Happy Holidays

Hello everyone,

I hope you have a Happy Holiday and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

As you know I have taken a break from writing.  I've had a long dry spell.   Unfortunately my books are no longer available online.  I have decided not to put them back into circulation.  

If I do get back into writing I would be starting fresh.  

Thank you for your patronage and support.

Lily Sawyer

Welcome author Cheryl Headford

I'd like to welcome author Cheryl Headford to my blog. Let's find out more about her novel 

"Shades Champion"

 Author Name: Cheryl Headford

Book Length 214 Pages

Book Name: Shade’s Champion

Release Date: 18th December 2015

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Cover Art by: Kellie Dennis: Book Covers by Design

Shade has been kept in the dark for eight long years. Now he’s facing a world that terrifies him. A world that seems to hold no place for him.

When the authorities are unable to find a home for Shade, Penny, reluctantly accepts him into the secure school she manages, despite thinking it’s the wrong place for him. Penny fears for his safety among the other troubled children. In an attempt to forestall the disaster she predicts will happen she appoints one of them as his champion.

Dory, an engaging seventeen year old with mental health issues, is proud to be chosen as Shade’s champion and throws his heart and soul into the job. In doing so he is forced to face the thing he fears most – his own emotions.

An unexpected friendship begins to grow into something more, until a spiteful act tears them apart and leaves them broken.

When Dory falls ill, Shade is forced to face his demons and struggles to find the strength and courage he needs to fight for the right to love, and to be there for his champion when he needs him most.

 

Cheryl was born into a poor mining family in the South Wales Valleys. Until she was 16, the toilet was at the bottom of the garden and the bath hung on the wall. Her refrigerator was a stone slab in the pantry and there was a black lead fireplace in the kitchen. They look lovely in a museum but aren’t so much fun to clean.

Cheryl has always been a storyteller. As a child, she’d make up stories for her nieces, nephews and cousin and they’d explore the imaginary worlds she created, in play.

Later in life, Cheryl became the storyteller for a re enactment group who travelled widely, giving a taste of life in the Iron Age. As well as having an opportunity to run around hitting people with a sword, she had an opportunity to tell stories of all kinds, sometimes of her own making, to all kinds of people. The criticism was sometimes harsh, especially from the children, but the reward enormous.

It was here she began to appreciate the power of stories and the primal need to hear them. In ancient times, the wandering bard was the only source of news, and the storyteller the heart of the village, keeping the lore and the magic alive. Although much of the magic has been lost, the stories still provide a link to the part of us that still wants to believe that it’s still there, somewhere.

In present times, Cheryl lives in a terraced house in the valleys with her son and menagerie of three cats, a dog and a dragon. Her daughter has deserted her for the big city, but they’re still close.

Immersed, as always, in the world of fantasy, she maintains a burning desire to share the stories and these days it’s in the form of books which all contain her spark and unique view on life, the universe and everything.

Excerpt

 

 “Dorien....” Richard was looking at him in such a strange way it made his stomach feel tight. It was never good when they called him by his full name. 

“What have I done?” 

“Oh, nothing, nothing. Penny trusts you, Dory, and I’m not saying I don’t but... Shade’s got a lot of problems, serious ones. He’s very confused right now and it would be easy for there to be... misunderstandings.” 

“It’s okay, Rich, I know the score. I promise I won’t make a move on him. I’m not that bad. I can control myself, you know.” 

“I know that, Dory but.... Dammit, I’m not supposed to tell you this but I really think you should know. Shade tried to kill himself, and he still wants to.” 

“Oh.” Dorien put a hand over his mouth and suddenly felt breathless. “Do you think he might... might... try?” 

“Yes, I do. We’re taking every precaution we possibly can, but we really do need someone to watch him all the time. There should always be a member of staff very close by, but no one can watch him every minute.” 

“I can. I will. Penny said there was no responsibility, but I can do it. I can take responsibility, Rich. I didn’t think I could, but I can. I can’t go through all my life being taken care of and protected. I have to face reality sometime, and I guess this is it. I’ll be Shade’s champion, and I’ll take care of him, I promise. I won’t let him hurt himself, and I won’t let anyone else hurt him either.” 

Rich looked stunned, and Dorien didn’t blame him. He was quite stunned himself. He hadn’t meant to say those things, they’d just come out. 

“No one is expecting you to take responsibility, Dory. Just keep an eye on him, okay?” “Okay.” 

“Off you go then. Max is waiting for you.” 

Dorien raced through the house toward the boys’ bedrooms, his heart thumping. No matter what Rich said, he knew this was a huge responsibility. He had someone’s life in his hands. Jesus. Suddenly, he froze and panicked. Backing against the wall, he closed his eyes and gasped for breath. He couldn’t do this. There was no way he could do this. He was Dorien, the screw up, the freak, the nutjob. He couldn’t be trusted with his own life let alone someone else’s. 

 

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	Giveaway

 

I have two copies of the ebook to give away to randomly selected commenters on the Shade’s Champion cover reveal or blog post on my website http://cherylheadford.com/

Welcome author Kazy Reed to my blog today

I'd like to welcome Kazy Reed to my blog.    Let's find out more about her book "Remember Him."

Thank you for hosting me on your blog, Lily! It's a privilege to share this tour with so many talented authors.

It's so amazing to celebrate the release of Remember Him, the first in the Amsel Clan series. I hope you enjoy it! Be sure to enter the giveaway for a US $20 gift card to Amazon. See the bottom of this post for ways to enter. Thanks for reading!

--Kazy

Please click here to check out my REMEMBER HIM page for more info on the blog tour. Blog Tour Info

Will the bond of blood outweigh the passions of the heart?

BLURB

While sketching the Temple of Dendur, graduate student Carter Denwright meets—and is seduced by—a powerful vampire by the name of Alder. Once kept secret from the human world, now everyone knows of their existence. Blinded by mistaken feelings for Alder, Carter allows himself to be drawn into his life. Too late, he realizes two things: one, Alder is vicious and cruel, and two, Carter’s true love is Alder’s brother, Freyr.

The attraction between Carter and Freyr is strong, but they must fight this feeling or face the wrath of Alder. Despite their best efforts, Alder discovers the truth, and punishes Carter, hiding him from Freyr in a cruel game of cat and mouse.

Freyr is not as strong as his brother, but he vows that he will find Carter again and will stop at nothing to get him back. Carter, caught in Alder’s cruel grip, commits an act of desperation which will change all their lives forever. The question is: can Freyr find Carter and is the bond between him and Carter enough to break Alder’s hold and spoil his plans to ruin them both?

EXCERPT

Standing there, holding Carter's hand, my world changed. The rightness of his fingers grasping mine made my heart soar. I knew, though, that with Alder standing there, I had to remain calm. I couldn't give away my instant attraction to my brother's boyfriend. That would’ve been a fatal mistake, for me as well as Carter.

I pulled my hand away and turned back to Alder. "So why the invitation? Couldn't our lawyers have handled the paperwork?"

Alder feigned surprise. "Now what's wrong with me wanting a visit from my baby brother?"

"Besides the fact that we haven't seen each other in years? Nothing, I suppose."

Carter was still staring at me, mouth slightly open, and I saw Alder raise an eyebrow at him. I had to defuse the situation, so I strode into the living room and dropped into a leather chair that faced the kitchen. "Could I have a drink? It was a long trip."

My request seemed to snap Carter out of his trance. "Oh! Yes, I'm sorry." He put a slim hand on Alder's arm and asked, "Would like a drink, honey?"

The affectionate tone seemed to please my brother. He wrapped a hand around the back of Carter's neck and pulled him in for an intense kiss. I knew it was Alder's way of marking his property in front of me, so I looked away.

When he let Carter go, he said, "I'll have Scotch. You may have water."

I bristled at Alder's domineering attitude. Carter smiled weakly at me. "What will you have, Freyr?"

"I'll have Scotch, too, please."

Carter brought me a glass, and I accepted it, careful not to let our fingers touch. Then I went back to studiously ignoring him. "So why buy me out now, Alder? There's nothing left of the building."

He took the glass from Carter and pulled him down onto his lap. "True, but I'm thinking of building a new house on the site."

I shook my head. Why he would want to live anywhere near where our family had been murdered centuries ago was beyond me. "Fine. I have no desire to ever go back there anyway, so it's yours."

"Go back where?" Carter asked timidly. Alder glared at him, as though he wasn't allowed to talk without permission. I saw Alder's fingers tighten around his arm. The young man winced. "I-I'm sorry, Alder. I didn't mean to interfere."

If I didn't get out of that apartment soon, I knew I was going to do something drastic. I drained my glass and stood. "Well, we've had our drink, and you’ve got what you wanted. I've a lot more important things to do with my time."

"Come visit again soon, brother," Alder laughed. He didn't get up, holding Carter down with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Goodbye," Carter added.

"Yeah. Bye." Before I left, I risked one more look back and my heart ached. Desolation filled me as my gaze met his. Helplessness shone in those bright blue eyes, and there was nothing I could do. I closed the door and walked away, leaving a piece of me behind in Alder's hands.

BUY THE BOOK

Available Aug 1st from Extasy Books

Buy Link

Available Aug 8th on Amazon

Available Aug 29th on other ebook retailers

Amazon buy link

All Romance buy link 

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-rememberhim-1866112-340.html

ABOUT KAZY REED

Kazy Reed grew up on a small island off the Maine Coast. At the age of sixteen, she announced to her parents that she was going to move to Denmark as an exchange student. That trip changed her life, and sparked her love of travel, languages, and history.

After graduating from college in Massachusetts with a degree in Art History, she moved back to Maine, where she began to write short stories. When she was introduced to gay erotic fiction, the seed was planted and she never looked back.

Kazy still lives in Southern Maine, with her very understanding husband and two ridiculously precocious children. In addition to her published work, she is the author of a weekly flash-fiction series on her blog.

FOLLOW KAZY ONLINE

Blog: http://www.kazyreed.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/avampwriter

Twitter: http://twitter.com/avampwriter

Tumblr: http://mensfashionarchive.tumblr.com

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kazyreed

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

 Visit the official Remember Him page to enter the giveaway:

http://www.kazyreed.com/p/remember-him_12.html 

Welcome author Michael Mandrake

I'd like to welcome author Michael Mandrake to my blog today.   Let's find out more about "Reconnection"   And check out the article at the bottom of this post "More or Less Sex in M/M".

Blurb: Every once in a while, the average looking guy scores!

Robert McIntyre is a closeted, average looking sports columnist for the Daily Read. Unfortunately, his desire to stay in has cost him the chance at love more than once. However, now it seems his luck will change since his editor has asked him to interview, Jake Valenta. Jake and Robert knew one another in college and when he heard from a mutual friend that Jake might be bisexual, Robert didn’t believe him.

Before Robert’s trip, they discover a mutual affection for one another. Jake shares his desire to stay behind closed doors because he can’t stand being called a fag, but desperately wants Robert to be his man.

Robert and Jake want a chance to reconnect on a more personal level, but will this budding relationship ruin their careers?

Buylinks

 Evernight Publishing

Amazon

ARe

Smashwords

Bookstrand

Excerpt

“Hey Larry, Jacob said you wanted to see me?”

Larry looked up from his laptop. “Yeah Robert, come on in.”

I closed the door and waltzed in, worried about what he’d say. Would he hound me about the deadline or force me to write about the lockout? I hoped neither because I seriously wasn’t in the mood to argue.

“So, Robert. I know you have a deadline in a couple of hours but I’m willing to let that go if you’d make a trip to the minors. Since the overpriced sissies don’t wanna play, we’ll make our own story. Besides, Jake Valenta might come up and play for the Sox this year if they reach an agreement and we want to be the first to cover him.”

Jake?

I ignored Larry’s comment and focused on the topic at hand.

Jake?

Instantly my mind went to mush upon hearing that name. Jake and I attended Oklahoma State with two years between us. Though we never dated, we did hang around the same circles, mostly involving sports. Baseball was his passion and mine, though I wasn’t as talented as he was on the field. Since my expertise was behind the pen and or microphone, I called a couple of games he played in and before I graduated, I interviewed him for the school paper. That same article was later published in the town’s local newspaper. 

Now, Jake plays for the Sox triple A affiliate, Carolina Dukes of the southern league. Though we haven’t talked in years, I’ve followed the guy’s career and took a greater interest when he was selected with the fifteenth pick in June 2011. The experts raved about his speed, accurate throwing arm, and hitting ability as well as his baseball acumen and stamina. Unfortunately his transition wasn’t as easy as many predicted but now, he was tearing up minor league pitching and set to make the move to the pros.

“Robert?”

“I’m sorry, Larry. I…I was just thinking about something.” When the heat rushed to my cheeks, I turned my attention elsewhere. Anything so my boss wouldn’t notice me jumping for joy about covering baseball’s next phenom.

Larry appeared perplexed by my answer. He shrugged, “Well Robert, I need you to get focused on this trip. I want you to get the story on this young man. And I figured since the two of you went to school together you’ll get him to talk.”

About the Muse and Author

Michael Mandrake pens complex characters already comfortable with their sexuality. Thorough these, he builds worlds not centered on erotica but rather the mainstream plots we might encounter in everyday life through personal experiences or the media.

To find out more please visit Michael Mandrake at Wordpress

Author Sharita Lira: In one word, crazy. Just crazy enough to have 3 4 different muses running around in her head, driving her to sheer exhaustion with new plot bunnies and complex characters.

In addition to being a computer geek and a metalhead, Sharita loves live music, reading, and perusing the net for sexy men to be her muses.  She’s also a founding member and contributor to the heavy metal ezine Fourteeng.net.

For more information, please visit http://www.thelitriad.com as well as her Facebook fanpage, The Literary Triad.

More or Less Sex in M/M

Michael Mandrake aka Sharita Lira

Thanks for checking in with me today. I’m discussing sex in m/m and should there be more books sex or less? We had a discussion on a friends page a few weeks back and plenty of readers chimed in. With all the different responses, I decided I’d add my two cents about what I’ve seen as a reader as well as an author.

Let’s start out with the reader side of me. The reader in me likes a lot of sex. I want sex dripping from the pages and I want it so hot, my toes curl and I get that warm feeling in my gut. That being said, I like it to go along with the plot. Not page after page with no real direction and not for the sake of throwing it in there either. There has to be a reason why my two characters get together. Are they drawn to one another because of attraction? Or is it that and the fact they lost someone in their lives and are looking for the next special someone. Do they hate one another at first then eventually fall in lust or love?

The author in me is much the same, but lately I like to make my characters wait until they’re completely crazy for one another before I allow them to go to bed. Yes, it’s like punishment for them and even sometimes for me. *laughs* I can feel the tension between the characters and when I get done writing a chapter, I tell them and my muse we all have to wait. *sigh* Yep, I like them to be just about ready to explode when they’re finally ready for the first bedroom scenes. And when they do get there, I try my best to make it satisfying for all of us. Not an easy feat when you think about it. And then try making it original. Good luck with all that, but I do try. *smiles*

So, in conclusion, I have to pose it to you the audience. Do you like more sex in your m/m or less? Or are you like me, sex happens because of the plot and making them suffer is better. Let me know your thoughts.

Welcome author Cheryl Headford

I'd like to welcome author Cheryl Headford to my blog.  Let's find out about her book  "Ari."

Release Day Blitz – Ari by Cheryl Headford

Title:  Ari

Author: Cheryl Headford

Genre: LGBT, romance, transgender, intersex, M/M, F/F

Length: Novel

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Synopsis

After having known each other online for some time, writers, Benji and Ari meet at a convention.

Their attraction is both immediate and mutual.

But all is not straightforward—Ari is intersex and Benji transgender.

Together they embark on a journey.

A journey that unites families, and heals old wounds.

But not everyone is happy with the blossoming love between these two unique and special individuals.

Will an act of aggression crush the flower before it can bloom?

Book trailer

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EUntf_SzFDA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUntf_SzFDA

Buy Links

WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/?p=1298

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YUT48QE/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00YUT48QE/

Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00YUT48QE/

Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00YUT48QE/

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ari-1820879-341.html

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ari-cheryl-headford/1122098431?ean=9781925222487

Excerpt

MY EYES slammed open to a world gone mad. Bella barked as an enormous flash of light was followed immediately by a god-awful bang and rumble that shook the house on its foundations. Before I quite got my bearings, another brilliant flash of lightning blinded me and thunder cracked and rolled down the valley. I yelled at Bella for howling, cursed her for waking me—then I checked the clock.

“Jesus. Marc, it’s ten past five. We slept in. We have to get up. Now.”

“Benji?” Marc’s sleepy voice was sharp with alarm. He cried out with terror when another flash of lightning was followed by a deep boom and the lights flickered.

“Benji?”

“It’s okay. I’m here. It’s just a thunderstorm. We need to get going. We slept late.”

Marc jumped up and scampered around the bed to hug me tight. The dog was still whining and yipping, clearly unhappy, and the rain absolutely hammered.

“Typical,” I grumbled as I pried my little brother off me and headed for the bathroom. Marc followed, so close he tripped me.

“Whoa. You can’t go in the bathroom with me.”

“But I’m scared.” He underlined his words with a yelp when another round of thunder and lightning rolled over us.

“You can’t come in the shower, so don’t be silly. I’ll leave the door open, okay? You can sit on the stairs, or in your room.”

Marc was unhappy, but I managed to take a quick shower. As soon as he was able he came in, sat on the closed toilet, and watched me do my hair.

“You have very pretty hair.”

“What’s brought this on? You’re usually criticizing.”

“You shouldn’t complain. You should take compliments where you can get them, at your age.”

“Cheeky bugger. I’m not old.”

“You are, compared to me.”

“Only by seven years. I’m still a teenager.”

“Only for four weeks.”

“Then I’ll have to make the most of it while I can.”

About the author

CHERYL HEADFORD was born into a poor mining family in the South Wales Valleys. Until she was 16, the toilet was at the bottom of the garden and the bath hung on the wall. Her refrigerator was a stone slab in the pantry and there was a black lead fireplace in the kitchen. They look lovely in a museum but aren’t so much fun to clean.

Cheryl has always been a storyteller. As a child, she’d make up stories for her nieces, nephews and cousin and they’d explore the imaginary worlds she created, in play.

Later in life, Cheryl became the storyteller for a re-enactment group who traveled widely, giving a taste of life in the Iron Age. As well as having an opportunity to run around hitting people with a sword, she had an opportunity to tell stories of all kinds, sometimes of her own making, to all kinds of people. The criticism was sometimes harsh, especially from the children, but the reward enormous.

It was here she began to appreciate the power of stories and the primal need to hear them. In ancient times, the wandering bard was the only source of news, and the storyteller the heart of the village, keeping the lore and the magic alive. Although much of the magic has been lost, the stories still provide a link to the part of us that still wants to believe that it’s still there, somewhere.

In present times, Cheryl lives in a terraced house in the valleys with her son and her two cats. Her daughter has deserted her for the big city, but they’re still close. The part of her that needs to earn money is a lawyer, but the deepest, and most important part of her is a storyteller and artist, and always will be.

Website: Nephylim-author.blogspot.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.headford

Twitter: @SevenPointStar