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A Note About My Writing Style

7/29/2015

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So I've noticed something lately in reviews and questions I get. People seem to misunderstand me. First off, I'm a guy. I write like a guy. I don't write soft cute romance. I write the type of romance I like, the kind I dream of, and the kind I experience. So before you recommend me to a new reader, they need to know a few things.

1. A majority of my books feature M/M (male/male) erotica and romance. There are some hetero or M/F (male/female) stories. I let my characters be who they tell me they are.

2. Some characters hold grudges. Others forgive easily. 

3. Many of my characters are assholes. Seriously. Sarcasm runs rampant. Some are rude and crude, maybe even raunchy. But they are also different. Just as in life, you have to accept a character for who they are and not make them more or less than what they are.

4. I am a male who dates males. Please don't judge a M/M relationship by M/F standards. Sometimes, a guy who's been hurt is content when the guy that hurt him asks forgiveness and he gets to call him an asshole. We're guys. We have our flash of emotion, we vent, we move the hell on. If you don't get it, you're probably not a guy.

5. Sometimes I'm told I'm too elaborate in my fight scenes. Just recently it was said I wasn't elaborate enough......Yeah, you know I'm a tad bit confused but normally I write them how I see them. Sometimes a book plays out like a TV show. Sometimes I need to describe every detail, other times, I need to just give you a general idea.

6. I only use settings I know. I'm from St. Louis, so several books are set there. I could research other places, and I will if I ever have the need to write a story set in New York or Chicago extensively. Til then, you'll become well acquainted with my home town.

7. I'm a practicing witch. I don't have to research anything with my witch characters. I add in my own pagan principles and rituals ramped up as I clearly cannot blast you with fire or lightning and for most people that's something to be thankful for.

8. I am a mythology buff. You will see a lot of it in my books. I love Greek mythology the most. I'm a fan of Norse and Egyptian, and I loved the King Arthur stories so I will revisit him more than once.

I'm sure there's more to elaborate on, but I feel those things should be known about me and my writing. And now I'm off to do more writing.
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Tempting Jordan by Andrea Dalling

7/26/2015

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Synopsis: Jordan Callahan is disillusioned since he caught yet another boyfriend cheating. He's tired of giving his heart to men who only want his body. At his five-year high school reunion, he meets up with old flame Rick Ferguson. Tall, dark, and bisexual, Rick has been his dream guy since sophomore year. But Rick is in the closet and has dated a string of women since high school. If he gives in to the temptation of Rick's kisses, his lost love could be his future—or just another in a string of men to break his heart. 

Rick has tried to live up to other people's expectations. Everyone in his small home town is waiting for the former captain of the football team to settle down with a nice girl. Well, girls aren't in the cards for him, and he's done trying. He wants Jordan, his best friend since first grade. But a relationship with Jordan means coming out—disappointing his family and inviting ridicule from friends. His golden boy reputation will be shattered if he follows his heart to the only love he's ever wanted. 

This gay erotic romance novella is intended for an adult audience. It contains flirtation, secret trysts, fresh hotel sheets, self-delusion, angst, and long, passionate kisses.

Review: I actually read this in a day. It was well written. I'm not sure I particularly like either character. Rick annoys me, just because he's the guy that worries for absolutely nothing. Jordan bothers me because he caves so easily. As a reader I'm enthralled, but as a person I wanted him to make Rick work harder. Yeah part of me understands it's not easy to come out, but I found myself just severely disliking him. But personal feelings aside, it was actually a great story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Buy Links: 
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tempting-Jordan-Chances-Novella-Dalling-ebook/dp/B011SHSIOS/

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Spark (Island Heat #1) by E Davies

7/13/2015

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Synopsis: Once a gourmet baker designing elite desserts, Kevin Walker now works at a second-rate bakery and dreams of opening a dessert bar with his best friend, mixologist Troy. When Troy secretly applies for a Main Street storefront on Ember Isle, an exclusive gay millionaires' retreat, they're accepted – despite how Kevin's always said he's straight. Kevin's not worried; he's secure enough in his sexuality. He's never been with a woman, but then, he's never found the right one... right? 

Billionaire Eli Black thought he had it all until he walked in on his high-rolling actor boyfriend Tom rolling in the hay with another man. His closest friend Dean drags him to Ember Isle to make him have fun while they wait for Tom to make the news public. He doesn't think he can flirt again, but before he can even set foot on the island, he's proven wrong. When he later spots a dessert bar and can't resist a peek before opening time, the man he met earlier catches his eye. He wants Kevin over his knee and in his bed... and he doesn't believe for a second that Kevin is straight. 

Eli and Kevin try to understand their intense mutual attraction at first meeting, and they're drawn together for fun in the island heat. Wires cross afterwards as they realize they're more than a one-night stand, yet Kevin thinks Eli is lying to him about being single. Can their budding relationship survive its first test? 

Spark is the first book in the Island Heat series. Book two, Sizzle, will be released on July 31st, 2015.

Review: So this book starts of dramatically, with Eli walking in on his then fiance, Tom, cheating on him in his own bed. So his best friend Dean drags him off to Ember Isle, where they stumble across friends and business partners Kevin and Troy. Troy and Dean are of like minds, enjoying the random hookups. Eli has a complicated situation, waiting for Tom to make their breakup public and things with Kevin move fast, considering Kevin thought he was straight. How Kevin thought he was straight is beyond me when he's never had a real attraction to women and seems to be a virgin, but stranger things have happened. I sincerely hope the second book continues Kevin and Eli's story. The way it ended just screams drama in the future.

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Time for more updates

7/12/2015

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So, it's been ages since I've updated anyone on anything on here. I should really get better about that. Maybe someone should remind me. So let's get to it.

Bewitched Souls is set to go into the Don't Buy My Love program, in the M/M Romance group on goodreads. Info gets posted sometime today, then on 7/17/15 people can sign up to review it honestly. I'm a bit excited and nervous as I always am. I'm sure this is just part of being an author whenever you know someone is reading your work specifically to review it.

Speaking of reviews, Bewitched Souls, The Lost Dragon, and Fatal Healing are all free this month on Smashwords only, since it's a site wide promotion for the month of July. some folks are already downloading it. If you haven't, and you really want to get started on the Dragon Hunters and the Coven series, now's a good time. Do me a favor and leave a review or rating. 

I have been working mainly on the second book of the Journeys series. Yes, I know, you guys still haven't gotten to read the first one. Totally not my fault here, and decisions will eventually have to be made because that book is finished and just waiting to be edited. 

The Dragon's Secrets, Andreas' second book and the seventh in the Dragon Hunters series, is coming along somewhat slowly. I don't want to spoil much, but this book has brought me to a new level of hell in writing. I have to tell their story as they want it told, but man is it hard sometimes.

I started a young adult paranormal fantasy themed book. Haven't title it yet. Not giving too much info, but the paranormals in this will be called Anomalies. I have the main characters formed in my head, and I have begun the first couple of chapters. It's just a matter of continuing on. It'll be slower because I don't want to get too adult and I've gotten used to my erotica stories. As you can tell if you've been keeping up, the Dragon Hunters has gotten increasingly more erotic with each book. 

As you can see, I lightened up the format of the website now. Had to do it, the black was bothering me. I love black but with my uphill battle against depression (seriously, was diagnosed as manic depressive before they changed the name to bipolar), I needed a little more color. 

I've been writing poems every so often lately. They're on my page on writerscafe.org. Feel free to check them out. Not exactly the happiest subject matter but some people think they're good. 

I think that wraps this up. Off to drink Pepsi and watch TV until I crash.
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Blizzard in Bearskin by Rex Blackridge

7/12/2015

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Synopsis: A no-nonsense werebear from the Arctic Circle. A chatty werewolf from the Chicago Loop. Polar opposites, each looking for a fire to ward off winter’s chill... 
Abram Chernov isn’t a man of half measures. After a string of personal tragedies, he left everything behind to become an arctic bush pilot. A rugged refrigerator of a man, he now spends his days content in solitude, delivering mail and supplies to the remotest corners of the Alaskan tundra. When he’s not piloting his ski-plane, or grabbing a drink in the tiny town of Yakutak, the gruff shifter roams the wilds in his other, more comfortable skin: that of a giant kodiak bear. He’s not lonely, he reminds himself constantly; solitude suits him just fine. Some days, he almost believes it. 

Nikan Parande, a slick young werewolf from Chicago, wishes his employer would stop sending him on assignments to the middle of nowhere. He’s been looking for a more substantial, serious relationship than what the Boystown club scene has to offer, but the demands of his career at shifter-owned Holloway Industries have relentlessly gotten in the way. One day he’ll find true love, he tells himself in between flight delays and full moons.

By the time Nikan hitches a late night ride into Yakutak, he’s sporting nothing but his wits, his gear, and a hastily scrawled out name... The name of a local bush pilot who’s supposed to be sympathetic to shifter causes. A small, remote silver mining operation—owned by the werewolves of Holloway Industries—has gone completely dark, and it’s Nikan’s task as a newly recruited “security specialist” to find out what’s happened. Although eager to prove himself, he won’t get far without Abram’s help. Together, this unlikely pair of shifters will face subzero temperatures and supernatural horrors in the land of the midnight sun. While struggling to survive the coming storms, they might even kindle a new flame - in each other’s arms. 

This standalone paranormal romance novella is the first tale set in Rex Blackbridge’s Darkmoon Vigil universe. As you follow the blossoming of asteamy m/m relationship between shifters, expect urban fantasyovertones, no cliffhangers, and the HEA/HFN ending that romance readers know and love. 

Review: this one was short but good. We have Abram, the werebear, and clearly dominant, and Nikan, the werewolf and clearly submissive. First thing, I find that hilarious just becuase i would expect the reverse between two differen't were creatures like them. But I can live with it, it works. Nikan is there to find missing coworkers and a friend. He needs Abram to help him get to the mine somewhere in Alaska to find out what happened. What he finds is somewhat expected as you get to know Abram and what he has found lurks in the cold there. The two getting together works for me, it's cute, and they fit together as far as their personalities go. The writing is great, only a few missed quotation marks here or there but nothing detracting from the story itself.

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Borderline by Pop Cherry

7/11/2015

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Synopsis: When a rogue wolf is dropped to the tiles of Saren Lash's hall, the alpha Enforcer has no idea how quickly the shifter he intends to break and remold will turn the tables. Can the unyielding Enforcer resist the increasing press of the defiant rogue's fire and beauty, or will he wind up remaking himself as he attempts to subdue the wild runner? 

Nor has no intention of becoming a toy for Tek's pack, no matter how glacial the Enforcer Lash may be. He's always lived his life his own way and doesn't intend to change that now. Can he withstand the Enforcer's impact on his mind during the remaking process? And if he finds himself growing fond of the Enforcer, can he be sure the idea is actually his own? 

A sensuous and heavily steamy, m/m paranormal romance. 

Review: So, in this story, we have Nor on a mission. He needs some object in order to escape the life he's been forced to lead, the life his entire kind is forced to lead. He is captured, and must face the Enforcer, Lash. The remaking process seems to generally leave other shifters as a shell of their former selves. Lash has engaged in this process multiple times, but something about Nor is different. Lash finds himself attached to him in  ways he's not familiar with. He knows he will keep him, but not how he'll manage it. There definitely seems to be more to the story, as Lash has plans that he speaks on and asks Nor to join him in before the story ends. I hope there's a followup
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All the Arts of Hurting by Amelia Faulkner

7/11/2015

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Synopsis: As far as Lord Duncan Aldham is concerned, war is a thing which affects other people. He’s quite content to sit in the ancestral pile, ride his horses, and defend himself against his mother’s attempts to marry him off. So when Duncan meets the Manor’s new stable hand he’s thoroughly unprepared for the desire which the man ignites within him.

William Fossett is handsome, muscular, and utterly forbidden. A kind and gentle soul, William is a pacifist in a country which is about to force every man to test the strength of their convictions.

Confused by his yearning for Fossett, Duncan will soon be forced to work out whether he dare act upon this illicit attraction to another man - and to a Commoner, no less. But Fossett has bigger problems: the Military Service Act has been passed into law, and even absolutists are at risk of conscription...

Review: Never read much historical romance, but based on what I have I was interested to see how this would play into the M/M aspect. So we start with Duncan, heir to an earl who was far from a loving father that has now gone of to war. In comes William, a commoner, and a guy who's good with horses. It's a time of war, and what amounts to being drafted. Duncan isn't at risk. he's nobility and the only heir of his line. William is very much at risk, and this is a time where being anything other than heterosexual is considered an act of treason and punishable by death. Their romance is unlikely, but fierce. Yet realistic for the time. They try to hide but inevitably people begin to talk. Still, when it comes down to time to be drafted, Duncan isn't willing to just let his new found love, his first and only love, go to war. It's a very realistic story for the times, and while it has a happier ending, it's clear that this was not the norm for the times, which makes it all the better. 

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Senseless the Escape by M. Stone

7/6/2015

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Synopsis: Sienna finds herself weary of the heightened senses native to her tribe and only wishes for a moment of solitude away from the castle walls and prying ears. But she begins to fear she has gone too far this time and soon finds herself captive to the Waterlanders, a race of people at war with her own Desertlander tribe. 

As she is forced onto a boat and into another country, she fears she will never see her family or her homeland again. Her senses are at once overwhelmed with the new scents and sounds of the strange land, yet she knows she must find a way to conceal her true identity from her captors and return home.

Will her heightened senses be enough to help her? Will she be able to outwit her captors? And who is Caleb, the giant Man Boy responsible for her capture? Can he help her or is he just another enemy intent on destroying her people? 

Senseless: The Escape (Senseless: Tales of the Four Kingdoms Book 1) is a fast-paced adventure with vivid details and pages full of suspense that will leave you breathless for the next chapter. 




Review: 
I haven't been into much outside of my own genre lately, but the premise of this book was interesting enough for me to read. This book features a wonderfully imaginative land. Sienna clearly makes a mistake that lands her in far more trouble than she could ever have counted on. Since I understand that this is merely the first book in a series, I am left wanting more, and ready to read the next in the series.
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    Author

    Drako is an author and blogger, writing paranormal romance and LGBT fiction and reading almost any genre to review. 
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