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Hello friends! Today I am welcoming my friend Christy Gissendaner to the blog–and it’s her birthday! Happy Birthday Christy! <3 -V

As I turn another year young, it’s time to think about the finer things in life. Like having a brand spanking new release this week! One Hot Knight is the latest book to add to my backlist and I’m excited to see how it does. This coming up year also marks my tenth in the e-book publishing world. It’s taken many trials and tribulations, but I’ve set a course for myself and I intend to see it through.
Sure a bestseller would be an AWESOME birthday gift, but I’m taking baby steps to get there. I’m still feeling my way around and it’s my hope that one day I will get that perfect balance of humor and romance that earns me droves of readers. But despite all that, it’s truly the joy of writing that carries me through. It’s fun to create character people relate to. Despite the paranormal nature of my books, making them “real life” is quite a challenge.
In my latest, Regina worries about her age. She’s a few years younger than me at twenty-eight, but already the worry about wrinkles has struck her. A nine hundred year old knight camps out in her living room and it really drives her age home. For me, when I hit twenty-five, I thought to myself, “A quarter of a century? Am I really that old?” As that’s been a decade ago, I can only laugh at how young I really was.
So come on, readers, let me know what age you really hated.

One Hot Knight!
Christy Gissendaner

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Covet Imprint

Date of Publication: 7/22/13

ISBN: 9781622662340

ASIN: B00DK43O7E

Amazon     BN   Kobo   iTunes

Book Description:

Stupid curse!

Yves Sucat was a Crusader trapped in a canine body…until a beautiful twenty-first century dog groomer offered the missing link to break his spell. But Regina Patterson was no fluffy-headed female who would instantly melt at Yves’ silvery seduction. The more time he spent with the tender-hearted blonde, the less he was able to keep his paws—hands!—off of her.

Regina was much more comfortable with dogs than men, and the stunningly handsome – stunningly male – knight who now shared her apartment was no exception. She’d hoped to find a man as loyal as the pooches she pampered day after day, but would Yves’s broken curse end with her own broken heart?

About the Author:

Christy Gissendaner is a romantic comedy author and believes that laughter and love should go hand in hand.

She lives in Alabama with her husband and three sons and isalways hard at work on her next novel, but in her spare time she loves blackjack, karaoke, and anything resembling a vacation!

Christy also writes historical romance as Robin Danner. Check her out at http://robindanner.webs.com

http://christygissendaner.webs.com/

http://christygissendaner.webs.com/apps/blog/

https://twitter.com/christygis

https://www.facebook.com/christygis

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/549837.Christy_Gissendaner

Christy is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card as part of her blog tour! Please visit the rafflecopter link below to enter the drawing!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A few days ago, I was talking about one of my current works in progress on Twitter, an M/M/F story called “The Forever Stain” which brings together two secondary characters from another book. The title of the book is the name of the tattoo parlor owned by one of the heroes. I might have mentioned there was going to be a big tattooing scene between the two men, and some of my twitter friends asked if I might share an excerpt.

I hadn’t written the scene yet. But today was rainy and the kids were watching what seemed liked the entire Pixar collection in the next room, so I had plenty of time to write.

So, the tattoo scene. Technically, this is only a small part of the scene, the actual tattooing and the aftermath. I can’t show all my secrets at once, can I?

Disclaimerish stuff: this is from the roughest of rough drafts. An un-edited work in progress. It might change or even be deleted (okay, maybe not deleted, but changed like WHOA) from the final draft. It is shared in a spirit of fun. Please enjoy, but don’t read too much into it. 🙂

After he’d applied the stencil, Jason gestured to the mirror. “Check it out, make sure you like the placement.”

Brett saw himself in the mirror, torso half-shaved, pupils blown from the combination of fear and arousal, and he could barely bring himself to notice the stencil, he was too arrested by the stranger wearing his face. He nodded slowly.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, let’s do this.” Jason patted the table again. “Get comfy.”

Brett lay back, crossing his hands behind his head and stretching his body out. The buzz and hum of the tattoo needle made him shiver.

“Deep, slow breaths, baby.” Jason murmured. “I’m going to start the first line now. It’s going to hurt, but you’ll be all right.”

“Baby?” Brett grinned at the endearment.

Jason just shook his head and smiled. His face got kind of soft and distant for a moment. And when he spoke, his voice was softer too. “Adelaide’s influence. I’ve spent so much time with her the last two weeks. She’s always calling me ‘baby, honey, sugar’ stuff like that.”

Brett’s brain supplied the needle-scratching-across-a-record noise.

“I thought you were gay?”

Jason shrugged, then set the needle aside for a moment. “Addy’s just a friend. Besides, she calls everyone stuff like that. To be honest, I’m pretty much smack dab in the middle of the Kinsey scale, but my ex, he had this sort of pathological fear of bisexuals.” Jason sighed, shaking his head. “It’s a long story, but if I so much as looked at a woman, he’d say shit like ‘uh unh, Jason. Straight guys don’t touch my dick.’” He said it in a slightly femme affectation that had to have been an impersonation of his ex.

Brett laughed. Bisexual. Like me. It only made Jason more attractive, knowing they had this one more thing in common. “Was it worth it? Pretending not to be bi, just to touch his dick?”

“Not gonna lie, Harris knew how to use that thing.” Jason gave a big dramatic shudder, then laughed. “Okay, enough stalling. Tattoo time.” He scrunched his face up in a grin and set the needle to humming once more.

Brett took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The first touch of the needle was intense. Pain lighting up his skin like a burst of fireworks. He sucked in a harsh breath as he tried to process it, force it into something he could handle.

“Deep breath.” Jason’s voice brought him down from that panic state, and he instinctively obeyed, his body relaxing back against the table as he did.

“Good boy.” Jason murmured. He didn’t look up at Brett, stayed focused on the task at hand, but he talked as he worked, his voice a steady thread of calm. Brett focused on that thread and felt himself relax a bit more.

As Jason worked, the pain seemed to be changing; instead of bright and hot, it flowed into something warmer. Every once in awhile the words would break through, a bit of praise from Jason softening him. His eyelids grew heavy. He wasn’t sleepy, just sort of high. Endorphins.  He understood the physiological response to pain, but he’d never appreciated it quite so much before now. He smiled down his body at Jason. His erection was back, throbbing heavy in his jeans, just inches away from where Jason had one hand splayed across his belly.

Jason had to have noticed it, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He just kept working, carving that pretty pain into Brett’s skin. “You’re doing great, Brett,” he crooned.

Brett wanted to cry; it felt so good to be praised that way. When was the last time anyone had spoken to him so gently? He took a shuddery breath and let it out slow.

“Do you need a break?”

“No.” The thickness in his voice surprised Brett. Apparently it surprised Jason too, because he stopped tattooing, instead stroking his other gloved hand across Brett’s belly, a gentling caress. He looked into Brett’s eyes with an intensity that would have been embarrassing if Brett hadn’t been too far gone to feel shame.

“Oh.” Jason smiled. “It’s like that for you.” He sat back down and started working again, resuming the talking as he did.

Brett wanted to ask him what he meant, like what? But he knew the answer, could feel it thick in his veins like honey. He means this endorphin thing.

He floated there, surfing the wave between the pain and the arousal, for what could have been hours or seconds, he wasn’t sure. He only knew eventually the pain went away, but the arousal didn’t, and he exhaled a soft sob, wishing Jason would touch him, hold him, suck him, anything to bring that rush to culmination.

“Brett, you’re all done.” Jason helped him sit up and he slumped a little. “Whoa, buddy!” Jason’s arm went around his waist and cuddled him close as Jason made soft shushing sounds.

Brett shook his head slightly, trying to clear the cobwebs.

“God, I’ve never seen anyone go so far under like that. You were amazing.” Jason continued to rub Brett’s arms and back, his hands everywhere, touching, soothing, anchoring him back to the dull sting in his skin.

Brett finally found a word, and it came out on a sigh. “Jason.”

“I’m right here.” Jason pressed a kiss to his forehead. It didn’t feel sexual, that kiss, just nice. “You feel like you can stand yet? Check it out in the mirror?”

He stood on wobbly legs, and Jason supported him with that arm around his waist as he led him to the mirror.

Brett studied the tattoo. The staff was gold, the serpent green. It was a traditional-style, but Jason had added some elements of his own more ornate style as well and it was perfect. He nodded. “Yeah.” He caught sight of his own eyes in the mirror, how his green irises had all but disappeared. He shook his head again.
Jason took a deep breath and gestured to a worn-looking sofa on the far side of the room. “Look, I have a consultation coming by in about an hour, but I’m free until then. We can just hang out for a bit while you come back to earth.”

Brett nodded. Yeah, that would be good. “Thank you.”

Jason helped him get to the couch, then disappeared. He came back a few minutes later with a glass of orange juice and a plate of brownies.

“Kimmie is a great baker. This should help you get your equilibrium back.”

“Thank you.” Brett took a brownie and nibbled at the edge. “Why did you kiss me?”

“What?” Jason looked startled.

“When I sat up, and you were helping me not fall off the table, you kissed my forehead.”

“Oh.” Jason blushed. “Not very professional of me. I didn’t even realize I did it. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be!” Brett made a slashing motion with his hand. “Don’t. I wish you’d kiss me for real.”

 

So… that’s the first sneak peek at TFS. I hope you enjoyed it! <3

xoxo,

V

*throws confetti*

It’s release day today for Under a Moonlit Night, a collection of sexy shifter stories! In addition to my story, “Ripped Awake,” the collection features stories from some of my buddies too! Lea Griffith, Cherie Nicholls, and Lynn Lorenz all have a sexy shifter story to tell as well.

 

McCallan’s Secret by Lynn Lorenz

When Carrie McCallan, matriarch of the lumber company McCallans, finally decides to remarry, she’s faced with not only letting a man into her life for the first time since her husband’s death, but telling this man about her family’s secret. Not so hard, unless the secret is your family is a pack of werewolves. Carrie will have to take a chance on Leon Wong and discover if he loves her enough not to turn and run.

Ripped Awake by Vanessa North

Lacey Evans is tired of waiting for something to happen. She always expected more from life. Then a mysterious stranger comes into her diner, confused and needing help, and finally she catches a glimpse of a passion exceeding expectation. Rip went into hibernation in 1911. When he opens his eyes to a changed world in 2012, Lacey is the only part of it that makes sense. What can a one hundred thirty-year-old bear shifter offer a modern woman?

Tracing His Heart by Cherie Nicholls

Carter Jones, known as Jones to his friends, lost part of his soul a long time ago. He had to make a choice between his pack and his heart, a choice that has haunted him and his wolf for years. Rhea Gracefield, Domme, business woman, and lone wolf, was forced out of her pack when the wolf she loved told their secret. What happens when Jones finds his way in to the Domme’s Domain?

Bear With Me by Lea Griffith

Tyee Clark screwed up bad and he’s been hiding to lick his wounds. The last thing he expects is to find the woman he craves more than anything else taunting him. She should know better than mess with a sullen grizzly. Unless she means it. Lily Baskins has been hurt bad and she’s been waiting for the right time to institute a whole lot of payback. She’s not about to let sleeping bears lie. Not when she knows what she wants and is willing to face down a beast to get it. Lily’s had the man. Now she wants the bear.

Under a Moonlit Night is now available from Liquid Silver Books

As a bibliophile, I find it hard to separate “fangirl,” “author,” and “overenthusiastic geek.” Thankfully, there was plenty to love at RT for all parts of my geeky persona.

Fangirl-me got to hug Victoria Dahl, take a photo with Amy Lane (gawd, I love her), and spend hours chatting with L.A. Witt about books and writing and pervy things too. (yeah, I totally love her too!)

As an author, I attended several workshops which really fueled up my muse and got me planning what’s next in my pipeline. I have a few works I need to go ahead and finish up, but I will be taking a hard look at my southern gothic hoodoo-riddled M/M romantic suspense very soon, and I totally blame Cherry Adair and Gennita Low for sparking THAT particular muse. (and for the giggles and guffaws from attending their workshop). I also have plans to return to writing F/F fiction, thanks to an invigorating discussion with Danielle Monsch, Dorothy Shaw, and Saranna DeWylde. Inspiration was found everywhere. What an amazing thing.

As an overenthusiastic geek, I found myself surrounded by my very oldest and dearest friends: books. One evening, I snuck back to my hotel room, crawled into bed, and took a couple hours to just read and enjoy a book. (The Closer You Get by L.A. Witt, which was awesome, highly recommend!) As good as a battery recharge, just those few hours fueled me for the rest of the week.

I was thrilled to meet two fellow Musa Publishing authors, Grace Wen and Andy Dunn. You might wonder what an erotic romance author, a category romance author, and a sweet M/M romance author could find to talk about, but it turns out, quite a bit. A lovely reminder that no matter what genre or heat level we write, we all want the same thing: to tell a darned good story.

And yes, I am totally going to New Orleans next year.