said, his back still turned to Ty.
Ty smiled, leaned up against the doorframe and waited.
Cole looked over his shoulder, a huge smile immediately spreading across his face. “Hey, you,” he said, straightening.
Ty walked over to him and wrapped an arm around Cole’s waist. He reached out and brushed his thumb against Cole’s cheek, his hand finally steadying once he grazed Cole’s warm skin.
“That’s a big smile,” Cole said.
“I saw Spider-Man,” Ty said, chuckling.
Cole raised an eyebrow and wrapped his arms around Ty’s waist. “If I had known he turned you on that much, I would have worn a blue and red onesie to the shop under my work clothes.”
Ty bit back a smile. He tugged on Cole’s T-shirt. “You look good out of your shop clothes.”
Cole pulled Ty closer. “I look good out of these clothes too,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
Ty reached up and ran his finger along the edge of Cole’s beanie. “Do you ever take this off?”
“When you sleep with me, you can take it off.”
Ty looked into the mismatched eyes that held a wealth of mischief. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
Cole pulled Ty into a kiss, gripping his hair, unmistakably guiding him exactly where he wanted Ty to be. Ty’s heart pounded relentlessly against his chest, his body betraying his last spoken words and demanding more contact. His fingers twisted the edge of Cole’s jeans, drawing him in, craving the closeness of Cole’s thick, hard body.
Cole withdrew, the desire unmistakably still burning in his eyes. “Yes, you will,” he said. “You won’t be able to resist this much awesomeness for long.”
Ty bit his lip, trying to hide a smile. He liked it when Cole got feisty.
Cole ran the tip of his finger down Ty’s neck, then tugged at the collar of Ty’s polo shirt. “Aww, you didn’t dress up for me,” he said with an exaggerated pout. “Will I ever see you in a suit?”
“Why do you want to see me in a suit?”
“Seriously? You'd look hot in a suit. I'd probably want to rip it off.”
“So what's the point of wearing the suit?” Ty asked, tugging Cole closer.
“Foreplay.”
Ty burst into laughter and touched his forehead to Cole’s. “You’re impossible.”
“You should do that more often.”
“What's that? Foreplay?”
“Laugh.” Cole smiled. “And wear suits. But I would totally be on board with foreplay, too,” he finished, waggling his eyebrows.

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ARe

Add to Goodreads
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iTunes

Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

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Blog Tour: Rachel Haimowitz's Song of the Fallen Duology (With GiveAway)

We, at Smoocher's Voice are honoured to welcome Rachel Haimowitz to the blog today! <3 

Song of the Fallen Re-Release Celebration

Hello all, and thank you so much for joining me to chat about the queer high fantasy duology Song of the Fallen! This series holds a particularly special place in my heart, not just because I absolutely adore high fantasy and sloooooooooooooow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance and there isn’t nearly enough of any of that to go round in queer fiction, but also because Counterpoint, the first book in the duology, was the first novel I ever sold.

One of the questions I—and probably most published authors—get asked the most often is how I got published. The path of the Song of the Fallen novels was both particularly easy and particularly fraught—Counterpoint is now at its third publisher (if you count a brief interlude of self-pub), and Crescendo, the second book in the duology, is also at its third publisher without any self-pub interludes. Though Counterpoint came out in 2010 and Crescendo in 2011, this month marks the very first time they have both been under the same roof—complete with gorgeous new cover art!—and I couldn’t be happier to have them there.

But when I first sold Counterpoint, it was to a teeny little startup epub called Guiltless Pleasure Publishing. The editor actually came to me, which was an unparalleled delight—she’d read and loved my fanfiction and wanted to sign me for original work. (Note: now that I’m an acquiring editor who also loves fanfic, I have the pleasure of doing this too.) She actually signed me on proposal, which, looking back, was pretty outrageously lucky for a first-time novelist.

What was meant to be one book of about 80,000 words grew and grew as the writing progressed (*shakes fist at high fantasy*), and at 120,000 words I found a natural conclusion to the first half of the story arc and told her there was no way to do this without a book 2. She agreed, and I set off to write Crescendo while Counterpoint went into edits.

Counterpoint came out to a fairly large splash, though I was new to queer romance and didn’t know it at the time. Again, looking back, I was pretty outrageously lucky. Unfortunately, halfway through Crescendo edits, the owner of Guiltless Pleasure came down with a serious, long-term illness, and despite Counterpoint’s success, she had to close up shop. Which left me with not one but two books without a home, one of which was literally paying my bills and the other of which was an eagerly awaited sequel. So, very slightly older and very slightly wiser than I’d been a year past, I self-pubbed Counterpoint, and went publisher shopping for a home for Crescendo. I was fortunate in that Counterpoint had sold well enough to open a lot of potential doors for Crescendo, but ultimately I went with another small press that was willing to use the same cover artist and offer very competitive royalty terms.

I won’t get into details, but more or less from the moment I signed the contract to the moment I got the rights back to that book three years later, that experience was an unmitigated disaster. Thankfully, in the meanwhile, me and some writer and publisher buddies launched Riptide. I’d self-pubbed Counterpoint around January of 2011, and in December of 2011 I signed the rights over to Riptide instead, where it nestled in quite comfortably and saw a huge sales boost thanks to Riptide’s amazing marketing department. Around the same time, Crescendo released at the other publisher while I stared longingly at it and wished I’d conceived of Riptide before I’d signed over the second book.

So, like I said, weirdly easy but also kind of fraught. Fast forward three years, to just last month. I get rights back to Crescendo. It needs new cover art, so we decide, hey, let’s give the whole series a face lift. Plus, I’d been very excited about the work this particular cover artist had been doing for us (her name is Simoné, and I highly encourage you to check her out), and I was dying to get a cover from her on one of my books. Or, better yet, two of my books!

And so here we are. Three publishers and two covers per book, and my very first novel and its sequel are finally at home at Riptide. If you’ve read them, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making literally my entire writing career possible. If you haven’t, I hope you’ll consider sharing my babies with me 

To help make that possible, I’m giving away a signed set of the Song of the Fallen paperbacks with the gorgeous new cover art. I’ll ship anywhere in the world, too. To enter, just leave a comment with a way to contact you if you win. You can enter multiple times by commenting on each blog this re-release tour stops at, so be sure to visit the other stops!

About the Song of the Fallen Series

Two enemies, three warring races, and a singular love with the power to change the future.

It is the twilight of mankind. Depleted by generations of war with a dark race, the human kingdoms and their ancient alliance stand on the brink of extinction. The outlands are soaked with the blood of the fallen. The midlands are rotting with decadence and despair.

Elfkind, estranged by past crimes, watches and waits for nature to run its course.

And then the two collide.

Ayden’s life has long been guided by two emotions: love for his sister, and hatred of all things human. When he’s captured in battle, he is enslaved in the service of a human prince, Freyrik Farr.

Freyrik has always known elves to be beautiful and dangerous, but never has one affected him as deeply as Ayden. Teetering on a dagger’s edge between duty and high treason, Freyrik discovers that some choices can change a life, and some an entire world.

Between prejudice, politics, pride, and survival, Ayden and Freyrik must carve a new path, no matter how daunting. For nothing less than the fate of both their peoples rests on the power of their perseverance—and their love.

About the Author

Rachel is an M/M erotic romance author and the Publisher of Riptide Publishing. She's also a sadist with a pesky conscience, shamelessly silly, and quite proudly pervish. Fortunately, all those things make writing a lot more fun for her . . . if not so much for her characters.

When she's not writing about hot guys getting it on (or just plain getting it; her characters rarely escape a story unscathed), she loves to read, hike, camp, sing, perform in community theater, and glue captions to cats. She also has a particular fondness for her very needy dog, her even needier cat, and shouting at kids to get off her lawn.

Connect with Rachel:

Website: rachelhaimowitz.com

Tumblr: rachelhaimowitz.tumblr.com

Twitter: @RachelHaimowitz

Goodreads: goodreads.com/metarachel

Book Tour: Brigham Vaughn's Partners Tour, Book 2 in the Equals series with GiveAway

Cover design is a critical part of book publishing.  When I first began self-publishing, I was pretty apprehensive.  I have a photography background, I’ve taken plenty of art classes, and I know how to use the software, but actually making a cover is another matter entirely.  I decided that I would give it a shot, and if I couldn’t make something I was satisfied with, I’d hire someone to do it for me.

The first one was difficult but in the end I was pleased with it.  Looking back, I can see things I would do differently now, but overall, I’m still quite happy with it.  There has been a clear improvement in skill from cover to cover however.  I can honestly say that the covers for Equals and Partners are some of my favorites.  I think they capture the feel of the story and each element combines to entice the reader.  After all, that’s the whole point of the cover, right? It’s there to draw in the reader.

Finding (affordable) stock photography is a challenge, especially when looking for gay couples.  The few that are available have certainly been used before and the last thing I want to do is repeat what other artists have already done.   

As I write, I always find photo inspiration.  I’m a visually based writer and I love having a picture of my characters as I write. Typically, I have a vague image in my head that solidifies once I find the right photo. 

Finding a stock photo that fit my mental image of Russ and Stephen was impossible, so I went slightly more abstract.  Equals begins with Russ slipping on coffee Stephen spilled.  I was very pleased when I found the silhouetted image of a man with crutches.   It was easy to imagine that man as Russ.  Finding a picture to represent Stephen was a bit more difficult, however.  I wanted one that conveyed confidence and power, without crossing the line into arrogance. 

Although it had more to do with the particular layout of the photos than anything, I discovered I liked positioning Russ picture at the bottom of the cover, and Stephen at the top.  It subtly highlighted the power/income disparity between them. 

For the cover, I began with a blue/green background that had a faint pattern to it.  When I added the character images and put on the text it was still quite bland.  I have a friend who has a great eye for covers and he suggested I include the skyline of Atlanta, where the story is set.  Once I found the right image and overlaid it, it all began to come together.  With a few minor tweaks with effects and some additional blending, I finally felt like it was ready.  I often set covers aside for a few days to be sure I’m still happy with it.  Sometimes what seems great initially doesn’t look as wonderful later.  This one, however, still felt right after a few weeks and I knew I had made the right choice.

When I began to work on the cover for Partners, I knew I wanted there to be continuity between the two covers.  I began with the same blue/green patterned background, but this time I tweaked it until it was more green than blue.  The image I found of men holding hands was not a silhouette, but with a little bit of work, I was able to make it one.  I think it nicely ties the two covers together.  This story is about Russ and Stephen being on equal footing and learning that they can rely on each other.  Having them both at the same level and visually connected was a nice echo of that.  Partners is set in a small town in southern Georgia, and one of the places they visit is the pecan farm Stephen grew up on.  I found a beautiful image of a pecan grove  to use and after playing with filters and effects for a very long time, I finally settled on the image below.  Although there are differences between the two—color, layout, font color—there are many similiarities and I think the two covers make a nice pair. 

Now, the real question is, what on earth am I going to do for the holiday short and book 3??

Author:  Brigham Vaughn

Title: Partners (Equals Book 2)

Previous Book: Equals

Cover Artist: Brigham Vaughn

Blurb:

After a rocky first few months, Stephen Parker and Russ Bishop’s relationship is at a crossroads when the death of Stephen’s father forces them to visit Stephen's hometown in southern Georgia.

Estranged from his family, Stephen must find a way to come to terms with his past and say goodbye to the father whose expectations he could never live up to. The small, conservative town provides its own challenges as Russ realizes providing emotional support is one part of being a true partner for Stephen.

Author Bio:

Brigham Vaughn has always been a voracious reader with her own stories to tell. After many years of abandoned plots, something finally clicked. Now she's eating, sleeping, and breathing writing and is excited to have finally figured out what she wants to be when she grows up. In the little time that isn't spent writing or reading, she loves cooking, yoga, photography, and remodeling her ninety-year-old home. Brigham lives in Michigan with her four cats and an amazing husband who has always been her biggest champion.

Buy Links:

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Excerpt:

After the dishes were done and the kitchen was clean, the three of them sat on the front porch,  Russ beside him on the creaking swing as Miss Esther knitted and told Russ stories about Stephen growing up. “Before you leave I’ll show you the photos I have,” she promised Russ and he enthusiastically agreed. Stephen’s gaze flew to the elderly woman.

“You have them?”

“Sure do,” she said easily, the clack of the needles never pausing. “Your daddy tried to throw them out when your momma passed but I wouldn’t let him. I’ve been hangin’ onto ‘em for you.”

“Oh,” Stephen replied, feeling strangely shaky. He’d thought every memory of his childhood had been tossed out.

“They’re in a box in the blue bedroom,” she said. “You can get them down from the shelf in the closet for me tomorrow.”

“I’d love to see them,” Russ said, his tone eager as he leaned forward. Stephen was less sure of  how he felt. On one hand, he was relieved to know it hadn’t all been destroyed. On the other, he  wasn’t sure how much of his past he could face this weekend. Then Russ’ knee nudged his, their thighs pressing together. As the katydids droned in the background, Stephen felt himself relax, remembering he didn’t have to face it alone.

Tour Stops:

9/19/2014     Prism Book Alliance  http://www.prismbookalliance.com

9/20/2014     GGR Review http://www.ggr-review.com/

9/21/2014     MM Good Book Reviews http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

9/23/2014     Smoocher's Voice http://www.smoochersvoice.com/

9/25/2014     Diverse Reader http://diversereader.blogspot.com/

9/27/2014     Love Bytes Reviews http://lovebytesreviews.com

9/28/2014     The Novel Approach http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/

9/30/2014     Padme’s Library http://padmeslibrary.blogspot.com/

10/1/2014     JP Barnaby http://www.jpbarnaby.com/

10/3/2014     Rainbow Gold Reviews http://rainbowgoldreviews.wordpress.com/

Giveaway:

1 commenter at each stop will win their choice of backlist title from Brigham Vaughn (excludes Dr. Feelgood).

In addition one commenter in all of the tour will win a $10 Giftcard from Amazon.  Grand Prize giveaway ends 4 October 2014 @ 11:59pm CDT.  Winner will be drawn by random drawing among all entrants on 5 October.

Must be 18 or older to enter. Void where prohibited.

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Guest Post: Jodi Interviews Tempeste O'Riley and Giveaway

We are very happy to welcome Tempeste O’Riley the Smoocher’s Voice blog today. Tempeste recently published the second novel of the Desires Entwined series, Desires' Guardian and the short story Bound by Desire, which also is part of the series. The story Simple Desires is featured in the Grand Adventures anthology. The first book in the series is Designs of Desire. All books are available at Dreamspinner Press.

Tempeste O’Riley is an out and proud omnisexual / bi-woman whose best friend growing up had the courage to do what she couldn’t–defy the hate and come out. He has been her hero ever since.

Though new to writing M/M, Tempeste has done many things in her life, though writing has always drawn her back–no matter what else life has thrown her way. She counts her friends, family, and Muse as her greatest blessings in life. She lives in Wisconsin with her children, reading, writing, and enjoying life.

Tempe is also a proud member of Romance Writers of America®, Rainbow Romance Writers, and WisRWA. Learn more about Tempeste and her writing at http://tempesteoriley.com.

Jodi:   Thank you, Tempeste, for taking the time to answer some questions for our readers. Tell us a little about yourself and how you decided to write exclusively in the m/m genre.

Tempeste: Thanks for having me over. J I’m a mom, author, priestess, and friend. I spend a lot of time (when not writing) reading, playing with my kids, and reading. As for writing exclusively in the m/m genre… I don’t actually. I have only published m/m stories so far, but I list myself as a Homoerotic author because I have characters that are more than only gay. I have bi, gay, gender-fluid (it’s hard to define sexuality for some who are fluid as when they feel more one gender than the other, would their sexual ID change as well?) and in time, more.

But, as I LOVE reading m/m books (seriously, what’s hotter than two guys—or 3 or…) and love writing… It just makes sense for me J

Jodi:   The first book in the Desires Entwined series, Designs of Desire, was published in 2013. Is that your first published novel? What was your inspiration for the series?

Tempeste: It is. Designs of Desire is my first baby and will always hold a very special place within my heart.

The inspiration for Designs of Desire was a bit different than what most would expect. I was upset about how I was treated over and over while out using my crutches, and a friend told me I should use that pain and anger and then give the character a HEA. I was doubtful I could write a whole story like that, but then sat down to try anyway. What came out is Designs of Desire. The series itself is James and Chase and their friends finding love and is based in Milwaukee, WI.

Jodi:   In Designs of Desire, James and Seth are very different from each other, and based on James’ background, he has a difficult time trusting Seth. Why did you decide to pair an abuse victim with physical limitations with a Dom-type character?

Tempeste: Because James needed to feel safe, loved, and protected. He’s also naturally submissive in mentality. Not that he won’t stand up for himself, but that he prefers to be the dominated partner sexually and to be cared for. As for the abuse in his background with limitations, why not. Why can’t people that have been hurt get their happily ever after? And… why does it have to be vanilla? LOL.  In the case of Seth, I didn’t set out to have him be a sensual Dom; he just decided he would be on his own. It was a lot of fun to write and explore with my guys and honestly, I can’t imagine anyone better for James than Seth.

One other thing made me happy to have Seth the way he is with James… James is so afraid and feels unworthy of love. Not just unable to find love, but actually unlovable. So having an “in control” lover is really what he needs. He needs to not just be told, but be shown and this works perfect for them.

Jodi:         What were your inspirations for these men?

Tempeste: Depends on the man in question. For physical inspiration, I like to browse Pinterest, lol. In the case of Desires’ Guardian, I had the image in my head for Chase, but struggled with Rhys and Dal. No clue why, but I wanted to find a real man to be my visual inspiration ;)

In looking around, I found Seth Fornea and fell in love a little. I needed a sexy ginger with lots of muscles, who would look great with either short or shoulder length hair, and a 5 o’clock shadow.

In other cases, it’s bits of men I see while shopping for people I know. I love to pick the best pieces and make new, smexy boys to love. ;)

Jodi:         Why did you choose the genetic disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?

Tempeste: Because I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and as I said, the original inspiration was the pain and bias I suffer with because of my mobility issues and pain issues because of the EDS. I use forearm crutches, I will be getting the ring splint for my thumb, and I have been accosted at Wal-Mart and such for using the electric carts to shop because I don’t “look” disabled and I’m “too young”. So I wrote what I truly know, lol.

Jodi:   Chase and James have a strong relationship. In the first book, it is clear the men have a special bond, but it is in Desires’ Guardian that the bond is more fully explained. Chase. How is the image of Chase as a lion appropriate?

Tempeste: Chase is so strong inside. He’s this powerful, loyal, dedicated, will tear you a new one and make you say thank you, kind of guy. Most don’t see who he truly is and even fewer know the pain and fear he lives with… what he’s gone through and made it out the other side of.

James knows Chase’s secrets, just as Chase knows his, and they each will do anything for the other. But in the case of the painting, he wanted to show everyone what he sees when he looks at his best friend and champion.

Jodi:   Was it difficult for you as a writer to develop the multiple sides of Chase’s character: the party boy versus the nurturing, responsible man?

Tempeste: Not really. Most people have more to them than what any one person sees. I just decided to make that a little more pointed in Chase’s case. I’ve been told I can be very like that at times too. People that have known me for a long time seem to see a very different person than others do. I don’t usually mean to do that, but …  in Chase’s case, part of that is protective coating and part is just him being him.

Jodi:         Tell us a little about your inspiration for Rhys.

Tempeste: Rhys is strong, powerful, bad boy with a tender heart and secrets of his own. Well, I’m not sure secrets is the right word, but how he seems to most is not all he is either. His size gives a false perception to many that doesn’t help. He is, in some ways, patterned off a guy I used to know and lust after, lol. For my physical inspiration, see Seth above ;)

Jodi:         When Rhys thinks of Chase, it is with desire and fear. Why is he afraid?

Tempeste: Did you meet his ex, Garrett? Being hurt, used, and cheated on are things he fears. Chase gives the impression of being a party boy and looks like a total twink. Well, that and Chase is his wet dream guy come to life physically, but he’s also just been burned when he meets Chase the first time so…

Jodi:   Okay, I do have to ask … Do you know people like Garrett, Victor, Joey and Mike?  What was the inspiration for these men?

Tempeste: Unfortunately, yes. Both personally and through friends and their past horror stories, I know people like each of the “bad” guys shown in my stories. It’s not a fact I like, but it does make it easier to write an evil baddie for the stories. (Really wish I didn’t know them though, lol)

Jodi:   The issue of dominance and submission plays an important role in this series, but neither novel is traditional in the BDSM sense. Why did you choose to represent the lifestyle in this way?

Tempeste: Because not all dominance and submissiveness is what you read in the hard-core BDSM stories or what you see if you go to BDSM clubs, porn sites, etc. I wanted strong control, sensual control, and raw need, but without the whips, chains, etc.

I hate that you rarely find stories that skirt the lines, or if you do, they get attacked for not being “true,” which I’ve gotten, especially for Designs of Desire. There is no “right” or “wrong” as long as it’s safe, sane, and consensual. What each person wants, craves, and is willing to trust and give is different. Each couple, whether BDSM or not, has their own idea of what’s right for them.

In Designs of Desire and Bound by Desire, I had both a Dom and a couple of Subs read before submission to check it for me. I also talked to a lot of people in the life while writing. Being a Sensual Dom, as Seth is, is a real thing. Also, with James and Seth, due to the abuse James suffered before, they had to build up to the more BDSM-type things that are more expected by many readers.

Jodi:   Abuse and submission is not the same thing as the men in the series, especially James, discover. Was there a message you wanted to impart to readers?

Tempeste: That was, at least in part, the message of that facet of their relationships. I wanted to show the love, respect, and care that is part of D/s and how different that is from abuse, manipulation, and violence.

The other main thing is that everyone deserves love, there is someone out there for everyone, and that love, respect, and trust are what’s needed for a truly strong relationship, no matter what form that love takes.

Jodi:   Let’s talk a little about the sensitive subjects of homophobia, rape and domestic violence in the Designs of Desire. What prompted you to include these issues?

Tempeste: Personal experience and that of a close friend. Many of the horrors James suffered happened to either one or both of us. It’s not something that’s fun to write, but it is reality. Some people manage to escape the hate and the hurt while other barely make it out… and others never do (see Desires’ Guardian and my upcoming story, Temptations of Desire). Each of my books has something that touches at least once of these issues, though, so far, only Designs of Desire has all three at once.

I wanted to include it to show those that have or currently suffer these horrors do have a chance for a future with love and respect. That what happened isn’t all there is out there for you. That you aren’t broken, unlovable, or any of the other things you’ve been told by those that want to hurt, control, and change you. In some ways, it was cathartic for me as well. I got to create people with pains and issues but then help them find their HEA. It’s the part I love the most about being an author, really.

Jodi:   The covers for these books were designed by Reese Dante, and they are beautiful. What inspired you to use a single symbol to represent these characters on all three books?

Tempeste: There isn’t really a single symbol in each, though I can see why you would see it that way. In Designs of Desire, you see James’s hand with his silver ring-splints as well as his paint brush. It was meant to show his disability and his art (as was the background). The couple in the background is James and Seth.

In Bound by Desire, which is a short follow-up for James and Seth from before the wedding in Desires’ Guardian, is a collar on a sheet.

For Desires’ Guardian, we went with Chase’s hand and wrist, showing his signature wrist cuff he always wears. His hand is touching Rhys’s and there is a stylized Welsh red dragon for Rhys—the tattoo he and his younger brother Dal have wrapped around their biceps.

We went for showing both of the guys in the story but not in traditional ways, since they aren’t traditional guys. I didn’t want naked men on my covers, lol, and Reese came up with the rest. I love what she’s done and hope to keep her forever as my artist! (In fact, she just did the cover for the next book and OMG, I love it!!!)

Jodi:         Will there be more books in this series?

Tempeste: Oh, yes. I have three more planned, though I’m working on a couple of standalones right now. I will get back to the guys soon, I promise. ;)

Jodi:         What is your next project?

Tempeste: Which one? I have a WIP with a drreamwalker, but it’s not a paranormal story. I have one that’s a harder-core BDSM that one of the MCs is disabled. And I have another WIP that’s more a coming out vs so out you breathe glitter, lol. (Sorry, one of the characters for the last one was inspired by a guy I met recently who was wearing an “I’m so fabulous I sweat glitter” T-shirt, ;) )

Not all my stories will have any D/s elements, but some will as it’s something I love in all its varied forms.

Desires' Guardian

Desires Entwined: Book Two

Most people see Chase Manning as the party-boy twink he seems on the surface. Only James, Chase's BFF, knows the depth of his loyalty and the extent of the wounds Chase carries inside. When Chase meets Rhys Sayer, things don’t go well, but he can’t shake his attraction to the huge, sexy man.

Rhys is a man of contradictions and fear—a strange combination for a PI and bodyguard. He's in a bad place emotionally when he sets eyes on Chase for the first time. When Chase puts the moves on him, Rhys insults him, thwarting any possibility of a relationship. Rhys doesn’t see himself as a complicated man, but he dreads the very kind of connection he desires.

Just as they’re trying to overcome their uncertainties, Chase is put in harm’s way. Luckily Rhys and their friends have all the right talents to help Rhys save the man of his dreams.

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