An Anthology for Charity

Coming from the Empire Trust for Charities Worldwide, Five talented Empire Authors team up to weave together An Empire Of Broken Hearts, a masterpiece of short stories brought together in one anthology for charity.






Sharon Lea Ford brings us a tale of the Australian Outback, a young woman and a Jackeroo experience love and the trials of living the farm life. This story will tug at the heartstrings and give us pause to be grateful for what we possess.



G.B Hobson tells of the far-reaching repercussions of a woman's unrequited love. Two men forbidden by religion and culture to live in a loving relationship must decide if life is worth living halfway or if their love can cross all barriers.



Geoffrey Knight delivers a melancholy story turned sweet, woven around two young boys. Their lives lived in shades of grey until a chance encounter brings them together for one colorful day of fun, fascination, and what it is to first fall in love without even knowing what it means.



Savannah Chase shows us chance encounters between a woman and a man can create something truly special. Even if tragedy strikes it can leave behind the greatest miracle of all. There is nothing more powerful than the love between two people.



Justin James tells a traumatic story of being victimized. When inner strength fails, and the pieces of body, soul and spirit must be mended, an angel is needed. One random act of kindness brings together two people, allowing the healing process to begin and a new story to unfold.    purchase here



What is Empire Trust?


When Dare Empire eMedia Productions first decided to begin the project of compiling stories for an Anthology, the CEO and all the Authors involved decided that they wanted to give the proceeds from the Anthology to Charity.  They each chose a few Charities that were close to their hearts and from that list four Charities were chosen to participate, and receive the funds as donations.  Due to existing partnerships and the adult content of the catalogue which the Empire presently has, most of the chosen Charities were unable to participate in the project.  


So, the 'Empire Trust' was borne.  The Trust, which is an account maintained by the Empire, is where all the proceeds from the Anthology will be sent, and kept in trust.  


The first of the Empire's annual Anthologies will release in November 2011.  On the anniversary of the release date, all the accumulated funds from the sales of the Anthology over the year will be divided into six, six Authors/six Charities, and the funds will be dispersed in equal parts to these Charities across the world.
That is how the Empire Trust will operate, once a year the Trust will be emptied into however many Charities for however many Authors we have included in the Anthology in any given year. 


What Charities?



Our chosen Charities for 2011 Anthology Trust Funds




The Royal District Nurses Association


Save The Children


YEAH - Youth Empowerment Against HIV/AIDS


National Breast Cancer Foundation


PLAN Canada


The Skin Cancer Foundation



An Empire Of Broken Hearts is an Anthology for Charities World-Wide. All proceeds from the sale of this title will go to the Empire Trust. For more information please visit www.dare-empire.com

I Heart Boston Terriers

I'm so pleased to announce the release of my latest love story, "I Heart Boston Terriers" as part of Amber Allure's pet-themed Heavy Petting PAX collection of romances.

I'm doubly excited because the cover model for this story is my very own Boston terrier, Lily. Although she'll never know it, the story is also dedicated to her.

Here's what "I Heart Boston Terriers" is about:

Love at first sight can work for dogs as well as humans.

When Aaron finds Mavis, an emaciated and timid Boston terrier, at a pet adoption fair, his heart goes out to her--irrevocably.

When Christian, who is manning the adoption fair for the Humane Society that fateful autumn Saturday, finds Aaron, his heart goes out to him--irrevocably.

I Heart Boston Terriers is all about embracing love, whether it's for someone who walks on four legs, or someone who walks on two. The Boston terrier Mavis' journey back to wholeness and finding her forever home runs parallel to the story of two men discovering one another at just that perfect moment--a moment that defies logic, propriety, and common sense.

But then when do the dictates of love follow a rational course?

Come along for a journey about a man and his dog and see how that journey teaches him the truth about love and making a caring connection that just might last a lifetime. 

Click to Purchase

And here's a little taste:

...Christian returned to Mavis. "I want to see you make this your forever home, Mavis. It's a place where you can feel safer and safer with every passing day."

Aaron loved what he was telling the dog, whether she understood or not. Aaron believed any creature could pick up on the caring in Christian's voice; he certainly could. But he worried about Becca. She hadn't left the door open for second chances or a "forever home" and Aaron was doubtful this one visit from Christian could change things so much that she would allow Mavis to stay after all.

One of the last things she had said, before leaving for her Internet date, was, "I was going to wear those Jimmy Choos today, too. Damn it. Those shoes were mantraps, I tell you." She had laughed, but Aaron could hear the regret and longing in her voice. He would never understand how someone, his sister especially, could allow a pair of shoes to take precedence over a living thing.

Christian held Mavis up and out to Aaron. "Here. You try."

Awkwardly, as if he were taking a newborn from Christian, he took Mavis into his arms, cradling her and letting one arm support her along her soft and warm belly.

"Just talk to her," Christian said. "Just like I did--let her know you care, but make sure she understands you're in charge."

Aaron met Christian's expectant gaze.

"Go on," Christian encouraged.

Aaron didn't know if he was doing the right thing, continuing to build a bond with a dog his sister had insisted go back to the pound. But Mavis was looking up at him with appellate eyes, as if she too were waiting for him to make his move. Aaron doubted anyone could resist those eyes; they were perfectly round, a rich deep brown, and stared out of a face that was, all at once, wise, soulful, and a little melancholy.

He kind of let himself drift into the dog's deep gaze and almost forgot Christian was there. He certainly forgot about Becca's wishes as he began to speak, gently stroking Mavis' head all the while.

"You and me, kid. We're two of a kind. Alone. A bit unwanted, yes." He massaged her neck. "But you and me, we both have a lot to offer, don't we? So we're not gonna feel sorry for ourselves, are we? We're both survivors, too, and we're not gonna let this temporary setback get us down permanently. We're going to remember that life is a series of sunshine and rainy days--and no one escapes either. That's the thing we have to bear in mind: that the rain does stop falling, the sun does come out again. It happens for all of us.

"It's happening for you, little stinker. Right now. You've found someone who's decided to give you a home, someone who's made the most important decision a person can make--to love." He let himself feel the solidity of Mavis' compact body against his own and knew, right then, that come hell or high water, sisters or shoes, nothing was going to come between this man and his dog.

"And while you may not love me yet, I think you will. If you get no other sense from my words than this, remember: I am not going to let anything bad happen to you, ever. Not if I can help it."

He released Mavis, setting her gently down at his feet, where she promptly curled up, calmer than he had ever seen her.

Gradually, he came back to reality and realized he'd probably just made an ass of himself in front of Christian. What he had said to the dog was heartfelt, but what if Christian had seen them as nothing more than Hallmark platitudes? He was lifting his head to give the guy one of his patented sheepish grins, when he noticed Christian looking at him.

If he didn't know better, he would say the guy was touched. And not "touched in the head" either, although he might be that as well, but touched as in something really got through to him.

Christian slowly shook his head. He didn't say anything for a long while and then what he said next wasn't at all what Aaron expected.

"Can I kiss you?..." 

Buy your copy here.

Spotlight author of the week at All Male Romance - http://www.allmaleromance.com/


Thanks for reading!


Rick R Reed


Visit: http://www.rickrreed.com  Follow: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/
Check out my latest release, the AIDS-era love story, Caregiver In ebook: http://bit.ly/srNWDT  In paperback: http://bit.ly/sBqive Kindle: http://amzn.to/vcrteK
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RickRReed Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RickRReedBooks

Rainbow Book Fair

Greetings!


I LOVE the fact that All Male Romance will be headed to the 4th annual Rainbow Book Fair in New York City!


rainbow book fair - exhibitors

PLEASE!!!! Stop by our table and check out the books and swag available!


Also, please note, last year we tried something new. There was a drawing for a mug and a gift card and a few other things. This did not go well. Not that people didn't come by and fill in the entry card-they did-but upon tempting to contact one of the winners, the AMR representative (one of our authors) was cussed out for 15 when the recipient returned her call and left a message. Needless to say, this discouraged the author from calling anyone else. If you won and received a call and didn't get your prize (we have the drawn cards, we know who you are); you may come up to the table this year and introduce yourselves and collect your prize. But please, don't fill in the cards with erroneous information.

Last year we gave out 50 free CDs full of free-reads from our authors! This is something we hope to repeat! Come by and ask for one!


We also did a survey  asking if you'd like a "news letter" sent out. Some people said yes and that MAY be something our organization will start soon.


That's all for now!


Tristan ;)

Xavier Axelson's new release: Lily

Blurb:

When Pryor's daughter Lily is taken by a wolf, Pryor is convinced she has turned into the creature he sees lurking in his woods.  He swears she promises to return to him. But is it his despair and desperation making him see things or is there something more lurking in the shadows of the forest?  When he meets Ned, a silversmith who helps him with a plan to bring his daughter back into his life, he begins to live again. But can his newfound love help ease the horror that may be waiting? What if the ultimate horror isn’t when Lily was taken but it’s when Lily returns and he realizes his nightmare has only just begun...

Excerpt:

LILY

I am Lily's father, my name is Pryor. It was a year ago last Father's Day when she was taken from me. I still believe being Lily's father is the most important thing in this world.

Unfortunately, my daughter dwells in another world.
* * * * *

I glanced at the necklace. Ned's pressed close to me, but the necklace I hoped would bring Lily back to me felt closer. Ned was soft in his sleep; not the bull of a man he was when he's awake. I loved him soft and I loved him hard. It was his hardness that grounded me, that brought me in from the darkness. The necklace caught the light of the fading moon and I wondered where Lily was tonight.

The old clock on the nightstand hummed quietly; its vintage florescent glow a pale mockery of the necklace that lay beside it and yet I heard the clock, it won in that department. Time always does.

Ned moved against me, I could feel his arms pull me close, felt the bulge of his muscles, his arms thick and powerful. He had never loved a man before me. I had only loved Lily. Once she changed, I had little left to love; in fact, I was certain love had disappeared from my life all together.

The clock still hummed, never quiet; it's old and made noise as if time itself wanted us all to know that it was passing and with each minute Lily fell farther and farther into the darkness. The tears came then and at the same time Ned's cock pushed more firmly against my back. He grumbled, pulled me even tighter so that I could truly feel his penis--not hard, not entirely soft--on the edge of wanting. A tear fell and I gasped a little. Seeing the necklace; hearing the clock, feeling Ned's cock, his muscles, I fell away into him and closed my eyes.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I was," I replied softly.

"No you weren't," his voice was sleepy; distant and yet he knew things, he knew I was awake, thinking about my lost daughter.

"It's Father's Day," I answered, skipping over my lie. "Do you think she will come?" I felt him nod and nodded in return against my pillow. Another tear fell.

"Come closer," he whispered.

"How much closer could I get?"

"Closer," he said again, a growl, a grunt; there was the bull I knew.

His lips brushed on my neck, a hand on my thigh stroking, touching, pulling a sigh from my mouth. I wiped a hand across my face.

"I never get sick of touching you," he whispered wetly, his tongue tracing my ear.

Smiling, I turned in his big arms and I could feel my thoughts ease. Ned had that way about him. 'Magic arms' I called him because he had this way of holding me that made me feel completely safe and for one man to be able to do that for another was amazing.

I kissed him and was happy to discover his breath was not bad but sweet, the trace of his toothpaste before bed still there and I smiled even as I kissed him. Ned sighed gently, his cock fully hard now, urgent, pressing. I reached down and stroked him through his boxers; he was already wet. I tried to pull my tongue from his mouth but he only pulled me closer, deeper; at one point I was almost certain one of us was going to stop breathing.

He finally relented but only because I jokingly squeezed his balls a little too tightly.

"Fuck, you make me nuts," he grumbled, we both laughed at his joke.

His hand reached for my cock; I slept naked so there was no flimsy cotton between his rough hands and my skin.

"You like that?"

I nodded, I did like it, I'd thought I wouldn't ever be able to like sex again, or any intimacy after Lily disappeared.

His hands were rough but I relished his edges; he touched me as if he knew me and, after a year, I guess he kind of did.

"You want me to suck it?" His voice was hoarse with his question; there was still a shy embarrassment behind it, as if he couldn't really believe he was going to suck cock.

"What do you think?"

My response excited him. I could see it in his eyes, even in the dark; the fading moon told me just enough.

When you had a daughter like mine, you learned a lot from the moon.

Where to find Xavier Axelson:

http://www.facebook.com/xaviersaxel

http://www.twitter.com/xaviersaxel

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/francis-xavier

http://www.xavieraxelson.com

Rocks Off

The inestimable Taylor V. Donovan asked me to stop by today to discuss orgasms, specifically the male experience of orgasms which (if our world is any indication) is different from female experience of same.

Any guy who knows his way around his willy tell you that climaxes can vary widely in intensity and pleasure from minute to minute. Getting off can feel as functional as blowing your nose, but it can also be cataclysmic and mind-bending. Context and content change everything! Thanks to Mother Nature, ejaculation feels good and the orgasm which usually accompanies it is never unwelcome. Endorphins feel good, yo. In fact, they are literally chemical enjoyment evinced by love, excitement, spicy food, love and the Big O.

Traditionally (and in most cases) men achieve climax by direct stimulation of the penis and women by direct stimulation of the clitoris. Okay, so that’s the majority. Anyone who has gotten a little more adventurous can attest that there are lots of ways to reach climax which don’t involve direct genital stimulation: less common yes, but the more powerful for their rarity. And let’s face it: while we can all grab a burger at McDonald’s, they are not the best or beefiest options.

In my experience, men tend to be a little more literal and straightforward about such things. It stands to reason: their primary reproductive tackle is on the outside so they tend to see great value in the external appurtenances of arousal and release. In males, orgasm usually accompanies ejaculation, but not always. And unless you’re talking about guys willing to push several envelopes, it’s a long haul from rubbing one out to hands-free fireworks. Can men get there? Sure. Will they? Depends on the guy, now doesn’t it?

Oh! And for the record, guys CAN have multiple orgasms, but by all accounts (and my own experience) they seem to be quite unlike female multiples. For one thing, ensuing ejaculations can become more strained and painful…subsequent orgasms more overwhelming and less pleasurable. The pleasurable return diminishes as energy (and jizz) gets expended, making the lucky shooter less relaxed and more drained, literally and figuratively.

What about orgasms in romance?

Male pleasure (in life and in fiction) is above all things a spectacle: tangible arousal, visible desire, palpable release. That makes sense: men CANNOT fake climax in the same way because their pleasure proves itself so their orgasms prove certain things to the other characters and their readers. Readers of romance like their heroes larger than life. For romance heroes, orgasms become the external observable proof of erotic fulfillment…the exclamation point on the sexual sentence. So of course, if you read a lot of romance fiction, male climax take on an elastic cornucopia quality: bigger, harder, wetter, longer. Factor in the exponential virility of your average M/M and the homo-gasms can get reDONKulous. Sometimes sultry, sometimes silly… and (as we all know) a fine line dividing the two.

For any male, the fireworks are more than just visible pleasure; during orgasm, an electrochemical tsunami and muscular quakes short-circuit the male anatomy. Yes there is (usually) gonna be a sticky spot generated, but there is also internal peak that gets scaled, not always in straight lines. That’s worth remembering both for writers creating fictional men and lovers bedding real ones. Men are more than spooge dispensers and the male climax can cover an extraordinarily complex landscape for folks who know what the hell they’re about. :)

Cookie cutter pop shots are a pornographic myth for men AND (I assume) women. The time and timing of orgasm changes the experience drastically and with a degree of finesse climax can be sculpted into something unforgettable. Different men seek, achieve, and experience climax very differently. As a man ages, sexual responses change; the volume of semen and duration of orgasm diminishes in all sexual activity. At the same time experience and exploration can radically change the quality and quantity of pleasure wrung from all kinds of intercourse.

Let me be the one to say it: people often claim that men think about only one thing. I’d change that to “PEOPLE think about only one thing and they call it by different names.” And while an inarticulate guy might tell you he just wants to “get off” you might ask yourself what he wants to “get off” of. We are not insects and our climaxes are as singular as anything else about us, regardless of gender or generalization. :) Love happens when we find the romance in the wet spot and the wet spot in the romance.

Note: Damon Suede’s book Hot Head is currently in the semifinals for Best Romance of 2011 over at Goodreads. It is the only M/M novel so nominated and is up against titles by Nora Roberts, J.R. Ward, Nalini Singh, and Gena Showalter. If you’d like to see a gay romance claim that spot please take a moment to give it your vote.

Books:

• Hot Headfrom Dreamspinner Press

• Grown Men from Riptide Publishing

~Damon Suede

Note: This blog has been re-posted from Chicks & Dicks