Dirty Dozen blog hop – 12 GRL Authors – 12
Question Q&A – 12 e-book giveaway
I'm absolutely thrilled to welcome author Jake C. Wallace to my blog today, as part of the Dirty Dozen blog hop gearing up for GRL 2016! I had the great pleasure of meeting Jake at Rainbow Con last year. Can't wait to raise a glass with you at GRL, my friend!
We're each answering 12 questions, one from each of the authors in the blog hop. Jake's answers follow, along with two excerpts from his New Vampire Justice series (which is fab, by the way)! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post for your chance to win a dozen ebooks, one from each of the Dirty Dozen authors!
Tams/Jake – If you could spend the day with one of
your characters, which one would it be, and why?
Tough question. Most of my characters are in danger most of the time. But
if you’ve gotta be in danger might as well be able to laugh. I would choose Shaney,
from Curiosity
Killed Shaney, because his curiosity brings him to do some pretty laugh
worthy stuff…like finding out what would hold tennis balls to the ceiling
longest, peanut butter and fluff and entering a creepy cabin where he trips
into a ceremonial circle, and absorbing an ancient power that caused all kinds
of problems.
Jeff/Jake- What are you working on currently and
what's it's inspiration?
Currently I am working on a rewrite of my story for the 2015 Goodreads
MM group’s, Don’t Read in the Closet event. If you don’t know about the yearly
event, readers/writer send in prompts with pictures of stories they want
written. Those who want to write a story choose a prompt that speaks to them.
Mine prompt was about Paul, a gay man who excelled in sports and life, etc. He is
severely injured in an accident that took everything away he loved. He retreats
from everyone. Anyone trying to help, he sends fleeing, intentionally. In comes
Jacob, a rehabilitation therapist who is too stubborn to give up, who won’t run
away. The original story was in Paul’s POV. Because of his anger and self-pity,
the story was really intense. This rewrite adds Jacob’s POV and breaks up the
emotional pounding on the reader. The past title was Divine Intervention. It
may change. Check my website for more info. Hope to self-publish this by the
end of the year.
Wade/Jake - If the lead character in your current
novel were to read your other books, which one would be his/her favorite and
why?
Paul from Divine Intervention before his accident wouldn’t have had the
patience to read stories where characters struggle to fix their problems.
Pre-accident Paul is a perfectionist, while having some empathy for others, his
focus is on winning from the start.
Paul after his accident. He would really like Diventando: The Vessel. Paul
has struggled to overcome something he couldn’t control just as Owen had to
when he learns he has an Incubus inside of him. Also, Paul’s dark personality
matches the tone of that book nicely. Also,
My question - If all of your MCs were thrown into a
strange and dangerous world where survival relies on ingenuity, creativity,
common sense who would come out on top?
Since all or my characters all have to survive strange and dangerous
events, I would hope they would all come out on top. If I had to choose though,
it would be Rex from Diventando: The Vessel. He’s over a
hundred years old and a demon hunter who can take a head off with the swing of
his sword.
Brandon/Jake - What musician or album do you think people
should listen to as they read your work because it fits the soul of your words
(either a specific title or your writing in general)?
If you’re reading the New Vampire Justice Series, then listen to Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. The
titles of all of the books come in some way from the lyrics. I love this song.
Queen is my all-time favorite band right next to Led Zeppelin. For all of my
writing, I listen to a group of artists/bands: Led Zeppelin, Original Queen and
Queen w/ Adam Lambert, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Hendrix, Queensryche, Jeff Buckley,
Evanescence, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Adam Lambert, Garth Brooks, Counting Crows, and
a few others I can’t think of.
Morticia/Jake – If you could be one of your characters and live their life, who
would it be and why?
Hmmm. This took some
thought trying to actually remember every one of my characters. Wow, when did
there get to be so many! I am going to say Jerricho from Jerricho’s Freedom. An
Anzuni demon prince who has the classic horns and tail that can be hidden, who
is set to become king, who has a smoking hot boyfriend. There’s just the fact
that he can carry children as part of the royal line. That may be a deal
breaker, lol.
Tempeste/Jake – If you could be a fruit, any fruit, which would you be and why?
Dragon Fruit because
anything with dragon in the name…awesome!
Jordan/Jake – What is the thing you enjoy most about gatherings like GRL?
I love getting to see
the friends I’ve made online again or meet them for the first time. When I
first came into the MM world as a writer, the welcoming I received in the
online community was wonderful, but there was something priceless that I found.
People accepted who I was inside, and partly because of that, I was able to let
that person out. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I feel accepted,
comfortable and finally belong someplace in this awesome community.
LE Franks/Jake –
What is the most vivid romantic moment from
any film that has lingered the longest and meant the most to you…. and why?
My finance would laugh
that I’m answering anything about romance in a movie (I told her it slows the
story down, lol). I’ve got nothing except that scene in Titanic where they’re in
the old car. I only watched the movie because my fiancé loves the movie, and Kate
Blanchett and romantic stuff in her movies. Damn, this is the hardest question
here! Okay, I don’t have one but the entire Buffy and Angel romance…the
tortured hot vampire with a soul in love with the vampire hunter. Yup.
K-Lee/Jake – If you could take any fictional couple or character (television,
movies, real-life, books) and add them to one of your books, who would it be
and why?
Spike from Buffy and
Angel. Surly, grouchy, evil, inflated ego…oh yeah. One of the best characters
ever.
AE/Jake – What kind of quirky habits do you have before or during the time
you write?
Love to be on the
couch, headphones, music blasting. I can’t write at a desk or in silence. The
music definitely focuses my brain. Not too quirky but definitely habits.
Alexa/Jake – When you write, do your characters hijack the story, or do you
keep a tight grip on the reins?
Those self-involved,
egocentric people do whatever they want, even turn a 12,000-word story into a
115,000-word story. But I have to say, I love when I realize where they’re
going with a situation. Sometimes it catches me totally by surprise, and I
can’t keep myself from saying “holy shit” out loud. Luckily I’m home most of the time when I’m
writing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dare to Love Forever: New Vampire Justice Book 1 (repub.)
Release date 9/26/16
If you read the first release and want to
know if you need to re-purchase, click here.
Blurb
Carson Locke is dangerous, even by vampire standards. A rare Tabula
Rasa vampire, he can wipe the mind of those he bites—human or vampire. Because
of this, he’s lived his entire life in isolation. When his family is murdered,
Carson runs from those who want him dead. Injured, starving, and about to be
executed, he meets Commander Lincoln Samuels, an officer in the New Vampire
Justice police force.
Lincoln, a Sanatore vampire, possesses the gift of healing. The moment
he encounters Carson, broken and terrified, trying to steal blood to survive,
he is compelled to help the other man—despite the risk to himself. Their bond
creates something the world has never seen, but others have plans for Carson,
and his destiny was written long before he was born. He’ll either become a tool
to control the vampire world, or, with Lincoln by his side, find the courage to
fight and become its savior.
Excerpt
…Lincoln
nudged the kid’s knee with the toe of his boot. The suspect flinched but didn’t
look up. Lincoln crouched and lowered his voice. “Hey, kid. What’s your name?”
Every muscle
in the too-thin body shook. There was no answer. From the scream he’d let
loose, Lincoln surmised he could talk. He touched the kid’s shoulder. Still he
didn’t move, but his shaking ramped up a couple of notches.
“I’m not
going to hurt you. You’re safe now.” Lincoln turned to his officers behind him.
Of course Dennison was the only one with his gun still drawn. “Holster your
weapon, Dennison.”
Dennison
hesitated, not bothering to hide his disdain. Lincoln raised his brow. Dennison
huffed, then did as he was ordered. Lincoln turned back to the kid. “The guns
are put away.”
The kid
raised his chin and cocked his head, peering past the dark hair covering his
eyes. Large brown eyes, filled with despair, sucker punched Lincoln in the gut.
He surveyed the vampire’s sharp cheekbones and jawline, sunken eyes and
hollowed cheeks, and… the reddest lips that contrasted with his pale skin.
Blood rushed to Lincoln’s groin, and his cock pressed against his jeans. Shit,
it was forever since he’d gotten hard on sight. A warm mouth on his dick was
generally required before anything stirred below—the hazards of a fuckton of
one-night stands and a dead heart.
Damn.
“When was the
last time you ate?”
The young
vampire stared at Lincoln, and then, as if he’d decided to trust him, answered.
“T-ten days ago.”
After ten
days the kid should have been attacking every vein in sight, even if he’d never
drank straight from a human. He had a shitload of self-control, especially with
blood pooling on the floor next to him.
Lincoln
looked to Max, who didn’t need for Lincoln to tell him how dire the situation
was. He released the kid. He swayed but stayed upright. Max pulled off his
jacket and rolled up his sleeve. It was dangerous to allow a starving vampire
near a vein, but someone had to feed the kid right then. Lincoln couldn’t be
the donor, even if he wanted. He’d have to make sure the guy didn’t drain Max.
Of everyone on his team, Max was the most levelheaded. No doubt he was the one
who called in the level-one situation. Lincoln trusted Max with his life, and
vice versa.
Lincoln
tentatively set his hand on the vampire’s shoulder. Power, immense and nearly
uncontained, emanated from the kid, unlike anything Lincoln had ever felt. His
cock hardened further. Those brown eyes. Fuck.
Lincoln
cleared his throat. “I’m sure I don’t have to explain the effects of blood
deprivation on a vampire. You’re already past the point where synthesized blood
will help.”
The kid’s
brown eyes widened, and he shook his head violently. “N-no. I can’t!”
That fear
came from only drinking blood from a cup his entire life. Didn’t mean he
couldn’t drink from the vein. The thought terrified most vampires who’d never
sank their fangs into flesh. Lincoln recalled his first bite at a certified
bite club his uncle brought him to. He was sixteen. Humans desiring the bite
were able to meet vampires who wanted to drink their blood. Lincoln had been
scared shitless. The wrong placement of fangs or sudden jerk of the donor could
severely injure the Non and possibly kill them.
For Lincoln,
drinking from a human woke some primordial, animalistic need. The human blood
was like an aphrodisiac. Without even taking his cock out of his pants, he’d
orgasmed, same as the Non guy he chose. That first bite unearthed a need
Lincoln was unable to ignore, bringing him back to the clubs every couple of months.
“I know
you’ve probably never done this before, but it’s not that hard. Feel for the
pulse with your tongue. That’s where you want to place your fangs. Bite down
firmly, but don’t go too fast. Stop once the blood starts to pool on the skin.
Pull out and suck.”
Restless
movements from his team told Lincoln they’d probably never seen a vampire bite
someone as well.
“You’re going
to feed him? What the fuck? He broke the law!”
Leave it to
Dennison to object. Lincoln clenched his jaw and ignored the rant. Max raised
his wrist to the kid’s mouth, but his reaction surpassed fear alone. He yanked
against the hands holding him. Terror-filled eyes were glued to Max’s wrist. A
war of need and fear raged in the depths of the kid’s eyes.
“I can’t! Get
away from me!” The kid gasped and fought for breath as if some horrible monster
stalked toward him. “You… d-don’t… under… s-stand!” His adrenaline-fueled state
increased his strength as he tried to escape the wrist before him. He was going
to hurt himself.
His useless
fight annoyed Lincoln. “Calm down, kid! No one’s going to hurt you.”
“Put him out
of his misery,” Dennison muttered.
The vampire’s
struggle ceased as his entire body stiffened. His eyes flashed white as they
rolled up into his head. He slumped forward and was out cold.
“Dammit,
lower him to the floor.”
Max and
Taylor laid the kid on his stomach. That’s when Lincoln saw the symbol tattooed
at the base of his spine.
“Fuck me!”
Things had
gone from bad to worse in a split second.
##
Bonus excerpt from the new story, A Chance for Us: New Vampire Justice Book 2
Release Date: November 11, 2016
~Max and Justin’s Story~
Justin gasped in a breath. Fuck,
he’d done it again. Max would be pissed when he got there. And he’d come
because he was the only one who could help. Then he’d see that Justin had
gotten lost in his head again, lost in the nightmares of his past. Max would
want to know why he hadn’t used the techniques from his therapist Walt. Justin
grunted. They never worked. But it didn’t matter. He was too far gone to get
back on his own. At that point, only physical pain or being wrapped up,
practically restrained until he couldn’t move, would center him and bring back
to reality.
Great, there was Doc talking with
Carson. Doc’s solutions always came in the form of a needle. Drug him. Justin
banged his forehead against his knees. Maybe he could bang hard enough to knock
himself out, or maybe have a stroke and become a vegetable like Tommy Dennison
upstairs. Then Max wouldn’t be burdened with a dependent head case. Max was
always pushing Justin to be more independent, rely on himself more. Max, who’d
rescued Justin, taken him in, held him whenever he thought he’d shake apart,
helped as Justin relearned to take care of himself, his cooking, his laundry,
and, hell, even to go outside without falling to pieces. Max’s bid to stop
Justin from relying on him was like a knife to his chest.
Justin had fallen in love with
Max. Max who was caring, attentive, unflappable. Justin had fallen in love with
his crooked grin, his wavy blond hair with the sides that always escaped his
ponytail, the way his glasses were always askew, his quiet and contemplative
demeanor. Justin believed Max didn’t see a potential lover in him, but a needy
little brother. Despite being only two years younger than Max, Justin was still
that sixteen-year-old, but now in a man’s body. He couldn’t make it through a
day without somehow clinging to Max. What kind of life was that for a straight
man who wasn’t even related to Justin?
His chest tightened and pushed
his rate of breathing higher. Something horrible was going to happen, and it
wouldn’t be his own death as he hoped. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, and
was going to lose it big-time. Again.
##
About Jake C Wallace
Jake C. Wallace loves anything
paranormal, supernatural, loaded with possessions, demons, vampires, monsters -
even the human ones - and things that go bump even in the day. Add in a complex
plot that has more twists and turns than a drunken snake and it's a winner.
Jake has loved writing since he was a wee lad, but he took a break for
marriage, kids, college, and another kid (in that order). A few years ago, he
picked up his pen...AKA laptop...and ventured into gay romance. At night and on
the weekends, Jake writes about all things men, believing there is nothing
hotter than two men finding and loving one another, whether for a night or
forever. An avid reader of M/M romance, Jake loves a good twist of a plot, HEA,
HFN, or tragic ending. He also writes what his bestie calls HUNK (Happy Until
the Next Kidnapping).
Jake has released six novels, many
short stories, and has four novels scheduled for release from Dreamspinner in
the next nine months - two repubs and two new stories. Besides writing, Jake is
a behavior analyst who works with individuals with autism and behavior
problems. He is owned by a beautiful partner, three kids, two grandchildren,
two dogs and one cat. He lives in Northern Vermont.
Website: www.jakecwallace.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jcwallacebooks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jcwallacebooks
Thank you, Jake, for stopping by my blog! See you soon, my friend!
Okay everyone, click on this link to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck!!
