Claimed By Dragons
Bag Of Tricks Book 2
Amber Skyze and Katalina Leon
Genre:
Erotic-romance, paranormal, dragon-shifters, ménage & polyamory.
Publisher: Loose Id
Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-61118-903-2
Number of pages:
286
Word Count: 92k
Cover Artist: Valerie
Tibbs
Book Description:
In an odd Wiccan shop in Salem, Jael pulls an unusual stone from a
witch’s wish bag. Little does she know her wildest dreams of adventure and a
torrid affair with two gorgeous co-workers are about to come true—in spades.
Jael’s dreamy boss, Roarke offers her the assignment of a lifetime: a photo
safari to Mount Kilimanjaro. The African scenery is stunning but the unexpected
arrival of her two office crushes, Roarke and Kypton ignites her passion. Just
as the trio is getting steamy at a beautiful waterfall, danger intervenes
forcing the men to reveal their secret. They're dragons. And now, to save her
life, they have no choice but to abduct a startled Jael to their mountain lair
on Kilimanjaro.
In the dragons' love nest, Jael learns the truth about their origins and
explores all the erotic possibilities two eager lovers can offer. Love awakens,
but the guys are being stalked by a covert group of dragon hunters and
withholding a life or death secret that will push Jael’s courageous heart and
commitment to the limits.
Note:
This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and
material that some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse,
male/male sexual practices, menage (m/m/f).
About the Authors:
Katalina Leon
I’m an artist, an
author, mother and wife. I write for Loose Id Publishing and Ellora’s Cave. I
try to bring a touch of the mystical and a big sense of adventure to everything
I write because I believe there’s a bold, kick-ass heroine inside all of us who
wants to take a wild ride with a strong worthy hero.
Amber Skyze
From a very young
age, Amber Skyze began making up stories–the only child syndrome. Telling tall
tales to all her friends she never dreamed of putting words on paper. In fact
if anyone asked her if she would write when she grew up, she’d have laughed.
It wasn’t until
raising children and reading all those romances that she decided–hey, I can
write these. HA! Easier said than done.
When not crafting
hot, steamy tales, this New York transplant now resides in Rhode Island with
her husband, four children (who force her to work a day job), and three dogs.
She currently
writes for Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id and is self-published.
Excerpt:
(In this excerpt Jael has just pulled a stone from the wish
bag in an odd Salem Wiccan shop.)
“Oh, Jael, that is an odd-looking stone.” Arcona reached for
Jael’s hand to tip the sparkling stone toward the light. “It’s beautiful when
things you’d never think would fuse together mix.” She stared at the stone in
wonder. “The world is full of weird stuff, isn’t it?”
Jael looked from the two-sided stone to her friend. “It is
different.” She glanced at Witch Casey to see if she had any advice as to why
she’d chosen such a stone.
“Interesting, but not surprising.” Witch Casey shook her
head with her lips firmly pinched together.
Jael couldn’t read the woman’s eccentric gesture.
“A dual stone is often attracted to an undecided person,”
Witch Casey spoke tersely.
“Undecided?” Jael stiffened and crossed her arms in a
defensive manner. She’d been often accused of being indecisive in the past, and
it hurt. Obviously Witch Casey had been eavesdropping. “Are you referring to me?”
“Of course I’m referring to you.” Witch Casey planted her
fist firmly on her hip as she confronted Jael. “You’re the one holding the dual
stone, not me.”
“What do you mean by undecided?” Jael knew where this was
going. Witch Casey would now deliver a trite and highly predictable forecast
about her future love life. She braced for the safe little clichés she knew
were headed her way.
Witch Casey arced her hands dramatically through the air.
“Your heart is always in two places at once and refuses to choose a lasting
home. Am I right?”
Jael slightly recoiled. Witch Casey was right. The way the
woman spoke with utter authority sent a shiver up her spine.
All her life she’d rushed toward one goal when secretly
desiring another. She longed for a stable relationship, even a family, but
another rogue part of her soul wanted to ditch her responsibilities, pick up a
camera, and flee to the exotic wilds of Africa to fulfill her creative dreams.
The same went for men. She could never make up her mind. Variety was the spice
of life.
“There might be some truth in what you’re saying,” Jael
sheepishly answered Witch Casey.
Witch Casey’s eyes flashed. “Might?”
Arcona leaned close to Jael’s ear. “I remember our last
semester. You were always dating at least two guys at once and trying to keep
it a secret. It never stayed secret.”
Jael silently admitted her love life was a disaster of
indecision. She’d never met a man who fulfilled all her needs. Okay, maybe one
man—Roarke, the gorgeous guy at her office, was a thrilling date for a
friends-with-benefits type of evening, but a more solid relationship never
quite gelled. Deep down she knew why.
They were two of a kind. Roarke was almost as undecided and
commitment shy as she was. He would pant after her with lustful looks, coax and
almost beg her to visit his apartment. When she gave in, the sex was always
hot. Roarke was a total turn-on. Her hopes would rise that maybe Roarke was the
one, and then nothing would happen for weeks at a time. No pursuit, no
invitations back to his bed. It was as if Roarke would deny himself her company
until he couldn’t stand it a moment longer; then he would call.
She’d noticed Roarke’s nightstand was fully stocked with
condoms and every exotic brand of lube on the market, so she had to suspect he enjoyed
other lovers as well, which hurt. She wanted to be someone special to him, and
apparently she wasn’t. Obviously there was another.
“Would you like me to do a card reading for you?” Witch
Casey interrupted the silence. “It might clarify a few of those undecided
thoughts.”
“I don’t know…” Jael’s gaze darted anxiously between her
friends. Their visit was nearly at an end. She wondered if her friends would
willingly wait while Witch Casey sorted through the confusing details of her
elusive love life. Probably not.
“You should do it.” Arcona shot Jael an encouraging smile.
“Accept the card reading. Isn’t that why we walked in here in the first
place—to get a little insight?”
When we were writing Claimed By Dragons
music played a big part and we want to share a few of favorites with you today.
Amber Skyze: Music and Writing Are One Since
a child I’ve connected to music on many different levels. I love all different
types, but lean more towards Rock/Heavy Metal. I listen to music more than I
watch television. My CD collection is large and my iPod diverse.
Music plays a huge part in my writing too.
I hear a song and picture a story. Not the full story, but a general theme.
Sometimes it’s only the title that strikes an idea for a story, but normally
it’s the lyrics.
Take for instance Dante’s Desire,
published with Ellora’s Cave. I wrote this story after hearing the song I
Get Off, by Halestorm. It’s about
someone getting off watching another get off. I knew I had to write Dante’s
Desire. The book starts with Addison, the heroine, performing sexual acts in
her window for her sexy neighbor across the street.
Another Ellora’s Cave book – Spend The
Night With Me, is loosely attached to a song. The song Need You Now,
by Lady Antebellum starts off talking about scattered pictures. The image
struck a chord with me (no pun intended). This book starts with my heroine
Brooke looking at pictures of her now deceased fiancé. After hearing this song,
I changed part of the scene to her sitting on the floor with pictures scattered
around her. She’s packing them away to move forward with her life.
Sometimes my heroes are musicians like Reed
Walker in Body Shots, available from Ellora’s Cave. He’s a singer and
guitar player. His band plays at the heroines bar. Reed signs a song he’d
written for the heroine many years prior, weakening her defenses.
Those are just a few examples of how I
weave my love for music into my writing life. Is there anything that plays a
big role in your life?
Katalina Leon: I have to listen to music when I write, it’
not an option, it’s a must! I prefer moody instrumental soundtracks when I’m
actually writing, but I listen to and love all this stuff too, whenever I need
a little break.
Best song to get into the mood with:
U2 “If You Wear that Velvet Dress”
Best song to do a private Striptease to:
Nine Inch Nails “Sunspots”
(You’ll swear you were wearing clothes before the music
started)
Best song to feel empowered by:
Kelly Clarkson “Stronger” (What Doesn’t Kill You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avYxiIRG4xQ
Best song to remember your “Ex” by:
Gun N’ Roses “Sweet Child Of Mine”
Best song to shape shift to:
TV On The Radio “Wolf Like Me”
Best song to drive too fast to;
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds aka “What A Life”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwHpLDgWonM
Best Music to enjoy a sweet cry:
Ludovico Einaudi Doctor Zhivago BBC soundtrack “Writing Poems”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlytGbRjOcU&feature=BFa&list=FLarQTE8UyDdI66b6VTl7xtQ
Best song to feel fully alive to: One Giant Leap “Daphne”
(Give this gorgeous piece of music a chance it unfolds
slowly and travels through several soaring transitions.)
Best Music to give yourself the creeps:
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross “She Reminds Me of You”
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo soundtrack:
Best song to make me wish I’d taken guitar lessons seriously:
Led Zeppelin’s ”Ten Years Gone”
Excerpt: (In this scene Jael has pulled a stone from Witch
Casey’s wish bag and had her fortune told by a wriggly snake, now she has to
sit still for a moment and reflect on her love life.)
Jael closed her fingers around the stone
and thought of another man who worked with her—Kypton. Kypton was quiet and
aloof with most everyone in the department, but his gaze followed her longingly
every time she walked past.
When she told her friends she liked the
manager of the IT department, they teased her relentlessly. They couldn’t
picture her with a computer geek. Thing was, Kypton was the furthest thing from
a computer geek. She understood why they immediately thought of someone with
glasses, a shirt buttoned up tight to the neck, and a pocket protector sticking
out of his shirt pocket. That wasn’t Kypton.
What her friends and others in her office
seemed to miss was that beneath the subdued exterior, Kypton was smoking hot
with pale blond hair and baby blue eyes. His voice carried the softest hint of
northern Europe. He pronounced e’s as a’s, and she wondered if Kypton had gone
to school in Switzerland or lived near there as a child.
Occasionally she was fortunate enough to
peek down his collar and glimpse the silky blond hair on his chest. His broad
shoulders and well-defined chest stood out in anything he wore. His arms looked
like he frequented the gym, and those fitted khakis he favored as office wear
gave her a view of a sexy, tight ass. A hint of smoldering physicality simmered
just below the surface as if he were completely capable of picking her up,
carrying her into a quiet storage room, and banging her senseless. At least
that was what she hoped. She concluded the other women in her office must be
blind or foolish not to notice Kypton’s potential. Kypton
seemed thoughtful and sensitive too, which was a huge plus. He’d jumped in to
help her on numerous occasions, often staying late at work to do so. He also
avoided all office gossip or conflicts and went out of his way to help others
before he was even asked, which she found pretty damn attractive.
All in all Kypton was a dreamy guy, even
if he might appear a bit sedate.
Only problem was Roarke attracted her too.
Roarke was Kypton’s opposite. Roarke was
outgoing and authoritative. When he entered the room, others stopped what they
were doing to listen. Though he was a manager, he had an artistic, wild vibe
about him that was exciting to be near. He dressed well in bold colors like
earthy orange or rich purple. It was a treat to watch him walk past her desk
and catch a whiff of his subtle citrusy aftershave—that was, if he ever really
shaved. His square jaw seemed perpetually stubbled in a grainy, sexy sort of
way.
Roarke had coppery skin and the swarthy
good looks of a Barbary pirate chief. She half fantasized he was the son of
some powerful khan and his mother was some delicate-boned beauty. Roarke was
both puzzling and stunning to look at. His sleek nose and chiseled bone
structure made his origins difficult to guess. She wondered if there was a
tribe of exotically perfect people hiding somewhere on a long-forgotten island,
who sneaked away from their hidden paradise now and then to work as office
managers.
As a natural leader, Roarke drew people to
his side with ease. He spoke passionately with his expressive hands and
cognac-brown eyes as much as he did with words. Anything earthy and creative
interested him—nature, movies, paintings, or books, he loved them all. His
apartment contained a dazzling array of fine books and an impressive collection
of beautiful artifacts displayed in lit niches.
A visit to his apartment was not only a
physical thrill; it was mentally stimulating to the artist in her to look at
the many things he’d collected over the years. Roarke seemed
to live in such a different world from the average person, and she longed be to
invited in.
Roarke worked as a manager in the human
resource department of International
Explorer magazine and network. He was well
respected and very much in demand.
She’d foolishly told Roarke on the first
date she had no intention of getting involved with a coworker, so maybe some of
the distance between them was her fault. She wanted to take it back. What a
dummy she was for saying that.
That wasn’t to say nothing had happened
between them. It had. Twice after a dreamy museum date or trip to the movies on
Roarke’s birthday, the date had ended with both of them unable to keep their
hands off each other.
Roarke had picked her up, carried her into
his bedroom, tossed her onto his amethyst sheets, and lavished her with the
best oral she’d ever had. Roarke was a total sensualist and seemed to know
exactly what she needed to come hard. She’d loved every second of writhing in
his firm but loving grasp and was eager to reciprocate.
She just wasn’t sure where she stood with
him. A date once in a while was for chumps. Maybe he was waiting for her to
admit that she did want to get involved with a coworker before pursuing her a
little harder.
“Never underestimate the power of love.”
Witch Casey winked as she popped the captured snake back into the basket.
Jael turned her attention to the woman
standing in front of her. Had she been reading Jael’s mind?
“Your dilemma will not be hard to decide.
You already know exactly what you want, and you don’t have to choose.”
Jael’s eyes widened.
Dear
God, she can read my mind. I wonder if she saw the naughty thoughts?
“I did, dear.” Witch Casey shrugged. “But
your secrets are safe with me. Besides, no one believes me anyway.”
(Jael’s life gets crazy fast, when she
returns to work to face Roarke and Kypton with the wish stone in her pocket.)
Thank you so much for having us as your
guests!
“Claimed By Dragons” Amber Skyze & Katalina Leon
Book 2 in The Bag Of Tricks book series.
Loose Id Publishing:
Look for Book 1 in The Bag Of Tricks series“ The Strix”.
Also available at ARe and Amazon.
Join Amber Skyze and Katalina Leon on facebook.
I have to confess that if someone had told me fifteen to twenty
years ago that books would go digital, vampires would remain top sellers and
women would fall madly in love with male gay romance, I would have said I think
you’re mistaken.
I like being surprised and those three trends have genuinely
surprised me, especially the warm embrace women readers have given to male gay/
bi-sexual romance or M/M. The popularity of M/M continues to soar with new
devotees joining the ranks everyday.
Who knew that would happen and why did it happen?
I’m going to throw out a few of my thoughts and opinions about
the current popularity of M/M romance and I BEG YOU TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND
OPINIONS WITH THE REST OF US IN THE COMMENTS BOX.
First, let’s state the obvious women are not the only ones
reading M/M. Gay and Bi-sexual men love it too and I strongly suspect a lot of
straight men sneak a peek, just because it’s nasty hot willy-spanking stuff.
Why?
Because M/M sexuality tends to be frank and to the point.
There’s lust, tenderness and romance but it’s male-centric. For the most part
it is free of the overwrought tropes used in old style romance novels, which
for many readers translates into variety. An M/M storyline can break free of a
predictable path and take the reader somewhere else.
Second: M/M romance is inherently Heroic (pun fully intended!) The lovers involved usually take great
risks by simply daring to approach a desired partner. Threat of punishment,
rejection or exposure is often present. That amount of sexual tension delivers
the emotional drama we romance readers crave! When love is declared taboo,
risks are taken, forbidden realms explored and hearts are put in harm’s way—you
get great story telling that not only turns readers on, it may also leave them
weeping in sympathy.
Third: We learn about our hidden selves by looking beyond
ourselves. Compassion is a beautiful teacher. M/M romance acts as a mirror to
the slippery forbidden realms of female sexuality. M/M often reflects a raw
sexuality and makes no apology for pursuing partners who are prized purely because
they thrill the heart or deliver immense physical pleasure. Female fans of M/M
love seeing male characters brought to their knees, made vulnerable and their
loving sides exposed. It’s a paradox but it’s often true that we never see
ourselves more clearly than when we are looking at someone else and feeling
compassion for them.
Forth: From a female POV men are often the mysterious other
country. A million bad jokes have been made about the differences between Venus
and Mars but deep down I think most women remain curious about what male
sexuality would look like, if women weren’t looking. M/M romance opens that
door and allows women a peek into a forbidden world that in the end may look
strangely familiar. Love is love and after all is said and done, male or female,
it’s still a human heart.
What do you think of M/M romance? Are you a reader, an
author or even a critic of M/M, please share your opinion. I love getting
comments and I will try to respond to any or all of them with a detailed
answer.
Thank you Ezratbet for having us as your guests today!
XXOO Katalina Leon
Thank you for the wonderful guest post and for giving us all some food for thought. :)
