10/23/2015

Bump in the Night, 5 Stars, Top Chef #writestuff #caffeinateme



Good afternoon everyone. *sips coffee* Hope Friday finds you well. It finds me reluctant to do much this Friday. LOL. However, I am still plugging away at Mum's the Word, trying to get Izzy, Owen and the Professor out of the trouble I left them in. Look for posts on the blog next week.



In other news, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words wants to go bump in the night with you… us… er… someone! 
It's such an honor to be listed, but I have to confess, it's not the first time I've been considered scary. That's right. In my former life as an English teacher, I terrified many an incoming student! Somehow, this feels more like an honor though.
Speaking of honors, Gloria at Paranormal Romance Guild had some kind words and 5 stars for Dead Money, book 5 in my Jack of Spades series. Check that review out HERE

And way off topic… I was so happy to see these science/history articles in the news recently! Can you imagine discovering Jefferson's chemistry lab?  I'd love to make a pilgrimage to see that on my next trip east. Doesn't just inspire you to write about secret rooms and hidden treasures?

And… Top Chef. I am sooo disappointed that it didn't start in October, but the new season comes around in Dec. This is when I really, really love my Amazon Prime membership. Because without cable I can get the TC season episode by episode for a small fee. Can't wait to see who's cooking this year. I loved last year's contestants, especially Gregory. He was awesome.

Okay… enough coffee break. Back to work. You all have an awesome weekend.



10/22/2015

Crawl in Bed with MA Church #pridepromotions #mmromance #kittylove


Crawling Into Bed With M.A. Church
And a Good Book

Important things first, are these sheets silk or cotton? There’s other sheets besides silk? LOL! Silk sheets, of course! Burgundy silk sheets.

What are you wearing?
Black pajama bottoms and a black-and-white zebra tank.

What are we snacking on in bed while we read tonight?
Several different kinds of flavored popcorn, with Coke to drink. Sorry, lol. I’m not much of a drinker.

If I open this nightstand drawer, what will I find?
Probably not what you’re expecting. (All of that is in my walk-in closet.) Besides, I don’t have a nightstand next to my side of the bed. It’s a brass trunk. In it, I have several quilts handmade by my great-grandmother. Told you it wasn’t what you were expecting, lol. ;-)

Do you roll up in the blankets like a burrito, or kick the covers off during the night?
Neither, actually. I’m hot natured, so I don’t burrow in the blankets. But on the other hand, I don’t kick the covers off me, either. I mostly go with just a sheet. Yep, it’s a delicate balance.

Can I put my cold feet on your calves to warm them up?
Only if you want to hear me scream like a banshee, lol.

What are we reading?
 Behind the Eight Ball. (Release Date:  October 30, 2015)

Blurb:
A cool morning, a yard full of birds, and a kitty on a mission. What more could a werecat want? Beta Heller Wirth has it all, except a mate—a shifter mate, that is. The last thing he wants is one of those dangerous humans who kill without remorse. Heller knows about that firsthand. So what does the goddess Bast do? She gives Heller exactly what he does not want—a human: business owner Lawson Dupre. 
Lawson hasn’t a clue what just happened in his car detail shop. One minute a cute client is about to pass out, then he perks up and starts flirting. Next thing, he runs out the door like the hounds of hell are after him. Learning that Heller is a werecat doesn’t freak out Lawson. He happens to be one of those rare humans who knows paranormals exists. He even lives with one. Watch the fur fly as Heller and Lawson battle hurt feelings, misguided beliefs, and a power shift in Heller’s clowder.

Excerpt:
Step.
Step.
Stop.
The rustling of dead leaves caught my attention, and I froze with one paw still in the air. Not moving and barely daring to breathe, I waited. My whiskers twitched as a cool October breeze disturbed the scent of decaying leaves and rich soil. The foliage trembled again as something rooted around.
I slowly lowered my paw. The disturbance wasn’t very noticeable except to my predatory gaze. The movement continued. Gradually, bit by bit, I crept forward, making sure my long fur didn’t disturb the surrounding mounds of dying leaves. It was times like these I wished my coat were short like Dolf’s. One thing was for sure—whatever was below those leaves was going to be mine shortly. All I needed was to cover a little more distance and I’d be close enough.
Step.
Step.
Crouch.
Heart thumping, I watched as the movement continued. My muscles tightened and my bottom started wiggling. Unable to wait, I sprang forward, claws extended. Leaves flew into the air as I landed on my target. Bugs scattered. Eyes narrowed, I searched for…. There! There was the little bugger. I growled at the big black beetle and trapped it with my paw.
Seconds passed. The bug wiggled under my paw, tickling me. Hunched down, I carefully lifted my paw and peeked. Dammit, can’t see. Unable to get a good look, I lifted my paw a little higher… and there it went, scuttling across the ground. Gleefully I slammed a paw down, trying to trap it. Slap. Slap. Slap. Arrgh! What’s the deal? I keep missing.
Looked like I’d found myself in a game of whack-a-mole, except with a beetle. And off we went. The bug scurried away with me hot on its trail. Every time I thought I had a paw on it, I ended up missing. Stupid critter was fast. I bounded along behind as it raced across the ground. Then it suddenly cut back and ran straight under me.
Surprised, I leaped in the air, all four paws coming off the ground. Whoa! Zigged when I should have zagged. I landed and nonchalantly licked a paw. Hope no one saw that. I had to give the bug credit. That was a smart move. The shrill cry of a mockingbird caught my attention. I lifted my head, searching for the little tattletale.
Up in a tree it sat, its warning cries echoing around the yard. I eyed the tree. Hmm, I could climb it, but the stupid bird will probably just take off. Still, might be fun. Maybe after I finished playing with the bug… and damn. The bug.
My attention returned to where it had been, my tail slashing. Great. Lost it. Stupid bird. I sat up and threw a glare over my shoulder at the bird. Standing, I turned my back to the little menace, tail held high. That’s what I think of you, buddy. I prowled around for a while, sniffing, enjoying the coolness of the morning.
In the early morning sunlight, the dew on the grass sparkled like diamonds. Maybe it was pretty, but the stuff was also cold and wet against my paws. I was glad for my fur. As I wandered back toward the house, my stomach growled. I was hungry and… I sniffed. Oh, was that a blue jay I smelled? Oh, oh, a blue jay. Yum.
The human side of me groaned, but the kitty part wanted to jump with joy. The noisy little shits were actually quite intelligent. Catching one was always a feat. Quick as I could, I hid in the bright fall foliage by the back porch. I stayed very, very still so the stupid bird three feet from me didn’t fly off in a panic.
I licked my lips, my whiskers twitching as I watched the little rascal across from me raise its head. Shit, shit, shit. What caught its attention? Come on already. It’s all fine, nothing to worry about here. No cat hanging around. Just go back to pecking around on the ground. Everything’s good. See? I’m not moving, not even breathing.
Crouched low, I waited while my breakfast relaxed and returned to looking for acorns. Other birds came and went, but I refused to get distracted. I knew the one I wanted. Inch by agonizing inch, I crept closer to my prey. My mouth watered and my heart thumped.
The chatter of the birds around me was easy and relaxed, no distress calls sounding. That’s right. Just keep on eating. Soon I’m going to be eating you. My body tensed, back legs ready to spring me into action….
And the phone in the house rang.

Buy the book:


Meet the author:
M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!
When not writing, she’s exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two children.
She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013 and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Rainbow Romance Writers, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Where to find the author:

Other: Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A8JA4C

Tour Dates and Stops:

27-Oct: The Jena Wade

Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of 'Behind the Eight Ball'
Rafflecopter Code:

10/21/2015

Round Up, Thank You, Superhero



On October 12th, Havan Fellows and I released our Story Orgy Superhero stories. The response has been amazing. I'd just like to take a moment to thank all the readers and bloggers who took the time to read and review A Man of Unusual Talent. Your kind words are greatly appreciated! 




REVIEWS

"This story is definitely one I enjoyed and didn’t want to end."  Molly Lolly



"This is a sweet and tender tale, with a bit of steam and a cop on the warpath–when his boyfriend is in peril. I dug that the bully tried to make amends, and also that Mat was absolutely smitten with shy, sweet CC. I ate this novella up."   V's Reads                  


"A Man of Unusual Talent by Lee Brazil is a cute, sweet story featuring a man with a quite unique talent, CC, and a man with a hero complex, Mat."  Mari at Bayou Book Junkie    


If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. This was such a fun story. Awesome way to use marshmellos. LOL I loved it so much. A fun read when you need a laugh or life gets too serious.
I highly recommend this book"    
Blue Rose Reviews




A MAN OF UNUSUAL TALENT:
Collin Crane is a man of unusual talent. Really unusual. Too weird for the Guinness Book unusual. On the fifty-year plan to a doctoral degree in physics, and a quiet quest to understand his own oddities, Collin clings to obscurity.  This superhero has learned the hard way that it's better to be safe than sorry.
Enter Mathias Giraud, football hero, local cop, and CC's secret fantasy since high school. Mat's a simple man with a hero complex fostered by comic books and Marvel movies. Saving the world is his fantasy, but since his roots are firmly planted in Morrisonville and reality, he'll settle for protecting and serving. Until he clashes with CC at the local convenience store and is reminded of his own high school crush.
When marshmallows are involved, the course of true love is bound to get sticky.

10/20/2015

Fall Morning, Playing Hooky, Triberr #writestuff #caffeinateme


Good morning friends and readers! *sips coffee* Ahhh. That's the way I like it. How're you all doing this rocking, awesome fall morning? I'm rejuvenated. Because... Well, there's no other way for a former teacher to say it than I played hooky yesterday. Enjoyed the mild weather and the gorgeous fall color. 

This morning, I want to share with you one of my daily rituals. Triberr. It's #4 on my list of must do's. 
1. Coffee. 
2. Email. 
3. Facebook. 
4. Triberr. 

The list goes on after that, but you don't need to know about those things… not yet anyway.

Today, Triberr is bugging me. Just have to get this off my mind. So, if you could excuse or skip the mini rant, I'd appreciate it.

Do you Triberr? If you don't, Triberr is a post sharing network thingy for bloggers. We join tribes, Triberr gathers posts from our Rss feeds, and puts them in a list for us to all share on Twitter or Facebook. I tweet mine. Because, well, I'm not really tweeting much of anything else, right? Right. So...
The system is simple. I share, you share, we all share and the word gets out to many, many more people.
Except...
Well...
There's some people that don't share. But that's okay, because Triberr has made it easy for you to find those who don't share, and mute them so they don't show up in your feed anymore. I like that. Because while I enjoy sharing, I prefer to share for those who are sharing my posts. I think I owe it to them, right?
That's easy enough. After a few days of muting people who share 0 posts a week, I'm down to a manageable feed.
Except that Triberr can't seem to manage the feed.
This morning I had seven posts.
Refresh.
Six more show up, some duplicated from before, some newer.
Really?
You'd think they could figure out a way to get all posts in one stream, and eliminate posts from the stream after they've been shared.
And yes, I may need another cup of coffee... or two.

Seriously. If you don't triberr, give it a shot. Look me up over there and we can share...

Now then, I feel better. Not just because I got more coffee, either. Well, okay. The coffee helps, a lot.

I was over at All Romance this morning, kicking it and checking on my latest releases-- 
Uh…
Did you get your copy of A Man of Unusual Talent? Are you following Pulp Friction?
Was that a subtle enough inclusion of the promotional material? Sorry about that.

Anyway, I was there, and I hit the Discount Books linkThere's a great selection of M/M over there for 99 cents. So, I picked up a few for reading after I get my work done today. Bloom Box by Cate Ashwood and The Truth as He Knows It by AM Arthur. 

Speaking of discounts, since it's Halloween soon and all, I'm currently offering Heart of Clay, the story of two men in love and the ghost who wants them together, for only $1 at All Romance. 


Bobby isn’t pleased with his cousin or his ex. Their refusal to let go of the past has kept him on a plane where he doesn’t belong and isn’t at home. He’s expended all his energy trying to get through to Brad, without success, but Clay’s return finally gives him a foot in the door…or out the door.

If he could just get the two stubborn men together.





Just a final reminder, don't forget to enter the rafflecopter drawing in the sidebar. There's a few more day and two $10 gift cards up for grabs. I'm going to get to work because I want to read my new books. Y'all have a great day. 

Be Yourself

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~e.e. cummings, 1955
The Romance Reviews