Bestselling Author Delilah Devlin
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Archive for 'menage'



A Short Story! FREE in KU!
Thursday, September 28th, 2023

I have a short story on Amazon that was released today! It was originally written for Harlequin Spice and published by them years ago. It hasn’t been available for a while. If you love erotic romances and menage stories in particular, this one’s for you. It’s only 5,000 words, so a very quick read. Perfect for a lunch break. Better yet, it’s FREE in KU! 🙂

Just $0.99! Or FREE in KU!

A woman returns to the island where her heart was put back together by one special man to find that he’s ready to make her…theirs.

Gabbi Black: How I Wound Up Writing a Ménage… (Contest)
Wednesday, March 15th, 2023

I love writing novellas for The Wild Rose Press.  When the idea for the Passport to Pleasure series came up, I seized on the opportunity to write a story.  I set Valentino in Vancouver in my beloved Vancouver and also placed it in the world of the film industry, pulling in characters I’d created previously.  I wrote that gay romance under my penname Gabbi Grey.  Then, because I was so excited, I wrote another novella set in that world—You See Me. Only that was a lesbian romance for the Jelly Beans and Spring Things call – again, for The Wild Rose Press. (Coming out next month!)

I wasn’t finished, though.  I had so much fun with the Passport to Pleasure book, I needed to write another one.  Steamy story?  Lots of sex? Exotic location? Sign me up!  The parameters were: erotic story, American tourist, stamp in a passport.

Where to start?  I have a friend who lives in Argentina who spoke lovingly of her country, so I decided to ask her for advice.  She said she’d sit down for a chat about Argentinian culture and, more importantly, read my book for inaccuracies. Okay, so I had an American, an Argentinian, and…?  I realized I needed a Canadian.  I’d written a couple of books (for The Wild Rose Press’s Deerbourne Inn shared world series) with just Americans.  Well, my first book My Past, Your Future had a dead Civil War soldier as a ghost and a Scottish professor.  You get where I’m going—I had very little experience writing without Canadians in my stories.  This new book had to be under my penname Gabbi Black.  To that point, I’d only published a trilogy under that penname—set in Vancouver in the BDSM community.

My mind whirled. Why not make this a ménage story?  With an American, an Argentinian, and a Canadian?  More specifically, a Texan, a Vancouverite, and a hot person from Buenos Aires.

I rolled up my sleeves…and realized I didn’t know who was who.  Slowly, I began to work through the possibilities in my mind.  Eventually, in one of those BOOM moments I often have, I realized my three: Joaquin the Argentinian, MacKenzie the Texan, and Kimberly the BDSM Domme from British Columbia, Canada.  I wanted this to be a true MMF story—and pulled on my writing experience of gay stories to develop a strong triad with lots of hot sex.  I was also adamant there be three strong sides to the triangle. This relationship wouldn’t work without all three of them and all three have major roles to play.

I spent half an hour plotting the story (which went out the window by chapter two, big surprise), and I sat down to write my story.  Unlike my dark erotic BDSM romances, I wanted this one to have very little angst—I wanted this to be a tourist (or tourists) having a good time.  Throw in a whip, some bondage, lots of sex, and a virgin…and I had my story.  I wrote it in a week and a half, pushing through to get the words to craft a story I hoped readers would like. My Argentinian friend came up with the perfect title, and I submitted it to the publisher.

My editor loved it.  We made some minor changes, but the book got approved and then I had to wait for just the perfect moment to release it.  And that would be today!  I fell in love with the cover instantly because it so accurately portrays the relationship between the three main characters.

The question posed is—can three people from three different countries have a happy ending?  You’ll have to read the book, of course, but I think I ended things perfectly.  Obviously, I hope readers enjoy it.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card, let me know: have you ever ventured into the world of threesomes (or more)? MFM, MMF, MFF, FFF, MMM…the possibilities are endless. Is there one you think I should check out? And if you haven’t ventured there, what would entice you to try one…?  Drop a comment and a random commenter will win the gift certificate.

Thanks again, Delilah, for letting me talk to your fabulous readers!

Bonding in Buenos Aires

From a ménage of friends to forever lovers.

Argentinian Joaquin Perillo met MacKenzie and Kimberly at a cybersecurity conference two years ago. Another conference in Houston and video chats sealed his attraction for them both. Now they are visiting him in Buenos Aires, and he has so many plans for them—in and out of bed.

Canadian Kimberly is a security analyst by day and a Domme at Vancouver’s premier BDSM Club Kink at night. She can’t wait to see her men again so she can whip them into shape.

Texan MacKenzie is a computer geek who spends all his time with code. That is until he meets the beguiling Kimberly and the fun-loving Joaquin. Suddenly, he’s ready to break out of his self-imposed exile.

The triad have ten days to enjoy their ménage before they have to return to their prospective countries.  Because their relationship can’t cross borders or become permanent…right?

Links:
Universal link:  https://books2read.com/Buenos
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BS6VGGWX
Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/book/bonding-in-buenos-aires/id6445422597
Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bonding-in-buenos-aires-gabbi-black/1142971839
KOBO:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bonding-in-buenos-aires

Add it to GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122761745-bonding-in-buenos-aires

About the Author

Even though Gabbi Black is a firm believer in happy endings, she makes her characters work for it in every romance she writes, no matter what the genre. From contemporary to BDSM, they are penned early in the morning in her home in beautiful British Columbia while her trusty ChinPoo dog keeps her company. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary small town romances as Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website:   http://gabbiblack.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbi
Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2763198834
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbiblack/
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/Author-Gabbi-Black-106666354460589/
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.ca/authorgabbiblack/boards/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GabbiAuthor

Gabbi Black: Romances Around the World! (Contest)
Monday, February 20th, 2023

UPDATE: The winner is…Misty Dawn!
*~*~*

When The Wild Rose Press put out a call for steamy romances set in foreign lands, I took note.  A good friend suggested I write one about Canada.  I was like, uh, hang up…aren’t we almost like America?  As I sit, mere miles from the US border, I feel the weight of our neighbor the south—the politics, the entertainment, the sports teams…

She checked, and yes, Canada isn’t part of the 50 states, so go for it!  I knew I had to write about my favorite city, Vancouver.  I’d already set a book in the Vancouver film industry, so I took a couple of characters I knew, created some new guys I hoped readers would fall in love with an, under my penname Gabbi Grey, wrote the gay romance novella Valentino in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, I had the opportunity to get to know some of the other Passport to Pleasure authors.  They set books in Cairo, Sorrento, Scotland, the South Pacific, and London.  Recently, more books have been added—Ireland, Deutschland, and, excitedly, another Canadian stop. Some of the writers are US-based, while others are international, like myself.  We all bring a flavor of the exotic to our readers.

I enjoyed writing Valentino so much that I knew I wanted to do another book.  I’m happy to share my cover and my new story with you today!  Bonding in Buenos Aires comes out March 15th and I hope you’ll snag a pre-order copy today. As you can see, it’s an MMF menage with plenty of action – in all forms, if you know what I mean.  I also bring some of my Gabbi Black Vancouver BDSM world from my In Their Eyes trilogy.

Thanks for checking out my tale of international (steamy and hot) novellas.  For a chance to win one of your choice, let me know – where would you like to see a book set?  Random winner will be chosen in the coming days.

And thank you, Delilah, for letting me talk about this great series with your readers.

Bonding in Buenos Aires

From a ménage of friends to forever lovers.

Argentinian Joaquin Perillo met MacKenzie and Kimberly at a cybersecurity conference two years ago. Another conference in Houston and video chats sealed his attraction for them both. Now they are visiting him in Buenos Aires, and he has so many plans for them—in and out of bed.

Canadian Kimberly is a security analyst by day and a Domme at Vancouver’s premier BDSM Club Kink at night. She can’t wait to see her men again so she can whip them into shape.

Texan MacKenzie is a computer geek who spends all his time with code. That is until he meets the beguiling Kimberly and the fun-loving Joaquin. Suddenly, he’s ready to break out of his self-imposed exile.

The triad have ten days to enjoy their ménage before they have to return to their prospective countries.  Because their relationship can’t cross borders or become permanent…right?

Book Links:
Universal link:  https://books2read.com/Buenos
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BS6VGGWX
Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/ca/book/bonding-in-buenos-aires
Passport to Pleasure series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WYVTPKM

About Gabbi

Even though Gabbi Black is a firm believer in happy endings, she makes her characters work for it in every romance she writes, no matter what the genre. From contemporary to BDSM, they are penned early in the morning in her home in beautiful British Columbia while her trusty ChinPoo dog keeps her company. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary small town romances as Gabbi Powell.

Author Links:
Website:   http://gabbiblack.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbi
Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2763198834
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbiblack/
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/Author-Gabbi-Black-106666354460589/
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.ca/authorgabbiblack/boards/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GabbiAuthor

Flashback: Breaking Leather (Contest + Open Contests)
Tuesday, September 27th, 2022

UPDATE: The winners are…everyone!
*~*~*

Depending on how long you’ve been reading me, you might not be aware of my naughty cowboy ménage series, Lone Star Lovers. All my sexiest fantasies are rolled up in those stories. Two cowboys, three cowboys, four… All that attention concentrated on one lucky girl… Heck, it’s not really fair, and there must be something in the water in Two Mule, Texas because there’s a whole lotta sharin’ goin’ on. 🙂

Comment for a chance to win your choice of
one of my Lone Star Lovers books! 

Breaking Leather

Three cowboys…

One for remembrance…one for healing…and one to steal her heart forever…

Chrissi Page has tried to find one man who heats her bed the way the Kinzie brothers did one shameful night years ago. She’s failed miserably, leaving her with no choice but to bank that inner fire—and keep a lid on her inner bad girl.

Way back when, she’d been weak, unable to choose between three cowboys who appealed to her in very different ways. After they’d each tried to win her for their own, they’d confronted her, demanding she choose. Confusion and anger had boiled over into a passion so wild, that to this day, she’s still trying to live it down.

Since that night, Ezra, Cade, and Joshua have individually sewn their wild oats with pretty much the entire available female population of Two Mule, Texas. Yet nothing and no other woman has ever erased the attraction they still feel for Chrissi. When she’s stranded on the road near their ranch, it’s their last chance to turn their mutual obsession into an unusual proposition…

Read an Excerpt from Breaking Leather

Chrissi Page raised her cell phone in the air, staring at the screen. No bars. Not even a hint of one skinny, green nub. “Oh, come on,” she moaned as her radiator hissed behind her. “Damn, damn, damn.”

She’d been tempted to ignore the CHECK ENGINE light when it first appeared, wanting to take the chance she could limp back into Two Mule. However, the steam seeping from under the hood had pretty much killed that hope.

Today was not the day for her car to break down. Not so far from town. Not so close to their ranch. Any minute now one of the Kinzie brothers might happen by.

They’d stop because they’d never leave a woman stranded.

They might not let her go because of their shared past.

And she didn’t know if she had the strength anymore to fight fate or her own inexplicable needs.

Macy Pettigrew, her best friend and boss, had sent her to the Dunstan house to make sure the owners had followed her suggestions to increase the house’s curb appeal. Never mind that there wasn’t a curb. Not really even a road—more of a caliche-covered goat trail that meandered up a steep hillside, rutted from runoff during recent summer storms.

Something must have happened to her car on the run up that hill. She’d heard the rocks pinging against her undercarriage but had been too busy thinking about Ms. Dunstan’s handsome neighbors. She’d been afraid she’d pass them or that they might stop in to see old Lettie Dunstan, the widow selling off her roughhewn, century-old home.

Chrissi had forced a smile on her face, looked at the potted plants the old woman had placed in pretty window boxes and admired the paint she’d used to spruce up the weathered door and window frames. The junk the old woman’s husband had accumulated, and that she hadn’t had the heart to part with after his passing, was gone from the front lawn. And lo and behold, grass was beginning to grow to fill in the brown patches where engines and tires had lain.

Macy would be pleased. They had a potential buyer. One who’d relayed an offer via email, which had checked out with the mortgage lender. Details Macy had been eager to handle herself, leaving the showings to Chrissi.

Chrissi heard a powerful engine rev. She slowly lowered her arm and glanced nervously over her shoulder. A metallic sage pickup truck pulled off the road behind her, and her stomach dropped to her toes. She’d known the moment her CHECK ENGINE light had shone that this was going to happen.

And good Lord, it had to be Ezra Kinzie. His dark gaze narrowed on her through the windshield, the intensity of it feeling like the hissing heat of a brand against her skin.

He opened his door and stepped down, slamming it with a decisive shove. Everything Ezra did was deliberate. He never wavered once a decision was made.

Long ago, he’d decided he wasn’t going to fight his brothers for her. If she wasn’t going to decide among them, then she’d have to take them all.

And, Lord help her, she had.

She’d never gotten over that night, had never been able to push it to the farthest corner of her mind when she lay down to sleep. Just the memory of it made her hot, cold, _wet_…

And horribly ashamed. Anyone could have seen them beneath the bleachers at the homecoming game. Gossip hadn’t followed, but that didn’t make her any less self-conscious when she strode down the sidewalk on Main Street.

Someone might know. Someone might tell. The thought of that sordid night being revealed left her feeling nauseated. Her life had been circumspect ever since, her love life nonexistent.

They’d left her scarred. Unable to move on.

Not because they’d harmed her physically, but because she hadn’t been able to shake off the terrible attraction that tempted her every single day since that fateful night.

Boots crunched on the gravel at the side of the road. The brim of Ezra’s straw cowboy hat left his ice-blue eyes in shadow.

She straightened away from her car and squared her shoulders.

“Havin’ trouble, Chrissi?”

“It just showed up,” she said under her breath, determined not to let him see how flustered she felt.

One side of his mouth quirked up. He glanced up at the sky, squinting against the bright Texas sun before leveling that devastating stare on her again.

Her belly clenched, and she fought hard not to give him any clues about how he still affected her. Just the rumble of his deep voice always made her think of crisp, cool sheets and hot, slick skin.

Her glance flicked over his body-hugging dark tee, noted his well-developed chest, the bulge of his biceps, his taut abdomen. She started to sweat. “Will you call a tow truck for me when you get home?”

A frown dug a deep crease between his dark brows. “Get in my truck, Chrissi. I’m not leavin’ you on the side of the road.”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere with you, Ezra Kinzie,” she said tightly.

A muscle rippled alongside his jaw. “I’m just offerin’ you a place to wait out of the sun. And a cool drink. Nothin’ more.”

His features were stern, his jaw rigid, but the heat blazing from his eyes mesmerized her, made her want to sway toward him. The intensity of that unblinking stare made her wish he’d take the decision right out of her hands. She’d never willingly take that first step. Her days of following his commands were over.

Chrissi swallowed hard and broke from his glance, looking down the road and praying someone else would appear over the crest of the hill. She needed rescuing from the deep emotions roiling inside her—from the temptation his large, hard frame embodied. However, only the shimmer of heat waves rose off the black tar.

A trickle of moisture dripped between her breasts, gliding along one curve—and just like that, her imagination replaced the slide of that hot little bead with the tip of his tongue. She turned away from him and dragged in a couple of deep breaths, trying to stiffen her resolve, but the only things hardening were the tips of her breasts. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, then turned to aim a glare at the one man who had the power to make her knees quiver.

So many memories swamped her as she stared into his handsome, rugged face. So many regrets sat like soured milk in her gut. He’d been “the one” until she’d succumbed to a dark sensual greed.

Too bad she couldn’t turn back the clock about seven years. She’d make damn sure she’d never let him take her hand and pull her into the shadows.

Ezra barely suppressed the urge to step closer and crowd her tall, lithe body against her car. He’d love nothing better than to snug his dick between her legs while he licked that trickle of sweat tracking down her chest, and then follow the curve of her sweet, round breast.

But he and his brothers had planned this abduction down to the last detail. No time now to let a hard-on get in the way. “I’m not leavin’ you on the side of the road. It’s a hundred damn degrees out here, sweetheart. Get in the truck.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she said, sounding a little breathless.

It did his ego good to know she wasn’t unaffected. This was the closest they’d stood in seven years. Since he’d kissed her before letting her head to the girls’ restroom to clean up after he and his brothers had her.

A sordid little chapter he was determined to remedy. If he could get her ass inside his truck.

However, Chrissi, stubborn as ever, jutted her chin high and crossed her arms over her chest. Did she know she was plumping up her breasts, drawing his gaze to the creamy tops? Her clothing stuck to the sweat coating her skin. Her light blouse skimmed close to her narrow waist. Her dark blue trousers pulled tightly as she braced apart her legs. Did she know how well they cupped her mound?

Just that hint of a cleft was enough to add a spike of steel to his already raging erection.

“Maybe you’d let me use your cell phone?” she ground out.

Ezra let a hint of a smile curve the corners of his mouth. One thing he’d learned over the years was the value of patience. He’d waited a long time to be where he was, standing in front of the one woman who had the power to make his knees buckle. The one woman he’d gladly share if that was the only way he could have her.

“Chrissi, don’t you think we’ve waited long enough?” he asked quietly.

Her breath caught, lifting her chest. “I’ve waited long enough for you to act the gentleman and do what I asked. I’ll walk back to town.” She dropped her arms, reached through her car window for her purse, then straightened.

She’d have to stride around him, and he guessed she was girding herself to do just that. Her gaze didn’t rise above his shoulder. She sucked in a deep breath and gave him a wide berth as she brushed past.

Ezra let her go, easing a hip against her red Mustang and watching her walk away—on three-inch heels that stuck to the hot tar, making a sticky sound with each step she took. She made it only about ten feet past the end of his truck before she slowed.

Her shoulders fell, her head turned to the side, but not quite far enough for her to meet his gaze. “You’re not gonna let me go, are you?” she asked softly.

Her profile, so pure and pretty, stirred a suffocating desire inside him. He steeled himself to pretend a strength he was far from feeling. So many hopes rode on the next few minutes.

“I’m just givin’ you a few moments to make up your mind, sweetheart. I have every confidence you’ll do the smart thing.”

“Just a ride to your place to make a call?”

“And a cool drink. Whatever else happens will be up to you. I’ve always let you make your own choices. Even when you were dead wrong. Even when it was killin’ me.”

And even though she still hadn’t moved, he straightened away from her car and walked to the passenger door of his truck. He opened the door and waited.

Chrissi turned her head toward the road, and Ezra held his breath, praying another vehicle wouldn’t come along, praying he’d have the strength to do what had to be done, no matter how much she might beg him to end it later.

When she faced him, he couldn’t read her expression. Her mouth was firmed into a thin line. Her chin tilted. Her brown eyes raked him up and down, and she stepped out, her body moving fluidly, hips swaying. Not a conscious invitation, but he knew if he touched her between her legs right this minute, she’d be wet.

He fought a smile of satisfaction as she walked toward him and stepped up into his cab.

Open Contests

  1. Favorite Romance Subgenres Word Search! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  2. Michal Scott: Where There’s a Will There’s a Way — Josephine Napoleon Leary (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  3. Saturday Puzzle Contest! Theme: My favorite hot beverage! — Win a FREE book!
  4. Deb Robinson: New Beginnings (FREE Book) — Get your FREE in KU book!
Kennedi Darling: Ash — Tattered Souls MC, Book 3
Monday, August 29th, 2022

Ash (Tattered Souls MC: Book 3)

Universal Link: mybook.to/AshTSMC
Available on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon

 

Note from the Author: To prepare yourself for this book, find a comfortable place to sit, grab your snacks and refreshments, and make sure to have plenty of tissues handy. This whirlwind rollercoaster will have you glued to the pages so tuck in and enjoy the ride.

**Author is not responsible for the wide range of emotions brought out from within the pages of this book but will happily collect all the tears shed for her tear jar.

What the book is about…

Lyric:

Moving back to my hometown, determined to tell Ash I was in love with him, was always the plan after getting my degree. Meeting Saint was not. He caught me by surprise with flirty banter, a bossy attitude, and the way he cared for his sister.

I wanted them both but wasn’t prepared for the challenges that laid ahead.

Ash:

Lying in that alley, desperate for a fix and living as the most broken version of myself I’d ever been, he was my savior.

When the nightmare of my past resurfaced, bringing with it the memories I tried to drown out years ago, I teetered on the edge of being lost forever.

Now I wondered if I cared enough to come back and face reality.

Saint:

Everything I wanted was finally within my grasp—freedom, happiness, and an official place in the club. Everything except Ash. Keeping him in the dark cost us our friendship, which in turn may have cost us the future we’d planned. That future looked brighter when I met her, and she brought us all together in a way I’d only dreamed of.

Then disaster struck, sending Ash on a spiral I never anticipated, and it threatened to ruin everything we’d built. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to take it all on this time.

But maybe I didn’t have to . . . not on my own anyway.

**Ash is the third book in the Tattered Souls MC series. This book features an interracial MMF relationship. This story includes a HEA, no cliffhangers, and no cheating. It is recommended that the series be read in order as there are continuing elements that follow the club from book to book, however, each story can be read as a standalone.

Adult Content Warning: This book contains explicit language, sexual scenes, and violence.

Trigger Warning: This book contains subject matter surrounding physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. It also features a character who struggles with PTSD, depressive episodes, and addiction. If any of these subjects affect you negatively, this book may not be right for you.

Cara North: Where is Spring? (Contest)
Friday, April 22nd, 2022

I know I am not the only person getting snow at this point in April. I am not a fan of winter months to begin with. I write a lot of spring and summer romance for that reason. So, here is a list of what I am looking forward to when this season actually settles and acts like it wants to warm up around these mountains I live in. 

  1. Trees and flowers in bloom
  2. Fresh produce and farmer markets
  3. Mild mornings and evenings
  4. Putting the thermals away for a while
  5. Events and outings!

What are you looking forward to this spring and summer?
I will check back at the end of the week for answers and pick 3 to get a swag pack mailed.
US mail only for this one. 

If you are interested in contemporary, sports romance, and reverse harem style, you may want to consider joining my Patreon team. Even the $1 tier has access to the story I am writing in there before publishing it anywhere else. It is also available on Amazon Vella as a serial short, but well behind the Patreon posting of it. 

Join me at Swift University where a good girl has decided to go very, very bad. Readers get to weigh in on the character development, naming rights, and of course my patrons are thanked in the acknowledgements of the book. 

Here’s a look at the first cover. 

Links:
Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/musesandsirens
Right now, March is a Patreon exclusive! Read it before everyone else does by joining the team. 

Website: http://www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCaraNorth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caranorthauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caranorthauthor
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/caranorth_author/?hl=en
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20650398.Cara_North
BookBub : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cara-north
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B002BLLE1U
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdht9Kg1/

Valerie Douglas/V.J. Devereaux: Adventuring in Audio with Director’s Cut (Romance) and Fire Season (Contemporary, paranormal, reverse harem – that one was fun!)
Thursday, March 10th, 2022

For those who haven’t tried audio, it is one of the fastest growing segments of literary options, ideal for busy people who still want to enjoy a good book, so you really should. I’ve been blessed with several great narrators, with books in a variety of genres – although I consider myself primarily an epic fantasy writer – finding the right narrator has had it’s ups and downs.

I use ACX/Audible because it gives you the option to do a royalty share, a combination of share and pay up front or paying the narrator their stated fee. I do a royalty share because it gives the narrator and me a stake in the success or failure.

Choosing a narrator, for me, is a matter of matching the audition and voice to a given project, finding if your styles mesh, and the narrator’s interest in the project. Two of my narrators give me different voices for different characters, and another changes the timbre of voice. Make certain you discuss expectations – not just for time, but how it will be delivered. One narrator recorded several chapters, didn’t post them for my review, and had to go back to clearly delineate what character was speaking. Communication is important, in both directions. One gives me his ‘raw’ version – mistakes, flubs, pronunciation errors or questions – and sometimes he’s really funny. And, periodically he sends me his ‘blooper’ reel which is a riot.

It wasn’t a new experience for me, many of my books are in audio, but hearing another interpretation of what I’ve written has been a fascinating experience. In at least one case, the voice for a favorite character is now the narrator’s interpretation, another caught the characters’ accents perfectly (and his voice is like melted butter, smooth, warm, and rich).

Both Director’s Cut and Fire Season are in production for the audio versions so I can’t attach the retail samples yet, but they are both out in print.

Fire Season
A Paranormal Reverse Harem

Excerpt from Fire Season

The wildfire consuming the forest had a voice all its own. Each did, Ari had found. He listened to the hungry, angry roar, the crack of tree limbs giving way, the small explosions as burls within the trees’ boles burst. The sound surrounded him, spoke to him. Ari kept half an eye on the rapidly spreading inferno. The canopy of leaves and pine needles above him and his people was still intact but in the near distance he could see licks of flame swirling around trunks, reaching higher. The tops of other trees burned like torches. Another ignited even as he watched.

The heat of the blaze, the parched air, baked him within his gear. He could barely breathe, despite his air bottle.

On this part of the mountain the rough, uneven terrain worked against them, kept them from using the tanker and trucks – the vehicles were too far away, the hoses couldn’t reach – so they were fighting the fire hand to hand.

His team worked hard and steadily, cutting some trees, digging up turf, shoveling the debris and dirt and tossing them aside. All they could do was hope to create a firebreak wide and long enough to stop the flames from advancing. At least to hold for long enough to allow them to fight the blaze itself. Even as he worked alongside his people, he kept an eye on them. He anchored one end of the line, Jase the other. Every one of them knew their job but, focused on the task at hand, even as experienced as they were, they relied on him to keep the line straight and true so they didn’t need to shift their attention from what they were doing.

Nor were they alone. Just beyond Jase was a team from the local firehouse doing the same thing – cutting a firebreak. Other teams from the local department’s two firehouses were scattered over the mountain, using their equipment where the land allowed.

Like him, that team leader worked hard, wielding a chainsaw like a sword, shouting instructions he couldn’t hear over the blaze to her people and department over the radio, keeping everyone apprised.

Something about that one, their stance, the way they carried themselves, and their short stature told him the leader was a woman, rare among firefighters.

The way her people responded to her instructions and orders, swiftly and without argument, told Ari she was good at what she did and respected.

Not for a moment did he allow his attention to wander for more than the second needed for that brief appraisal. It was too dangerous.

Ari sensed the wind shift even as the leader of the other team went stiff and looked up. The roar changed, hungry for fresh fuel as the fire turned. She saw it even as he did. Embers blew above them, past them. The fire, hungry for fuel, hungry for air, and powered by the strengthening breeze, leaped from one tree to another…toward them.

“Out, out, RUN! The wind shifted. GO! GO! GO!” Ari shouted, and he could hear an echo of his words as he signaled to Jase at the end of their line. The other team leader had her radio keyed even as she shouted and gestured to her people.

Amidst the raging blaze, the sound of one tree falling into another to topple against a second was hardly noticeable. The movement wasn’t.

Branches showered from above, some ablaze, falling even as Jase echoed Ari’s words, then turned to run and so didn’t see the danger. Like Ari, the other team leader was doing a headcount, making sure all her people were on the move, no one left behind.

A large falling branch sent Jase sprawling, and knocked his helmet, mask, and air bottle askew.

Even as a second branch, larger than the first, cracked, ready to fall, Ari was moving. As fast as he was, he knew he wasn’t fast enough to reach Jase in time.

The other team leader, closer, with her own people already on the run, did see and didn’t hesitate. She threw herself over Jase and turned turtle, tucking her chin in close to Jase’s vulnerable neck so her helmet and air tank would take the impact as she tried to cover as much of Jase as she could.

When the branch struck, Ari winced. At the very least, she would have cracked or broken ribs, if not worse, and Jase as well. As long as luck was on their side.

The fire was closing. They didn’t have much time or else find themselves trapped by the flames. It was no small branch, and they had to move it quickly, both for the sake of the two pinned beneath it and their own.