GLBT month going strong at the Down Under Divas

President Obama has declared June National GLBT month in America. In honor of this move, we’re holding a GLBT week over at the Down Under Divas.

This is the blog I just posted there:

When I wrote my first MMF romance, I had several heated discussions with my friends about about why I chose to write this genre. The discussions always amused me. Not because anyone criticized in anyway, and not because they disapproved of the same sex aspect of the romance. They simply couldn’t understand why I’d choose to write MM love scenes as opposed to FF ones. Male and female friends alike all emphatically believed FF loving was way more appealing than MM.

Now I guess I could have chosen to write FFM romance, but the truth is, it doesn’t hold the same appeal to me. I love exploring the dynamics of the MM relationships – simply because it is so foreign. It’s the one thing that as a woman I will NEVER be able to explore personally. And perhaps it’s the mystery of something that I can never be a part of that makes the genre so appealing.

I’ve written three MMFs now and still haven’t quelled my appetite for this particular combination of lovers. The first book I wrote featured MM action only within the threesome. The second had some hot man on man loving separate from the menage and the third featured a MM happy ending. Each book has gotten more explicit and more focused on the men.

The first one I wrote, the least explicit, holds a special place in my heart simply because it was my first. (And yes, we all love our firsts!) I reread some of it now for this blog post, and realize I may have used a ton of cliches while writing. But still, I love the book, and thought I’d post a excerpt for your enjoyment and in honor of GLBT month in the USA.

GOING ALL IN

The higher the stakes, the harder they fall—in love.

(Three Of A kind, Book 1)

Julia Savage’s weekly poker games are tearing her apart. She’s in love with two of her fellow card players, and much as she’d like to pick and confess her true feelings to one man, she won’t. Not if it means risking the love of the other.

Hunter Miles has wanted Julia for four months, and he’s about to deal a hand she couldn’t see coming. He’s determined to give her a New Year’s Eve celebration she never expected. He’s going to seduce her—in front of his friend and rival for her affections, Jay Baxter. But Jay’s not willing to lay down his cards. He’s going after Julia too, and he’s not above bluffing to get what he wants. Either way, one of them is going to win her over.

Unless they change the rules of the game. If they double up, there’s a chance they can split the pot…

Warning: this book contains two hunky heroes, a heroine worth betting on, sizzling hot three way action (m/f/m and m/m/f), a whole lot of unexpected fireworks, and a New Year’s Eve to remember.

AN EXCERPT:

If possible, Hunter’s cheeks turned even redder. “Don’t push me, Jay. I’ll kick your sorry ass out of the door faster than you can blink.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “So that’s what you want to do with my ass? Kick it?” He snickered in obvious disbelief. “Mate, after the quality of that blowjob, I think there’s a lot more you want to aim at my ass than your foot.”

Julia’s jaw dropped open.

Hunter’s chair crashed to the floor. He was on his feet and advancing on Jay at killer speed.

“Hunter. No!” She grabbed his arm, trying to yank him to a halt. Her shoulder about jerked out of her socket before Hunter reacted to her anxiety and stopped.

“I’m sorry, Jules,” he said without looking at her. He stared daggers at Jay. “But you need to let me go. Now.”

Damn it, so much testosterone flooded the room there was only one way this argument was going to end. With someone lying on the floor, injured. While Jay might be taller than Hunter, Hunter was broader. It was anyone’s guess who’d be the first man down.

Jay stood a little straighter. “No worries, Jules. You can drop your hold on him.”

Not a chance. The muscles bulged in Hunter’s arm, warning Julia he was preparing to throw the first punch.

“See, he’s not going to hurt me,” Jay explained as he stared straight back at Hunter. “He doesn’t want a fight. He wants…this.”

To Julia’s flabbergasted surprise, Jay flashed Hunter. Even from five odd paces away, she could see the way Jay’s cock stood proud and erect. Good God, he was turned on. With all the craziness going on around them, he was aroused.

Before she had a full second to process her thoughts, Hunter had ripped free of her grasp and leapt at Jay. He landed against him with a sickening thud. The force of his attack sent them both crashing to the floor. Jay landed on his back, spread-eagle. Hunter landed on top of him.

Hunter pulled back, lifted his arm and clenched his hand into a fist. He looked murderous.

If his hand connected with Jay’s nose, he’d break it.

Jay said something in a voice so soft Julia couldn’t hear. But Hunter did and he froze. He relaxed his hand then clenched it into a fist again. Then relaxed it.

Julia dropped to her knees, closer to the men. When Jay spoke again, she heard him.

“It’s what you want, Miles.”

“No, Baxter.” Hunter’s hand formed the fist again. Muscle strained in his back and neck. “What I want is to smash your teeth in.”

Again Jay spoke too softly to hear.

“Never,” Hunter roared and his arm flashed through the air.

Before his fist met its target, Jay flipped them both. This time Hunter landed on his back, with Jay on top of him, pinning his body down with his chest and holding his arms with his hands. They were inches away from Julia.

“You’re lying,” Jay snapped. “You want it as much as I do.”

“I want Jules, you stupid fuck. Not you.” Hunter panted as Jay pressed his weight on his chest.

“Then why do you have a massive hard-on?”

Hunter bared his teeth. “It’s adrenaline, asshole. I’m about to beat the shit out of you, and I’m excited by the thought.”

Jay shook his head. “You want to fuck the hell out of me, dickhead.”

“It’s Jules I want to fuck. You I’m gonna beat to a bloody pulp.”

“You want to fuck both of us.”

To Julia’s astonishment, Jay twisted his hips, as though dry-humping Hunter.

“Fuck you,” Hunter bellowed.

“As you wish,” Jay shot back and dropped his head fast.

For the second time in minutes Julia stared slack-jawed. Jay crushed his mouth over Hunter’s in what could only be a bruising kiss.

Hunter froze for a second before roaring back to life. Sheer brute force must have motivated him. Jay lay like a dead weight on top of him, yet in a blur of motion the men rolled a second time, and once again Hunter was on top. “Goddamn you, Jay,” he snarled.

And then his lips were on Jay’s, his tongue pushing for entrance into the other man’s mouth. The kiss looked like a violent scuffle, or a nasty battle of wills, and Julia feared one of them might do permanent damage to the other.

But Hunter gave a small moan, and the fight seemed to ebb out of him. His arms relaxed and the tension in his back visibly slackened. Any violent undertones dissipated in the air around the two men.

Julia watched, gobsmacked, as Hunter’s mouth began to seduce rather than attack, as Jay’s arms wrapped around Hunter’s back and his hands traced the outline of his spine and shoulders. She watched as the kiss transformed into a seductive sharing of passion rather than a lethal end to a friendship.

Jay was right. Hunter did want him.

Had he wanted Jay all along?

—————–

Going All In is available at all your fave ebookstores, including Samhain, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Jess

Rhythm Of My Heart: A sneak peek

(As posted on the Down Under Diva blog – because I have become very lazy with this blog, and keep forgetting to post to it!)

Just two weeks ago I typed those two little words every author strives to type:
The End.

The book I’d been working on was finished, the manuscript complete. The third book in the Speed series was finally done. Zachary Pace/Jonah Speed had his story.

I’d love to tell you I felt fantastic. Love to tell you I was on a high from the accomplishment. After all, I’d been waiting a year to write this book. A year to find the story and put it in words. But the truth is, when I typed those two words I felt a horrible sense of loss. I was saying goodbye to the characters I’d spent so much time getting to know and understand.

I’ve been living with these two characters for fourteen months. Listening as they whispered in my head, giving hints of their lives to me. I’ve also lived in utter frustration, desperate for them to give me more than a sentence or two every now and again. So when suddenly they started talking and refused to shut up, I sat up and took notice. And six weeks later, their story was told. But in the process of them telling their story, I grew rather fond of Zachary and Eve. So much so that I’m still thinking about them all the time. I’m not ready to let them go just yet.

And so even though their book only releases in October, I would love to share a snippet of their story with you. So here you go. This is the first kiss in the third book of the Speed series:

RHYTHM OF MY HEART (An unedited sneak preview snippet)

Her eyes closed and she let out a soft moan of pleasure.

“Good?”

Eve’s “Mmmmm” reverberated down his spine and echoed in his groin.

How the fuck could eating a chocolate turn into the most erotic encounter on earth? Eve made it look like she was lost in the throes of spectacular sex. The woman had a chocolate in her mouth, that was all. Yet the bliss on her face and satisfaction in her soft moan had Zachary hardening to a point of pain.

Christ, he hoped no one noticed.

She chewed, her red lips a beacon to his gaze.

He wanted to kiss her, wanted to mold his mouth to hers and taste the pleasure on her breath.

Yeah. Not going to happen. Not here, in a room packed full of curious eyes and cameras.

“If you carry on chewing like that,” Zachary’s voice was a low growl, “like you’re about to have an orgasm, I am going to throw you under the table and eat every last bit of you.”

Eve’s eyes popped open, and she swallowed quickly. “You know it would be way simpler if you just ate the truffle?”

“Maybe. But it wouldn’t taste half as good.”

“You know what you are, Jonah Speed?”

Aroused? Frustrated? Horny? “What am I, Eve Andrews?”

“A first rate, grade A flirt.” She lifted a second truffle to her mouth and licked it. Those cherry-red lips of hers framed the milk chocolate, and her tongue was just visible, dabbing at the treat.

The room full of curious eyes and cameras faded to insignificance. Sound faded too. The chocolate and Eve’s lips were his sole focus. His sole desire.

With one hand, he plucked the saucer from her hand and set it on the table. With the other he plucked her hand from her mouth and tossed the half-eaten chocolate over his shoulder.

Before she had a chance to object—and by the look in her eyes she intended to object, vehemently—he yanked her against him, bent his head and kissed her.

Just claimed her mouth with his, taking advantage of her surprised gasp to slip his tongue between those cherry-red lips and sample the chocolate she’d just licked.

Jesus, fuck. She was right. The chocolate wasn’t just good. It was delectable. Mouth-watering. It blew his mind. And he hated chocolate.

Eve sagged in his arms, as though she’d turned boneless. He hauled her closer, molding her to his body, squashing the rose between them. Her soft curves pressed tight against his firmer bulk. She clutched at him with one hand, grabbing his arm, squeezing it, then slowly letting her hand skim up over his shoulder until she buried it in his hair.

Her tongue drifted over his, toyed with it. Tasted him like he tasted her. And damned if it wasn’t the sweetest, hottest kiss Zachary had ever shared.

He kissed her harder, lost himself to the creamy, rich flavor of Eve and chocolate.

The chocolate had nothing on the woman. Couldn’t compete with her.

Lights flared against his eyes. Once, twice, a million times. Fireworks? From a kiss? That was a first. Not surprising though, not with the way his body reacted to the kiss, but a first.

Fu-uck.

Sanity returned like a sharp slap.

Those bursts of light weren’t fireworks at all. Not even close. They were flashes. Camera flashes. Tons of them.

Zachary broke the kiss with a silent, foul curse and stepped back, holding Eve’s arms to steady her.

Jesus, how stupid could he have been?

She blinked once, then again, scrunching her eyes against the flares of light, looking bewildered at first and then just a little terrified.

“Hell! I’m sorry.” He whispered the apology as he scanned the room. Luke would sort this out, instantly, leaving Zachary free to slip away with Eve. “I wasn’t thinking.”

No, he definitely wasn’t. All rational thought had fled his mind as she’d devoured those chocolates.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

The band manager was nowhere to be seen, which meant it was up to Zachary to initiate damage control. Problem was, hundreds of people had caught him and Evie, lip-locked, on camera. There was very little he could do about it.

Even now flashes continued, and mobile phones were more visible than faces. Every Tom, Dick and photographer had caught Zachary’s impulsive behavior on film.

It was just a matter of time before those photos appeared on the net, in newspapers, on TV, and in every gossip rag around the world.

—————–

Rhythm Of My Heart releases from Samhain on the 8th of October.

I truly hope you love this story as much as I do.

Jess

AUSSIE AUTHOR SHOWCASE

During the month of January the Down Under Divas are having some very special guests over for tea. Or coffee, or maybe even something stronger. It’s our first ever Aussie Author Showcase.

We’re going to introduce you to some authors you might not know yet. Some have been published for a while, some are brand newbies to this author thing.

We’d love it if you came on over to the Down Under Divas and joined in the month long party.

Jess

Afternoon Rhapsody – Chapter One (part two)

Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding released on Tuesday, and to celebrate, Lexxie Couper, Sami Lee and I have posted the first chapters of our stories on the Down Under Diva blog, and on our own blogs.

We’ve each shared the first half of our first chapters on the Diva blog, and placed the rest of our chapters on our own blog. So, for your reading pleasure, please find below the conclusion of Afternoon Rhapsody’s Chapter One:

Brody hadn’t released her hand. Instead he stared at it as though he’d never seen a hand before. Or maybe he was staring at the white band of flesh around her ring finger. She knew she stared at it a lot. Perhaps to the point of obsession. Not long ago a simple gold ring had covered it, but she’d removed that when the divorce papers arrived. No point wearing it anymore, now was there?

“I am,” he answered eventually. “Well, kind of. I came for a wedding. So I guess you could say I’m here with lots of people.”

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence? I’m here for a wedding too.”

“Bianca…Rogers? Would I be right in assuming you’re here for Mack and Aidan’s wedding?”

She grinned at him. “You would indeed. Savvy mind you have there. Aidan’s my brother. You here for the same wedding?”

He grinned back, and the sheer warmth in his smile heated her blood. It had been a long time since a smile had affected her like that. “I am.”

“On the bride or groom’s side?”

“The groom. Although I know the bride too. We all go back a long time.”

It was her turn to look at him speculatively. “So you know the bride and groom, and you have for a while. It’s interesting that we’ve…uh…never met before. I thought I knew all of Danny’s mates.”

Brody took a long time to answer. Once again, Bee fancied she might be able to read his thoughts in those beautiful eyes but immediately decided she had to be wrong.

“Are you sure we’ve never met?” he asked finally. “You look…familiar.”

Bee shook her head. “Nope. I’d have remembered if we had. You’re not the type of person one would forget in a hurry.” He wasn’t the type of person she’d forget ever.

He tilted his head to the side, regarding her thoughtfully. He opened his mouth to say something, must have thought better of it, closed it again, then said, “Would you like to have a drink with me, Bianca?”

And just like that, Bianca’s mouth was drier that it had ever been. Her throat was parched too, as though she hadn’t had liquid in a year, at least. A drink with him was exactly what she wanted. Needed. “I’d love to.”

His smile was blinding. “Excellent.”

He gave her a swift once-over, making Bee instantly self-conscious. Wearing nothing but a bikini had seemed like a good idea in this heat, but having Brody’s gaze—brief as it was—take in every inch of her lily-white skin was a little inhibiting.

“Looks like you’re all ready for a swim,” he said. “Tell you what, I need to change, put on a pair of boardies. How about I meet you at the poolside bar in…ten minutes?”

Ten minutes? That felt like a veritable lifetime. “Ten minutes would be perf— No, shoot!” Bianca slapped her forehead. “Sorry, sorry. It won’t be perfect. I already have a meeting in ten minutes. Actually, more like one minute now, and if I’m late, Mack is gonna let me have it.” More like Kylie was gonna let her have it. The woman ran a tight ship. Her only instruction to Bee had been not to be late.

Uh, yeah. About that…

“Look,” she hastened to say, “I can’t do drinks. How about lunch instead? They serve a killer salad nicoise at the Seaspray Bistro.”

Brody wrinkled his nose at the very suggestion. “Tuna salad?”

She grinned at him. “Not a fan, huh? Me neither. But Mack’s friend recommended it to me, so I thought I’d recommend it to you.”

“How about a simple grilled cheese sandwich and a bottle of red wine instead?”

Bee’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t help it.

She and Rick had shared that exact meal on the night of their wedding. In the cheap hotel they’d chosen for their honeymoon. Gourmet food it hadn’t been, but Bee had never eaten anything more delicious.

She swallowed at the memory. “G-grilled cheese sounds really good.”

“To me too.” His smile was warm, but his eyes…

“Shall we say twelve thirty? At a table outside?” Aidan was arriving on the island then, so Mack would ensure they’d be done by that time.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

As Bee waved goodbye and headed off to her meeting, she couldn’t help but think how incredibly appealing the idea of Brody Evans waiting for her sounded.

————-

Don’t forget, you can read the beginning of the chapter over at the Down Under Divas. And…you can purchase all three books at Samhain, or at your favorite ebookstore.

The Next Best Thing Challenge

(As posted at the Down Under Divas)

So, Lexxie and Sami have begun this week’s trend at the Divas, and it’s up to me to continue The Next Best Thing Challenge. 

Here’s how it works:

• Answer the 10 questions below
• Spread the fun and tag other writers to participate.

Ready? Let’s begin!

1. What is the title of your book / WIP?

Colors Of Love

2. Where did the idea for this book come from?

It all started while I wrote See You In My Dreams. As soon as I realized that Nathan, the hero fhad two brothers, I knew they both had stories to tell as well.

Seth, Nathan’s younger brother, had a story that just wouldn’t stop teasing me. It begged to be explored and begged to be told. Long before I knew the ending of See You In My Dreams, I knew how Colors Of Love would end. It was working out the middle that was the tough part…until I met Kaz.

3. What genre would your book fall under?

Contemporary, red hot, GLBT,  menage a trois, male/male/female with just a hint of paranormal. (Yeah, this one may be a little tough to put in a box.)

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Holy cow. Good question.

Um….um….um… I have no idea!

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

I’m gonna go with the tagline on this one:

Their true colors are hidden…until one woman turns everything upside down.

6. Is your book published or represented?

Oh yeah, it’s published and available at your favorite ebookstore.

Not specific enough?

Ok, try Samhain Publishing, Nook or Kindle.

7. How long did it take you to write it?

The first three chapters? About two months. The rest of the book? Two weeks.

8. What other books in your genre would you compare it to?

Duh. That’s a no brainer. Jess Dee’s See You In My Dream. (Except that’s an M/F. This ones an M/M and an M/M/F.)

9. Which authors inspired you to write this book?

This book was inspired by the characters themselves. Soon as I met them in See You In My Dreams, I knew they had a story.

10. Tell us anything else that might pique our interest in your book.

It features my favorite character of all. A gorgeous, damaged alpha hero who’ll tug on your heart strings and make you love him – even though he thinks he’s not worthy of that love.

The Blurb

Their true colors are hidden…until one woman turns everything upside down.

Speed, Book 2

Seth Pace, guitarist of the rock band Speed, is a born dreamer, and nothing stands in his way of making those dreams a reality. Except when it comes to band manager Luke Struthers. He’s everything Seth wants in a partner, but even after five years of perfectly explosive sex, Luke refuses to commit.

After a childhood ravaged by abuse, Luke knows he’s a potential danger to anyone foolish enough to love him. Seth is safer without him, but Luke has no idea how to cut him loose painlessly. Until he spots Seth’s kind of woman—pretty, smart, friendly. The plan: seduce her into a sexy threesome, then leave the two alone to fall in love. Problem solved.

A night of excitement with the two hottest men on the planet? Yeah, baby! Yet Kaz’s inborn ability to read auras tells her something isn’t right. It’s obvious Seth and Luke are madly in love, but subtle clues in Luke’s aura signal he’s up to something. She’s not sure what, but if she doesn’t do something quick, the two men she’s quickly come to adore will wind up without the happily ever after they both deserve.

Product Warnings: One man + one man + one woman = a whole lot of steamy two-way and three-way M/M & M/M/F sex, a hero or two to drool over, and a heroine who recognizes true love when she sees it.
——————-

Read it.

You’ll love it.

Oh, and I’m tagging:

Maggie Nash, Selena Illyria, Lila Dubois and Jambrea Jones

Jess

—–

Down Under Divas

Cool graphic?

Those legs belong to the Down Under Divas. Or more specifically, myself, Lexxie Couper, Rhian Cahill and Sami Lee.

(Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement. Maybe those legs simply represent the four of us.) (Hey, we can dream, can’t we?)

So – who are we, or who are the divas?

We’re four Australian erotic romance authors who had so much fun together at the Australian Romance Writers conference, we decided to start a blog.

With thanx to Lexxie, who got that blog up and running and made it look as gorgeous as it does, Down Under Divas is now live.

Rhian posted the first blog today. So head on over there, grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine. We’re not fussy about your beverage choice) and come say hello.

http://downunderdivas.wordpress.com/

Jess