Tuesday Talk

How about a day where characters from different books are interviewed? I'll start with an old, old post with Jag Arizon from WITH EXTRA CREAM and his best friend, Leron Wilder, from HOT TIN ROOF. The men are jaguar shifters from the Kind species--big cats infected with vampyre blood--their growl is as big as their bite! Each story is now available in a box set at Changeling Press and most other ebook outlets. Changeling has the better price and they'll have your format or lead you to all the places you can purchase a copy.

I’ve never missed MCs as much as these guys. Hmm… A story to reunite them all one last time? I don’t like Christmas so they don’t either. Maybe Valentine’s Day? Too late for that and, no, buying flowers, candy or dressing up to go out for dinner isn’t their thing at all! 4^th of July with lots of  fireworks? That’s an idea I’m going to float around in my head. Oh Lord, it's floating...

Meet Jag and Leron:

“Hello. My name is Jag.”

“Dude! Why you talking like that?”

“Shut up, Leron. J. Hali asked me to do this. I brought you along for moral support. Don’t give me no shit.” He shook his head. “I knew I should have asked my lady to come with me.”

“You sound like a freaking robot. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Can you do better?” Jag was pissed.

“Yeah, here you go: What’s up people? Glad you stopped by. See, something natural like that.”

“Oh, right, that was so much better.”

“Hey, Jag, can I tell them about my book – HOT TIN ROOF?”

“That’d be great, man. They know about me and Barbara from WITH EXTRA CREAM already. Go ahead. Cripes, what the hell, Leron…why’d you change to your beast?”

Because I can. I like this freedom. How long is J. gone for?

“Who knows and get out of my head. She’s usually around. Wait, what if she doesn’t come back?”

So what? Hell, if she comes back she might want to be writing about Trent or something else totally. She’s always going on about those freaked out angels.

“Hey, did you lose words in the edit thingy?” Jag asked.

Leron nodded his large feline head and changed back to his vampyre form. “Yup. Not too bad though.”

“Damn, man. Cover your ass. What if someone walks in?” Jag’s brows raised and he peered at the mirrored glass around the small room.

“Who’s coming in here? It’s hardly big enough for us.”

Jag relaxed a little. “Tell us about your story.”

The smile that covered Leron’s face was pitiful. Jag laughed long and hard at his friend.

“She’s hot, Jag. Everything I want in a mate is wrapped up in that one gorgeous bundle. She’s tall as hell, too. I like that. What if she doesn’t want me?” Leron’s eyes bugged out. “Hell and damnation, I just thought about that.”

“I don’t know if the people care how she looks, dude.”

“Screw ‘em then. I’m not telling them anything if that’s the case.”

Jag’s clothes disappeared, a growl to wake the devil erupted from deep in his chest and thundered through the tiny interview space. Fur traveled up his naked torso, Rosette-spotted hair raced up his arms. Claws protruded from large paws that slammed to the floor and shook the room.

Talk about the story or I’ll bite your ass off.

“Oh, it’s okay for you to screw around in my head?” Silence. “Christ, you’re serious?”

Yeah. I promised J. I’d do this for her. I’m gonna do it right.

“Okay already. Let me see…how about I do one of those blurb things she’s always writing?”

That’ll work.

“You’ll be sorry you didn’t let me describe my babe. She’s hot.”

Shut up and post the blurb, Leron. Damn, Trent wouldn’t have been this bad.

“Why don’t we just send them over to Changeling Press? They can read blurbs and more plus they’ll find links to other places to buy us…err…the books.”

Jag had resumed his human-like appearance. “Sounds cool.”

“Thanks. Now they’ll have to see Cory anyway.”

“Jeez, it’s not like she’s as good looking as Barb.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me.”

All hell broke loose. An unearthly sound traveled halls of the small studio as jaguars clashed together in battle. The room’s walls vibrated. A crashing sound was followed by explosive pops and smoke as electrical equipment tumbled from racks.

Unbeknownst to the male combatants, two women watched from the other side of the glass.

“Should we break it up?”

Barbara smiled at Cory. “Let them fight it out. We get to fawn all over them afterward.”

Visit Changeling Press:  https://tinyurl.com/y8gobdob

The Extra Cream box set includes: WITH EXTRA CREAM, HOT TIN ROOF, COUGAR BY THE TAIL and ZADER’S MENAGERIE.

Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out. - J. Hali Steele

It's HOT!

Want to read something that matches the weather? Try HOT TIN ROOF, available now at Changeling Press. Check out the video:


Blurb:

Leron Wilder is a jaguar of the Kind species, big cat shifters infected with vampyre blood. Nothing has gone right for Leron since his best friend Jag mated with the owner of the local coffee shop. Stuck training a new cat shifter who’s a badass wannabe, Leron stops by the coffee shop to seek his ex-partner's advice.

Corinne Nelson loves her new home and her new job as a waitress at the Coffee Swirl, and she’s really hoping she won't have to move on this time. Life’s finally looking up -- until the hottest man she’s ever met walks into the shop -- and licks her hand?
Mating is not something Leron is looking forward to. Yet the minute he tastes the new waitress, he knows he’s in serious trouble. She’s a flavor he could find addictive. But she’s not who she says she is, and everything’s falling apart around them. He’s starting to feel like a cat on a hot tin roof…

Excerpt:
"Here's your black coffee." It was her. The silken sound of her voice slid right down to his cock. As she was putting his cup on the table, he tried to touch her hand. She pulled away and the hot liquid sloshed over the side and burned her. The cup rattled in the saucer and tilted over. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry."

Leron spoke quickly. "It was my fault. Are you okay? Let me look." An angry red blister had already formed. His cat instincts took over and he brought her hand to his mouth and began to lick the red welt. His tongue lapped at her like she was today's special. He had lost his mind and didn't know where the fuck to find it.

Her body trembled and she tried to pull away. "Mister..."

"Let her go."

Jag's tone was soft and non-threatening, but Leron saw red. Best friend be damned. He had no right to tell Leron he couldn't touch her. Suddenly, some sense came back to him. "Cory, right? I'm sorry... I..." He never got to finish. She left so fast, his head spun. He watched her tight ass move away down the aisle. Son of a bitch!

Confusion rained down on him. His heart beat out of control, his lungs were full of her scent, and his dick was ready to explode. The taste on his tongue was divine. He heard Jag's laugh from a million miles away. "What?" The sound of the swinging door to the back drew his attention. Barb stormed their way. Hell.

Jag said, "You're in for it now."

She stopped at the table, and her brow quirked up. He looked down at the spilled mess still there. "Look, you can't come in here and lick my employees. Keep that catty stuff outside. And you," she wheeled around to Jag, "are no better. Why didn't you stop him?"
"For the same reason he couldn't stop me when I wanted you."
Leron's head snapped up, and he looked from one to the other with his jaw hung open. Sometimes their blood bond was a pain in the ass. "No way, dude. No. Fucking. Way."

Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.-© J. Hali Steele

CONTEST for release day!

HOT TIN ROOF will be released Friday. I'm holding a contest and will be giving away a Kind (green) or Purple P Rose (purple) t-shirt or one of my eBooks. To automatically be entered in the contest, visit http://www.paranormalromantics.blogspot.com/ Friday and leave a comment and email address so I can reach you. PART TWO: The names of my 4 furfriends have been scattered throughout my website http://www.sovereignkind.com/ (orange is the color of the day-HINT!) To win a special prize of a shirt and eBook, leave the name of all four of my cats along with your email address. PART THREE: I have a Yahoo!Group that I'd like to use as a posting place. To do this effectively - I NEED MEMBERS. While looking for furry names (in orange), click on the JOIN NOW button on any web page beginning TODAY. Your name will be entered in a separate drawing for the shirt or eBook of your choice. Yes! leaving a comment, naming my cats AND joining the group gives you THREE chances to win!! The drawing will take place at noon on Saturday, August 29th. Winners will be listed on my website's Favorite Places page and I'll contact you by email to get your choice of shirt and/or eBook. You can buy HOT TIN ROOF here: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1221 Hope to see you there!

Remember: Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.-J. Hali Steele

A Thousand Words to Say...

I'm done. For now anyway.

With an edit that was tougher than most. Yes, my character agreed to let me change her a little, with her mother's help. Then I moved on.

Actually 1,476 words penned to the start of a new short I'm working on as a follow-up (I hope) to HOT TIN ROOF. I think it's going okay - considering I cried on the first page! Damn, that was rough.

I think you'll figure out who it's about if you read HOT TIN ROOF. It will be available this Friday at: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1221

I'm done. For now anyway.

Ready, set - GO!

Getting ready for a new release. How many days now? Seventeen. The questions I ask myself are: -Have I promoed enough -Contest: yes or no -Interviews set up -Blog ready -Excerpts prepared -Video trailer ...and the list goes on and on. I've made some decisions on promotion, but much more needs to be done. Here's my problem - I don't have a cover yet! Without it, I'm totally NOT ready. I need to see it. Know that it's what I wanted. It'll become my new desktop and I'll gaze at it every damn day. Hopefully, loving it as much as I did the story, the characters. Somehow, having the cover makes it "real" for me. I like to show it off. I'll post it on Facebook, Myspace, my blogs. I'll redo the trailer and add it in. It will go on my website. My friends and family, my fans - everyone gets an email with my new cover attached. Hell, that covers my whole promotion scheme. LOL Then the hard part comes. Waiting to see how sales go. You know, I've always said, "if one person reads a story I wrote, and likes it - I've done my job." I still feel that way. HOT TIN ROOF coming August 28th from Changeling Press. I'm almost ready... Remember: Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.-J. Hali Steele

HOT TIN ROOF

HI! Hope you're enjoying the Free Reads offered by all the wonderful authors participating in the SUMMER READING TRAIL.To see more authors, enjoy other excerpts and stories, visit the trailhead at:

A. J. O'Donovan UK Trailhead
http://ajodonovan.co.uk/?p=450       OR

Voirey Linger US Trailhead

http://www.voireylinger.com/index.php?p=1_12_Trail-Head

I'm really excited about Leron's story -- Jag from WITH EXTRA CREAM was a little lonely without his partner. Leron's more intense than his best friend but, trust me, Cory Nelson can take care of this cat or she'll die trying. *grins*

While you're here, enjoy an erotic excerpt from HOT TIN ROOF available at All Romance Ebooks or Changeling Press.

ENJOY!!
Leron Wilder is a jaguar of the Kind species, big cat shifters infected with vampyre blood. Nothing has gone right for Leron since his best friend Jag mated with the owner of the local coffee shop. Stuck training a new cat shifter who’s a badass wannabe, Leron stops by the coffee shop to seek his ex-partner’s advice.

Corinne Nelson loves her new home and her new job as a waitress at the Coffee Swirl, and she’s really hoping she won’t have to move on this time. Life’s finally looking up -- until the hottest man she’s ever met walks into the shop -- and licks her hand?

Mating is not something Leron is looking forward to. Yet the minute he tastes the new waitress, he knows he’s in serious trouble. She’s a flavor he could find addictive. But she’s not who she says she is, and everything’s falling apart around them. He’s starting to feel like a cat on a hot tin roof…

**********

He smiled and went to her, enfolding her in his arms. “You’re safe with me. But I have to tell you, I still want you. I have to taste you.”

Her hazel eyes gazed at him. What he saw in them pulled him in so deep, he was lost forever. She softly pressed her lips to his, and the animal in him purred so loudly she must have heard it. Down, boy, your turn will come. Unlike Jag, he intended to turn his mate. Give his cat just what it wanted.

As a warrior he risked transgressing many times while taking blood. He deserved fulfillment. There was not going to be a halfway or wait and see for him. Leron wouldn’t be able to handle that. Wasn’t even going to try. He’d bring her all the way into his world. After she was turned and could be a cat too, his beast would have its mate.

He licked her lips, probed into the recess of her mouth. She was sweet. Just a taste of what was to come. His fangs tingled, tried to lengthen, but he held them in place. Not yet.

Cory’s breasts pushed against his chest, and her arms wound around his waist. Her scent permeated the room. Lavender and pussy, so heady he couldn’t stand to breathe.

“Your bedroom?” The words were whispered against her lips, which he didn’t want to stop kissing.

She hesitated. Again her eyes sought his. They glistened with the same desire he felt. Letting him go, she grasped his hand and tugged him down the hallway. The door she opened led to a sumptuous bedroom. Once more he wondered where she got the money to pay for all of this. If he took more blood, he’d have easier access to her mind.

Her king-size bed was covered in a thick white quilt. The only light on cast a pink glow across the top. He liked her taste. Nothing spindly and girly. It was strong dark wood furniture that decorated the space. Steel gray carpet cushioned his steps.

“Condom?”

“Cory, you’re safe with me. I can’t carry disease.” It didn’t matter, but she hadn’t been with anyone for a long time. She couldn’t hide that piece of information in her mind. He’d eventually have to explain his statement, but not right now.

His hands were on her waist, and he pushed her until her knees hit the bed. He lifted her so her ass was on the edge. The towel fell open. He gloried in the sight of her nipples and firm breasts as he stripped his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. Excitement coursed through him at the vision of her lips encircling his cock. He undid his leathers and pulled the zipper down. Her breath caught in her throat when his thick penis tumbled out. He shoved his pants over his hips, and they quickly joined the shirt.

In front of her, he stroked and pulled his penis until it stood straight out in her face. He was done when her tongue swept between her pink lips and moistened them. A drop of pre-cum seeped from the slit on his erection, and he smeared it. A groan escaped him when she leaned forward and flicked her tongue over the broad head.

“Oh, God.” Before he asked, she moved his hand out of the way and grabbed his cock. Her mouth was hot as she sucked him in slowly until his balls were just inches from her chin. He buried his hands in her hair and plowed the rest of the way. She drew back and then swallowed him again.

He tugged her forward, she pulled backward. Her teeth grazed his hardness and set him on fire. When she needed air, she used her tongue to push him out. Soft lips planted hot kisses on the head of his shaft. She teased and nibbled the sensitive underside and nursed on his balls.

“Please, Cory, you’re killing me, don’t stop.” Her lips covered him again and smothered his dick. Finally, he’d had enough. If they kept this up, he’d come in her mouth. She moaned in protest when he drew out. “Don’t worry, angel. I got more for you. Lie back.”

Grasping her thighs, he lifted her until her pussy was at his mouth. He locked her legs over the top of his arms and buried his tongue in her cunt. He shoved it in and out. Licked and bit her clit. The nub grew hard, and he sucked it. His tongue went back to work on the wet crevices, scouring every bit of moisture from the swollen folds.

Her pelvis bucked into his face. She ground against him. She was going to come -- her mind screamed it. He wanted to taste more of her. She gave him more.

“Leron,” she murmured as cream poured into his mouth. His tongue swept one last time across her nether lips.

He lifted his head and gazed at her face. “What? Tell me what you want.”

“You, your cock inside me.”

“It’s all yours, baby.” He lowered her ass to the bed, brought her forward, and lifted her legs so her feet rested on the mattress. She was dripping wet, and the head of his penis was slick with his secretions. Holding her legs open, he slipped his cock right into her. He plunged deep, and she clenched around him, her vagina holding him tight.

“Hell yes,” he said as he began to fuck her. In and out, he stroked her canal. Went deep, pulled out. Over and over. He unfolded her legs and put them over his shoulders. His balls slammed against her ass each time he plunged into her pussy.

“Mmm… Leron. I’m going to come again.” Her voice was raspy, delirious. Her head thrashed, and she used her legs to lever her body into his.

“Give it to me. All of it, angel,” he croaked.

No more, he could take no more. His balls were tight and ready to burst. His thrusts became faster, shorter. He wanted to fill her with his cum. It felt like it traveled from his toes before it passed through his balls and spurted deep into her.

“Yeah!” he bellowed as he came. He slowed his pace, enjoyed feeling her pussy convulse. “Oh, angel, you’re so sweet.” He kissed her gently and stroked her cheek, before hissing at the friction of her channel when he withdrew from her.

He straightened up and lifted her to the center of the bed. After he settled in, he pulled her over between his legs. He wrapped her in his arms and cupped her full breasts, before moving his hands down to caress her stomach. He wanted her to feel safe. Loved. He had to know about her. The dark part she didn’t let him into. “Tell me everything, angel.”

_______________________
Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.-© J. Hali Steele