Readers, have you ever wondered what happens when an author doesn’t finish a book? Because sometimes we don’t, and it’s not because we don’t try. Maybe you’ve been waiting for a sequel to a beloved book but the author hasn’t completed it. Could be, the author is stuck like I was.

My book Surrender Love was a huge hit when it came out, and I told everyone I was writing a sequel, which I planned to call Surrender Trust. But it never materialized. Fans loved book one so much I got emails eleven years later asking me about it. One reader said she had reread her copy of Surrender Love multiple times and just had to know if the next story would ever come out.

I had been stymied by this story for years and had rewritten it nine times, but I got stuck every time. I didn’t know why the antagonist would do what he was doing. None of it made sense, but for the story to work, X had to happen. How could I write the story when there was no viable reason for the antagonist to do what he did?

Not having an answer frustrated readers and me, too. I had to find a solution.

So, I took a step back and tried writing about the antagonist himself. I called it Origin of Pietas. He’s the immortal king, and he’s a character in a ton of books. Pietas has always been a bit crazy to my way of thinking, but when I started writing his book, I got into his psyche and realized why I didn’t understand — because I was writing him doing things his deep sense of honor would never permit him to do.

After I wrote that book, its sequel, Forged in Fire, came quickly. I wrote a short story in the same series. Lights Out is free when you sign up for my newsletter. I see the possibility for at least two more books in the Bringer of Chaos series. I shifted to the Antonello Brothers series and wrote two others with Pietas in them. I began the Antonello Brothers: Immortal series to work up to the story that had stymied me.

First, I rewrote Surrender Love, and then added Ring of the Dragon to the series. When I was ready to start on Surrender Trust, I gave it a new name, Forever Love. What a great title for a book about immortals falling in love, right?

A full seven books after I started, I finally finished the book that had frustrated me. It has a gloriously happy ending and answered so many questions! I uploaded it to Amazon with a huge sense of accomplishment, and an equally big sigh of relief. It comes out May 13th.

To celebrate, on May 12th and 13th, Surrender Love is free on Amazon and it’s free on Kindle Unlimited every day. There is a not-to-be-missed book between these called Ring of the Dragon. Read that to soak up every single luscious detail. These books each come with a bonus story available only to readers of that book.

Here’s a short excerpt from the opening of Forever Love. The young hero is a newly made immortal named Izzorah, who’s a Kin, one of a feline-human race with catlike eyes and ears, fangs, claws, and the ability to purr. He and his soon-to-be spouse, Luc, are standing at the door, saying what I call a Southern goodbye. You know the type; someone’s leaving and you keep trying to let them go but then they say this and you say that… Luc and Izzorah do not want to part even for a minute.

Excerpt from Forever Love…

Luc braced one hand against the open door, body to body with his lover. “You look like you need one more kiss.”

“No, kahmay t’hahr, lord of my heart.” A purr rumbled in Izzorah’s chest, and he tilted his head. The late afternoon sun streamed through the door, lighting his glorious green eyes. His pupils altered, widening like a cat’s, until only a rim of emerald remained. Izzorah focused on Luc’s mouth, then shifted his gaze back up. “I need a lot of kisses.”

“I should have left an hour ago, but with you, I want one kiss after the other.” And instead of walking through the door, he captured Izzorah’s mouth once more.

His lover arched against him, arms around Luc’s neck. When the kiss ended, Izzorah drew back, sliding gentle claws through Luc’s hair, then down his chest.

Luc’s skin tingled from the erotic touch, the raging heat of his inner beast eager for release. He refused to allow his fiery nature the control it craved. As much as he desired another hour with Izzorah, duty called.

He caressed Izzorah’s face. “I love you, Rah. And your cute little cat ears.”

“You’re trying to distract me, calling me a cat. I’m not a…”

Luc stroked one of Izzorah’s ears between fingers and thumb.

“…um… I’m… Ooh, yes, like that…” Izzorah rubbed against Luc’s hand.

Continuing to play with Izzorah’s ear, he smiled. “Is it working?”

Izzorah arched his back, pushing that ear into Luc’s touch. “What?”

With a chuckle, Luc released him. “Distracting you.”

“No. I’m not a cat. I’m Kin.” Izzorah rubbed his head beneath Luc’s chin.

“Rah.” Luc pulled back. “You just marked me, didn’t you?”

Izzorah looked up at him through dark lashes. “I am yours, lord of my heart, but I want other Kin to know you are mine.”

*~*~*

Forever Love – Antonello Brothers: Immortal

For their love, forever isn’t long enough.

Izzorah has always been a Kin, part of a human-like race of fierce, rugged felines. Now he’s also a brand-new immortal.

When he learns the truth about his fiancé’s immortality–and his own–the familiar world he knew vanishes. He must pass a test designed by the immortal king to reveal his gifts and weaknesses.

Pass and he’s accepted into a warrior society he wants no part of. Fail and he’s cast out, away from the man he loves.

As if that’s not bad enough, his lover is also the king’s ex, and the king refuses to part with anything–or anyone–he loves.

Fair test? Not in this immortal lifetime…

Forever Love, a hot MM Sci-Fi romance, is third in the explosive Antonello Brothers: Immortal Science Fiction series.

Amazon worldwide / Kindle Unlimited https://books2read.com/forever-love-immortal

Full series, Surrender Love, Ring of the Dragon, Forever Love https://amzn.to/2N4d7lX

UPDATE: The winner of the free download is…Linda!

* * * * *

I can’t wait for August 11th to come! Know why? Okay, you can probably guess by the title of this post and the great big, in-your-face cover below.

Hotter with A Pole releases on August 11th!

So I have releases all the time. Why am I so excited by this one? It’s my first strictly male-male romance. And it’s smokin’ hot and strangely sweet, and I can’t wait for you to read it!

I love my Memphis set books. The five Delta Heat stories were filled with kink and fun. But then I decided to add a little touch of dangerous doings and real-life action into the Firehouse 69 sequel series. The added conflict certainly upped the angst for Hoyt and Noah in HWAP. And again, I can’t wait for you to read it!

I’ve provided an excerpt below and the links where you can pre-order the book. I do have the feeling you’re going to love it.

For a chance to win one of the prequel books from Delta Heat or Burnin’ Up Memphis, Book 1 in this series, answer the following question…

What’s your favorite piece of a firefighter’s equipment? Have fun!

Hotter With A Pole

When your heart is stuck in the wrong gear, a quick fix isn’t going to cut it.

When Noah buys a classic ’68 Camaro from a fellow firefighter’s widow, he hopes it will ease some of the grief crushing his heart. But the grinding noise under the car’s hood sends him straight to a mechanic. Something about the burly, imposing Hoyt sparks Noah’s interest, and it’s not just Hoyt’s ice-blue eyes and bad-boy biker looks. It’s the mutual interest they have—Club LaForge.

After losing his partner to cancer a year ago, Hoyt never thought he’d feel the same kind of rush with another man. But his reaction to Noah throbs deep in his body like the rumble of his Harley.

LaForge seems like the perfect place to meet and work off some sorrow, to feel alive again. But the flood of desire quickly gets hot enough to melt their emotional barriers into unexpected connections.

Connections Hoyt isn’t sure he’s ready for…especially since history has a scary way of repeating itself.
Product Warnings

Warning: Get your motor running for a Harley-riding hunk of muscle who doesn’t give a damn about the rules of being a Dom, and a firefighter who can take the heat. Buy a case of your favorite coolant. You’re gonna need it.

Samhain Publishing | Kindle | Kobo | iBooks

“My bike’s parked outside the back exit. Do you need to tell anyone goodbye?”

Noah shook his head, his stomach filling with those odd fluttery feelings again.

Hoyt walked to Noah’s clothing and handed him his pants. As Noah dressed, Hoyt’s gaze slid over his body, more intimately than it had before, lingering on his cock, his chest, then rising to meet his gaze.

Noah knew where this was going. Knew they might skip a ton of preliminaries, but he didn’t need them. His body was already tightening again. The sooner he was alone with Hoyt, really alone, he knew things would happen quickly, and he didn’t really want time to consider what any of this meant—this wild attraction, this need that centered in his chest, because he thought maybe Hoyt was every bit as lonely as he was. That there was something painful in his past. The hints of bleakness he’d seen in his eyes the day before had seemed to mirror his own pain.

For Hoyt to be this transparently intense, this eager to climb right over everything he was—a man, a Dom—to get straight to the intimacy of being with him, pointed at something.

And Noah was more than just curious now. He wanted to know who Hoyt was, what drove him, what secrets lay behind his hooded gaze. He tucked his cock inside his pants and reached for the shirt Hoyt handed him, only Hoyt didn’t let it go. Instead, the other man tugged on it, pulling Noah closer.

Noah drew a shaky breath and let himself be reeled in until they stood so close one deep breath would cause their bared chests to meet. His nipples tightened. When Hoyt leaned toward him, he closed his eyes.

A firm mouth glided over his. Noah opened. Hoyt thrust his tongue inside and then licked along Noah’s tongue, coaxing Noah’s to come into his mouth where he then sucked on it.

Noah groaned, closed the gap between their chests and went with his instincts, lifting a hand to grip the other man’s hips and aligning his clothed cock with Hoyt’s.

Hoyt clutched Noah’s ass and the back of his head and growled deep in his throat as he rubbed up and down Noah’s shaft.

Noah was in good shape, knew what a hard body felt like, but Hoyt’s muscle was more than hard, it was bulky, hot—and trembling against him.

When Hoyt broke the kiss, Noah fought the urge to follow him. Instead, he stood close, their cocks still aligned, and he knew with an unwavering certainty, he was ready for this. For Hoyt. “Let’s go,” he said.