Quote I Love: No Books?

(c) istockphoto.com

“If you go home with somebody, and they don’t have books, don’t fuck ’em!” ― John Waters

Erotic Romance Scavenger Hunt & ARe eBook Bucks Giveaway

Today I’m pleased to share a special event, The Erotic Romance Scavenger Hunt, a blog hop featuring nineteen authors, a ton of exclusive material and fantastic giveaways, and an amazing grand prize for one lucky scavenger hunter.

For the event, each author is hosting exclusive content for another author in the hunt. I’ve provided an exclusive preview excerpt from part 5 of my serial novel More Than Just a Good Book so be sure to keep any eye out for that.

I’m also giving away $15 in All Romance eBooks bucks to one lucky person here on my blog. See the end of this post for more details on that.

Just joined the hunt? Click here to start from the beginning.

SCAVENGER HUNT RULES: Hidden within each post on the hunt will be a single letter that is red. Jot those letters down because they’re part of the following mystery phrase you’ll need to unscramble:

_ _ _ _ I _ _     _ _ _ _ _ _ _     _ _ R     _ _ _ _

At the bottom of each post will be a link to your next stop on the hunt. Once you’ve completed the hunt, read all the fantastic exclusive material and entered all the individual giveaways, unscramble the letters you collected to reveal the mystery phrase. When you’ve uncovered the phrase, fill out the entry form in order to qualify for the grand prize. Grand prize is open internationally. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The hunt will only be open for 72 hours so play fast! Entries sent without the correct phrase or without contact information will not be considered. All entries must be received by May 28 at noon Central Time.

On with the hunt!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting the exclusive content for author Amelia June. Amelia has her first m/m title coming out in July with Torquere Press. Congrats, Amelia! I’m so glad to have you on the blog.

Amelia June writes steamy erotic stories and novels. She favors stories that leave little to the imagination and never uses words like “flower” or “manhood”. She has been writing since the age of five when she self-published her first novel “The Scary Gost.”

Amelia lives in the desert southwest with seven–yes seven–male creatures including two children, one husband, and an array of critters. She is a student of humanity, loves eavesdropping, and prefers chocolate to just about anything.

Find out more about Amelia on her WEBSITE.

NOW FOR AMELIA’S EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL!

Hi there! I’m Amelia. Thanks to my lovely host, Sloan, for hosting me on her website. I’m excited to be a part of the scavenger hunt.

Today I want to talk about my tarot card story, Pleasure’s Power. Based on my concept of the High Priestess card, Pleasure’s Power is a naughty fairy tale. All great stories start with once upon a time, right? In this time there is a prince, Peter, who loves his kingdom but cannot obey his mother the queen. There is a priestess, Jocasta, whose faith is strong though she has private doubts about the high priestess’s ability to lead. In between them lies the Goddess, who only concerns herself with pleasure and abundance. When the unlikely lovers meet on a bright spring day, the fate of the kingdom comes to rest in their hands. Can they unite crown and temple and please the Goddess? Or will they be separated by those who seek power over pleasure?

I had a lot of fun writing this story. Peter is less of a big bad alpha male and more of a sweetheart. He’s kind, thoughtful and shy around the pretty Jocasta. When push comes to shove, though, Peter shows his mettle. I wanted to talk about a man who could be gentle and tough all at once. Jocasta is his perfect match, too. She’s a priestess of the goddess, not a fainting maiden. She needs Peter’s genial warmth just as he needs her wisdom and strength.

Here they meet for the first time:

(excerpt copyright me, please don’t steal it)

Jocasta walked into the field an hour later, arms laden with baskets for the various herbs she was gathering in the forest. She had just about given up on finding any blooming night jasmine when she spotted some on the edge of the same clearing where a man napped. “Nice,” she murmured. Her slipper-clad feet barely made a rustle in the fallen leaves. Intent on the fragrant blooms, she shouted in surprise when an animal snuffed her hair.

“Oye horse, keep your snout off me. I have no clover on my head,” she said, pushing his nose away from her with more force than she intended. The horse whickered and blew a puff of air over her face. “Good thing you’ve been eating sweet clover,” Jocasta muttered, waving her hand in front of her nose. “Now where did you—oh!”

The man apparently hadn’t heard her scream. He still slept in the same spot, soft plants flattened under his weight. Jocasta spied his royal crest and took him to be a guardsman snuck off for a mid-day nap in the midst of duty. She grinned and walked over to the lad, who was handsome and sandy-haired, his body long and lithe. The bow and broken arrow lay forgotten next to him. She took a sprig of lavender from her basket and tickled the tip of his nose. At first nothing happened until the man inhaled. He snorted, sneezed, then blinked awake. She quickly hid the flower behind her back.

“Good day, sir.” She nodded her head toward him. “I noticed you sleeping and came to have a proper look.”

The man’s brows furrowed in irritation, as if annoyed at her. She thought to speak again when the man suddenly scrambled to his feet, his gaze wide and focused on a charm at her breast. “My lady,”his voice, a breathy whisper, competed with a breeze.

As she regarded him with amusement, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

“Oh there’s no need for that when I stumble upon you in a field having a perfectly lovely nap. I only thought to send you back to your duties before you were noticed miss…” Her voice trailed off when her mind registered the necklace he wore and the particulars of the insignia on his chest. “Your highness,” her voice broke on a high note she disliked. “My apologies, I took you for a—well, never mind, but please rise. No need for you to bow to a lowly attendant.”

The prince raised his head and smiled at her, but didn’t rise from his knee. “My lady, I am the prince of the land, true, but your kind rule here and we all know it. Well, perhaps all but my mother. You keep the crops abundant and the game spry but plentiful.” At this he rolled his eyes, but didn’t explain about the getaway boar. “I know the full moon clasp at your breast to be a sign of elderhood within the temple, despite your young age. You must be quite powerful.”

Pride welled within her and a rush of heat filled Jocasta’s cheeks. “Still rise, you’re making me nervous down there.”
—–

You can see what happens to Peter and Jocasta in Pleasure’s Power from eXtasy Books.

I also want to brag that my first m/m title, The Ruby, will be published by Torquere Press in July! For news on my treasure hunting boys and everything else me, you can visit my blog at http://www.ameliajune.net or follow me on Twitter @ameliajune.

Thank you again for visiting, and good luck on the scavenger hunt!

Amelia

WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
SLOAN’S GIVEAWAY:

One lucky commenter will win $15 in All Romance eBooks bucks. To enter, leave a comment on this post stating you’d like to enter. My drawing closes when the scavenger hunt ends (May 28 at noon Central Time). After that, I’ll draw one random winner and will notify them via email.

Good luck!
Sloan

Ready to move on? The next stop on the Erotic Romance Scavenger Hunt is… Ava March!

 

Teaser from part 5 of More Than Just a Good Book

I’m excited!! I’ve got two scenes drafted for the next installment of More Than Just a Good and I just sent a batch of chapters for Walter’s story to my critique partner.

Since I’m getting farther along in both projects, I thought it would be fun to start sharing some teasers here on the blog.

First up is a couple lines from part 5 of More Than Just a Good Book (unedited).

He needed the touch, the comfort of having Scott close, of being with someone, other than Dr. Wolfe, who would believe him. The cops sure hadn’t seemed like they did.

This story is getting pretty intense. Can’t wait to share this next installment.

Look for more teasers every other week or so, including more from More Than Just a Good Book as well as teasers from Walter and Kevin’s story.

Blog Hop Against Homophobia Giveaway Winner

A huge thank-you to everyone who stopped by my post as well as all the others for the Blog Hop Against Homophobia. It means a lot that so many were willing to listen to our words, share them with others, and take the time to comment with your own thoughts and experiences. As Shane says in his video we need to keep on talking about this.

Also, I completely forgot to include the Facebook link from Shane’s video. Please LIKE the page and share with others so we can keep his message going strong. Facebook.com/EqualLoveEqualRights

Now for the fun stuff…

The random winner of my giveaway is: Penumbra

Congrats Penumbra! I’ve sent you an email.

Thanks again, everyone. Your comments meant a great deal to me and Rosie.

Let’s keep on hoping and sharing and fighting for a better, hatred-free future.

All the best to each and every one of you,
Sloan

Blog Hop Against Homophobia: It Could Happen To You

International Day Against Homophobia is May 17th. To help spread the word and get people thinking about what homophobia is, what kinds of damage it can cause, and how we can all help to combat such discrimination and hatred, I’m participating in the Blog Hop Against Homophobia.

To view links to all the blogs participating in the hop and how you can enter each giveaway, go to http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com.

Keep reading for details on how to enter to win a copy of my latest eBook TAKE ME HOME.

 

SLOAN’S MESSAGE ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA

There are many ways people discriminate. One I’d like to share about today is discrimination through the support of laws that continue to ban gay marriage, or more precisely the act of discriminating by not supporting marriage equality.

There are many people who do not consider themselves to be homophobic. They know (and often love) gay men and women. They’re family and friends and coworkers and neighbors of LGBT people. They say they have no issues with gay relationships. Yet, they do not believe we need a federal law for marriage equality. They do not understand or acknowledge that gay and lesbian couples need the same protections afforded heterosexual marriages. Perhaps they are in favor of civil unions or some other designation for gays and lesbians, but are opposed to calling it marriage.

The thing is…Separate is not equal. Unequal leaves a lot of room for discrimination to occur, leaves room for legal interpretations that are not the same as the rights automatically granted to married couples.

A scenario like the video I’ve included below, and even worse—not being allowed to say good-bye or to care for my partner in an emergency—is a fear I live with every day. Without going into a long history of our lives, I’ll just say situations similar to what you’ll hear about in this video are a very real possibility in my life.

And yeah, that scares the hell out of me. Even after 20+ years of living with my partner, and no matter how many legal documents we sign, we are not married.

I have a roommate.

If you’re unsure about the federal government stepping in to legalize gay marriage, to protect gay and lesbian couples under the same rights as heterosexual marriages, please watch this video to the very end, and give it some thought.

What if that was you? What if that was your child?


Direct link to the video

Here’s what Shane says on the video’s YouTube page:

“It has been said that sharing personal stories is one of the most effective ways to change people’s hearts and minds. This is my story and I hope you are inspired to share it with others.”

For more information on combating homophobia, to donate to a worthy cause, or learn about more ways you can help, check out these sites:

 

SLOAN’S GIVEAWAY

I’m giving away an ebook copy of Take Me Home for the Blog Hop Against Homophobia. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post stating you’d like to enter the giveaway. If you are unable to leave a comment for any reason, shoot me an email and I’ll add your comment for you.

Be sure to include a valid email address in the email form field in order to be entered in the drawing. Your email address is for my use only (in order to contact the winner). It will NOT be published on the blog or used for marketing/promotional purposes.

This contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 20th.

The winner will be randomly selected on May 21st and contacted via email. I’ll also post the winning name in a new post on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out Shane’s video!!
Sloan