Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Battling Beasts

June 19, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and another Sunday of fun, exciting, sexy, hilarious and/or all of the above fiction! Just click the link to find a list of authors sharing their best stuff for your enjoyment.

I’m sharing from my soon-to-be-released m/m fantasy, Gryffon Hall, inspired by the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and of course, properly twisted in my demented imagination. In this scene, Wryler finds himself sitting next to the mysterious Lord Rouchet at a state dinner and trying to make conversation. The man Wryler expects to be betrothed to, Lennox Asburry, is seating at another table across the hall and has been flirting with someone else the entire evening.

***

The guest seated to Rouchet’s right laughed loudly and he turned to face them. Wryler’s cheeks continued to blaze as he realized he’d bored Rouchet silly in their brief exchange.

He gulped more wine and feeling eyes upon him, glanced down the table to his left. Lennox was leering at him, and seeing that he had Wryler’s attention, winked. Wryler stiffened and turned back to Rouchet, who was smiling at something the more engaging person to his right had said.

“What about you, Lord Rouchet, what do you do for entertainment?” Wryler asked loudly. He absolutely must recapture the lord’s gaze, if only long enough to prove to Lennox Wryler wasn’t simply pining away for his flirting glances.

Rouchet carefully wiped the grease from his fingers with a linen cloth before answering. “As you surely know, Gryffon Hall is too remote to allow for much in the way of parties or feasts such as this. When not battling the beasts who stray out of their ordained territory, my cousins and I hunt, explore the forest and keep the roads clear of bandits.”

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Gryffon Hall ~ coming in Summer 2016!

Useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father’s castle. A wealthy merchant’s son seems to hold the key to Wryler’s safe if somewhat dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of Wryler’s betrothal sends his plans into disarray and Wryler finds himself traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land.

Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the barbarian he appears to be, or is he something much worse? Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the secret of his husband’s shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.

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This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ A Remote and Unlikely Location

June 12, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to another exciting episode of Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share in ten lines or less a scene from their work. I’m continuing to share from my soon-to-be-released m/m fantasy, Gryffon Hall. Wyler is seated next to the mysterious and somewhat barbaric Lord Rouchet at a state dinner. He’s discovered Rouchet owns a vast library, Wryler’s idea of heaven.

***

“I’d like to see this library someday,” Wryler said and immediately regretted it. Such an admission might lead to an invitation that would be awkward to decline. He couldn’t for the life of him imagine traveling to the edge of the civilized world to the gloomy and haunted Gryffon Hall, looming as it did at the edge of the monster-infested Black Forest. How odd that a wondrous collection of books sat hidden in such a remote and unlikely location.

“Perhaps you will,” Rouchet said, and swilled his wine. “So what else do you do besides read?”

“Well, I’m currently attempting to find a cure for the Trembles, otherwise known as Chillbanes. I’ve discovered a connection between—”

“I mean, what do you do for entertainment?”

“You may not think so, but study and deep thought are entertaining,” Wryler said, then felt his cheeks heat as he heard his words and suspected they might be construed as insulting, as if the lord didn’t partake in deep thought himself.

***

Gryffon Hall ~ coming in Summer 2016!

burg-meersburg-meersburg-germany-joseph-hendrix

Meersburg in Germany- appropriately forbidding but the sky is too blue.

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My Sexy Saturday ~ Acceptable Behavior

June 11, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday. This week’s theme is Sexy in Time and let me tell you, I thought I had nothin’. But then it occurred to me that my m/m fairy tale, Gryffon Hall, happens outside of time, in ye olde fairy tale realm of knights, castles and dark, uncharted forests full of magical beasts. So that counts, right? Anyway, here are seven paragraphs from my soon-to-be-released novel, Gryffon Hall.

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Rouchet swooped in for a kiss, his wine moistened lips covering and consuming Wryler’s. He was surprisingly gentle, this barbarian, his tongue easing into Wryler’s mouth slowly but firmly.

What’s happening? What’s going on here, exactly? Men other than Lennox had kissed Wryler. Large rough men. Stable hands. Traveling knights. Many had attempted to steal more than a kiss and while pleasant, Wryler wasn’t often tempted for more. But now, now he sensed Rouchet hesitating, waiting for a sign from Wryler, for permission to unleash the lust he obviously held back.

This really isn’t acceptable behavior. But Rouchet would soon be gone and they’d never see each other again. What harm could come of a little kiss?

Wryler responded, pushing back with his tongue, his body arching against Rouchet’s.

Rouchet growled and plunged in harder, driving Wryler against the wall. A cascade of tiny explosions fired beneath Wryler’s skin and he was instantly and embarrassingly hard. It had never been like this with Lennox. Wryler always required coaxing and coercing. Now he felt as if he could be the one in charge, tearing at Rouchet’s clothing and demanding to taste every inch of the lord’s enormous body.

Wryler kept his hands by his sides and balled into fists, not trusting himself to touch Rouchet with more than lips.

Rouchet had no such restraint and ran one large hand down Wryler’s back all the way to his buttocks, which he squeezed hard. Wryler gasped as Rouchet seized him with both hands and pulled him in tight, crushing Wryler’s poor swollen cock against his unyielding thigh. The pressure felt too good. Wryler wanted to climb Rouchet, to mount this monster of a man and ride him like….like…words fled him as he cried out for this unexpected delight.

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Gryffon Hall ~ coming in Summer 2016!

Don’t forget to continue the hop at My Sexy Saturday for more sexy snippets!

Seductive Studs ~ Face to Face

June 5, 2016 by Alexis Duran

What better way to start out the week than with some Seductive Studs? I’m celebrating the acceptance of Matthias, my contribution to the Order of the Black Knights m/m romantic suspense series from DreamSpinner Press, so this week I thought I’d share the scene when Dylan Connelly first talks to Matthias, which happened back they were both at the University of Washington and Dylan was crushing hard on the sexy senior.

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Dylan found out Matthias took a martial arts class off campus three mornings a week and actually got up early enough to almost cross paths with his quarry. At least once a week, Dylan crossed the street in front of the dojo to a nonexistent appointment, nodding or even lifting a hand in half-greeting as Matthias emerged from his workout, attractively flushed and sweaty in designer workout gear.

Then there came the day Dylan mistimed his street crossing and realized he was going to come face to face with Matthias on the sidewalk.

Say something intelligent like “good morning” and keep walking. Don’t stumble. Don’t stutter and for Christ’s sake, don’t blush.

Of course he had no say over what his body decided to do and his face instantly heated when Matthias spotted him and smiled. A slow, easy, bedroom sexy smile. White teeth bright against creamy coffee toned skin.

“What brings you out so early, Connelly?” Matthias asked after the usual friendly exchange of nods. He stopped walking and shouldered his gym bag, forcing Dylan to stop walking and face him.

He knows my name.

“Coffee. Coffee with a friend. At Mocha Joe’s.” Funny, his first word to Matthias was coffee. Who would’ve guessed? At least it came out without as stutter or nervous laugh.

Matthias shifted his wrist to check the time on a black and gold watch that probably cost more than most students’ cars.

“I could use a jolt. Mind of I join you?”

Ho-ly crap.

“Of course not. I mean, sure.” Dylan managed a casual smile and then remembered his friend didn’t exist. Well, shit. Guess he was going to get stood up today.

They fell in side by side. Matthias stood a shade taller than Dylan, his body lean and compact. Although similar in size, Dylan guessed Matthias outweighed him by thirty or forty pounds. Dylan was a swimmer and practiced yoga, whereas Matthias lifted weights in addition to his martial arts training. The slick material of his workout clothes accentuated the taut lines of his muscular chest and ass. Dylan’s brain ceased to function. Small talk had never been his forte.

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Matthias ~ coming Nov/Dec 2016 ~ unofficial blurb

Matthias agreed to become a killer in order to rise from poverty and desperation, but in the process, he signed away his soul. To overcome the curse and the break the cycle, Matthias must forgive his enemy—the one man who can save him from an eternity of violence and hatred. The one man Matthias fears most of all.

From Louisiana swamp rat to revivalist huckster to skilled con artist, Matthias Krall has spent his life clawing his way out of poverty, using his natural gifts of grift and manipulation to become the leader of an exclusive retreat center. Exploiting the guise of spiritual guru extraordinaire, Matthias seduces the rich and powerful into turning over their lives and fortunes to his control. But wealth and a small cadre of loyal followers can’t protect Matthias from the betrayal he knows is imminent. Everyone wants what Matthias has, except for one man who wants to destroy it. Dylan Connelly is a reporter who’s got Matthias’ number and is determined to prove the charismatic recluse is not only a fraud, but a murderer.

Irresistibly drawn to Dylan despite the warnings in his gut telling him the man is a threat, Matthias lures Dylan to his island retreat, determined to destroy the power his enemy holds over him once and for all.

For information on the series, check out the website OBKBooks.com

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Seductive Studs offers a range of m/m fiction, ranging from sweet to smexy and everything in between. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the hop at www.seductivestuds.blogspot.com

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Unlocked Treasure

June 5, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and another round of fun, exciting, scary, sexy, mysterious and otherwise entertaining snippets as writers share in ten lines or less scenes from their novels, stories and musings. I’m continuing to share from my m/m fairy tale, Gryffon Hall, inspired by Beauty and the Beast. In this scene Wryler is sitting next to the mysterious Lord Rouchet at a state dinner. Last week, Rouchet revealed that he owns a vast library, the shelves filled with volumes taken as plunder.

***

“No one knows what all is there. My librarian works day and night to catalogue the damn things, but he hasn’t gotten very far.”

“Sounds fascinating,” Wryler said. His mind’s eye filled with the image of a vast, unlocked treasure trove of knowledge—rows upon rows of leather bound volumes. Who knew what lost wisdom sat untouched?

“I’ve attempted to read a few, but they tend toward historic and scientific twaddle and are as dull as the night is long,” Rouchet continued. “I prefer a rousing adventure myself.”

Wryler attempted to picture Rouchet sitting in an armchair with a book in his lap, contentedly reading by candlelight, but became stalled upon the idea of the lord in a silk dressing gown, partially open to reveal what must be a finely sculpted chest.

Wryler blinked rapidly and turned to face the room. He must have had too much to drink.

***

Gryffon Hall ~ coming in Summer 2016!

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Plunder

May 29, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Greetings and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. I hope you’re having a safe and serene Memorial Day Weekend (if serene is what you’re in to). My idea of a good time is a “free” day in which I can stay in my PJs and slippers all day and write, write, write without having to watch the clock. So you know where I’ll be come Monday.

This week I’m continuing to share from my m/m fairy tale, Gryffon Hall, inspired by Beauty and the Beast. I’ve skipped ahead a bit from last time. Despite his sensible fear of the barbarian from the hinterlands, Wryler finds himself being drawn into conversation with the infamous Lord Rouchet.

***

“I heard you like books,” Rouchet said, evidently determined to make conversation.

“I do enjoy reading, yes. My specialties are alchemy, astrology and herbal medicine.” Wryler forced himself to meet Rouchet’s gaze. The Lord didn’t look like someone who read much, if at all. Too busy smiting enemies with a broad sword and hunting stags with bow and arrow.

“I have a huge number of books at Gryffon Hall,” Rouchet said, not in a boastful way but as if he revealed a great burden.

“So you are a scholar?” Wryler asked, surprised.

Rouchet chuckled, shook his head and said, “When my great-grandfather conquered the Baron Gryff in battle and claimed the Hall, it came with a vast but quite empty library. He and all the lords of Gryffon Hall since have felt compelled to fill the shelves; most of the books are plunder, taken from great estates far and wide.”

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