TEMPEST - Out March 9

Woot! 

TEMPEST, the third PLAYING THE FOOL book is out March 9! And, like always, JA Rock and I have a fun blog tour with an awesome giveaway. 

Not only can you win a $20 gift voucher and an ebook of something from either of our back catalogues, you will also win these: 

 Donut socks. 

A donut cushion that looks good enough to eat. (Warning: Do not eat.)  

Join the tour and leave a comment for your chance to win! 

March 9, 2015 - The Blogger Girls

March 9, 2015 - Boys In Our Books

March 9, 2015 - Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

March 10, 2015 - Sinfully Sexy Books

March 10, 2015 - Love Bytes Reviews

March 10, 2015 - The Jeep Diva

March 11, 2015 - Book Reviews and More by Kathy

March 11, 2015 - MM Good Book Reviews

March 12, 2015 - La Crimson Femme

March 13, 2015 - Cup O' Porn

March 13, 2015 - LeAnn's Book Reviews

Something wicked this way comes.

FBI Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness and con man Henry Page are on the run again. This time they’re headed back to where it all began: Altona, Indiana. Population: some goats. Henry’s not happy about lying low at the McGuinness family farm, but they’ve got nowhere else to go.

While Mac fights to clear his name and Henry struggles with whose side he’s really on, a ghost from the past threatens to destroy everything. And those aren’t the only storms on the radar. Cut off from both sides of the law, Mac and Henry must rely on their tenuous partnership to survive.

If Henry can convince himself to let Mac see the man behind the disguises, they’ll stand a chance of beating the forces that conspire against them. The course of true love never did run smooth, but for the two of them, it might be their only hope.

You can check out TEMPEST at Riptide.

The Merchant of Death - Out February 2

Woohoo! It's almost here! The Merchant of Death, the second in the Playing the Fool series, comes out on February 2. Mac and Henry are back, with just the sort of intrigue, silliness, action, and cross-dressing you'd expect from something written by Shakespeare. With less genius, obviously. But more full-frontal nudity. 

To celebrate the release, JA Rock and I will be doing a blog tour. You can win awesome stuff if you follow it here: 

February 2, 2015  -  Boys In Our Books
February 2, 2015  -  Sinfully Sexy Books
February 2, 2015  -  Cup O' Porn
February 3, 2015  -  MM Good Book Reviews
February 3, 2015  -  Love Byte
February 3, 2015  -  My Fiction Nook
February 4, 2015  -  Crystal's Many Reviewers
February 4, 2015  -  Nautical Star Books - Spotlight
February 4, 2015  -  Smoocher's Voice
February 4, 2015  -  It's About The Book
February 5, 2015  -  Creative Deeds
February 5, 2015  -  La Crimson Femme
February 5, 2015  -  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
February 5, 2015  -  Prism Book Alliance 
February 6, 2015  -  The Novel Approach
February 6, 2015  -  TTC Books and More
February 6, 2015  -  Joyfully Jay
February 6, 2015  -  The Jeep Diva
February 6, 2015  -  On Top Down Under Book Reviews

All’s fair in love and war.

There’s something rotten in the state of Indiana. When con man Henry Page takes it upon himself to investigate the death of an elderly patient at a care facility, he does so in true Shakespearean tradition: dressed as a girl.

FBI Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness has more to worry about than Henry’s latest crazy idea. Someone is trying to send him a message—via a corpse with a couple of bullets in it. He needs to figure out who’s trying to set him up before he gets arrested, and he really doesn’t have time for Henry’s shenanigans. Then again, he’d probably be able to focus better if Henry didn’t look so damn distracting in a babydoll dress and a wig.

But when Mac discovers that Henry has been keeping a secret that connects the cases, he has to find a way to live on the right side of the law when he just might be in love with the wrong sort of man.

Check out more of The Merchant of Death, or the other instalments of Playing the Fool at Riptide Publishing! 

Writing, Rambling, and Plans for 2015

You know, after writing since forever—I blame it on the fact we didn’t have a TV when I was a kid living in New Guinea—and being published for a few years now, I still haven’t figured out where the ideas come from. And it’s something that people sometimes ask.

“Where do you get your ideas?”

I seriously don’t know. I suspect that the part of my brain that other people use to tell them to put petrol in the car or pay the phone bill or wear matching socks to work today has, in my case, been seconded to urgent daydreaming duties. I mean, I went to a staff meeting the other day and while I don’t actually remember anything that was discussed, I did kind of plan a fantasy story with magic and the ocean and princes and burning people at the stake. So there’s that.

The other day at work, someone said to me, “I wish I’d never stopped writing. I wrote lots when I was in high school, and I really loved it.”

You know the thing about writing? It is like the cheapest hobby on the planet. All you need is a pencil and a piece of paper. And, like any hobby, the more you do it, the better you get. If you enjoy writing, don’t stop doing it. Storytelling is one of the most fun things you can do, and the best way to learn is to just pick up a pencil and give it a go.

source

2014 was a great year for me. Wrote some books, went to GRL—the highlight of the year. And not just because I saw squirrels—and realised that yes, this writing thing is what I want to do. I mean, I can’t quit the day job quite yet, but it’s less of a pipe dream and more of a long term plan now. I mean, it would be, if I could plan anything in the long term. Or at all.

2015 will hopefully be the year I go to two conventions—Euro Pride in Munich in July, and GRL in San Diego in October (if I can get a spot). It’s also the year I want to branch out in YA, probably not under this name, and have a go at a few other writing projects as well.

Coming up soon, of course, is THE MERCHANT OF DEATH, Book 2 in J.A. Rock’s and my Playing the Fool trilogy. It’s out on February 2 from Riptide.

Heidi Belleau and I are also working on a story set in the same universe as BLISS, so that’s shaping up nicely!

And guess which lucky person got to write a novel with the awesome M. Caspian? It’s called FALLOUT, and it’s dark, dark, dark!

And J.A. and I have about a gazillion things to work on: the third Boy book, the third Prescott book, this entirely weird project we may have pitched to our publisher at GRL, and about a gazillion other ideas.

2015 is going to be a busy one!

The Two Gentlemen of Altona is out today! (or tomorrow, I don't understand the international date line...)

Guess what day it is today? It's release day for The Two Gentlemen of Altona, the first in JA Rock's and my Playing the Fool series. Here's what Riptide has to say about the series: 

Mac and Henry aren’t just an odd couple—they’re completely improbable: a tough-as-nails, by-the-book FBI agent who picked the wrong week to give up caffeine and donuts, and a young con man who’s as handsome as he is difficult to pin down. But when they’re stuck on the run together, the snark and heat reach Shakespearean proportions. Or maybe that’s just Henry’s flair for the dramatic.

Rural Indiana has never seen an accidental crime-fighting duo quite like this. But when the danger’s over and the play’s done, Mac and Henry may have to write their own script to find a happy ending.

And here's the blurb for The Two Gentlemen: 

Mischief, thou art afoot.

Special Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness is having a rough week. Not only is he on a new diet, but he’s also been tasked with keeping Henry Page—the world’s most irritating witness—alive. Which is tough when Mac’s a breath away from killing the Shakespeare-quoting, ethically-challenged, egg-obsessed Henry himself. Unless killing isn’t really what Mac wants to do to him.

Con man Henry Page prefers to keep his distance from the law . . . though he wouldn’t mind getting a little closer to uptight, handsome Agent McGuinness. As the sole witness to a mob hit, Henry’s a valuable asset to the FBI. But he’s got his own agenda, and it doesn’t involve testifying.

When evidence surfaces of a mole in the FBI office, Mac and Henry are forced to go into hiding. Holed up in a fishing cabin, they’re surprised to discover that their feelings run more than skin deep. But as the mob closes in, Henry has to make his escape. And Mac has to decide how far he’s willing to go to keep Henry by his side.

And if you want to win some absolutely awesome prizes--seriously, these are such cool prizes I want to keep them myself--then don't forget to follow our blog tour and leave a comment for your chance to win. I mean, there is junk food at stake here! Don't miss out! 

December 29, 2014  -  The Blogger Girls
December 29, 2014  -  On Top Down Under Book Reviews - Spotlight
December 29, 2014  -  Prism Book Alliance
December 29, 2014  -  Sinfully Sexy Books 
December 30, 2014  -  KT Book Reviews - Review Stop
December 30, 2014  -  Cup O' Porn - Spotlight
December 30, 2014  -  Joyfully Jay
December 30, 2014  -  La Crimson Femme
December 31, 2014  -  The Novel Approach
December 31, 2014  -  The Jeep Diva 
December 31, 2014  -  MM Good Book Reviews - Spotlight Stop
December 31, 2014  -  Smoocher's Voice
January 1, 2015  -  Book Reviews and More by Kathy
January 1, 2015  -  Things I Find While Shelving – Spotlight Stop
January 1, 2015  -  Creative Deeds
January 2, 2015  -  TTC Books and More – Spotlight Stop
January 2, 2015  -  Love Bytes
January 2, 2015  -  Crystal's Many Reviewers
January 2, 2015  -  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words - Spotlight Stop

This Week's Round Up

I was really, really sad that GRL ended. Why can't I live in a nice hotel all year round and talk about writing smutty scenes with hot guys all the time? Is that really too much to ask? I don't think so.

GRL was fantastic, obviously, Also, JA Rock and I announced (well, I announced it first, in public, so we can't later change our minds) that we are writing a third book in the Boy series. What have Derek and Lane been up to? Going by the response to this news in the BDSM panel, people actually do want to know! So we'll be starting writing that as soon as I get home from the US and am not relying on other people's computers. 

We may have also planned out about the next seven months of writing projects. Shit got real. Also, there was wine. And Maltesers. 

And guess what's out in only four more days? It's Brandon Mills versus the V-Card! Dinosaurs and cute, shy guys and omigod! I really hope you guys love this one. Brandon and Alex are much, much sweeter than Mark and Deacon, and we have some all-important awkward first time sex in this one. First time sex in books and movies is usually choreographed so beautifully, isn't it? Nobody ever gets an elbow in the face or an inappropriate attack of the giggles. 

And in other awesome news, The Two Gentlemen of Altona is available for preorder on Amazon! Yay! You should order it. Oh, and also get some Skittles and donuts. You'll want those! 

So, to sum up. Chicago was fantastic. San Francisco is fantastic. I'll be home in a week, and hanging around on FB and Goodreads again then! See you soon!