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September : Pain Awareness Month

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People who experience chronic pain are very good at pretending to be okay. Even if every step feels like grinding glass. Even if standing upright takes herculean effort. Even if they are holding their breath so they don’t whimper…or scream.

My partner spent many years trying to get doctors to believe that yes, I am in immense pain and no, whatever treatment you’ve given me hasn’t worked. Finally, she found two brilliant doctors, both women, who believed her from the start and set out to find a way to help her. And to some degree, they have.

It’s easy to understand how people get addicted to prescription medicine. J.R. once told me that she could imagine a level of pain were she knows she would do absolutely anything to make it go away.

Anyway, the point of all this is that you never know the burdens that someone is carrying. You never truly know how someone feels. It doesn’t cost a thing to be kind.

So be kind. Please.

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After Midnight: The Beginning @MFRWhooks

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Her taboo relationships give her new life. Now there's a secret worth dying for.

After Midnight: The Beginning

Genre: LGBTQ+ Urban Fantasy Romance

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Jewell spent her college years avoiding two threats: sunlight and her sadistic stepfather.

Ria hails from a family of old-world vamps who want her to fall in line. Fat chance, especially since being in that line includes not being gay.

Being in love is easy for Ria and Jewell—they belong together like vodka and tomato juice. Adding a sexy incubus to their union is the hot sauce in their Bloody Mary. The only problem? Jewell's stepfather.

He demands Jewell return home. He's supported her for her entire life, and tuition isn't cheap. She belongs to him. Her debt has come due.

If she refuses, he'll kill her. If she agrees, it could expose a secret that will result in worldwide carnage.

Jewell and Ria have until dawn to decide…

...and it's already After Midnight.

Warning: This book features spicy supernatural creatures, an attempted assault that makes the perp wish he'd just stayed home, and a secret that changes everything.

After Midnight: The Beginning is the 2nd book in the LGBTQ urban fantasy series Living After Midnight. It can be read out of order and as a Happy for Now standalone.

Excerpt

“After a round of see you laters, Jewell followed Ria through a dozen mismatched and worn bistro tables to a group of yard sale loveseats tucked against the wall near the stage, and across the room from the entrance. Hand-sewn throws were strewn across the small sofas. It gave the space a shabby chic kind of look. Cute. Someone was trying to spruce the place up.

Jewell sat on the purple couch and patted the dusty cushion next to her to invite her girlfriend to sit. She liked this bar, despite the dirt and sticky floors. If the owner cleaned it up a bit, it might become one of those funky after-hours clubs that could put Unakite on the map.

"Could this be any lower to the ground?" Ria sat on the edge of the sofa and tugged at her red micro-mini-skirt. "I practically have to be a contortionist not to show my stuff to the creeps across the room." She flashed an insincere smile to the group of men leering at them, and whispered to Jewell through bared teeth, "Do you see that idiot coming over here? Start coughing like you have tuberculosis.“I don't have the patience for these pushy humans.”

“Pushy? The young man approaching them seemed more like a salmon in a den of grizzly bears, out of his element and nervous as hell. Jewell had to give him credit: he had the guts to head toward Ria.

Prey seldom made good decisions in the face of a predator.”

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CALEB, by Kate Hill

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Please join me in welcoming Kate Hill to LAM to talk about her new story, CALEB.

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Werewolf Willpower?

I think my fascination with werewolves began with the movie The Howling. To this day it's my favorite werewolf movie. What I liked best about it was that unlike many other werewolf stories, the werewolves in this movie had control over their shapeshifting abilities. They weren't lone hunters, but lived in a pack-like atmosphere.

I'd always considered werewolves to be the most frightening of the classic monsters, and that fear wasn't only because of their power, but because most werewolves seemed to have no control over it. You could argue that a werewolf that retained his human intelligence after changing shape is the most frightening of all, but that kind of werewolf opens up opportunities to explore plotlines beyond a monster hunting people and in turn being hunted by people. Best of all, werewolves with self-control allow them the chance to become heroes as well as villains. In the world of paranormal romance, werewolves make exciting main characters.

In my latest release Caleb, most of the characters are werewolves. The romance between alpha werewolf Caleb and his mate Tia shares equal time with his rivalry with the werewolf Mette whose main ambition is to destroy Caleb and take control of the pack. Creating their world and their opposing personalities was both fun and challenging. Caleb and Mette are both intelligent werewolves, but they have radically different ideas about how their power should be used.

Are you a fan of werewolves or other shifters? What do you like best about them?

Caleb
by Kate Hill
Series: Romantic Moments
Format(s): Ebook
Heat Level: Mild
Pairing(s): M/F
Genre/Themes: Werewolf, Hurt and Comfort, Urban Fantasy
Length: Short Story
Preorder Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Caleb-Romantic-Moments-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0CD9G6XL5

I'm a powerful and respected Alpha, but the wolf Mette covets my leadership. I'm injured when my conniving enemy challenges me.

After losing my pack and nearly my life, I go to lick my wounds in the human world, but my beloved mate Tia knows that a wolf's broken spirit can heal, and there is only one true leader of our pack.

Note: Caleb is a very short werewolf action romance story with a mild heat level, moderate violence, and a HEA. This Romantic Moments story is the perfect length for a lunch break, before bed, or any time you want a quick, romantic read.

Excerpt:

"Finally," Curtis snapped. "It's been a blood feast around here. Two more bodies were found today, ripped apart about a mile down the road."

"It's Mette." Silvan bared his teeth. Rage shone in his dark eyes. "He's gone crazy. He thinks we should feed on human flesh like in the old days."

Tia looked as disgusted as I felt. Though wolves at heart, we had also formed ties among humans. Coexisting with them wasn't just a theory to us. We'd done it. Blood, fear, and hatred didn't have to exist between them and us.

"What about the rest of the pack?" I demanded, my heart pounding. If wolves turned on humans again, I didn't want to think about the consequences to both species.

Author Bio:

Kate Hill is a vegetarian New Englander who loves writing romantic fantasies. When she's not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out, watching horror movies, and researching vampires and Viking history. She runs the Compelling Beasts Blog that is dedicated to antagonists, antiheroes, and paranormal creatures. Kate also writes as Saloni Quinby.

Visit her online at https://www.kate-hill.com. Join her newsletter at https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter.

Social Links:

Website: https://kate-hill.com/

Blog: https://kate-hill.com/blog/

Newsletter: https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Hill/e/B002BLS7OW

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-hill

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16157.Kate_Hill

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/katehillromancewritingandmore/_saved/

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/katehillromancewritingandmore

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateHillRomance

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House of the Rising Son #MFRWhooks

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Cheyenne is a half-human incubus whose star is on the rise in the Unakite City rock scene. His father, the leader of the supernatural races, would prefer he keep a “low profile”, but screw that. Cheyenne has as much music in his veins as royal incubi blood.

Alexander's future is all set: finish law school, join the family firm, and marry someone who'd be good for business. Not that he has a say in any of it. He's barely met the woman his father expects him to marry. Keeping the peace is his priority. Until he meets Cheyenne.

If secrets are kept, they can never be together. If their secrets are exposed, chaos will reign in both families.

Either way, life will never be the same.

House of the Rising Son is the first book in the LGBTQIA+ urban fantasy series Living After Midnight.  Warning: This book features quirky supernatural creatures, a Thanksgiving dinner that makes the Inquisition look like a tea party, and an incubus that will rock your world.

Hook:

Were-tigers were not the inconspicuous type. If they were in the club, those assholes would be right in front.

From center stage, Cheyenne looked through the dark hair hanging over his eyes. He searched the rock crowd for the hostile faces of his father’s henchmen. So far, so good. No Were-tigers in sight. Instead, he saw tears trickling down the cheeks of women, and men holding cold bottles of beer against their foreheads.

His band jammed in the background, each member a talented musician, but the fans watched only him. They screamed and begged him for a sign of favor—a glance, a smile. He bit his lower lip, concealing a satisfied grin. He could ask them for all their worldly possessions, and they wouldn’t hesitate to oblige. But he wanted nothing except their lust, which fed him, and that was already his.

“I know what you want.” He moved his hands across his body, pushing up his black T-shirt to reveal a glimpse of stomach—and the promise of more. He teased, “I said I know what you want!” The crowd roared.

Cheyenne let his desire seep into his green eyes. “But you can’t have it.” The room exploded with cheers and applause.

He brought his palms together in front of his chest and bowed his head in mock humility as he savored the sweet, creamy taste of his fans’ longing. He rewarded them with a carnal, hungry gaze, then picked up his white Stratocaster. Fuck being an incubus, he thought. I’m a rock star.

Get House of the Rising Son here:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/house-of-the-rising-son/id6445258059

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/house-of-the-rising-son-trevann-rogers/1122604899

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/house-of-the-rising-son-3

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XPZX3G5

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/trevann-rogers

 

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Of Love and Donuts

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Do you ever have cravings? I do. I tend to try to ignore them. Sometimes, they go away. Sometimes…they linger.

My partner and I had planned a relaxing weekend retreat at our favorite spot in the state, Niantic. It would be the getaway before teaching starts—a moment to relax, a moment for fun, and of course, the ocean. Since the first time we discussed going away, we lamented that our location would be just minutes away from The Hive.

What is this Hive we speak of? The place where Krispy Kreme donuts are made. ARE MADE.

Since we’ve been working hard at eating better, donuts were not on the agenda. But, unbeknownst to each other, neither of us could stop thinking about the confectionary crack, Krispy Kreme. So freaking close and yet, so far from our beachside paradise!

As we drove closer to Niantic, my partner hesitantly said, “I know you want to keep on our eating plan, but, um, we are going to be just a few miles away from The Hive. Doesn’t a donut sound good?”

I replied, “OH MY GOD IT SURE DOES! Let’s go. But we’ll just buy a couple, right?” I had been holding steadfast to my commitment to avoid The Hive because I thought SHE wanted to, and she had been doing the same for me. What an awesome feeling.

(Don’t ask me how many we actually bought. Let’s just say it was a weekend of love and donuts.)

REMNANTS OF FIRE~By Alana Lorens

Join me in welcoming Alana Lorens, talking with us today about her new book, REMNANTS OF FIRE.

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I took my first journalism class at Kent State (after the National Guard), and fell in love with the idea of working for a newspaper. Of course, this was back in the 1970s, when people read newspapers on the regular. 

In 1981, I got my first job at a small paper very much like the one in REMNANTS OF FIRE, the Ralston Courier. Ours was the South Dade News Leader, and we covered all the stuff that happened south of the Miami Herald’s usual beat, with a soupcon of the Florida Keys thrown in. We could be snobby and say the TV reporters were ambulance chasers, just like the TV reporters do now for the internet guys.  We rode in the trenches and the tropical storms and the mango orchards and the salt water. Some of us occasionally snuck out onto the local Air Force Base and took pictures of walking catfish on the flight line. (Not that I’m confessing that. By the Way).

It was a great job. I got to do so many fun things—interview Senators, spend a week at the Hurricane Center, fly an F-14 simulator…. Let’s not talk about that.  Even got shot at a couple times. But I never had to deal with the kind of trouble that Sara Woods does when her editor assigns her to investigate a series of deaths that may be attached to a local healing center. Ridiculous, right? Healers are supposed to heal people. Maybe not only themselves…

Remnants of Fire

By Alana Lorens

#supernatural #thriller #vampire #reporter

Book Info

Release Date :August 15, 2023

 Amazon

ASIN:  B0CFDKZ8BZ

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 194918756X

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1949187564

Blurb

Looking for a fresh start, Sara Woods takes a job as a news reporter in a small town. Her first assignment for the Ralston Courier is to investigate a string of deaths, all young women, all her age. To deal
with chronic back pain, she goes to the Goldstone Clinic, a local
healing center with a strange reputation. As local doctor Rick Paulsen teaches Sara how to access hidden energy skills and reveal secrets from her past, police officer Brendon watches Sara’s every move. The deeper she digs into the Goldstone, the harder it is to deny links to the paranormal. Can she figure out what is going on and who to trust before it’s too late?

Excerpt

I asked Rick, “What makes you think this is the fault of someone at the clinic?”“It’s a direct link. She was healthy enough before she went there, except for the migraines. Within a month after she started treating there, she’s on her deathbed.”

“Deathbed?” I bit my lip.

He studied me, still closed off. “She’s very sick. I don’t know if we’ll pull her through this. She might already be gone if...” His eyes narrowed.

“If what?”

“Ted told me you revived her in the ambulance, just by laying on hands.” “Well, I don’t know about that,” I said, embarrassed. “I held her hand, yeah. I wanted her to know she had a friend there.” I left out the part about wanting to share my own strength. Surely that wasn’t what had

happened.

“Let’s get back to the room, and I want to see if you can do it again,” he said. He stopped short before he opened the door. “And not another word about the clinic. There are eyes and ears everywhere.”

Do what again? “I didn’t do anything.” It didn’t matter. He wasn’t listening.

When we got back to Dedra, he looked at the machines, and his face clouded with anger. “Whatever you did in the ambulance, try again. Don’t argue. Don’t think. Just do it,” he ordered.

“If you say so.” I took Dedra’s hand. Nothing happened.

He observed a moment. “You’re not trying.”

“How do you know?” I glared at him, then he pointed to Dedra. I took a deep breath, then concentrated on Dedra, picturing the girl as she’d been during my first days at the newspaper, bubbly and vivacious. The longer I thought about her, I felt a wave of heat, something like the way I’d heard a hot flash described. It came up from my feet, moved through my midsection with a little sizzle and up into my arms, hands, fingers. The beeping of the machines quickened, and I could swear Dedra’s cheeks turned a little pink.

 The sound brought my attention back to the room, and I realized I felt weak. My hands slid away from Dedra’s and my knees gave way.

Buy Links

 Amazon ebook

B&N ebook

SMASHWORDS EBOOK:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1435752: 

Book Trailer   https://youtu.be/pWjJT2upVlo

Author Bio

 Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years, while working as a pizza maker, a floral designer, a journalist and a family law attorney. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the aging hippie loves her time in the smoky blue mountains.

She writes romance and suspense as Alana Lorens, and sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal mystery as Lyndi Alexander. One of her novellas, THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE, is set in the city of Asheville during the old Bele Chere festival. She is the author of the Pittsburgh Lady Lawyers series, which draws on her 25 years as a family law attorney in the state of Pennsylvania. One of the causes close to her heart came from those years as well–the fight against domestic violence. She volunteered for many years at women’s shelters and provided free legal services to women and children in need.

She lives with her daughter on the autism spectrum, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by three crotchety old cats, and six kittens of various ages.

Author Links

Website​ http://Alana-lorens.com

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

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

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

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

Twitter:  @AlexanderLyndi

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

https://lyndialexander.wordpress.com/2023/08/14/living-with-remnants-of-fire/

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Dancing Shards of Light-The Perseid Meteor Shower

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A very long time ago, my therapist—I’ll call her H— invited me to watch a meteor shower with her. I didn’t want to. Since I was an obsessive worrier, why she invited me to watch the sky falling was beyond me. But I was very connected to this woman, so I agreed. I would be brave.

We hunted for a place as far away from direct and ambient light as possible—No easy feat in the 20th century. Luckily, we found a small, empty field. I’d never been anywhere in the outdoors that was so bereft of light. It was difficult to see well enough to set up our chairs. Luckily, H brought a flashlight.

At first, nothing happened. We sat in the dark, talking in whispers for no reason at all. And then, there it was. I was mesmerized. The sky wasn’t falling. It was dancing. A sparkling cloud of dust, the remnants of a comet, danced above me and, at the same time, encompassed me. In those moments, I felt the vastness of the universe and the gift of light those small particles offered. I also realized two things:

  • Compared to the vastness of space, most of my worries were not so big.

  • Even in consuming darkness, there are shards of light. But you have to let yourself see them.

Although we never talked about it, I’m pretty sure that was what H had planned all along.

The Perseid meteor shower is scheduled to peak on August 12-13 this year. If you’ve never had the experience, I strongly suggest it. You might have to do a little work to find a dark enough spot, but even if you don’t have epiphanies like I did, the shower of light is worth it. You can find out more about it here. Enjoy.



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August Book Fairs! Check them out!

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Seeking your next gay read?

 

Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new and very queer books. Available only for a limited time.

Book Fair: All Flavors of MM Romance.

Book Fair: Family Don’t End With Blood.

Book Fair: Queer Books!

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Living After Midnight: The Series #MFRWhooks

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Cheyenne is the half-human son of the Monarch of the Incubi. He wants to live his life, unburdened by the politics between supernatural races, and fulfil his dream of being a rock star. His father wants him to end the childish fantasy and assume his royal responsibilities

Destiny has other plans.

On a journey from sacrifice and betrayal to vindication and redemption, Cheyenne finds Power he never knew he had, the relationship with his father he's always wanted, and love he never dreamed of.

Living After Midnight is an LGBT Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy series.

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