Quarantine Blog Tour
13 July 2012 – Jon Michaelson

An All-Too-Possible Future
By Lisabet Sarai

I’m delighted to be here at Jon’s blog today. I’ve known him by his stellar reputation for a long time, but I’ve never had the chance to hang out in his corner of the ‘Net. I’m hoping he’ll repay the favor and come be my guest at Beyond Romance some time soon.

Anyway, I’m here to introduce – and celebrate – my new M/M science fiction novel Quarantine. Rafe and Dylan have been huddling at the back of my mind for a number of years, while I worked on other projects. As I watched the rise of religious fundamentalism in the United States and read tale after tale of harassment, bullying and gay-bashing, I thought it was important to tell their story.

Quarantine is set in the Western States of America in the near future (2043 to be exact). Seven years prior to the start of the story, a gay plague spread to heterosexuals, killing millions and sparking brutal anti-gay riots. The Guardians of American Greatness rounded up men who tested positive for the homogene and imprisoned them in remote quarantine centers like desolate Camp Malheur. Dylan Moore has been locked up at Camp Malheur for seven years, nearly a third of his life, and he’ll do anything for freedom. With a genius for electronics, Dylan has hacked the camp’s security systems, seeking some way to escape. He has concluded the human guards are the only weakness in the facility’s defenses.

Camp guard Rafe Cowell is H-negative. He figures the lust he feels watching prisoner 3218 masturbate on the surveillance cameras must be due to his loneliness and isolation. When he finally meets the young queer, he discovers that Dylan is brilliant, brave, sexy as hell – and claims to be in love with Rafe. Despite his qualms, Rafe finds he can’t resist the other man’s charm. By the time Dylan asks for his help in escaping, Rafe cares too much for Dylan to refuse.

Dylan’s plan goes awry and Rafe comes to his rescue. Soon they’re both fugitives, fleeing from militant survivalists, murderous androids, and homophobic ideologues. Hiding in the Plague-ravaged city of Sanfran, Dylan and Rafe learn of an evil plan – a “final solution” – that threatens the millions of lives, not just their own.

The thing about this scenario is – it could happen. It did happen, during World War II – and not just in Nazi Germany (where homosexuals were targeted along with Jews, gypsies and other sub-humans), but in the U.S., too, where the government imprisoned millions of Americans of Japanese descent in facilities very much like my fictional camp in bleak eastern Oregon. Quarantine is a romance, but it’s also an exploration of an all-too-possible future.

I’ve provided a brief excerpt below. This one’s PG, although the book itself is definitely X-rated.
My visit here with Jon is part of my Quarantine blog tour, which will run through the 24th of July. I’ll have a different excerpt at each stop – some of them pretty explicit! For the full schedule for the tour, see my July newsletter: http://www.lisabetsarai.com/news.html

Also, I’m be giving away an ebook to one commenter at each stop on the tour. So please leave a comment – and don’t forget to include your email address so I can contact you! I’ll also be choosing one commenter from the entire tour to win the grand prize – a $50 All Romance Ebooks gift certificate. Meanwhile, all comments at my own blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com) during the tour will also go into the drawing for the gift certificate.

Check out the fantastic Quarantine trailer here! And if you’re interested in getting your own copy of Quarantine, just go to Total-E-Bound (http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=1725)!

Excerpt

He brought the cycle to a stop some thirty feet beyond the moat and let his lungs empty. He stared back at the ugly bulk of Malheur Camp. The floodlights came on, bathing the ground around the fence in a sickly yellow glare. The barren soil where he stood, outside the range of the lights, was still a featureless grey. Evening deepened as Rafe perched there on the trike, trying to figure out what to do next.

If Dylan had made it past the moat, he’d be on foot. Rafe could easily catch him on the cycle, but only if he knew which direction the boy had taken. Dylan was probably too smart to keep to the road. On the other hand, he’d said he was headed for the city. Rafe guessed he meant Sanfran. Ellay was too far away and since the eruption of 2024, nobody really considered Portland a city anymore.

Southwest, then. If he wanted to find the boy, that’s the way he should head. But maybe he should give up, go back to the camp and admit that they’d all been outsmarted. The Guardians would probably discipline both him and Turk, but what could the higher-ups do, really? Fire them for incompetence?

Rafe gave a bitter laugh. As the sound died away, he thought he heard something else—something like a moan, barely audible but definitely human.

He listened carefully to the quiet night. There it was again—a soft sound of someone in agony, coming from near the bridge.

Dylan! Rafe scrambled off the trike and headed towards the sound, holding his breath once again. He scanned the bank. There! By the edge of the moat, in the shadow of the criss-crossed girders, there was something that looked like a pile of rags. He inched closer, trying to ignore the sting as the toxic vapours attacked his skin. The bundle of cloth stirred and coughed. Rafe rushed over, crouched down and turned the body onto its back. Then he gasped and choked himself as noxious fumes rushed into his throat.

Dylan’s cheeks and brow were peppered with oozing sores. His eyes were swollen shut. His thick tongue protruded between cracked lips. His fingers twitched feebly.

Rafe half-dragged, half-carried the younger man away from the river of poison. He stretched the limp body out on the ground, shielded by the trike. “Dylan!” he cried, as the fresher air filled his chest. “It’s me, baby. Oh God, Dylan!”

Dylan coughed and sputtered. Greenish spittle trickled from his mouth.

“Breathe, kid. Breathe!”

Dylan seemed to hear. His raw lips moved, as though he wanted to say something.

Rafe needed water, to wash the man’s wounds and clean away the chemical residue. He needed anti-bacterial salve and collagen strips and enzyme patches to stimulate healing. Not to mention an oxygen tank to force the poison out of Dylan’s lungs.

That meant civilization, or what passed for it here in the wastelands of Oregon. The closest settlements, though, were at least two hundred miles away.

Rafe lifted Dylan’s body once more and settled it on the seat of the trike. Dylan slumped against the windscreen. Rafe mounted the bike behind the inmate, slipping one arm around his waist for support while steering with the other.

“Rafe?” Dylan’s voice was weak but intelligible. He raised his head then let it flop back onto Rafe’s chest.

“Yeah, it’s me. Just relax, boy. Hang on. I’m going to get you some help.” Rafe started the cycle and turned it towards the ribbon of crumbling asphalt that stretched westward.

The other man leaned against Rafe’s body. “Mmm,” he murmured. “Good.”

Strangely enough, it was good. Despite his worry about Dylan, Rafe felt a kind of contentment as they raced off into the night. The wind was fresh and cool in his face. The motor hummed between his thighs. Dylan’s weight was a welcome reminder that for once, Rafe was not alone.

The cycle ate up the miles. Dylan slept, curled against him. Inside Rafe’s chest, a quiet joy took root and grew stronger. For the first time in years, Rafe felt free.

****

Bio: More than a decade ago LISABET SARAI experienced a serendipitous fusion of her love of writing and her fascination with sex. Since then she has published four single author short story collections and seven erotic novels, including the BDSM classic Raw Silk. Dozens of her shorter works have been released as ebooks and in print anthologies. She has also edited several acclaimed anthologies and is currently responsible for the altruistic erotica series COMING TOGETHER PRESENTS.

Lisabet holds more degrees than anyone needs from prestigious universities who would no doubt be embarrassed by her chosen genre. She loves to travel and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her highly tolerant husband and two cosmopolitan felines. For more information on Lisabet and her writing visit Lisabet Sarai’s Fantasy Factory (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com).

I recently had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing the diverse writer, Adrianne Brennan, fellow author releasing at loveyoudivine Alterotica…

 

Jon:  Adrianne, I must say, I’ve seen your name here and there but have not yet gotten to know you.  Since releasing your latest, Dawn Of The Seraphs, with loveyoudivine, I’ve become intrigued.  Can you tell me how you came to release with loveyoudivine?

 

Adrianne: Nix (Winter) was my corrupter–I mean, invitation–to join. Through Nix I found out about the Immortal Fire anthology and was encouraged to submit. I’m in another anthology due out in February for f/f and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to jump into the wide, wonderful genre of m/m! Since I have a prequel idea for the Dark Moon series in m/m, this I thought would be a great way to break into the genre before that book comes out.

 

Jon:  Dawn Of The Seraphs sounds incredible!  Congratulations on your release.  The plot sounds like a tremendous undertaking, a foray into sci-fi/fantasy, erotic paranormal lust!  Can you tell us more about this awesome novel?

 

Adrianne: It’s about two men who are incredibly different, personality-wise, from each other–but have amazing chemistry that they just have no control over. Both are very talented, brilliant Seraphs–powerful psions, if you will–and are mutually drawn into a world of subterfuge and intrigue through working on a behind the scenes assignment in ANGEL, an organization of Seraphs devoted to their kind.  The two men are forced to work together in spite of the fact that the friction between them makes it nearly impossible.

 

But together they make an amazing partnership, and I look forward to writing more about them.

 

Jon:  Where did you get your inspiration for Dawn Of The Seraphs?  Is there more to come between Tamar and Kir?

 

Adrianne: I got my inspiration from some of my favorite science fiction shows plus bits and pieces of my favorite fandom male pairing. So many people have different chemistry together, and there’s that sort of chemistry where you bicker and argue before you each cave in and realize there’s a powerful attraction there. And oh yes, you better believe there’ll be more! I plan on a sequel for this, so stay tuned!

 

Jon:  It appears you’ve been writing for a long time.  And indeed, your writing has achieved wonderful praise, accolades and awards.  Can you share which are you most proud of?

 

Adrianne: Thanks Jon! Writing is my passion, my fuel, my oxygen. I’m thrilled to be here and never in my wildest dreams imagined that I’d wind up getting so many readers, let alone awards.  I don’t know if there’s a single one I’m most proud of, to be honest. I’m more proud that I got any at all. Sometimes being here is a little surreal, and I remain thankful.

 

If anything, I enjoy hearing readers’ feedback. They’re the ones I enjoy hearing from and make the most impression to me in regards to how my writing is being received. I receive Google alerts for my name on a regular basis, and one day got a notification that my book, Blood of the Dark Moon, was listed on someone’s profile on a message board. The reason why was because they had listed it as their favorite novel. That to me was worth more than all of the awards, the “Best Ever”s, and reviews I could’ve possibly have received and achieved. It made my day, week–no, month!

 

 

Jon:  (You knew I was going to ask this question…)  I’m often confounded by the attitudes by some that female authors cannot write a good m/m erotic romance.  I don’t agree, as I’ve read some pretty sizzling titles by authors like Anastasia Rabiyah, Carol McKenzie, Patricia Oshier Bruening, Nix Winter, Lady Midnight and Dawne Domique, to name a few… Have you ever faced such stigma writing gay m/m erotica?

 

Adrianne: I’ve yet to receive it directly but have noticed it from others. I see where some are coming from, as I’ve read a lot of m/m fanfic written by women which makes me utterly *cringe* with how they write a m/m pairing. But on the other hand I don’t think it’s so much women writing about men as much as writing skills in general. If direct experience was required to write, many of us wouldn’t be able to. After all, I write about vampires and demons, and I’m certainly neither a vampire nor a demon! *grin*

 

Jon:  Okay,  here’s a fun question:  If you could be any one of your characters for just a day, who would it be and why?

 

Adrianne: I’ve been asked this before and to be honest, I’d never want to be one of my characters–some of them go through absolute hell, lol! But I will say that there are moments in their lives which I’d love to have the chance to experience. Amanda’s first kiss with Jesse in Blood of the Dark Moon, Merideth’s date with Kalia in Blood and Mint Chocolates, Lila’s first encounter with Asmodion in book 3 of the Oath series, and for Dawn of the Seraphs, being Tamar for a day would be *damned* interesting–especially given some of his abilities!

 

Jon:  Closing out, I understand you have the distinct pleasure of interviewing author, Melissa El  Hajjar.  I’m so jealous because I’ve just ordered her novel, Bane Of Exhistence.  Are you as excited as I am?!!!

 

Adrianne: This is the first I’ve heard of it–LOL! But I relish the opportunity. I love hearing from other authors who are passionate about their craft. You can always tell who is, and it’s delightful.

 

Dawn of The Seraphs is also included in loveyoudivine’s awesome anthology, Immortal Fire, from His & His Kisses line.

 

Newsflash – Dawn of the Seraphs, a m/m scifi/paranormal erotic romance in the Immortal Fire anthology, is up for Love Romance Cafe’s Best Scifi/Futuristic Book 2009!!!

 

To purchase Dawn of The Seraphs:

http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=6_69&products_id=569

 

To puprchase The Immortal Fire anthology:

 

http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=30_51&products_id=601

 

 

Introducing erotic author, Jason Edding!  Please check out the links below…

 

Hi everyone! My name is Jason Edding, and I’m happy to be here. First, I’d like to thank Jon for the invitation to host me on this, my second blogging.  Yes, I’m still a newb at it, but hopefully this won’t be the last.  

I’ve thought a lot about what I would talk about today, and the thing that came to my mind, with the help of a dear friend, is to tell of my journey through being published for the first time. I still remember that day vividly. Two weeks prior to the fantastic news, I had sent a small manuscript of about 10k words, to a publisher. I didn’t hear anything back, and since I had been writing continuously and had lengthened the story by 11k more words, I decided to email the publisher again. Well, I heard back from them that very day, and I was told to go ahead and send the whole manuscript. Well, I immediately got a rush from that. I put the two parts together and sent it off.

I waited… but not long. If I remember correctly, it was the very next day when I got an email. Actually two emails. One an introduction and the second, my first contract to publish Dark Robe Heart. Wow, stunned isn’t the word for it. I was on cloud 9, or maybe 10, and I told everyone I knew. I couldn’t stop talking about it for days, and the rush is still with me.  I will say I’ve learned a ton. Not only about writing, but the editing, proofing, line editing and publishing aspects of writing. I like it all. There isn’t one part of the process that I don’t enjoy doing. In fact, I told my editor that the editing and revising process is actually my favorite part because I get a fresh look at the story, find my own mistakes and new ways of writing a particular part of the story come to me.
 
What I’m learning about now is promotion.  It’s taken a lot to figure out some of the “how-to’s,” “where-to’s,” and “whats” of promoting myself and my writing.  I’m getting there but there’s quite a learning curve.
 
 
Blurb  For Space Escapes
 
A disillusioned Jack Harrow escapes the crowded Earth of 2575 and its increasingly militaristic government, hoping to make a new life on the distant small moon of Jupiter. During this long voyage, military recruit Edge Fland catches first his eye, then his lust, but there’s more to this quiet man than Jack knows. The Dark Robe Society’s assassins are on Jack’s trail and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal of returning the item he carries to their society.
Here’s a PG excerpt from my upcoming novella, Dark Robe Heart: Dark Robe Society 1,  in the Space Escapes anthology along with Angela Fiddler, published by MLRpress
 

 
“Are you traveling to Jupiter?” Edge took the empty seat beside Jack and settled in. “Do you think it will be a long trip? I’ve never been.” The voice was close, soft, yet deep and somewhat soothing. Jack woke with a start, his hand gripping the ironite dagger hilt in his robe, ready to plunge it into the heart – - -
            “You have no idea how close you just came to biting the dust.” Jack sat up, and let his fingers slip from the cold metal hilt. He had a better look at the young blonde man in the blue jumpsuit now. He could tell he was a recent military recruit. Fresh meat, fodder for some dumb ass military campaign on the other side of the system. But in this recruit’s case, officer material; a cadet in training.
            The cadet raised his brow, and he gave Jack a slack jawed stare. “Sorrrrry, you looked like you were having a really bad nightmare.” The young guy settled down in the seat next to Jack. “I was getting lonely over there.” He jacked his thumb back at the seat he’d been in earlier. “You didn’t uh, accept my invitation so here I am.” He grinned, the gold caps showing in his teeth.
“I noticed it cadet, would have loved to take you up on the offer, but—-” You’re a diplomat Jack, remember that, he thought.
“You’re married, right?” The cadet sighed. “Always my luck, you know, here I am leaving Earth for the first time, haven’t had a “man for three months, itching to get off and give some head–”
 ”Cadet… not in public, eh, there are ladies and children—” Jack didn’t tolerate too much nonsense, his diplomatic training aside. This cadet may be a hottie, but he yapped far too much. Jack would never be able to stand him for long.
            “Yeah? I think they’re all sleepin’ man. But sure, you know what I mean.” The cadet sat back, stuffing his hands into his deep pockets.
            “No, I’m not married; yes I liked your offer, but as I was saying— now isn’t the best time for any man on man action, not of that kind.” He patted the cadet’s knee. Too bad, though, cute cadet, he thought.
The cadet sighed again, making a good show of his plight. “Yeah, well, maybe I don’t want you, huh, you look like a clone anyway, I can tell a clone.” He snorted and started to get up.
            Jack’s hand shot out and grabbed the cadet’s arm. “Cadet… don’t ever call me a clone.” Jack said nothing else;  the cadet didn’t move a muscle. Jack released him and sat back. “Good, now you just sit there and be quiet and maybe I’ll give you a little something on the trip to Jupiter.” He wanted the cadet to stay beside him, at least he would be able to get some sleep, knowing the Darkies would think thrice about taking him out with someone sitting next to him.
            The cadet snorted again, sighed and pulled open the storage compartment above his head, released an army surplus blanket from plastic tie rings and covered himself with it. “Bad mood dude, but ok, I’ll just sit here and be quiet, I won’t say a word.”
            Jack let the younger man talk as he drifted. He had plans to make, and dreams would make his plans. His sleep was as restless as his clone brain, but knowing the cadet was beside him, made him feel a little better when he woke. The cadet’s hand had moved to his inner thigh, and his fingers were wrapped around his waking erection. 

Blurb for Dark Robe Edges: Dark Robe Society 2: in The Edge of Desperation

        Commander Tees appeared to be intently examining a blinking console, his back to the younger man.
                “Sir, I’m only telling you this because- -.”
                Tees about-faced., studying the younger man. He held up his hand, for a moment it looked to Edge, as if he would slap him across the face. “You’re speaking treason, be very careful, Lieutenant.” Now Edge remembered, it was Toren, Toren Mir.
                Toren shook his head. “Sir, my allegiance is first to the rebellion, and I wouldn’t be telling you this unless I thought it important,” he emphatically declared.
                Tees turned away and went back to studying a reactor control panel. “Speak quickly, then,” he advised.
                “The admiral blames Jack for his father’s death and- -.”
                “We all blamed him, didn’t we? But we all came to realize it was no direct fault of his or the other,” Tees asserted.
                Toren vehemently shook his head. “He does not realize, or he just doesn’t care. I think he plans to kill him.”
                Tees stiffened. So it was true, then, his belief that the admiral was losing control. He could not allow this to happen. But was it time for him to assume to mantle of command, he didn’t know.
                Edge’s entire body tensed. Kill Jack? Who? The old man has a son here… who could it be? He wondered.
 
                Tees turned, and placed his hands on Toren’s shoulders. “You know I trust you, but what you’re saying is madness!”
                Toren sighed and to Edge’s surprise, he leaned into Tees and wrapped his arms around him in a warm embrace. “I know. But Brekart sees only revenge. He is so filled with hate that I- – -”

 
Buylink for Space Escapes
 
http://www.mlrpress.com/ShowBook.php?book=ANSPACE1
 
 
Dark Robe Heart: Dark Robe Society 1 in SPACE ESCAPES By Jason Edding and Angela Fiddler, Available now from MLR Press.
Dark Robe Edges: Dark Robe Society 2 in THE EDGE OF DESPERATION By Jason Edding and James Buchanan. Coming soon from MLR Press.
http://www.mlrpress.com/books.php
My website -  http://jasonedding.books.officelive.com/default.aspx
My Live Journal page  -  http://jasonedding.livejournal.com/
My Yahoo Group – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JasonEddingGayErotica/

 

Editing the Perfect Novel

                            

I recently finished editing my new novel, Surrender Love, due from Loose Id on February 17, 2009. It’s erotic M/M Science Fiction Romance. When I finished it — that is, prior to my editor getting her first look — it was over a hundred and forty thousand words. We had to cut it to a hundred and twenty thousand for it to fit the outer edges of Loose Id guidelines. Twenty thousand words. My first thought was, “But it’s perfect! I can’t take out anything!” How do you cut that many words you’ve sweated to produce?

 

Michelangelo was once asked how he could sculpt such beautiful pieces of marble into lifelike creatures. Paraphrasing his words, his response was that if you want to carve a horse from a huge block of marble, you simply chip away anything that didn’t look like a horse. In writing, you chip away any words that don’t portray exactly what the reader needs to enjoy and understand the story.

 

Easier said than done? Too, too true. I followed a few steps I’d learned from previous books and soon cut it down to the right size. I can’t take all the credit. My editor, Hollie Hollis, guided me and provided excellent ideas on where to cut, but the actual snipping and trimming was mostly my own. It went back and forth between my editor and me several times, before going to another level, the line editor, back to my editor, and then to me. Each time, I cut more, polished more. So, what exactly did I cut? Here’s a basic list any author can follow and apply.

 

A) Look for sub-plots that don’t move the story forward, or can be developed in a sequel or another book. My strong suggestion is that you never cut anything more than a sentence or two without saving it to a document called Ideas for _______ , using the series name, or “other books”, etc.

 

B) Passages I particularly loved but didn’t fit for whatever reason went into Cuts I Love.doc. These were passages that could be adapted for any book I wrote, whereas the Ideas document is strictly for story-related material. An example from the Cuts doc is “Let yourself want it. Let yourself enjoy the lust, the heat. Let yourself rest in my arms while I pleasure you.” I cut this from another book because it didn’t work for my beta hero, but would be great in an alpha love scene.

 

C) Characters not necessary to the story. In Surrender Love, Luc had a dungeon in his penthouse, nearly an entire floor with rooms designed with every type of pleasure and punishment in mind. When he meets Izzorah “Rah” Ceeow and falls for him, he knows immediately the way to Rah’s heart is not through pain, but with a gentle hand. I wrote a scene where he calls in a designer and orders everything on that floor ripped out, and changed over to a private nightclub and areas for Rah’s rock band, Kumwhatmay, to practice and record. The designer also held appeal for another minor character, and I knew I couldn’t let them get together or sparks would fly. There wasn’t going to be time to chase that bunny trail, but it could end up launching a new book. I decided to cut and save it, eliminating several pages and nearly two thousand words.

 

D) Look for words that end in “ing”. This ending is proper for words used within a passive framework, but not for active. An example from Surrender Love is when the alpha hero is the passive recipient, and “ing” helps reveal that.

 

Luc shook his head, throat too tight, panting so hard he couldn’t speak.

“You’re starving for it, t’hahr. I can taste your hunger. Let me give myself to you.”

Luc didn’t trust his voice. Can’t lose control now. Can’t. Can’t. He shook his head, fighting for mastery of his emotions.

 

If you find “ing” words where the scene should be active, it’s easy to change to active. Here is the same passage, altered from passive to active. Note the slight change in wording.

 

Luc shook his head, throat too tight. He panted, speech past him.

“You’re starving for it, t’hahr. I can taste your hunger. Let me give myself to you.”

Luc didn’t trust his voice. Can’t lose control now. Can’t. Can’t. He mastered his emotions and shook his head.

 

The first paragraph is fifty words; the second is forty-seven. Three words doesn’t sound like much, but multiply that by eliminating three words per page in a three hundred page document, and you have nine hundred words. Averaging two hundred fifty words per page, you’ve cut almost four pages.

 

The key point is that “ing” words often reveal passive phrases. Hunt them to sharpen the action and reword to make the sentence stronger. Small reminder: not all such words are going to help, i.e., thing, sing, string, during, something, anything, ring (noun), and so on. If you look, however, you’ll find plenty of places to change structure and write in a more active tense, often saving words.

 

These are the fastest way to cut, and there are many more. I’d love to hear ideas from you!

 

The book I referenced in this article is Surrender Love, coming from Loose Id on February 17, 2009. http://loose-id.com