Goodness gracious can you believe September is almost over? Autumn is settling in and with the cold we all want some heat and comfort food, right? Well, I've got what you need! A hot male/male romance titled In the Raw and an interview with one of it's authors, the fab, Nikka Michaels!
If you can’t take the heat…
James Lassiter has had a
crush on fellow culinary student Ethan Martin for three years, but has never
had the guts to make a move. Putting himself out there is hard, especially when
under the thumb–and wallet–of his overbearing parents. Now that bad boy chef
Ethan–who is always vying with Jamie for best in class–is struggling with the
pastry course, Jamie suddenly has a reason to reach out.
Ethan doesn’t mean to be an
ass–okay, so mostly he does–but even though he’s secretly hot for Jamie, he
sure as hell doesn’t want help with pastry. Ever since his dad walked out,
Ethan has been the one to hold things together and he’s done fine on his own.
Except that he can’t get his cake to rise.
Jamie could be the answer
to what Ethan’s been missing his whole life–someone to depend on. But with the
two competing for the same scholarship, things suddenly get too hot to handle.
And if Jamie finds the strength to go for what he wants, he isn’t about to
settle for what he needs.
Welcome to in A Dream Beyond, Nikka!
You’ve been here before, but this is your first interview. Yay! As such, I must
ask: When did you start writing. Why?
Hi Elyzabeth. Thanks so much for having me here today on A Dream
Beyond. It’s good to be back. :-)
I’ve wanted to try writing for a while, but really didn’t get
anything down that I thought someone would *actually* read until last year.
Why? I’ve always been one of those people who saw stories in my head, I guess.
Getting them out on paper is just the logical next step.
Why do you write mm romance?
Everyone deserves a love story. To me? I’ve always been able to
write from a male POV, so it translates over well to MM I think. TWO MALE POVS!
It’s like Christmas morning.
In the Raw is co-written with Eileen Griffin, as are some other of your books. How
did this pairing start?
I asked Eileen if she wanted to write a
short little story with me for an open sub call for a publisher. The short
little story turned into Chasing Matt, which was released from Evernight
Publishing in August 2013.
What is the process of writing with
another author like?
It’s interesting. Having a two-person team to bounce
ideas off is a definite plus. The only drawbacks are we live in two different
states so finding time to be online to work at the same time can be difficult.
Did you have to do any research for In The Raw?
We did, yes. Culinary school, locations in New York,
cooking terms, plane flights and recipes, you name it.
Ethan can’t seem to get his cake to
rise… do you consider yourself a good cook?
I’m a better cook than a baker. My food usually tastes
good but isn’t the prettiest. Eileen is the better baker between the two of us
by far. I’m with Ethan though for the creativity factor. You don’t have to
stick to a recipe in cooking quite as religiously as you do with baking.
What’s your favorite dish/desert?
My favorite dish isn’t something super foodie or complicated.
I’m a huge lover of a well-crafted cheeseburger and hand cut fries. That’s my
version of heaven.
Tell us something about this novel
that doesn’t appear in the blurb or excerpt.
One of our favorite characters to write was
Claire, Ethan's sister. She's strong and snarky and determined to help the guys
find their way - even if she has to nudge them along the way
My dream is one day to hopefully make a living as a professional writer.
Heating up the cool:
September quickie
Favorite color: Red
Favorite scent: Rain
Favorite song: Too many
to list.
A book to read this
month Right now I’m reading You Belong to Me by Karen Rose.
Complete this phrase:
Keep Calm and Write On.
What you look forward to
this month: The nice warm weather and lots of outdoor events.
About NIKKA
MICHAELS:
Nikka Michaels lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest where
she spends her time cooking, laughing and crafting romantic tales to satisfy
her craving for HEAs with heat. A
voracious reader, novice knitter and music lover she’s been known to multitask
without breaking a sweat. She loves to read and write M/M romance but believes
everyone deserves a love story. She currently has several releases out
including, Chasing Matt, a M/M
novella co-authored with Eileen Griffin,
Christmas with Caden, a M/F romance novella from Cobblestone Press, “Waking
up Wolf”, a M/M shifter romance in Evernight Publishing’s Alpha’s Claim: Manlove Edition anthology, and the MM series which
includes, Mile High Service, Room Service and Lip Service from Cobblestone Press’ Blue line. She also has a short
story, “His Assistant” in Evernight Publishing’s best selling Executive Assistant: Manlove Edition
anthology.
NIKKA
MICHAELS SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Blog:
http://nikkamichaels.com/blog/
All
Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Nikka+Michaels
About EILEEN
GRIFFIN:
Eileen
Griffin lives in the southwest, but loves to travel and has spent many summers
crossing Europe with nothing but a backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex,
lives for good wine, and has a certain penchant for purple unicorns. She loves
reading all genres of books, but her current obsession is writing M/M romance.
Her past published works include: Chasing Matt, a M/M novella
co-authored with Nikka Michaels, Dinner For Two, a M/F romance novella,
“Claiming Ayden”, a M/M shifter romance that is part of Evenight’s Alpha’s
Claim Anthology: M/M Edition, and “Lost and Found”, a short story written for
the M/M Romance Group’s Don’t Read in the Closet: Love’s Landscapes Event.
Eileen is currently working on a new M/M series set in a Bed and Breakfast with
Nikka Michaels, as well as several other projects both individual and
co-authored.
EILEEN
GRIFFIN SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Website
and Blog: http://eileengriffin.wordpress.com/
Facebook
Profile: http://www.facebook.com/eileen.griffin
Facebook
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/eileengriffinauthor
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/EileenGriffin
Evernight
Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/eileen-griffin/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Eileen+Griffin
~~~EXCERPT~~~
I opened the door,
shivering when a gust of wind swept through. I pulled my jacket tight around my
body, sighing when I saw no cabs waiting at the curb. “Shit.” I could either
call information or wait a few minutes for another to drive by. I leaned
against the brick wall of the building to wait when I heard the bar’s door
squeak open and shut again.
“You could have waited for
me, you know?” Ethan’s annoyed voice as he approached had me wondering what I’d
done now.
“No worries.” I
shrugged, tired from the long day and the confusing mix of emotions hanging out
with him seemed to bring. “I didn’t want to rush you because I was ready to
leave.”
He stepped closer, his
shoulders hunched as he reluctantly admitted, “I wanted to hang out with you.
Not Summer or the guys. Just you.”
I stared at him. “What
do you want from me, Ethan? Half the time I don’t know whether you hate me or
want to be friends. Then you do something like defend me to my father, who
incidentally thinks you’re the antichrist. Tell me what we’re doing here.”
Instead of launching
into the verbal tirade I expected, a determined look crossed his face and he
murmured, “Fuck it.”
He stepped closer and I
tensed. As unpredictable as Ethan was, I wasn’t sure what he’d do. I let it out
a surprised gasp when his mouth met mine. There was nothing gentle about it.
Months of tension, fighting, flirting all igniting when he touched me. Not a
romantic kiss by any means…it was
bruising, rough, passionate, intense, all the
same things I’d come to equate with Ethan Martin. My fingers curled in the
fabric of his sweatshirt, tugging him closer as my eyes slammed shut.
Braced between the
solidness of his body and the cold wall behind me, I felt my entire body heat.
Ethan’s ravenous lips and desperate tongue claimed my mouth, tasting of beer
and mint. He slid one hand up to cup the back of my neck, holding me captive as
he braced himself against the wall. I kissed him back fiercely, our teeth
knocking together with the force of it.
Sounds I didn’t even
know I was capable of making left my mouth and I didn’t care we were in public
where anyone could see us. I nipped his lip, sighing with pleasure when he
moaned into my mouth. He might be an infuriatingly stubborn asshole at times
but one thing was for certain: Ethan Martin could kiss. He broke away,
breathing hard as he leaned his forehead against mine.
“Wow.” I fought for
breath, a smile tugging at my lips. “For once we’re actually on the same page.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, he pulled back. His expression changed from
needy to terrified as he released me, his hands clenched into fists.
“Ethan?”
“I’m sorry.” He backed
away, staring at my face like I’d punched him. “I’m really fucking sorry,
Lassiter.”
I swallowed hard and
took a deep breath, raising my hands as if I was soothing a spooked animal.
“Ethan?”
He yanked up his
sweatshirt hood and took off, leaving me to stare after him in silence. What
the hell had happened?
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