Good morning. It’s Meet and Greet Monday!
With us today is Romance Author, Lucy Felthouse.
Welcome, Lucy!
- What do you hope Santa leaves you under the tree this year?
A new car would be nice… just in case he’s listening, a Magenta Ford Fiesta, top of the range, please *g*
- Tell us, what’s the first thought that comes to your head when you read the following words –
Romance … books
Winter … cold
Vacation … yes please
Dean Winchester … yes please
Wolverine … yes please
- What three words best describe you?
Driven, tenacious, crazy - Did you always want to be an author?
Yes, ever since I was little. Of course, I didn’t realize then that I couldn’t just sit and wave a pen about and people would throw money at me. It’s an awful lot of work, and it’s not something you can do unless you absolutely love it. I’m working very hard to support myself as I build up my writing, and I hope one day to earn a decent amount… but that day’s a long way off!
- Name one quirk you have.
I’m quite fond of reading on the loo.
- What is your favorite junk food?
Really, I have to pick just one? I know I don’t eat very well. What can I say, I just prefer food that’s bad for me, as it tastes the best. I particularly love chips and chocolate, but not together!
- What is your favorite meal that you wish you could eat at least three times a week?
Steak and chips
- Preference – Sam or Dean Winchester? If you haven’t seen Supernatural (and why not! It’s MY Fave show LOL), then would you prefer Iron Man or Wolverine?
Sam Winchester, for definite. He’s just so tall and sexy and geeky and loves books… *swoons*
And cos I love superheroes too, I’ll answer the second bit! Wolverine. He’s all hairy and grumpy and, well, just look at him!
Having said that, I would absolutely not refuse Dean Winchester or Iron Man. Just so you know.
- What do you like to do for fun and relax?
I’ve quite recently gotten into knitting, much to the surprise of my OH and my family. I wasn’t expecting to get hooked, but here I am, creating phone cases, Kindle cases, wrist warmers and whatever else takes my fancy. I’m working up to a jumper dress for myself, but just want to improve first!
- Have you read any books that have made you cry?
Oh hell yes, for definite. I think the last one was one of Liz Crowe’s books – I actually told her off over Twitter for making me sob so hard.
- Have you ever thrown a book you’ve been reading against the wall because you couldn’t finish it?
No because I would never treat a book that way, crap or not. I love books. I rarely give up on books, either.
- What book – print or e-book – is sitting on top of your to be read pile that you are eager to read?
I’m waiting on my copy of the third book in Portia Da Costa’s Accidental trilogy so I can read all three back to back. I’ve been waiting for the third one just so I could do that!
- If you were given an all-expense paid, five day/night trip to anywhere, where would you go?
Wow… sooooo many places to choose from. Part of me wants to say New York, but it’s a pretty long flight and I only have five days and nights and I’d lose some of that traveling. So the practical person inside of me is going to say Paris because I love it, haven’t been for a little while and it doesn’t take too long to get there.
- What is your one pet peeve about the writing business?
Just one? 😉 I get really annoyed when publishers try to screw you over. Most of my publishers are fantastic, but I’ve had some trouble over the years. I’m certainly not going to name names, but it’s definitely an industry that’s not all sweetness and light. Authors have to be very careful they’re not going to get screwed over.
- Who are some of your favorite authors?
Portia Da Costa, Saskia Walker, Janine Ashbless, Richelle Mead, Rachel Caine, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child… I read a lot!
- What do you find most challenging about writing?
The more I do it, the easier I find it. Five years ago, I never thought I’d write a novel. I struggled to write anything more than a short story. Now I’ve got dozens and dozens of short stories under my belt, several novellas, a novel, a co-authored novel and lots more stuff in the pipeline. So when it comes to challenges I say meet them head on and prove you can do it… I like a challenge 😉
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Gay Fiction – Twice (or more!) The Hot Guys
It took me a while after I started writing to move onto gay fiction. I’d written quite a lot of straight stuff before I branched out into lesbian and bi stuff, and probably the same amount again before I penned a m/m story. Not because I didn’t want to, but I just didn’t have any ideas or any particular anthologies that spurred me on.
Eventually, it came down to one of my favourite TV shows to shove me in that direction. Strike Back has two smokin’ hot male leads, both of which I adore. I love the way that Michael Stonebridge and Damien Scott bounce off each other (verbally, that is. They’re straight!) and it wormed into my brain and finally twisted into my first gay erotic story, Ditched. I quickly got hooked on another genre to play with—and one of the best things about writing gay fiction is—for a straight woman, anyway—the fact that I get to double (or more!) the number of sexy guys in my stories. I have so many male muses, i.e. celebrities, in my mind that it takes a while for them to all star in their own stories, so when I pen m/m stuff, not only do I get to write about them, I get to write about them together. *fans self* Sweaty, muscular bodies, delicious torsos, strong arms, delectable bums… seriously, what’s not to like?
And now I conveniently bring you onto the details of my latest release, which is, you won’t be surprised to discover, a m/m erotic romance. But this has an almost-taboo twist. I’m not telling you what the almost bit is, you’ll just have to read the book and find out 😉
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Terry deliberately averted his gaze as Justin tugged off his T-shirt and dove into the pool. The last thing he needed was to see him topless. His libido was already in overdrive and he was having trouble not jumping Justin’s bones. In fact, the only thing that held him back was the fact that Justin was his second cousin. They hadn’t been brought up particularly closely, so it wasn’t as if he were lusting after someone he considered to be a brother, but still. They were related and it was weird. Or it would be weird if anything happened between them, which it wouldn’t, of course. It would be wrong and they both knew it.
Terry assumed that was the reason Justin was avoiding him, anyway. They got on well and there was an obvious spark between them, but nothing inappropriate had ever taken place. For the most part, they acted as cousins should. Every now and again, though, he’d catch Justin looking at him. Equally, Terry would drink his fill of his cousin when no one else was looking. Apparently it was getting increasingly difficult for Justin, too.
Right now, at the annual summer get together at Terry’s grandparents’ massive house in rural Warwickshire, the tension between them had never been higher.
What made the whole thing ten times worse was that neither of them had come out. So ending up together would be a double whammy for their families. He could see it now. Hey, everyone! I’m gay—and so is he. We’re together. Now as you were.
He didn’t know whether the reaction would be favorable or not.
He also knew that part of his frustration about the situation was because he hadn’t yet seen any point in coming out. His feelings for Justin ran deeper than he cared to admit, and for that reason he hadn’t been in a relationship with anyone—ever. Not a homosexual relationship, anyway. He’d had girlfriends back in the days when he hadn’t realized what his urges meant, but since then he’d been by himself and remained a virgin. He was surprised, actually, that no one in his family had asked whether he was gay. He could only assume that because he was so private generally, they thought he would only introduce them to someone when he felt it was absolutely right. That was his plan, in fact. To come out and introduce his partner at the same time. But until he got over this damn infatuation with Justin, he was never going to be any farther forward.
His thoughts ran on for several minutes until he was interrupted—and startled—by droplets of cold water falling onto his bare shoulder. He turned. Justin stood there, shaking his blond head and sending the droplets flying around. Apparently he wasn’t avoiding Terry anymore.
It was hot and he was wearing casual clothes, so Terry wasn’t bothered about getting wet, but for some reason, he snapped at Justin. “For fuck’s sake, do you have to do that here?”
Immediately Justin stopped and stared at him. They’d never had a cross word between them, not even when they were children. “Sorry, mate. I was just messing around. I didn’t think it would piss you off.”
His blue eyes were wide and Terry felt his irritation dissipating rapidly. He continued to rake his gaze down Justin’s half-naked form. His broad shoulders and wide chest, which was sprinkled with a handful of pale hairs. His toned stomach, the six-pack nicely defined but not too body-builderish. His arms were thickly muscled but suited his athletic frame. Deep-blue swimming trunks hid the area he most wanted to see but he relied on the glimpses he’d had over the years and his overripe imagination.
Thick thighs and calves and, unbelievably, nice feet—he didn’t generally like feet—finished off the package of perfection and Terry was suddenly extremely glad he had a book in his lap, because his cock was beginning to swell and press against the inside of his swimming shorts. He realized that a dip in the pool would be a pretty good antidote—the chilly water should take the heat from his cock. And if not, at least no one would be able to see the bulge unless they swam underwater.
It was stupid, really, trying to hide his erection from Justin. They both knew there was something between them, and he wanted to bury his hard cock inside Justin’s mouth or arse, not hide it beneath a fucking book.
He began to wonder whether they should just get together, and to hell with the consequences. It wasn’t illegal.
Justin sat down on the sun bed next to Terry and flashed him a smile. “Am I forgiven, then? I haven’t got your book wet, have I?” He reached out to grab the book, presumably to try to dry it, but Terry slammed his hand down quickly, catching Justin’s fingers beneath his in the process, not to mention giving his cock a bit of a smack.
“No,” he ground out, wondering how he’d managed to get even a single word to fall from his lips. As soon as their fingers had touched he’d felt a spark that had run straight up his arm and multiplied throughout his entire body. His ebbing erection had immediately jumped back to attention, lifting the book slightly. He hoped against all hope that Justin hadn’t noticed but he had no such luck.
The blond’s gaze dropped to their still-touching fingers and, presumably, to the book and the thing beneath it that had caused the movement. He stared for a few seconds that felt like hours, then looked back up at Terry’s face. He opened his mouth then closed it again. For the first time ever, it seemed Justin was speechless.
A huge splash and a series of laughs from the pool broke the spell between them. Justin snatched his hand back and raked it through his hair. He opened and closed his mouth again, but for the second time nothing came out. He let out a heavy sigh and stood up looking dazed. He appeared to have trouble putting one foot in front of the other, as though he were drunk or had just woken from a very deep sleep. Of course, only the two of them knew the real reason for Justin’s behavior.
Finally Justin got his limbs to cooperate, and he made his way across to the table that held food and drinks, sheltered from the bright sunlight by a large, green gazebo.
Terry watched him go, a tumult of emotions running through his brain. Disappointment, confusion, anger, lust…they all assaulted him, though admittedly the last was screaming the loudest, a fact certainly not helped by Justin’s damp and topless state.
Now a feeling of despair took hold of him. What the fuck was he going to do?
*****
Terry’s had a crush on his second cousin Justin for what seems like forever. He’s hidden it as well as possible, knowing that the other man is out of bounds, forbidden fruit. Second cousins getting together isn’t actually illegal, but for Justin the relationship is too close—he just can’t contemplate them being together.
But when some new information comes to light about Terry’s birth and his place in the family, the whole game changes. Suddenly the relationship isn’t so impossible, and things soon begin to get hot and heavy.
Available from: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/illicit-relations/
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18741652-illicit-relations
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Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over eighty publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women’s Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9
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