Winner of the Kele Moon Giveaway

I have a winner to announce for the giveaway with Kele Moon! But let me first thank Kele for being my guest and for donating a copy of one of her books to give away! I loved having her and I hope to read Finding Eden soon (once that pesky move is out of the way... ;)).

This time random.org picked the following commenter as the winner:

*drum roll*

Jet!

Congrats, Jet! I'll email you and I hope you'll enjoy reading Kele's book! Thanks everyone for playin!

Interview with Kele Moon & Giveaway Finding/Beyond Eden

Today we have the wonderful and talented author Kele Moon as our guest. Last year her debut novel Beyond Eden made quite an impact in erotic romance land. The reviews and ratings on Goodreads were very positive and I personally loved this dark, deviant ménage (about Danny, Paul and Eve) very much as well. Therefore I’m honored that Kele Moon is here today to celebrate her latest release, the prequel to her debut novel: Finding Eden. In this second book in the Eden series she goes back in time, and tells how Danny and Paul’s love started before Eve entered their relationship and they all became part of the threesome that’s the core of Beyond Eden.
Find out what Kele says about the difficulty of writing a prequel and go backwards, about her love for character driven plots and about other books in the Eden series.

Also, at the end of the interview she will give away an e-copy of Finding Eden or Beyond Eden to one lucky commenter!

Welcome to Rarely Dusty Books, Kele!


I met Danny and Paul, the heroes of Finding Eden, last year October when I read Beyond Eden and they made a huge impression on me. So much so that now, almost one year later, I can still vividly remember them. What do you think is it about these guys that make them so memorable? Or, in other words, how would you introduce Paul and Danny to my readers?

I think what makes them memorable is that Danny and Paul are both deeply flawed characters. They have issues that makes them less than perfect, but they both have things about them that make them extremely redeeming. Danny’s is his ability to love Paul and Eve so deeply he would say, do and be anything for them. And Paul’s a hard person not to love. He’s a nice guy. He has a big heart and like Danny, he loves deeply, but his life has been difficult and left him somewhat scarred.

Plus, Paul and Danny are this amazing contrast to each other. . . Danny is a natural rebel, a bad boy who hates rules and has a complete disregard for what anyone thinks about him. But, there is this small thread of softness in him when it comes to relationships. Danny is a romantic. He wants the love and the beauty. Where as Paul is this all around great guy who thrives off rules. He’s nice as can be. He volunteers for good causes. A real Boy Scout type, but when it comes to sex Paul is such a deviant. He’s easily the kinkiest between the two and his tastes are SO dark. The combination between the romantic bad boy and the kinky boyscout is different and lots of fun to write. Hopefully it’s equally fun to read!

Finding Eden is the prequel to Beyond Eden. How difficult was it to write a prequel after Beyond Eden was already written/published? Did the fact that the prequel is an M/M and Beyond Eden a ménage story have any influence on that?

It was insanely difficult to write a prequel and go backwards. It would have been easier if I’d KNOWN I was going to do it and made the crumb trail a little easier. . . But, I didn’t make the decision until later. I wanted to revisit the Eden universe and a sequel is a hard sell when using the same characters because you have to mess up the HEA in order to add conflict. Between you and me and the lamp post, I do have a sequel partially written and I’m sorta madly in love with it. . . But, I had to shelf it for the time being. Rather than sulk over not being able to sell the sequel, I simply started a prequel.

It wasn’t until after I’d committed to it that I realized just how hard it was going to be to write backwards. . . The fact that it was M/M wasn’t really a big deal. I love M/M. I have several WIPs that are just M/M so it wasn’t the lack of girly parts. It was more trying to get to a happy for now ending knowing that these boys have such a long road ahead of them before Beyond Eden.

Plus, it was emotionally draining. . . I put a lot of the grittier details in this book that were glazed over in Beyond Eden. Paul’s abuse. Danny’s issues with his alcoholic father. It’s a dark book, I won’t lie about that. But, I think the love Danny and Paul have for each other sorta redeems the darkness.

Do you use pictures of models or movie stars as inspiration for (the looks of) your characters? If so, which pictures did inspire you for Paul and for Danny?

You know, I don’t. . . I don’t have one picture for each boy showing what they look like. . . In Claiming Eden (that’s not done yet) I actually show Danny from an outsider’s perspective who describes him as a walking Versace ad. Tall, dark, angular, intense. . . One of those handsome young men you see posing in black and white for jeans or men’s suit ads. That pretty much describes Danny. . . Oddly enough an image of him is easy for me to find if I start looking at dark, handsome models.

Paul is much harder. I spent some time obsessing over finding an image for him, someone masculine, but somewhat angelic. Big and buff, but approachable and unassuming. The closest I can find and I’ve LOOKED is Bradley Cooper. Him in Valentine’s Day, in a business suit and being darling. . . That’s the closest I can find to older (Post Beyond Eden) Paul. . . Younger Paul, forget about it. . . I ought to make a contest for people to find an image of him in his football days. . . Because I’d love to find one!!

I have spent an INSANE amount of time watching this final scene from Valentine’s Day thinking of Danny and Paul. . . But, watch with caution unless you want the movie Valentine’s Day spoiled. . . ‘Cause this is the ending. It was a largely MEH movie with the exception of this one scene (In my opinion, anyway):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EAjrENSoSA&feature=related 

(sadly, embedding the clip isn’t possible, so you’ll have to use the link instead for some Bradley Cooper and Eric Dane sweetness)

Younger Bradley Cooper getting his guy action on isn’t quite Paul but still nice nonetheless:

(or use this link)

Thus ends my tour of naughty Bradley Cooper scenes ::cough:: Weren’t we talking about some book I wrote or something?

*dreamy eyes* Oh… uhm…yes… Is Finding Eden as deliciously deviant as Beyond Eden? Or did you choose a different angle?

Yes, it’s absolutely as deviant as Beyond Eden. In some ways I think it’s MORE deviant.

Though the progression is different. In Beyond Eden it was them coming out of the darkness. . . It ended on a light note. . . In Finding Eden, it’s them falling into the darkness. It starts out innocent to an extent (as innocent as Danny and Paul can get, anyhow) and then gets progressively darker. No question, this book is Danny’s journey. It’s his fall into the dark world of BDSM and it’s not a simple or easy journey for him.

Beyond Eden is deeply emotional and highly character driven. Does Finding Eden have the same focus on character development or will this one be more plot-oriented? Does one or the other have your preference? And if so, why?

I’d say this one is character driven. . . I lean towards that. It’s my strength as a writer. All my books are character driven. The one difference is that Beyond Eden was condensed to the three main characters. We didn’t even SEE anyone else in that book except Eve’s parents in the beginning and Paul’s fiancée. . . In Finding Eden, there are secondary characters. We see a bit more of their world outside the relationship. . . And in Claiming Eden, the next book in the series, I expand their outside world even more. Since this is their fall into BDSM I had to show the people and places that played into that dark seduction.

How would you describe your own writing style? Which aspects of your style do you pay special attention to?

Like I said before. . .I think my writing style is character driven. It’s emotional. It can certainly be dark. In this book it’s dark, in Beyond Eden it was dark. But, oddly enough I can write light too. I wrote a quick one shot titled A Kiss for Luck that was light and sweet and everything Beyond Eden wasn’t. I’m sure it gave some people whiplash. LOL! But, I do need the balance. I work on several stories at once, some dark, some light. . . But, all of them are character driven and laced with deep emotions. I have this passion for love. I adore watching it unfold in my characters. However it happens, dark, light, deviant or sweet, I enjoy the journey. . . It’s all about the love ::grins::

On your website we can read that there’s a third book in progress, Claiming Eden. Can you already tell us something about it? Will it feature only Paul and Danny again or will Eve be in it as well? What is its place on the timeline?

Claiming Eden takes place directly after Finding Eden, so no. . . Eve’s not in it. It was supposed to be part of Finding Eden until I realized the feel of it was completely different once we moved into the next step of Danny’s life. A new character, Circe, is introduced and her voice was SO strong and her perceptions of Danny and Paul were so different from what we’ve seen before, it had to be its own story.

And I like it as two stories. . . Finding Eden is JUST Danny and Paul. It’s their love story. It shows the evolution of these two injured, broken young men finding love in friendship at a time with both of them would have literally crash and burned without it.


Thanks so much, Kele, for the insight into a writer’s mind! I’m excited that there will be more books in the Eden series: it seems that we not only have a sequel to the prequel to look forward to, but also a sequel to Beyond Eden itself.
 

~~~~~

Giveaway:

Kele Moon is generously offering a copy of her ebook Finding Eden (M/M) or Beyond Eden (M/M/F) to one lucky commenter. To enter leave a comment telling us which of the two books you’d like to win.

The giveaway is international, and we will announce the winner on Saturday, August 27, so be sure to leave your comment before then and don’t forget to check back or leave a way for us to contact you in your comment or profile.

Good luck to you all!

~~~~~
Linking:
Author’s website | Facebook | on Twitter | on Goodreads
Buy Finding Eden here
Buy Beyond Eden here
Read an excerpt from Finding Eden here
~~~~~

We have a winner!!

Covered in paint and desperately longing for my bed, I visited Mr Random.org to help me pick a winner for the international giveaway with L.A. Witt, whose On The List is released today! *throws confetti* Congrats, Lori!

And the lucky winner of one of L.A. Witt's ebooks, is:

Tam

*throws more confetti* Congrats Tam!! I'll send you an email to find out which one of Lori's books you'd like to receive.
Thanks everyone for your comments and for participating! And many, many thanks to the wonderful L.A. Witt for donating a copy of her book!


Don't forget to check out tomorrow's interview with Kele Moon, who is giving away a copy of her newest release Finding Eden (M/M) or it's sequel Beyond Eden (M/M/F).

(btw the house is cleaning up very nicely and I'm confident we get everything ready on time :)).

Have a great Sunday!

~

Happy Gay Friday & Happy News and Happy Excerpt

I’m doing something that I rarely do: writing this post on a Thursday. I just never have the discipline to do that. But this week is different, because this week it’s an exceptionally happy Friday. After weeks, months – okay days – of stressing about our new home, we can finally open the champagne bottles tomorrow, uhm… today… well, Friday. We’ll be the proud owners of a cute, old - but new to us-, little house!

So, by the time you read this, I probably will be covered by dust and paint already. Yeah!! I’m so happy that that prospect doesn’t even worry me in the least. Go figure. *g*

There’s more happinez! Today is the release of Kele Moon’s Finding Eden! Woohoot! Congrats Kele!

And the best thing is, I not only have an amazing excerpt to share today, but Kele will be visiting RDB on Monday too and she’ll be giving away a copy of her book to a lucky commenter. So, be sure to come back on Monday to hear what she has to say about Danny and Paul, the hot heroes of Finding Eden, and have your chance to win. :)

Here's the excerpt:

“I’m not a sadist,” Danny said defiantly. “No way, it doesn’t get my dick hard.”
“You haven’t tried it,” Paul reminded him. “It might.”
“I don’t wanna hurt you,” Danny said, giving Paul a pleading look. “Not tonight. I’m tired and sorta drunk and I just—”
“We can do something else,” Paul offered casually, taking another long drink of Danny’s beer, enjoying the game in a way he probably shouldn’t. Seduction was always a challenge, and he had an unfair advantage with knowing Danny as well as he did. It almost felt like cheating. “You may not be a sadist, but you are absolutely a Dom. No question, being in control gets you off. I know it does.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do know that.” Paul gave a laugh of disbelief. “Give me a fucking break, Danny Boy. A real submissive is like a drug to natural tops like you. I could have you hard in ten seconds if I wanted to.”
“Fuck you,” Danny said with a snort of disbelief. “You wish.”
“I can prove it,” Paul said, dropping his voice on purpose. The look he gave Danny was softer, more compliant as he leaned closer to him to set down the beer. “Do you want me to?”
“You’re fucking with me.” Danny pulled back, lust flashing in his eyes before they narrowed in defensiveness. “This is a game to you.”
“Yes,” Paul assured him, giving Danny a seductive smile. “It’s a game. No losers, only winners. It’s fun. Wanna play?”
Danny swallowed hard, his eyes still narrowed as they ran over Paul. “I should say no.”
“Oh, you should,” Paul agreed, feeling wonderfully devious as he reached for the hem of his shirt and worked at pulling it over his head, being slow about revealing his stomach muscles, watching with a sense of satisfaction as Danny’s gaze started to follow his movements. “Say no, Danny Boy. That makes it fun. I like a challenge.”
“You’re a freak.”
“I know,” Paul said with a wide-eyed look of false innocence before he finally tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He leaned back into Danny, licking his lips for one long moment before his eyes met his. “Can I touch you?”
“Sure,” Danny sighed, his voice low and breathy, the tension falling out of his shoulders as he leaned back on his open palm.
Paul reached out, running his hand over Danny’s thigh before he cupped his cock through his jeans, rubbing his palm against the long length of it. “You’re hard.”
“Yup.” Danny lifted his eyebrows, not appearing too put-out over his defeat. “You win. Happy?”
“Not yet.” Paul ran his hand over Danny’s stomach, his fingers tracing the outline of the muscles there as he gave him another soft look. His cock was hard too, his skin humming with arousal. The rasp of desire in his voice wasn’t an act as he looked at Danny longingly, falling victim to his own spell because Danny was just that compelling. “I wanna please you. Will you tell me how?”
Danny reached out to him, his fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of Paul’s neck and tugging him forward. Paul went with it, his eyes closing under the weight of his desire. He gave in to the moment and let Danny claim his lips in a hard, searing kiss. Danny’s tongue slid into his mouth as if he owned him and if Paul wasn’t hard and aching, desperate for more of what Danny had to offer, he would have laughed in his face.

~~~~~
Find the blurb here | Buy Finding Eden here

Happy Gay Friday Everyone!

~

August m/m releases I don't want to miss

One of the first things I did when I got home from our vacation, was shopping for ebooks. A few of my auto-buy authors – like Stephani Hecht, James Buchanan, ML Rhodes, Shawn Lane, TC Blue, Anne Brooke, Mary Calmes, JL Merrow, Cameron Dane, Heidi Cullinan and LA Witt – had a book release in July when I was without internet access (how dare they huh?).
While I was shopping, I also wrote down a list of the books that are going to be released in August and that I must have. As I’m packing for the move in a few weeks, I’m bound to lose this list. So I’m being smart and I’m going to post it here, and who knows, maybe you have a few recommendations as well for upcoming releases that I can add to my list. ;)

Out Of Focus

Release Date: August 2

Three to Get Ready

Release Date: August 5

Ashton and Justice

Release Date: August 7

A Solid Core of Alpha

Release Date: August 8

Abercrombie Zombie

Release Date: August 10

Life, Love and Lemon Cookies

Release Date: August 16

After the Sunset

Release Date: August 17

Finding Eden

Release Date: August 19

On The List

Release Date: August 21

Song of Oestend

Release Date: August 22

For The Attention Of

Release Date: August 28

Fall Into the Sun

Release Date: August 29

As you can see, my list is limited to m/m releases (and one ménage) but I’d love to hear what books you’re looking forward to, regardless if they’re m/m or m/f!
~

We have some winners!

.
Thank you all for leaving your comments and entering last week's giveaways. I loved reading every single one of your comments!
Also a warm thank you to the awesome authors Shayla Kersten, Kele Moon, Stacey Espino and L.B. Gregg for donating the copies of their books for the contests!

And now the moment you've been waiting for: the announcement of the winners! Here they are:

The winner of Stacey Espino’s Fearless Desire is:

Estella

The winner of Shayla Kersten’s River of Need is:

Fiction Vixen

The winner of Kele Moon’s Beyond Eden is:

Diana (Book of Secrets)

The winner of LB Gregg’s Dudleytown is:

Devon Rhodes

Congrats to you all! I'll email you to confirm your addresses, after which the authors will send you each your copy directly.

Happy Monday!

Giveaway of Beyond Eden by Kele Moon

.
After reading about Kele Moon’s debut novel Beyond Eden at Leontine’s blog a couple of weeks ago, I immediately went to Ellora’s Cave to buy me a copy. I’ve read it last week and it absolutely took my breath away, on more than one occasion.

And now you have a chance to win this stunning debut! Because Kele Moon has kindly offered to give an ecopy away to one of my readers!
Be aware though that the warning at the bottom of the backblurb is dead serious!

Here’s the backblurb of Beyond Eden:

Three lifelong friends find themselves tangled in a web of love, pain and dangerous secrets in this erotic Garden of Eden tale.
Tall, dark and handsome Danny Carlow has always gotten whatever he wants except for the two he wants more than anything—his best friends, lovers Paul and Eve. Determined, he waits like a snake in the grass, poised for the right moment to offer them a temptation too delicious to resist.
Artist Eve Everton makes the painful decision to leave her true love Paul for the siren call of New York City. Ten years later, with her life in shambles, she returns. When Paul’s waiting arms aren’t available, Eve falls for Danny’s charm and finds herself a willing accomplice in the dangerous games Danny plays.
Former college football star Paul Mattling is now a successful attorney with a bright future ahead of him. But behind those brilliant blue eyes are secret desires for a taste of the forbidden. Will he play it safe or give in to Danny and Eve and bite the apple?

Reader Advisory: Not for the faint of heart, the pain in this story is vivid and real, the emotions even more so. Haunting and poignant, Beyond Eden presents a darker side of BDSM. You might gasp. You might cry. You might find yourself reading it again and again.


I’ve posted a sexy scene involving the two male protags on Monday the 18th here and I’ve got another one for you today.
This is a scene with Eve and Danny that gives you a little peek into the intensity of this story and it also shows how slowly and cleverly paced it is, to the point that time seems to freeze. Don’t forget to breathe ;)

When she heard Danny walk into his room, her heart slammed against her chest and her breathing became noticeably ragged like that of a trapped, wild animal, which was exactly what she felt like. She had the image of a terrified rabbit, one that cowered in fear from a deadly panther. Her instincts had her longing to flee but her mind told her to remain still because cats liked to toy with prey that ran from them. It was a game to them and panther games were dangerous for terrified little rabbits that didn’t know how to sit still and try to meld into their environment.

She kept her head down, watching only his bare feet. She followed them with her eyes as he walked to the side of the bed. There was a jingle of keys, which made her body clench in dread and anticipation. He was leaning down, unlocking a drawer that was built into the bottom of his strange bed.

Her breathing became more ragged as she thought about the large bed behind her with its oak frame that was thick and sturdy. It had four posts with wooden beams running along the top that connected the posts at the head of the bed and two more on each side. There was no beam connecting the posts at the foot of the bed but there were rings hanging at each of the posts. Eve had thought they were to hang curtains from, imagining a shimmering white material laced through each of the rings to hide the bed from view, making it a secret, mysterious haven for lovers.

Do you want to know how this ends? And when Paul joins Danny and Eve? Grab your chance to win and read this novel!

~~~~~

Giveaway:

Kele Moon has generously offered an ebook copy of Beyond Eden to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. I much appreciate it when you follow my blog (via Google connect in my sidebar), but I leave that up to you. :)

This giveaway is open to everyone, I will announce the winner on Monday, November 1, so be sure to leave your comment before that and don’t forget to check back then or leave a way for me to contact you in your comment or profile.

Good luck to you all!

~~~~~

Linking:
Kele Moon’s website | on Goodreads | on Twitter | on Facebook

Buy Beyond Eden here
Read an excerpt of Beyond Eden here

~~~~~

Running and Upcoming Giveaways:

Tuesday: Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino
Wednesday: River of Need by Shayla Kersten
Thursday: Beyond Eden by Kele Moon
Friday: Dudleytown by L.B. Gregg

All giveaways run until next Monday, when I’ll announce the four winners.
~

Monday’s Hot Couple & Sexy, Smutty Scene inspired by Beyond Eden by Kele Moon

[image]

This week’s sexy scene is from Beyond Eden by Kele Moon, a BDSM ménage story (m/m/f), which inspired me for today's Hot Couple picture. :)
When I looked for a sexy, smutty scene for today’s post I thought I could take a quick peek at this novel, that I bought after Leontine raved about it a short while ago. But from the moment I read the first page I couldn’t put it down anymore. It had me engrossed majorly! The three main characters are introduced in an engaging way with the use of authentic dialogues. I can’t wait to pick this book up again tonight. The next scene is from the beginning of the book (p. 30 of 263) in which the two male protags are sharing a shower. *fans self*
Enjoy!


“
  Now it was Danny’s turn to suck in a sharp breath of arousal as icy-hot desire poured over his body, making every nerve stand on end. He reached out and grabbed Paul, jerking him into the shower. He dropped the condom, pulled the shower door closed and then fisted one hand tightly in Paul’s hair. Danny forced Paul’s head back and looked down at him, seeing the way his pupils had dilated in desire. Paul didn’t fight him. He stood there stoically, his breathing rapid with Danny’s fingers tangled painfully in his hair. The thrum of the shower beating against the tiles, the raspy breathing of both of them, the way Paul’s eyes showed his emotions so clearly, making it obvious he had suffered as badly as Danny had over the past many weeks, it all collided together inside him and his gut clenched with the force of his lust. He needed a clear head when he was with Paul but it was impossible right then.
  Danny crushed his lips against Paul’s because he couldn’t wait another moment and he’d given up on hope for sanity this time. He kissed him like a man starved, thrusting his tongue past his parted lips and drowning himself in the taste and feel of Paul after three weeks without him.
  Paul moaned into his mouth. Danny pulled his hair tighter, making him gasp louder and he knew he was making a mistake. He should never, ever fuck him when he was this out of it but he couldn’t resist him. Paul was like a drug and Danny was an addict who would never recover. As long as they both drew breath Paul could come to him and get what he wanted. It was simply impossible for Danny to deny him. Paul could use him forever and they both knew it but right then Danny couldn’t even find it in himself to care.
  He pushed Paul against the wall of the shower and broke the kiss to run his lips down his jawline. Using his grip on Paul’s hair, Danny forced his head to the side, giving him better access. He savored the salty taste to his skin as he dragged his tongue slowly from the sensitive place behind his ear down the line of his neck. He bit hard at the soft spot in the curve of his shoulder, his teeth sinking in and not letting go as Paul’s hips jerked against him and a strangled moan burst out of his chest.
  “D-don’t mark me. I got a date with Trisha,” Paul panted, making it obvious he was barely holding on to his sanity as desire pulsed off him. “Please.”
  Danny ignored him and ran his tongue slowly from the center of Paul’s chest up to the curve on the other side of his neck. He bit hard once more, not quite enough to break the skin, but close. Paul’s knees buckled and he might have fallen if Danny hadn’t wrapped one firm arm around his waist to keep him standing.
“Put your hands behind your head,” Danny said in a voice that brooked no argument.
  Paul put his hands behind his head obediently, his fingers threading together at the base of his skull as he leaned back against the wall and spread his legs as if he planned to stand there for a long time.
Danny admired him, with the water hitting his tan shoulders and flowing in tiny waterfalls from his chest down to the lines of his abdominal muscles. He stepped closer, so their bodies were close enough to feel the warmth off each other. Paul arched, just a hint of movement that betrayed his need to be closer.
  “Your mouth is pissing me off tonight,” Danny said, still looking down at Paul without touching him. “I don’t want you to talk anymore.”
  Paul closed his eyes, his tense shoulders slumping. “Fine.”
  He looked gorgeous right then, with his eyes closed and his strong, beautiful body on display. Trust radiated off him, mixing easily with desire, because he knew Danny would never take advantage of him, never use his desire to be punished and hurt to do more than turn him on.
”

Kele Moon’s website | on Goodreads
Buy Beyond Eden here

Backblurb Beyond Eden:

Three lifelong friends find themselves tangled in a web of love, pain and dangerous secrets in this erotic Garden of Eden tale.
Tall, dark and handsome Danny Carlow has always gotten whatever he wants except for the two he wants more than anything—his best friends, lovers Paul and Eve. Determined, he waits like a snake in the grass, poised for the right moment to offer them a temptation too delicious to resist.
Artist Eve Everton makes the painful decision to leave her true love Paul for the siren call of New York City. Ten years later, with her life in shambles, she returns. When Paul’s waiting arms aren’t available, Eve falls for Danny’s charm and finds herself a willing accomplice in the dangerous games Danny plays.
Former college football star Paul Mattling is now a successful attorney with a bright future ahead of him. But behind those brilliant blue eyes are secret desires for a taste of the forbidden. Will he play it safe or give in to Danny and Eve and bite the apple?

Reader Advisory: Not for the faint of heart, the pain in this story is vivid and real, the emotions even more so. Haunting and poignant, Beyond Eden presents a darker side of BDSM. You might gasp. You might cry. You might find yourself reading it again and again.

Happy Monday!
~