Blog Tour: Secret Fire by Morticia Knight

Secret Fire (Uniform Encounters 5) by Morticia Knight
Series: Uniform Encounters
Paperback: 202 pages
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing (May 2, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1781847770
ISBN-13: 978-1781847770
Amazon: Secret Fire (Uniform Encounters 5)
Amazon Kindle: Secret Fire (Uniform Encounters 5)

Police officer Zach and Fire Marshal Daryl would be perfect together—if they would ever quit fighting long enough to find out. A devastating fire and the secret behind it almost keeps them from getting what they really need—each other. Mesa police officer Zach is a fun-loving guy. Now that he’s hit the big three-oh, he’s looking to stop the hook-up train and find someone he can get serious about. When a mutual friend suggests Fire Marshal Daryl, Zach assumes he must be joking. The surly marshal has given cranky a new meaning. It’s unfortunate, though, since he is one fine-looking man. Daryl has sworn off relationships ever since he caught his ex-partner cheating. He’s always taken everything in life seriously—from jobs to relationships—and is afraid he might be alone in that regard. Certain he can’t risk love again, he panics when he sees his secret crush Zach approaching him at a police versus firemen softball game. He’s nervous, as he is socially challenged with a tendency to blurt out the wrong things. It gets worse when he realises their shared buddy gave Zach a push. He assumes that Zach is only talking to him out of pity. Zach has been pissed off at Daryl ever since they got into a verbal sparring match at the park. Yet, when Daryl comes to his aid during an explosive fire, Zach wonders what secrets might be hidden beneath the layers Daryl has built to protect himself from the world—and love. A night of passion turns into the possibility of something more as they struggle to find their way to one another. But all of that is threatened when there is a devastating fire that causes many people to lose their lives. As they work together to uncover the truth, someone thinks they’ve asked too many questions—and plans to stop them before they can ask any more.

Author Bio: M/M Erotic Romance author Morticia Knight enjoys a good saucy tale – after all, who doesn’t? Since she loves several genres, you may find your heroes in a contemporary, historical, paranormal or sci-fi setting. One of her passions is bringing people's fantasies to life on the page, because life is too short for even one boring moment. Her stories are volcanic in heat, deep in emotion, and sprinkled with doses of humor.
When not indulging in her obsession for books, she loves the outdoors, film and music. The Pacific Northwest is the ideal spot to enjoy both hiking and beachcombing. Once upon a time she was the singer in an indie rock band that toured the West Coast and charted on U.S. college radio. She now resides on the northern coast of Oregon, where the constant rain and fog remind her of visits to family in England and Scotland when she was a child.
She is currently working on the Gin & Jazz series about the glitz and glamour of 1920’s Hollywood and additional installments of the Uniform Encounters series, with a new series about those luscious men in uniform coming out later this year.
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorticiaKnight

( Excerpt )

Tour Dates: 6/9/14 – 6/27/14
Tour Stops:
June 9: Parker Williams
June 10: The Blogger Girls
June 11: Amanda C. Stone
June 12: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Wake Up Your Wild Side
June 13: Elisa Rolle, Kimi-Chan
June 16: LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire
June 16: Smoocher’s Voice
June 17: Dawn’s Reading Nook
June 18: Love Bytes, My Fiction Nook
June 19: MM Good Books
June 20: The Hat Party
June 23: Fallen Angel Reviews
June 24: Velvet Panic
June 25: Jade Crystal
June 26: Prism Book Alliance
June 27: Two Men Are Better Than One

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rafflecopter Prize: Copy of one of any Uniform Encounters books and a romance package

2014 Rainbow Awards Submission: Masquerade

Gay Historical Romance
Masquerade (2 novellas as 1 submission) by Joy Lynn Fielding
Paperback: 216 pages
Publisher: Siren Publishing, Inc. (February 11, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1627407634
ISBN-13: 978-1627407632
Amazon: Masquerade [Carnevale: A Gilded Cage]

Carnevale [Siren Allure ManLove: Erotic Alternative Historical Romance] Perry Sinclair's grand tour of Europe is not going entirely to plan. He loses his bear-leader, his valet, and his friend in quick succession, and finds himself alone in Venice. In the midst of the gaiety and excesses of Venetian Carnevale, Perry meets a fellow Englishman, known only as Jack. Jack introduces Perry to a group of gentlemen who indulge in a variety of sexual activities while hiding their identity behind Carnevale masks. Shocked and yet delighted, Perry flings himself headlong into such pleasure, falling deeply in love with Jack as he does so. Jack Fitzwarren does not fall in love. He certainly does not fall in love with English tourists. But despite Jack's best efforts, Perry's artless enthusiasm and unquestioning trust begin to find a way through all of his defences, allowing Jack almost to forget the secret he carries with him, the one that means he can never confess to Perry who he really is.

A Gilded Cage [Siren Allure ManLove: Erotic Alternative Historical Romance] Perry Sinclair is blissfully happy living in Italy with his lover, Jack Fitzwarren. He finds as much happiness in the peace of Jack's vineyard as he does in the decadent delights of Venice in full Carnevale, where everyone is masked and nothing is forbidden. Jack is a fugitive from English justice, wanted for a crime he did not commit. When Perry's ex-lover, Gilbert, arrives in Venice, Perry realizes that the safety they thought Jack had found in Venice is nothing more than an illusion. Perry attempts to assuage Gilbert's desire to experience Venice and Carnevale, as well as his seemingly endless curiosity about just why Perry has remained in Venice. He must do all of this without giving rise to any suspicion of Jack's presence, because if Jack is discovered, he will face the noose. Meanwhile, Gilbert has an agenda of his own, and Perry is faced with an agonizing choice.

Charities Donation program progress:
25$ Lancaster LGBT Center: http://www.centralpalgbtcenter.org/
25$ Odyssey Youth Center: www.odysseyyouth.org/
25$ YouthCare: www.youthcare.org/
30$ Covenant: www.covenanthouseno.org/
50$ Wes for Youth: wesforyouth.privacemail.com/
50$ Lambert House: www.lamberthouse.org/
50$ Ruth Ellis Center: http://www.ruthelliscenter.org/
50$ PFLAG: community.pflag.org/
75$ Inland Northwest LGBT Center: www.thelgbtcenter.org/
75$ CARE: careprogram.org/
100$ The Center Colorado: http://www.glbtcolorado.org/
105$ Moveable Feast: http://www.mfeast.org/
110$ Lambda Legal: www.lambdalegal.org/
150$ Point Foundation: www.pointfoundation.org/
160$ UCAN: www.ucanchicago.org/
180$ The Trevor Project: www.thetrevorproject.org/
317$ Galop: www.galop.org.uk/
338$ COLORS: www.colorsyouth.org/
425$ SAGE: giveto.sageusa.org/
437$ Lost-n-Found Youth: www.lost-n-found.org/
710$ Ali Forney Center: www.aliforneycenter.org/
747$ Other Funds
TOTAL: 4234$*

* more than 150$ is a direct donation from a supporter of the Rainbow Awards who isn't submitting; while some authors were more than generous, arriving to donate 5 times the suggested amount, being the submission fee a non mandatory and voluntary direct donation, we were struggling to raise the same amount as last year and there is who decided to cover part of it. I thank you for all you are doing, and if you wish to donate to the above links, please drop me a note with your donation and I will update the total.

2014 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4162490.html

GayRomLit Retreat: Diana Copland

Starting from March up until September I will feature authors attending the GayRomLit Retreat in Chicago (October 16-19, 2014: http://gayromlit.com/grl-authors).

Today author is Diana Copland: Diana Copland began writing in the seventh grade, when she shamelessly combined elements of Jane Eyre and Dark Shadows to produce an overwrought Gothic tale that earned her an A- in creative writing, thanks entirely to the generosity of her teacher. She wrote for pure enjoyment for the next three decades before discovering LiveJournal and a wonderful group of supportive fanfiction writers, who after gifting her with a "Best New Author" Award encouraged her to try her hand at original gay fiction. Born and raised in southern California, Diana moved to the Pacific Northwest after losing a beloved spouse to AIDS in 1995. She lives in eastern Washington with her ninety year old dad, near her two wonderful adult children. And yes, she has become a cat lady.
Website: http://ebooks.carinapress.com

Diana Copland is offering a copy of A Reason To Believe to one commenter on this blog. You can comment on LJ or DW if you have an account (I will send a PM to the winner), if you don't have an account, please leave a comment on DW with a contact email.

A Reason to Believe by Diana Copland
Publisher: Carina Press (October 22, 2012)
Amazon Kindle: A Reason to Believe

Detective Matthew Bennett doesn't believe in ghosts. So when the spirit of a murdered child leads him to her body, he's shaken to the core—and taken off the case. Unable to explain his vision, or to let go of the investigation, Matthew turns to renowned medium Kiernan Fitzpatrick. Though he has doubts about Kiernan's claims to communicate with the dead, Matt is nevertheless drawn to the handsome psychic, who awakens feelings he thought were long-buried.

Haunted by the lingering spirit of the little girl, Kiernan is compelled to aid in the search for her killer. The chance to get closer to the enigmatic Matt is an unexpected bonus. Although Kiernan's been betrayed by people who turned out to be more interested in his fame than in himself, with Matt he's willing to risk his heart. As the two men grow closer, Kiernan helps Matt rediscover that life offers no guarantees—but love offers a reason to believe...

Calls for Submissions

OPEN CALLS FOR ANTHOLOGIES

Our anthology calls are a great place to get your feet wet with a short story, or to explore a theme without committing to a full novella or novel. For all anthology calls, we’re looking for fully realized, romantic LGBT stories about the chosen monthly theme. Make us laugh, make us cry, or surprise us and make us glow with happy endings!

Please send your 10,000 - 20,000 word submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com with the title of the theme (ie: Torqued Tales) and your story title in the subject field. Please see our general submissions guidelines for formatting etc. Each theme has a title and due date listed on the individual call.

OCTOBER 2014 -- ETERNALLY DARK -- DEADLINE JULY 15

All vampires are creatures of darkness, but these have a twist: they're forced to endure an existence of literal, as well as spiritual, darkness. Blind vamps use all of their other senses, including their sixth sense, to find both lovers and prey. Our Eternally Dark anthology will feature fully realized, romantic, stories about blind vampires. Deadline for submission is July 15, 2014.

NOVEMBER 2014 -- PUNK'D -- DEADLINE AUGUST 15

Whether we're taking high tea in a dirigible over London, chasing exotic werebeasts through the jungles of Darkest Africa, or pitting Continental mechanical know-how against the New World's sharp-shootin' cowboys -- steampunk, gaslamp, and clockpunk stories really crank our gears! The Punk'd anthology will feature fully realized, romantic gay (m/m) stories about life and love in the steampunk (and related) genres. Deadline for submission is August 15, 2014.

DECEMBER 2014 -- SANTA'S LITTLE KINKSTERS -- DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 15

We're hoping to fill our stockings this holiday season with stories as kinky as the curls in Santa's beard. Does the heat of a good spanking keep the winter chills at bay? Does practice tying up a sub help when it comes time to put garlands on the tree or ribbon on presents? Do the reindeer sometimes misbehave just so they can get a lick of the whip -- and what do those elves do while Santa's out delivering toys, anyway? Send us your fully realized, romantic m/m stories of holiday kink for our Santa's Little Kinksters anthology. Deadline for submission is September 15, 2014.

LESSONS IN LOVE CHARITY SIP BLITZ -- DEADLINE JULY 1

Every year, the generous authors at Torquere write stories and donate the proceeds of these shorts to charity, with Torquere matching each donation. We call it the charity sip blitz, and this year, our charity is the Point Foundation.

From their website:
The Point Foundation empowers promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – to make a significant impact on society.

http://www.pointfoundation.org/

We're looking for fully realized GLBTQ stories that relate to academics, school, university and learning. We're a romance publisher, so give us a good love story, on that will make the reader fall in love with the characters and root for them. If you're going to have sexual situations, even on the sweeter side, please make your protagonists eighteen or older. While we are accepting Prizm young adult submissions on this call, we are representing an organization that caters to students, and we need to make sure our content is age-appropriate. Feel free to surprise us with non-traditional students, alternative learning, and teachers or students of more than just English, Math and Science!

All submissions must be received by July 1, 2014 for a mid-September release. Earlier is better. Word count can range from 3000-8000 words. Longer will be considered, but please query first to help us accommodate our editing schedule! Please see our general submission guidelines for formatting requirements. Send submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com with Charity Sip Blitz Adult or Charity Sip Blitz Prizm in the subject line.

TALES OF LEATHER

Like your short stories with a little bondage, dominance, spanking, or submission? So do we! In fact, we like BDSM play stories so much that we're giving them their own category. Tales of Leather will be guaranteed to bring on all the hot BDSM action that readers crave. We're looking for romance stories with happy endings, engaging characters, and a fresh point of view. Stories should range from 10,000 to 50,000 words. Longer stories may be considered, but please query first. Stories will be contracted for two years, at our standard royalty rates. Please see our writer's guidelines page for royalty rates, formatting and submission information.

Guidelines:
- GLBT stories -- f/f, m/m, m/m/f
- 10,000 words and up
- standard royalty rates apply
- exclusive electronic 2 year contract

For queries or submissions, contact General Manager/Submissions Editor Kristi Boulware atsubmissions@torquerepress.com

Please put "Tales of Leather" in the subject line of all emails.

Follow our general guidelines.

SPICE IT UP

Who doesn't need a little spice in their life? The Spice it Up line has openings starting in January 2012. Stories need to be inspired by a spice or herb, or the spice must feature prominently in the story. To see what spices have already been used, see our bookstore at www.torquerebooks.com. Spices may be duplicated, but all stories must be original in theme and content. We're looking for romance stories with happy endings, engaging characters, and a fresh point of view. Stories should range from 10,000 to 30,000 words. Longer stories may be considered, but please query first. Stories will be contracted for two years, at our standard royalty rates. Please see our writer's guidelines page for royalty rates, formatting and submission information.

Guidelines:

- GLBT stories -- f/f, m/m, m/m/f
- 10,000 words and up
- standard royalty rates apply
- exclusive electronic 2 year contract

For queries or submissions, contact senior editor Lorna Hinson at submissions@torquerepress.com

Please put "Spice It Up" in the subject line of all emails.

Follow our general guidelines