Bayou Book Junkie: Virtual Tour ~ Victory Portrait by Talie Spencer ~ (Guest Post, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Virtual Tour ~ Victory Portrait by Talie Spencer ~ (Guest Post, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Victory Portrait by Tali Spencer ~ (Guest Post, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Author Name: Tali Spencer

Book Name: Victory Portrait

Series: Pride of Uttor

Book: Four

Release Date: April 6, 2016

Blurb:

Imperial captive and former Sebboyan prince Peta Kordeun has one great wish: to meet Darius Arrento, conqueror of his country and a man he has idolized since childhood. That wish comes true the day the Uttoran emperor assigns Peta to assist the artist who will be painting the great general’s official portrait.

General Darius Arrento would rather take a crossbow bolt through his flesh than sit for a portrait, until his friend the emperor forces his hand. The notorious artist, Brazzi, uses semen and other sexual fluids to bind his colors—and Arrento is captivated by the artist’s pretty helper. Before long he is driven to possess the gorgeous young man who draws battle maps and whose naïve charm has won more hearts in Uttor than Arrento has won battles.

When Arrento learns that Peta, the slave he covets and wants for his own, is one of the despised Kordeun princes, he storms from Uttor toward a far corner of the empire—where he quickly finds himself embroiled in a plot to tear Uttor’s empire apart. His emotions and loyalties frayed, the great Arrento is in the battle of his life…and Peta may hold the key to his survival.

Pages or Words: 78,600 words

Categories: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:

“You want me to assist the painter. Only that?” Peta asked.

“Yes. I just want you to understand you will be naked and…Brazzi will want you to be sexually aroused.”

“What?”

“It’s what Brazzi does. Not for himself—not unless you’re a woman—but for his method. He was tried three years ago on charges of obscenity because he uses…sexual fluids for mixing his paint. He truly is a genius. His colors are astonishing.”

“And you want Arrento to see me like that? Naked and…being used?”

“No.” Gaspar was being firm. “I want a portrait of my general. And I happen to think that the sight of you will keep his ass firmly planted for whatever sittings the painter requires. You see, Darius has one weakness—only one. He cannot resist a thing of beauty—and you, my pretty slave, are the most breathtaking young man I have ever had the privilege to look upon.”

Peta flushed. Gaspar wasn’t smiling. The man was serious.

Could he do it? Did he want to do it? Peta knew he was pretty. His looks had blessed and cursed him all his life. His beauty had attracted Kesme as a fellow cadet and was what Kesme had praised that last night when they’d made love...and Peta’s face was what Lukacz, his own father, had sought to destroy, thinking that doing so would release him from predation and unnatural desires. And now Gaspar, too, wanted only one thing…

“Just sit there and look pretty,” he said, heart sinking as he grasped what Gaspar was asking him to do.

“Only if you’re willing. I’m not completely oblivious to what this sort of service might entail. It could be rather…awkward. On the other hand, it might not be for long. Darius can be stubborn. It’s possible he won’t show up.”

And just as possible that he would.

Peta wanted to say no but he could not get his mouth to form the word. He might never get another chance to see Arrento, perhaps hear his voice. Be in the same room with him.

He’d be silent…naked…terribly exposed even in his utter worship.

But he would at least be able to say he had seen the great man.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

Buy the book:

Resplendence ~ Amazon ~ ARe

We are delighted to have Tali Spencer Author of Victory Portrait here at Bayou Book Junkie today!

Thanks so much for having me visit. I think one thing all people have in common is that other people’s quirks and practices (individually or collectively) can drive us crazy. What we call ‘pet peeves.’ The main character in my new release, Victory Portrait, is Darius Arrento. His pet peeve is bossy aristocrats putting him in impossible positions—something that happens to him a lot. I thought it might be fun to post a few of mine:

Park between the lines! If the space beside you is the only spot left in the commuter parking lot, I will be parking there whether you’re between the lines or not—and if you’re straddling the line, it won’t be pretty.
The lawn guys left the gate open…again. Now where’s the dog?
Learning about family crises through social media. How did I find out my adult son was in the emergency room? Because he posted it on Facebook! Would it have killed him to call his mother?
When cannoli are not filled all the way through. I mean, how lazy is that? The creamy filling is the best part! A half-filled cannoli is a travesty.
Kickstarter campaigns where I don’t get my product, just a steady stream of updates filled with “reasons.” After two years I no longer want reasons. I want my darn dice tower.
Sexy lingerie that only fits people three sizes smaller than the size on the label. Must be what passes for truth in advertising in the alternate universe in which said lingerie was made.
Grocery store shrink ray strikes again. It’s not just that potato chip bags are now half full and I’m paying more for less, it’s that I have to do mental math to figure out if I have enough food to serve the family on Sunday. I remember when ice cream used to be sold in actual half gallons, not 1.5 quarts for one brand and 48 ounces for another.
Weather news that hypes every snow flurry into a blizzard. Blizzards happen, but not every time it snows. This past winter was so bad that now when snow is predicted for Philadelphia, everyone goes, “Yeah, right. Same way the Eagles made the Super Bowl.”
When I let a car cut in front of me, or out of a parking lot or side street during heavy traffic, and the driver doesn’t wave thank you. In two seconds flat I go from feeling generous and like doing good deeds to feeling like a disrespected chump.
It’s not a blurb!!! (Even if I have been beaten down into calling it one.) What digital authors and publishers call blurbs I grew up calling back matter. A blurb was a sentence from Anne McCaffrey plastered across my front cover, telling readers how much she loved my book! (Never happened.) I’ve gotten over this peeve, mostly, but then opportunities like this one come along and I haul blurb-correctness out of mothballs.

Meet the author:

Tali Spencer delights in erotic fantasy and adventure, creating worlds where she can explore the heights and shadows of sexual passion. A hopeful romantic and lover of all things exotic, she also writes high fantasy and science fiction. If you would like to see inspiration pictures for her characters, or glimpse how she envisions her worlds, check out her Pinterest boards.

Thanks to a restless father, she grew up as a bit of a nomad and still loves to travel whenever she can. Her longest stint in one place was Milwaukee where she went to college, enjoyed a series of interesting careers, and raised three surprisingly well-adjusted sons. She later married her true love and put down new roots in Philadelphia, where she lives in an ongoing Italian American family sitcom. At least she’s learned how make good pasta. When not writing, Tali reads everything from sweet goofy romances to medical research, manages her fantasy football team—go Gekkos!—and takes long walks with her loving, if slightly neurotic, poodle.

Tali’s other books include the three preceding Uttor books: Captive Heart, Dangerous Beauty, and Adored, all with Resplendence. Her gay male high fantasy stories, Thick as Thieves, Sorcerer’s Knot, and The Prince of Winds, are published by Dreamspinner Press. She often posts free stories and excerpts on her blog.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: : http://www.facebook.com/tali.spencer

Twitter: @tali_spencer

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/talispencer/

Blog: http://talismania-brilliantdisguise.blogspot.com

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29851588-victory-portrait

Publisher: Resplendence Publishing

Cover Artist: Melody Pond