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In Romance Little Things Count @AuthorTinaGayle
Yes, it’s those little things that drive us crazy or have us
panting for more.Imagine an elaborate night of dinner and dancing, then a wild
time in bed for dessert; now compare the one night with a hot kiss and a warm touch
that you received every day for the rest of your life. Though the first might be
a memory to last a life time, it’s the kiss and touch which helps us grow closer
and keeps us connected to the one we love.So how do we add little romantic touches to our everyday lives,
which will keep our love ones coming back for more?First use technology to help.·
Write an email and send it out to those people you
care about. I do this once a month to let everyone know what’s going on with me
and my family.·
Text message is great – use the quick messages feature
and find “I love you.” Send it out once a day to your lover.·
Don’t have time for a long call – call when you know
the person isn’t home and leave a message. “Yeah, just wanted to let you know
I was thinking about you.”·
Send pictures of what you’re doing or fun things
you see on the street through email or on your cell phone.Not into computers or don’t have a cell phone? No problem —
write a note.Now don’t let this scare you. A note can be as simple as
“I love you” or as complex as a love letter. If you are still at a loss,
pick up a romance novel and copy a line. Example: “In her fantasy, she broke
free of responsibility and responded to his touch” from my book Mating Rituals.
Add to it with something like “want a fantasy?”Hide these notes or lay them on the front seat of your lover’s
car. Make it fun and a special treat.Still not sure you can do these things?Here are a few more suggestions.·
Make sure you kiss your lover the minute he or she
walks through the door.·
Hide little presents for them around the house, apartment,
etc.·
Remember special occasion like birthdays, the day
you met, or play your song on your anniversary.·
Share an interest – football, hiking, dancing, etc.·
Do chores around the house together.As you can see there are an endless number of things that you
can do to build and maintain a strong relationship. They’re not required to be expensive
and ultra-grand, just heartfelt and caring.So remember the little things and reap the benefits of connecting
everyday with your lover.Tina GayleBooks Coming Soon
Current Working on a four book series – The Executives Wives’
ClubExecutives’ Wives’ Club seriesFour women…One fatal car wreck…Everyone’s lives changed…Revive – Needing to revive her life and jump
start her heart, Jennifer Larson is facing the biggest challenge of her life, moving
into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executives Wives’ Club continue
to mourn their husbands, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor,
Hagan Chaney.
But does he love her or her money?
Purchase at http://amzn.to/QM0BQDBirth – Brie Sullivan has a new baby girl and
there are a million things to do, but Brie doesn’t have the energy to keep up. Why?
She’s still grieving for her husband and suffering from baby blues, but she won’t
let that stop her. She’s come up with the answer–find a new husband to be the father
of her kids.
Jason Clark has been doing everything he can to help
Brie. He loves her but can he accept her proposal of marriage knowing she’s not
thinking clearly about the future?Purchase at http://amzn.to/Q82MNmBreath and Life coming out in 2013Read the 1st chapter of any of Tina Gayle’s books at http://tinagayle.netAbout the Author
Tina Gayle is working on a romance series about four executive
wives. She is excited about combining elements of women fiction with the passion
of romance. The first two books, “Revive” and “Birth” have been
released and the last two are coming out in 2013.Married twenty-five years, she and her husband love to travel
and play golf. She can’t wait for Mike to retire so they can do more of both.Find Tina Gayle everywhere:
Website – http://tinagayle.net
Blog – tinagayle.blogspot.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/AuthorTinaGayle
Goodread – http://goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle
Facebook – http://facebook.com/tina.gayle
Linkin – http://linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759 -
Contemporary: Second Chances @delaneydiamond
Second Chances. Delaney Diamond, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
about your book, Second Chances.Genre: Contemporary InterracialBuy links: All Romance Ebooks | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | SmashwordsPublisher: Delaney DiamondCover artist: MTheresa ArtsLength: 134 pagesHeat rating: SensualTagline: Sweet. Sensual. Passionate. Romance.Blurb:
Renaldo da Silva’s near-perfect life in Brazil comes to a halt when he finds
out about his wife’s betrayal. Now he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her.
But because he needs her help finalizing the biggest deal of his career, he’s forced
to make her a multi-million dollar offer and delay their divorce.Sabrina da Silva can’t forgive herself after a reckless night
destroys her marriage. She agrees to help her husband and then disappear from his
life for good. But with passion still smoldering between them, it’s not easy for
either to walk away. Will passion be enough to overcome the ultimate test of their
love?What are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?Renaldo da Silva, 29,
real estate investorSabrina da Silva, 27,
financial anaylstInterview
What do you enjoy most
about life?Spending time with friends and family. One of my mottos is live,
laugh, love! Life is too short to be stressed. Stress can attack you physically,
so I try to live as stress-free as possible and leave negative people and negative
situations behind.If you could give the
younger version of yourself advice what would it be?Don’t stress the small stuff! It’s funny how the things that
seemed important to me when I was younger are completely irrelevant now. If only
I’d known then what I know now…Do things your family
or friends do ever end up in a book?Oh yes! For instance, in Second
Chances, Lucélia, the daughter of Renaldo’s cousin, was running around with
a yucca fry offering a bite to people who were over at the house. My niece likes
to “share” her food like that, too, although if you ever took a bite, she’d have
a fit. One day I was over at my sister’s, and my niece kept offering us a bite of
her French fry. She must have had it for a good hour and wouldn’t put it down, and
every now and again she’d walk up to me or someone else in the family and offer
us a bite. My niece is always doing the cutest things (I’m not biased; you’d think
so, too, if you met her).Which of your books would
you recommend to someone who doesn’t normally read your genre, and why?Oh, that’s tough, because tastes are so subjective. But since
I have to choose, I’d recommend Private Acts.
It’s one of my most highly rated books. Readers seemed to really like Samirah’s
free spiritedness. I’ve also been told that the descriptions of Cuenca, Ecuador
helped the readers to feel as if they’d been transported to that locale, and the
sex between her and Miguel is smoking.What kind of books do
you read when taking a break from your own writing?Romance, mysteries, thrillers. I also like to read books on the
writing craft, the occasional biography, or books about major events in history.What do you do to relax?I cook or watch movies. Netflix rocks!Imagine you get to go
on a dream vacation, but you have only one hour to pack and leave, and it starts
as soon as you finish this interview. What will you take with you and where will
you go?I’d take my Kindle, a bathing suit, underwear, and a couple of
changes of clothes, because my dream vacation will definitely involve a beach somewhere.What do you like to do
when you’re bored?Eat. Yes, I know that’s terrible. Luckily, Netflix keeps me entertained
when I’m not hanging out with friends or doing something else, because staying at
home and being bored is dangerous. I find myself going to the fridge more often
than not.If you were a color, what
color would you be?Yellow, which happens to be my favorite color.Which statement is more
like you:“I am a vacation spa because I am laid back and relaxed.”“I am a ten-countries in ten-days tour vacation, because
I do things as fast as possible.”Please Fill in the Blanks
I love pizza with everything. Pile it full of meat and veggies!I’m always ready for traveling. I plan to do even more in
the near future.When I’m alone, I read or watch movies.You’d never be able to tell, but I’m a procrastinator. People
are always surprised when I tell them that because they think I’m so organized.
I’m just an organized procrastinator.Find Me Here
Website and blog: http://delaneydiamond.comFacebook: http://facebook.com/DelaneyDiamondTwitter: https://twitter.com/delaneydiamondGoodreads: http://goodreads.com/Delaney_Diamond -
Character Interview: SEAL Kyle Lansdowne @sharonlhamilton
Accidental SEAL. Sharon Hamilton, welcome
to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk about your books, Accidental SEAL, and SEAL
Encounter. You also have books in this series coming soon, Fallen SEAL Legacy, and
prequel SEAL Endeavor. I understand that Accidental SEAL and SEAL
Encounter, are out now, and that they spent 12 weeks in
the Amazon top 100 for Romantic Suspense. They earned you a top 100 Amazon
author ranking in Romantic Suspense. Congratulations! Let’s get started on these books.Genre: Contemporary Military
Romantic SuspenseBuy links:Accidental SEAL: http://amzn.com/B008CM1ODU/SEAL Encounter: (prequel/short):
http://amzn.com/B008CUKK7S/Publisher: AL PublishingCover artist: Kendra EgertLength: 90,000 words.Heat rating: Hot, straight
sex, frank language, explicit.Accidental SEALChristy Nelson embarks on her new career in Real Estate by holding
her first open house. Entering the wrong house, by accident, she finds the nude
sleeping body of a young man.Navy SEAL Kyle Lansdowne, on a mission to find his AWOL Team
buddy, is staying at his buddy’s home while investigating the disappearance. When
someone breaks in, he takes protective measures. He doesn’t expect to find that
a beautiful young woman is responsible for his teammate’s abduction.What starts out as a meeting by accident becomes a hot affair
neither one is ready for. Kyle is conflicted about getting Christy involved in his
mission, but his hand is forced when he learns the same San Diego gang responsible for his teammate’s
abduction has kidnapped her.Battling a cadre of dirty law enforcements hell-bent on getting
military equipment, especially state-of-the-art firepower, Kyle is forced to admit
that he would be willing to die to protect her.Interview with Kyle Lansdowne of Accidental
SEALTell us about yourself. What are you like?I’m a
simple guy. After the death of my mother, my father and I didn’t get along and the
Navy raised me, became my true family.What do you think is your strongest point?I’m not
special, I just don’t give up. Can’t stand to see innocents being abused. I like
being just one of the team, even though I lead them. I became a SEAL because I didn’t
have anything else at the time. Now it is different.Do you have a weakness? (If so, what do you
think it is? What does your lover think it is? What does your enemy think it is?)I guess
I have a soft spot for the one woman in my life. Christy rocks my world. She is
ten times smarter than I am. I knew from the first time I held her she was special,
was the only one I could love. I would do anything to protect her. I thought she
deserved better than me at first.What drives you to do the things you do? What
makes you want to be the “good guy?”Just like
in BUD/S, I don’t ring the bell. While some Team guys think they are God’s gift
to women, I have that singleness of focus that allows me to do the job I’m asked
to do. I love my community with the Teams and our families. I feel so lucky I found
this job at such an early age.What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?I love
freefalling, doing HALO jumps at midnight. I love my gear, all the fantastic equipment
I get to use. It turns me on going to Open Houses because of the way Christy and
I met.If you didn’t know how old you were how old
would you be?What a
dumb question.A biography has been written about you. What
do you think the title would be in six words or less?He likes
everything hard.If money were not an object, where would you
most like to live?I love
San Diego, maybe
live in one of those huge villas Christy gets to sell. Something with views of the
water.What song would best describe your life?For You,
by Keith UrbanIf you were a tool, what would people use
you to do?I’d be
a timing device on an IED.Picture yourself as a store. Considering your
personality and lifestyle, what type of products would be sold there?I’d like
to own a gym like Gunny’s when I’m too old to do team work. Rather than own a store,
I’d rather have a place where Team guys could come and hang out, like a SEAL bar.
I’d like to stay in the community I’m in, even when I’ve got kids old enough to
join the Teams.As a child, what was your favorite thing about
school?Sports.
Played I tried out for every sport. Had coaches on my case all the time about giving
up other sports to play for them. Never worked.Tell us an embarrassing story that has to
do with a pet. If you have no pets, a story about a significant other will do. ^_^You’ll
see it in Chapter 1 of Accidental SEAL – I tied Christy up in her own pantyhose
when she surprised me at the open house. Of course, she made the mistake and went
to the wrong house, but I still feel real bad about that.If you came with a warning label, what would
it say?Let me
come to you.Please
Fill in the Blanks as KyleI love pizza with everything
on it.I’m always ready for sex
with Christy. Wild, wicked sex.When I’m alone, I think
too much.You’d never be able to
tell, but I’m kinda shy.If I had a halo it would be titanium, but burnished, not shiny.If I could have ten
kids I would if Christy would let me.I can never forget the
past or where I came from because I am an ordinary man.About
the AuthorSharon Hamilton loves all things paranormal: Angels, Dark Angels,
Watchers, Guardians, Upogenie and Vampires. She also has developed a series of hot
romantic suspense Navy SEAL stories that have ranked her in the top 100 at Amazon
in that genre. Her characters follow a spicy road to redemption through passion
and true love—not exactly what they taught you in Sunday School!An avid organic vegetable and flower gardener, Sharon and her
husband live in the Wine Country in Northern California,
where most of her stories take place.Find Me Here
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Salute to Veteran Authors #VeteransDay
Kayelle Allen here. Romance Lives Forever is dedicated to new
authors and new books. As such, I rarely step in as a blogger — I prefer to interview
guests and feature others. My personal blog, Unstoppable Heroes, is where I do my
own “bragging” about new books and events. But today on RLF, I want to
honor some special people: veterans.Folding the Flag. The first Veteran’s Day was called “Armistice Day”
and was proclaimed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson on November 11, 1919. In proclaiming
the holiday, he said, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will
be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service
and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has
freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy
with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.” Unlike Memorial Day,
which celebrates those who died in service, Veterans Day celebrates the service
itself. WikipediaToday’s blog features fellow veterans who are authors. This is
by no means an exhaustive list, but these folks are proud to stand and be counted. Please
visit their sites, and get to know them and their books. I believe the highest honor
one can pay an author is to buy his or her book.Authors Who Served
Listed in alphabetical order by first name.Romance Tangled with SuspenseCK Crouch — US ArmyHot RomanceDelilah Devlin – US ArmyParanormal and Contemporary RomanceEliza Gayle — US Marine CorpsRomanceElla Quinn – US ArmyMilitary RomanceGeri Krotow — US NavyLove Is In The Air – And In The FleetHeather McLachlan — US Navyhttp://HeatherMcLachlan.comUrban Fantasy RomanceIsis Rushdan — US Air Forcehttp://isisrushdan.blogspot.com/Historical RomanceJeane Westin — US ArmyErotica Romance where the destiny is love ~ Let me take you on
the journeyJennifer France — US Navyhttp://jenniferfrance.comTapping into your Flights of FancyLacey Falcone — US Air ForceDark Heroes, Feisty Heroines, Scorching StoriesLisa Carlisle — US Marine CorpsMilitary Memoirs – Parris Island — Journey of a Woman MarineLisa Cordeiro — US Marine Corpshttp://lisacordeiro.comLet Fate guide you… One story at a timeLoni Lynne — US NavyMystery/Romance authorLori Avocato — US Air Forcehttp://loriavocato.comLove … Laughter … ForeverJoyce Adams — US Armyhttp://joyceadamscounts.comMysteryKathleen Toomey Jabs — US NavyUnstoppable heroes, Uncompromising love, Unforgettable passionKayelle Allen — US NavyA Dash of Romance with a Dusting of MysteryMisty MacRae — US Navyhttp://mistymacrasblog.blogspot.comWhere Romance is Always an AdventureRogenna Brewer — US NavyUnexpected Romantic FictionSandy Wickersham-McWhorter — USAFRomantic Suspense, YA, Juvenile, SciFi, and Hard Boiled DetectiveWayne Greenough — US Navyhttp://waynegreenough.comScottish Medieval Romantic SuspenseDiana Cosby — US NavyDark heroes and heroines with bite…sink your teeth into a romance
bySapphire Phelan — US ArmyEscape to the past with a romantic adventureTerry Irene Blain — US Navyhttp://www.terryireneblain.com/
Military Romance and Medical DramaTracey Cramer-Kelly — Army National GuardStatistics on this list:
US Navy – 11RomVets US Marines – 3US
Army National Guard – 1US Army – 6US Air Force – 4Men – 1Women – 24One unusual Veterans group that is special to me is called RomVets. They are all women who served in the armed
forces and who write Romance. I am proud to be a member. Click the link to visit
the website and learn more about this organization and its members.img credit (flag): everystockphoto.com -
Character Interview: A Texas Girl @authorkristina
What a Texas Girl Wants. Kristina Knight, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
about your book, What a Texas Girl Wants.Genre: Contemporary RomanceBuy links:B&N: http://barnesandnoble.com/w/what-a-texas-girl-wants-kristina-knight/1110496096?ean=9781440544637iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/what-a-texas-girl-wants/id523130266?mt=11Publisher: Crimson RomanceCover artist: Crimson RomanceLength: 52,000 wordsHeat rating: SensualTagline: What happens in Mexico
doesn’t always stay in MexicoBlurb:Kathleen Witte is a down-to-earth girl. She has to be, with the
family ranch on the verge of success. After seven months of keeping it all together
by swearing off men, however, Kathleen needs a bit of fun in the sun. Waking up
with a husband she can’t remember isn’t how she planned to blow off steam.The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth
girl. He has four weeks of freedom in which to find his birth mother. He’s done
well avoiding commitment until now, so when he wakes up on a Mexican beach with
Kathleen his first reaction is curiosity. When he spies the matching wedding rings
on their left hands curiosity turns to concern.Neither Jackson
nor Kathleen want to stay married, but when her family shows up, they have no choice.
Once back in Texas,
however, can they keep this all-business marriage from turning into an all-consuming
love?Interview with Kathleen Witte
Kathleen, tell us about
yourself. What are you like?I’m a Texas
girl, born and bred, which makes it kind of funny that I fell for a city boy. But
then, Jackson was a Texas boy at one point! I train horses and live
on the same ranch where I grew up.What do you think is your
strongest point?My determination. I set a goal and I go after it whole-heartedly.Do you have a weakness?
(If so, what do you think it is? What does your lover think it is? What does your
enemy think it is?)Sometimes I become so focused on a goal that I miss the point
of living life. That’s what led me to Mexico, which wound up being a good
thing. But at the time, Mexico
felt like the biggest mistake of my life! Jackson
will say my greatest weakness comes when he does this kissing thing on the back
of my neck…Saint’s Devilish Deal What drives you to do
the things you do? What makes you want to be the “good guy?”I think my drive comes from my grandfather, and my father to
a certain extent. Dad wasn’t always around when I was little, so I started trying
new things to get his attention. That didn’t always work, but my boldness did capture
my grandfather’s attention. Him being proud of my accomplishments keeps me trying
for even bigger goals.What’s your favorite guilty
pleasure?Dark chocolate with sea salt. I know dark chocolate is technically
better for us than milk chocolate…but it tastes so good I feel guilty enjoying it.If you didn’t know how
old you were how old would you be?Tough question. I think I’d like to be 28. Because at 28 I’d
be old enough to know better…and still young enough to get away with doing some
bad things…ha!A biography has been written
about you. What do you think the title would be in six words or less?Kathleen Witte, An Ordinary Girl.If money were not an object,
where would you most like to live?Texas,
exactly where I am. I’m a very lucky girl – I grew up in the best place in the world,
and now that I’m grown up I get to do the thing I love (train horses) and live there
with the best guy in the world (Jackson).
He comes and goes a little bit, because of his work, but Texas is definitely part of our lives.What song would best describe
your life?I’m Just a Girl by Deana CarterIf you were a tool, what
would people use you to do?Get the job done! I’m the type of person who can’t quit on a
task. I’m a hard worker…so I guess I’d make a good hammer.Picture yourself as a
store. Considering your personality and lifestyle, what type of products would be
sold there?A little bit of everything. Saddles and tack, girlie dresses,
boots. I’m a General Store kind of girl.As a child, what was your
favorite thing about school?The day being over! I wasn’t a bad student and school wasn’t
hard for me, but I had so much more fun on the ranch that I wished every day for
the 3 o’clock bell to ring.Tell us an embarrassing
story that has to do with a pet. If you have no pets, a story about a significant
other will do. ^_^Probably one of my most embarrassing moments happened when I
was visiting U-TEP on a college preview weekend. I’m a small town girl and the campus
was huge, but I was so confident that I couldn’t do anything wrong! So I’m wandering
around the campus, not paying attention to where I’m going and I slammed into this
photographer guy – who was none other than my childhood crush, Jackson Taylor. I
had no idea what he was doing there and I was a little snippy with him. I broke
his camera…and it was just bad. That did not lead to us falling in love and living
happily ever after, not for a while. And he still teases me about that day!If you came with a warning
label, what would it say?Warning: Contents are Combustible.Please Fill in the Blanks as Kathleen
I love pizza with extra cheese.I’m always ready for a picnic.When I’m alone, I think about my next To Do list.You’d never be able to tell, but I’m usually nervous.If I had a halo it would be crooked.If I could turn back time I’d ask Jackson out way back in college.Kristina Knight I can never eat chocolate because I would never stop.About the Author
Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from
car crash to fire to meetings with local police–no, she wasn’t a troublemaker,
she was a journalist. When the opportunity to focus a bit of energy on the stories
in her head, she jumped at it. And she’s never looked back. Now she writes magazine
articles by day and romance novels with spice by night. She lives on Lake Erie with her husband and three-year-old daughter. Happily
ever after.Previous Books:
The Saint’s Devilish DealBooks Coming Soon:
What a Texas
Girl NeedsWhat a Texas
Girl DreamsFind Me Here
Website: http://kristinaknightauthor.comBlog: http://kristiknight.blogspot.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/authorkristinaFacebook: http://facebook.com/kristinaknightromanceauthorPinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorkristina -
Save Room For Ice Cream @emlynley
Brand New Flavor. Save Room For Ice Cream @emlynley #amreadingEM Lynley, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
about your book, Brand New Flavor.Genre: Gay Romance, M/M, ContemporaryBuy links: http://dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3369&cPath=190
(pre-order now, release November 21)Publisher: Dreamspinner PressCover artist: LC ChaseLength: 150 pages/37,000 wordsHeat rating: 4 on a scale of 1-5From EM Lynley
I’m so excited to be here at Romance Lives Forever to talk about
my upcoming release Brand New Flavor. For anyone who’s read more than one of my
books, you may have noticed a common thread: I love to write about food and cooking.
Even if the character is wandering the streets of Bangkok, as in Rarer Than Rubies, you’ll get a
mouthwatering description of the most delectable duck dish that had dozens of readers
heading to their local Thai restaurants. I love to cook (and eat) and I’ve taken
food writing courses and spent seven years in the Northern
California wine industry.Brand New Flavor is all about Jericho “Jay” Brown,
an artisan ice cream maker. He’s passionate about his frozen treats and the secret
recipe he spent more than a year perfecting. He’s just as passionate about Cameron
Clay, a food critic, but their romance hits a rocky road before they can find out
whether they belong together or not.Be prepared for plenty of mouthwatering descriptions of ice cream–and
hot guys–without the calories or guilt. But I’ll confess, my editors and beta readers
all went running for ice cream while they were reading this story. It comes out
the day before Thanksgiving, probably the biggest food fest in the United States, so
it’s a perfectly fitting date.Research for Brand New Flavor was fun! I visited and sampled
ice creams, gelatos, sorbets and other frozen desserts while I was deciding just
what would make Jay’s particular ice cream so spectacular. I actually created my
own fantasy of what ice cream could be, though as far as I know no one makes anything
quite like I’ve described. I even spent some time in the kitchen at Scream Sorbet,
a local shop where I watched the staff at work and peppered the kitchen manager
with dozens of questions, about their process, ingredients, sourcing, and how to
grow a small business. I also spoke with chefs about flavor combinations to make
sure the flavors I made up would really work, and taste as good as I think they
sound.Along the way I tasted:Hopefully this will whet your appetite for Brand New Flavor (you
can pre-order from Dreamspinner Press now and download on release day Nov 21). And
if you like that, stay tuned. It’s just the first book in my brand new series, Delectable,
which features characters from the food and wine industry.Excerpt
When artisan ice cream maker Jay Brown first meets food writer
Cameron Clay at a charity tasting event, they get along like strawberries and chocolate
sauce. Jay’s unique flavors thrill more than Cameron’s jaded palate, but after a
delicious encounter in Jay’s delivery truck, where extra-creamy frozen treats are
not the only delights sampled, Cameron loses Jay’s contact info–and any hope of
a real date.Desperate, Cameron convinces his editor to host an artisanal
ice cream contest in hopes of drawing out the elusive genius. But more complications
threaten to intervene. Will Jay even enter the contest? Or will the chance of a
happily ever after melt away?On Monday Jay descended the stairway
from his apartment over Glace’s industrial kitchen, making sure he had his cell
phone and that it was fully charged. He even brought the charger with him, just
in case. He didn’t want to miss the call from Cameron Clay. Jay believed Cameron’s
promise to call, and even if it didn’t turn out to be anything more than the one
casual encounter for them, Cameron had enjoyed Jay’s ice cream almost as much as
he’d enjoyed Jay. Hadn’t he?Jay never had very good judgment when
it came to guys. He’d made the mistake of jumping right in with both feet before.
Best to take it slow, and not get burned again. He still hadn’t recovered from the
last time. One thing to want to get a guy’s clothes off, but it was never a good
idea to fall in love too easily. Not that Jay had fallen in love with Cameron or
anything. He hadn’t. How could he? Cameron had said “mmmm” and “oh yeah” and a few
other things along those lines. Certainly flattering to Jay and his ice cream, but
not enough to base a relationship on; even Jay understood that.But Cameron Clay did know how to speak–or
at least write–coherently and use words with multiple syllables. The guy even knew
when to use semicolons, which impressed Jay. He’d Googled Cameron Clay as soon as
he’d gotten home from his deliveries. He’d read a few of Cameron’s articles and
columns and ordered two of his books from Amazon. Real paper and two-day delivery
and everything–not just Kindle versions. Fuck, maybe I am in love already.Ice cream and gelato He certainly was in love with the way
Cameron thought and wrote about food. Jay had never read anything quite like it
and it practically gave him a hard-on just reading Cameron’s words. Okay, it actually
had turned him on if he was going to be honest about it. Cameron was a mixture of
James Beard, Julia Child, MFK Fisher and Ruth Reichl all in one extremely sexy package.
A sexy gay package–even better.For the next thirty minutes, Jay forced
himself to concentrate on ice cream and not on Cameron. He went to the big walk-in
cooler to see what fruit was ripe. He’d used up nearly everything on hand making
the product for the tasting event. He’d use up what he had on hand and then call
his suppliers and see what was ripe and when he should go to their farms to collect
his orders.He glanced around the cooler and selected
several baskets of berries. He loaded them into a wide plastic tub, shut the cooler
door, and strolled over to the ripening room to see what looked and smelled best.
He picked up and sniffed a series of melons, choosing three varieties that were
approaching perfection. The heady, sweet scent and just the right give under his
thumb. He rinsed everything under warm water in the sink, and then brought his bounty
over to the cutting boards. Within a few minutes, he had a pile of delicious chunks
of three kinds of melon. He pureed each separately, pouring the thick sweet-smelling
result into wide beakers. He did the same with the berries, sieving the ones with
seeds, until he had a little rainbow of beakers. From the blue-black of blackberries
to the celadon of Persian melon.What were Cam’s
favorite flavors? That did it. Jay’s concentration broke, and he lost the battle
to ignore the phone after only twenty minutes of work. He pulled his cell out of
his pocket just to make sure he had a signal: four out of five bars. What the fuck
am I doing?“Whatcha working on this morning?” Maya’s
voice shattered the silence and Jay nearly dropped his phone into a beaker of bright
watermelon puree. He hadn’t heard her unlock the door. Had he locked up properly
the night before? Probably too distracted with fantasies of Cameron Clay. Maybe
he needed to increase security.“Nothin’.”Rarer Than Rubies “Looks like something. Trying a new
combo?”“Yeah. Maybe some sweet melons contrasting
with a tart berry. Or just layering the melons. I’m gonna play with the proportions
for a while before I prepare a full batch.”“I’ll help taste test once I’ve made
the calls, okay?”“Sure.” Jay pushed the phone into his
apron pocket and grabbed a stack of small Pyrex dishes where he’d mix flavors, like
an artist combining shades on his palette.“Oh, do you want to start selling any
of the flavors we handed out yesterday?”“No. Not ready.”“What do you mean ‘not ready’? We had
people lining up three, four times to get samples. Our clients are always asking
for new stuff.”“Not ready.”“Jay….” Maya let her voice drop into
the lower register. “What’s wrong?”Like he was going to admit Cameron Clay
hadn’t called yet. “They’re not ready.”“They why aren’t you working with them?
Why are you playing with new stuff? Are you just giving up on those flavors?”“They’ve gone public. I can’t risk it.”“Come on, Jay. Don’t you think you’re
carrying this stealth thing a bit too far? No one’s spying on you.”“I won’t risk it. Not after….”“Jay, that was almost two years ago.
You can’t keep hiding in here like it’s some sort of Batcave because you think someone’s
going to steal your flavors and your ideas. The way to avoid that is to actually
start selling them, get them into the market so everyone knows you created them.
The longer you wait, the more chance you do have of being scooped.” She clapped
a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle. “Sorry.” She dropped the hand and her
expression turned serious again. “I mean it. You’re not helping yourself. You’re
letting that asshole win if you keep this up.”Going for Gold Jay took a deep breath and pulled himself
up to his full height. He exhaled and watched Maya’s face. His pulse skyrocketed
and he heard the sound of glass shattering. He’d dropped the bowl he’d been holding.
“Crap.” He bent to clean up the shards, nearly bumping his head against Maya’s.“I’ll clean this up.” She knelt and
pushed at his shoulder. “I shouldn’t have mentioned him. I’m sorry.”Jay stood and watched as Maya swiped
a damp towel across the floor, and fought to get his breath under control. Thinking
about Paul Rhodes always did this to him. He went over to the sink and washed his
hands, lathering up the anti-bacterial scrub and letting the hot water scald away
the memories and distract him from the knot in his stomach.Previous Books
Rarer Than Rubies (Precious Gems #1), Italian Ice (Precious Gems
#2), A Christmas Bonus, Wicked Good: M/M Angels/Demons Anthology, Going for Gold:
Gay Olympic Anthology, Disguises, Hostile Takeover, Bedknobs & Beanstalks Gay
Fairy Tales AnthologySee more here: http://emlynley.com/books.htmlBooks Coming Soon
A Lesser Evil, gay angels/demons novella from Total E-Bound and
Lighting the Way Home, Book 2 in the Delectable series, co-written with Shira Anthony,
coming from Dreamspinner Press in March 2013.Contest
EM Lynley Comment to be entered to win a copy of Brand New Flavor in your
choice of e-book formats. If more than 15 people enter I’ll give away two copies.
Contest ends at midnight on November 11. Check my blog for the winner’s name or
leave your email in the comment so I can find you again!Find Me Here
Website: http://emlynley.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/pages/Author-EM-Lynley/146199905400403
and http://facebook.com/emlynleyTwitter: http://twitter.com/emlynleyBlog: http://emlynley.com/blogLiveJournal: http://emlynley.livejournal.comimage credit: Creative Commons License: Photo by Alessio Damata