Colors of the Rainbow Blog Hop

 

Greetings, all, and welcome to the Colors of the Rainbow Blog Hop!

After considering what to write for today’s post, I decided that I wanted to do something different than just post an excerpt and buy link for my latest release Side Effects. I’m going to talk a little about a recurring setting in my stories—and its background, so I’m calling this:

Location, location, location

Side Effects is set in the small Iowa college town of Grandville. A number of my stories take place at Grandville College, and I attribute that to the fact that I attended a small, midwestern college myself—and enjoyed every year of it! Much more so than the time I spent at a large, urban university for my graduate work.

If you’ve read at least two of my Grandville stories, you may notice that the characters often have sex in at least one less-than-typical locale! For those who haven’t read any yet, here’s the evidence:

Summer Stock NEW 6x9

 

In Summer Stock, Jeff and Robert hook up in a storage room backstage of their Oklahoma! production;

 

C.C. Williams' The Pickup Game

 

Noah and Jerry (who have a cameo in Side Effects) get to know each other really well in the middle of the Life Drawing Lab in their story, The Pick Up Game;

 

steambath cover

Gus from All I Am For (appearing in Shane Allison’s Steambath anthology) explores a bathhouse;

Side Effects Cover

 

 

and, of course, in Side Effects, Max and Damien do more than study in the library!

 

So why do I like to use these types of locations? They’re often dirty, not necessarily that comfortable, and sometimes not all that private either! Well…

‘Cause they’re fun to write!

Not only can there be unusual props—a purple fainting couch for Robert and Jeff, or a wrought iron king-sized bed for Jerry and Noah—but also some other element to spice things up—the danger of discovery, for example. These are the things that make for a better than run-of-the-mill love scene.

Hopefully, they are fun to read, as well.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “That’s all well and good, but nobody really does that sort of thing.” Au contraire, mes amis! I’ve done the research! Okay, that’s what I’m calling it. 😉

While attending the above-mentioned college, I had two roommates and a narrow, single bed—the same situation my boyfriend was in. This lack of privacy forced some creativity in terms of where to have some fun—and we weren’t picky! The auditorium stage, a chemistry lecture hall, the roof of the library—just to name a few! All of them added a little something extra to our times together.

So, just as with real estate, an important element of romance is location, location, location!

C.C. Williams Giveaway

Leave a comment below with your most memorable location—personal or fictional—to be entered into a drawing for an ebook from my backlist. Be sure to include your valid email address as the winner will be notified by email following the end of the blog hop.

MFRW Giveaway

Free to everyone — No entry needed.

Download your favorite format of the exclusive Marketing for Romance Writers Rainbow Excerpts Book, with 60 pages of gay romance excerpts and samples from some of our authors. Right click on the links and select “Save Target As…”

Kindle  |  Nook / ePub  |  Adobe PDF

Enjoy the hop!

‘Til next time!

Heartbreaker Blog Hop

Heartbreaker Blog Hop Logo

“Heartbreaker, dream maker, a love taker!”

(I know, I know, I know! I just couldn’t resist a Pat Benatar reference! Horribly cliche, no?)

But isn’t that what really attracts us to our heroes—both alpha and beta—is that they are all those things at once? They fulfill our fantasies, give us someone to love, while at the same time driving us to drink! (My guy JT does it all—in spades!)

Do our hero guys do it on purpose? Sometimes, yes! But sometimes they are just as confused and mixed up about life and love as all the regular guys—maybe even more so when it comes to loving another guy!

My favorite heartbreaker is Jeff from my story Summer Stock. Hot, sexy and confused as hell, he makes life a nightmare for Robert every time they have to work together.

Summer Stock NEW 6x9

Action-film star Jeff Woltors and Pulitzer-nominated director Robert Jamieson hooked up when they were in college. That fling ended badly and has colored their lives and love affairs for years.

Brought together during their alma mater’s annual summer theater festival, the two men reconnect, resurrecting those old feelings and straining a tenuous truce to its breaking point.

Can two men overcome past deceptions and mistakes to achieve what they’ve always wanted? Summer Stock brings drama and tension to center stage as Jeff and Robert try to resolve a conflict fifteen years in the making.

Summer Stock is available in the Bookstore, as well as Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Rainbow eBooks and Smashwords.

So, here’s my question:

What attracts you to a hero, and what just drives you crazy about him as well?

Leave your answer, along with your email address, below to win an eformat copy of Summer Stock. You’ll also be entered to win one of the Grand Prizes:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

Be sure to visit all the bloggers here! That’s over 300 chances to win something!

Good Luck and get Hopping!

[UPDATE: A winner has been chosen and will be revealed once their prize is awarded.]