Friday, February 24, 2017

North to Alaska! Love is Snowblind

This very special story is now available. I am just tickled pink and other hues.  Here is the link to JMS Books New Release page where it will be on sale for the first week.URL: http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_94&products_id=2010  It is also in the Amazon Kindle Unlimited Program.

On Tuesday I am heading north to Alaska myself to be a volunteer for the Iditarod Trail sled dog race, one of the main inspirations for my writing this story. Of course I am wild with excitement! I expect that I will be writing some more stories set in this unique environment in the future.

Here is the cover one more time. If I was an ordinary reader I think I would almost buy it for the cover alone--with the story thrown in extra LOL.

And here is one more little snippet of an excerpt:

It was the next day before Dylan could talk the doctors into releasing him. Then he faced the problem of how to get to his place—and how to manage once he got there. The doctor had not wanted to cast his leg yet, but Dylan insisted, promising to return at once if he experienced any unusual pain, redness, sign of infection or other issues.
He could walk, but it was damned hard, and his foot felt like it weighed a ton. A mukluk, at least his normal ones, would not fit over the cast, which created another problem. How would he keep his toes from freezing? He ended up calling a cab to take him home, glad for once that he lived no farther from the city than he did. Usually he cursed almost being in town and having neighbors crowding too close, but this time it was a blessing. Fairbanks cabs were mostly four-wheel drive SUVs; this one was no exception and easily handled the icy roads.
When they got to his cabin, he saw his dog truck parked between the cabin and the kennel building. He also heard dog voices, a greater volume of sound than could be made by just the eight he’d left in the care of a neighbor boy interested in learning the musher’s trade.
They must’ve all made it home. He couldn’t wait to see them.
The cabin door swung open and a slim figure in an unzipped parka loped out to meet him. Too tall to be Sammy, the neighbor kid. Who then? Dylan struggled to find his balance, sorry he had not opted to borrow a walker or at least a crutch or cane. Even with the ribbed metal heel plate, he found the cast wasn’t made for walking on snow and ice. Before he knew what was happening, the still-unidentified person had a shoulder tucked under his arm on the right side to help him along the path and into the cabin.
Once inside, Dylan shrugged free and skidded to a stop. Everything looked neat and clean, in a lot better shape than he’d left the place in the last-minute urgency to get to the starting area for the race. From beside the stove, two mottled gray piles of fur stirred and jumped up, coming eagerly to greet him. They almost knocked him down as he tried to pet both of them and still keep his balance.
“Damn dogs aren’t supposed to be in the house,” he muttered. “What’s the deal here?”
Only then did he really look at the man who had apparently moved in and made himself at home. Who had Portola found to watch things? Did this guy know what he was doing?
The truth was, Dylan often let Freya and Thor and sometimes one or two of the others come in and share his space, just for the company, but that was contrary to custom and not the way real mushers were supposed to manage their sled dogs. They were working animals, not damned mollycoddled lap dogs or pets! Ha, don’t try to tell most mushers that bunch of bullshit! Most of them had one or two house dogs, if not half the pack.
Turning his attention to his unexpected guest, he watched as the other man shed his parka. All at once he recognized the untidy shock of dark brown hair, the narrow face, and luminous dark eyes that watched him now with a bit of deer-in-the-headlights anxiety.
“I—I felt like I owed them some special treats. I mean, they got us to the checkpoint. They worked for me, even if I didn’t know shit about what to do. And they’re the alphas, so they deserve some special perks.”
Dylan grinned. He couldn’t help it. The guy was so earnest, so anxious, and he had obviously done the best he could, taking on a responsibility not really his.
“Did Sammy help feed and stuff? He knows the routine and was caring for the dogs I left behind.”
The other man nodded. “Oh, yeah, he’s in the kennel right now. He’s been here most of the time since we made it back yesterday—well, actually, the night before when we got here. He told me how you feed them and stuff, and we worked on it together.”
Dylan nodded. “Sammy’s a good kid. At first, he was a pest, hanging around and bugging me to teach him about this stuff, but he’s picked it up fast. He’s a natural.” He took a moment to study the other man. Up close, he saw more age in the face than he’d realized. No, this wasn’t a kid looking back at him, but an adult, a man. He wasn’t sure whether that came as a relief or a new source of concern. He could deal with kids to some extent, but…
“I’m sorry—I know you told me your name, but it just didn’t stick. I gotta have something to call you, and maybe a name to make the check out to for stepping in and taking care of things for me.”

“I’m Grey Trammel, and there damn well isn’t going to be a check. You saved my stupid ass and it cost you the race, not just this one, but now others you can’t make while your leg heals. I owe you a hell of a lot more than a couple of days here with the dogs. I owed them that, actually, not even considering what I owe you.”

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Let's talk Canine Cupids

Those of you who have followed Deirdre and her books for some time already know about this ongoing series, linked not by characters but by the common theme of a dog or dogs who take a paw to getting their beloved master(s) hooked up with the right guy.  While they were with Amber Quill, these stories were always my best sellers and continued to find new readers even after they had been available for several years.  Then that publisher closed its doors and they became orphan books and off the market.

It took awhile, but now Loose Id  http://www.loose-id.com/ has started to bring them back with a new never-released story in each group of three. The first collection came out on Valentine's Day--I mean how perfect is that? Cupids on Love Day, even if they are canine? I featured the book at The Romance Studio's annual Valentines' Party along with my other February release, which also has some major doggie characters, Love is Snowblind.

The new story in this first collection is A New Leash on Life. Here is a blurb:

Justin Dunne returns to his small home town in southern New Mexico, victim of the recent recession and just short of broke. He learns of a business for sale and takes a wild chance to assume ownership of a pet grooming shop! In order to do this, though, he has to have a loan. And the local bank is now headed by Barry Barlowe.  An interrupted encounter with Barry, who'd been Justin's high school crush, sent Justin fleeing the scene years before. Now he has to meet and deal with the guy he has never been able to forget.

Barry Barlowe has his own problems--a position assumed after his father's death that he hates and a nagging mother to whom he is afraid to come out. Then in walks Justin Dunne. Barry is determined that Justin will not get away this time, but Barry finds he's very gun shy,stiff-necked proud, and still afraid what people in the conservative small town will think. How can Barry untangle this gordian knot of problems to win the love he always wanted?

The cover, by LI artist Valerie Tibbs, is perfect. That is Murphy in the middle, the dog Justin inherited from his new business's prior owner. The other two dogs are Mandy from Rescued by Love and Cedric from The Maltese Terror.  You can meet and enjoy all three by ordering this book here: http://www.loose-id.com/canine-cupids.html

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Got it Covered!

We have a cover for Canine Cupids and it is just perfect. I am thrilled with it. It even features a pretty good facsimile of the "lead dog" in each of the three stories.  And in just a week, this collection will be up for sale on the Loose Id site and elsewhere, shortly after if not at once.  Here is the link:  http://www.loose-id.com/canine-cupids.html

Since Canine Cupids will be released first, I'll give you all an excerpt of each story in the next couple of days with emphasis on A New Leash on Life which is the brand new story, never published before. I am also delighted to have two of my favorite original Canine Cupids tales again available but a new one is always a high point too.  I'll also be showing off both these new releases at the Valentine's Party at TRS from February 10-14 and there will be a giveaway or two, I promise!

And here is the cover:

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Going to the Dogs!

I am totally delighted to let everyone know that February is going to the dogs! My new collection at Loose ID, which reissues two of my early Canine Cupids stories with a brand new one, will hit the streets on February 14. What a fabulous Valentine for me and I hope for the dog lovers among my readers. We are cutting it close so I do not have a cover yet, but any day. The three stories featured in this collection are The Maltese Terror, Rescued By Love and the brand new A New Leash on Life. If you enjoy action packed gay romance with some hot scenes, a bit of adventure and danger and one or more adorable canines who are determined to get their master(s) hooked up with the right guy, you are going to love this one. The minute a cover lands in my inbox, I will share it.  I am doubly excited since this is my first release from Loose Id and many of my old friends from Amber Quill and elsewhere are there already so I feel like it is old home week. Link to follow soon!

Then, a favorite of mine from the old Canine Cupid series which has undergone quite a bit of rewriting will be released by JMS Books February 25. The timing is perfect because February and March are the months for the two big sled dog races, which are the background and inspiration for Love is Snowblind. Link here: http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_94&products_id=2010


Wounded warrior Dylan Norgard came to Alaska to try a new project where vets, most with PTSD, get involved with training and running sled dogs for a unique kind of therapy. He comes to love the sport and decides to break off and start his own kennel, begin competing and gradually reach the point where he can enter the world-famous Iditarod!

Meanwhile, Gray Trammel seeks to become a successful sports writer and decides covering the Iditarod from a new angle or two will be a huge step ahead for him. He sees Dylan on TV and develops a big crush on the rugged musher. When he meets his new hero, it seems he does everything wrong. Last but far from least, he manages to get stranded in a blizzard during a race. With no idea who the SOS has come from, Dylan leaves the race trail to go find the lost man. He discovers it is Gray and gets him on the sled to struggle back to the village in a fierce storm. On the return trip, he falls and breaks his leg. From there things just keep getting more complicated!

However, this is a romance and you can expect a happy ending. You can also absorb some of the incredible atmosphere of this extreme and challenging sport. I've become a very avid fan and have learned a lot in several trips to  Alaska to include an upcoming stint the first two weeks of March to be a volunteer for the big race! I can hardly wait. The other big race,The Yukon Quest, another 1000 mile competition, will begin Saturday  So the release date is right between them. If you are at all interested in this extreme sport, check out my other blog http://gwynnmorganalaska.blogspot.com I love sled dog racing because women compete equally with men and many of them do very well!! Three ladies took the top three places in a recent 300 mile or mid-distance race--like the fictitious one in which Dylan is competing in the book! And a number are competing in the two big ones again this year.

There is a contest at Coffee Time Romance and More in which I will give away three downloads of this book and one with an adorable plush husky puppy, too cute to give to a baby to rumple and chew! The prize will be similar to these shown, depending on what is in stock at the Iditarod Headquarters store  Here is the link to the contest page at CTR!  http://coffeetimeromance.com/contests/