AWAKENING THE ALPHA

Scheduled for release June 6, 2016 from Loose Id

I don’t know what growing pains WordPress is going through, but I’m finding it difficult to post any more and have it come out making any sense.

I wanted to share that I’ve just returned the final edits on Awakening the Alpha and am excited to see what the new cover will
be. I love some of those on their website, and I was asked for suggested designers who might turn out something out that would fit my story. Unlike some writers, I’m artistic but not an artist. Even providing tips for a designer is tough for me. Readers may not realize that big presses do not let authors have control over their cover. To an extent, smaller presses do.

I’ve found that juggling more than one publisher’s editorial guidelines guidelines can be a bit confusing. If I write “baskets, napkins and utensils” do I put a comma after napkins or not? It’s publisher’s choice. Most publishers I’ve had contact with lean on The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS)and a copy of a dictionary published by by Merriam-Webster. For instance, which compound words do you hyphenate? Check out the dictionary and/or the CMoS. I’ve always been fairly good with grammar and punctuation, but figuring out the written rules blows my mind.

My friend Linda Carroll-Bradd, an author who edits freelance and for The Wild Rose Press, tells me she has always loved that stuff. Wish it were true for me. My point is that an editor’s job, as I see it, is to make your story the best it can be. Thank heaven, for good editors!

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WHAT IS YOUR GENDER?

Your gender identity is what you know it to be.

It may not be not what is written on your birth certificate.

It is not how you dress.

It is what you know it to be.

Have a great weekend!
Carolina Valdez (Cisgender. Pronouns she and her)

http://www.CarolinaValdez.com (This is being adjusted to reflect the removal of some of my Amber Quill Press stories)

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http://www.facebook.com/author.carolina.valdez

SAVAGE LUST – MY SEXY SATURDAY BLOG HOP

To follow other authors from here, go to http://www.mysexysaturday.blogspot.com
We all choose a 7 from our work: 7 words, sentences or paragraphs for you to read free!

SAVAGE LUST, my unedited WIP, sets up my vampire NIGHT TRAIN series — available in print and digital. The prequel will be released free by Amber Quill Press. I don’t have the cover yet, so I’ve posted the paperback cover of the series below.
Athens, Byzantium Empire
1315 AD

Orange and red flames from the bonfire shot into the night sky, highlighting the faces and bodies of the young men and women who danced, talked and laughed in its warmth. The scent of lamb roasting on a spit filled the air.

Radko watched from the limbs of a cypress tree in a grove, safely away from the death-dealing flames. Not so for the young men and women who partied in the heat it gave off in the chilly air. He studied them, wondering if one would capture his interest. Their laughter caught his attention first, and then, when he saw the latest young man join them, he felt his groin tighten in piercing pleasure.

Gods knew, but that felt good. He took it as a sign — as sure as an arrow in flight — that this would be the one for him.

“Alexandros!” A lovely woman lifted a hand and called out to the newcomer.

“Over here, Alex!” Three of the men waved for him to join them.

Alexandros, whose dark hair spread in thick waves across his shoulders and down his back, called out a greeting in return, holding up a jug of wine and some loaves of olive bread, still fragrant and warm. He entered the clearing from another part of the grove and strode toward those who were obviously his friends, walking with unconscious grace, seemingly sure of himself and his welcome in the group.

He was dressed casually in the loose pants worn by the men and boys in this country. His shoulder, arm and torso muscles rippled beneath a snug shirt in a creamy color. As casual as what he wore might be, the cloth was of a fine weave and cut available only to the rich. Ah, money. That makes him even more appealing to me.

The urge to strip this Alexandros and run his hands over what he knew would be a hard, hot and beautiful body surged through the creature in the tree. He wanted to taste him, to suck and rub, to cradle his sac as the liquid heat of climax warmed Radko’s cold body and brought him to his own thundering release.

The three novellas in the series are included in the paperback, but may be purchased individually as Night Train To Naples, Night Train To New Orleans and Night Train To Venice.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1611249082/ref=as_sl_pd_tf_lc?tag=amberquillpre-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1611249082&adid=0J1A07G3SCCNXW9HMWMQ&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amberquill.com%2Fstore%2Fp%2F1581-Night-Train.aspx

Carolina Valdez http://www.carolinavaldez.com

MY SEXY SATURDAY BLOG HOP

From this blog, hop to http://www.mysexysaturday.blogspot.com for more free quick reads.Thirty-two authors are participating.

Amen To Love hit the All Romance eBooks Top 50 Best Seller list at #26, so I’m happily sharing 7 sentences more from this 38,000 word gay romantic suspense.

The stranger turned from his view out the window, arms folded. He was an inch or so taller than Bond, with hair the color of polished obsidian combed straight back from his forehead and down to tuck neatly behind his ears and end just above the collar of his white shirt. Once again, the gaze of his green eyes took in Bond’s measure, traveling from his face to his shoes.

“You,” Bond whispered.

He went hot at a repeat of the unspoken message of lust in that perusal of him, with its absolute confidence that O’Shea would have him. Even Bond’s cheeks felt warm, and his dick reacted in pure male fashion–as if he’d been propositioned. His lab coat was long enough to hide the beginning rise until he could control it. Which he did.

NOTE: Mon. 1/19 – Fri. 1/23 Erin O’Quinn, popular author of erotic gay fiction, will be my guest here. Enter to win a copy of her gay novella Cowboys and Kilts by leaving a comment here.

MY SEXY SATURDAY – AMEN TO LOVE releases 12/21

GO TO http://mysexysaturday.blogspot.com to participate in this blog hop. Join https://www.facebook.com/group/MySexySaturday to follow these authors and readers.

Carolina Valdez and Amber Quill Allure present a GLBT story of love, murder and suspense in the mountain town of Black Bear and Weatherton Community Hospital

SEVEN SEXY PARAGRAPHS

“You look magnificent,” Bond blurted out. His tongue was so tied from emotion it was a wonder he could speak at all.

“And ya look like ya just stepped off a Paris runway.” Rory’s brogue was deliberately thicker tonight and his broad smile revealed his even white teeth. He leaned in to brush his lips across Bond’s. “And ya also look good enough to eat, Navy.”

His hair was once again combed straight back and tucked neatly behind his ears. Bond couldn’t tell which way he liked it best. Both stirred his cock in his trousers, but his jacket was buttoned and partially hid the beginning rise at the soft touch of those warm lips.

O’Shea was resplendent in a dress Celtic kilt and jacket suit of fine wool in charcoal gray. The kilt kissed his thighs just above his knees. Knitted hose ended just below them, their cuffs were turned over and flashes the green of his eyes flipped from them as he walked. Black leather ankle boots, polished to a gleam, covered his feet.

Bond hadn’t known the Irish wore kilts like the Scots did, and he studied the firmly masculine figure before him. He thought those knees so sexy he could have fucked Rory right then and there. Instead, he sighed and let out a low wolf whistle.

The jacket had satin lapels and ended just below Rory’s hips. It wasn’t meant to be buttoned. His black shirt was open at the throat, and a small silver cross on a fine chain glinted against skin tones the color of moonlight.

The sporran was missing, but a silver pin of a sgian-dubh—black knife— was fastened to the lower right of his kilt, signifying that Rory fought right-handed. Absent was the traditional hilt of a real knife protruding from the top of the cuff of the hose on that side…

Amen To Love will be one of five gay stories in the General Hospital AmberPax collection. http://www.amberquill.com/store/m/78-Carolina-Valdez.aspx

Carolina Valdez
http://CarolinaValdez.com
https://fingerstothekeys.wordpress.com

Tweets by carolina_valdez

SEXY SATURDAY BLOG HOP – AMEN TO LOVE

My 7 paragraphs are from Amen To Love, my latest contemporary gay romance. It will be released this fall as a single extended novella and in the General Hospital AmberPax from Amber Allure. AmberPaxes always contain five stories from five different authors. New releases are discounted.

EXCERPT – AMEN TO LOVE

The stranger smiled, and out of a face framed by greasy hair and smudged with grass stains and earth, two stunningly arresting emerald eyes caught his gaze. They took his measure, head to toes. And they invited him for sex. The look said it all. The man hadn’t spoken a word or made any gesture, but there was absolute certainty in his posture that this would happen. The hairs rose on Bond’s neck and arms and his pulse kicked up.

It was a look beyond any Bond had recalled ever experiencing with any other man. Not even the initial one from the man who had once been his lover. What he’d felt for that partner and what they’d had together instantly faded from his thoughts as if it had never been. Good Lord, you’d think I was young again. And still a virgin.

He might have scoffed, but instead he stopped. His mind imploded with visions of being in bed with this man, tangled in sheets damp with sweat, their bodies naked, wet, and slippery with their cum. The scintillating smell of sex was pungent in the air.

He knew this man’s touch on his arousal would bring searing heat and pleasure beyond bearing. Bond’s every nerve ending flooded him with sensations with the knowledge that fucking this man would be primal, rough and primitive. Cataclysmic. More satisfying than any encounter with any other man had ever been. They would make love, and then they would do it again. Simply being together would set off the need, the urgency.

Bond’s dick threatened to surge in response. His tongue stuck to his mouth as his breath caught in his throat.

The look also said, “I will have you. I am your man. You are my destiny.”

Carolina Valdez http://www.CarolinaValdez.com Did you know you can purchase all my books in the format for your favorite eReader here: http://www.amberquill.com/store/m/78-Carolina-Valdez.aspx

http://www.facebook.com/author.carolina.valdez http://www.twitter.com/carolina_valdez http://www.pinterest.com/Carolina_Valdez

Carolina’s Books are also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Kobo
NOW HOP TO http://www.mysexysaturday.blogspot.com for more free reads Join us on http://www.facebook.com/mysexysaturday

THE ROMANCE REVIEWS CELEBRATES 3 YEARS IN BUSINESS THIS MONTH!

CONGRATULATIONS, TRR, FOR THREE YEARS OF REVIEWING AND SUPPORTING ROMANCE.

Celebrate all month — 500 prizes, including a $100 gift card.

MY TWO WINNERS IN THIS CONTEST WERE ADGIOTE AND PATTI! CONGRATULATIONS! AT FIRST I THOUGHT MY POST AT THE TRR SITE HADN’T BEEN SHOWN ON 5/21. TURNS OUT IT WAS.

ON AND MAY 21, 12:00 A.M. TO 11:59 MIDNIGHT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN CAROLINA’S GIFT OF A DOWNLOAD OF HER NAVY SEAL M/M ROMANCE

MAKE MINE A BAD BOY

FIND THE ANSWERS HERE:

You Were Born To Excel. Permission Granted is the enticing invitation on the Navy SEAL website. Lieutenant Shane Powell took that permission at face value, proving his excellence and earning a place on the foremost of the counter-terrorism special warfare SEAL teams. When traumatic physical injuries sustained in battle robbed him of the hard-earned excellence necessary for his job, he left the Navy. He slipped away, cutting ties with everyone he knew there to wrestle with his emotional turmoil alone.

Lieutenant Michael Fremont, Shane’s SEAL teammate, and secret lover, is deeply hurt by the sudden silence and unexplained, abrupt end to their personal relationship. His search to locate the man he loves to demand answers for why he’d done this turns up nothing…until a chance encounter brings about a reunion Shane resists.

Mike would be satisfied with a simple return to a platonic friendship if Shane isn’t up to anything more. But SEALs never leave a buddy behind, and he will not allow his former lover to withdraw from the wider world.

Considering Shane’s resistance to him, just how successful Mike will be is up for grabs…

Downloads

Amber Allure: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/MakeMineBadBoy.html

Amazon: http://amzn.com/BOOENP37BW

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/make-mine-a-bad-boy-carolina-valdez/1117193115?ean=9781611244731

All Romance eBooks: http://allromanceebooks.com/product-makemineabadboy-1271414-149.html

Carolina Valdez http://www.CarolinaValdez.com

Tweets by carolina_valdez

https://fingerstothekeys.wordpress.com

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND ENTER
http://theromancereviews.com/event.php

8/31 – LAST DAY TO POST RE SUMMER CHALLENGE

Since I posted this offer at the end of June, I’ve finished writing and have submitted a 28,841 word gay werewolf novella, Awaking The Alpha, to Amber Quill Press. You’ll find the cover here.

Obviously, I fell short of the 1,000 words five days a week goal, which would be 45,000 words. I guess I should have figured it out first because I looked back at the person who’d originally suggested this, and that recommendation was to write only one hour five days a week! Big difference. And one much more reasonable! I don’t know anyone who could turn out 1,000 words in an hour, do you?

I’ve read the following books: Rogue’s Hostage (Linda McLaughlin), Threadbare Gypsy Souls (T.A. Chase), Spell Cat (Tara Lain), Dreams of Gold (Linda Carroll-Bradd), Fire Season: Tales of the Darkworld Book 3 (Lex Valentine), Where Nerves End (L.A. Witt), The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown), Divided in Death (J.D. Robb), Chesapeake Blue (Nora Roberts), Fifty Shades of Grey (E.L. James), Split Second (David Baldacchi), Come Home (Lisa Scottolini), , Low Pressure (Sara Brown), Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwell), Port mortuary (also by Cornwell), Emerald: Jewel Trilogy 2 (Lauren Royal), The Johnny Casino Casebook 2 (G.B. Pool), Silver (The Silver Series Book 1 (Cheree Alsop), Mad River – A Virgil Flowers Novel (John Sandford) and one or two others whose titles I’ve forgotten.

Many of the titles were in audio format, so I could listen while I cooked, cleaned up the kitchen, or folded laundry. Many of them were hardbacks from two free libraries I use.

THE NEXT BEST THING BLOG HOP

Hi there!

Although this blog hop has ended for me, I recommend them as a great chance to acquaint yourself with new authors or visit those whose books you enjoy.

The answers to my Ten Interview Questions for this hop were:

1. What was the working and final title of your book? My titles are approved by the publisher before I write, so the title of my novella was always Time To Be King.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book? The idea was sparked by Tears Of The Dragon, my male/female erotic romance. This is the sequel to that story.

3. What genre does your book fall under? Romance, with subgenres of Medieval, fantasy and shapeshifter.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I could see someone like a blond Russell Crowe (think Robin Hood) as my knight-dragon prince and a brunette Brad Pitt as his knight lover.

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? A dying dragon king, the shapeshifter knight-prince destined to succeed him, and the risk he takes with the choice he must make.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Neither. This gay erotic romance is available now from my publisher. Click on the Excerpt link on the bar above.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Because I don’t write novel length, I don’t do drafts. I write and edit as I go. It takes me three months to polish 16,000-39,000 words.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Christine Feehan’s shapeshifter Carpathian series (although they’re male/female romances).

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? A full page illustration in Realms of Fantasy magazine inspired Tears Of The Dragon. A lovely, mythical princess and her entourage were riding through a field of flowers, and I wanted in the worst way to write about her; to capture in words the magical quality and my feelings. I have no idea why I made her a dragon princess who, in human form, falls in love with a knight. Time To Be King is the story of their little shapeshifting son, whom, as a mother of sons, I fell in love with. Now he’s all grown up… first knight to the earl who rules the fantasy kingdom of Ahnerion.

I also wanted to express what it feels like to be different and forced to keep secrets on pain of death. The theme is also about making choices.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? If you like strong characters who love fiercely and fight for honor, kingdom and family, plus a story with action, adventure and a touch of betrayal, you will like Time To Be King.

Note: You must be eighteen or older to purchase my stories.

Happy reading!

Carolina

: A dying dragon king, a shapeshifting prince, his human lover

FINGERS TO THE KEYS

PASSION – HEAT- ECSTASY – STORIES OF MEN LOVING WOMEN AND MEN LOVING MEN by CAROLINA VALDEZ

Tag: GLBT