Welcome Tempeste O'Riley to the GRL Dirty Dozen!

Welcome to the Dirty Dozen Blog Hop! 

12 GRL Authors | 12 Question Q&A | 12 book Giveaway

We're gearing up for Gay Rom Lit Retreat in San Diego so it's time for another 'Dirty Dozen' blog hop and giveaway event! As with last year, Tammy collected twelve different Featured and Supporting Authors from GRL and we answered twelve questions posed to each other for the hop. Each Author is donating an e-book to the giveaway, so one lucky person will walk away with a dozen books for their enjoyment! 

I'm hosting Tempeste O'Riley and these are her answers to the questions! Check it out! And be sure to check out her books below and her upcoming release, Whiskers of a Chance, and enter for a chance to win by leaving a comment with your email address! 

Take it away, Tempe!

AE Via asks: Do you fully outline a book? Or do you sit and let the thoughts flow as you type? 

I tried outlining once. Once! Never again. Yeah, I didn’t do outlines in high school or college either, lol. I’d write the paper, print, then go back and mess it up some, print, then create the outline, print, then turn in the opposite order. I am a died-in-the-wool, 100% panster and have no intention of ever changing. I sometimes have intentions of where I’d like the story to go, in a general sense, but that’s it. Letting the characters do as they want is the only way of writing that works for me. Now, I know, that’s not what works for most, and that’s not what anyone with an English degree wants to hear, but that’s the only way for me. I let my characters writer their story. I'm merely a biographer.

I ask: Describe your writing style in five words and what about that style sets you apart from other authors in your genre(s)? 

Oh goodness, five words? Um... creative, complicated, different, underdog, disability? Those are some of the ways I see my work. I don’t try to write like anyone but me. I’ve gone in circle with editors, in fact, over this. I like including “disabled” characters, though that’s not how I see my characters. I simply take things from my life, and that of people I care about, twist and turn them into plot ideas, and then have a bit of fun until my guys find love and happiness. I don’t know if that sets me apart, but I know many like my work for incorporating different illnesses and disabilities while refusing to show those in a negative or limiting fashion. But considering some of the very ones shown (Ehlers-Danlos, wheelchair, forearm crutches, etc.) are things I deal with on a daily basis, I don’t think they should be seen as limits to love and happiness, so I don’t have them be that in my stories.

Alexa Land asks: What are you currently working on, and what can we expect from you in 2016? 

Right now, I’m working on a story with a hot head baker and a shy lawyer. My guys aren’t even together yet, but they have some chemistry going, lol. I’m having fun with them and hope once their story is finished, that they will be just as fun for all of you. As for what’s coming in 2016... Hopefully I’ll have out more of my shifters and vampires,more Desires, and maybe even a little more BDSM for my kinksters out there.

Carter Quinn asks: What’s the answer to the one question no interviewer has ever asked? (You don't have to supply the question.) 

Oh, now that’s fun! hehe.... Yes, I have and it took a month to fully heal. Now you guess the question, LOL 

Jeff Adams askes: When you’re stuck on a story, what do you do to get the words flowing again?

Oh, now that is a major issue for me right now. I’m supposed to be finished with Dreamers’ Destiny, ha! But the words just won’t come. So... I put it aside and am working on Knots of Delight in the hope that taking a step or two away from it and getting the words to flow again will let me return to Cam and Liam and get their story done as well. Usually it’s just a matter of rereading the story to find my flow, but these two are being very... difficult.

LE Franks asks: What’s your favorite scene from your own work and the one that’s lingered longest from someone else’s. (Not genre specific.) 

Oh... now that’s a hard one for me. I have so many that mean a great deal to me. Things that are special for one reason or another. But if I have to pick one, and only one, it would have to be... (damn, don’t ask anything hard, huh?!)... The first time James shows Seth his art (this is in Designs of Desire, btw), it’s the first time Seth also visits James’s house, as that’s where James’s studio is. When Seth tells him which painting he wants and James tells him how much, Seth balks. James gets upset thinking Seth was trying to say he was charging too much, not realizing that Seth was insisting that James wasn’t charging what they were actually worth. It was a special scene for me because seeing worth in one’s own work can be very hard, it’s something I’ve struggled with, in fact. But to have the man you’re listing after tell you that you are worth more, that your art, your very soul, is worth more and that you are special is something that flowed from my fingers to the page and made me smile and want to cry. Seth is the man I wish I could find (could you tell?)

As for the one someone else mentioned... wow. I’ve had readers write to me and mention so many things. The one that comes to mine the fastest right now is when Rhys (said Rise, not Reese, btw) removes Chase’s wrist cuff and kisses the scars there. The words he speaks and the look he give Chase. I’ve had so many wonderful emails about that scene alone that I could wallpaper my bedroom, I think. I love those kinds of emails and IMs, btw. It’s wonderful to know that my guys touched others!

Morticia Knight asks: What is your favorite genre to read? Least favorite?

To read? Paramornal (m/m or m/f, either is good with me, lol) Least fav? True horror. Not like Steven King, whom I love, but the gross, violent, depressing, nothing but nasty and in the end you go, “why the hell did I read that? Ugh!”

Nic Starr asks: Tell us about your writing environment and where your writing time fits into your daily or weekly schedule. 

Environment? Haha! I wish I had a neat little writing cave. But I write either in bed or in a recliner in the living room with my kids around me. I write when my health allows. Between the chronic pain, fibro, and rather ill controlled migraines and chronic headaches, I don’t have a writing schedule. I write when my head is clear enough to write. If I could write faster, I swear to you, I would put more out! I love writing. I love sharing my men and their love with all of you!

Nicole Dennis asks: How do you manage all of your new plot bunnies and what is your process to work on one? 

LOL! Um... If it’s one that is in the current story, I let it bounce as it may unless it gets too out there and then I herd it back under control. Sometimes that’s a great thing! Without plot bunnies Designs of Desire would have been a standalone story and that would have been it. Just one book, all alone. But Chase wouldn’t behave. Rhys and Dal weren’t about to play fair either. And next thing I knew, between bunnies and readers/authors demanding more, I wound up with a series and more to come.

If it has nothing to do with my current story. I write it out as a starter and set it aside. If it keeps picking at my mind, I’ll go back and write it out fully and see where it goes. That’s worked for me so far. My upcoming story, Whiskers of a Chance, started as a bunny, then a short, then a full novel, so bunnies can be damn useful if not yummy.

TM Smith asks: What keeps you focused when writing? 

My betas! Taskmasters is more like it. When others read as you write, it help keep your writing focused and helps make sure you keep you plot holes and deviations to a minimum—at least in theory, right?

My own question: In a perfect world, would you write full-time? If so, would it be mm/LGBT or would there be some mf in there too? (I love a mix for reading, personally.) 

I would. I know it’s my question, but that’s so not the point. I love writing and would love to truly make a living doing it. I would keep my writing within the GLBTQ+ genres simply because that’s me and that’s what I’m comfortable writing. I don’t mind reading some m/f, but I would never be comfortable writing it. 

Wade Kelly asks: What influenced your decision to write in this genre? 

That’s a funny story, really. I never intended to write m/m. I was upset over the way I was treated and had vented to a friend of mine. The suggestion was for me to create a character and give that character my health issues then give that character the HEA I wanted. It was meant as a personal journey, really, but I chose to make the MC male and give him a male love interest. Then I got into Six Sentence Sunday (which I miss, btw) and wound up with a following.

I ended up sending it to Dreamspinner Press once I completed the story and found that I loved writing m/m so much and the characters spoke to me so much that I couldn’t turn away from the stories or the writing. I can’t imagine turning away from m/m ever and am so glad I was pushed to write DoD in the first place!

Check out Tempe's works for a chance to win!

Whiskers of a Chance
by Tempeste O’Riley
M/M Contemporary Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Catt Ford
Release Date: September 30th, 2015 (ebook/print)
Length: Novel 

Order: ♥ ♥ Dreamspinner Press ♥ All Romance ♥ Amazon ♥ ♥ 

Add to: Goodreads

Jason Grant runs his own IT business from home, owns his own home, and has the best friend he could imagine. What he doesn’t have, or believe he will ever have, is love. When Jason catches a glimpse of his new neighbor on moving day, his libido ignites and his fascination in piqued. He even manages to concoct an excuse to go over and meet the man who makes him hope and want for more than he has in years.

Keith Skyler is a shifter in a world where his kind is known to only a few, but they don’t often mix and they never mate. Keith has been hoping for a mate since before he can remember, but gay lynx don’t have true mates. As far as he knows, they don’t have mates at all. However, while moving his little family across Seattle—and away from their tribe—his reality tips and spins more than he thought possible.

When these two men meet over a dish of five-cheese broccoli-noodle casserole, sparks fly. Who knew a welcome to the neighborhood gift could give both of them their chance at love?

Excerpt from Whiskers of a Chance:

Keith’s body pressed against his back. Without thinking, he leaned back into the warmth and strength now surrounding him. He’d caught a whiff of the man’s earthy scent before, but now it seemed as though it poured off him, seeping into every nerve and thought Jason had.

“Why?” Jason breathed, unsure what to do next. He knew what he looked like, and at just a touch under six feet tall, with somewhat dirty blond hair cut in a conservative, business look, and lackluster hazel eyes, he couldn’t believe a man with Keith’s rugged, model-worthy looks could really want him.

“I think it was the serious look on your face as you watched us unload.” He felt a shrug against his back. “Or maybe the activity you got up to later was what caught my eye. But either way, I was hoping you’d come over soon.”

Keith traced his ear with the tip of his tongue, sending shivers through Jason’s suddenly superheated body. “A-act-tivity?” Jason asked. He hadn’t thought anyone could see him.

Keith pressed against him tight, letting Jason feel how hard he was—and how big. Damn! “Oh yeah. I dreamed about you, about taking you in this very kitchen.”

This couldn’t be happening. Keith wanted him too? “And what did you p-picture us doing?”

“I’d rather show you,” Keith whispered into his ear before sucking the lobe into his hot, wet mouth and biting gently.

Jason nearly came just from that little action. “Oh God.” He whimpered, pushing back and rubbing his butt against Keith’s rigid cock. “You—I— Oh, please,” he choked out. He never did things like this, but right then, all he could think about was how perfect Keith would feel deep inside him, filling him, taking him right there on the counter.

Keith spun him around to face him so fast Jason got dizzy. He looked up, confused, before Keith took his mouth in a rough, demanding kiss that stole his breath and what was left of his thoughts. His world condensed down to the sweet bite of teeth and the wet slide of Keith’s searching tongue as he mapped and ate at Jason’s mouth. He was vaguely aware of moans and pleading whimpers, but he couldn’t focus on anything but the man currently devouring his very soul.

Keith’s fingers dug into his hip, hard enough he knew he’d have bruises later—a thought that brought more heat to his passion and joy to his battered heart. He snaked his other hand up to Jason’s head, his fingers threading through Jason’s short hair, and tugged enough to drive his want and need higher. Keith used his grip on Jason’s hair to tilt his head to the side and back, eliciting more breathy sounds from Jason. Keith kissed down his neck, nipping as he went. He rubbed his cheek against Jason’s and demanded roughly, “Tell me I can have you. Right here. Right now.”

Before he could make his mouth work, Keith bit him, sinking his teeth into the flesh where his neck and shoulder met. Instead of saying yes, as he’d intended, Jason keened high and loud, the sound echoing through the kitchen. Keith swiped his tongue over the now-tender skin before kissing his way back up his neck. “I need to hear you say it. And as much as I love the sounds you’re making, you have to answer me. Now.”

The deep, rumbling words edged him closer to oblivion. God, but he loved a man who knew what he wanted during sex. “Y-yes,” he panted and rocked his trapped dick against Keith’s. “Please, yes.”

The possibility for any more words was cut off when Keith plunged his tongue back inside Jason’s mouth, grinding their cocks together as he thrust in a way Jason hoped Keith would soon be doing a bit lower.

Other Books By Tempeste:

♥ Designs of Desire ♥ Bound by Desire ♥ Desires’ Guardian ♥ Temptations of Desire ♥ Truth in Lace ♥

♥ ♥ Grand Adventures ♥ Hope & Love ♥ Caged Sanctuary ♥ ♥

About the Author:

Tempeste O’Riley is an out and proud pansexual genderfluid whose best friend growing up had the courage to do what she couldn’t–defy the hate and come out. He has been her hero ever since.

Tempe is a hopeless romantic that loves strong relationships and happily-ever-afters. Though new to writing M/M, she has done many things in her life, though writing has always drawn her back–no matter what else life has thrown her way. She counts her friends, family, and Muse as her greatest blessings in life. She lives in Wisconsin with her children, reading, writing, and enjoying life.

Tempe is also a proud PAN member of Romance Writers of America®, Rainbow Romance Writers, and WisRWA. Learn more about Tempeste and her writing at http://tempesteoriley.com.

Website ♥ Tempeste's Temptations ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥ Google + ♥ DSP ♥ Blog

"Dirty Dozen" 

blog hop

12 GRL Authors | 12 Question Q&A | 12 book Giveaway

Here's who is hosting whom and when... 

September 24th | AE Via is hosting Wade Kelly

September 25th | Aisling Mancy is hosting Tempeste O'Riley

September 28th | Alexa Land is hosting TM Smith

September 29th | Carter Quinn is hosting Nicole Dennis

September 30th | Jeff Adams is hosting Nic Starr

October 1st | LE Franks is hosting Morticia Knight

October 2nd | Morticia Knight is hosting LE Franks

October 5th | Nic Starr is hosting Jeff Adams

October 6th | Nicole Dennis is hosting Carter Quinn

October 7th | TM Smith is hosting Alexa Land

October 8th | Tempeste O'Riley is hosting Aisling Mancy

October 9th | Wade Kelly is hosting AE Via

ONE lucky winner will receive an e-book from each Author on the hop. Most Authors have submitted winner's choice from their backlist, but a few have listed a specific title.

AE Via: Winner’s choice, one book from the Nothing Special series

Aisling Mancy: Joyeaux Noel by Aisling Mancy (adult) or Safe by C. Kennedy (young adult)

Alexa Land: One ebook copy from the  'Coming Home' series, or Winner's choice from my backlist.

Carter Quinn: Winner’s choice, one book from Carter's backlist

Jeff Adams: Winner’s choice, one book from Jeff's backlist

LE Franks: Winner's choice, copy of 6 Days to Valentine or Can This be Real

Morticia Knight: Winner’s choice, one book from Morticia's backlist

Nic Starr: Winner's choice, copy of Andrew's Promise or More Than a Friend

Nicole Dennis: Winner’s choice, one book from Nicole's backlist

TM Smith: Winner’s choice, one book from TM's backlist

Tempeste O'Riley: Winner’s choice, one book from Tempeste's backlist

Wade Kelly: Winner’s choice, one book from Wade's backlist

Just think, you could have every book you see pictured above on your e-reader. 

That should keep you busy for a while! 

Be sure to follow the hop and see how all 12 questions might be the same, but the answers will be wildly different. And show your support by sharing each days post on your social media accounts!

Good luck everyone! See you in San Diego!

**** to enter the giveaway leave a comment below - you can visit EACH stop on the hop via the links above by their name, and leave a comment at EACH stop for additional entries. At the end of the hop I will put EVERY comment from EACH stop into a hat and draw ONE lucky winner ****

REMEMBER TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN YOU COMMENT SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN. NO EMAIL ADDRESS, AND, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU FORFEIT YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!