GIVEAWAY! WIN Lily Adile Lamb’s new book-The Nameless One

I’m super excited to welcome my friend Lily Adile Lamb who’s here to promote her newest masterpiece. You’ll find the rules for how to win her e-book, The Nameless One, at the end of this post. Happy reading!!

          One day, I was on Facebook and saw a photo of a creature who with its wings, resembled a bat, albeit with a human face. I was drawn to its beauty with the figure looking utterly lonely in a cave far away from civilization. I literally felt hurt from what I saw. I imagined how many of us feel utterly alone in crowds and I felt very sad. I instantly visualized him as a male-being longing for his loved one. The next day, I was on Pinterest looking at photos of beautiful places in the world. There was this photo of an amazing mountain under the stars… voila! I suddenly envisioned the character in both my head and my heart, along with the mountain he would call his home. I then instantly knew who would be his other half.

As I wrote this story, I imagined the scenes in my head and tried to write them down. At some stage, I was crying at what my characters were going through. I was caught up in their tale, all I could hope for was to finish their part for all of us. It had a universal message about unconditional love, acceptance and our human frailties.

The day, I released my story; I was up until the early hours of the day, anxious and excited.

The Nameless One

Blurb:

He was the only nameless one among his kind, the result of his mother’s forbidden affair with a human. He was the only one the others teased and tormented, the only one who longed for his own sex – a crime among his kind. And when he repeated his mother’s mistake with a human male, the punishment was terrible – his wings were broken, his body was crushed, and he was imprisoned in a bottle, freed only to grant the wishes of whichever greedy human found him next. And there he stayed, alone.

Faine was born different, too, his legs withered at birth, his little body left at the edge of the woods for the other abandoned ones to take in. Sylvonna the wise woman raised him in kindness, and the sheep he tended were patient with his slow, painful gait. It was a good life…only he longed for a lover of his own sex, and while there was no shame in it among his people, there were none among them who shared that longing. And so he was alone.

The forest whispered to Faine, that he would find love…that his true love was coming soon.

And when the nameless one was at last freed from his prison, his release would come on a mountain, near a forest…a forest where the world’s other outcasts dwelt. A mountain where Faine would bring his sheep to graze…

“The Nameless One” is a fable, a fairy tale, a love story about two broken creatures who are made whole at last.

Tags– #NamelessOne #Fable #Gay #LoveWins #Romance

Available at- http://smile.amazon.com/THE-NAMELESS-Lily-Adile-Lamb-ebook/dp/B018ZP5JN4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

For a chance to win Lily’s new book, all you have to do is share on your social media pages the link from right above ⇑. Add to your post the tags from above ⇑, then come back and post the link to your share here along with your e-mail addy. The winner will be chosen through random.org . I will post the winner’s name next Friday, December 18th, at 8 PM my time zone (GMT+2). You have until then to comment. For any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. Good luck!

Author Promo – M. E. Sanford

Remember, M.E. Sanford, guys? Not long ago, with the occasion of our free anthology release, Hunting Under Covers, I interviewed him regarding his story in the antho. You can find that interview here: 

Interview with author M.E. Sanford

Now Mitchell is back to talk about his latest release, which has an awesome title: The Wind Your Voice, The Rain Your Tears. The title alone makes me crave this story. So, without further ado, I’ll let Mitch tell you about his book himself.

When I came up with the story in The Wind Your Voice, The Rain Your Tears, I had been working 16 hour days in a gas station. When you work in a gas station, there is no filter of customers. Everyone and anyone gets gas, or buys snacks. I knew after some time that somebody would be so hurtful and cruel to me that it would be very painful emotionally. Sure enough, I was left in tears after an incident that directly inspired the interaction between Vinny Shields and Tristan May, my main characters.

But why stop there? I turned that incident into an entire novel. Vinny is very much like I was during the period in which I began writing the book. He is trapped in his life with no drive forward, he grew stagnant. But then he meets Tristan May, the flamboyant gas station attendant that represents that much needed catalyst to inspire Vinny out of his dull life. 

The constant ridicule of his new relationship was something that I came up with during a phase of loneliness. Having lost so many of my closest friends I really felt the need to give someone a person that will appreciate Vinny unconditionally. Thus, the character of Tristan May. There is a lot to the novel, including tragedy and even situations of suicide as I believe mimicking the human condition is one of my greatest inspirations.

I want people to be inspired by the story. And I want them to finish reading feeling that even through all hopelessness there is somebody out there that will be your savior without them even trying. 

 

The Wind Your Voice, The Rain Your Tears – Blurb:

Small town mechanic Vinny Shields doesn’t have much going for him. He has a girlfriend that seems to chase every man that crosses her path. His father and mother are consistently unimpressed with his lifestyle. And his younger brother just dropped a bombshell that will change the dynamic of his family.

Vinny then meets the flamboyant gas station attendant, Tristan May, and learns more about what it means to love and be loved.

Purchase links:

Amazon

Smashwords

Lulu

About M. E. Sanford:

A life long writer and storyteller, M.E. Sanford has always pursued creative careers. One of his passions is writing novels and other short stories.

Just recently he made a major move cross country to pursue a dream that includes publishing his stories that he’s been working on the past several years. An entertainer at heart, M.E. follows the pull of his ambitions and turns his experiences into touching works of literature.

If just one person is touched by his stories he can consider himself a success.

Contact info:

Twitter: @thesleepinggods

Facebook: M.E. Sanford

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7777211.M_E_Sanford

Guest Post and GIVEAWAY – Azalea Moone

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Research, Research, Research

Hiya everyone. Great to be here at Shayla Mist’s blog to promote my new release “For the Long Haul”, a coming out story about a middle aged truck driver who happens to meet his lover while on the road. It’s available February 22^nd. That’s Saturday, by the way!

So one of the biggest mantras you’ll hear authors spouting constantly is “research, research, research.” If you haven’t been there, research. If you want to know what something is like, but haven’t done it yourself, research. Yeah, pretty much, research everything that you don’t know, even if you do know it but haven’t done/been there in a while, etc.

Hands up, I did a lot of research for this story. Everything from watching youtube videos on the life of truck drivers (there are some hilarious ones out there), to looking up blogs and websites for information, and talking to relatives and friends of drivers. I had even bookmarked a site of CB radio terminology and trucker slang. It was totally fun to read over those. And I’d already known what it’s like to travel from one side of the country to the other, but I needed to research more on routes, particularly from Denver to Tennessee.

So it came to no surprise when after the story was finished, I opened up a very interesting article on the dangers and growing trend of truck stop prostitution. And I face-palmed. That was something I hadn’t fully investigated. Sure, I knew that prostitution can occur anywhere and for different reasons, but this article in particular was different.

Ethan, 2^nd MC in the story, is a prostitute aka “lot lizard” who meets my awesome truck driver. Guess where? But the article I read was about the increasing trend of young girls being kidnapped and forced out there by a pimp. And I thought to myself: Would this make Ethan’s story any different?

He wasn’t forced. That definitely could have changed the dynamics if he was. But he was working under a pimp, and gets himself into a little bit of trouble. You’ll find out why. And so, I hand-up admit, I didn’t research everything, but maybe I didn’t need to. Ethan’s story is just right for him.

Excerpt:

Stepping into the men’s room, Ethan peered in the mirror at his reflection walking by, grimaced at the mess of hair and stubble on his chin, and then hid in the stall. Should think of getting a hair cut someday, but there were reasons why he’d grown it out. Reasons why he’d gotten the tattoo, and why he’d put on a little more weight.

He’d tried to avoid that reflection of himself for little more than a year now with no luck. No matter his changes, he still appeared as the young guy who had royally fucked up. Who needed more than a loan to help him pay rent and got involved with a pimp back in the city—someone he shouldn’t have even dealt with.

When he was finished in the stall, he walked back out into the restroom, and planted his palms on the side of the sink, staring at his reflection. No one would recognize him out here, states away from his home. There was no reason to keep this messy hair. It wasn’t really him. The tattoo he liked though. And he’d have to make sure to shave as soon as he could. The form of a goatee coiled around his chin and upper lip.

But would Gunner still want him around if he knew exactly what Ethan was doing the night they met?

Enter my giveaway for a chance to win a free copy of “For the Long Haul.” Comment below, and remember to leave your email address. Winners will be drawn February 22^nd on Azalea Moone’s blog!

 http://azalea-moone.blogspot.com/

Guest post – Caitlin Ricci

Happy Valentine’s day, everyone!

On this very special day I have an equally special guest. Please welcome author Caitlin Ricci, who will be talking about her recently released book, Rescuing Jack.

Hey. I’m Caitlin Ricci and thank you for taking time out of your day to spend a few minutes with me.

Back in April of 2012 my first book was accepted by a publisher I’m no longer with but I remember that feeling and the joy that came with getting that email. That was Almost Paradise, a MM werewolf book that, with a great response from readers, showed me that I had a place in this vast world of publishing. I was grateful then and I still am now. Almost Paradise, and all the other books in the Pine Hollow Wolves world, are out now through Extasy Books. The last one, Keeping Him, was released on February 1st.

When I started writing Rescuing Jack I had no idea that it would come out less than a week after the last book in my first series would be released. Its bittersweet to think of them because they are both MM werewolf series though they are extremely different both in their content and in their depiction of werewolves. I’m excited to see the launch of a new series, especially one that is so personal and emotional for me and I know that without the Pine Hollow Wolves I would not be here with you all now. I would still be writing but I wouldn’t have over two dozen books released with another ten or more planned to come out this year.

I remember someone that I used to be friends with and her response to a rejection letter. I had a short story rejected before Almost Paradise was released and that was fine. I realized that one needed a bit of work and moved on to submitting the next. It was fine and I got over it. But I won’t pretend that it didn’t hurt a bit at first. This friend though received a rejection letter right around the same time that I was accepted for the first time. I should have realized then how different we were instead of pursuing a friendship for the next year until it finally crashed and burned. Because not only did she take it badly, she was then mean to me because I’d been accepted by the pub that had rejected her. That’s not a kind of friend that I should have kept in my life and I’m glad she’s far gone now. 

Publishing is scary.Editing is hard. But the rewards for getting here are amazing and absolutely worth it. I love this path my life has continued to go on. I don’t like editing and I’ll whine about it for a bit but its because I wrote that I’m editing something that I love. Getting emails from readers makes my day. Even if its just that something didn’t work for them. I don’t mind feedback. I actually welcome it. And in a series like A Forever Home is, there’s so much room for reader input. I can’t say that everything will be changed and I still remember someone that told me they would have liked Almost Paradise so much more if Travis had been a girl. Well, that’s nice but its a MM series and I can’t fix that. With a book as personal and emotional as Rescuing Jack is I hope that it connects with you. I hope you feel for Jack, that maybe you even cry along with him. Because he’s been through a lot and sadly there are very few people as understanding as Marius in the world and Jack’s story is all too common. If you want to tell me what you thought of Rescuing Jack, I’d love to know. The good and the bad, suggestions are always welcome and you can email me at authorcaitlinricci@gmail.com.

Thank you for spending time with me today.

Rescuing Jack

Blurb:

Werewolves are real. Marius enjoys the irony that everyone calls him a dog whisperer, not just because he’s a werewolf, but for his work at the local animal shelter. He has a unique talent for pairing families with their perfect pets upon first meeting them. But he’s still looking for acceptance and a forever family of his own. Then Jack comes into the rescue looking for a big, mean dog. To prevent Jack from making the wrong choice, Marius convinces him to adopt a needy spaniel mix instead. But when Marius learns Jack is tormented by horrible memories while at his apartment, he opens his home to the sweet, scared man. As their relationship grows, Jack feels comfortable telling Marius about the horrors he suffered. Marius hopes his steady presence, protection, and love can help Jack reclaim the pieces of himself broken on that terrible night.

Rescuing Jack is available here from Dreamspinner Press

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4665

Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. If she isn’t writing, she can usually be found studying as she works toward her counseling degree. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening, hiking, and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful fiance and their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.

For more about Caitlin, check out her website: www.caitlinricci.com.