Done

Due to a brain that just wouldn't function properly for the creative process, it's taken waaaay too long for me to finish my latest project.

However...

The last draft of Indigo Knights 3 is now done. There's still work to do, of course. My editor hasn't seen it and it hasn't been scheduled for release, but I have to enjoy the pleasure of saying that it's done.

What's next? Probably IK4 but it's too soon to think anything definite just yet. I'm going to surf the moment for a few hours...

#MusicMonday #bandslash blog tour - interview with Piper Vaughn & Mj O'shea

And now, for the #bandslash tour, I'm hosting Piper Vaughn & MJ O'Shea who're talking about book 3 in the Lucky Moon series, Moonstruck.

(NOTE: I've included links to the YouTube videos in case the embedding doesn't work).

 

Author links

Piper: http://pipervaughn.com

MJ: http://mjoshea.com

 

Five about the authors
1. Who are you, and where do you come from?

Piper Vaughn. I grew up in Chicago, IL and live in a suburb about 30 minutes outside of the city right now. My co-author, MJ O’Shea, is from Washington State.

 

2. What inspires you?

Everything. It sounds like a generic answer, but it’s true. Everything in my day to day life inspires my writing—music, movies, the news, other books, seeing something at the grocery store, overhearing a conversation. The list goes on and on. :)

 

3. Describe your writing style in three words:

Sexy. Sweet. Romantic.

Testing 123

Sorry for this. I can't find an answer for my LinksAlpha plugin so I have to try a test. Pls forgive.

This'll either post somewhere around 6PST or 8PST

Bandslash - Giveaway and Interview

Here we go, the kickoff of Bandslash.

http://mjandpiper.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/guest-post-giveaway-jet-mykles.html

It's an interview with me about IK3: Lance and also information about the first giveaway.

Bandslash Blog Tour

From Cocktales & Hot Sauce
#bandslash Blog Tour

on #MusicMonday
 

Collected for your wicked delight, a knock-out line-up of M/M Romance authors, male/male slash and erotica writers, all givingyou exclusive VIP access to their new 'bandfic' releases/rock band series, and what inspires their stories!

Welcome to #bandslash

The tour kickstarts with an awesome FREE giveaway, and will end in 8 weeks time with yet another fantastic giveaway of FREE ebooks from the authors.
Don't miss this chance to enter; check out the free-to-enter competition on the Babes in Boyland blog, going live on Monday 4th February 2013. See below...

Tour Dates!!

Monday 4th February - Check out the Babes in Boyland blog whoare hosting Jet Mykles (Heaven Sent/Indigo Knights series) and kickstarting the tour with a fabulous ebook giveaway!

(Ebook prizes from: Jet Mykles, Piper Vaughn & Mj O'shea, Meredith Shayne, and BL Morticia!)

Monday 11th February - Jet Mykles hosts co-authors Piper Vaughn & Mj O'shea (Lucky Moon series).

Monday 18th February - Meredith Shayne hosts co-authors Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid (Black Gold series).

Monday 25th February - Clancy Nacht hosts Meredith Shayne (Metal Heart).

~

Monday 4th March - SJ Frost hosts BL Morticia (The Wretched series).

Monday 11th March - BL Morticia hosts SJ Frost (Conquest series).

Monday 18th March - ZAllora Allora hosts Melanie Tushmore (Crucifox series).

Monday 25th March - Melanie Tushmore hosts ZAllora Allora (Dark Angels/Made In China series), and final giveaway Wrap Party with your chance to win FREE ebooks from the authors!

(Ebook prizes from: SJ Frost, Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid, ZAllora Allora, and Melanie Tushmore!)

~

And be sure to follow all the #bandslash authors on twitter for up to date news, and join in the chat.

Don't forget to use the hashtag #bandslash !

@jetmykles

@pipervaughn

@mjosheaseattle

@meredithshayne

@clancynacht

@thursdayeuclid

@SJ_Frost

@coreyPWretch  or  @rawiyamikembl

@melanietushmore

My Favorite Tools

Cue Julie Andrews singing 'Raindrops on rose and whiskers on kittens...'

OK, it's not all like that, but it's similar. Every writer has tools, whether they think of them as such or not. I've definitely developed a software toolkit that I use faithfully, so I thought I'd share.

First and foremost, there's Scrivener. Discovery of this gorgeous, affordable little writing program got me to buy my first MacBook. Honest.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I got trapped... uh, tagged in a blog hop by the great and powerful Popess of Angst Ally Blue last week. You really should check it out to read about her new sci-fi story Hell's End. I've read it. Very cool.

Here's how it works. Each author answers ten questions about their book — either a work in progress or an upcoming release — and tags five other authors who talk about their own books the next week, link back to the author who tagged them and tag five new authors. And so on, and so on, and so on.

So, me? Here's some info on my work in progress, Indigo Knights 3: Lance. Yes. I am working on it.

1: What is the working title of your book?


As stated above, Indigo Knights 3: Lance.

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
Easy. The previous 2 books in this series and the 10 in the Heaven Sent series. Lance is the bass player in my second band and he's very quiet and reserved. Which, incidentally, makes him a frickin' PITA to write! His significant other is Gordon, the manager of the Knights. They've got a history that pre-dates Lance joining the band, so the first half of the book actually goes back in time a few years.

3: What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary. I still call them yaoi since I like to think both series owe a lot to the genre.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh good God! I wouldn't.

Ok, if pressed... *thinks hard, smoke streaming from ears*

For Lance, a young James Spader with long hair. Quiet, thoughtful, always watching. I know he wasn't always like that but he did it well when he was.

For Gordon, Ben Affleck. That handsome, sure-of-himself presence. The guy who smiles a lot and who can talk to anyone.

Neither of those choices are anywhere near perfect, btw. I've yet to see any man who met my ideal for any of the Heaven Sent or Indigo Knights boys.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Lance screwed up his relationship with Gordon in the past, can he convince Gordon to take him back?

6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
IK3 will be available through Loose Id, like the rest. At least, I assume so. I haven't signed a contract yet but they know the book's coming.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
*Groan* I'm still going. I started this one right after I finished Champion middle of last year. Seriously started going around GRL in October. But this one is kicking my ass and I'm still maybe halfway through. Many rewrites have already ensued. I may not have any hair left after this one.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I think this one will compare with the rest of the books in the two series. I've tried to remain faithful to the feel of it.

9: Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Other than the previous books? I started the Heaven Sent series as a nod to my love of being a fan. I won't say that Heaven Sent is patterned after my favorite band, because they're not really. But the love and obsession that I fawned all over my band inspired me to make up the perfection that is Heaven Sent.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I'm not sure what to say. It's kind of hard when you're twelve books into a series. I think Lance is different. Closest comparison might be Hell. Lance and Brent share certain similarities in that they're more quiet than their band mates.

So there you have it. A little about Lance and Gordon. I damn well hope to be done with the book in the next few months. Wish me luck!

Now, my tags. I don't have five. I'm just not that social. Sorry.

The absolutely unconditional Cherie Noel.

The delightfully zany Z.A. Maxfield.

Romantic adventurer Cynnara Tregarth.

Pretty boy appreciator Z Allora.

Johnnie Doll - FWF

Inspired by an official, one-of-a-kind Ken doll made to look like Adam Lambert, I wrote a very short piece about a Johnnie doll on FWF this morning.

http://www.fictionwithfriction.com/2012/12/01/johnnie-doll/

FWF - New From The Old

Just posted a new freebie on FWF. The title sucks but I think it's a cute little interlude.

NOT WORKSAFE

http://www.fictionwithfriction.com/2012/11/24/eat-dessert-fi…w-from-the-old/

Discussion with my Muses

me: That was so much fun!

Luc: (strolls up, clapping) Brava.

me: (hugs him, excited) I haven't had a day of writing like that for a long time. I miss world building.

Luc: It is what you seem to like best.

me: True. Contemporaries are so... confining. I get to make up all the rules in a fantasy world.

Luc: (chuckles) Whatever you say.

me: What are you wearing?

Luc: I'm not sure? Is this Victorian or western?

He's wearing a blousey white shirt with long buttoned cuffs, a fitted, cream waistcoat (i.e. vest) and snug denim jeans that disappear into knee high black boots. The auburn hair is a little longer than normal, pulled back in a queue that dangles a third of the way down his back with plenty of lovely tendrils that have escaped to frame his face. At least one knife is visible, a nasty one in a sheath strapped to his right thigh.

Reese: (seated with legs crossed on a table nearby) Whatever it is, you look good.

Talk! at FWF

My latest bit of frustration at Fiction with Friction

http://www.fictionwithfriction.com/2012/11/03/talk/

Correction: New Leashed print

After posting about it late, turns out I also gave wrong information about the new Leashed print volume. At least, about the link to Amazon that I provided.

The link below leads to the page for the PRINT volume that contains both stories 1 and 2. But the KINDLE link on the page is only for story #2. The cover art is the same, but the title text is different.

I'm very, very sorry for any confusion.

New Leashed print volume

I've been remiss in mentioning it, but there's a new Leashed print volume available.

It's called More Than a Bargain and has the same cover as the ebook version of the second book in the series, but this print volume includes Two For One Deal  as well.

The link (image) below leads to the Amazon print page. It's also available on Kindle.

So, now you can buy the first two books without having to buy an anthology.

I'll update the books pages soon.

EXCERPT: Pulling the Dragon's Tail from Shifting Sands anthology

Available now from MLR Press
Pairing: m/m
Available in ebook from MLR Press
Coming soon in print

ANTHOLOGY BLURB
The wrath of a woman scorned is bad, but a witch's wrath is hell on earth. No one knows this better than the six men of Shifting Sands Ranch. When the owner's witch of a wife flees the ranch, she takes with her one of the cowboys and leaves behind a curse that dooms the remaining inhabitants to a life that is anything but normal. Now, every month when the moon comes full, each man takes on the form of an animal.
Witches, shifters and ancient curses, such is life on the Shifting Sands.
STORY BLURB
Daniel's watched the other men who live on his ranch find their lifemates one by one. He's watched them all fall prey to the curse of the Shifting Sands. His curse. His fault. When it's suggested that maybe the curse will break once all the men of the Sands find their mates, Daniel -- as the only one left -- knows that it's time to acknowledge what he's known all along.
Russell's been in love with Daniel as long as he can remember. So why did he run off with Daniel's wife? She's a witch, that's why! Of course, now that it's happened, how can he explain himself and hope to be believed?

***************************
©2010 Jet Mykles, all rights reserved
Daniel parked on the street not far from the main entrance of the small apartment complex. Although he knew the address well, he’d never been there before. Never been to Barston. But Russell was nearby. He could feel it.
Shutting off the truck, Daniel remained seated for a few moments, staring at his hands, waiting for the claws and the iridescent green and blue scales to retreat. Being so far away from the Sands was more unsettling than he’d thought. The farther he drove from his home base, the more the beast wanted to come out. He’d finally allowed the claws and the scales to remain, that little bit seeming to satisfy the dragon for a little while. But he was having a devil of a time keeping his eyes human. His sight kept slipping into that strange shape-sensory sight of the beast rather than normal vision. Not the easiest to drive with since the beast wasn’t great at seeing electrical stuff, like traffic lights.
“Damn!” it wasn’t working. The black claws and shining scales were still there although the shape of his hands remained mostly human. A weird afterimage to his sight told him that his eyes were half gone. Was this because he was so far from the Sands or was it because he was near Russell? Did it have anything to do with a nagging feeling that he had to get out of the truck now?
No help for it. Carefully tugging the cuffs of his flannel shirt as far over his hands as possible, he grabbed his hat and got out of the truck. Luckily, it was a dark night so he might be able to go undetected, at least to Russell’s apartment. He’d have to tackle the problem of what to do in the morning, when and if that trouble came.
Something was wrong. The feeling only increased. A definite pull guided him down the street away from the front door of the apartment complex. He shoved his hat onto his head and scowled at the door. That was where he wanted to go. But there was no denying the beast’s instincts when they were like this and the beast wanted to go down the street. Daniel jumped from the truck, hoping he’d parked in a parking zone, barely remembering to push the button on the key fob that’d lock the door. He forced himself to walk, although at a fast clip, toward the source of anxiety.
He heard them before he got to the corner of an alley between two buildings. An animal growl sank into his skin, shifting his vision completely to shapes and pushing his own anger to the surface. He curled his talons into palms that’d developed the thickly calloused pads of the beast. A curl of smoke drifted from his nostrils as he rounded the corner.
Four men. One on the ground to the side, clutching his arm and crying out. He smelled of blood. One standing a few paces away, staring at the remaining two, who were locked together. Russell was one of the two. He stood out as a shining orange-gold beacon despite the fact Daniel’s beast had never seen him firsthand. He was wrapped around the other, bigger man, teeth sunk into the meat of the man’s neck, one malformed hand gripping the man’s chest. Claws dug into the man’s skin. Daniel knew a partial shift when he saw one, having coaxed his men through a few of them over the past two years.
Instinct kicked in. “Russell!” he barked, putting a little of the dragon’s musical tone in his voice. It often worked to stun others.
Russell startled, lifting his head. Daniel saw the blood in his mouth as violet fluid running down the orange contours that made up his face. His victim sagged in his grip but Russell barely noticed him, turning toward the sound of Daniel’s voice.
Daniel strode purposely toward the men. The one on the ground scrambled to his feet, leaning up against the wall. He was a mixture of reds and blues through to violets to Daniel, strangely detailed enough that Daniel knew he was gaping in shock. The unharmed man turned to face Daniel, his shapes made up of murky reds and ugly greens, but his angry scowl drained from his face at whatever he saw. Daniel grimaced, wondering if his beard was all white yet, and how many scales shone on his skin. He knew his eyes had to be shining gold if he was seeing in emotional shapes. Had the horns sprouted from his head yet?
Daniel dismissed them all, including the injured man in Russell’s grasp. He concentrated on Russell, seeing the tiger on the verge of bursting forth. That answered the question about the twelfth animal easily enough. “Russell, let him go.”
The younger man’s lip curled up in a snarl. It was far enough from the full moon that the fever shouldn’t take him this hard, but who knew what Russell was suffering with such an extended absence from the Sands?
“Russell!” Daniel put all the command that he knew in his voice. “Do as I say.”
Russell’s grip faltered, allowing the injured man to drop from his grasp. His mouth fell open, the shape of his fangs clear in the opening. “Daniel?”
“It’s me, Russell.”
“What the fuck is going on?” the only uninjured man demanded. He stepped toward Daniel, the stink of fear belying his bravado. “Who the hell are you?”
Daniel grabbed the wrist of the hand that shot out in what might have been a good right hook. Although the man’s arm was larger than his, it stopped dead. Angry, Daniel let the man have the full brunt of his gaze, his claws just biting into the other man’s skin. “Get. Out. Of. Here.” He enunciated properly, letting the beast’s angry growl seep from his lips.
All of the man’s courage drained from the face before him and the pungent stink of fresh urine overlay the old urine smell of the alley. “W-what the fuck are you?”
“Nothing you’ll want to remember tomorrow.” Daniel shoved the man’s arm away. “Take your friends and go.”
Disregarding the men, he turned his head back to face Russell, who hadn’t moved. They stared at each other, frozen, as the three men scrambled from the alley. Russell leaned heavily against the stucco wall, knees bent, panting. Daniel’s strange vision showed him a superimposition of the tiger barely below the surface of Russell’s skin. How long had he been like that, so close to changing?
“We have to go,” Daniel said softly, once he heard the other men’s truck speed down the street.
Russell didn’t move except for breathing, and the wet tongue that slowly snaked out to lap at his lower lip.
Daniel tracked the progress of that wet muscle, trying to ignore what the sight did to fill his cock. He took a step toward the younger man, holding out his hand.
Russell’s gaze snapped down, widened. “Daniel?” No doubt he saw the scales and the claws. How much showed on Daniel’s face?
The beast demanded that he pounce, that he change so he could wrap his serpentine body around Russell to get the most skin-to-scale contact possible. But the human in him prevailed. He needed to take this slow or else he’d literally have an out-of-control tiger on his hands. Daniel spread both hands, palms toward Russell. He could take the cat, if necessary, but he’d much rather not. “It’s me, Russell.” He took another step. “Trust your instincts.”
A fine tremor shook Russell’s body. The claws he still sported dug shallow furrows in the bricks at his back. His own beast’s fine instincts spilled scales down his shoulders, neck, back and arms a split second before Russell launched from the wall at Daniel. Instinct again had Daniel catching him rather than using his own claws to slice open his belly. The smaller man slammed into him, arms snaking around him. Daniel did some arm-wrapping of his own, angling his head to meet Russell mouth-to-mouth just as tiger claws shredded the back of his shirt and scraped over the scales that covered his back.
*******************
Click here for my website's main Shifting Sands page

Fiction with Friction - Gay For You

(Original Blog Post: http://www.jetmykles.com/2010/09/fiction-with-friction-gay-for-you/)
I posted some thoughts about the Gay For You theme at Fiction with Friction

Available Now! Indigo Knights: Squire

(Original Blog Post: http://www.jetmykles.com/2010/09/available-now-indigo-knights-squire/)


Izzy and Rabin have arrived. Indigo Knights: Squire is available now from Loose Id

EXCERPT: Indigo Knights: Squire

(Original Blog Post: http://www.jetmykles.com/2010/08/excerpt-indigo-knights-squire/)
Due out September 2010 from Loose Id

Pairing: m/m

Available soon from Loose Id

BLURB

Coming soon

************************

© 2010 Jet Mykles, all rights reserved

He followed Izzy up the porch and into the darkened house but felt oddly reluctant to head to his room. He’d been having a good time with Izzy.

“Want a snack?” Izzy stood, just a silhouette in the entrance to the kitchen, backlit by the moonlight from the bay window.

Given an excuse, Rabin decided it was just that. “Nah. I think I’m just going to head on up to bed.” Bed. The word had a charge to it that made him look away. Even if he was feeling attraction -- and that’s probably what it was, strangely enough -- he wasn’t going to do anything about it. It was a weird night. One that should end before anything happened. “’Night.”

“’Night.”

1RomanceEbooks Newsletter

(Original Blog Post: http://www.jetmykles.com/2010/08/1romanceebooks-newsletter/)
I've been featured with a small interview in this week's 1RomanceEbooks newsletter talking up Bye Bye Skyler, Morgan Hawke and more.

New Cover - Squire

(Original Blog Post: http://www.jetmykles.com/2010/08/new-cover-squire/)


Is this not awesome?! I love this cover. Kudos and my everlasting thanks to PL Nunn for the Rabin/Izzy loveliness

Keep up to date about what's happening with Squire here. Still due out beginning of September.

Sneak peek: Indigo Knights: Squire

(Original Blog Post: http://www.jetmykles.com/2010/08/sneak-peek-indigo-knights-squire/)
No cover yet and still working on edits (although I think they might be done now), but here's a sneaky peek at Squire.

This isn't a long excerpt, just a quick look at when Rabin meets Izzy. And, yes, Brent would be Heaven Sent's Brent Rose.

Keep up to date with IK1: Squire here

*********************

©2010 Jet Mykles, all rights reserved

When Rabin finally found the gate with the number Brent had given him, he was fairly bouncing with excitement. This place was fucking unreal. He leaned out his window to press a button on a pad mounted in front of the gate.

"Hey, Rabin." Brent's voice was crystal clear.

"How'd you know it's me?"