Hi, everyone! I
want to thank Tammy for having me on the Dare
to Love Forever New Vampire Justice Book 1 Blog Tour. This post is jammed
packed with info.
I answer some questions about publishing, have
an excerpt from Dare to Love Forever
(repub) AND a short excerpt from A
Chance for Us: NVJ Book 2 coming out at the end of November from
Dreamspinner Press.
There is also a
blog tour giveaway!
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Dare to Love Forever: New Vampire Justice Book 1
(repub.)
Release date 9/26/16
Want to know if you need to re-read this
story? Probably not. The plot points and the ending are the same. What changed
through the addition of 10,000 words is the evolution of Carson and Lincoln’s
relationship to follow a more logical course.
Carson Locke is
dangerous, even by vampire standards. A rare Tabula Rasa vampire, he can wipe
the mind of those he bites—human or vampire. Because of this, he’s lived his
entire life in isolation. When his family is murdered, Carson runs from those
who want him dead. Injured, starving, and about to be executed, he meets
Commander Lincoln Samuels, an officer in the New Vampire Justice police force.
Lincoln, a
Sanatore vampire, possesses the gift of healing. The moment he encounters
Carson, broken and terrified, trying to steal blood to survive, he is compelled
to help the other man—despite the risk to himself. Their bond creates something
the world has never seen, but others have plans for Carson, and his destiny was
written long before he was born. He’ll either become a tool to control the
vampire world, or, with Lincoln by his side, find the courage to fight and
become its savior.
Excerpt
…Lincoln nudged the kid’s knee with the toe of his boot.
The suspect flinched but didn’t look up. Lincoln crouched and lowered his
voice. “Hey, kid. What’s your name?”
Every muscle in the too-thin body shook. There was no
answer. From the scream he’d let loose, Lincoln surmised he could talk. He
touched the kid’s shoulder. Still he didn’t move, but his shaking ramped up a
couple of notches.
“I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe now.” Lincoln
turned to his officers behind him. Of course Dennison was the only one with his
gun still drawn. “Holster your weapon, Dennison.”
Dennison hesitated, not bothering to hide his disdain.
Lincoln raised his brow. Dennison huffed, then did as he was ordered. Lincoln
turned back to the kid. “The guns are put away.”
The kid raised his chin and cocked his head, peering past
the dark hair covering his eyes. Large brown eyes, filled with despair, sucker
punched Lincoln in the gut. He surveyed the vampire’s sharp cheekbones and
jawline, sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks, and… the reddest lips that contrasted
with his pale skin. Blood rushed to Lincoln’s groin, and his cock pressed
against his jeans. Shit, it was forever since he’d gotten hard on sight. A warm
mouth on his dick was generally required before anything stirred below—the
hazards of a fuckton of one-night stands and a dead heart.
Damn.
“When was the last time you ate?”
The young vampire stared at Lincoln, and then, as if he’d
decided to trust him, answered. “T-ten days ago.”
After ten days the kid should have been attacking every
vein in sight, even if he’d never drank straight from a human. He had a
shitload of self-control, especially with blood pooling on the floor next to
him.
Lincoln looked to Max, who didn’t need for Lincoln to tell
him how dire the situation was. He released the kid. He swayed but stayed
upright. Max pulled off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve. It was dangerous
to allow a starving vampire near a vein, but someone had to feed the kid right
then. Lincoln couldn’t be the donor, even if he wanted. He’d have to make sure
the guy didn’t drain Max. Of everyone on his team, Max was the most
levelheaded. No doubt he was the one who called in the level-one situation.
Lincoln trusted Max with his life, and vice versa.
Lincoln tentatively set his hand on the vampire’s shoulder.
Power, immense and nearly uncontained, emanated from the kid, unlike anything
Lincoln had ever felt. His cock hardened further. Those brown eyes. Fuck.
Lincoln cleared his throat. “I’m sure I don’t have to
explain the effects of blood deprivation on a vampire. You’re already past the
point where synthesized blood will help.”
The kid’s brown eyes widened, and he shook his head
violently. “N-no. I can’t!”
That fear came from only drinking blood from a cup his
entire life. Didn’t mean he couldn’t drink from the vein. The thought terrified
most vampires who’d never sank their fangs into flesh. Lincoln recalled his
first bite at a certified bite club his uncle brought him to. He was sixteen.
Humans desiring the bite were able to meet vampires who wanted to drink their
blood. Lincoln had been scared shitless. The wrong placement of fangs or sudden
jerk of the donor could severely injure the Non and possibly kill them.
For Lincoln, drinking from a human woke some primordial,
anamalistic need. The human blood was like an aphrodisiac. Without even taking
his cock out of his pants, he’d orgasmed, same as the Non guy he chose. That
first bite unearthed a need Lincoln was unable to ignore, bringing him back to
the clubs every couple of months.
“I know you’ve probably never done this before, but it’s
not that hard. Feel for the pulse with your tongue. That’s where you want to
place your fangs. Bite down firmly, but don’t go too fast. Stop once the blood
starts to pool on the skin. Pull out and suck.”
Restless movements from his team told Lincoln they’d
probably never seen a vampire bite someone as well.
“You’re going to feed him? What the fuck? He broke the
law!”
Leave it to Dennison to object. Lincoln clenched his jaw
and ignored the rant. Max raised his wrist to the kid’s mouth, but his reaction
surpassed fear alone. He yanked against the hands holding him. Terror-filled
eyes were glued to Max’s wrist. A war of need and fear raged in the depths of the
kid’s eyes.
“I can’t! Get away from me!” The kid gasped and fought for
breath as if some horrible monster stalked toward him. “You… d-don’t… under…
s-stand!” His adrenaline-fueled state increased his strength as he tried to
escape the wrist before him. He was going to hurt himself.
His useless fight annoyed Lincoln. “Calm down, kid! No
one’s going to hurt you.”
“Put him out of his misery,” Dennison muttered.
The vampire’s struggle ceased as his entire body stiffened.
His eyes flashed white as they rolled up into his head. He slumped forward and
was out cold.
“Dammit, lower him to the floor.”
Max and Taylor laid the kid on his stomach. That’s when
Lincoln saw the symbol tattooed at the base of his spine.
“Fuck me!”
Things had gone from bad to worse in a split second.
Is publishing everything that you thought it would be? Why or why not?
Yes and no. Yes, it is awesome to see my name out there on a book that I worked hard to create. I love hearing from people who liked the story and what exactly spoke to them. I also feel that by being published I’ve reached a major goal I’ve had for years.
The downside...It’s a lot of work to promote and get people to notice your book. Marketing is one of the things I find tedious, but is a necessary evil. Publishers may list your book for sale on many different sites, but they do maybe 20% (or less) of the promotion. Most of it is on the author.
Please describe what it was like for you to get that first contract.
It was so amazing. For me, it happened fast. I had my contract two days after I had submitted my manuscript. I was at work with coworkers and students around. I just happened to check my email and there was the contract. I was bursting inside but couldn’t say anything at the time. I am not “out” as an author at work, lol. However, on the way home I was beaming and calling my sister and freaking out!
Are you more hands off when it comes to cover art or do you like to be involved in every step?
What kind of music do you listen to (if any) while you write?
I have a bunch of favorite bands/artists, which include Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, etc. I need the background noise so I can focus on what I’m doing so I always have headphones on.
What is the first book you can remember reading?
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
What is your cure for the dreaded writer's block?
There is no cure for writer’s block….lol. I don’t think I’ve really experienced writer’s block. It’s more of a lack of motivation which seems to jump around from area to area in my life. So, I do attempt to get the motivation back by re-reading what I’ve written so far. If I think my lack of motivation has occurred because the plot is really complicated, I visit the plot points. Are they lining up? Are they there? Does the story flow from one to the other? Has the plot direction changed from the original ideas I had? In addition, I look at character goals and motivations. Have they changed from what they were at the beginning of the story?
If my lack of motivation is from burn-out, I have to take time off from writing. I have stopped taking on writing projects that have due dates. If I try to write what someone else wants, at a certain number of words, and for a defined date, I am assuredly going to avoid it all and stress. A guaranteed lack of motivation!
My one consistent thing I have been doing lately is not writing during all of my free time outside of my real life job. I have to take breaks and de-stress by hanging with the family, working on other parts of writing – blog posts, website, promotion, etc. - or reading. Sometimes getting some distance is all it takes to get rolling again.
What is coming out next for you?
Tons. A Chance for Us: NVJ2 releases on November 11th. After that Jerricho’s Freedom will be republished Jan/Feb 2017, and a new contemporary story, Happily Ever After Isn’t Easy, will be in March/April 2017. These are all from Dreamspinner. Also, I hope to start book 3 of the NVJ series which will be Tommy’s and Doc’s story. NaNoWriMo is creeping up fast. That always jumpstarts my writing.
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Bonus excerpt from the new story, A Chance for Us: New Vampire Justice Book 2
Release Date: November 11, 2016
~Max and Justin’s Story~
Justin gasped in
a breath. Fuck, he’d done it again. Max would be pissed when he got there. And
he’d come because he was the only one who could help. Then he’d see that Justin
had gotten lost in his head again, lost in the nightmares of his past. Max
would want to know why he hadn’t used the techniques from his therapist Walt.
Justin grunted. They never worked. But it didn’t matter. He was too far gone to
get back on his own. At that point, only physical pain or being wrapped up,
practically restrained until he couldn’t move, would center him and bring back
to reality.
Great, there was
Doc talking with Carson. Doc’s solutions always came in the form of a needle.
Drug him. Justin banged his forehead against his knees. Maybe he could bang
hard enough to knock himself out, or maybe have a stroke and become a vegetable
like Tommy Dennison upstairs. Then Max wouldn’t be burdened with a dependent
head case. Max was always pushing Justin to be more independent, rely on
himself more. Max, who’d rescued Justin, taken him in, held him whenever he
thought he’d shake apart, helped as Justin relearned to take care of himself,
his cooking, his laundry, and, hell, even to go outside without falling to
pieces. Max’s bid to stop Justin from relying on him was like a knife to his
chest.
Justin had fallen
in love with Max. Max who was caring, attentive, unflappable. Justin had fallen
in love with his crooked grin, his wavy blond hair with the sides that always
escaped his ponytail, the way his glasses were always askew, his quiet and
contemplative demeanor. Justin believed Max didn’t see a potential lover in
him, but a needy little brother. Despite being only two years younger than Max,
Justin was still that sixteen-year-old, but now in a man’s body. He couldn’t
make it through a day without somehow clinging to Max. What kind of life was
that for a straight man who wasn’t even related to Justin?
His chest
tightened and pushed his rate of breathing higher. Something horrible was going
to happen, and it wouldn’t be his own death as he hoped. He couldn’t breathe,
couldn’t think, and was going to lose it big-time. Again.
Formerly, I wrote under JC Wallace, but recently decided
to use my full name. I have been writing all of my life but didn’t start
publishing until 2014. In my day job, I am a behavior analyst. At night and on
the weekends, I write about all things men. I believe there is nothing hotter
than two men finding and loving one another, whether for a night or forever. An
avid reader of M/M romance, I love a good twist of a plot, HEA, HFN, or tragic
ending.
I am owned by my beautiful partner, three kids and two grandchildren. I live in
Northern Vermont.
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