#WriteTip - Don't Quit by @ErzabetBishop, spotlighting her @DecadentPub #Romance, Club Beam

Fellow Decadent Publishing author Erzabet Bishop is about to have her Beyond Fairytales romance Club Beam turned into an audiobook. Yes, I'm super jealous. In addition to snagging an excerpt, along with some up-close-and-personal time with the gorgeous cover, I also convinced her to give me a writing tip. I reinterpreted it a bit for the graphic, mainly because I had been trying to figure out how to use that stock photo for a while now. 

Writing tip from Taraquan.com

Don't Quit

by Erzabet Bishop

Don't quit. Even when it gets hard. You are the only one who can write your book.

hen I first contacted Decadent Publishing to inquire about their fairy tale line I was assigned a story called “The Beam.” I looked it up and found out it was about a wizard who is bested by a woman and he exacts his revenge. Whenever I encounter a new project like this, I have to sit down and think about what all the moving parts mean. In this case, how to turn a story like this into a modern romance that readers would find appealing. Since I tend to write urban fantasy slanted pieces, I immediately laser beamed in on the wizard and witch part. I mean, how cool is that to have a ready-made story ripe for the picking? I just had to add some modern twists. What would be more modern than a witchy karaoke event and fairy tale fetish night? 

The process of writing for me is an organic one. It begins with a legal pad and a series of colorful sticky notes and a foam board. I start thinking about the chapters and what needs to happen to make the story move and there you go-plot points on sticky notes I can adjust as needed. It works too. Sydney had lots of thoughts on where she wanted to go and believe me, she is still in there talking. The second book in the Shadow World series is already writing itself (think dragon shifters and a psychic) and I can see the fireworks shaping up nicely.

Check out further adventures with Master Gideon and Sydney in Sci Spanks 2015 now available on Amazon. You might just get invited for a session behind the Red Door. Master Gideon has a paddle and he’s ready to play. There will be more where that came from, you can count on that…

I hope you will enjoy the introduction to my Shadow World series and return to Club Beam for many more adventures. I am happy to share that the audio book is now in the works. 

Buy on Amazon

B&N | ARe | GooglePlay | Kobo | iTunes

Club Beam

by Erzabet Bishop

In the Shadow World, nothing is as it seems.

Detective Sydney Marr is having a very bad day. Her boss is on the warpath, she’s being treated for a werewolf bite, and her current case has hit a dead end. When her friend Erika talks Syd into going with her to Club Beam, she jumps at the chance, even if it means spending an evening without her spell arsenal. A high-class vampire bar and fetish club, Club Beam is fantasy made real.

Club owner and Dom Gideon Raines spies the red-haired beauty and is transfixed. A fight against a skillful murderer brings war for fae and vampire alike. Sometimes when you play with monsters, the monsters play back.

Excerpt

“Once upon a time….” Erika sang and waggled her eyebrows. “Come on, Sydney. Live a little. This club is smoking hot, and you’ll love it.”

Sydney grumbled under her breath and watched the club-goers parade past, each dressed like a fairy-tale character. The Little Mermaid trounced by in a see-through, diaphanous gown revealing too much in the way of personal attributes. Sleeping Beauty sashayed down the sidewalk with a leash around the neck of her Prince Charming. A woman in a way-too-short Red Riding Hood outfit approached. Her arm was wrapped around a seductress dressed in wolf ears, a tail, and a skimpy thong-style bikini. Red carried a basket full of what looked like pink fuzzy handcuffs and a can of whipped cream, which she swung into Syd.

“Hey!”

The red-cloaked vixen sent her a wink and traipsed on by, joined by a near-pornographic version of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland. Any shorter and the skirt would show her naughty bits. Or maybe that was the plan.

Syd had just gotten off her day shift as a detective, and the last thing she wanted to do was be around more people. Especially people with more skin showing than on late-night cable shows. Her head hurt from the lights and the pulse of the music, and her stupid witch costume was pinching her toes. Erika’s scant fairy costume hugged all her curves, her breasts bursting from the bodice. The skirt barely covered her backside, and the strappy silver sandals showed off her silver-glitter nail polish.

The building loomed next to them. A giant warehouse-like structure, it was large enough to house all manner of mischief, and Syd was itching with the desire to get inside and find out just what was going on behind its doors. The sidewalk was flagged by trees lit up with twinkly white lights, adding an upscale ambiance to the area. What in the daylight looked like an industrial area gone to the dogs had been transformed into an attractive and well-attended venue.

She didn’t have the heart to tell Erika she’d been here once already today for the case she was working on, but the entrance had been sealed up tighter than a drum. Sydney’s recourse was to infiltrate Club Beam by night as a patron. Her sergeant, Debra, would kill her if she realized Syd had even considered going in without backup. So would her partner, James. Erika had asked her to come so she wouldn’t be alone, and, despite herself, Syd couldn’t resist. To catch a vampire, you had to go out at night, and Club Beam was the hot spot. After last month’s fuckup, she had to do this and do it right, even if it killed her. James was on medical leave, and it remained up to her to get this guy before someone else got killed or turned furry.

I will not think about becoming one of the terminally furry. It’s over. Move on. Take the pills the doctor gave you and freaking pray.

“Oh look. I think I see Snow White.” Erika stood on her tiptoes and craned her head along the huge expanse of line they still had to navigate to get inside.

Syd peered into the crowd and grimaced. Hairy legs. More makeup than a Mac commercial. “Nope. That was a guy in drag.”

Erika narrowed her eyes. “God, Syd. You’re the world’s biggest wet blanket ever.”

Sydney shifted her weight and moved another two steps toward the door as the line inched forward. “I told you, I’ve had a hard day. We had a homicide case come in, and I’ve been out beating the street. I want to go home and bury my head under my pillow. But, no. Out of the kindness of my heart, here I am standing in line at a vampire bar with a bunch of overgrown kids playing dress-up in fairy-tale fetish wear.”

ABOUT ERZABET BISHOP

Erzabet Bishop is the author of Club Beam, Sigil Fire, Written on Skin, Tethered, Pomegranate, Temptation Resorts Jess and Marnie interactive choose your own adventure romances, and more. She is a contributing author to The Big Book of Submission, Slave Girls, Hungry for More, and many other anthologies. She is a winner of  two 2015 Goldie Awards for her work in anthologies and an active member of the Romance Writers of America. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and is often playing at local bookstores.

Follow her posts on Twitter: @erzabetbishop| Newsletter 

#NewRelease - Claimed by Desire by Skye Jones (@skyejromance), a #PNR #MMRomance

Today, I'm giving a shout out to my Liquid Silver Books pub-buddy Skye Jones.  The second installment in her Wild Hunters series just came out, and this excerpt should whet the appetite of many a M/M paranormal romance fan. Let's take a closer look!

Buy on Amazon

Amazon UK | B&N | LSBooks

Claimed by Desire

Wild Hunters, Book 2

by Skye Jones

Dylan Roberts returns to the Wales of his birth a changed man after the violent death of his mate. Having turned his back on being a bounty hunter and sworn off love for life, all he wants now is revenge.

When he meets Aeron Lombardo, his new farmhand, Dylan resents the intense attraction that blossoms between them. But Aeron won’t stop pushing and soon things take a hot and sexy turn.

As passions rise, danger rears its ugly head. Now Dylan and Aeron must choose whether to separate or commit to one another totally. Will Dylan take the final step and claim his new mate? 

Excerpt

Not knowing what else to do, Aeron waited until they’d turned the corner, and then flagged down the first passing cab. His stomach hurt. He figured he’d been winded, but in all likelihood not seriously injured in any way. The pain wasn’t any worse than the fights he used to get into at school. It could have been bad, but the crowd got rid of them before it turned ugly. As the cab slowed down to a stop, he leaned down to the window and gave his address.

“You’re not getting in my cab, bleeding all over the place. Been fighting and drinking, eh? Sorry, but I don’t need the hassle.” The driver wound his window up and drove off.

Bleeding? Aeron touched his hand to his face. His lips and mouth were dry, but as he moved his fingers up toward his eyebrow he felt sticky liquid and cursed as he pulled his hand away. The tips of his fingers were covered in blood.

Another cab crawled by, and he tried his luck again, only to get the same result. He’d two options: give in and call the police, spend hours giving a statement and waiting around in Accident and Emergency, or get the night bus. Neither of which appealed. With the way his luck ran this evening, the driver might not let him aboard. Or the same men might be on the bus, ready for round two.

He scrolled through the contacts in his phone and called David twice, but he didn’t pick up. He tried Sasha, but no luck there either. They were probably somewhere too noisy to hear him call.

Next he tried Rhys but again got no answer. Fuck, his body ached! He needed to get home and lie down. Should he call Dylan? His boss would probably come pick him up, if at home. But might he blame him for fighting? Then again, he’d helped patch up Dylan

only last week with his mysterious ‘I fell on some glass, honest’ routine.

Nausea started to swirl in his belly and the earth tilted on its axis. Great! He didn’t need to be adding puking to the mix. Desperate, he dialed Dylan, his fingers shaking. The phone picked up on the third ring.

“Hello.”

“Dylan?” His voice wobbled as he spoke.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“Me. Sorry, Aeron. I’ve been…in an accident. I’m in Llandudno. Can you come and get me? I don’t want to go to the hospital.” He almost laughed at the way his pleas mirrored those of Dylan’s from a few days ago.

“Where are you?”

“In Llandudno.”

“Yep, I got as much, but where exactly?” The curt, no nonsense reply helped him focus.

He turned to the hotel and looked up. “I’m outside The Royal. Park up on the seafront, near the corner with the Marks and Spencer’s, and call me. I’ll come out. I’m going to sit in the hotel bar and wait, so I’ll be safe.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He hung up. He didn’t stop to think until he sat in the soft chairs of The Royal Hotel. When he did, he started to freak out. Why the hell did he think it a good idea to call Dylan? What possessed him to ring his boss to come get him all beat up on a Saturday night?

But he’d not known who the hell else to call. And as he sat and thought, he realized something else. Dylan had never hesitated, not once.

About Skye Jones

Skye Jones is an erotic romance author who writes about that moment when lust and love meet head on. For giveaways, news, and free stories sign up to her newsletter, or stalk her on Facebook.

#CoverReveal: Miami Heat by @TL_Reeve, a Loose Id (@loveunleashed) Contemporary #Romance

Man is it hot here in Rome! And get this--romance author TL Reeve decided to make my day even hotter. Check out this scorching cover from her upcoming release from Loose Id, Miami Heat. 

Miami Heat

by TL Reeve

A trip to Miami for a blind date—what could go wrong?

Violet Wilson is a book lover at heart. As a librarian she loves her job and quite frankly no one else, from her prospective, could do it better. The only downside for being such a voracious reader, she has a high expectation of men.

Violet needs to let her hair down, embrace life and have fun—something her best friend Kate is willing to help her with. After an afternoon lunch with her best friend, she is handed a plane ticket and a hotel reservation to Miami. However, there is a catch…her date.

Roman Carpino isn’t looking for love. He has his tattoo parlor, his friends and several different women whenever he needs or wants a companion. To him, his life is golden. But, given the chance to take a vacation on his friend’s dime, he relents. What he isn't expecting however, is his date, Violet.

With a weekend to spend together, will they find what each desires most--or will a friendly gesture damage two lives forever?

Pre-order it now from Loose Id! 

Excerpt

“Roman.” She sighed. “You did this on purpose?”

He grinned. “What?”

“You purposely dressed like a god so I would drool all over you.” She swallowed hard, and her gaze caressed his arms and chest. Fuck, he’d never get used to or tired of the way she stared at him.

“I had to prove my statement last night. You love looking at me, and what better way for you to do it than while on a date with me?” He shrugged.

“I’ll be staring at you all day, that’s for sure.” She glanced at his arms and narrowed her eyes. “Are those old-school Universal Studios monster tattoos?” She blushed. “I mean, they’re cool and all. My parents really loved old black-and-white monster flicks. I, however, enjoyed reading about monsters. You know, Universal really bastardized Frankenstein. I’m sure Mary Shelley was rolling over in her grave.”

“Unless she figured out a way to be regenerated.”

Violet rolled her eyes, and he smiled. Actually he was impressed she knew his ink, even if her cover was weak. He loved old black-and-white horror movies. Bela Lugosi was his favorite actor. The range it took to go from Dracula to The Wolfman was insane. So, he’d gone into his shop and showed his buddy what he wanted done. He’d kept it all black-and-white with some shadowing. In the foreground of the work of art sat a mini graveyard with the moon shining high above, casting a silvery glow over the cemetery. Then, behind tombstones, the different characters were added in. The only color on the whole tattoo, which went from his shoulder to his wrist, was in Dracula’s cape. The completed process had taken three sittings and over ten hours. “Yeah. Do you like it?”

“Duh.” She grinned. “From far away I never knew what it was. I mean, I always saw the red strip in it but never got up the nerve to ask. What’s on your other arm?”

“Jason and the Argonauts.”

“Seriously?” She grabbed his hand, and a zing of electricity shot up his arm. Her soft gasp let him know she felt it too. “Sorry. I shouldn’t just grab at you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He walked into her room and closed the door behind him. “Okay, now take your fill of the tattoos.”

Violet did just that. Her fingertips traced each line, each detail as though she was engraving them into her memory. She glanced up at him. Awe and desire glittered in her violet gaze. “You are a mysterious man,” she whispered.

About TL Reeve

TL Reeve, a multi-published author with Cobblestone Press, Decadent Publishing, Evernight Publishing and Loose-Id, was born out of a love of family and a bond that became unbreakable. Living in the south, TL misses Los Angeles and will one day return to the beaches of Southern California to ride the waves at Huntington Beach. When not writing something hot and sexy, TL can be found curled up with a good book, or working on homework with a cute little pixie.

Website | Facebook | Twitter