What I Worked on this Week

Fighting Addiction came out this week. I'm waiting on pins and needles to hear if y'all loved the boys. 

 

Active writing:

m/f contemporary western at the wrap up stage. :D Kidnapped the rancher's daughter. Rescued the rancher's daughter. Due Monday night. Pray for my editor, D.

m/m novella -- this one's a Christmas story in the Roughstock world. It's 3/4 done, light and fluffy.

m/m/f novel (co-write with Julia) -- fun, sexy menage, a cop, an artist, a trust fund baby. Have to go in and rework the beginning. Pondering making them were cats.

 

In edits/rewrites:

The Four Horsemen: Ace and Kitty -- I didn't get a chance to look at these guys this week, again-again-again. 

Moonshine (cowrite with Julia) -- 1/2 through reading it.

What She Wants -- just needs a read through. O.o (Yeah, I suck)

Mating Call 2 (untitled) -- need to brush up plot holes like whoa.

 

Next up:

I will have a novel hole on Tuesday. I'm pondering Tag Team.

;-)

Much love, y'all.

BA

Fighting Addiction is Here!

Okay, so y'all have heard me squealing for weeks, right?

IT'S HERE! (and here, too).

Markus! Sebastian!

Music.

Sex.

Angst.

Fights.

A dog named Fido.

A bullrider.

I love these boys with a passion that borders on insane. Y'all know how writers talk about characters eating their brains? That's Markus and Seb for me. Three months I lived in their hearts and I'm blessed for it. These two broke my heart, about a thousand times.

 

The text in the video is a song that I wrote for the book, Silent Love. One day soon, I'll find someone to put it to music, you just wait and see.

Official type blurb: 

Country hat act Markus Kane is pretty skeptical when one of his oldest industry friends calls and asks him to do a joint tour. He and Seb haven’t seen each other in years, not since Markus quit drinking. Maybe not since he and Sebastian Longchamps almost lost their careers to the fact that they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

Sebastian is a country-fried Cajun rocker, and he’s been missing Markus ever since they broke up all those years ago. His label thinks he and Markus are a match made in ticket-sales heaven, but Seb knows better. He knows that it won’t take even the tiniest effort for Markus to break his heart all over again, and this time around he has way more to lose.

Time has changed both men, though, and while Markus and Seb try to fight their addictions, the big music industry machine has plans for them that don’t include the quiet life. Can Markus convince Sebastian that there are things more important in life than adrenaline and control? And can Sebastian make Markus understand that all he really wants is his music and his man?

Excerpt:

Markus wiped his hands on his jeans. The place was an island paradise, and he felt seriously overdressed, but this was a business meeting first, right? He'd chosen jeans, boots, and a white shirt, no starch. That was his concession to the tropical location.

Later, when he was sure he and Seb could still see eye to eye on anything, he'd bust out the board shorts and flip flops.

Jesus, why was he suddenly so fucking nervous? This was Seb. There wasn't much Markus hadn't known about the man, once upon a time. From the way Seb whistled in his sleep to the way those muscled shoulders looked when the hot little son of a bitch was on his knees sucking cock.

Oh. Bad image.

No remembering that, not in these jeans.

Seb came in the door, the tiny bald fucker wearing a pair of gauzy pants that hung so low Markus could see the hipbones holding them up, an LSU T-shirt, and a pair of dark sunglasses on. "Candy! Damn, man!"

"Hey, Seb!" He shook the man's hand, not sure if anything else was appropriate.

"You look great, dude. Happy, healthy. You get some sleep?" Seb tugged him in, gave him a solid man hug, hand slapping his back.

"I did." Seb smelled like coconut and musk. God, that was yummy.

"Excellent." Seb stepped back, grinned. "So fucking glad you showed. Have a seat. Did Bev take care of you?"

"She's been great." Hell, he'd had everything he could ever want. Seb's assistant had even taken the wet bar out completely, just leaving juices and sparkling water. The woman was inhumanly efficient.

"She's a champ." Seb settled in a chair across from him, muscles rippling under the thin T-shirt. "So, Jack says you have demands. Demand away."

Markus blinked, trying to remember what all he'd wanted to talk on. "Well, Tawny has dealt with all the advertising equality and all that bullshit."

Seb waved one hand. "If the suits had a problem with that shit, we wouldn't be here. I know that. I'm not looking to fuck you over, man. I just want to make some music and some money."

"I know that." He rolled his eyes. Blunt little fuck. "I also know you're a control freak. We write the EP together. We do at least one duet. And I can't tell your boys what to do on tour and all, but I need to know there won't be booze backstage or on my buses."

There. That was the hard part, right out in the open.

"Works for me. I don't drink, and my boys are family men now. They may have a beer on their bus, but that's their issue." Seb stretched. "Your people are taking care of your buses; mine mine. I want my boys to play on the recording, at least on half the songs."

"Sure." Half of Markus' band had actually retired last year. He'd made them a pretty good living over the years. "I want Kyle on fiddle, but other than that I'm easy."

"Kyle still with you? Even after rehab? I'm impressed."

"Dude, Kyle is on Weight Watchers. He's way more scary on sugar detox than I was on withdrawal." It could be hell to get old. Markus knew from experience.

"Oh, man. I mean, I get it. I know what I eat. I'm careful." Shit, careful. There wasn't an ounce of fat on Seb, that Markus could see. It was a good look, but he had to admit it was a little unnerving.

"You know me. I get off the sauce and I can eat a lot." He could still devour the Waffle House as long as he hit the gym.

"Rock on." One near white eyebrow lifted, rising above Seb’s dark glasses. "So, you want to do a couple of rocking cuts, one ballad, one cover and something... patriotic?"

"Something summertime, maybe?" He could think of a thousand song choices that wouldn't offend anyone... Yeah. Something they could base a tour on.

"You know me, I'm a sun baby." Yeah, Seb'd made a career on being the wild child -- hang gliding, snowboarding, motorcycles, airplanes. Anything and everything. Extreme sports events vied for the man to do shows like rodeos begged for Markus.

"Good." What else was there? He knew he'd had a list.

"So, studio in February, first release in April, tour starts in May?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that works. I've got some award shows in May, so we'll have to schedule it."

"Sure. Tawny and Jack will run with that. Who's your assistant?"

"Uh. Tawny has one." He didn't have a PA anymore.

"Dude. How do you function?"

"I got my laptop. My phone. Tawny is superhuman." His ears felt hot. He wasn't as busy as he'd been once, either.

"I'm impressed. I'm not smart enough to keep all that shit straight."

He surprised himself by wanting to growl. "You do fine."

Seb chuckled, bare feet curling up under his legs. "So. I'm yours until noon. Wanna write?"

"Hell, yes. I got my guitar." He pulled off one boot, then the other. The business meeting was over.

"Fucking A!" He got this grin -- wide and wild and pleased. "I'll grab the pens and paper."

Markus found that he had the same goofy grin on his lips, too. They had always connected best over music. Wherever they were.

Seb came back with two bottles of water, a pad of paper, and a guitar case.

"Let's do it."

"Start with the stadium rocker?"

"Uh-huh. I was thinking something about fireworks and flames?" Seb plopped down beside him, pulled out the ancient six-string. God, how many memories did he have about that man and that Gibson? Shit.

"Old flames, maybe. America loves an old love story come back to life." He popped his acoustic out of the case. It wasn't old, but he loved it and it was custom.

"Oh, man. Fireworks and Old Flames. I fucking love the hook." The words were scribbled down in Seb's weird, backassward script.

"Yeah." He keyed up the first chord, already having a good idea where they were going. Man, he hadn't been this fired up to write in months.

Hell, maybe Seb would be good for him, like a B12 shot or one of those juice fasts.

Either way, Markus figured it wouldn't be boring, and that was a shot in the arm to his semi-retired life.

***

I hope y'all love these boys as much as I do.

Much love, y'all!

 

BA

TWO MORE DAYS!

What I Worked on this Week

The steroids killed my writing patience this week, so getting word count's been rough. Tomorrow's my last day on them, though, and today's flowing way better than yesterday. ;-)

 

Active writing:

m/f contemporary western still buzzing happily. :D He's met her dads. This one is due a week from Monday. So next week is all angst, all the time.

m/m novella -- this one's a Christmas story in the Roughstock world. It's halfway done, light and fluffy.

m/m/f novel (co-write with Julia) -- fun, sexy menage, a cop, an artist, a trust fund baby. Have to go in and rework the beginning.

 

In edits/rewrites:

The Four Horsemen: Ace and Kitty -- I didn't get a chance to look at these guys this week, again-again.

Moonshine (cowrite with Julia) -- I just need to read this through and get it to editing.

What She Wants -- just needs a read through. O.o

 

Next up:

Repeat of last week. Chugga chugga

;-)

Much love, y'all.

BA

New Book Out Today!!!

 

About Cereus: Opening

by Sean Michael, Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga
239 pages / 59000 words 
ISBN: 978-1-61040-373-3

Now that his paranormal resort is built, owner Jonny and manager Duke are ready to open Cereus’ doors to their exclusive clientele. Unfortunately, in these three stories, not everything runs as smoothly as Duke would like, and he’s a werewolf on the verge of tearing his hair out.

In Pack Rules, by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga, security experts Mik and Van have to learn to work together, even though they have a past, and one that didn’t end well. Werewolf Van wants his vampire back, but Mik is unwilling to be hurt again. Can they trust each other enough to solve their problems, and those of the club? In Downward Dog, Talbot and Tortuga tell the story of yoga instructor werewolf Rian, a city wolf with no way to cope with being courted by the native wildlife.

Finally, in The Bear Facts by Sean Michael, one of the first clients at Cereus, polar bear Nuk has special needs. He thinks IT guy Al is just the man to fulfill them, but will that leave Cereus, and Al, in the lurch? Find out in this second installment of the Cereus series. The Cereus series started off with book one, Cereus: Building.

Sample

Mik paced and gnashed his teeth, waiting for the fucking sun to set so he could get out of this room, go look at the perimeter himself, see what was going on.
Three days the cameras had been altered. Two times there had been slaughtered animals, splayed out like feasts. The wolves were getting snippy, and the first wave of guests were coming tomorrow.

Goddamn it.

There was a knock on his door, and he knew the sound of that preemptive rap. Van.

He was too riled up for this, too hungry, too needy. He tore the door open.

"What?"

"Well, hey, my little ray of sunshine. I have those diagnostics." Van handed him a stack of reports. Edible. The man looked edible.

"Thank you." His mouth was watering. His scars were right there, on Van's throat. Scars from a time when that body had been his to explore at will.
"Any luck with the cameras?" Van moved a little closer, close enough that Mik could hear the blood pumping in Donovan's veins.

"Huh?" His cock throbbed in time. Boom. Boom. Boom. Bump-bump. Bump-bump.

"The extra layer you had me set up. Any luck?" Donovan was staring at him, lips open slightly.

"Uh-huh. Not yet." His fangs grew, his body tight and hard. "Not yet. Soon." Mik didn't even know what the hell he was talking about. "I have to go."

"Mik." Van groaned his name, reaching out for him. "Please."

"Don't. Don't touch me. I can't..." He couldn't not touch if Van's hands landed on him. Not when Van was right there. So big and fine and hot.

"So, don't. Haven't you punished me long enough?"

His body rippled, desire so strong it hurt. He couldn't do it again. He couldn't. "And when your Alpha decides he needs another sperm donor? When it's time to chase lady wolves?"

"I don't have an Alpha anymore. That's why I came here." Donovan stepped back, hands hanging at his sides. "Call me when you have something."

"Uh-huh. I'm going out there." He needed to kill something.

Donovan shook his head. "No. This is deliberate. The only one who views that footage is you. Whoever is doing it is fucking with you."

"With me?" He frowned, shook his head. "This isn't about me." No way. Why taunt a vamp with stuff they found naturally distasteful to eat?

"Then what is it about? Who else would even know but me?"

"I don't know." Mik growled, snapping at the air. "Why can't we catch this fucker? Shit, Jonny's going to have my ass over his knee."

A low growl came from Donovan. "No, he's not. No one does that but me."

Mik came within seconds away from creaming his jeans. Right there. He sank his teeth into his bottom lip to keep himself from moving. He knew how that hand felt on his ass. Knew it bone-deep, and he was man enough to know that that was part of the whole problem.

His kind didn't beg for it, not like he had, didn't want it like he did. Vampires were supposed to be natural tops.

"God, Mik." Van moved a fraction of an inch toward him, and he broke and ran. Oh, not physically. He just turned and walked away. But deep inside he knew he was running.

All the daylight was gone.

Available here: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=97&products_id=3699

What I Did This Weekend...

Before ER visit:

After:

So, jogging? 

Not for me. ;-)

My heel is shattered, I have a severely damaged achilles and a cast for 4 months with no weight bearing. Then I start slowly adding weight to it. If it holds,  then no surgery (yay). 

*ponders*

So, trick or treating on the knee walker (because, dude, crutching was vastly easier 30 years ago when I had my first achilles surgery and my poor chest muscles are screaming (and, as an aside, my trainer calls those boobs connectors and so, so do I, but no one knows what I mean when I say that, so I didn't) and I couldn't even get my own blasted cup of coffee!!!) is a go, and Sean Michael is coming to help Julia cook for Thanksgiving and Christmas... well, I'll just have to throw the presents across the front room. And my birthday will be no weight bearing but my birthday trip to Vegas to see Tory Temple and Tim McGraw may just be with crutches...

Yeah.

Points. 

I broke it.

BA

Ndulgence Blog Hop! :D

Happy Blog Hop day! :D

Indulgence is the theme of the day...

Let's see:

I'm tickled to celebrate The Ndulgent Bloggers' 2nd anniversary. :D I'm giving away a $15 Torquere Press gift certificate. *throws confetti*

Y'all have a great one! 

BA

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I Worked on this Week

Been one hell of a writing week and I'm tickled for it. Started two new stories, wrote a short. All-in-all, I'm tickled. I have a book releasing Wednesday and another one releasing the Wednesday after, I'm stoked. :D

 

Active writing:

m/f contemporary western still buzzing happily. :D She's met his mom.

m/m novella -- this one's a Christmas story in the Roughstock world :D

m/m/f novel (co-write with Julia) -- fun, sexy menage, a cop, an artist, a trust fund baby. :D Just started, but entertaining as hell. ;-)

 

In edits/rewrites:

The Four Horsemen: Ace and Kitty -- I didn't get a chance to look at these guys this week, again.

Moonshine (cowrite with Julia) -- I just need to read this through and get it to editing.

What She Wants -- just needs a read through.

Fighting Addiction (m/m contemporary), Mating Call (m/m/f paranormal) and Finders-Keepers (m/m/m Halloween story) are in the editor's hands.

 

Next up:

I'm going to shoot to finish the holiday story so that I can start Tag Team. Besides that, next week will be these three stories. :D

;-)

Much love, y'all.

BA

Leather Work and Lonely Cowboys Out Today and All Proceeds to to NOH8 :D

So, every year, the Torquere authors pick a charity and a theme and this year we chose Leather Bound (because leather is the gift for the 9th anniversary) and NOH8 for our charity.

:D

I'm super-tickled to have done a charity short for 5 years in a row now, and this year's it was easy to pick a couple to listen to. You see, Sam (from Roughstock: File Gumbo) has taken up a new hobby since his traumatic brain injury and he wanted y'all to know how they were doing...

Official type blurb: Beau Lafitte is happily retired from bullriding, and glad his lover Sam is recovering from a terrible injury. The problem is that with Sam taking up a new hobby, Beau is lonely. Can he get Sam to understand that what he needs are words, not leather chaps?

Excerpt:

 

Beau looked at Boudreaux, the big old bloodhound sitting with his head on his paws, looking pathetic as only a hound dog could. "You miss him, too, huh?"

Oh, it wasn't that Sam had left him or even gone away or nothin'. He was just down in the barn, working on a saddle commission for Balta de Silva, and Beau hadn't seen the man in five days.

 

Sam hadn't spoken a word out loud in ten days. It wasn't like Sam was pissed at him, hell, he got a wide grin every time he passed by the man, but it was like... It was like Sam was disappearing in the workshop in a pile of leather and punches. 

Boudreaux whined, tale thumping, and Beau got up to feed all the dogs. Then he was gonna go get his man, maybe talk some turkey about taking the trailer out for the weekend. They could head up to the mountains in Arkansas for a couple three days, camp out, love on each other.

 

Petunia and Hallelujah dug in, both of them pregnant out to here. The boys got fed next, and he let the kenneled dogs out into the yard and vice versa. Then he put on the new belt Sam had made him, with his best buckle, and went looking.

If he didn't get Sam out of there soon, Beau was afraid Sammy'd make him leather undershorts. It was bad enough that Ace's girl was knitting the Horsemen penis cozies. When Steele had told him that, Beau had damned near busted a gut. 

"Sammy? Baby? You in here?"The tap-tap-tap of the little mallet stopped and Sammy waved at him, offering him a wide, bright smile.

 

"Hey, baby." Beau couldn't help but smile back. Sammy made him happy, bone deep.

 

Balta's saddle was sitting there, all done and shiny, a pair of chaps on the marble slab now. Maybe those were for him and he could get Sam to take a break.

 

"Those for me?"

 

Sam nodded, beaming, and held them up. Sam had just started on them, the design only lightly sketched out. They were going to be full of scrollwork and stars, which he loved.Excellent. Custom chaps were so much easier to fit to his short old legs.

 

"Baby." He hesitated, not wanting Sam to feel bad, which he would if Beau worded things wrong. "You at a stopping point?"

 

Sam frowned, but nodded, standing and coming right to him. It made him feel good, knowing that Sam wasn't aggravated at him, that Sam's hands slid right over his belly. Beau knew in his heart of hearts it wasn't personal, the way Sam didn't talk, but it built up, the need to hear.

 

Beau grinned, leaning forward to peck a kiss on Sam's lips. "You feeling okay, Poot? You ain't said a word in days and days."

 

Sam nodded, kissed him back, leaning into him.

 

"Can you still talk?" He did worry about that sometimes.

 

Sam frowned, nodded again.

 

Now that didn't work. Beau started to panic a little, looking for bruises. "Did you hit your head?"

 

Sam's frown deepened, head shaking. "B...boug?" Sam's voice was barely there, rusty, like a crow's.

 

"Lord, baby. See what happens when you don't practice?" His heart was slamming in his chest. At least Sam could still fucking talk. 

 

Get the story here: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=79_111&products_id=3690

Mornin', y'all.

*grins*

I know, I had this whole long discussion about historical fiction versus contemporary fiction that is now historical and how I love the 1970s contemporaries and the feminist voice of that particular moment in time, but... 

Uhn.

Also, in unrelated news, Wade Hayes' Kentucky Bluebird spawned a story this morning. 

What I Worked on this Week

Been a busy week here, with my sister in town, but I managed to get some writing done, especially yesterday, when it went gangbusters.

Active Writing:

m/f contemporary western -- Addie and Bodie are going fabulously, loving the secondary characters, loving the vibe. I've promised this one to Resplendence by October 1, let's see if I can manage that.

m/m/f Roughstock novel -- What She Wants. I've got three more scenes to write and then these guys are done.

m/m novel -- Fighting Addiction. Was supposed to have this in Monday. Am shooting for this Monday. Book is running longer than I'd anticipated. I have to say, though, I think this is going to be an amazing book. I've never cried so much.

 

In edits/rewrites:

The Four Horsemen: Ace and Kitty -- I didn't get a chance to look at these guys this week.

Moonshine (cowrite with Julia) -- I just need to read this through and get it to editing.

 

 Next up:

Same as last week. Tag Team will get Adrian/Packer/Calleigh's spot. Julia and I need to start the sequel to Moonshine (tent tilted Absinthe). I haven't decided whether Bayou Justice or Carolina Boys get Fighting Addiction's spot, but they'll have to wait so I can write up a Halloween short and a Christmas rodeo cowboy novella... 

;-)

Much love, y'all.

BA

Happy Monday!

What I Worked on this Week

So, let's see... What have I been playing with?

Active Writing:

m/f contemporary western -- just turned the 20K mark with them, and they're def. promising to be a  novel. Tentatively titled Mr. Untouchable, although that's almost 100% certain to change

m/m/f Roughstock novel -- What She Wants. On the last surge with them. Right now, Calleigh/Adrian/Packer are sitting close to 60K and, yes, still hot. ;-)

m/m novel -- Fighting Addiction. I'm in the hardest part with these two. They're barreling into that brokenhearted and hurt place. :P 46K and rolling toward finishing (because my editor's going to eat my face if I don't get this in by Monday...)

co-writing a m/m werewolf story with Julia -- this one's cute and on the lighter side. We'd intended it for an Amber Allure call, but they just didn't have 18K of story in them. :P So we'll just let them be at 12ishK and then the secondary character (a little Cajun asshole that's threatening to steal the show) can have a sequel. This one will finish up this weekend, too, I think. I desperately need a title.

 

In edits/rewrites:

Cereus: Opening -- this one's in edits/proofing and looking good. Two m/m stories written with Julia and then there'll be a m/m of Sean MIchael's in there, too. 

The Four Horsemen: Ace and Kitty -- in rewrites. It's done, I'm just tweaking the transitions and a couple of the sex scenes. This is the first in a series of 4 m/f novels in the Roughstock series. 55K.

 

Next up:

Tag Team gets the What She Wants spot (m/m, western) and I have a pair of deep south law enforcement boys warring with a set of menage panther shifters for Fighting Addiction's space...

Then I have to write a Christmas story and a Halloween short and finish Cowbell, Book and Candle 2 and Shifting Streams 3 and...

O.o

Right. Writing. 

*snogs*

Much love, y'all.

BA