Who is going to Rainbow Con?

If you don't already know, I am attending Rainbow Con in April as an author. ^_^ I've been to GRL a few times, but always as a reader, so this is my First time on the other side of the table. I'm not freaking out yet. I'm hoping to avoid that step and skip right over to acceptance and smiles.

Rainbow Con is in Tampa, Florida from Thursday, April 17th to Sunday, April 20th.

I have volunteered for the Author Q&A Session on Thursday afternoon and the Author Reading on Friday afternoon. I will also be at the Roundtable Discussions: Plotters vs Pantsers (Thu at 2pm) and Cheers and Jeer: Best & Worst Books of 2013 (Thu 3 pm). 

For a full schedule of activities: http://www.rainbowconference.org/schedule.aspx

I'm not sure yet how the discussions are supposed to go. I have a feeling that we have to come up with some of our own material. I panicked for all of two minutes at Best & Worst of Books of 2013. Then I realized I could put one of my own books in the Jeer's category and felt better. I've already done a blog post or two about the freebie, Fated, that I wrote last summer. I got so many historical facts wrong that some found it jeer worthy, not that I could blame them. 

Now watch, since I have came up with the hardest part of Cheers and Jeers, that is not what they will be looking for.

I really should get my butt in gear because Rainbow Con is a little over six weeks away. I told myself that I would lose the weight I gained last year and for the last two months I have been sitting on my bum. Ugh!

Anyone else going to Rainbow Con?

Character Sketch From Striker

So I promised a couple of weeks ago that I would post a few drawings for some of the characters from the Valespian Pact Series. I started off with Europa Astarte who is introduced in Striker.

I has been ages since I drew a proper picture but this first one isn't so bad. I used a mechanical pencil, a Q-tip, and my fingertips. 


About half way through I began to wish for charcoals and stumps. My husband, being the sweet man he is, bought me a slew of drawing supplies that were delivered the day before Valentines. (In return I shoveled the drive and the sidewalk. We had six inches of snow that day and he came home to a clean driveway after spending two and a half hours driving home from work. Not very romantic, I know, but he loved it.)

I promised a series of progression photos. This is a finished as she is going to be. There are others I wanted to get around to so I'm not spending more time on her. 

They're not as dramatic as I thought they would be. At least Europa doesn't look as off as I thought she would. I forgot most of my lessons. Some came back but I still don't remember somethings. Occasionally, when I'm trying to remember how to do something I feel like my brain is fried but at least she is presentable. I hope you guys like her. If anything, she is a visual of a character in my head.

1st picture taken on Feb 2nd.

2nd picture taken on Feb 5th.

3rd picture taken on Feb 8th

Europa Astarte - final

Thank you for stopping by and reading!

You May Have Noticed

You may have noticed that there are certain titles you can no longer buy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.

I'm waiting for the official letter from Silver Publishing for right revisions on the Sumeria's Sons series and the I.O.N. series:

• Twin Flames
• Songs of the Earth
• Dreams of the Forgotten
• Surrounded by Crimson
• Ruby Red Booty Shorts and A Louisville Slugger

Once I receive proper notification I will be able to start searching for new homes for the two series. 

I'm so excited. When I finish Keeping Faith and Fate and Destinies. I'll be able to complete Sumeria's Sons with Dragon's Eye and Releasing Chaos. Book two of I.O.N. is in the process of being critiqued. 

2014 is going to be an awesome year!

Guest Post with Giveaway: Vicktor Alexander

Hey everybody! Please welcome Vicktor Alexander. This is the start of his In The Beginning Blog Tour. 

The In "The Beginning" Blog Tour Kickoff!


-strolls into room carrying a large stack of hardcover books-

Hiya everyone! I'm Vicktor Alexander and I am so happy to be here. Thank you so much, Lexi for having me here. I know you're all wondering about the books. Well, let me explain. -places the books on table and sighs exhaustedly-

When I got the idea for the Sons of Adam series it came about because of a conversation I had with my uber religious, biological family. I, as an author, live in a world of hypotheticals. So while discussing the Torah (I'm Messianic Jew-yes, even as a gay man) I said: "How do we know that we're reading hasn't been altered to keep the truth from us?"

My bio mother, thinking I was talking about homosexuality (because that's usually what I'm talking about) said, "Like what?"

So I said, "Well, how do we know that Adam was really the first man created? And that Eve was the first woman? There's a school of thought that says that Lillith was actually the first woman created, not Eve. So… what if in actuality, when YHVH (Jewish term for G-d) made Adam he made brothers for him who were actually what we think of as wolf shifters and vampires and witches, etc. now but when they ate of the Tree of Knowledge their curse was that they had to keep their identity a secret?"

And thus the series was born.

Cole is your typical alpha. He's a lion shifter. Big, tan, gorgeous. He's possessive, sexually insatiable and protective when it comes to his mate. He doesn't care that it's against paranormal law to mate with a man and a human. He wants his mate and he's determined to have him. No matter the cost. When that determination to have his mate ends up changing the entire world, Cole is the type of man who doesn't regret his actions, not because he's selfish, but because he believes in the power of a true mating. He was raised to believe in them and nothing is going to change his mind.

Cole's mate, Ronny, is completely different, however. He's a human, a barista at Starbucks who lives in Harlem and he's a proud, black gay man. Ronny is sick of his life when he finally meets Cole. He feels like his life is stagnant and he wants his life to have purpose. He refuses to be restricted by the labels that people try to place upon those in the gay subculture like "twink," "bear," "cub," etc. And even though he wants his life to have a purpose when he gets the opportunity to have it actually have it do so, he doesn't think he's equipped for the job. But there's something about Cole that makes him fight against his usual response to run and stick it out and see what is waiting on the other side.

Cole and Ronny were definitely fun for me to write. I never knew what was going to come out of their mouths or what was going to happen with the two of them and one of the coolest things with the series is the fact that in each book is the flashback to the original couples, the ones there at the beginning of creation that are a reflection of the main characters.

I hope you enjoy The Beginning (Sons of Adam: 1) and to keep you interested, here's the blurb and an excerpt from the book, and in the comments below tell me what label you refuse to have placed on you:

Blurb:

Ronny Parker has always been aware that there was more to life outside of his Harlem apartment. When he goes to work one morning at Starbucks, he finds himself coming face to face with a reality that he was not prepared for. He finds himself the eyewitness to a fight between two shifters, a wolf and a lion, one of which bites Ronny and calls him “mate.” When Ronny wakes up the next morning, he finds himself thrust into a world neither his family, nor his teachers, ever taught him about and he does the only thing he can do. He starts to investigate.

Cole Tronk has been taught from an early age that he is never to mate a human, never reveal his true nature to a human, and that he cannot be gay. But when he gets into a fight with his oldest friend outside of a Starbucks and finds himself smelling the most intoxicating scent ever, he throws all of those rules out of the window. Before long, Cole and his mate, Ronny, are on the run from the governing body of the paranormals, humans who have now discovered that paranormals, magicks, and supernaturals exist, and someone from Ronny’s past who is determined to kill them both.

Along the way, Cole and Ronny meet up with a group of paranormals, magicks, and supernaturals who are also gay, and who are researching the true history of the world and creation. What they find will not only change their lives, but the entire world and the future. Will Ronny and Cole’s mating survive all of these obstacles? When a millennia-old lie comes back to bite them in the ass, will Ronny and Cole be able to deal with the consequences?

Excerpt:

Cole let out a bark of laughter before leaning forward to sniff at the column of Ronny’s neck. He let out a low growl before licking the skin there. Ronny shivered so hard he thought he would fly apart as the front of his pants grew wet with his pre-cum.

“Oh, fuck,” he whispered and clenched his fists against the wall. 

Something inside of him wanted to reach out to Cole. He wanted to bring the other man against his body, preferably with both of them naked. He wanted to feel Cole thrusting inside of him. He ached deep inside for… something. He didn’t know what, but he knew that it was somehow the most important thing ever. He noticed that his breath and Cole’s seemed to be in sync and he watched, amazed that whenever he breathed out, Cole inhaled and vice versa. It was as if they were each other’s air.

Riiight, he mentally scoffed. I am not some fucking twink in a romance novel. 

Giving himself a mental shake, Ronny raised his hands to push Cole away, who seemed to have gotten so much closer to him in the few seconds it took for Ronny to think. His hands landed on firm pecs and, though he’d told himself that he was pushing the other man away, he found himself squeezing the flesh instead, his palms grazed by the puckered nipples on Cole’s chest.

“Shit,” Cole growled. 

It was Ronny’s only warning before sharp pain pierced the join of his neck and left shoulder as Cole, the lion man, buried his fangs into Ronny’s skin. Ronny let out a loud yell, that quickly turned into a moan as the pain became pleasure. Sweet, overwhelming, delicious pleasure. The kind that had him humping Cole’s thigh where it rested between his own legs. It was a pleasure so amazing that it took him a moment to realize that not only had he just cum in his work pants, effectively ruining them, but that he’d just let some fucking lion man bite him.

He told himself that he was going to push Cole away, but his hands seemed to not be listening to him and instead they rose to wrap around Cole’s neck as the other man groaned and drank Ronny’s blood. After a moment, when Ronny was starting to feel just slightly weak, Cole let go of his neck and licked the wounds. He kissed the skin there and began to purr. At first, it freaked Ronny out, but, after a moment, he found himself more turned on by the purring than he’d been by the bite to his neck.

The bite to his—hold the hell on!

Ronny shoved Cole away from him. Jabbing a finger into Cole’s chest, he glared and let out his own growl. “You fucking bit me, you psycho!”

Cole smirked. “You loved it,” he pointed out, crossing his massive arms across his broad chest. 




The Beginning can be pre-ordered from Rooster & Pig Publishing at a discounted price until its release day at which time it will go to its normal price: http://www.roosterandpigpublishing.com/coming-soon

****

Don't forget to read all the way to the bottom and enter the giveaway through Rafflecopter. Please remember, leaving a comment won't enter you in the drawing. You'll need to go through the Rafflecopter where it says, "Enter To Win". ^_^ 

If you don't catch Vicktor here on Monday, the 10th, I have attached the tour dates and links.

Tour Schedule:

• 10: Lexi (that's me!), 
• 11: NJ (http://normanielsen.blogspot.com), 
• 12: Tempe (http://tempesteoriley.com/blog/), 
• TN:13 (http//:tntarrant.blogspot.com), 
• 14:Purple Fantasy Den (http://authorvicktoralexander.com), 
• 15: N/A, 
• 16:Tara Lain (http://taralain.com/blog/), 
•  17: Gale (http://galestanley.blogspot.com/), 
• 18: Lee (http://leebrazilauthor.blogspot.com/), 
• 19: Iyanna (http://iyanajenna.blogspot.com/), 
• Pender: 20 (http://www.pendermackie.com/), 
• Sid Love: 21st (http://sidlove.com), 
• 21-22: N/A 
• LM Brown: 24 (http://lmbrownauthor.wordpress.com/blog/), 
• Wendy Hoffman: 25 (http://wickedwolvesanddreamingdragons.blogspot.com), 
• Bella: 26 (www.bellaleonebooks.com), 
• Lor the 27th: http://www.lorrose.com
• Elf: 28 (http://thereadingaddict-elf.blogspot.com/

Vicktor Alexander can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVicktorAlexander
http://www.facebook.com/VicktorAlexanderB
http://www.twitter.com/VVeeB
http://www.vicktoralexander.com
http://www.authorvicktoralexander.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VicktorAlexander
vicktoralexander@vicktoralexander.com

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Fate and Destinies - A Quick Bite

Sometimes when I'm writing, I'll finish a sentence or a paragraph, and in that one moment, I'll sit back and reread what I've penned with a small smile because it's almost perfect. 

One of the WIPs I'm close to finishing ("close" as to mean I've another 30k or so to write) Fate and Destinies. It is the full story that last summer's Fated only hinted at.

For those who haven't read Fate, it is a free read you can get here: (http://www.mmromancegroup.com/110465). 

Because of restrictions and such, I felt the relationship in Fated was rushed. In Fate and Destinies I reworked Roi's and Ewen's courtship and extended it so it's not going to read exactly the same. Ewen's brother, Donn, will have his own POV in the story for he has a part to play in the mystery of the curse that afflicts his people.

Today I was writing one of Donn's chapters and this one bit of dialogue I really liked. This is the 1st draft of the story but I doubt I will change this part much at all.

"What you behold before you be a man, Donn, who will no' be hard to slay. Even as we be the same, we differ. Albeit, your concern warms my breast. Evidence of your yearning greets my sight, tickles my nose, and I find it hard to harness my patience. I would bed you, if you allow. What say you?"

Thank you for stopping by and reading!

Character Sketch: Europa Astarte from Striker (Valespian Pact #2)

I noticed I haven't posted anything in a week, so I'm making it up to you with an early picture. I started with a character introduced in Striker, Europa Astarte. I wasn't going to show her off until she was finished, but I thought, maybe, I would post a series of pictures to show the progress as they were completed. I, of course, had this novel idea after I had made a good deal of progress on Europa. The others will have better progression posts. Promise. I haven't decided how many I'll do. I think it'll depend heavily on the spare time I'll have to put into this project. If any of them really suck big, hairy toes, I might not have the courage to post them. But I'll post "meh" to "mediocre". Something to note: I'm not an real artist.

Until last year, I hadn't attempted to draw anything since I was 19-20. So we are talking 20 years, roughly. I have found that if you don't work the 'art' part of you brain you forget what you once knew. I drew a lot when I was a teenager. Loved to duplicate the covers to my mother's romance novel. Do you remember in the back of the magazines, where they had the ads. You could usually find the one for the contest that involved drawing the turtle or the pirate. I drew both and never sent them in. I didn't take any classes other than a general craft's class where they did a bunch of different things like ceramics, weaving, and candles. (That was a fun class even though I had to go the principal's office for flipping Scott the bird when he called my mom fat.)

My best work used to be done with pencil and charcoal. I've been wishing for a set of charcoals this last week or so. There is so much I've forgotten how to do. How to shadow. How to add depth. I know Europa's head is a bit warped. I'm trying to fix that. 

Just be a dear, and don't expect amazing, because, like I said, it will be mediocre at best. The upside--you get a glimpse of what I see, who I see when I write.

Europa Astarte - progress picture #1