Look at all the pretty covers!

July is going to be a very busy month for us, with 8 releases between the two of us. Amber Quill announced song paxes last winter, which we jumped on, both separately and together. Now, we've already shown the cover of Querida, but we have 5 of the song pax covers ready to share, as well as the cover for my August release, Walk Among Us.

First are our Jamie Craig titles...

The Hoolabaloo Musical Festival is one of the summer's biggest rock concerts, but Macaulay Jensen isn't there for the much-needed exposure. He's there to see a girl--rock and roll superstar Wendy DeMartino. Beautiful, wild, and wildly successful, Wendy is out of his league. So he is shocked when she agrees to an after-concert date.

Wendy has always been attracted to Macaulay, and she's thrilled when he asks her out on a date. But the reality of their lives is too pressing to ignore, and the most she hopes for is one perfect day…

* * *
Bobby Kendrick has idolized reclusive author, Dr. Parley Taylor, since he was a teenager. The only problem is, Dr. Taylor has disappeared. He finally finds Dr. Taylor in a tiny basement apartment in Kansas City, and the first thing Bobby learns about his idol is that Parley Taylor doesn’t want to talk to anybody. Especially his fans. But Bobby wants to show Taylor that the world is waiting for him, and he is not going to give up on his Nowhere Man.

* * *Then come the Pepper Espinoza titles...

Malachi Hawkins left his home to move west as soon as he was old enough. Running from a family secret that he can never escape, he takes a job on the ranch of an old family friend, Lee Rose. The first night he’s there, he meets Christian, Lee’s foster daughter, a young woman of mixed Comanche blood. They call her a savage and treat her like the family slave, but Mal doesn’t see a savage. He sees a woman of unbelievable strength and a kindred spirit. But his secret is bound to catch up with him, and when it does, it could destroy both of them forever.

* * *
After a horrible car accident, Guillermo “Guy” Rivera doesn’t even remember who he is. Suffering from amnesia, bound to a wheelchair with a broken arm and a broken leg, he relies on his in-home caregiver, Dane Mathis, to help him with everything from bathing to eating. Guy wants Dane to be more than just a caregiver, but Dane keeps his distance.

Six months after their relationship ends, Dane Mathis dropped everything to help Guy put his life back together. It is difficult to treat Guy like a stranger, but he knows he must not give in to his deep desires. He won’t risk Guy’s anger by revealing the true nature of their relationship. Or the reality of their past together.

Even so, Dane can’t help but hope that this is the second chance they have both longed for.

* * *Then there are the Vivien Dean titles...

Detective Brady Lindstrom deals in death, and not just because he’s a homicide cop with the slaughter of a century to solve. Ten years ago, vampires murdered his lover. Ever since, he’s looked over his shoulder, ready for vampires to strike again. Or maybe just the one he loved.

Exhausted and angry about the needless deaths he has to investigate, Brady worries that the killers he’s looking for aren’t even human. Those fears are compounded by an unexpected visitor, the battered and nearly broken Cole Singer, the lover he’d long ago given up for dead. When Cole offers to trade information on the killers in exchange for sanctuary, Brady realizes he doesn’t have a choice. He just can’t turn his back on the face of the only man he’s ever loved. Even if he’s a vampire…

* * *

As an artist in New York City, Calvin Shumacher finally has the life he’s always wanted. In fact, only one thing can get him to come back to Illinois—his father’s funeral. All he wants is to bury his dad and hightail it back to New York, but a sniper at the graveyard puts those plans on indefinite hold.

So does Matthew Soto. The gorgeous gunman who speaks of monsters wearing human faces. And predicts there won’t be a body for police to find.

Calvin doesn’t know what to think when Matthew claims he didn’t do anything wrong. All he knows is that this man’s haunted eyes seem to pierce right into his soul.

But as each of Matthew’s assertions comes true, Calvin slowly realizes this killer could be the only thing standing between him and an unspeakable evil…

Inspirations - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Pepper is about to enter probably what is going to be 6 of the toughest weeks of her adult life. She's got so much to work on and complete in order to finish her degree. That means we're mostly only writing what we absolutely need to in order to meet deadlines, and I'm left with a lot of writing time to fill.

So currently, I'm working on my contribution to the gay song pax that comes out in July for Amber Quill. I chose "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and - surprise, surprise - it's a vampire story, lol. Well, cop/vampire story. About a cop whose college boyfriend was vamped and almost killed him, and now 10 years later, the boyfriend is back in need of refuge.

I knew the type I wanted for my vampire (whose name is Cole, by the way). And I found him looking through model portfolios:


I wanted tall, dark, and lean, with long hair. I think I found him, lol.

So to counter Cole, I knew I wanted my cop - who's named Brady - to be a muscular guy. Tough. Hard. I saw one photo of Olympic swimmer Ryk Neethling, and knew I'd found him:


He's got tons of pretty pictures at his website, too.

And in celebration of writing gay love stories, I have to share this link. It's actually a rant about slash fanfic writers, but I think it holds true to any gay romance writing. Several of the items on his list just made me giggle hysterically. Go! Enjoy!