Guest Rosanna Leo and her Singing Bear! Oh My!

Thank you so much to the wonderful Lynn for hosting me and my polar bear today!

Yes, that’s right. I brought a polar bear shifter with me. His name is Soren Snow and he is the hero of my new paranormal romance Predator’s Serenade, Gemini Island Shifters Book 2. Now, Soren is a special kind of guy. Aside from being a shape shifter, this sexy man is also a rock star drummer, and adored all over the world.

Rosanna: Soren, say hi to Lynn.

Soren: (eyeing Lynn with great appreciation) Nothing would give me greater pleasure.

Lynn: *Gulp* uh, hello Soren. So nice having you...here...today...uh....*whispers* You never said he was so...handsome.

Rosanna: (snapping fingers) Soren, eyes up. Over here! Now, how many people are in your fan club right now?

Soren: (drags gaze from Lynn back to Rosanna) I kind of stopped counting after the American chapter became the North American chapter. (laughs) My math’s not that good.

Rosanna: You are one of the few rock stars to transition easily from rock to classical music. Did you get bored of the hard stuff?

Soren : (sexy blue eyes wide open) No way! Classical is just as sexy, though. Did you ever listen to Beethoven. Pure, pumping sex.

Rosanna: (narrows eyes) You do have a thing for sex, don’t you?

Soren: (eyes Lynn once more from top to bottom) Yes, ma’am. Although, Rosanna, I must say, you wound me with your assumptions. I am a mated man, you know.

Lynn: *swears softly* Rats!

Rosanna: Speaking of mates, you had a hard time accepting Gioia, you mate. In fact, I don’t think she was too pleased with you at the start of your story.

Soren : Lies. All of it lies. Gioia adores me. (scratches head) Okay, it’s true. I was sort of a dumbass where she was concerned when we met. However, I have spent every single moment since making it up to her…in increasingly inventive ways. (winks)

Rosanna: How do you feel about being a polar bear in your non-human time?

Soren: I had my issues with it when I was younger, but have reconciled with my inner bear. (Face becomes serious) And my bear was a big help when Gioia was threatened. Let’s just say I have no problem with allowing my bear the opportunity to fight for our mate.

Rosanna: You were a confirmed bachelor before meeting Gioia. How’s mated life treating you?

Soren: (grinning like a devil) It’s delicious. You should really try it some time.

Rosanna: Ahem, perhaps I will. Thank you Soren, and thank you Lynn. You can read more of Soren’s story in Predator’s Serenade. Hope to see you on Gemini Island soon!

Lynn: Thank you, Rosanna, for bringing Soren here...to me...uh, I mean my blog.

Here's a little excerpt from Predator's Serenade....

Blurb:

There are three things that make bear shifter Soren Snow’s skin crawl: mothers, their children, and the great outdoors. Soren is a famed musician and playboy, and he would rather spend his days pressing the flesh with the women in his fan club than developing meaningful relationships. When his brother calls in a favor, forcing Soren to revisit the Ursa Fishing Lodge in Northern Ontario, he couldn’t be more displeased. However, he owes his brother big time.

Gioia Clementine would rather not meet Soren, her drummer son’s rock idol. But when tragedy strikes her home, it seems the only one the boy might respond to is Soren. Gioia begrudgingly agrees to let her son meet him, hoping the rock star won’t turn her tween into a musical misogynist.

When Gioia and Soren meet, the sexual chemistry threatens to set the Ontario woodland ablaze. Can these two opposites find a common ground? And can they manage to resolve their unwanted feelings, even when a mysterious stranger arrives at the lodge, threatening everything?

Excerpt:

Gioia followed Soren's approach with a curious eye. She'd wondered if the miracle kisser would beat a hasty retreat after witnessing her boy fall to pieces, and yet here he was. He wore the same famished look he had right before he'd ruined her for any other man's kiss. And she felt it too. The tingles between her shoulder blade, the gelatin knees, and trembling lips that wanted to gobble him up.

She couldn't. She didn't want to saddle him with such a wreck of a woman or family.

He came right up to her, so close, as if making a mockery of the space that sought to separate them. Weaving his fingers through her hair, he cradled her skull and pulled her close. Tucking her head against his chest, he kissed the top of her head, blazing a trail of hot reaction down her spine. He had new clothes on and smelled fresh and clean. As she breathed him in, he rained soft kisses all over her head.

He knows.

She pulled away, suddenly terrified he'd think she was a travesty of a mother. It's what anyone would think in his case. They'd wonder what Gioia had done wrong to create a monster child. But as she attempted to remove herself from his grasp, Soren fought her by holding her still. Again she tried jerking away from his wall of a chest. He held her firm.

When she tried two more times, each time unsuccessfully, he looked at her and shouted, "Dammit, woman, I am not letting you go, so you can stop pulling away from me!"

Something in Gioia broke. She'd been carrying her sadness around for so long, trying to be strong, and Soren was offering to be strong for her. For just a moment, maybe she could surrender. God only knew how badly she wanted to give herself to the bear man.

He grabbed her tighter, and his hands slid down to mold over her ass cheeks. His warm breath was all over her face, and she took a dizzying dive into the seas of his eyes. He ground her against him, and she was forced to stand on tip toes.

"Gioia," he whispered.

She wound her arms about his tense neck, felt him tense further. Then … a sigh somewhere in his big frame and a relaxation in his muscles. As if he needed to have her wound about him. As if it soothed him as much as her.

"Soren. Please."

As he kissed her, he picked her up, his hands under her bottom. Her miniskirt rode up, and she spared a second to mentally curse her decision to wear it. And then she didn't care.

Kissing her madly, Soren spirited her into the woods.

Buy link: http://www.lsbooks.com/predators-serenade-p818.php

Author bio:
Rosanna Leo is a multi-published, erotic romance author with Liquid Silver Books. Her books include For the Love of a God, Up In Flames, and Sweet Hell. When not writing, she can be found haunting dusty library stacks or planning her next star-crossed love affair. She blogs at www.rosannaleo.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/rleoauthor1
www.twitter.com/LeoRosanna
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826852.Rosanna_Leo

Introducing....Theordora Lane!

I've finally broken down and thrown in the towel. You guessed it - I've created a new pen name for my traditional romances.

I know it might not sound like a big deal to most people, but it was to me. I've been fighting it for years, knowing in the back of my mind I should have done it a long time ago.

I write gay romance - it's the lion's share of my books - but I also write het romance - sweet, traditional and yes, even erotic - and I've been doing it under the name Lynn Lorenz.

It wouldn't be a problem, but Lynn is known for gay erotic romance and I knows it's not everyone's cup of tea. I get that. So many readers see the Lynn name and say, "oh, no. I wouldn't like those stories" without really taking a good long look.

And it's a double-edge sword. My gay romance readers say, "uh, no, I only read gay romance," and they don't read it.

So in order not to mislead anyone in the future, I decided to start my new pen name - Theodora Lane. I love this name. Theodora was my mom's middle name, after my grandfather. Lane is just cuz I like the way it sounded together.

I have a several het romance stories just sitting there, waiting to be finished, and finally I feel like I can do it, under this new name. I'm not making a secret of it, because I'd love for my readers to find me, no matter what they like to read, but I want them to know what they're getting.

I also decided that as my traditional books come up for rights reversion, I'd get them back, and put them out under Theodora's name, to really separate them from my Lynn books. But not all my books will be older titles with new edits, cover and author name. I have some original stuff also.

One of the stories I'm working on is Tarnished and Jaded - an erotic Russian historical set in the 1600's. Arisha's reputation has been tarnished and Alexei one of the Tsar's elite mounted fighters who has seen a lot of battle, and maybe he longs to settle down. He's been charged with bringing her home, to the one place she never wanted to go. And if he succeeds, it might mean both their lives.

Look for it early next year, fingers crossed.

Here's her bio --

Theodora Lane was born in the south, raised by her grandmother who taught her the art of the backhanded compliment, how to make sweet tea, and that you can never have too many husbands, just not at the same time.
By day Theodora lives an unassuming life, having lunch with the ladies, attending baby showers and playing refined card games. By night, she writes wickedly sexy and funny stories, hangs out in bars, and gathers ideas for her next book.
She can be reached at theodoralane@live.com

And to celebrate, August 1st, coming from Taliesin Publishing, my first book under Theodora will be Heart of a Warrior. It's an urban fantasy paranormal.

Here's the blurb....  Ever since Nic was orphaned at sixteen, he's trained to kill vampires. It's what he does and he's good at it. If there are virgins to be rescued, Nic's your man. He's never expected more from his life; he's got an enchanted lizard as a sidekick, and a being with him could get a woman killed.

   When Fiona winds up at a midnight vampire party, with her on the menu for dinner, she doesn't need to wait for a hero, she's a freakin' heroine! Until Nic walks in.

   Fiona never figured she'd meet a man who could hold his own with her fighting skills or her attitude, but Nic is getting the job done. And he's getting under her skin, making her hot, and making her rethink her "no sex before marriage" policy. Because, yeah, Fiona is a virgin, and she's not giving it away to just anyone.

   These two might just rescue each other, if the vampires don't kill them first.
  

Here's an excerpt....

“Hey, man, this is a private party.”

Without breaking stride, Nic pulled his sword, decapitated him with a casual swing, and sheathed it. Reaching the door, he pulled it open.

The sound of steel-on-steel met him.

He paused for a second and then headed down several steps without a sound. No guards were posted at the bottom.

“Time to go to work, Cho.”

“On my way, Nic.”

The lizard leaped off his shoulder and onto the wall. In moments, Cho had blended into the gray stone walls. He skittered down to the opening and disappeared around the corner. “Shit! You’re not going to believe this, Nic!”

“What’s going on?”

“Get down here now! You’re not going to believe this.”

When Nic got to the bottom of the stairs, he froze.

It was turmoil. Three vampires in togas were attacking a naked, sword-wielding woman. Gloriously naked. She fought like a hellcat, blocking their thrusts, spinning around to attack, her full breasts bouncing with each swing and each block. Her body glistened with a fine sheen of sweat. Her muscles corded as they strained, her dark hair flew wild around her head, and her eyes glowed as if they were on fire.

“God, Cho, I’m in love.”

“Forget it, she’s mine. I saw her first!”

“Out of my way, I have work to do.”

“Go get ’em, Nic. That is, if she leaves any for you.”

Nic stepped into the room.

 “Son of a bitch! There’s more than one! Vlad! Ivan! Romero!” An older vampire waved his arms about wildly.

The woman froze for a moment, her brows furrowed as she took Nic in, perhaps trying to decide if he was here to help or hurt her. He winked at her, and her eyebrows shot up.

Nic locked his gaze on the woman’s sweat-streaked face. The corner of her mouth rose in the barest hint of a smile. He nodded once. It was as if they were so finely tuned to each other they needed only the merest nod, the blink of an eye, or the curl of a lip to communicate.

She gave him a nod of her head.

He gave his best slow, lopsided, dead-sexy grin.

They began their attack. The two fighters advanced, closing ranks with the three vampires between them. Swords sang as they cut the cold damp air in the crypt. Steel rang with each blocked blow. The three vampires, fighting for their lives, stood back-to-back in the center of the room, swords swinging and slashing.

One of the vampires stepped out of the shadows and darted up the stairs. The vamp she fought saw it and yelled, “Ivan, you bast—” but it was all he got out. Her sword, whistling through the air, sliced the creature’s head from his neck.

Nic swallowed hard.

“Damn, she’s good.”

“You weren’t scared for her, were you?”

The lizard was right; he’d feared for her, but she’d held her nerve and her position even as the big vampire was on top of her. Then, light and graceful as any dancer, she ducked, spun, and took the monster out.

Now she watched him. Time to finish it.

“Christ, what man could work with those bodacious breasts staring him in the face?”

“What lizard could work?”

“Lizards and women don’t mix, Cho.”

“I like this girl, Nic. She’s got attitude.”

“But what is she doing here?”

“She’s naked. Must be a virgin.”

“She looks a little old for a virgin.”

“Maybe she’s a princess.”

Nic might have heard a small lizard chortle if he’d continued to listen. He didn’t want to think about Cho’s last comment right now. There was a little matter of a sword-carrying vampire to deal with, and he was holding his own against Nic.

As Nic tested the creature’s skill, he realized the vampire’s sword work was much better than the others.

“He knows how to fight.”

“That’s okay, it just makes it more fun, right?”

“Oh yeah, a blast.”

He slashed at Nic and their swords met. Nic swung. The vamp blocked. Nic upped the intensity of his attack as he hammered the vampire with swing after swing. It was all the undead thing could do to keep its sword up.

Nic advanced. The vamp backed away until it hit one of the tables. Unable to go any farther, it charged, yelling what sounded like an old Spanish battle cry. Nic had to fall back for more room.

Their swords clashed, and the ringing of steel echoed. They parted, circling each other.

The bastard was strong, but not strong enough. Focusing on his adversary’s face, Nic watched its eyes.

The creature attacked again. Swords met, steel screaming against steel. Parted and met again as the fighters circled. Swinging in tight arcs and rapid rhythms. Separating. Advancing to meet each other. Their swords locked. Both leaned in, straining to overpower the other.

Nic stepped back and let his opponent’s sword slide down his, dropping the tip of his sword to the left. The vamp’s sword slid along it, unbalancing him. Nic stepped to the side and, putting his shoulders into it, pushed the vampire’s sword away. His opponent staggered out of reach but regained its footing.

“Who sent you?” The vampire circled, looking for an opportunity to strike.

“The last vampire I killed. He said to tell you he’d see you in hell.” Nic laughed, feinted, and drew the vamp’s arm out in a swing that missed. Nic stepped to the inside. The point of his sword found its chest. The vampire didn’t disappear, but hung on the tip of the sword. Nic, teeth gritted, inched forward, pushing the blade deeper.

Holding his sword with both hands at chest height, Nic tightened his grip as the vampire slid toward him on the blade of the sword. Deadly, white fangs neared. Powerful hands reached for him, and black eyes blazed with hatred.

The vampire disappeared. Its weapon clattered to the ground.

Sheathing the great sword, Nic turned and faced the woman.

Putting her hands on her hips, she tilted her head to the side in question. “Some rescue. What took you so long?”

“Crosstown traffic’s a bear this time of night.” Nic gave her a shrug. Damn, she was only about five feet five, but every inch was packed with sexy female energy.

“Right. Hope you don’t mind, but I had to start without you.” She waved her hand at the room.

“That’s all right, as long as we finish together.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Well…” She raised an eyebrow. “Was it good for you?”

“Hell, I don’t smoke, but I think I need a cigarette,” he drawled.

“Kiss her, Nic, or I will.”

“Shut up, Cho, and let me handle this.”

Fiona turned her back on him and went over to the girls. “Party’s over. Get dressed, girls.”

Nic looked at her and frowned.

“When did she take over this operation?”

“When she was kicking vampire ass, is my guess.”

After leading the girls back to the pile of clothing, she put down the sword. Sifting through the heap, she pulled out jeans and a T-shirt, and then she held up shreds of what might have once been underwear. She tossed them to the side with a disgusted sigh.

Nic watched, biting back his moan as she slipped the jeans over her firm ass, hiding it from his sight.

“Nic. Hey, Nic. Snap out of it, Nic.”

She paused, her head tilted as if she’d heard something.

She shook her head and then helped one of the girls get her clothes on. Once dressed, the girl gave her a hug. The others waited for their turn. Seemed they all needed a hug right about then. Sniffling, they looked at her with gratitude and admiration. Like she was some sort of hero.

“Let’s go home, girls.” She herded them across the room to the stairs where Nic leaned against the wall.

Cho reclaimed his place on Nic’s shoulder and returned to his natural green color. Nic watched the girls go up the stairs, still in a tight huddle.

The woman of his dreams moved to his side and looked up into Nic’s eyes as he towered above her. Reaching out her hand as if to touch his face, she dropped it to pet the lizard riding on his broad shoulder.

“Cute lizard.” She smirked and headed up the steps.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. She said I was cute!”

“Shut up, Cho.”

---

I hope you enjoyed it and you'll give Theodora a chance.  If you leave a comment, I'll be giving away a copy of Heart of a Warrior to the lucky winner on August 1st. Make sure you leave your email address so I can reach you.

Sexy Snippet Sunday

I'm going do this every Sunday...post a sexy snippet (usually six or seven sentences from a work either in progress or published)

I'm doing this with the writers at The Nut House Scribblers - check out their sight to link to other authors of all genres doing the same thing - posting sexy snippets!
http://thenuthousescribblers.blogspot.co.uk/p/sexy-snippets.html

So my snippets are for the book I have coming out today!!!  Storyville is a gay noir set in New Orleans of 1916. Max is an Irish cop walking the beat and Tommy is a piano player in a whorehouse. Both know their attraction is dangerous, but there's another danger lurking - someone might want Tommy dead.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Storyville.html

This is part of the Noir PAX group this month - a clutch of five novellas on the theme of Noir. Just think a gay Sam Spade, or Chinatown, or The Maltese Falcon - books showing the underbelly of a city.
And for New Orleans, my home town, there was no other area that fit that bill like Storyville. Sitting outside
the French Quarter it was home to the city's whores - from the poorest to the finest.

I'm posting a couple - this one because I think it really sets the atmosphere. and New Orleans has plenty of that - seeping into the city, the music, and the food. What do you think?

      As the sun set, both horse drawn wagons and those new pickup trucks jostled for positions in front of the rows of houses lining each side of Basin. Deliverymen and houseboys of all colors carried barrels of beer and crates of hooch into the houses. Negro maids, dressed in black uniforms with white aprons and little white lace caps, stood on the stoops, and ordered them about, pointing and shouting. Old gray-haired Negro men with push brooms and buckets of soapy water cleaned the banquettes in front of the houses of the filth from the previous night and day.

      In just a few hours, Basin Street and the rest of Storyville would come to life. Carriages and automobiles carrying New Orleans’ finest gentlemen, dressed in black tuxedos and white gloves, would arrive.

But here's my sexy snippet....

     I have no idea what time it was when my door opened, but I came out of the bed like I’d heard the clanging of a fire wagon.

     “What the fuck?” I staggered, unsteady on my feet.

     Tommy stood in the doorway. In the faint light of my gas lamp, I could just make him out. I fell back to sit on the bed and ran my hands through my hair, then over my eyes, trying to clear my head and settle my racing heart.

     He didn’t say a word. I looked up. “What’s wrong?” My gut tightened at the thought Tommy needed me.

    “I’m not in your bed.”

Which one did you like? Which one made you want to read more? Leave a comment and let me know - once lucky commenter will win a copy of Storyville.

If you liked those snippets, check out the rest of the book.
Knock twice.
Tell them Lynn sent you.

It's a New Year!

Well, it's a new year and I'm going to try something new...blogging. I've fought it for quite some time, but recently I've given up.

I'm blogging now on at least two other sites, the second and fourth Monday of each month at Love, Lust, and Laptops http://lovelustandlaptops.wordpress.com/
and over at the new Amber Allure PAX blog when I have a PAX release http://amberpax.blogspot.co.uk/
and my Goodreads Author Blog http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1496392.Lynn_Lorenz

So, I'd already slipped down that slope and figured, what the hell! Why not go all the way and do my own blog? Here it is. My plans for it are simple. Get it up in somewhat decent shape, and blog about stuff. My books, craft, etc.

My most recent book out is #3 in the Rougaroux Social Club series, Bayou Loup.

It's on sale at Loose Id and of course over at Amazon, where it's currently #24 in gay romance. Yeehaw!

In St. Jerome, a pack of werewolves exist and they are part of the town of St. Jerome. Deep in the heart of bayou country, these Cajuns are wild and often touched with a bit of crazy.
In this third book, Bobby Cotteau is the ex-sheriff and ex-apha of his pack and he's looking for some love. Two years after his mate, Carol, died, he's ready to find a new mate or die. And he finds what he thinks is his mate, Mark, during a no-names, no strings attached weekend of hot-as-hell hotel sex. Bobby's got a secret he can't just blurt out. And Mark might be the one person who can destroy the everyone in the pack, including Bobby.

I hope everyone who buys it enjoys it and if you haven't read the Rougaroux series, start with Bayou Dreams. Sheriff Scott Dupree is a straight man with a gay wolf inside, and his wolf has set its sights on P.I. Ted Canedo, from New Orleans. Ted's openly gay and not what Scott needs. But Scott's mama has cast a spell to bring Scott his mate. But a mate like Ted could end Scott's term as both sheriff and alpha of his pack.

The second book is Bayou's End. We catch up with Deputy Billy Trosclair, who outed himself in Bayou Dreams. When a young artist, Peter, returns to St. Jerome looking for Ted Canedo's help, he finds Billy. Peter's damaged and needs to find himself, but Billy recognizes his mate in Peter and wants to claim him.

Before that can happen, Peter is accused of being a thief and Billy has to lock him up. The pack must decide his and Billy's fate. Can they be together or will Peter be banished from St. Jerome?




And don't worry, because St. Jerome is full of surprises, werewolves, voodoo mama's and a very mysterious stray cat. More Rougaroux bayou tales are coming! I'll keep you posted on the next book as soon as I get it plotted out.