How in the World Did I Get Here?

Give a big welcome to my friend (well I hope she considers me a friend lol!),  Ms Scarlet Hyacinth!!

The title of this blog might be confusing. I don’t mean “how in the world I got to this lovely party Gabrielle is throwing”, since both she and I know she extended an invitation to me via FB. What I mean is my current dilemma – why exactly so many authors, myself included, tend to write a lot of series.

Of course, the answer is easy. We simply can’t give up on the characters we create, because we love them so much. And then, new characters spawn, and we love those too, and they demand their own stories.

But that creates a vicious circle, because no matter how hard we try, we can’t continuously write one series alone until we finish it. More ideas pop up, and the cycle begins again, and one book is likely to become yet another series, on and on.

Most of my titles belong to series. Although I do have a couple of single titles, they are screaming at me, demanding sequels. So, that’s how I end up torn between at least five series I really want to write, and a couple more that are anxiously waiting their turn.

Currently, my ongoing projects are the Mate or Meal series and The S.E.X. Factor. The sixth book of Mate or Meal, The Gazelle Who Caught a Lion is due out in a week or so, then the first book of The S.E.X. Factor, On the Wings of a Butterfly will follow. After that, there are more releases in both series coming from Siren Bookstrand.

But the problem is, I also want to go back to the Kaldor Saga, and finish Bloodkin 2, and finish Guardians 2. And then, there’s my sequel series for the Spirit Wolves. The first book for that one is also a WIP.

So here I am, torn between all the characters that are seeking my attention. But at the same time, I can’t say I hate it. I know many other authors share my problem and it’s actually a lovely problem to have J. In the end, it’s all about the writing and the fun of it.

So what about the readers out there? What series would you most like me to continue? What are your favorite couples from my series? Comment for a chance to win a copy of Deadly Mates 1. Moon’s Sweet Poison. The Deadly Mates series is also one that has been assaulting me with ideas, and I already have the next triad in mind. For the moment, here is an excerpt from the latest release in this series.

Deadly Mates 5. Moonlight’s Haven Waves of Blood

Taken prisoner by the vampires, Brian finds himself falling for the adopted son of the vampire prince, Izador. But Izador has a secret, and even knowing that Brian is his mate, he is reluctant to pursue their bond. As Brian attempts to crack through Izador’s armor, an assassination attempt on the vampire prince shakes them all. The guilty party, Vlad Petrovic, brings with him problems all of them thought long ago buried and forgotten.

Vlad has always lived in the shadow of his brother, Viktor. Trained to do their father’s bidding at all costs, he is shocked to find both his mates during the course of his mission. But as the power of the past returns to haunt them, can their connection hold? Will Brian manage to be their haven in front of the shadows crowding around them, or will they be consumed by the power of their enemy?

Buy link: http://www.bookstrand.com/moonlights-haven-waves-of-blood

Story Excerpt

Vlad fled through the undergrowth, his instincts screaming at him in the unfamiliar setting. Branches hit him in the face as he ran, parrots screeched, the scenery a mere blur at the speed he was going. He’d missed. Fuck, he’d missed. His father was going to kill him.

Terror and anger coursed through him at the thought. His vision seemed clouded with a sort of weird red haze. He’d sensed it ever since he’d reached the Amazon, but he couldn’t identify it for the life of him.

No, he was lying. He could indentify it. It was the fae. Brian—the fae who lived at the vampire’s compound, the same one who would pay for the assassination and Vlad’s mate. Fuck.

Behind him, he heard people following him. Let them come. Let them catch him. He had nothing to lose, but Brian…Brian could die.

Decision made, Vlad stopped at the shadow of a big tree. He leaned against the bark and looked up. Through the dense vegetation, he couldn’t see the sun. He couldn’t see the sky. It choked him, reminding him of the many years he’d spent in enclosure. His knees trembled, the memory of his father’s ice-blue eyes glaring down at him, attacking his decision.

“You will come back here and report,” the other man had said. “You will kill the vampire no matter what it takes.”

Kill the vampire. Yes. He needed to kill the vampire. But, no, Sheridan Amaranth had been saved, and trying again would just worsen the situation for Vlad’s mate.

Mate? No. He didn’t have a mate. He couldn’t have a mate—especially not a male one. He was not an abomination. He needed to obey. He needed to kill.

Pain assaulted his mind as he tried to struggle with the compulsion. His scream turned into a howl as he changed forms right there, in the middle of the jungle. An arctic wolf in the Amazon was a dead giveaway. His fur choked him in the heat, and its color would just give his pursuers more clues to find him. But Vlad didn’t care. He just wanted to get the voice out of his head. He wanted to forget, to stop seeing his father’s face in front of his eyes.

He stumbled over a tree stump, his paws futilely trying to claw at the ground in an attempt to gain an anchor in a world that refused to accept him. The parrots seemed to screech louder. Somewhere close to him, a powerful shadow was closing in.

It was the strangest thing. At first, Vlad almost thought it would be Brian, there to save him from the awful voice. He’d been so beautiful, so very angelic that Vlad’s hand hesitated on the trigger. And then Brian somehow sensed him. Perhaps the bond worked both ways. Did fae have mates like werewolves? Vlad didn’t know. He knew very little except how to hunt and kill.

The shadow was coming closer and Vlad stopped moving. He knew he could not escape it. Distantly, he remembered his father telling him that once he got the job done, he needed to get out of there, fast. The vampire prince had many underlings capable of finding and getting revenge in the cruelest of ways.

But suddenly, it didn’t seem all that important to live. Why would he be afraid of dying? Why would he want to go back when the only thing that made sense was here? Brian was such a distant dream to him that Vlad knew he would never be able to reach it. But if he stayed, he might get the chance to tell his story, to convince the prince of Brian’s innocence—and maybe, in the process, see his mate one last time before he died.

It was a good plan, in spite of its implications. Vlad’s every survival instinct screamed for him to get out of there, but he’d lingered there for too long. All of a sudden, he found himself surrounded by a group of soldiers. They pointed weapons at him, obviously intending to shoot him like a dog and not even bothering with a fair fight. Of course, he’d been the one to attack first, so technically speaking, their attitude was more than justified.

Vlad’s beast didn’t care about that. It knew nothing about fair and unfair. It saw the world in black and white, and these people definitely belonged to the “black” category. On instinct, Vlad bared his fangs at them, his resolve faltering in front of the open hostility.

And then, a tall, handsome man took a few steps forward. “Stop. If you come quietly, you will be allowed your life.”

Through his lupine eyes, Vlad couldn’t see the color of the man’s eyes or hair, but he smelled odd, like saltwater mixed with the coppery tinge of blood. Beyond it there was something else, a familiar deep warmth that reached out to Vlad. It struck him with the strength of a sledgehammer, and he took a few steps back, snarling. Confusion clouded his mind, and his father’s voice reemerged, screaming at him to attack. Voices clashed in his brain, his instincts and his training warring with each other. Mate. Kill. Mate. Kill.

Vlad couldn’t take it anymore. Desperate, he lunged at the waiting man, his claws and fangs ready to sink into flesh. He didn’t know what he was doing, what he wanted anymore. It seemed almost like a movie in which he watched himself move and couldn’t do anything about it. Somebody please stop me, he begged. But no one could hear him, and Vlad was lost.

Adult Excerpt

Izador joined them on the bed, and together, they finished taking Vlad’s clothes off. As superficial as the thought was, Brian couldn’t help but register the mouthwatering expanse of Vlad’s body. Now that he could take a couple of moments to just admire his mate, he truly realized just how gorgeous Vlad was. Brian could spend years just licking those rock-hard abs and sucking on the cock he already knew tasted delicious.

Izador’s voice snapped him out of his trance. “Brian, baby…Come here.”

There was need and hot want in Izador’s tone, and Brian unwillingly shivered. At one point, Izador had taken his clothes off, and the only thing he wore now was a necklace that looked like a fang of sorts. When they’d first been together, Brian missed its presence in the rush of the moment, but now he thought it looked fitting.

Just like he’d been bid, Brian went into Izador’s arms, his mouth going dry with anticipation. Izador brushed a barely there kiss on his lips, then pulled away. “Turn over on all fours.”

Brian obeyed. Thankfully, the bed was quite big and the three of them fit without a problem. He got into position, trembling and waiting to see what was to come.

A snap and a squirt alerted him to the fact that Izador had somehow procured lube. “Now, Vlad…Watch what I’m doing. Watch his body.”

A slick finger invaded Brian’s anus, and Brian pushed back into the touch, gasping. Izador’s touch reminded him of their previous time together, awakening every nerve inside him, and the heat of Vlad’s eyes on him just made it better.

Izador thrust his finger in and out of Brian’s passage, slowly, taking his time. A second digit invaded Brian’s body, joining the first, and Izador proceeded to scissor them inside him. One crook of those talented fingers had them rubbing against Brian’s prostate.

He cried out when ecstasy exploded over him, the merciless massage of his gland driving him crazy.

He heard Vlad groan behind him. “Gods…That’s amazing.”

Izador chuckled lowly. “I know.” His other hand caressed Brian’s spine as he continued to torture Brian’s passage. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”

Brian could practically feel Vlad’s anxiety and need sweep over him in a wave. “Can I…” the wolf asked.

Izador’s assent was quiet, but palpable. He pulled his fingers out of Brian’s ass, making him groan in discontent. His anxiety disappeared when he was filled again. The touch felt different this time, the two fingers more hesitant, and to a certain extent, gentler. Brian whimpered in need, now more than ever needing to be fucked.

“God, Vlad…Please. Fuck me.”

Izador tsked. “Don’t listen to him, Vlad,” he said. “Touch him. Get to know his body.”

Izador’s voice was almost hypnotic, and Brian found himself obeying it as well, even if the orders weren’t exactly directed at him. He rode the pleasure Vlad offered, learning his wolf mate’s touch and granting Vlad the chance to explore and experiment.

Gradually, the arousal increased between them, and Brian clenched the sheets in a futile attempt to control his growing desire. Thankfully, his mates decided not to torture him and themselves any longer.

“All right,” Izador said. “He’s ready now.”

Following Izador’s instructions, Vlad removed his fingers out of Brian’s anus. “Brian, baby, come here,” Izador continued.

Somehow, Brian managed to make his limbs work and obeyed Izador. He turned, and following his instincts, he swallowed up Vlad’s cock once again. Izador chuckled, but seemed pleased. “Very good. Relax for me, Vlad. That’s it.”

Even with his eyes closed, Brian could see Izador moving behind Vlad and preparing the other man with care. Brian continued to bob his head up and down Vlad’s prick, at the same time reaching down to massage Vlad’s balls and his taint. His role might be to relax Vlad and make him get used to the sensation of being invaded, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it. Simply the feel of his mate’s cock on his tongue threatened to make him come.

Through their shared ecstasy, all tension left Vlad’s body. He rocked between Brian and Izador, all resistance forgotten. Faster than Brian would have thought, he surrendered to his passion, moaning, “Gods, yes…Fuck me.”

Vlad’s words were like a trigger for both Brian and Izador. His mind whirling, Brian pulled away from Vlad’s cock and got on all fours once more. He somehow knew what would happen between them, what Izador intended and what Vlad needed. This bond, this beautiful connection that somehow led the three of them to each other, would finally reach its completion.

As Brian wiggled his ass, another groan escaped Vlad’s lips. His hands caressed Brian’s buttocks and spread his cheeks.

“That’s it,” Izador encouraged Vlad. “Fuck him.”

Vlad didn’t wait to be told twice. Mere moments later, Brian felt his wolf mate’s cock nudge at his opening. With a little too much eagerness, Vlad thrust inside him and Brian couldn’t suppress a cry. His lover was well endowed to say the least and the penetration hurt. Vlad instantly froze, and Brian could almost hear the other man’s mind working.

“It’s okay,” he gasped out. “I’m fine.”

“Brian…” Vlad’s voice was nothing but a choked whisper. “I don’t think I can do this. I’m hurting you.”

He seemed to intend to pull away, but as always, Izador was there, a steadying presence Brian felt tremendously thankful for. “We are mates,” Izador said. “We are meant to be together, in pain and pleasure.”

Brian could not speak any longer, so he focused on sending the same message with his body. He relaxed his muscles and slowly pushed back against Vlad’s prick.

The words and caresses made Vlad melt against Brian once more. Slowly, still fearfully, the wolf pulled out of Brian and pushed back in. It was an experimental thrust, not meant for more than comfort, but somehow, through some instinct or sheer luck, Vlad hit Brian’s prostate.

Okay, you heard (read?) the lady! An ebook copy of Deadly Mates 1. Moon’s Sweet Poison is up for grabs. Leave your comments below and don't forget that contact info! Good luck everyone!

Contest ends January 12th at midnight EST.