Congratulations, Laura K. for winning a free download of one of Stephanie Vaughan’s books! Yay! Thanks also to everyone who read and or/commented on Stephanie’s interview. Hope you enjoyed it and please come back later this month for Jade Lee, USA Today best selling author of the deliciously erotic Tigress series from Dorchester. I can’t wait!
I’m so excited to have Stephanie Vaughan as a guest here today. Let’s get started right away! And readers, please feel free to schmooze, comment. Participants are eligible to win a free download from Stephanie Vaughan! And believe me, her stuff is very enjoyable!
Stephanie Vaughan:
Zodiac: Pisces
Chinese zodiac: Rooster (I had to go look this up and I have to admit that a lot of it does sound like me.)
Favorite food: Anything spicy: Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, sushi… yum.
Hunks who inspire my writing are: My one true love is Rufus Wainwright, but my flings vary. Duane “The Rock” Johson, Ronde & Tiki Barber, Polo underwear ads, Jason Preston… How much time do you have?
When I’m not writing naughty delicious tales I: like to hike in the canyons, go to movies, shop for brooches.
Sedonia: Hi Stephanie. Thanks so much for being on my blog. You’re another of my favorite m/m authors. My first question, the question that all we authors get asked: What inspires you to write erotic romance? And do you prefer m/m over other genres and why?
What inspires me to write erotic? Everything I’ve ever written was erotic, seems like. From the first story I ever sat down to write, I couldn’t keep the characters out of bed. But where does the urge come from? I’m not sure. I like seeing people and imagining them as characters in a story, getting up to goodness knows what.
For the past several years I’ve found myself gravitating to m/m more and more, to the point that it takes an exceptional writer or story to get me to even pick up an f/m romance. I like mysteries a lot, too, but any more I’m usually trying to work an m/m romantic subplot into them whenever I read them. But why? I’m not sure. I’m a sucker for an underdog and that seems to be part of it. I love the vulnerabilities they seem to expose and the risks people will take, the hardships they’ll endure, for love.
Sedonia: Home for the Holidays is m/f/m. Can you tell us a bit about this story?
It’s the story of Valerie, who’s unhappily employed in one of those phone service call-in centers. As a joke, she asks the Secret Santa at her work for “shibari for three.” Her best friend tries to save Valerie’s job by taking the note and everything seems okay. Until her friend’s brother gets hold of the note and arranges for her wish to come true.
Here’s a hot little teaser:
Damn.
When had little Valerie gotten so freaking hot?
When had he last seen her? He cast back in his memory, trying to pinpoint the time. If she was Suzi’s age and Suzi was three years younger than he, then she’d been a junior in high school. Sixteen. Seventeen years old, tops. She’d been a coltish beauty then—all long legs and big eyes. And she’d unknowingly starred in more than one of Dan’s guilty stroke sessions.
As he strode through the house looking for his sister, Dan shook his head at how fast the years had gone. One minute his sister’s little friend had been the leggy kid that blushed and stammered and never quite looked him in the eye. Not that that had stopped him from imagining how perfectly those cute little tits would fit in his hands. And now she was…Shit. He didn’t know the word. Goddamn beautiful.
Still had that rust-colored hair that caught his eye every time. Not quite brown. Not quite red. He smiled that he could still yank her chain with the nickname. He’d never known why it bugged her so much, but he hadn’t been able to resist tweaking her with it once he’d discovered how much it riled her.
Eyes that had seemed odd and a little tilted, a child’s face had become irresistibly exotic in the woman. Dan remembered how the kids in school had made her miserable, calling her all sorts of names having to do with those eyes. Asian eyes. Rice eater. Their color, a cool blue without a hint of green or gray, was always eclipsed by their unusual shape.
And those lips.
Not finding his sister on the first floor, Dan headed upstairs while he tried to shake the image of Valerie’s lips.
Lush and full, like ripe peaches. Completely fuckable.
Goddammit, Crocker, she’s your sister’s friend. A guest in the house. He had no business picturing her down on her knees, parting those sweet, generous lips while he fed her his cock.
“Holy shit! What are you looking at?” Rounding the corner from the top step into his sister’s old room, he couldn’t stop the words that leapt from his mouth. But there was his sister—his baby sister—her nose two inches from an image on her computer screen. A bound woman, restrained by an intricate network of ropes that completely immobilized her naked, vulnerable body looked out tranquilly from the monitor.
Sedonia: That’s yummy. Now, onto my favorite of your work! The Off World series (TorquerePress). I’m taken with your perfect combination of hunky guys and the tenderness they experience between them. Would you please talk a little about this series, what and who inspired the characters and tell us about the upcoming book in the series?
Thank you ! That’s so wonderful to hear. That series got its start when I confessed to another writer friend that I’d always had a thing for Worf in “Star Trek: TNG.” I always thought Worf deserved more booty than he seemed to get, and somehow that thread joined up with an idea I had about a cute gay boy who has to go off world to find true love and hot sex when being gay is a capital offense in his world.
Michael Dorn as Worf and Keith Hamilton Cobb as Tyr Anasazi in “Andromeda” were the inspiration for Sarhaan, the warrior hero of the first book. Cal owes a lot to Randy Harrison from “Queer as Folk.”
It was supposed to be a one-off. I had no intention of writing a series. I’m strictly a contemporary kinda writer, see? But there was a character who showed up late in the book — Alex. He had a horrible story up to that point and I knew immediately I wanted to give him a happier future. I had a couple of other characters who were both interested in Alex, but Sarhaan’s friend Sandy made the best case for why he should get to romance Alex. And now Sarhaan’s second in command, Kai Xuwicha, is whispering in my ear, so I’m planning an OW3 to get started on any day now.
Sedonia: I can’t wait for that! Stephanie, where can readers find you and your work on the web?
My website is www.stephanievaughan.com . My m/m romances are all at Torquere Books; my boy-girl books are with Phaze, and I have my one and only m/m/f story with Ellora’s cave. People can always write me at stephanie@stephanievaughan.com .
Sedonia: Thank you so much for sharing your hot stories with us today. Hugs!
Thank you so much for asking me! I’m a big fan of your writing, so this is a huge treat for me.
I was so excited to get into STARbooks Press print anthologies this year. One just came out the other day, the Superheroes antho and the other three come out during 2008. I just wanted to share the covers with you. Happy Holidays! Hugs, Sedonia
Barely Undercover released today at Ellora’s Cave. Release day is always like a birthday or Christmas – you look forward to it the night before and then wake up with this present under the tree…well, sort of. Anyway, the feeling is the same. I hope you’ll read the excerpt.
That said, a new release isn’t the ONLY thing about getting published that feels like Christmas. So is getting that perfect cover you feel embodies the book you’ve poured your heart and soul into. Thanks to Anne Cain, awesome cover artist! The hot romances of those hunky men from the White Tiger in Tokyo continues…
This book doesn’t release until February but I’m already looking so forward to it. Koji is adorable and Naoto, well, he’s the first character I’ve created that I actually found myself wishing I could meet in person. Maybe that sounds strange because I love all my characters. The human heart is a mysterious place…
Please help me welcome one of my FAVORITE m/m authors, Laura Baumbach! Some of you already may know that she and I are in The Bite Before Christmas anthology (Loose Id) together
Laura Baumbach
Zodiac sign: Aquarius
Chinese zodiac: The Sheep, but I don’;t believe it. Shy? Me? lol!
Favorite food:Well-done steak with A-1 sauce!
When I’m not writing juicy m/m erotic romance I’m…
Taking care of my husband, kids, house and day job which is really a night job. I’m an emergency trauma nurse on the off-shifts at the local hospital. Easier on the kidlets if I’m home evenings and such. I also run a promotions group called Manloveromance.com and I own a gay erotic romance and ficiton Publishing house, MLR Press, LLC. All of it keeps me hopping! If I get free time, I like the movies and crocheting, but not at the same time.
Questions:
Sedonia: Hi Laura. Thanks so much for being a guest on my blog. I’m so happy you’re here.
Laura: Thank you for inviting me, Sedonia. It’s an honor.
Sedonia: What draws you to write M/M erotic romance?
Laura: Don’t really know. It’s one of those things you don’t need to spend time analysing. It just is. It calls to me. It’s what comes out of my creative brain and fingertips on to the keyboard. I don’t have to think about what I’ll write or decided if its going to be M/M or M/F, it is just always M/M.
Sedonia: Where do you draw your inspiration from for you characters and settings?
Laura: Some of it is from the medical settings I’ve worked in for years. Some of it is from adventures I had in my younger days. I always try to slip a sex scene from my own adventures in to each story. Readers have to guess which ones they are! lol. A lot of it comes from having a rich and unbridled imagination. I love writing unknown worlds where aliens, vampires and werewolves roam. I can make my own rules and create entire worlds. It’s the best.
Sedonia: It’s very exciting that you began your own erotic romance publisher. Can you tell readers about MLR Press? How is that going?
Laura: MLR Press, LLC is the result of my being unhappy and impatient with the printing world. The genre of M/M erotic romance and fiction is being pushed to the back of the bus. There are large numbers of readers asking for it, but it has a bias against it by a big segment of the print publishing world and readers are being denied access to what they want. Ebook publishers are breaking down some walls and I hope to help that effort out by adding my support and talents to making the genre more available and providing the best in it I can find to nurture. It’s been an exciting year and I hope I’m making headway. It’s all about getting your name out there so readers know you exist. You can see us and all we have to offer plus the coming books here:
http://www.mlrpress.com
Sedonia: Oooh, I see you have a sequel coming out to Out There in the Night. I LOVED that book! Adam and Conor are so hot together.
Laura: Thank you. It’s one of my favorites, too.
Sedonia: Can you talk about the first one and tell us a bit about the sequel?
The first one came about because I wanted to create my first werewolf. I had written vampires before and I wanted to try putting a different spin on an old myth. I wanted to make them more than the mindless savage beasts. So I did a little research and found a Native American belief that didn’t cast them out as demons or beasts. I built a whole world around that including going so far to contact a university that taught the language of the tribe I was writing about to find an appropriate native word for an endearment to put in the story. The people at the university were very kind and helpful. it was fun. The story uses a lot of my medical background as well. I know nurses who have lived a few months in Alaska with an agency like Doctors without Borders. They were a great help in making the book real for me by providing descriptions and realism.
The sequel is because I can never let my characters go. They become part of my family, like cousins I want to visit every year and find out what they’ve been up to since I last saw them. I want to revisit Adam and Connor, show how their relationship is working out, the bumps in the road they face and the dangers of life in the wilderness. Plus a lot of readers want to know more about Greg and Mitch, secondary characters that shoved their way into the spotlight a bit more than intended in the original story! But hey, you have to let the story flow and the character tell their story.
Sedonia: I definitely want to read this. Mitch was hot! (I know that’s my man’s name so it has that little extra something) however, you really write the most amazing sex scenes!
And please, give a little teaser too.
Laura: I would if I could but it’s all a WIP yet, barley more than a rough outline. I have two other novels to complete before this one, Genetic Snare and Mexican Heat.
Sedonia: Darn! Oh, well. I’m sure there are plenty of other juicy excerpts for readers on your site.
Sedonia: Is there anything you’d like to share that I didn’t ask?
Laura: I’m working on a number of short stories slated to be released in anthologies this next year as well. A new edition of our vampire Blood series with Angela Fiddler, a Hostage anthology with Josh Lanyon and Sarah Black, Wet Skin with William Maltese, Red with Victor J. Banis and other, and of course, my already mentioned novels. I plan on being very, very busy all year long.
Sedonia: Awesome! Where can readers find you and your books on the web?
Laura: My personal authro site can be seen here: http://www.laurabaumbach.com
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Sedonia: Thanks so much Laura!
Laura: Thank you for hosting this blog, Sedonia.
Wow! In one day Beautiful Samurai, White Tiger got 5 Angels from Fallen Angel Reviews and a Recommended Read from Joyfully Reviewed!
From Joyfully Reviewed:
I might watch more of the Cop shows on TV if they included the eroticism and love between Japanese Police Inspector Toshiro Genjin and his American partner John Holmes. Sedonia Guillone continues the love story between Toshi and John that began in “His Beautiful Samurai” with this mystery of missing persons, Japanese mobsters, mysterious teachings of the Temple of the White Tiger, and John’s psychic gifts.
Disapproving family members, emotional blackmail, lovers’ insecurities, and the bindings of unconditional love and trust and much more are written with compassion and sincerity. In this sequel, Toshi’s world is rocked when an old family secret is disclosed regarding his much respected, trusted, and loved Uncle Musashi. John and Toshi are pulled into a possible kidnapping case and undercover work posing as themselves in the Japanese Gay Community where the Temple of the White Tiger is located.
In Beautiful Samurai, White Tiger even the short duration of Toshi and John’s relationship is believable. The passion they share is sexy and hot, but tender as well. I particularly enjoyed, Toshi’s continued issues of trying to restrain himself, rather than what he saw as attacking his partner. John’s psychic gifts are a little scary sometimes, but his complete loyalty, love and surrender to Toshi were steadfast elements throughout the story. A definite recommended read!
Hi All – This is a feature I plan to do regularly on my blog where I go behind the scenes of one of my books and talk about the inspirations that shaped that book. Of course, I welcome comments and questions! Today is A Man for Michael.
Some readers and reviewers have made the observation that A Man for Michael makes them think of Jet Li’s film “Unleashed” (known in Europe and worldwide as “Danny the Dog”). Well, that’s because my book was truly inspired by it! I loved “Unleashed” and it made an impression on me, not only because to me Jet Li is one of the most adorable people ever.
Being a Hello Kitty freak, I just couldn’t get over this when I found it a few months ago on Yahoo!
BANGKOK, Thailand – Thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring “Hello Kitty,” the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday.
Police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late — among other misdemeanors — will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The officers won’t wear the armband in public.
The striking armband features Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts.
“Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor,” said Pongpat, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.
“(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It’s not something macho police officers want covering their biceps,” Pongpat said.
He said police caught breaking the law will be subject the same fines and penalties as any other members of the public.
“We want to make sure that we do not condone small offenses,” Pongpat said, adding that the CSD believed that getting tough on petty misdemeanors would lead to fewer cases of more serious offenses including abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by police officers.
I found out today that Men of Phuket: Tongue-Thai’d was a Blue Ribbon favorite at Romance Junkies! Yay!
This is the review:
MEN OF PHUKET: TONGUE THAI’D by Sedonia Guillone is a very pleasant and suspenseful read. This story is romantic and sizzling. Together, Nat and Ryu are charming and very real characters. I empathized with their pain, while hoping for them to heal. I wanted things to work out for them. The plot was also very interesting. There were some surprising twists that I thought were very well done. The climax of the story felt a little rushed to me but the author did a great job of making it exciting for the reader. I wish it had been drawn out a little more. The secondary characters were also appealing. I was surprised but glad to see a transsexual character treated with the respect and understanding she deserves, and I found the villain suitably repulsive. I loved the setting of this story. Thailand, and more specifically Phucket, are described with rich detail. I felt like I was really there. I also enjoyed reading about gay culture in Thailand. Ms. Guillone has written a fun and enjoyable novel.
This happens when my boyfriend gives me a title and I write the story to it.
Blurb: Ryu Miyazaki is a White Tiger, a man skilled in the erotic arts. His kisses and caresses can make men see twinkling lights in the midst of ecstasy. But when Taro Suzuki, one of Tokyo’s fiercest yakuza wants Ryu as his personal pleasure slave, Ryu’s mentor sends Ryu into hiding. Thailand is too damn far away from the life Ryu has always known and everyone he loves, but with his life in grave danger, he agrees to leave, only to be delivered into the hands of Agent Nat Phoenix, one of the sexiest men he’s ever met. Agent Phoenix is the role model for Ryu’s own boxing career, and one who’s been the subject of many a sexual fantasy. Phoenix is so hot that Ryu begins to think hiding away in Phuket, Thailand with one of his heroes might not be such a hardship. That is, until Phoenix proves to have a certain rough edge – sorely in need of Ryu’s special skills…
From their first meeting, middleweight boxing champion-turned cop, Nat, can’t believe he’s turned on by a man with hot pink dyed hair, nose ring and full body tattoos. In the face of doing his job, he’s determined to ignore his fierce attraction to the exotically beautiful Ryu. His job is to protect the guy from a fierce crime lord, not jump into bed with him. But Ryu exudes a sensuality that rouses Nat’s most gnawing desires as well as coaxes him to unearth and heal a secret grief he’s harbored for nearly a lifetime.
As Ryu’s expert lovemaking skills uncover Nat’s deepest secrets, Ryu, too finds himself growing vulnerable to the ex-champion’s masculine strength and emerging ability to love. Accustomed to being in control in bed, Ryu’s heart is following his body into love…
With the shadow of a psychopathic mafioso looming over them, the price of losing newfound passion is almost too high for either Nat or Ryu . It’s going to take more than skilled fighting and courage to survive. Even if they do, Nat has learned some things about Ryu that could frighten away a lesser man. How far will Nat be willing to go to keep the man he loves?
And here’s an excerpt to tempt and tease you:
Nat sighed. “Look, I’m sorry we have to be crowded in together.” Why he felt suddenly so apologetic, he didn’t know. He was just trying to do his job. “I’m going to have a cot. The bed is all yours.”
The guy nodded, still with a beaten expression. “As long as no one hurts me, I’m fine with whatever.”
A strange shiver passed through Nat’s chest and down his arms. Was Miyazaki referring to him? “No one’s going to hurt you. I’m trying to help you. Maybe you don’t understand that.”
Miyazaki looked down, as if he were studying his boots. Head to toes the guy was an image from a fashion magazine, and it was hard to picture him dancing around in a boxing ring, landing punches and taking them. “I understand protection.”
Nat’s heartbeat sped up slightly. “Good, because that is precisely why I’m going to ask you to let me cut your hair.”
Miyazaki’s eyes went wide. That damnable look of panic flooded his soft features. “No. I told you, I can’t.”
“The nose ring too has to go.” Nat steeled himself against Miyazaki’s expression. Whether the guy was being manipulative or not didn’t matter. Bottom line was he was acting stupidly and against his best interest. “You stick out like a sore thumb.” He took a step closer and saw Miyazaki wince. “You can’t rely on a hat. Especially if you’re going to be training. It could fall off. You need to blend in a bit.”
“No.”
Nat suppressed a flash of anger. “Yes. Or you won’t leave this room. You can stay holed up in here until I hear from Tokyo that you’re free to leave.”
“That’s fine with me. I don’t want to go anywhere.”
Nat crossed his arms. “Giving me an attitude won’t help you. In case you haven’t learned that.”
Alarm passed over Miyazaki’s face. “I’m not trying to give you an attitude. I swear.” He glanced away and then back. “It won’t matter about my hair anyway. I have…tattoos. You can’t cut them out.”
“Tattoos can be covered.” He gestured toward Miyazaki. “I don’t see any on you now.”
“Under these clothes, maybe.” Miyazaki’s hands went to the buttons of his shirt. “But I can’t wear jeans in the ring.”
Tingles ran down Nat’s arms. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you what I mean.” Miyazaki’s fingers worked open his black shirt and the material fell to each side. With a quick yank, he slid the shirt off.
Nat stared. Loog ga ree. Son of a bitch. ‘Tattoos’ was an understatement. Miyazaki’s whole torso was a canvas of color and design. For a moment, Nat’s mind blurred. All he could see were swirling patterns of leaping white tigers across Miyazaki’s chest, ribcage and abdomen. Nat pulled in a breath. Heat erupted in his armpits.
Miyazaki stood, watching him, his arms at his sides. The rounded muscles of his shoulders too, were inked, the colors reaching to his carved-looking triceps. “See?”
Nat swallowed hard. He hadn’t meant to notice the v-shape of the other man’s torso or the lean perfection of his wiry musculature. If it hadn’t been for his soft facial expressions, Miyazaki would have been the picture of a tough fighter. He was small, a welterweight, but like his face, his upper body was perfect.
Nat cleared his throat. The lubrication needed to speak seemed to have dried up in the last few seconds. “You can wear a shirt when you go outside,” he managed to say. “No big deal.”
Miyazaki didn’t answer. Instead, he began toeing off his boots then undid the button and zipper of his jeans.
More electric heat zinged through Nat’s body. What the hell was this guy doing?
Before he could even turn around, Miyazaki had shucked off his jeans and straightened again. “It won’t work.” He pointed down.
Nat wanted to close his eyes. But he couldn’t. The bottom half of Miyazaki was as colorful…and…perfect as the top half. And well, he could see just about all of it. Including the hints of dark hair just above his…package, barely concealed by a pouch of white cloth. The rest of his underwear was a couple of strings across his hips and…Miyazaki turned around…up the crack of his ass, both cheeks of which were covered in colorful swirling designs. Purples, blues, reds, oranges and yellows…
To Nat’s horror, his mouth began to water, as if the colors inked onto Miyazaki’s smooth skin were flavors he could lick right off.
“I told you,” Miyazaki said. He sounded a bit petulant, though the tone of his soft voice had dropped a notch.
From about mid-thigh to just below his collarbone, he was covered, a literal human canvas. Nat’s gaze traveled over the perfect round globes of his ass, up his widening back where two samurai warriors in flowing kimonos fanned out, arms entwined, lips pressed together in a tender kiss.
Nat began to pace in the small room, the only way he could think of to relieve the sudden pressure in his groin. It occurred to him that Miyazaki could just be playing a game, using seduction to control him when flattery hadn’t worked. “It’s not going to work you know.”
“What’s not going to work?”
Nat glanced up. Miyazaki had turned back around to face him. His wide-eyed gaze almost made Nat think he really didn’t know. “The seduction thing. Getting undressed like that.” He gestured. “No matter what you do, I’m not going to let you keep that electric hair so that everyone will remember you at first glance. That’s a good way to get killed.”
Miyazaki’s soft lips parted and his eyes grew even wider. “I wasn’t trying to…seduce you.” He looked down and Nat could swear he saw the other man’s cheeks flush a shade darker.
Then something else occurred to him. “You are a yakuza, aren’t you?”
At that, Miyazaki whipped his head up, eyes pained, as if he’d been physically slapped. “I am not a yak.”
Nat crossed his arms, pinning Miyazaki with his gaze. “Then why are you marked up like one?” The thought that the guy was a criminal helped take the edge off Nat’s physical response to his incredible, nearly-naked physique.
For a moment, Miyazaki’s eyes misted over, as if he would burst into tears. But he remained silent and then squared his shoulders, causing the white tigers across his front to shift. “That’s personal.”
Nat uncrossed his arms and took a step toward Miyazaki. “Don’t you ever just answer a question? How the hell am I supposed to help you if you won’t tell me what I need to know?”
Again, silence. And that soft yet somewhat defiant look.
Dammit. He exhaled and turned his back to Miyazaki. “Why don’t you…I don’t know…get dressed, or shower or something. Not that it matters. You’re not going out of this room anyway.”
“I’d like to shower.”
“Fine.” He heard sounds of Miyazaki rummaging in his bag, probably for a toiletry kit or something followed by the door to the tiny bathroom closing and the spray of the shower.
Finally Nat turned around. Miyazaki’s clothing was off the floor and neatly folded on the foot of the bed. Nat looked at the closed door. That’s when the idea hit him. Quickly he formulated his plan to deal with Miyazaki’s hair, then got ready. First to change into something looser and more comfortable. He opted for no shirt and a pair of fisherman pants. Then he called Lew’s office to ask to borrow a pair of electric hair clippers—Lew always had one of those around—then called Tongmee to come to the room to help him.
Available at Fictionwise and at Total E-Bound!