Andrew Q. Gordon

Tag: Paranormal Romance

  • Of Scales & Fire by Natalina Reis ~ Blog Tour and Excerpt

    Please join me in welcoming Natalina Reis to the Land of Make Believe! She has stopped by to share her thoughts on writing outcasts and celebrate the release of her new MM gay/bi paranormal/urban fantasy romance, Of Magic & Scales book two: Of Scales and Fire. And there’s a giveaway!

    Welcome, Natalina!

    Natalina Reis on Writing Outcasts

    I’m often accused of writing “weak” characters, immature and insecure. I admit, I often write characters riddled with doubts about themselves and how others feel about them. I also know my characters usually come off as being a bit childish either because of my penchant to use a lot of humor or because, well, they display a lot of insecurities. But I never write weak characters.

    People normally equate being assertive and secure with being strong. To me what makes a person strong is the ability to face those things that make you uncomfortable or to soldier on when you’re afraid or anxious. Not much different from the definition of a hero. A hero is not someone who is not afraid but someone who acts despite being terrified.

    Aiden, in the Of Magic & Scales series, is only sure about one thing: his sexual prowess. Other than that he second guesses himself at every turn including doubting that anyone could ever really love him. Does that make him weak or immature (well, he is immature by his own admission)? I beg to differ. Despite all his doubts, his fears, Aiden is always willing to risk it all for those he loves and willing to change and accept things he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—before. To me that’s the real challenge, to be able to surpass your fears and doubts and come up on top in the end.

    My writer’s tagline reads “Writing romance for the misfits, the outcasts, and the lovers unafraid to go against the grain” and that’s exactly what you will find in all my books, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a FM romantic comedy, a romantic fantasy, a dystopian romance, or a MM paranormal. In each of my stories there is someone who struggles against his/her own doubts and limitations but does not let that stop him/her from achieving his/her goals.

    Of Scales & Fire

    The cast of supporting characters from Natalina Reis’s “Of Magic and Scales” are back and stronger than ever, and so are the pop culture references and silly jokes Aiden likes so much. As Aiden and his new family are joined by an unexpected antagonist that may yet prove to be their undoing, will their (un)domesticated new life as a couple be turned upside down?

    Aiden Mercer’s life has changed dramatically since his days of being a man-whore, where he spent most of the time either running his coffee shop in sunny Portugal or man-watching at the beach. He now has Naël, a cranky merman to love and to hold, and his sister, Vee, and friends to care for. Life is good.

    But life never seems to stop surprising the American ex-detective. A mysterious order of monks, a mermen poacher, shocking revelations about his parentage—and whoever is hunting him down—turn Aiden and Naël’s summer into one to remember. Or maybe one they’d rather forget.

    | Publisher | Amazon UK | Amazon | Amazon CAN | Amazon AU | iBooks |
    | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Universal Link | QueeRomance Ink | Smashwords | Goodreads |

    Giveaway

    Natalina is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour:

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47170/?

    Excerpt

    It had become a running joke with us—the fact that I had no clue who or what I was. It was painfully obvious I was a magical of some kind, but no one seemed to be able to identify which one. I had lived my whole adult life thinking I was just a Joe Schmo, only to find out that was far from the truth. I was still pretty ambivalent about it. It was nice to have powers other humans could only dream of, but on the other hand, it also meant I was forever linked to a group of creatures I had fought so hard to stay clear of.

    I pushed him away, pretending to be mad at him. “Well, I am very poorly acquainted with my own powers, and until I learn how to better control them, I’m not much help to anyone.” I took another quick peek at the couple now walking out the door.

    Fouchard slapped me with the kitchen towel. “Those powers were what saved my sister two months ago.” It was true; I had helped rescue his sister from the hands of a serial killer bent on getting rid of all magicals who didn’t fit the traditional mold. My boyfriend took a couple steps until his lips hovered over mine, his heady scent invading all my senses. He was the one who held all the magic. “Stop being so down on yourself and own it. You do with everything else, why not with this too? It’s part of who you are.” True, except I really didn’t know who I was. Fuck, I didn’t even know my own birthday. “Besides, you have magic in those fingers of yours,” he whispered, a wicked smile spreading on his lips. “You’re a true sorcerer with that mouth.” He brushed a thumb along my lower lip. Then he looked down at my crotch and licked his lips. “And other magical parts.” He let it hang as he lifted his eyes to mine. 

    Author Bio

    Natalina Reis

    Natalina wrote her first romance at the age of 13 in collaboration with her best friend. Since then she has ventured into other genres, but romance is first and foremost in almost everything she writes. She’s the author of We Will Always Have the Closet, Desert Jewel, Loved You Always, and Lavender Fields.

    After earning a degree in tourism and foreign languages, she worked as a tourist guide in her native Portugal for a short time before moving to the United States. She lived in three continents and a few islands, and her knack for languages and linguistics led her to a master’s degree in education. She lives in Virginia where she’s taught English as a Second Language to elementary school children for more years than she cares to admit.

    Natalina doesn’t believe you can have too many books or too much coffee. Art and dance make her happy and she is pretty sure she could survive on lobster and bananas alone. When she is not writing or stressing over lesson plans, she shares her life with her husband and two adult sons.

    Where to Find Natalina Reis

    | Website | Facebook (Personal | Facebook Author Page | Twitter |
    | Instagram | Goodreads | QueeRomance Ink |
    | Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com) | Amazon |

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  • Guest Author: Nicola Cornick

    USA Today Bestselling author, Nicola Cornick stopped by today to share the “timeless” nature of her writing. Welcome to the World of Make Believe, Nicola!

    Crossing Genres, Crossing Time

    Hello and thank you for welcoming me to the blog! My name is Nicola Cornick and I write what is often called “timeslip” novels. By timeslip I mean a narrative that weaves together two or more stories set in different time periods rather than a book where a character or group of characters actually travels through time by some means. Of course it’s not always that straightforward. Timeslip books may also contain some time travel or magic or other paranormal elements. My first timeslip novel, House of Shadows, for example, combined three historical eras, a small amount of time travel, ghosts, visions, folklore and magic. Timeslip is a difficult genre to pin down and that may be part of the problem authors have sometimes with selling the idea of it to publishing professionals. It’s a type of novel that crosses genres as well as crossing time. There can be lots of different elements in the story: romance, crime, mystery and fantasy. A timeslip author is effectively writing three different sub-genres at the same time – contemporary, historical and paranormal.

    It’s always interested me that there is a resistance amongst many agents and publishers to the idea of timeslip novels being big sellers when these are themes that appeal to a broad readership. Almost always, when I get into a discussion with an agent or publisher about the genre, the response is that it’s a small niche market, there aren’t sufficient readers who want books like that, and a timeslip author won’t ever sell in huge numbers. I’d like to challenge these ideas and try and change perceptions. Firstly I’d like to challenge the concept that insufficient readers are interested in timeslip. Okay, so my research into this is anecdotal, conducted amongst friends and fellow readers who love timeslip novels as I do but you only need to look more broadly at best-selling authors like Kate Morton to see that there is an appetite for books set in dual time periods. In the past few years there has been an explosion in books with dual narratives and literary authors as well as genre authors have been embracing the idea. If you look widely you will see that “timeslip” in its different guises is everywhere. “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson, “The Time-Traveller’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger, even “Time’s Arrow” by Martin Amis all play with the same ideas or time travel or reincarnation or other supernatural elements. It’s even a fundamental theme in Dr Who. It has a long and distinguished history as well, via H G Wells, Daphne Du Maurier and Barbara Erskine, to name but a few.

    What is it about writing timeslip that appeals to me? I love the idea of a mystery that occurs in the past and is then solved in the present, and I love writing about women who usually only feature in the footnotes of history. For my second book, The Phantom Tree, I researched and wrote about Mary Seymour, the daughter of Queen Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour, whose story had fascinated me from childhood. My heroines are all strong women whose role in history has either been forgotten or neglected. I enjoy bringing their stories to light. Readers love the idea of there being connections between the past and the present and the way that stories from hundreds of years ago still resonate now. My aim is to tell a great story with richly layered characters within an authentic historical framework, and she that its message can be as relevant now is it was hundreds of years ago.

    The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick on Amazon

    About Nicola

    Nicola Cornick grew up in Yorkshire and studied History at the University of London and at Ruskin College Oxford. She worked in academia for a number of years before becoming a full-time writer. She is the author of acclaimed dual-time mysteries as well as of award-winning historical romance.

    When she isn’t writing, Nicola volunteers as a guide and researcher for the National Trust at the 17th century hunting lodge Ashdown House. She has given talks and chaired panels for a number of festivals and conferences including the London Book Fair, the Historical Novel Society and the Sharjah Festival of Literature.  Nicola also gives talks on public and local history topics to WIs, history societies and other interested groups.

    She is a former Chair of the Romantic Novelists Association, Wiltshire Libraries Writer in Residence and trustee of Wantage Literary Festival, and in her spare time is a puppy walker for the Guide Dogs charity.

    Where to Find Nicola

    Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | YouTube | Instagram

  • New Release: David’s Dilemma by Rae Brewer

    David’s Dilemma, by Rae Brewer

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    Jaguar Bk 4Blurb:

    It’s been three years since David broke up with Michael. He’s ready to find his mate. Only the only man he’s attracted to at all is a hookup from a bar. After hours of passion they separate and David only discovers the next morning the man was his mate. Where can he find him again? And what is his name?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Publisher: JK Publishing, Inc

    Cover Artist: Jess Buffett

    Sales Links:

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  • New Release: Deconstructing Channing, by BA Tortuga

    Deconstructing Channing_HiRes[1]Blurb:

    When they were young together back in their werecat pride, Bowie and Channing experimented with love and sex, as well as flirting with a threesome with their best friend Emma. Channing and Emma both ran from their needs, leaving Bowie to break away and find his own life. Now a confident Dom, Bowie discovers Channing again through a video of a consummate sub, one Bowie knows he needs to find once more.

    When Bowie shows up on his doorstep, Channing feels like a teenager again, all confusion and need. He doesn’t date his own kind, only humans, and he’s not in the market for a full-time Master. Bowie is impossible to deny, a force of nature, and while both men know they’ll have to think about Emma eventually, now is the time to see if they can get to know and love each other all over again.

    Publisher: Ellora’s Cave

    Cover Artist: Kelly Martin

    Excerpt:

    The trip was designed to give him time. Time to figure out what he was going to say to Channing Lanier when he saw the sorry son of a bitch again.

    He could start with “Hey, you rat bastard. Amazing how you came out after you dropped me like a hot rock.” That would be fun. Or maybe, “I thought you weren’t into spanking and bondage, and your precious asshole was sacrosanct, but now you’re a bottom in the underground BDSM scene,” would work better. (more…)