Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds and her beloved wife, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. BA's personal saviors include her wife, Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.
He needed to see Channing as soon as possible. Thank god for the knock on the sleeper cabin door. Time for breakfast.
Soon he’d figure this shit out. Soon he’d have his mates in one room and he’d remind them who the fucking Alpha male was, damn it.
He couldn’t wait.
***
;-)
Much love, y'all.
BA
Jesus stretched, his paws kicking the air. Oh, he loved a lazy morning. He didn’t even know what morning it was. Jonah was the only one who kept track of days of the week and month.
Mariposa was fat and swollen with pups, her nose covered by her tail as she curled in her den. She opened one eye to glare at him when he woofed softly, but he just gave her a lupine grin. Their lady was never so beautiful as when she was pregnant. And Jonah was never so happy.
Jonah was singing in the little kitchen of their cabin, stirring something that smelled heavenly and Jesus licked Mariposa’s muzzle before padding over to see his Alpha.
“Hello, love.” Jonah scratched his ears, making his eyes cross.
He lapped Jonah’s wrist, tail moving fast and hard. Happy winter, mate. Puppies and food and petting.
Jonah chuckled. “I’m making barbecue sauce, love. I know how you adore grilled meat.”
He chuffed and wagged, leaning hard, the scent of Jonah like a drug.
“I could use some human company today.”
Oh. Oh, sweet Alpha. Jesus pondered that, very hard. Legs. Man. Come on. Jonah needed love.
There. His legs lengthened, his front ones becoming arms.
“Mmmmmate.” He growled happily, standing to push into Jonah’s arms.
“Hello, baby.” Jonah kissed him, tongue flicking his lips. “Shall we make Mari some yummy food?”
“I like food. And Mari.” He sniffed the air. “There’s going to be snow.”
“Is there?” Jonah laughed. “Glad you came north with me, baby?”
“Always.” He was made to follow his mates. They took care of him and he made art for them.
“Good.” He got another kiss, then Jonah squeezed his ass. “Get Mari another blanket, and I’ll give you a reward.
“I will.” He rubbed their cheeks together. “The pups will be here soon, I think.”
“Then we’ll have to be ready. I love you, Jesus.”
“Love.” He took a kiss, smiling as the snow began to fall. Lovely.
Home. Snow. Puppies.
Perfect.
***
Mariposa, Jesus and Jonah live in Desert Lobo. One day left, y'all -- can you believe it? :D
Much love,
BA
“Canyon?” Riana came to him, long white hair like a cloud around her, face like a little worried thundercloud. “The women say that I have to make the Pack a Christmas. I’ve never done a Christmas for anyone. I don’t know how.”
“Oh.” Canyon bit back a grin. “I guess not. I can help with that.”
“Okay. You tell me and I will make it.” His fierce, frowning girl, working so hard to be the alpha female, to make things right. He adored her.
“Well, first we need Wend. He’s the domestic one, yeah?”
She nodded, arms wrapped around herself as she turned, heading back toward their home, tension written in every line of her body.
“Hey.” He snagged her, pulling her back against his chest. “Guess what?”
“What?” It meant so much, that she never even tensed, just cuddled in.
“Christmas can be easy. You just need a lot of love in your heart.”
“I have a lot of love in my mates. I want you to be pleased.”
Wend appeared out of the shadows. coming to them like he’d been called. “Is something wrong?”
Canyon chuckled. “Not at all, sweet boy. Let’s go in, make hot chocolate, and plan our holiday.”
“I’d love that.” His sweet mate beamed, coming to nuzzle and nibble their lady until she eased, smiled, nodded.
“It will be okay?” she asked.
“It will be perfect.” No matter what.
Canyon would bite anyone who said different.
***
Riana, Wend and Canyon are from Opening the Cage. :D
Comment for a chance to win a backlist ebook, y'all.
Much love,
BA
"Oh, now. That's pretty." A camera flash went off, blinding him.
Adrian shot up on the bed, Packer grunting when Adrian's hand landed hard on his belly. "What the fuck!"
"Oh, don't stop on my account, boys."
***
From my latest release, What She Wants. Available at Torquere Books.
Want to play along? It’s fun and easy
1. pick a project – a current WIP, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published
2. pick six sentences
3. post ‘em on your blog or website on SundayThis snippet is from Adam's story, Tag Team, that I'm currently plugging away at. The boys are currently in a pervy position, in fact. :D Want to play along? It’s fun and easy 1. pick a project – a current WIP, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published 2. pick six sentences 3. post ‘em on your blog or website on Sunday
Calleigh and Adrian have always had an open marriage. Adrian being on the road all the time has made it easy for them to have separate lives, but neither of them acted on their agreement to see other people until Adrian met fellow Aussie and force of nature, Packer Stevens.
Now Packer and Adrian are always together, and Calleigh is left at home, missing her man. When Calleigh decides she’s not going to let Adrian go without a fight, she comes up with what she thinks is the perfect plan. She hits the spa, and the gym, and sets out to find her inner buckle bunny, intent on getting her bullrider back, and maybe on impressing Packer a little, too. She heads out on the road, ready to fight for her husband.
What Calleigh doesn’t understand is that her plan will be wildly successful, and also the hardest thing she’s ever done in her life. Packer is more than willing to play, but he’s as complicated as Calleigh is emotional. As much as he loves Calleigh and Packer, and the sexy games they play, Adrian has to try to set things right, but can he find a way to give Calleigh what she wants, and make everyone else happy at the same time?
http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=97&products_id=3758
Tattooed men are sexy, right? That’s the premise of the eight tales in the Ink anthology.
Victoria Sloane opens with The Frayed Line, the story of Dan, who daydreams about the black line on Jonah’s back until he finds out what’s underneath the ink. Sinner's Star by Elizabeth Brooks is the story of ex-con Dope, who discovers his best friend Rat isn't dead after all, but Rat has a new tattoo, a .45, and a grudge against Dope!
Katherine Halle brings us Kelly, who fantasizes about licking Dwayne's tattoos, and just might get his chance in Come Fly With Me. In Dragon by D.K. Jernigan, bartender Travis is haunted by a sexy man with a magnificent dragon tattoo. Now Travis just has to find him. Mychael Black's Detective Kris Winters is also looking for a man with a very special tattoo in Secrets.
In Pounding Skin by Emily Moreton, Mal's tattoo should confirm his commitment to the army. To his shock, it has far more impact on his life. In Simple Instructions by Zoe Trope & Brendan Adkins, Finn accepts an internship at a large law firm, and loves his position at the hands of Robert, a demanding, tattooed lawyer. Finally, in BA Tortuga’s Tramp Stamp, what's a vamp to do when he has a tattoo he can't get rid of? Read the Ink anthology to find out!
http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=3757
Julia dared me, a few years ago now, to write a western contemporary menage that made sense to her.
Now, I'm a fan of menage books -- in fact, I read them sort of voraciously. I love the werewolves, the were kitties, the contemporaries. I've got a huge collection and I enjoy them.
Julia, though, the western contemporaries bothered her.
"I want one that I buy, baby," she told me. "I want one where I can go, okay, yeah. Those two cowboys would share each other and some incredibly patient girl. I want you to write it for me."
I know a lot of cowboys. Rednecks? Rednecks play fast and loose with the rules, but cowboys are harder, cowboys have a code, rules. Y'all, I actually discussed this with my daddy and my brother. OMG, the awkward.
Finally, though, I did it and once the thought was out there? Let me tell you, Adrian and Packer were happy to oblige, and Calleigh? Well, this woman knows her own mind, that's for sure...
So, I got the concept pretty quick. What if there was this couple in an open relationship and the wife decided she was tired of waiting for her husband to come home to her? What if she wanted to play with him and his 'traveling partner', too.
Boom.
So I wrote.
And wrote.
And wrote.
And about 10K from the end, the file corrupted.
The backup corrupted.
I ended up with the first, oh, 8,000 words recoverable?
So, Calleigh and the Aussies went in a box while I licked my writerly wounds. And lord, I did. God help you if you asked me where they were, how they were doing, because I'd just burst into tears.
Then one day I thought about them and didn't cry.
That's the day they went on the writing board.
What's the writing board, you ask?
It's the whiteboard in the office where Julia and I pretend to keep track of things. (What She Wants isn't on this one because it was in editing already. For the record, (looks at the current board) it doesn't look like this anymore...the ink story is done, Julia's current square has stuff in it and my NEEDED square is, like, totally got 6 projects in it... O.o
It lingered for a few months, then I opened the file.
Cried.
Closed it, BUT I started talking about Adrian and Packer. Julia played along, encouraged me, then Calleigh started poking and, 70,000 words later, they're real.
:D
Also, Julia dubbed them incredibly hot, so yay. :D
Okay, so, that was the story of how Julia asked for a western contemporary menage and how it almost didn't happen.
Much love, y'all,
BA
She knew what they were, knew they couldn’t mate with someone for life who wasn’t one of them.
He smacked Shaw’s shoulder, just a little too hard. “It’ll be cool. We’ll be stupid in love and wanting to make puppies.”
Right?
Right.
This snippet is from the first book in my newest paranormal menage series, Mating Call, just released from Ellora's Cave :D .
Want to play along? It’s fun and easy
1. pick a project – a current WIP, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published
2. pick six sentences
3. post ‘em on your blog or website on SundayThis snippet is from Adam's story, Tag Team, that I'm currently plugging away at. The boys are currently in a pervy position, in fact. :D Want to play along? It’s fun and easy 1. pick a project – a current WIP, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published 2. pick six sentences 3. post ‘em on your blog or website on Sunday
NEXT WEEK!
*grins*
To help celebrate the turkey day season, I've written a flash fic featuring Steph/Jordan/Shaw. :D Totally safe for work.
http://batortugaflashfiction.blogspot.com/2012/11/mating-call-thanksgiving.html
Much love, y'all.
BA
Yup. Folk magic.
I'm writing on the second in the Cowbell, Book and Candle series and Sara May's cowboys informed me that hoodoo was their thing.
Hoodoo is fascinating, especially that there are so many versions -- Cajun, African, European. I'm focusing on the bayou version, so that Jules can do his thing and get his gran's suitcase back.
What set me on this path? The fact that conjuring hands are made, but they have to be fed to work.
Isn't that a great thought? That you have to feed the magic?
*sparkles*
Y'all have a fab day. I'm going to scribble and watch my birds.
*kisses*
BA
by BA Tortuga
47 pages / 10700 words
Tony and Adam are determined to get their girl back. Vicki has gone missing, and as volatile as she is, it’s not like her to just leave them, especially so close to the first moon. Finding her trashed motorcycle in the desert doesn’t give them a whole lot of hope, though.
Lost and unable to remember anything, Vicki doesn’t know what to believe. Tony and Adam are strangers to her, but she knows they’re hot as the elusive ghost pepper. Can the boys convince her to come home like they want to, ahora? Now?
"Who ate the last of the peanut butter?" Vicki slammed the cabinet door, the empty Jiff jar in her hand. Seriously? How fucking hard was it to throw the fucking jar away? Tell her. She'd made the fucking drive to town just yesterday for groceries.
"'Tonio did it," Adam said, not even glancing up from his magazine.
The magazine she'd picked up for him at the damned store!
"Did not. Adam's a fuckhead." Tony at least looked at her from over the pile of electronics he was systematically fucking up, dark eyes completely unconcerned.
She was going to kill them both. They were... lazy, insensitive, rude asshats!
Adam grinned at her finally, pushed the heavy mass of blond hair away from his face. "Okay, it was me. I forgot. Sue me."
She looked at him, then threw the peanut butter jar at his head, hard.
"Hey!" It barely missed him, possibly grazing his ear. "Are you fixing to start?"
"What?" She was going to bite his face off. Start? "Are you afraid I'll be in heat tomorrow and we'll get hung up?"
Lady save her from living with asshole males. Why she was the one who needed two frigging...
"You sure are bitchy for no reason, querida." Tony shrugged, looking so put-upon.
"No reason? No fucking reason? Y'all have been assholes all fucking day!" First there was the fact that she'd made a breakfast and no one had bothered to get their lazy asses up to even eat it. Then someone had dribbled all over the toilet seat and hadn't clean up after himself. Farts so bad that the bedroom smelled like a dog pen. Then her leathers had been crumpled up and... gnawed on.
Why the fuck did she get saddled with not one, but two mates?
Two shiftless, flea-infested, butthead mates. She was so out of there.
She flipped them off -- not that either one of the little shits noticed -- and grabbed her helmet and her leather jacket on the way.
Turds.
Fuckweasels.
Furbags.
She jumped on her Harley, slammed on her helmet. It was time to get the hell out of Dodge for a few hours, let the wind blow out her shitty mood.
Otherwise she'd just kill them both.
