Virtual Book Tour ~ For A Good Time, Call... by Anne Tenino and E.J. Russell (Deleted Scene + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour ~ For A Good Time, Call... by Anne Tenino and E.J. Russell (Deleted Scene + Giveaway)

Welcome to the For a Good Time, Call Blog Tour! We’re delighted to have you stop by, so please, make yourself comfortable. Can we offer you a virtual beverage?

As part of this blog tour, Anne and E.J. are giving away a $50 Riptide Publishing Gift Certificate to one lucky winner! *confetti* To enter the giveaway, please comment on any official tour post with your name and contact info before midnight (EDT), April 15^th. Good luck, and enjoy the tour!

Deleted Scene 3: Cocktail Fail

If you’ve been following the tour, you’ve already been subjected to several scenes that were deleted in edits—so here’s another! In this one, Nate shows up at the bar where Seth works, trying to work up the nerve to face him again. He discovers that not all the bartenders at Ma Cougar’s have Seth’s commitment to quality of service…

…

A middle-aged guy with a gut that advertised his taste for his own wares slapped a beer mat on the bar in front of Nate. “What’ll it be?”

“Uh . . .” What was it that Seth had made him that first time? Nate had asked for it to be a dick, sort of—but it had backfired on him when Seth had made the best one he’d ever tasted. “Twelve Mile Limit.”

The bartender gave Nate the stink-eye. “Say what?”

“A Twelve Mile Limit. It’s a Prohibition era cocktail, named for—”

“Never heard of it.”

Interesting customer service technique. “The other bartender made one for me—with his own grenadine.”

“Maybe the other bartender gives a crap, him wanting to be a ‘master mixologist’ and all. How about a draft?”

Nate stared the guy down. “I want a Twelve Mile Limit. I’ve had it here before. If you don’t know how to make one, look it up.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The guy gave Nate a disgusted eyeroll and disappeared into the back—but not before he pulled drafts for three other customers. By the time he returned, those three customers were ready for another round. He set a murky cocktail down in front of Nate.

“Here. It’s on your head, though, ’cause you and I both know I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Cheers to you too.” Nate took a sip and nearly gagged. It wasn’t on his head, but it was about to be all over the bar, because this thing was vile. Clearly this bartender didn’t take his job nearly as seriously as Seth did—nor did he care about making his customers happy, unless they were the type that just wanted the beer to keep coming at a steady pace without too much unnecessary chitchat.

Nate wasn’t brave enough to ask the guy to give it another try, so he tossed enough cash on the bar to cover the drink—and because he wasn’t a total asshole, included a nominal tip—then headed out the door.

Virtual Book Tour ~ Home Fires by Kate Sherwood (Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour ~ Home Fires by Kate Sherwood (Giveaway)

About Home Fires

Trouble comes to Mosely, Montana, from the outside world. When the residents of Mosely are left on their own, they can make things work. Sure, there’s always been a militia operating up in the hills, but they were small-scale—just survivalists doing their thing—until organizers came in from out of state. Now Jericho Crewe and the rest of the sheriff’s department are facing down a heavily armed band of fanatics, and the feds are busy elsewhere.

The odds are hopeless, but Jericho swore an oath to serve and protect the citizens of Mosely. He won’t walk away from that, even if Wade Granger’s begging him to run away somewhere and finally be together the way they always should have been.

But this time, it’s Jericho who refuses to leave Mosely, even if staying kills him.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/home-fires

Virtual Book Tour: Just Drive by L.A. Witt (Guest Post, Review + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour: Just Drive by L.A. Witt  (Review + Giveaway)

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour for Just Drive, the first book in the new Anchor Point series!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Just Drive and Afraid to Fly) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 26^th.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

So What’s Next For Anchor Point?

Anchor Point is a series, so obviously there will be… more books. When? Soon! I know. Vague.

Book #2, Afraid to Fly, is already available for pre-order, and releases in January. This is the story of Travis, Paul’s friend from Just Drive. A former fighter pilot, he’s focused on making it through each day—and however many years before the Navy forces him to retire—with relentless back pain thanks to the crash that grounded him. He meets Clint, a traumatized ex-RAP (drone pilot) who’s trying to put his life back and career together.

Book #3 is currently in the works. I’m not 100% sure when it’ll be released, but hopefully in 2017. After that, I have at least three or four more books planned, and hope to continue past that.

The series will operate a lot like its civilian predecessor, Bluewater Bay—sometimes characters from previous books will show up and play big roles, sometimes they’ll have cameos, and sometimes it’ll be a completely different story with a completely different cast. Anchor Point isn’t a huge town, and Naval Air Station Adams (the actual base) isn’t an enormous base, but there are still thousands of people, so they won’t all cross paths.

The first two books focus on senior officers. Paul is a captain trying to make admiral. Travis is a commander trying to make captain. Clint is a lieutenant commander who’s just trying not to get kicked out.  Book #3 will shift gears and look at an enlisted character.

In future books, there will be officers and enlisted. Some will be stationed on the base itself, others will be aboard one of the ships home-ported there. There might even be the odd cameo from some of the characters in my other military books! As with Bluewater Bay, you never know who’s going to show up or what’s going to happen.

So, stay tuned – there is definitely more Anchor Point on the way!

About Just Drive

Virtual Book Tour: Labyrinth by Alex Beecroft (Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour: Labyrinth by Alex Beecroft (Giveaway)

About Labyrinth

Kikeru, the child of a priestess at the sacred temple of Knossos in ancient Crete, believes that the goddesses are laughing at him. They expect him to choose whether he is a man or a woman, when he’s both. They expect him to choose whether to be a husband to a wife, or a celibate priestess in the temple, when all he wants to do is invent things and be with the person he loves.

Unfortunately, that person is Rusa, the handsome ship owner who is most decidedly a man and therefore off-limits no matter what he chooses. And did he mention that the goddesses also expect him to avert war with the Greeks?

The Greeks have an army. Kikeru has his mother, Maja, who is pressuring him to give her grandchildren; Jadikira, Rusa’s pregnant daughter; and superstitious Rusa, who is terrified of what the goddesses will think of him being in love with one of their chosen ones.

It’s a tall order to save Crete from conquest, win his love, and keep both halves of himself. Luckily, at least the daemons are on his side.

Labyrinth is now available from Riptide Publishing! http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/labyrinth

Virtual Book Tour: Freckles by Amy Lane (Review + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour: Freckles by Amy Lane (Review + Giveaway)

About Freckles

Carter Embree has always hoped to be rescued from his productive, tragically boring, and (slightly) ethically compromised life. But when an urchin at a grocery store shoves a bundle of fluff into his hands, Carter goes from rescuee to rescuer—and he needs a little help.

Sandy Corrigan, the vet tech who helps ease Carter into the world of dog ownership, first assumes that Carter is a crazy-pants client who just needs to relax. But as Sandy gets a glimpse into the funny, kind, sexy man under Carter’s mild-mannered exterior, he sees that with a little care and feeding, Carter might be Super-Pet Owner—and decent boyfriend material to boot.

But Carter needs to see himself as a hero first. As he says good-bye to his pristine house and hello to carpet treatments and dog walkers, he finds that there really is more to himself than a researching drudge without a backbone. A Carter Embree can rate a Sandy Corrigan. He can be supportive, he can be a hero, he can be a man who stands up for his principles!

He can be the owner of a small dog.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/freckles

About Amy Lane

Virtual Book Tour: Blank Spaces by Cassie Lennox (Review + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour: Blank Spaces by Cassie Lennox (Review + Giveaway)

About Blank Spaces

Absence is as crucial as presence.

The decision to stop dating has made Vaughn Hargrave’s life infinitely simpler: he has friends, an excellent wardrobe, and a job in the industry he loves. That’s all he really needs, especially since sex isn’t his forte anyway and no one else seems interested in a purely romantic connection. But when a piece is stolen from his art gallery and insurance investigator Jonah Sondern shows up, Vaughn finds himself struggling with that decision.

Jonah wants his men like his coffee: hot, intense, and daily. But Vaughn seems to be the one gay guy in Toronto who doesn’t do hookups, which is all Jonah can offer. No way can Jonah give Vaughn what he really wants, not when Jonah barely understands what love is.

When another painting goes missing, tension ramps up both on and off the clock. Vaughn and Jonah find themselves grappling not just with stolen art, but with their own differences. Because a guy who wants nothing but romance and a guy who wants nothing but sex will never work—right? Not unless they find a way to fill in the spaces between them. 

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/blank-spaces

Virtual Tour ~ Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown ~ (Author Spotlight Post + Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown ~ (Author Spotlight Post + Giveaway)

About Take Me Home

Thanksgiving arrives in one week and one day. Feeling hemmed in by parental expectations? Are they disappointed by your sapphic proclivities? I can help! The only pay I want is the holiday meal!

I didn’t know what I was looking for until I saw her Craigslist ad.

I love my family. I’m lucky to have them—well, most of them. But my aunt? I’m so tired of her giving my mom crap because I happen to be a lesbian. So one pink-haired tattoo artist pretending to be my girlfriend will annoy my Christian fundamentalist aunt right back and make my Thanksgiving perfect.

Only . . . Brooke turns out to be cuter and more complicated than I expected. And before you can say “yorkiepoo,” we kiss . . . and abduct a dog together. I want to keep them both—but Brooke isn’t the kind to be kept. Lucky for me, I’m the kind to chase what I want.

Virtual Tour ~ Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon ~ (Giveaway + Review)

Virtual Tour ~ Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon ~ (Giveaway)

About Junior Hero Blues

Last year, Javier Medina was your average socially awkward gay high schooler with a chip on his shoulder. This year, he’s . . . well, pretty much the same, but with bonus superpowers, a costume with an ab window to show off his new goods, and a secret identity as the high-flying, wise-cracking superhero Blue Spark.

But being a Junior Hero means that Javier gets all the responsibility and none of the cool gadgets. It’s hard enough working for the Legion of Liberty and fighting against the evil Organization, all while trying to keep on top of schoolwork and suspicious parents. Add in a hunky boyfriend who’s way out of Javier’s league, and an even hunkier villain who keeps appearing every time said boyfriend mysteriously disappears, and Blue Spark is in for one big dollop of teenage angst. All while engaging in some epic superhero action and, oh yeah, an all-out battle to protect Liberty City from the forces of evil.

Welcome to the 100% true and totally unbiased account of life as a teenage superhero.

Virtual Book Tour: The Queer and the Restless by Kris Ripper (Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour: The Queer and the Restless by Kris Ripper (Giveaway)

Love Notes by Kris Ripper

Alisha left the first note in a place she knew Ed would find it. Stuck to the screen of his phone as he was running out the door one morning.

He texted her when he got to work: Is this a commentary on my phone use? Um. In other notes, I guess I should be writing, not checking my phone for notifications.

She sent back a smiley and No, babe. Just thought I’d kick off a little game with an easy one.

Easy one?

That time she just sent back a tongue-out smiley and nothing else.

The second and third sticky notes (in neon green and neon orange) were left in conspicuous places in his room. And by “conspicuous”, she meant “in with the sex toys and also in the underwear drawer”.

The notes weren’t intense or anything. The green one said Hey, you. The orange one said, Wear the blue jockey shorts.

No big deal.

He somehow snuck the first one onto her pillow before he left one night. He had a late night event he was supposed to write about, and she was sad to watch him go. Maybe he’d known how bummed she was, or maybe he’d just found an opportunity and taken it.

The note was yellow, probably chosen in haste, and all it read was XOXO.

Alisha would never tell anyone that she kissed it before tucking it into the travel journal she kept beside her bed.

She picked him up for lunch one day and slipped a sticky note into the sea of sticky notes lining his monitor. It took him two days to find it.

That one had read Send me a selfie. She knew he’d gotten it when she got a selfie of Ed raising an eyebrow at her.

God. He was so sexy. Time to step things up.

The next three were increasingly suggestive, over a period of about a week. And finally, after the third, he sent her a digital sticky note that read Quit turning me on.

Virtual Book Tour: Hotline by Quinn Anderson (Review + Giveaway)

Hello, everyone! This is Quinn Anderson, author of the Murmur Inc. series, and I'm here to share some inside information about, Hotline, coming out October 31st. Stay tuned to hear about where I get my ideas, writing comedy, and how I went "undercover" as a sex worker to research my novels. Leave comments on the tour posts for a chance to win a $10 Riptide Publishing gift card! 

About Hotline

Zack never intended to become a phone sex operator, but with half a college degree and a smart mouth, his options were limited. It helps that he has a knack for thinking on his feet and a willingness to roll with whatever his clients throw at him. Sure, he gets his fair share of creeps and unconventional requests, but it pays the bills, and he’s in no danger of breaking his one rule: never fall for a client.

Until a man named “John” starts calling, and Zack finds himself interested in more than a paycheck. It’s not just that John has money, or that his rumbling baritone drives Zack wild. He’s everything Zack isn’t: educated, poised, and in total control of his life.

A twist of fate brings them face-to-face, and now that they’ve seen each other—and spent an unforgettable night together—they can’t go back to the way things were. A sex worker and a trust fund brat . . . It’s like Romeo and Juliet, but with less stabbing and slightly fewer dick jokes. Hopefully they can pull off a more successful ending.

Hotline is available from Riptide Publishing. http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/hotline

Virtual Tour ~ Change of Address by Jordan S. Brock ~ (Review + Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Change of Address by Jordan S. Brock ~ (Giveaway)

About Change of Address

Air Force sergeant Michael Baldwin wanted nothing more than to escape his family’s political ambitions, but his dream of freedom was shattered by an enemy bullet to the head. Two years later, he and his service dog, Kaylee, resist his father’s demand to join him on the campaign trail—where a photogenic “wounded warrior” is always an asset—and instead return to the family’s summer home on Hartsbridge Island.

There Michael and his beautiful German shepherd capture the attention of Josh Goldberg, co-owner of the local bagel shop. Josh has a knack for business and a killer repertoire of his bubbe’s recipes. But lack of education undermines his confidence, and Josh’s father doesn’t share his ambition for the restaurant’s future.

Chicken soup and bacon might be the way to Michael’s heart, but he and Josh need time to learn about everything that comes after—lessons that Governor Baldwin and his relentless ambition will do anything to thwart. Letting someone in is a tall order for two men who can’t trust themselves, but if they have any hope of a future together, that’s exactly what they’ll need to do.

Change of Address is available from Riptide Publishing. http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/change-of-address

Virtual Tour ~ Friendly Fire by Cari Z ~ (Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Friendly Fire by Cari Z ~ (Giveaway)

About Friendly Fire

Elliot McKenzie is the king of reinvention. Five years after losing his job and his lover and almost going to prison, his self-help program, Charmed Life, is more successful than he’d ever dreamed. He thinks he’s put his sordid past firmly behind him, until he starts receiving cryptic threats . . . and realizes it might not be as over as he’d hoped. 

Security expert Lennox West has been lost since a deadly skirmish in Afghanistan led to his forced retirement from the Army. His PTSD makes helping his ex raise their daughter a challenge. When his ex’s sister asks him to set her boss up with a security system, Lennox isn’t expecting anyone like Elliot McKenzie—a man who captures his attention and makes him feel relaxed for the first time since leaving the service.

But Elliot is dangerously stubborn. Even as the threats against him escalate, he refuses to involve the police, and Lennox fears that stubbornness could kill him. A battle of wills ensues that brings them closer to each other than either man expected. But if the threats turn real, they might not live long enough to get their future together. 

Friendly Fire is available from Riptide Publishing: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/friendly-fire

Virtual Tour ~ Slave Hunt (The Subs Club book 5) by J.A. Rock ~ (Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Slave Hunt (The Subs Club book 5) by J.A. Rock ~ (Giveaway)

Hi! I’m J.A. Rock, and I’m touring the internet to talk about Slave Hunt, Book 5 in The Subs Club series. Thanks so much to the blogs that are hosting me on this tour, and be sure to leave a comment with your contact info for your chance to win a $15 Riptide Publishing voucher.

About Slave Hunt

Thirty people. Two hours. Only the strong will survive.
 
When Riddle decides to put on a slave hunt, the Subs Club is on board. Tops hunting bottoms in the woods with paintball guns? Yes. Captives strung up on whipping posts, at the mercy of their captors? Hell yes. But on the morning of the hunt, nothing’s going according to plan. Miles and Drix are at odds over Miles’s reluctance to move in together. Dave is determined to show up D, who thinks Dave won’t last two minutes in the woods. Gould finds himself torn between obeying his master’s orders and living out a longtime fantasy. And Kamen inadvertently becomes a double agent when he aligns himself with two different parties.

By the end of the hunt, alliances will be forged and broken, loyalties will be tested, relationships will be strengthened…and someone will barrel roll. Narrated by ten different characters, Slave Hunt tells the story of two hours in the woods that will change everyone forever. Or at least, remind them that love is the greatest victory of all.

Slave Hunt is available from Riptide Publishing: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/slave-hunt

Virtual Tour ~ Bluewater Blues by GB Gordon ~ (Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Bluewater Blues by GB Gordon ~ (Giveaway)

About Bluewater Blues

Jack Daley left his music career behind—along with his domineering father—and is struggling to make a new life for himself and his autistic sister in Bluewater Bay. When a summer storm sweeps a handsome stranger into his general store, Jack is more than ready for a fling. No strings attached, because Jack can’t share the secrets he and his sister are hiding from. Unfortunately, his feelings refuse to stay casual.

Mark Keao is married to his job as a costume designer on Wolf’s Landing. He’s autistic, so he’s used to people not knowing how to interact with him, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be a hermit. Especially when he meets Jack Daley, who dances with brooms, shares his love of the blues, and gets him like no one else. But relationships have proven complicated in the past.

Just when Mark is ready to try anyway, Jack pulls back. But Mark isn’t giving up, and neither is Jack’s sister. And then there’s the music both men love, bringing them together time and again. It will take trust, though, to bring them together for good.

Bluewater Blues is available from Riptide Publishing: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/bluewater-blues

Virtual Tour ~ Wolf’s Clothing by EJ Russell ~ (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Wolf’s Clothing by EJ Russell ~ (Guest Post + Giveaway)

When I signed my first contract with Riptide Publishing, it was for two books in the Legend Tripping series. Book one, Stumptown Spirits, was already completed and ready to go to edits, but the second book, Wolf’s Clothing, was nothing more than a 500-word proposal.

Eeeek! Time to get to work!

One of the first things I had to do was fill out my cover art requests for both books—including descriptions of the main characters. I always like to “cast” my main characters before I start writing, so it’s easier for me to describe them. I’d been living with Riley and Logan for months by that time, and had already cast them as Stiles and Derek from Teen Wolf. (Here’s my Pinterest board, in case you’re a Sterek fan too ;-) : https://www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/stumptown-spirits/ )

Since Trent was a secondary character in Stumptown, I’d already thought about him a bit, and went searching for pictures of blond actors who looked troubled/tortured. I found Lucas Till and bonus! He was wearing a hoodie in one picture (one of Trent’s go-to clothing choices).

Then I needed to cast Christophe. Since he’s a werewolf because of a genetic mutation, I thought “Where can I find mutants?” Well, X-Men was the obvious choice. Besides, I loved James McAvoy’s seedy, defeated Charles Xavier in Days of Future Past—he had the longish hair and beard, a little on the reddish side, that I pictured for Christophe. Bingo.

Here’s the Wolf’s Clothing Pinterest board, in case you’re interested: https://www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/wolfs-clothing/

It wasn’t until later that I realized Lucas Till was also in the X-Men movies. D’oh. So while Stumptown Spirits was the Teen Wolf homage, Wolf’s Clothing—the book with actual werewolves—was all about the X-Men.

So what movie did I pick for Trent and Christophe to watch together in Trent’s hotel room? You guessed it—X-Men: Days of Future Past. What can I say? It seemed like fate.

About Wolf’s Clothing