Sunday, August 31, 2014

Appearances is here! Release day Event and Buy links

Appearances, can be deceiving.

Raven and Tanis are trying very hard to merge their vastly different lifestyles, but Tanis issues with his own past could prove to be more than their fragile relationship can handle. Is their love for each other strong enough to weather the oncoming storm?

Aiya and Sawyer have fought hard to be together in a world where Opposite relationships are generally forbidden. Yet, they are still forced to keep their relationship a secret while they are outside the walls of House Gaeland.

Everyone assumes that the only threat lies outside their walls, the group of rebels led by Cillian. But something is happening within House Gaeland, something that hasn’t happened since GWI. And with all the attention focused on that, their guard is down. An evil that was under their nose all along strikes, and someone will make the ultimate sacrifice to save another.

ies should be read in order.

** Warning, Opposites is an Adult Dystopian majorly M/M series that contains explicit sexual content and relationships between gay, straight and lesbian couples. **

Buy links: Amazon | ARe

And be sure to stop by the event today on facebook from 12-4PM CST for some exclusive giveaways and a few surprise guests to help me host and celebrate the release of Appearances!

A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. She now calls Texas home from her small town on the outskirts of the DFW Metroplex. Most days you can find her curled up with her kindle and a good book alongside a glass of something aged and red or a steaming cup of coffee!

At 42 years young, she's decided to enter the next phase of her life by adding the title of "author" to her list of accomplishments that includes single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Smith is and outspoken advocate for Autism and equal rights for the LGBTQ community.

Her Opposites series is based outside the normal parameters of social acceptability, examining a 'what if'... What If to be gay or lesbian were the norm? What if to be straight labeled you as an Opposite and made YOU the Outkast?

Author Links....

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Release day Spotlight, Excerpt and Buy links.. Paint the Sky by Lily G. Blunt

12:00 AM No comments

Paint the Sky

Lily G. Blunt

Genre: M/M, Contemporary Romance and Erotica

Length: 65,000 Words/230 pages

Release Date: August 30, 2014

ASIN: B00MSYA1JQ

A love of art...

A mutual interest in art draws two shy university students together. Ben admires Vinnie’s painting of the university building, so Vinnie invites him to an exhibition of his artwork. From a wealthy family, Ben purchases some of Vinnie’s art and arranges for the artist to personally hang the paintings in his apartment.

Starry, starry night...

Ben commissions Vinnie to paint his portrait, in order to spend more time with the artist. On the night of the sitting, Vinnie fingerpaints the starry night on Ben’s chest... and they kiss. They begin a relationship beneath the night sky, God’s own canvas.

But every relationship has its ups and downs and so it is with theirs. When Ben thinks Vinnie spends too much time with a fellow artist, his jealousy drives a wedge between them and forces Vinnie into the very thing Ben dreads.

Hold tight to your dreams...

Ben and Vinnie will have to walk through fire before they can find one another again. But if they believe, and if they keep their faith in the night sky and each other, just maybe they can make their dreams of love come true.

** Grab your copy of Paint the Sky now through Amazon! **

Vinnie led me across the room, pulling me by the shirt. “Lie back on the sofa for me and I'll paint you.”

As if in a dream, I settled my head against one arm of the sofa, my legs dangling over the other end, scarcely breathing now. Vinnie knelt on the floor beside me with an open pot of paint in his hand.

Teasingly, he dipped his index finger into the dark blue paint as if it were cream he would lick off. His finger connected with my skin and he made short strokes across my chest, the coldness of the paint making me shiver.

Mesmerised by the closeness of his beautiful face, the view of the night sky through the window, and the picture forming upon my chest, I watched as dab after dab and stroke after stroke he built up a mix of shades, until a dark night sky with the moon and stars were there to be seen—a masterpiece, drying on the warmth of my blazing skin, a transient thing of beauty. His fingers skimmed my skin causing gooseflesh to ripple in waves down my arms and thighs. My nipples pebbled in response to his touch.

And when he was done, his lips met mine in a languid kiss; how our first kiss should have been—sweet, innocent, and full of promise. He pulled away, smiling down at me.

This was the beginning of something special.

BUY/PRE-ORDER LINKS: Amazon UK | Amazon US

Lily G. Blunt writes contemporary gay romance and erotica. She loves to explore the relationship between two men and the intensity of their physical and emotional attraction. Angst often features in her stories as she feels this demonstrates the depth of the men’s feelings for each other. Lily is forever writing imaginary scenes and plots in her head, but only a few ever make it to the page—there never seems to be enough hours in the day despite having left the teaching profession to concentrate on her writing!

Lily discovered the wonderful world of m/m romance novels four years ago via fan fiction and went on to write stories in her spare time. With the encouragement of her friends and readers she decided to publish some of her work.

Lily has several self-published stories available on Amazon. She is also published with Torquere Press and Wayward Ink Publishing.

Easily distracted from her writing, Lily makes videos using clips from gay-themed movies and posts gorgeous pictures of men kissing or making out on her tumblr and Facebook pages. Lily is also an avid supporter of GLBTQ rights and advocates equality for all.

Lily lives in central England with her rather bemused husband, two twenty-something children, and a ‘mad as a bag of frogs’ Shetland Sheepdog.

LILY G. BLUNT’S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

WordPress: http://lilygblunt.wordpress.com

Blog: http://lilygblunt.blogspot.co.uk/

FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/LilyGBlunt

FB Profile: http://www.facebook.com/lily.blunt.75

Tumblr: http://bobloving.tumblr.com/

Tumblr: http://lilygblunt.tumblr.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BoyonBoyLoving?feature=mhee

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoyonBoyLoving

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6586037.Lily_G_Blunt

Double Up virtual book tour Spotlight & COMMENT Giveaway {Riptide Publishing}

12:00 AM 8 comments

Knowing he’s loved can make any man fly.

Fifteen years ago, Ben Warren was a wakeboarding champion: king of big air, ballsy tricks, and boned grabs. Until a career-ending injury left him broken in ways he still has no hope of fixing. Now he takes his thrills where he can get them, and tries not to let life hurt too much.

Then Davis Fox arrives in Ben’s sporting goods store with a plan to get in touch with his estranged brother by competing in the annual wakeboarding double-up contest. The catch? He’s never ridden before. It’s crazy, but Ben’s a sucker for the guy’s sob story—and for his dimples, too—so he agrees to coach Davis.

Davis is everything Ben isn’t: successful, confident, and in love with life. And he wants Ben to love life—and him—too. But before Ben can embrace a future with Davis, he needs to remember how to hope.

Author of over a dozen novels, novellas, and short stories, Vanessa North delights in giving happy-ever-afters to characters who don’t think they deserve them. Relentless curiosity led her to take up knitting and run a few marathons “just to see if she could.” She started writing for the same reason. Her very patient husband pretends not to notice when her hobbies take over the house. Living and writing in Northwest Georgia, she finds her attempts to keep a quiet home are frequently thwarted by twin boy-children and a very, very large dog.

· Website: vanessanorth.com

· Facebook profile page: facebook.com/AuthorVanessaNorth

· Twitter: @VanessaNWrites

· Goodreads: goodreads.com/VanessaNorth

Excerpt from Double Up...

I know his type the minute he walks through the door.

He’s at least twenty-five, has more money than God, and recently decided his dick is measured by the air he can catch on a board. He’s wearing khakis and a polo shirt, as if he came from a golf course. Or work. Do guys like him work? Or just milk a trust fund?

He’s also cute. Really fucking cute. Dark hair, freckles, dimples, a lean body. I can’t help but take an interest. Or my cock can’t.

But I know better. He’s probably straight, and even if he isn’t, he’s way the fuck out of my league. The guy has eyelashes for days and that mouth? Holy hell. Get it together, Warren.

“Welcome to Legend Wakeboards. Can I help you?”

“Yeah . . . I need to see Ben Warren.” He looks down at a card in his hand—likely from the boat dealership that occupies most of the building—then back at me. “I want to talk about some private lessons.”

Of course you do.

Read the entire first chapter or order your copy now from Riptide Publishing, here.
.

Hi everyone! I’m Vanessa North, and I’m touring this week to talk about my new release, Double Up: how it got started, a scene that almost happened, and the sport of wakeboarding--how it influenced me, why I love it so much, and how it shaped the characters in the story.

Join me on the tour and leave a comment on this post to enter the giveaway for a $15 Riptide Gift Card!

Be sure to include your email address in the comment so that I can contact you if you win! I'll be drawing the winner at the end of the blog tour.

Thank you Vanessa for stopping by today and sharing your new release with us!

Until next time....

{REMEMBER, this is a comment giveaway so you have to leave a comment for this post to be entered in the giveaway. And be sure to leave your contact info, if you don't and you win, you will forfeit because we can't contact you! Good luck everyone!!}

Names Can Never Hurt Me blog tour {Guest post, Review & Giveaway}

12:00 AM 3 comments

What if sexuality wasn’t a definable thing and labels merely got in the way?

Nick Jones can’t remember a time when he wasn’t part of the in crowd. Everywhere he goes, he stands out as the best looking guy in the room, and women practically fall into bed with him. Then, after kissing Corey on a dare led to much more and on many occasions, Nick’s “screw anything” reputation escalated, but he didn’t care.

When Nick meets RC at the restaurant where he works, it throws his whole life out of whack. Overweight, always sweaty, gay, and hairy like a bear, RC lives up to his dubbed nickname “Scruffy Dude.” He seems Nick’s complete opposite, but Nick can’t get him out of his head.

Because of peer-pressure and his fears about defining his sexuality, Nick struggles with stepping out of his comfort zone and caring about someone different than himself. If he’s lucky, somewhere between arrogance and ignorance, Nick might find out what it means to be an adult, but if he’s wrong, he could lose everything.

Grab your copy of Names from Dreamspinner Press today!

Nick Jones life changes after just one kiss. He doesn’t realize it at the time, he’s actually always been gay, but he’s hidden behind a string of girlfriends and that one boyfriend that lights him up like none of the girls can. He refuses to be gay though, in fact, if he had a mantra it would be “I’m not gay!” for as often as he says it. Me thinks thou doth protest too much!

A year later and Nick is just going through the motions in his mundane life. The only bright sparks are his friend and sometimes lover Corey, and the strange man that eats where he works all the time, RC. He’s broken up with another girl, and jumps straight into a relationship with yet another girl, trying to convince himself that getting laid on a regular basis makes him happy. But getting to know RC more with each conversation they have is making Nick take stock, and reconsider some things about himself.

RC is not an easy man to get to know. He is always on guard and doesn’t let anyone close. He has no friends and no social skills to speak of. But there is something about the cute guy that works at the Diner. It takes a lot of effort and time, but the two become friends, best friends in fact. Both men appreciate that they can just be themselves around each other. But as Nick starts to open himself up to the feelings he’s having, he starts to want more from RC than just friendship. RC is adamant that he is not going there! His past is way too painful and Nick is way too much like a lot of the people that made that past painful. Nick is about to find out what he wouldn’t do for the right guy, which is nothing.

This was very a much coming of age and finding yourself story. Not just for Nick who is trying to decide his sexuality, but for RC as well as he’s never actually been in love or been loved. Nick was raised with so much love, and the entire time he’s wrestling with his emotions over what his parents will say when they find out, he doesn’t realize they already know. What Nick has to learn is restraint, patience and unconditional love. So what if RC is a little overweight, and big, and burly. The way he makes him feel safe, protected and loved regardless is what Nick comes to realize are the important things. He fell in love with someone, the wrapping doesn’t matter.

This book was an emotionally charged and endearing story about a very slow building love between two unlikely men. Trust and communication are what is at the root of their relationship, that is built before anything else, and it’s what makes them so strong. At first it looked like this was going to be another ‘gay for you’ story, but as the story played itself out, it wasn’t that at all. And these characters were far from perfect, if anything, they were perfectly flawed. Another thing that only added to the depth of the story. And it was refreshing to read a character that was surrounded by love and acceptance, his demons were the ones he created himself by his actions, and only he can change that.

I devoured this book in one long setting. I was so intrigued by the dynamics of the characters, and the way they bounced off of each other. Sexy, romantic, endearing and realistic are just a few words to describe this book. Definitely a must read.

Guest Post with Author Wade Kelly...

Inspiration and Motivation

One question that always comes up when people chat with writers is, “What keeps you motivated or inspires your writing?” For me, I like to watch people. I observe. And maybe I could be seen like the creepy Stanley White from My Roommate’s a Jock? Well, Crap! because I do sense people and I probably notice more about folks as I observe them than they would like to think. LOL…. Yes, I’m a creeper. (Not really.)

So when I catch a social stigma or cultural discrepancy, I like to explore my opinions about it. Like bullying, or suicide, or hate crimes. I want to take what people really experience and write them into characters who can find hope in the end. I want to write characters who can inspire hope and peace in my readers. I want to give people a reason to fight.

Sometimes my inspiration comes from music. I already wrote about Ryan Amador’s video for “Define Me.” It was very gripping and made me think about the “names” people get called. But along with that initial song are several others that I added to a “play list” for NAMES.

“I Kissed A Boy” by Slipstream

“Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon

“Linus And Lucy” from A Charlie Brown Christmas

“Kissing You” from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack

“Sugar Town” by Zooey Deschanel

“You Get Me” by Michele Branch

“The Promise” by Tracy Chapman

“Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self” by P!nk

“Poker Face” by Lady Gaga

“Can’t Be Tamed” by Miley Cyrus

“Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman

“Kiss” by Venke Knutson

I make “play lists” for most of my books. I find that certain songs remind me of the characters or the scenes. Do I write with music playing? Sometimes. Depending on the scene. If I am energized and flowing with the action, then I have no problem blaring Nickelback for inspiration! But most of the time I like the quiet because I need to talk it out. I need to picture the setting and GET IN THE HEAD of my character. I can’t always do that if I am singing along with Tracy Chapman or Avril Lavigne.

When I was thinking of what I could talk about on Tammy’s blog, she wondered if I had ever thought of a “dream cast” for the movie if it was ever made. Well, sometimes I often get inspiration from watching a film and thinking, “THAT GUY is perfect for _____!” In fact, when I watched the movie Jitters last year, I thought that Atli Óskar Fjalarsson would be perfect as Flynn Brewer. A dream cast for my work in progress would certainly have Alti in the lead role, but what about my other books? And more importantly, what about Names Can Never Hurt Me?

I refer to RC as Joey Fatone from *NYSNC. I did this because I had a really hard time finding picture of a hot actor that was overweight and hairy. Joey’s older photos were close enough. In my mind though, RC has a lot more hair. Long black curly hair that he often pulls back into a pony tail.

But what about Nick Jones. I found a picture of Mitch Hewer online where he had dyed his hair brown. He was still adorable, even though I like the blond better and I could see him as Nick. Or possibly one of the Carver twins from Teen Wolf could play Nick. Ethan had the personality I could handle. Aiden was too aggressive.

What about Corey? Hmm, Tyler Oakley? Lol….

I would have to spend a lot of time looking at the Internet to think about individual characters and the type of actor needed to perfect the role.

But I can say I do get inspiration from pictures of actors or of singers. Not as hugly popular as some authors maybe. I don’t look at photos and come up with a plot. It is more the other way around. I think of something, possibly from music references, and then later I try to visualize a person who could represent my character if I made a movie. And even that thought came only after I had to fill out forms for the cover artist as to what my characters looked like! LOL

So what do you think? Are there movie actors you could see playing to roles in my “film”? Let me know.

The excerpt for the day will have to be from NAMES where I use my inspiration from singers and actors to try and help the reader see what I do when I write....

“I heard what you did the other day. That was nice,” Paul commented as he put on his apron.

I was in the back by the timesheets, jotting down next week’s schedule, when he clocked in. “Oh yeah? What’d I do?” I honestly had no clue so there was little point pretending. I didn’t pretend with Paul.

“The way you apologized to that customer.” He smiled warmly at me and patted my shoulder. “You know, the one who looks like Joey Fatone.”

“Joey who?”

“You know, one of the guys from that ’90s boy band *NSYNC. I swear that guy looks just like him except with longer hair. Anyway, that was really caring of you to apologize for Marcy. She doesn’t always think before she speaks.” He winked.

I liked Paul, but sometimes I felt like he was flirting with me. And I wasn’t sure I’d mind if he did. Good thing we worked together because I had a difficult enough time with Marcy. Shit, these two had to get together or I was going to get caught in the middle, and I rarely did threesomes. “Thanks,” I replied. He nodded and turned away. Maybe my instincts were wrong. He didn’t look interested now. In fact, as soon as I answered, he went back to working his station. Hmm. I scratched my head. Perhaps I didn’t know anything about anything? One minute Paul looked flirtatious, then the next, detached. But Corey was like that too, only with sex in the middle somewhere. I didn’t know what to think; guys were as much a mystery to me as girls.

…..

“That’s it!” Julie declared to the befuddlement of all those around her. She was standing near the heat lamp, head cocked to the side, pointing up.

“What’s it?” Paul asked, thinking for the rest of us.

“This song, ding-dong. ‘Crazy For You’.”

Marcy asked, “What about it? Isn’t it really old?”

Paul giggled. “Yeah, I guess. It’s from 1997. *NSYNC.”

“Exactly!” Julie proclaimed excitedly. “That’s who RC looks like! Joey Fatone. It’s been bothering me for months.”

“Oh my God,” I groaned, my head falling backward.

And Paul started laughing so hard he tripped over his own feet and landed on the floor. Clenching his sides and laughing to beat the band.

“What’s happened to him?” Marcy asked.

“I told Nick… the same thing….” Paul kept laughing; however, I did not.

I didn’t know who this guy was, but I figured I would be googling him as soon as I went on break. Joey Fatone. Oh my gosh.

Wade Kelly lives and writes in conservative, small-town America on the east coast where it is not easy to live free and open in one's beliefs. She writes passionately about the controversial issues witnessed in real life and strives to make a difference by making people think. Wade does not have a background in writing or philosophy, but still draws from personal experience to ponder contentious subjects on paper. When not writing, she is thinking about writing, and more than likely scribbling ideas on sticky notes in the car while playing "taxi driver" for her three children. She likes snakes, and has a tegu (lizard) living in her bathroom.

Visit Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_476

Visit Wade Kelly at http://www.writerwadekelly.com, or https://twitter.com/WriterWadeKelly.

Contact Wade at writerwadekelly@gmail.com

Subscribe to Wade’s Blog at: http://writerwadekelly.blogspot.com/ to keep up to date on current news.

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Twisted Dark Volume One Nerd Blast & Giveaway {Jean Book Nerd}

12:00 AM 2 comments

Publisher: T Publications

Published: 15 November 2011

Format: Paperback

See: Full bibliographic data

Categories: Horror Graphic Novels, Anime & Manga

ISBN 13: 9780956943446 ISBN 10: 0956943446

Twisted Dark is Neil Gibson's interconnected psychological thriller anthology. This, the first volume, is formed of 12 individual and unique stories comprising of nearly 200 hundred pages. The stories vary from 10 year old girls to Colombian drug lords and everything in between but the stories are all somehow connected some obviously so and some not. It is left to the reader to find the connections, with some impossible to see until you have read multiple volumes. The books contains horror, dark, at times demented, stories incorporating every human emotion, illegal activity, and brutal reality. Using various illustrators allows each story and character to develop their own form the reader is left desperate to turn the pages. The book has been embraced by the comic book world receiving critical acclaim and a cult underground following.

You can PREVIEW a Copy HERE!!!!

You can purchase Twisted Dark at the following Retailers:

Book Nerd Spotlight

Neil is the founder and lead writer at TPub. He is currently writing all of the titles at TPub, but is looking forward to the day when other writers are hired he can take credit for their work. He used to be a management consultant, before realising in his 30s that he loved good comics and wanted to make a career out of them. He believes that the comic book medium is one of the most efficient mediums for communicating stories. If you want to annoy him, just mention how you think comics are for kids. His reaction is a common source of amusement. He has given talks in universities and clubs about comics and will gladly talk anywhere he is invited to about comics and how underutilised they really are. To book Neil to give a talk, please email info@neilgibsoncomics.com

Social Media

2 Winners will receive an E-Copy of Twisted Dark by Neil Gibson.
1 Winner will receive a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card.

Must be 17+ to Enter

International Giveaway

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 17+ to Enter

2 Winners will receive an E-Copy of Twisted Dark by Neil Gibson.

1 Winner will receive a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card.

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Sexy Saturday, Tams reviews Let It Ride by L.C. Chase

9:37 AM No comments

Let It Ride

Pickup Men #2

L.C. Chase

Contemporary Gay Romance with Cowboys!

Riptide Publishing (May 26th 2014)

Moderate to Explicit

***** 5 Star Read *****

Pickup man Bridge Sullivan is the kind of cowboy everyone wants—as a brother, a friend, a lover. People think he’s straight, but Bridge isn’t one for labels, and when a sexy male paramedic jumpstarts his heart, he charges in with all guns blazing.

New York City transplant Eric Palmer grew up in foster care. While he always had a roof over his head, he never felt love or a sense of belonging . . . until he joined the California rodeo circuit as a paramedic and found a band of brothers who took him in as one of their own. Now, one in particular is making Eric’s pulse race.

When things heat up between Bridge and Eric, Bridge has to prove to Eric he’s not just experimenting with the rougher sex, while Eric must overcome his fears of being unwanted and cast aside. He knows that trusting Bridge may be the key to his happy ever after, but getting in the saddle is much, much easier than learning to let it ride.

Grab your copy of Let It Ride from Riptide Publishing or Amazon today!

What is a pickup man? They swoop in after rides are finished or a contestant is bucked off, sidling up next to bareback and saddle bronc horses and helping herd ornery bulls out of the arena. Known as pickup men, these cowboys are crucial to keeping athletes, both two and four legged, safe in the arena.

Bridge Sullivan is a care free, easy going cowboy that is so completely comfortable in his own skin that when he realizes he is attracted to a man, he doesn’t really question it, he just jumps right in. He played around with a guy in college, but women really did it for him too, so he never considered himself gay. But the extremely erotic dreams he has almost nightly about one sinfully sexy paramedic with that New York accent prove otherwise.

Eric Palmer was quickly accepted into Bridge’s close knit group of friends after he tended to Marty when he was injured during a Rodeo. Finally feeling some form of acceptance and camaraderie with these men, Eric is very weary to walk into a relationship with Bridge, for several reasons. Up until now everyone thought Bridge was straight, Eric doesn’t want to be his ‘time to experiment with a man’ rendezvous. What if things go south and Eric looses these people he’s come to think of as friends and family in a way. Eric’s past makes it difficult to open up to Bridge as well, no one Eric has ever loved has stayed. He fears that if he cracks the window and let’s Bridge in he will break his heart and leave him lying in the dirt alone again.

Bridge is determined to make this man see just how much he wants him, wants to be with him. He goes above and beyond to prove to Eric that he is wanted, that he is safe in Bridge’s arms and in his bed. But that is never an issue with these two, the only place they both completely let their guards down and just enjoy each other is in the bedroom. Bridge, the guys and Bridge’s family try hard to make sure Eric knows and understand that he is loved and wanted. The past is engrained deep inside him though, and in the end Eric winds up doing the very thing to Bridge that he feared Bridge would do to him. Breaks his heart.

I loved that these two men’s personalities were completely at odds with each other, and yet, Chase found a way to bring them together and make their union believable and beautiful. Not necessarily a ‘gay for you’ story, more of a Bridge fell in love and the wrapping didn’t matter story. He is one of the most laid back and easy going characters that I’ve read. Eric is seriously damaged from a life of being tossed aside and abandoned by literally everyone he’s loved. While the way he handled some situations grated on my nerves, it was still completely plausible given what he’s lived through, so I let it ride. <see what I did there :)

If you are a fan of the gay for you stories, sexy cowboys and just the right amount of angst then this is a story for you. While it’s the 2^nd book in a series it has strong legs, so you could read it and not really be lost. But I always recommend reading series in order, and there are some familiar faces form the first book that you may want to know more about while you are taking this wild, sexy ride with Bridge and Eric.