Dark Chocolate and Raspberries Releasing Today with Extasy Books!

Greetings Loved Ones!

I am happy to announce the release of Dark Chocolate and Raspberries with Extasy Books! 

Its taken a while to find a new home for my work and I know many of you are more familiar with my paranormal stories than my m/m contemporary romance. But I got started by writing m/m contemporary romance before I ever sold my first paranormal novel. Dark Chocolate and Raspberries wasn't the first, but it is one of my absolute favorites. It tells a story of masks. How the persona we put on for the general public, if nobody cares to look deeper, rarely is the person we really are deep inside.

These young men have dealt with and are still dealing with adversity in their lives. While trying to discover who they are and create a future for themselves, they are dealing with a past full of hidden mysteries and misunderstandings. There are so many times in our lives that our point of view colors our understanding of what is going on around us, and so too in this story Dylan and Taj each have their own point of view of the events of a past they must discover together. Of course, they do this among a cast of college characters who are all just trying to find their place in the world and have fun while they're doing it.

[On a side note - the game Raspberries - is completely fictitious. Nobody I know would ever do anything like that. I never drank before I was legally 21 years old. I never kissed boys in closets. I never played spin the bottle. I never kissed girls in closets. I never did anything I wasn't suppose to. I was a virgin before I was married. (And if you believe all that I'm sure there's a bridge somewhere I can sell ya dirt cheap!)]

So now that I'm completely off topic... Dark Chocolate and Raspberries... LOL!

Coming of age has never been so sweet.

18-year-old Dylan’s talent for music almost equals his diva persona. Everyone knows Dylan enjoys pushing people around, but does he really? When Taj is charged with taking Dylan under his wing, he discovers the shy boy behind the diva mask.

When Dylan walks in on Taj kissing Ben, their budding feelings may not be able to withstand the blow. Stunned, Dylan runs from the room. Taj gives chase, trying to catch him to tell him the kiss he saw was the result of a game played in the dorm called Raspberries. Will their love blossom into kisses, drown in drunken chocolates, or erupt in raucous raspberries in Dark Chocolate and Raspberries?

Excerpt:

Taj headed slowly down the hallway towards his room. Dylan had sparked his interest and fascinated him all day. Dylan had watched Taj’s every move, listening attentively to everything he’d said. Taj had found the intense observation unsettling at first; he hadn’t been scrutinized so closely in a long time. Every time he’d glanced at the young man, Dylan had been staring at him, watching, almost waiting for something.

The real Dylan, the shy, quiet, careful young man, was a surprise, and so unlike what Taj had expected. He’d spoken very little, seeming to prefer to listen and watch everything going on around him intently. Most performers Taj had known were outgoing and gregarious, striving for more attention and flourishing in the spotlight. Dylan’s diva pose screamed extrovert, but when pushed, the persona folded and the real Dylan appeared, so timid Taj wouldn’t have believed him to be the same person. He wondered which one would be coming to dinner, the diva or the speechless freshman.

College often changed people; they would grow and develop. Maybe away from those who expected him to behave like a spoiled brat, the façade would fade and Dylan’s real personality could mature and flourish. Taj found Dylan fascinating. His silent attentiveness made Taj wonder what went on beneath the surface, in the depths of those deep brown eyes, eyes the color of dark chocolate.

Taj felt a challenge in Dylan he found hard to define. The diva screamed catch me if you can, and something in Taj intensely hoped to see him cry, yet at the same time Taj wanted to protect the shy, attentive young man. He had no idea how to reconcile such conflicting feelings towards one person, but maybe if he got to know Dylan, he’d learn.

The door to his room hung open to the hall; as he approached, he could hear boisterous laughter and recognized the voices of his friends. They were scattered about the room, already engaged in their favorite pastime, Raspberries.

“Go…Go…Go!” they chanted.

Taj stood in the door and watched. Justin leaned over to Paul, lifted his shirt, and blew a raspberry against his bare stomach. A fresh bout of laughter broke loose and Taj joined them. Justin stood and gasped for air, Paul yanked his shirt back down over his bare stomach, squirming and shivering uncontrollably, shoving Justin away.

“God damn! That always gives me goose bumps.” Paul quivered all over. “Ehhh—” he shivered and rubbed his hands up and down, over his arms.

“I want to play!” Taj slapped Paul on the back in greeting.

“Okay, since you’re late, you spin.” Paul nodded towards the desk.

Taj dumped his bag on his bed and leaned over. There sat a game spinner, divided into nine sections decorated in three colors; red, brown, and purple. Grinning, Taj flicked the pointer, spinning it rapidly around to slow and finally stop on red.

A couple of the guys ooh’d, while Tom wolf- whistled. Taj abruptly grabbed Paul’s head and planted a kiss firmly on his lips while the rest of the guys hooted and hollered.

“Tom, you’re next since you’re making the most fuss.” Taj jeered and passed the spinner to Tom.

Greetings Loved Ones!

Things are definitely on a positive turn. Two of my individual titles have been picked up by eXtasy Books! I'm so excited because there are quite a few wonderful author friends of mine who write for this particular press and have spoken so highly of them. It encourages me to really get on the ball and get writing. As it turns out, Not Only have they taken on two of my previously published stories, but will also be printing two of the stories I'm in the process of completing.

So, on May 15, 2013 Stone Heart, will be released by eXtasy Books and will soon be followed by Dark Chocolate and Raspberries on June1, 2013. I can't wait to see what they come up with for covers!

These two stories are a couple of my favorites. Dark Chocolate and Raspberries is one of the very few M/M Contemporary Romances I've written. Stone Heart is a M/M Dark Fantasy I wrote around my love of gargoyles!

The two new stories you will be able to find at eXtasy in a couple of months (considering I need to get to writing and finish them) will be Light in the Dark, which is my first M/M Science Fiction Romance. The other is Downtown Bus, which began as a series of flash fiction stories on my blog last year. It's since been rewritten to flow a bit more smoothly, but remains unfinished at this time. Once they are finished, I will get their pages up and give you more information about each of them.

I know ... stop gabbing and start writing! Well I'm working on it!

Wishing you Love and Butterflies,

Sui Lynn~~

Greetings Kool Queer Lit Readers,

Thank you for having me at Kool Queer Lit.com!

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm Sui Lynn and I'm happy to be here celebrating Man Love month at Kool Queer Lit. I don't mind telling you that I truly love men. The tall, dark and handsome, strong, silent and brooding, short, blond and fun-loving... it really doesn't matter the stereotypical or the odd man out, makes no difference to me. They all have deserve to have love in their lives, no matter how tormented their past or how perfect their childhoods.

I've been asked why I write M/M. And to be honest it's simply because I enjoy M/M fiction.

I've been writing for myself for years. Mainly as a way to express the emotions in my life. Not that the stories I wrote reflected in any way to my life or had any of the people in my life, in the stories. I read and write for relaxation and stress relief. Other people may play racquetball or do needle point. I make up imaginary characters and write down whatever they tell me about their lives.

The infatuation with M/M stories is a more recent development. An artist friend introduced me to Anime and I discovered Yaoi. From there, I discovered M/M romance. I began to tell my friend about what I was reading and we got into a discussion... the usual discussion of whether a female writer could truly write male love. Next thing I knew we had a bet between the two of us, she saying I couldn't and I saying I could. Heck if Stephen King can write Horror without being being bars for having to act them out first before he could know the mind of his killers, I could write gay fantasy romance. About six months later, I submitted my first story and Blue Rose was published with Dreamspinner Press. Since then, many characters have been gracing the pages of my rough drafts, flash fictions and actual published works.  And I love all the new men in my imaginary life.

I've got to tell you all it's been a pretty busy the last several months for me and I've had a couple of recent releases through Silver Publishing, my most recent being Nico's Fire released on May 12.

It's the Second book in the Elements of Love series and I think it's really quite good even though I must admit Jude ended up being a bit different than I'd first expected him to. That's the funny thing about writing in the way I do. The characters whisper and I write. Often what I first envision of them is something completely different after the are done telling me their stories. This story was a bit like that. I'm really excited about it and I can't wait to hear your comments.

I have begun the next book in this series. It will be titled Gabe's Song. It will be the story of the Water Elemental. I'm really liking the way this story is shaping up. It will be a bit different from the previous two in the instant "mate" relationship is not present, at least not nearly as instantly recognizable as it is with Nico and Adel. This series is taking me on a definite ride and I have to admit I'm really enjoying it.

As for Works in Progress.

I have a number of things that are in the works. I have a cowboy/contemporary story I'm currently working on which I haven't titled yet. There are a number of possibilities floating around in my mind but nothing is really sticking, which is strange for me. Often I have the title of the story within the first few paragraphs, sometimes I have the title before I even start the story. The work is about half way through and I expect it to be ready for submission sometime next year.

I'm still working on Cougar Creek B&B - Cat in the Company of Wolves. This will be a shifter story that has the potential of being a series, but I haven't gotten that far yet. The first book is about halfway completed and I'm hoping to have it ready for submission the early part of next year.

Some of you may have seen Hand of Death. It began as a flash fiction on my blog and it's since become something that I want to expand to a full story, also on my to do list for next year's release.

There's also the next book in the Changing Moon series. I would be keeping an eye out for that one as well. Royal Bind is already scheduled for September and the third book will be coming out next year.

People ask if I know how many books will be in a series when I write them. That's a hard thing to answer because as long as the characters are talking, I'll write them. For instance in the Elements of Love series, I know there will be at least 5 books. One for each element and maybe ... just maybe something for a loved supporting character here and there. For Changing Moon, there will be at least 5 to 7 depending on the characters and the story line.

I've been asked where the idea's come from... My characters come from a number of places. Sometimes it's a photograph, or a place that triggers a character. Sometimes it's a job I see someone doing and a character is born. Sometimes it's something from my own life that triggers a character, something as simple as the memory of the texture of a blanket or how coffee tasted the first time I drank it. Simple reactions and feelings that make up our lives can trigger the creation of a character who may never be more than a supporting character or might be the first in a series.

In the meantime... I hope you all enjoy my stories and I'm always looking forward to hearing from you.

   

  

For those of you wanting a sample of Nico's Fire, or any of my books, you can find them on my blog http://suidlynn.blogspot.com/ where you'll find synopsis of each book and an excerpt. You can also find them at the publisher, by clicking on the cover of each book above.

Wishing you Love and Butterflies,

Sui Lynn~~

Blog:http://suidlynn.blogspot.com/

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001260427014

Twitter:http://twitter.com/#!/suidlynn

email: Sui.d.Lynn@gmail.com

Interview and Chat!

Greetings Loved Ones,

Where does the time go. I've been so busy with edits that I need to come up for air and update everyone on my upcoming Interview and review to be posted on Top 2 Bottom Reviews. Lisa was kind enough to ask me some questions about my writing and upcoming titles. I really enjoyed getting the chance to share a few things about my stories and things going on in my life.

She reviewed Dark Chocolate and Raspberries and I'm excited to see her comments about the story.

She also reviewed Stone Heart Serial, which currently has 2 episodes available,

Renovations and 

Hallucinations.

Episode 3, 'The Day After' will be available for sale June 17, 2011.

On another note, I will be chatting with Lily Sawyer and July Lynn Hayes on Bethwilde for pride month. I hope to see you all there. I will be co-hosting with Julie Lynn tomorrow following Lily Sawyer, from noon to 4:00PM EST. I hope to see you all there. We will be chatting about upcoming titles, answering questions about our current titles and just having a great time with everyone who stops in.

Wishing you Love and Butterflies,

Sui Lynn~~

Dark Chocolate and Raspberries

Greetings Loved Ones,

Dark Chocolate and Raspberries has been entered into a contest for the best Gay Romance with characters attending high school or college. I'd appreciate it if you would all vote and show your support. I've added the link at the bottom. If you haven't read Dark Chocolate and Raspberries, it's on sale ad available now from Silver Publishing as well as on Amazon and several other ebook sales locations on the web. Click on the cover and it will take you to where you can purchase it.

Please Vote! Thank you for your support!

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7065.Best_Gay_Romance_Featuring_Characters_Attending_High_School_College

Wishing you Love and Butterflies!

Sui Lynn~~

Dark Chocolate and Raspberries - Releasing Today!

Greetings Loved Ones!

I'm thrilled to announce that Dark Chocolate and Raspberries is releasing today with Silver Publishing!  I'm so excited. This has been a journey of heart felt love and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. I'm posting the blurb as well as an excerpt from the book. This is a sweet love story filled with angst and drama. 

Wishing you Love and Butterflies,

Sui Lynn~~

Blurb: 

18-year-old Dylan's talent for music almost equals his diva mentality. A spoiled rich kid, Dylan enjoys pushing people around. Or does he? When Taj is charged with taking Dylan under his wing, he discovers the shy boy behind the diva mask.

But Dylan walks in on Taj kissing Ben, their budding feelings may not be able to withstand the blow. Stunned, Dylan runs from the room. Taj gives chase, trying to catch him to tell him the kiss he saw was the result of a game played in the dorm called 'Raspberries'. Will their love blossom into kisses, drown in drunken chocolates, or erupt in raucous raspberries in Dark Chocolate and Raspberries?

Excerpt:

"Who are we here to see?" Taj Davis looked skeptically out the window while his boss, Dr Hondo Browne, parked the car outside the gymnasium of Saint Mary's High School. "You haven't mentioned any names." Taj pushed his chestnut-brown bangs back out of his eyes, annoyed at being kept in the dark. His work-study position while attending Trinity University was student assistant to Dr Browne, the head of the music department. Over the last two years, Taj had often accompanied him on recruiting trips to interview prospective candidates for the music program during the summer, but this time he'd been given no information about the candidate.

"I recently recruited St Mary High School's senior soloist, Dylan Michaels. They're having their final concert of the season tonight. I brought you to listen to him." Dr Browne smiled at Taj. "He's going to be a bit of a handful, but I want you to see him perform. His potential is astounding." Dr. Browne got out of the car and Taj joined him, his tall, athletic frame towering over the--as he put it, height impaired--director.

"He must be something else if you're dragging me here, and even dressing for the occasion. You never wear suits. I think the last time might've been during the spring concert tour, and then it was only a sports coat." Taj rolled his eyes as they walked across the parking lot towards a gym, their breath freezing before their eyes in the frosty winter air. "It would've been nice to let me know so I could pick up some Tylenol. Two hours of off-key high school music--really, it's not fair to subject your helpless assistant to this kind of torture."

Dr Browne chortled. "Oh, they're not that bad. Just the opposite, in fact."

Taj looked around and smiled, seeing the gym converted into a concert hall for the occasion. Climbing their way up the bleachers, they took seats in front of the temporary stage. Stage lighting hung from the ceiling. Dressed in holiday finery, parents, grandparents, and other family members filled rows of chairs that backed away from the front of the stage until they met up with the rows of bleachers. A buzz of happy conversation and laughter filled the auditorium while everyone waited for the lights to flash to signal the beginning of the concert. Students filed in, taking seats at the sides in reserved seating. They appeared to be seated by grade level; Dr Browne had said St Mary's was a private school which taught middle through high school, about a hundred students across six grades.

"I want your unbiased opinion of him, so I haven't said much. I think he'd be great and if we can get him to... well, you'll see for yourself." Dr Browne chuckled, shaking his head a bit.

"Okay," Taj glancing at the program he'd been handed at the door by a couple of girls dressed in tuxedos. They'd flirted with Taj and he'd given them a patient smile, passing through the door with Dr Browne. They'd timed their arrival well; they didn't have long to wait for the concert to begin.

First on the program were the middle-school students, who were just beginning to learn their instruments. Taj smiled and listened patiently through the occasional wrong note and missed beat. The students reveled in the heartfelt applause of their loved ones at the end. Proud parents could be seen grinning and pointing towards the stage; the sight gave Taj a twinge of envy. The flashes of their cameras and video recorders held high made Taj think of his high school days and his first concerts. His father had never attended his concerts, and actually had yet to hear him sing. His father considered music frivolous.

Towards the end of the concert, the lights went down, and Dr Browne nudged Taj's arm. "He'll be next."

The lights slowly rose to reveal an angel bathed in golden light from above, wearing a white choir robe with a soloist's golden braid running from one shoulder to the other, his long blond curls framing his soft features and flowing down his back. He stood, head lowered, eyes closed as if in prayer, then slowly raised his head and began to sing. His voice rang out clear and strong over the audience.

At first, Taj barely noticed the choir, dressed in their dark gold robes, standing in the background. The soloist captivated his complete attention. The choir sang out with strong, well-balanced voices for a group with such a wide range of ages and experience. They were working hard, giving the music their all, but Dylan Michaels' talent excelled beyond their abilities.

Taj sat forward on the edge of his seat, entranced by the soloist, whose voice and pitch were pure perfection. The tones of "Ave Maria" filled the air. Michaels took control of the song and mesmerized those listening, leaving the choir behind.

A little of the magic faded when Taj realized that he paid no attention to the choir struggling to keep up with him. Michaels made no effort to sing with them; he gave no support, nor assisted them in any way. If they fell behind he sang on, forcing them to pick up the pace. Michaels obviously cared little for those he shared the stage with, although Taj couldn't tell if he did it maliciously or negligently. Still, the music flowed, strikingly beautiful to all who heard, Michaels' disregard for the choir only obvious to one trained in music.

Exhaling in a rush, Taj didn't realize he'd held his breath until the end of the rendition. Michaels' gift gave Taj goosebumps as the music filled the auditorium, but his attitude could be trouble if he couldn't learn to work with others.

The audience applauded and the lights went up, throwing more light onto the choir. They began the bass notes of "Carol of the Bells" and Michaels' piercing soprano, in tones pure and true as produced by the bells themselves, resounded through the room. When the final notes faded away, the audience again responded with abundant applause and cheers. The lights went down, ending the concert, and the performers dispersed as the regular lights came up.

Taj and Dr Browne made their way through the milling crowd, from the gymnasium to the parking lot. Taj said nothing, his thoughts focused on the soloist who'd captured his imagination. The haughty attitude Michaels exuded would be trouble if he couldn't be taught control and how to work with others, regardless of his talent.

"Well, what do you think?" Dr Browne looked to Taj as he turned the key in the ignition. The cold winter night made them pause to wait for the car to warm up and the heater to kick in, enough time for Taj to gather his thoughts.

Dr Browne believed in him and would take his opinion seriously. Still, Taj worked to form his opinion on Michaels' merits, not his attraction to the soloist. "He's good. Really good. He has phenomenal talent, and he knows it. He has a voice to make the angels jealous, but he has no competition here, and absolutely no regard for the talent of others. He doesn't seem to realize he should be helping them, working with them. Instead, he's fighting his backup and trying to out-sing them, when they're struggling just to keep up." Taj hesitated. "He's a diva of the worst kind. If he hasn't been taught manners before now, I don't know if we can do much with him."

"He'll be a challenge." Dr Browne eased the car out of the parking spot into the crawling traffic streaming from the parking lot.

"You said you already recruited him--meaning you want me to get him into shape, right?"

Dr Browne laughed a bit and nodded. "Well, yes, but I'm not expecting miracles. Do your best to mentor him, be a friend. Maybe no one has bothered to try and show him another way. You know, his family didn't attend the concert. They apparently don't care about his musical talent and have very little time for him."

"You're kidding, right? With talent like his--I'd have thought his family would be fawning all over him."

"Nope. In fact, when I approached them, they were too busy to see me and pushed me off on their butler, who acts as the boy's guardian, more or less. He introduced me to--in his words, 'Mr Dylan'." Dr Brown shook his head. "The boy would've refused to see me if the butler hadn't told him I came from Trinity University. I believe he must have seen our men's group sing, and you were the soloist. He recognized your name and agreed to sing for us--if he could work with you."

"Me? Wow, I can't for the life of me figure out where he'd have heard us perform unless he came to a concert. I mean, I do a bit of solo work with the choir and octets, but I can't remember ever meeting him before." Taj stared out the window into the night, a vision of the beautiful, angelic young man filling his imagination. "I'll do my best to teach him. Can't be all that bad."

"No, it'll be worse." Dr Browne merged with the flow of traffic on the highway, headed back to the university and out of the suburbs