Friday, December 30, 2016

In Enemy Hands - Released from DsP today!



Blurb:

Two very different civilizations—one bathed in bright sunlight, and the other veiled in shadow.

Bad decisions, declining resources, and a king on the brink of madness force Prince Varo Kutchif, third son of the royal family and a starship captain, to attempt the impossible: barter for Black Phospolrock, an energy source the mysterious Helkan kingdom has in abundance. Varo opens a line of communication with Adlar, an intriguing Helkan who seems to reciprocate Varo’s interest. He hopes so, because if negotiations collapse, Varo has orders to attack.

The Helkans preside over a planet shrouded in perpetual darkness. Several species have tried to exploit its natural resources through trade with them, but all have failed. Adlar Mondur is the older brother to the Helkan ruler. An assassin of the highest order, he’ll do anything to protect his king and his people—including tracking down the Yesri prince who crash-lands on their planet, leaving an ugly scar across its untouched beauty.

Thus begins a journey where two men from disparate civilizations grow from enemies to lovers.



Release date: 30th December 2016










Excerpt:
Chapter One
“Stars-cursed planet.”
Snarling, Varo paced in his private bridge office. Jerking his luxurious cowlarium-hide desk chair around, he flopped down. Long white-blond hair fell over his shoulder. Irritated, he shoved it out of the way. He should’ve braided it this morning, but he’d gotten up late.
He rested his chin on his knuckles and stared out the port window into the unrelieved darkness that was space, scowling. Planet Helkan was his focus—with its permanent swirling cloud cover that more times than not denied their in-depth scans.
Its classification was that of a Darkrealm planet. Thanks to the cloud cover playing peekaboo, only filtured light got through. As such, its ecosystem either didn’t require much sunlight to live, or its fauna created its own photosynthesize non-visible light. No one knew much about the planet’s race since they didn’t travel off-planet much. The ones who did were said to be reserved, unfriendly, and uncommunicative. Cold, even.
Varo picked up a report from his desk and scanned it once more. The description of the inhabitants as cold seemed appropriate. His reports said they were a tall, pale-skinned people with long black hair, pointed ears, slit pupiled eyes, and excellent night vision.
Many of their cities were believed to either be located underground or built into cliff faces. Even though their technology was superior, that didn’t mean they weren’t barbaric and ruthless. Animals, really.
There were also rumors others had attacked the planet at one point long ago. It was believed to be for the Black Phospolrock crystals. That prompted the Helkans to protect themselves in the form of a planetary grid.
The Satellite Surveillance Network, or SSN, was a system of closely linked satellites that circled the planet. They formed a grid around Helkan. Beams of energy linked the satellites together. They incorporated their own shields so asteroids wouldn’t destroy them, but neither could a starship’s weapons system.
Others had tried in the past. When ships encountered the grid, the main computers shorted out, leaving the crippled vessels to crash-land on the planet. No one had any idea what became of the survivors.
When ambassadors from other planets tried to open talks about prisoners, the Helkans made it painfully clear they didn’t release hostages. Questions arose. Were they being treated humanely? Being taken care of? Were they given basic necessities like food, water, and shelter? Were they being tortured? Enslaved? If so, what did that slavery entail?
More disturbing was the gossip Helkans had fangs and drank blood. As a race they had a terrible reputation, but they were reputed to be gorgeous monsters. Common sense said to avoid them since they were dangerous and existed solely on the fringe of society, but common sense often failed when greed was factored in.
The whispered rumors they took prisoners and used them as a food source only increased other societies’ repulsion and curiosity. Varo shivered. Who knew what was true? Many reviled—and feared—the Helkans even as they tried to bargain with them. The fact they didn’t leave their planet often didn’t help the gossip about them either.
When certain leaderships, like his father’s, became aggressive in their tactics, the Helkans closed their planet borders and refused outsiders the right to enter their space. How his father thought he could broker anything with a species as uncivilized as this one was beyond him. He’d been set up to fail, but failure was not an option. It did not pay to have His Royal Majesty discontented. The blood-soaked floors of his dungeons proved that.
But that wasn’t what was most disconcerting. His orders—straight from the king himself—were to attack if no agreement could be reached. His targets were King Omori Mondur and his brother, Adlar Mondur.
The very idea turned his stomach. While he was willing to die in the line of duty, murder was something completely different. If he attacked it would be considered an act of war. Lives would be lost—possibly his own. And over what? A stupid rock.
But what could he do? His father made it perfectly clear he considered him dispensable. If he didn’t follow orders, His Royal Highness had been clear: his crew would suffer for his disobedience.
He had a choice: murdering beings based on nothing more than their unwillingness to share their riches—and in the process, possibly forfeiting his own life along with his crew’s—or facing the insanity that masqueraded as his father’s rule.
His Royal Highness’s plan was to disrupt the planetary government of Helkan with the murders of the king and his brother… then the Yesri would invade. The few advisors brave enough to point out the various flaws in the plan had been relieved of their duties—permanently. His father brooked no disagreement. Varo was doomed. If the Helkans didn’t kill him, then his father most assuredly would. After all, his father had an heir and a spare; he didn’t need Varo.
He checked his comm. After making a pest of himself, he’d managed to attract the Helkans’ attention. He’d sent numerous hails requesting an audience with the king. Finally he received a message back informing him he would be granted an opportunity to speak.
He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. This was it. One way or the other. Releasing the breath, he composed his demeanor, sat at his desk, and had the incoming message transferred to the on-screen viewer. The blurred images jumped and hissed across the screen and then cleared.
And every thought he had flew out of his head.
The breath froze in Varo’s chest as he stared. There on the screen was the most gorgeous creature Varo had ever laid eyes on. Long, glossy black hair cascaded over his shoulders and disappeared from sight.
A narrow face that was hauntingly beautiful peered back at Varo. Full lips that tilted up in a slight smirk drew Varo’s attention. A tingle raced up Varo’s spine and nailed him in the back of the head. Varo was suddenly achingly hard and more than a little horrified by his response.
But the otherworldliness of the face on screen was nothing compared to the eyes, the striking yellow eyes that studied and cataloged Varo too. The tremble that threatened to shake Varo’s frame caught him off guard. The look in that gaze was a mixture of scorching heat and frosty coolness—a predator who had Varo in his sights. The danger he felt flamed his body.
“Captain Varo of Yesri, I am Adlar. How may I be of service?”
The soft taunting voice and the hint of fang he saw snapped him out of his momentary distraction. Gathering his tattered dignity around him, he lifted his chin. “Greetings from His Royal Highness King Drea Kutchif, supreme ruler of the planet Yesri. I have been tasked with the mission of approaching your king concerning a possible agreement about obtaining rights to Black Phospolrock. Would it be possible to me to speak with King Omori?”
Varo held his breath. Was this Adlar the king’s brother? Was that why he did not offer a last name? And if Adlar was royalty, why would he not announce himself as such? How… odd.
“Unfortunately no. A small emergency cropped up and King Omori was detained. I would ask that in his stead, you deal with me. Tell me of this proposal you come bearing.”
It was not what he hoped for, but it was better than nothing. As Varo recited the terms and stipulations, he wished desperately he could remove his uniform jacket. He knew perfectly well his office was climate controlled, but sweat was trickling down the small of his back, distracting him. His dry mouth certainly did not help his attempts to sound articulate. Stars, he hadn’t sweated like this since he was a cadet.
As he rattled off the terms, he fought the urge to squirm. Adlar’s gaze unnerved him… and excited him. The brief glimpses of fangs were horrifyingly erotic, and a complete bewilderment as to why that affected him. For once he was thankful the screen only showed him from the waist up.
Instinct told him Adlar would not only notice his arousal, but use it to his advantage. That was unacceptable. His voice roughened as he spoke. The situation infuriated him. He refused to let a certain part of his anatomy lead him around, even if his body had suddenly decided Adlar was the soon-to-be star of his fantasies.
“I will speak with King Omori and bring your proposal to him. I’m sure he will have questions. May I contact you?”
Varo couldn’t believe it. Of all the possible outcomes he envisioned, this was certainly not one. From all the things they’d heard about the Helkans, this reasonable response was confounding.
“I would very much like to speak with you again,” Varo said. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to come here and speak face-to-face, would you?”
“I’m afraid not. But thank you for the invitation.”
Varo started to offer him assurances of his safety, but paused. If this Adlar was indeed related to the king, then he couldn’t in good faith do that. Stars knew if his king found out he had the brother of the Helkan king on his ship and didn’t take him prisoner… it didn’t bear thinking about.
“I see. That’s too bad.” He refused to admit even to himself how badly he’d like to meet Adlar face-to face. “Please use this secured subspace frequency again for any questions you may have. And I thank you for your willingness to share my king’s words with yours.”
“It was my pleasure.” Adlar nodded and then signed off.
As soon as the screen went black, Varo stripped off his warm jacket and dropped it on the small couch in his office. After ordering up a glass of cool, fresh water, he released the tight hold on his body and slumped on the couch next to his jacket.
Well, that short conversation had been a fountain of knowledge. The Helkans were not as obtuse as first thought. At least he hoped. He also learned the mental image he’d had of them as tall and wraith-thin monsters was also false. Inconceivably false, as his hard cock could testify.
He glanced down at his dick, which was just now deflating. Why in the two moons of Helkan had his libido decided now to make itself known? And toward this race? He scrubbed his hands over his face. It was a fluke, nothing more. Lack of sleep and stress had finally gotten the better of him. That was all.
It had to be.
Several unit hours passed as he tried to distract himself. He checked over crew schedules and read through several status reports on various parts of his ship. He okayed an accident report, several requests for transfers to different ship departments needed to be read over and decided upon, and a note from the ship’s doctor that he was due for medical checkup he could attend to either here or on planet once they were back in port.
The day passed slowly, even though he tried to keep his mind occupied with the daily happenings aboard the ship. By the time end of shift came, he was climbing the walls. He wanted to hear Adlar’s voice again. Maybe he needed to have his head examined when it came time for his medical checkup.
Just as he was getting ready to leave his private office on the bridge, his comm signaled an incoming message. His heart pounded. This was past becoming ridiculous. The readout showed it was from Adlar. His heart rate increased as he transferred the message from his comm to his viewing screen.
Then it dropped as he struggled to keep the disappointment from his face when the image on the screen was not who he expected. Instead it was King Omori. That was good. Very, very good. Maybe if he said it enough, he could convince himself of that.
He quickly explained the reason for his mission and outlined the plan his king had given him.
King Omori held up his hand and halted the conversation. “There seems to be some misunderstanding. We do not grant mining rights. Ever. The one time we allowed another race to come on planet and mine, the results were disastrous.”
“But I outlined a plan to your spokesman, Adlar. We would only use as many miners as needed, use equipment that you sanctioned, and are willing to be supervised. It’s a very generous package.”
“I am not sure if Adlar understood you were talking about mining rights. From what he told me, you were talking about the rights to Black Phospolrock. I assumed you meant you wanted to speak about an exclusive import agreement with us concerning the crystal.”
“I… I….” Varo replayed the earlier conversation and was mortified to see he hadn’t specified mining rights. Was he so bedazzled by Adlar that he was careless in his negotiations? What had he done? “I apologize for not clarifying my intent. If it would be at all possible—”
“Captain Varo, while I believe the sincerity of your proposal, I’m afraid the proposal isn’t possible. As I stated, we do not allow anybody on planet. At this point I’m also not convinced selling the Black Phospolrock is worth the headache it would entail.”
“Your Majesty, please, if we could just—”
“If we supplied one race, we would be opening ourselves up to sharing with many races. Which eventually would lead to having to deal with others coming on planet.”
Varo couldn’t believe this was happening. “But—”
“Eventually that’s going to lead to problems. It always does. One race is going to feel another race is getting more than their fair share, or is getting a better deal, or will have some complaint that, no matter how invalid it is, will blow up into a disagreement.”
“Maybe not! We could supply guards to help control—”
“That’s the last thing we want,” King Omori said. “Not to mention every time we send the shipment out, we would have to lower our planetary defenses, which opens up avenues for unscrupulous people to attack. I’m sorry, Captain Varo. The answer is no.”
Oh goddess. He actually thought he was going to be able to negotiate this trade agreement, and now it was falling all the pieces. That left him with one option, an option he truly detested.
“I also would ask that you leave our airspace immediately.”
Well, decision made. “Is there not anything I could do to convince you otherwise, Your Highness?”
“I appreciate your dedication, and I’m sorry, but the answer is no. Good day.”
The view screen went blank. Varo had one unit hour. At the end of that time, life as he knew it was going to irreparably change.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Finicky Friday - New Year's Day Black-Eyed Peas



Welcome to Finicky Friday
Recipe by: Roxanna Parks


We're doing it a little early since I have a release Friday. Oh, and remember, black-eyed peas on New Year's Day brings good luck for the entire year! 



3 h 15 m
16 servings
120 cals


Ingredients

1 pound dry black-eyed peas

2 cups chopped cooked ham

salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch garlic powder

2 onions, diced

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole tomatoes



Directions

Place black-eyed peas in 8 quart pot. Add enough water to fill pot 3/4 full. Stir in ham and diced onions, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.


Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor, and blend until the tomatoes are liquefied. Add tomatoes to pot. Bring all ingredients to boil. 

Cover the pot, and simmer on low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the peas are tender.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

ARe Closing

I'm sure everyone has heard about ARe closing on 12/31/16. Make sure to download your library before the site closes.


Per Dreamspinner:
Announcement in response to All Romance eBooks closure notice: If readers pre-ordered Dreamspinner titles on ARe then you will not be able to download them upon release. If rumors are true, ARe will also not refund pre-orders. Therefore, Dreamspinner offers to fulfill readers' pre-paid Dreamspinner pre-orders from ARe. You need to forward the ARe receipt to contactATdreamspinnerpressDOTcom and the customer service department will be sure you receive the eBook at no additional cost to you. Thank you.


So... if you pre-order In Enemy Hands from ARe then let DsP know. I know Resplendence Publishing is doing this too for their pre-ordered titles, along with several others.

My self-pubbed titles are gone from ARe, and I think all of my DsP titles are too. Please, don't buy my ARe titles. I'm not getting paid for those *at all*. That's right. ARe is going to try to keep all those profits. And for all my other titles, the are only paying 10 cents on the dollar.

So yes, first Storm Moon screwed me over and now ARe is.

Please, guys, make sure to download your libraries there. Do it quick. Authors are pulling their books as fast as they can. If the site crashes, keep trying.

As far as ARe's last minute closing, I'm not making any comments until I find out what my options are. Nothing I say would be fit for y'all's ears anyway. I'll just leave it as I'm PISSED and so damn tired of this shit.

~M

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Release day for Tre d'amore e di guai (Trouble Comes in Threes - Italian Edition)







Una  tempesta di neve – la notte di Capodanno – non promette niente di buono. Dopo una relazione finita male e una serie di disastri domestici, Kirk è in attesa di essere colpito dalla disgrazia numero tre, che si realizza con l’arrivo di due gatti randagi che si mettono subito comodi a casa sua. Kirk ha il cuore tenero e decide di farli restare, anche se c’è qualcosa di strano in quei due mici così affettuosi.

Al riparo dal maltempo e sazi di tonno, Dolf e Tal sono contenti di stare al calduccio a casa di Kirk, ma quando il loro umano esce a prendere della legna per il fuoco e cade perdendo i sensi, i due sono costretti a rivelare la loro vera natura.

Quando Kirk si risveglia, scopre che i gatti sono in realtà due mutaforma che il destino ha scelto come suoi compagni. Per lui non è facile abituarsi all’idea di fare parte di un ménage à trois felino, inoltre la colonia da cui provengono Dolf e Tal ritiene che umani e felini non debbano unirsi. Anche se Kirk ha capito fin da subito che quei due gatti gli avrebbero portato dei guai, non sa che i guai veri sono dietro l’angolo.


Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

Translator: Emanuela Cardarelli

Genres Holiday / M/M/M or More / Werewolves/Shapeshifters

Friday, December 23, 2016

Finicky Friday - Polar Bear Cookies





Polar Bear Cookies
Create adorable polar bear cookies using mini marshmallows and easy frosting tricks.


Hey everyone, I thought it'd be fun to post some recipes I found online for Christmas. I’m going to *try* to do some of these beforehand, but I’m sure there’ll be times I won't. I'm going to call this Finicky Friday. :)


Serves: 24
Prep: 50 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 105 min



Ingredients
1 pouch (17.5 oz.) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1 tablespoon flour

1/3 cup softened margarine or spread (spread should have at least 65% vegetable oil)

1/2 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting

48 miniature marshmallows

1 pouch (7 oz.) Betty Crocker Decorating Cookie Icing chocolate icing



Instructions
Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix cookie mix, flour, melted butter and egg until soft dough forms.

Shape into 24 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown on edges. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely.


Using knife, spread 1 teaspoon frosting on cookie. Immediately sprinkle sugar evenly over frosting. Slightly flatten 2 miniature marshmallows, and press on cookie for ears. Using chocolate icing, pipe eyes, nose and mouth on cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

The Novel Approach Blogiversary Celebration and Giveaway



Check out The Novel Approach's 5th Blogiversary Celebration. On their blog I'm offering one lucky reader to win an e-book from my backlist, so be sure to check out the entry details below.

http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/blogiversary-celebration-and-giveaway-welcome-to-author-m-a-church/ 

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Winner of the Kindle!


And the winner is:

Kazy Reed!


Sorry for taking so long. My Internet keeps dropping, and even though Comcast has come out, I'm still having problems. I'm not a happy camper. They come back on the twenty-third. Yeah, let's cut this as close to Christmas we can. *sigh*

Anyway, congratulations. Kazy! Email has been sent. :) 

~M

Friday, December 16, 2016

Finicky Friday Christmas Style - Cookie and candy collide

Cookie and candy collide.



Hey everyone, I thought it would be spooky good fun to post some recipes I had found online for Christmas. I’m going to *try* to do some of these beforehand, but I’m sure there’ll be times I won't. I'm going to call this Finicky Friday. :)


TOTAL TIME: 1:10
PREP: 0:15
LEVEL: EASY



INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. jarred caramel

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted


DIRECTIONS
Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix until completely combined.

Scoop out dough and roll into 1" balls. Place balls about 2" apart on baking sheet and use a teaspoon measure or your thumb to press a small divot into each ball. Freeze 30 minutes and preheat oven to 350º.

Bake cookies until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

Fill each cooled cookie cup with 1 teaspoon caramel and lightly drizzle with melted chocolate.


Tuesday, December 13, 2016

In Enemy Hands cover reveal winner!




Susan Press is the winner from the cover revealed for In Enemy Hands. Email has been sent. :)
~M

Friday, December 9, 2016

Finicky Friday Christmas style - Milk & Cookies Shots







Milk & Cookies Shots

These are the kind of cookies Santa actually wants you to leave out for him.


Recipe by: CANDACE BRAUN DAVISON



TOTAL TIME: 0:35

LEVEL: EASY

SERVES: 12 SHOTS


INGREDIENTS
1 tube chocolate chip cookie dough

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. coconut oil (or butter)

1 part Baileys Irish Cream

1 part milk



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the cups of a muffin tin, then fill each one with a small ball of cookie dough, pressing down gently to form a well. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden.

As soon as they’re out, use a shot glass to gently press down the center of each cookie. Set tray aside to cool for at least 20 minutes.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 25-second intervals, stirring in between, until chips are fully melted. Line each cookie dough cup with the melted chocolate, place on a baking sheet or platter, and refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened, about 15 minutes.


In a shaker filled with ice, combine equal parts Baileys Irish Cream and milk. Shake, then pour into each cookie shot glass.

Enjoy!!


Monday, December 5, 2016

Disastertastic by Alicia Nordwell



Disastertastic



Blurb:

Sawyer is too busy to worry about something as frivolous as Christmas. College is hard, but he’s focused on getting into law school. Kable is studying to make the family business, Del Buon Gusto, into a successful chain restaurant. When a party debacle at the restaurant gives Kable a chance to get close to Sawyer, he’s shocked to learn Sawyer’s a Christmas Grinch. He's determined to change Sawyer’s mind, but their dates are one debacle after another. It just might not be possible to make this into Sawyer's first Merry Christmas.



Excerpt:
What a waste of time. He could’ve been home starting his paper or even watching a movie if he wanted to slack off.

Fed up avoiding questions of family traditions and travel plans, Sawyer strolled away from the crowd in the dining room and headed toward the tree. He nodded and smiled at a few people but didn’t stop. Everyone else was enjoying the appetizers that had just come out, but he’d already had dinner before he left home, since he’d expected to work. He could pass more time pretending to examine the ornaments or watching the snow drift down now that the storm finally hit. He’d just have to wait a little longer until he could politely make his escape.

“You don’t like eggnog?”

“What?” Sawyer blinked and shrugged the hand off his shoulder. He took a step to the side. He’d been focused on the snow, watching the puffy flakes float down to coat the sidewalks and road. The grassy verge along the road was already completely white. He hadn’t even heard Kable approaching, which was odd because he was normally impossible to miss. He was just as loud and energetic as his dad.

“Your cup is still full.” Kable gestured toward the red cup in Sawyer’s hand. “Usually when you don’t drink something that means you don’t like it.”

“It smells gross, and I definitely don’t think a dairy product should be this thick and still be drinkable.” Sawyer’s filter was gone, just like it usually was around Kable. He got so nervous, he always ended up saying whatever came to him. It wasn’t like he was trying to hide that he was gay—everyone already knew that—but he hoped his crush wasn’t as obvious. He’d had enough embarrassment for the evening.

Kable laughed. “Then why’d you take it?”

“It seemed like the thing to do.” Sawyer rotated the cup between his palms, disgusted by the way the glop reacted. Surely it couldn’t be safe to drink the stuff.

“So, is it just dairy-based holiday drinks you don’t like? Or is it something more? You haven’t had a single thing to eat, and you’re not exactly dressed for the party.  There’s so much fun to be had from dressing up for Christmas parties.” Kable waved a hand in front his chest. “Like this.” He was wearing an awful sweater with reindeer prancing around a Christmas tree that had bedazzled ornaments decorating every puffy bough. Not even something that hideous could detract from his dark-haired, blue-eyed handsomeness... but really, Sawyer shouldn’t be noticing that at all.

Sawyer scoffed. “I’d rather be here in my underwear than wear something like that.”

“Or your uniform?” Kable gestured toward Sawyer’s black slacks and plain white shirt. “Is it just that you don’t have another outfit?”

“Of course I have other outfits! Why would you think that?” Sawyer snapped. His face was hot and prickly; no one else had mentioned his clothes, even if they noticed he was wearing his work uniform. It’s not like he was wearing something inappropriate, like shorts and a t-shirt.

Kable cocked his head to one side. “If you had something else, why didn’t you wear that?”

“You’re nosy, you know?” He was always asking questions and getting into everyone’s business. The others didn’t seem to mind. Kable was Mr. McArthur’s son, and he worked the occasional shift at the restaurant when they were short a waiter even though he was in school full-time to get a business degree. He was friendly, sometimes too friendly, and made Sawyer uncomfortable with his casual intimacy. Kable was always patting him on the back or arm when they spoke, and Sawyer liked it a little too much.

“Yep.” Kable grinned. “But wait, don’t tell me! You never come out for a drink with the rest of us, not even for coffee, and you’re always studying those books on your breaks. I’ve never heard you even talk about doing something like going to a party. You thought you were here to work tonight, didn’t you?”

Sawyer grit his teeth. “So what? Your dad just said he wanted us all here.”

“And you didn’t put two and two together?” Kable gestured toward the room.

“I did once I got here. He said he was throwing a party for friends and family. What else was I going to think?” Sawyer was getting tired of Kable’s questions. He lifted his before Kable could notice his scowl and figure out he was getting to him and made the stupid mistake of taking a drink.

“Oh, ew.” Sawyer desperately wanted to spit out the eggnog, but there was no polite way to do so. He forced the mouthful down, swallowing repeatedly in an attempt to get rid of the liquid still coating his tongue. It was as horrible as he thought it would be. He stared at the cup in disgust. “People actually drink this... on purpose?”





5 Star Review:
Cute story of opposites attracts. Kable is outgoing, fun-loving, and charismatic. Sawyer is a little awkward in social situations, somewhat of a klutz, and has never celebrated Christmas. His parents didn’t buy into the consumerism of the day. Sawyer even goes on to list reasons not to participate in Christmas—like how amount of trash the United States throws out after Christmas contributes to the overflowing landfill problem the country faces. How there is a rise in medical visits for stress-related ailments in November and December. Then there’s the mountain of credit card debt people bury themselves in from anticipating in the miracle that’s Christmas.

So, Sawyer is kind of a Grinch, lol. Kable takes it upon himself to show Sawyer why people celebrate Christmas through a series of dates… and OMG the results are hysterical. 

It’s a sweet story chock-full of lovely feels—a story you’ll want to read while curled up in front of a roaring fire in a comfy blanket with a cup of hot chocolate by your elbow. 

Friday, December 2, 2016

Giveaway for a Kindle Fire!! Enter Now!





Okay y'all, time for the super special giveaway! Enter to win a Kindle Fire, 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB, black. Open to US only. 

In the comments, tell me what you want Santa to bring you for the holidays. Make sure to leave an email addy too. If I can't get in touch with ya, I can't mail the Kindle to ya!

I'll pick the winner Dec 17th. 

And I just want to say thank you. I have the bestest fans ever. :)
Merry Christmas!

~M

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Cover Reveal Hosted for In Enemy Hands at MM Good Book Reviews and a giveaway!






Blurb:

Two very different civilizations—one bathed in bright sunlight, and the other veiled in shadow.

Bad decisions, declining resources, and a king on the brink of madness force Prince Varo Kutchif, third son of the royal family and a starship captain, to attempt the impossible: barter for Black Phospolrock, an energy source the mysterious Helkan kingdom has in abundance. Varo opens a line of communication with Adlar, an intriguing Helkan who seems to reciprocate Varo’s interest. He hopes so, because if negotiations collapse, Varo has orders to attack.

The Helkans preside over a planet shrouded in perpetual darkness. Several species have tried to exploit its natural resources through trade with them, but all have failed. Adlar Mondur is the older brother to the Helkan ruler. An assassin of the highest order, he’ll do anything to protect his king and his people—including tracking down the Yesri prince who crash-lands on their planet, leaving an ugly scar across its untouched beauty.

Thus begins a journey where two men from disparate civilizations grow from enemies to lovers.


Release date: 30th December 2016


Pre-order:Dreamspinner Press ebook 
 Dreamspinner Press paperback






In Enemy Hands is based on two very different civilizations—one resides in the shadows, and the other exists in the bright sunlight.

The Helkans rule over a planet mostly shaded in darkness with a diverse landscape containing everything from mountainous regions to lush jungles. Pale skinned with long pitch-black hair and pointed ears, they embrace the night. Gorgeous creatures who only wish to be left alone, they sit upon a treasure trove of highly desirable crystals called Black Phospolrock. Many throughout the stars are well aware how important the crystals are as an energy source.

Adlar Mondur, oldest brother to the Helkan king, is a trained assassin. A true and loving family member, he serves his people faithfully as he trains the D’noir—ten assassins who protect the king.
The Yesri are creatures who dwell in sunlight. Greed, the age-old motivator, drives this race relentlessly. Bad decisions, declining resources, nearly empty coffers, and a king one step away from madness leads the Yesri to attempt to negotiate the Black Phospolrock.

Prince Varo Kutchif, third son of the royal family and a starship captain, has been tasked with this insurmountable objective. Failure is not an option, because if negotiations fail, the Yesri king has informed Varo to attack the planet. The objective is to murder the king and his brother, then invade Helkan and take over. Varo finds himself in an unimaginable position.


Thus starts a journey where two males from vastly different species and ways of thinking go from enemies to lovers.


~~MM Good Book Reviews is having a contest for the cover reveal too! Go HERE to be entered for a chance to win a book from my backlist!~~




Excerpt: 
Chapter One
“Stars-cursed planet.”
Snarling, Varo paced in his private bridge office. Jerking his luxurious cowlarium-hide desk chair around, he flopped down. Long white-blond hair fell over his shoulder. Irritated, he shoved it out of the way. He should’ve braided it this morning, but he’d gotten up late.
He rested his chin on his knuckles and stared out the port window into the unrelieved darkness that was space, scowling. Planet Helkan was his focus—with its permanent swirling cloud cover that more times than not denied their in-depth scans.
Its classification was that of a Darkrealm planet. Thanks to the cloud cover playing peekaboo, only filtured light got through. As such, its ecosystem either didn’t require much sunlight to live, or its fauna created its own photosynthesize non-visible light. No one knew much about the planet’s race since they didn’t travel off-planet much. The ones who did were said to be reserved, unfriendly, and uncommunicative. Cold, even.
Varo picked up a report from his desk and scanned it once more. The description of the inhabitants as cold seemed appropriate. His reports said they were a tall, pale-skinned people with long black hair, pointed ears, slit pupiled eyes, and excellent night vision.
Many of their cities were believed to either be located underground or built into cliff faces. Even though their technology was superior, that didn’t mean they weren’t barbaric and ruthless. Animals, really.
There were also rumors others had attacked the planet at one point long ago. It was believed to be for the Black Phospolrock crystals. That prompted the Helkans to protect themselves in the form of a planetary grid.
The Satellite Surveillance Network, or SSN, was a system of closely linked satellites that circled the planet. They formed a grid around Helkan. Beams of energy linked the satellites together. They incorporated their own shields so asteroids wouldn’t destroy them, but neither could a starship’s weapons system.
Others had tried in the past. When ships encountered the grid, the main computers shorted out, leaving the crippled vessels to crash-land on the planet. No one had any idea what became of the survivors.
When ambassadors from other planets tried to open talks about prisoners, the Helkans made it painfully clear they didn’t release hostages. Questions arose. Were they being treated humanely? Being taken care of? Were they given basic necessities like food, water, and shelter? Were they being tortured? Enslaved? If so, what did that slavery entail?
More disturbing was the gossip Helkans had fangs and drank blood. As a race they had a terrible reputation, but they were reputed to be gorgeous monsters. Common sense said to avoid them since they were dangerous and existed solely on the fringe of society, but common sense often failed when greed was factored in.
The whispered rumors they took prisoners and used them as a food source only increased other societies’ repulsion and curiosity. Varo shivered. Who knew what was true? Many reviled—and feared—the Helkans even as they tried to bargain with them. The fact they didn’t leave their planet often didn’t help the gossip about them either.
When certain leaderships, like his father’s, became aggressive in their tactics, the Helkans closed their planet borders and refused outsiders the right to enter their space. How his father thought he could broker anything with a species as uncivilized as this one was beyond him. He’d been set up to fail, but failure was not an option. It did not pay to have His Royal Majesty discontented. The blood-soaked floors of his dungeons proved that.
But that wasn’t what was most disconcerting. His orders—straight from the king himself—were to attack if no agreement could be reached. His targets were King Omori Mondur and his brother, Adlar Mondur.
The very idea turned his stomach. While he was willing to die in the line of duty, murder was something completely different. If he attacked it would be considered an act of war. Lives would be lost—possibly his own. And over what? A stupid rock.
But what could he do? His father made it perfectly clear he considered him dispensable. If he didn’t follow orders, His Royal Highness had been clear: his crew would suffer for his disobedience.
He had a choice: murdering beings based on nothing more than their unwillingness to share their riches—and in the process, possibly forfeiting his own life along with his crew’s—or facing the insanity that masqueraded as his father’s rule.
His Royal Highness’s plan was to disrupt the planetary government of Helkan with the murders of the king and his brother… then the Yesri would invade. The few advisors brave enough to point out the various flaws in the plan had been relieved of their duties—permanently. His father brooked no disagreement. Varo was doomed. If the Helkans didn’t kill him, then his father most assuredly would. After all, his father had an heir and a spare; he didn’t need Varo.
He checked his comm. After making a pest of himself, he’d managed to attract the Helkans’ attention. He’d sent numerous hails requesting an audience with the king. Finally he received a message back informing him he would be granted an opportunity to speak.
He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. This was it. One way or the other. Releasing the breath, he composed his demeanor, sat at his desk, and had the incoming message transferred to the on-screen viewer. The blurred images jumped and hissed across the screen and then cleared.
And every thought he had flew out of his head.
The breath froze in Varo’s chest as he stared. There on the screen was the most gorgeous creature Varo had ever laid eyes on. Long, glossy black hair cascaded over his shoulders and disappeared from sight.
A narrow face that was hauntingly beautiful peered back at Varo. Full lips that tilted up in a slight smirk drew Varo’s attention. A tingle raced up Varo’s spine and nailed him in the back of the head. Varo was suddenly achingly hard and more than a little horrified by his response.
But the otherworldliness of the face on screen was nothing compared to the eyes, the striking yellow eyes that studied and cataloged Varo too. The tremble that threatened to shake Varo’s frame caught him off guard. The look in that gaze was a mixture of scorching heat and frosty coolness—a predator who had Varo in his sights. The danger he felt flamed his body.
“Captain Varo of Yesri, I am Adlar. How may I be of service?”
The soft taunting voice and the hint of fang he saw snapped him out of his momentary distraction. Gathering his tattered dignity around him, he lifted his chin. “Greetings from His Royal Highness King Drea Kutchif, supreme ruler of the planet Yesri. I have been tasked with the mission of approaching your king concerning a possible agreement about obtaining rights to Black Phospolrock. Would it be possible to me to speak with King Omori?”
Varo held his breath. Was this Adlar the king’s brother? Was that why he did not offer a last name? And if Adlar was royalty, why would he not announce himself as such? How… odd.
“Unfortunately no. A small emergency cropped up and King Omori was detained. I would ask that in his stead, you deal with me. Tell me of this proposal you come bearing.”
It was not what he hoped for, but it was better than nothing. As Varo recited the terms and stipulations, he wished desperately he could remove his uniform jacket. He knew perfectly well his office was climate controlled, but sweat was trickling down the small of his back, distracting him. His dry mouth certainly did not help his attempts to sound articulate. Stars, he hadn’t sweated like this since he was a cadet.
As he rattled off the terms, he fought the urge to squirm. Adlar’s gaze unnerved him… and excited him. The brief glimpses of fangs were horrifyingly erotic, and a complete bewilderment as to why that affected him. For once he was thankful the screen only showed him from the waist up.
Instinct told him Adlar would not only notice his arousal, but use it to his advantage. That was unacceptable. His voice roughened as he spoke. The situation infuriated him. He refused to let a certain part of his anatomy lead him around, even if his body had suddenly decided Adlar was the soon-to-be star of his fantasies.
“I will speak with King Omori and bring your proposal to him. I’m sure he will have questions. May I contact you?”
Varo couldn’t believe it. Of all the possible outcomes he envisioned, this was certainly not one. From all the things they’d heard about the Helkans, this reasonable response was confounding.
“I would very much like to speak with you again,” Varo said. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to come here and speak face-to-face, would you?”
“I’m afraid not. But thank you for the invitation.”
Varo started to offer him assurances of his safety, but paused. If this Adlar was indeed related to the king, then he couldn’t in good faith do that. Stars knew if his king found out he had the brother of the Helkan king on his ship and didn’t take him prisoner… it didn’t bear thinking about.
“I see. That’s too bad.” He refused to admit even to himself how badly he’d like to meet Adlar face-to face. “Please use this secured subspace frequency again for any questions you may have. And I thank you for your willingness to share my king’s words with yours.”
“It was my pleasure.” Adlar nodded and then signed off.
As soon as the screen went black, Varo stripped off his warm jacket and dropped it on the small couch in his office. After ordering up a glass of cool, fresh water, he released the tight hold on his body and slumped on the couch next to his jacket.
Well, that short conversation had been a fountain of knowledge. The Helkans were not as obtuse as first thought. At least he hoped. He also learned the mental image he’d had of them as tall and wraith-thin monsters was also false. Inconceivably false, as his hard cock could testify.
He glanced down at his dick, which was just now deflating. Why in the two moons of Helkan had his libido decided now to make itself known? And toward this race? He scrubbed his hands over his face. It was a fluke, nothing more. Lack of sleep and stress had finally gotten the better of him. That was all.
It had to be.
Several unit hours passed as he tried to distract himself. He checked over crew schedules and read through several status reports on various parts of his ship. He okayed an accident report, several requests for transfers to different ship departments needed to be read over and decided upon, and a note from the ship’s doctor that he was due for medical checkup he could attend to either here or on planet once they were back in port.
The day passed slowly, even though he tried to keep his mind occupied with the daily happenings aboard the ship. By the time end of shift came, he was climbing the walls. He wanted to hear Adlar’s voice again. Maybe he needed to have his head examined when it came time for his medical checkup.
Just as he was getting ready to leave his private office on the bridge, his comm signaled an incoming message. His heart pounded. This was past becoming ridiculous. The readout showed it was from Adlar. His heart rate increased as he transferred the message from his comm to his viewing screen.
Then it dropped as he struggled to keep the disappointment from his face when the image on the screen was not who he expected. Instead it was King Omori. That was good. Very, very good. Maybe if he said it enough, he could convince himself of that.
He quickly explained the reason for his mission and outlined the plan his king had given him.
King Omori held up his hand and halted the conversation. “There seems to be some misunderstanding. We do not grant mining rights. Ever. The one time we allowed another race to come on planet and mine, the results were disastrous.”
“But I outlined a plan to your spokesman, Adlar. We would only use as many miners as needed, use equipment that you sanctioned, and are willing to be supervised. It’s a very generous package.”
“I am not sure if Adlar understood you were talking about mining rights. From what he told me, you were talking about the rights to Black Phospolrock. I assumed you meant you wanted to speak about an exclusive import agreement with us concerning the crystal.”
“I… I….” Varo replayed the earlier conversation and was mortified to see he hadn’t specified mining rights. Was he so bedazzled by Adlar that he was careless in his negotiations? What had he done? “I apologize for not clarifying my intent. If it would be at all possible—”
“Captain Varo, while I believe the sincerity of your proposal, I’m afraid the proposal isn’t possible. As I stated, we do not allow anybody on planet. At this point I’m also not convinced selling the Black Phospolrock is worth the headache it would entail.”
“Your Majesty, please, if we could just—”
“If we supplied one race, we would be opening ourselves up to sharing with many races. Which eventually would lead to having to deal with others coming on planet.”
Varo couldn’t believe this was happening. “But—”
“Eventually that’s going to lead to problems. It always does. One race is going to feel another race is getting more than their fair share, or is getting a better deal, or will have some complaint that, no matter how invalid it is, will blow up into a disagreement.”
“Maybe not! We could supply guards to help control—”
“That’s the last thing we want,” King Omori said. “Not to mention every time we send the shipment out, we would have to lower our planetary defenses, which opens up avenues for unscrupulous people to attack. I’m sorry, Captain Varo. The answer is no.”
Oh goddess. He actually thought he was going to be able to negotiate this trade agreement, and now it was falling all the pieces. That left him with one option, an option he truly detested.
“I also would ask that you leave our airspace immediately.”
Well, decision made. “Is there not anything I could do to convince you otherwise, Your Highness?”
“I appreciate your dedication, and I’m sorry, but the answer is no. Good day.”
The view screen went blank. Varo had one unit hour. At the end of that time, life as he knew it was going to irreparably change.



~Cover done by the wonderful Anne Cain