Always

Look! A book trailer I designed is being featured here!

I LOVE BOOK TRAILERS!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Check out this fabulous book trailer from author Shyla Colt for Always!

View original post

Enter to Win Fabulous Cover Art Prizes

Cover Art Collective’s 1000 Fan Giveaway

Amazing Story and Comeback-Let’s Help It Continue

 

I’ve only known Oliver and his wife through our interactions on Facebook, but I really, REALLY want this to happen for them.  Reading his story, and knowing just how far he’s come gives me hope that I’ll be able to accomplish great things myself.

Let’s Have a Little Positivity, Shall We?

Fat shaming is bad.  Skinny shaming is bad.  We should promote BODY POSITIVITY (apparently that’s not a word, but I’m deeming it so for this post).  Period.  This is being written in response to so many posts and comments I’m seeing, especially today, about how being fat or too skinny is the worst thing ever.  The rebuttal?  Making fun of people who are thin.  Or worse.  

I’ve had people (random strangers and friends) play with my fat rolls.  They think it’s funny.  It’s not.  It’s degrading.  So is giving me unwanted advice about how to lose the weight.  It’s not cool to tell someone that you deem too thin to go eat a sandwich.  It’s degrading and disrespectful.  

If you don’t agree, then just don’t say anything.  If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.  

Creative Block

I’ve had a long bout of creative block lately, both with artwork and writing.  Somehow, the other day, I managed to render out a couple of nice images.  I’d like to share them with you here.

Bittermoon~Suzana Wylie Excerpt and Buy Links

Bittermoon has finally been released.  You can purchase it here on Amazon.

Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite.  🙂

I’d taken a power nap, there in my corner office, blinds drawn against the afternoon sunlight, since there was no telling how long this initial meeting would run, and I needed to be fresh. Not to impress the new client particularly, but so I wouldn’t miss subtle bits of information, hints at how he’d be to work with. If the guy was a jerk, I didn’t have to take the assignment, didn’t have to worry that they’d let me go. Being able to walk away was part of what kept me wanting to be there, oddly enough. The cage door was open. I was free. Perhaps it wasn’t so odd after all.

I timed it perfectly. There’s an art to taking control, and part of that is arriving at exactly the right moment. Being the first one there shows you’re desperate. Being the last says you’re indifferent. Being in the middle is an art. That thought brought a grin and a rush of blood to body parts I didn’t want to be prominent in this meeting.

A mental shrug followed as I opened the conference room door. If this guy was bothered by the sight of a hard-on, he wasn’t the kind of client I’d do well with. Nothing against straight guys at all. Some of my best fucks have been straight guys. They used to think they were anyway. Straight guys are fine. It’s the nutjobs I avoid. If this guy was that —

And then, there he was sitting at the dark mahogany table and everything else vanished. A Disney magic ‘poof’ and there was nothing else in the room, maybe in the city, except him. His eyes — ice-blue eyes — widened just slightly and the full lips, what I could see of them within his dark beard, quirked upward just a tick. He stood, hand extended to shake, and I realized how tall he was. I’m not short, a solid six feet, but this guy was taller by several inches.

The sizzle of desire that shot through me when our hands touched was nearly enough to drag a groan all the way past my carefully built barriers against showing arousal in the hetero world. His touch was slightly cool, and he held my hand just a fraction longer than was business protocol, at least for Americans. Italians aren’t so skittish about touching uomo a uomo, man to man. And that thought sent another liter of blood rushing to my cock. He twitched an eyebrow upward for an instant and then said, “Kesan Glendubh,” and looked expectantly at me.

I panicked like a middle school kid suddenly yanked out of a daydream to find the whole class and Sister I-Eat-Students-And-Not-In-A-Good-Way staring and no clue what’s been going on. I could see on the folder resting on the dark mahogany conference table that it was spelled “Kesan Glendubh”. But he’d said, “Kay-sun Glen-doo.” What did that mean?

The brow lifted higher. “And you are…?”

Ah, names! “Leo. Leo Ruggeri.” God, was I really that muddled by this Glendubh’s eyes? And beard. And mobile mouth. Stop the stupid shit, Ruggeri! I scolded myself often. I didn’t always listen, though.

You can find Suzana on Facebook and her blog.

 

 

Coming Soon from Suzana Wyle

 

Follow Suzana on Facebook.

Summoned by Rainy Kaye-Finally OUT

I had the privilege of reading Summoned before it was released, and let me tell you…it’s fantastic.  I’ll paste my review here and the buy link so you can go get yourself a copy.  It’s 99 cents this weekend, and TOTALLY worth it.

I will be honest, the cover is what first drew me in. The contents on the pages made me want to move in and live in the author’s mind. Rainy Kaye has written a fascinating and unique world where genies exist, but they certainly aren’t like what you see in the movies or in children’s tales. A kid’s book, this ain’t. 😉
I will admit that Dimitri took a little getting used to. The book opens with him kidnapping someone and admitting that MURDER is easier to do than a kidnapping. What kind of human thinks that like?!? He’s a complicated and multi-faceted character, and a pleasure to read about. He’s a Djinn, and the fairy tales you read as a child didn’t prepare you for this adventure. Poor Dimitri has to put up with so much…a master who summons him at every whim, forcing him to commit atrocious acts of violence and murder. I loved hating Sylvia and Karl, the puppet masters holding Dimitri’s strings, so to speak. At first, the wishes seem random, but there’s a mystery to solve here, and I relished figuring out what was going on at the same time Dimitri did.
Rainy Kaye gives the reader just enough information to make you think you know what’s going to happen, then she pulls the rug out from under your feet with plot twists that make you go “WHOA!” but in a good way. I found myself reading until late to find out what was going to happen next because I was so invested in the story.
I was very sad when I read the last page because I knew I’d have to wait for the next book. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Dimitri.

 

Go buy your copy here.

FEATURED ARTISTS FROM CRUSHING HEARTS AND BLACK BUTTERFLY PUBLISHING AND VAMPTASY PUBLISHING FOR WEDNESDAY – 3/26/2014

Some new releases from my publisher. (Man, do I love saying that!)

Shyla Colt- From the Ashes Excerpt

First I just wanted to say hi to everyone, and thank the lovely Rebecca for allowing me to come and talk to everyone. I’m a huge fan of apocalypse books, shows, and movies, so this was my own erotic twist to the genre.

Coming March 29th to Hot Ink Press

In a world ravaged by the plague women have become a new form of currency. Bartered traded, and abused they suffer under tyranny. This is the world After the Burn. This series will explore the tales of courageous men and woman struggling to carve out a new safe haven in a world gone mad.

Blurb

Despite the capsized conditions of the world, one woman risked it all to taste freedom. Devon Brown spent the past eight years operating under the guise of being male. The daughter of a Forest Ranger, she peddled her skills as she moves from town to town. This time her luck runs out when she’s discovered, and brought into the leaders of the town, Cain and Cole Hart. Instead of being ejected, the attractive males, with the dangerous aura opt to keep her.

This is her story of what happened after the world burned.

From the Ashes Excerpt

Devon Brown walked the perimeter of the dust laden gas station with broken windows and a sagging red awning. On the outskirts of town, the gray building went unnoticed by most in the town. Traffic this far away from the revived area they lived and worked in remained scarce, and she took making her way here every time. Three months into this new place, she fit in well. She didn’t want to upset the balance she’d found. Her eyes scanned the barren landscape. The chilly air carried the promise of winter. Frost formed in the mornings. It wouldn’t be long before they saw their first snow and this treks would become more difficult.

Her mind shifted to her new housemate, David. Due to his presence she hadn’t risked a full bath in a week. Hiding her secret got tricky with the young boy with hero worship dogging her every step. Privacy disappeared in this new society where the main goal was to live. Still, she enjoyed the jovial brunette. In his early twenties, he’d adjusted to life after the plague ten years prior a lot easier than those who’d had a lifetime of normalcy. His optimistic countenance presented a pleasant change from the doom and gloom, survival of the fittest jungle the world had become.

As on only child she’d lost her entire family when her folks fell victim to the mysterious strain of flu that crept into the population and never left. The supped up version of the Influenza took millions to their graves, and tossed the world into chaos. Raised on the good book, she’d thought it’d been the end of days.  If only I’d been so lucky. Satisfied the integrity of the place held, she walked over to the bathroom door. The door creaked from disuse, and she stepped inside, swiftly shutting the door behind her. A huge sigh of relief escaped her lungs, and she locked the door. For a short time, the burden of pretending to be something she wasn’t lifted off her drooping shoulders. The daughter of a Forest Ranger she knew how to survive. So, when women became the new currency she’d lopped off her shoulder length black locks, lowered her voice and peddled her skills as Devon Brown, the man. She removed her book bag off her shoulders, placed it on the ground, and pulled out her necessary items, placing them on the counter she’d personally cleansed weeks ago. Prepped, she shrugged out of her flannel and stripped down to her underwear, bra and bindings. When her Double D’s became, a feature that could endanger her freedom she’d said goodbye to femininity. She unwrapped the ace bandage and sucked in a deep breath of freedom. The uncomfortable feeling of being held tight never fully dissipated. Clad in skivvies, she turned on the faucet full force and picked up a bar of homemade soap and washcloth.

She plunged her hand beneath the icy spray and built up a lather, flinching when she ran the soapy cloth over her torso. Her teeth chattered as she rinsed the material out and moved down her legs, saving her private area for last. Sure, a vagina didn’t shrink a penis, but the chill damn near burned. She pushed down the tighty whiteys she’d pilfered from the store, and ran the soft cloth across her center. The door swung open in mid swipe with a loud bang. Blinding light flooded the dimly light room. Her jaw dropped and her mind short circuited, refusing to process properly. Micah filled the door frame with his broad shoulders. A villainous smirk spread across his thin lips. The lust visible in his dark blue eyes made her stomach lurch.

“I knew there was something off about you.”

She yanked up her underwear. He gave her a slow one over. Her skin crawled. The man rubbed her the wrong way. Rough, crude, and manipulative, Micah screamed untrustworthy. “What are you going to do?” She covered her breasts and shifted her weight, taking an aggressive stance. If she had to go down, it’d be fighting.

“Honey you know what I’m going to do.” An evil sneer twisted his Cupid ’s bow lips into something evil. “But I’ll be kinder than most, and keep you for myself instead of sharing you around. Pussy is power, and yours is untapped.”

She balled her fists. “I have rights, and I’m an asset. Not like the others.”

He laughed. “Won’t matter, Now put your clothes on. Don’t want to get jumped for my new pieces of ass before I can take it out for a spin. We’re going to see the Harts.”

Her panic spiked. Cole and Cain ran the tiny town with an iron fist. After they accepted her into their fold, and placed her in charge of overseeing water purification, she did everything possible to gain their trust, and stay well under their radar. The chiseled faced, hard bodied brothers were straight shooters. They didn’t stand for deceit, cheating, or withholding. Ex bar owners with numerous run-ins with the law, the two possessed a dangerous edge that made her tread lightly. Her knees wobbled, and she leaned against the sink to stay upright. The cool porcelain grounded her. Brought her back to reality.

“I’d leave you to change, but I know how wily you are, and let’s face it. I’m enjoying the view. It’s been a long time since I saw a woman as good looking as you. No bruises, dead eyes, or sloppiness.” He licked his lips. “We’re going to have fun. I never had a chocolate cupcake before. Do you have a creamy center?” His boots thudded against the faded white tiles as he stalked over and paused a few inches away.

“You look so soft.” He trailed a finger down her face, and she jerked turning her face from his caress.

“Don’t touch me.” She barred her teeth.

“Time to get acclimated to it, sweetheart.” He moved his hand to grip her breast, and she smacked it away.

“Nothing’s been decided, and I swear to you. If you try to claim me, it’ll be the last thing you do.”  I didn’t fight tooth and nail all this time to end up some sex toy to this sadistic fuck.

“It’s the new world order. Your opinions don’t matter for shit, sweetheart.”

“I live by my own set of rules.” She balled her hands into fists, drawing strength from her

anger.

“Maybe when you were thought to be a man.”

“Always.” She narrowed her eyes.

“We’ll see.”

She huffed, and pulled on her clothing, head held high. After starring death in the face, she’d be damned if she fell to pieces over this spineless piece of maggot shit.

If you liked what you read mark your calendars, From the Ashes comes out Saturday, March 29th just .99.

Where you can find Shyla.

Website: http://www.shylacolt.com

Twitter: @shylacolt

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