In my recent release, Death by Delilah, the spirits of Delilah’s grandparents play a major part.  Because they are disembodied voices, we cannot see what they’re doing.  Heck, they can’t even see what they’re doing!  LOL.  Anyway, since my books are often “experimental speculative fiction” I sometimes need to qualify what readers are reading with a bit of explanation.  As soon as you get into the swing of the story, you’ll get it. My fellow LAW members are more apt to ask, “What’s not to get?” but that’s because we share the same wild writer’s imaginings.  Enjoy! 

Death by Delilah

Ashlyn Chase

Delilah Mills, a navy enlistee, is on the verge of finding true love. All she needs is a little push or so her grandmother believes. The elder Delilah can’t resist the urge to meddle with her namesake—even if she’s a ghost and her influence is limited.

Joshua Sparks, a naval officer attracted to Delilah since their teens, discovers the crush has been mutual all these years. Back then, he let her mixed race and his parents stop him.  Now, the Navy says they can’t date.  One night they throw caution to the winds and not only can’t undo what they did, but don’t want to.

Can two Navy lovers, equal in resolve but not in rank, secretly live together off base, without discovery getting one of them transferred to the Middle East? 

<i>Publisher Note: A shorter version of this book was previously published elsewhere under the same title.</i>

R Excerpt:  To clear up any confusion—the ghosts do NOT observe the couple having sex.  The elder Delilah (ghost) just loves to tease her husband.  Here’s the clip where that happens.

“For heaven’s sake, Delilah. They’re about to grind their coffee.”

“I still don’t know what—”

“Roll in the hay, bury the bone, shake the sheets, ride the rocket, sink the soldier,

dance on the mattress, knock boots… You know damn well what I mean.”

“You mean they want to have sex now?”

“Genius!”

“Well, why didn’t you just say so?”

“I did. About a dozen times.”

“Yeah, in some kind of World War II code. How the heck was I supposed to figure

that out?”

“Do I really have to keep telling you to give the kids their privacy?”

“I turned my back five minutes ago. I knew they wanted to have sex.”

“You what?”

“I knew they wanted to have sex, not doodle their canoodle or whatever the heck

you said.”

“You’re killin’ me, Delilah.”

“And I keep telling you—”

“I know, I know. I’m already dead but if I was alive again, you’d be killin’ me.”

“If we were both alive again, I’d be doodling your canoodle right now.”

“Now you’re talking! Let’s get to the second part of that continuing education class

on out-of-body sex.”

“Sure. What’s it called, ‘Knocking Boots When You Don’t Have Feet’? Or might it

be something like ‘Burying the Boneless Ham’?”

“It’s called ‘Making Love in the Astral Realm, Part Two’.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No. Why? What’s wrong with that?”

“We can learn to have sex but you leave my astral realm alone.”

* * * * *

“Are you feeling what I’m feeling?”

“If you’re horny, then, yes.” Delilah wrapped her arms around Josh’s neck and

pulled him down close enough to nip his earlobe.

They groped and wriggled to loosen and shed their clothes as fast as possible.

Delilah, caught in her pantyhose, toppled off the bed and onto the rug. “Oomph.”

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” Josh extended his hand, ready to help her up.

Instead she yanked him toward her and said in her sexiest voice, “Why don’t you

come and see?”

He grinned and kneeled beside her. “Let me take a good look.” He ran his hand

from her ankle, up one leg to her knee, kissing it and then caressed his way to her thigh.

“This leg seems all right. I’d better check the other one.”

She leaned back on her hands and stretched out both her legs. Josh rubbed teasingly

in circles from her other foot to her other thigh. He avoided the spot in between and

continued up her sides with both hands.

As he reached her breasts, he cupped them and rubbed her nipples with his

thumbs. She closed her eyes, arched and moaned.

“Ah, there seems to be a couple of sensitive spots here. I think I should kiss them

and make them better.”

“Oh, yes. I want to feel your mouth on my breasts, Josh. Please.” Delilah arched,

thrusting her breasts forward.

He dipped low, drew one nipple into his mouth and ran his hot tongue around the

sensitive pebble. Sucking gently, he massaged the other breast. When he released it, he

asked, “Better?”

“Ohhh… Yes, that’s beginning to feel better.”

Available now from Loose Id

Pairing: m/f, m/f/m+

Buy it here

This one is a fun (I hope) romp, pure and simple. I had the idea and much of it written pre-Dark Elves I: Taken and thought it was a neat enough idea to resurrect.

Sorry, no m/m in this one. But… the cps saw a possible connection so maybe there’ll be a follow up story.

BLURB:

Alex dumped her and Jen’s not sure why. Okay, he’d been her first, but she thought she’d done rather well, sexually speaking. Why did he all of a sudden tell her that it wasn’t working out? What was wrong with her?

Ken, Bart, Davey and Jason—her best friends—all try to convince her there’s nothing wrong with her. In fact they seek to prove it to her… by first-hand example. That’s all well and good until Jen starts to freak about that. She’s sleeping with her best friends. What’s up with that?

****************************

© 2008 Jet Mykles, all rights reserved

We were laughing when we got back to my place. Read the rest of this entry »

Now available from Loose Id

My silly romp story is now available. Hope you enjoy!

BLURB:

Alex dumped her and Jen’s not sure why. Okay, he’d been her first, but she thought she’d done rather well, sexually speaking. Why did he all of a sudden tell her that it wasn’t working out? What was wrong with her?

Ken, Bart, Davey and Jason—her best friends—all try to convince her there’s nothing wrong with her. In fact they seek to prove it to her… by first-hand example. That’s all well and good until Jen starts freaking out. She’s sleeping with her best friends. All of them.

What’s up with that?

Read an excerpt

Take a trip on over to Fiction with Friction to read my fireworks post “Glory Boy” for the Fiction with Friction fireworks week.

Pairing: m/m

Eric’s ready for a typical, boring town picnic for the 4th of July. He’s not prepared when the town’s glory boy starts to talk to him.

I’ve been writing for just over a year and I seem to get one question more often than any other:

How do you create your paranormal worlds?

Honestly, I often start with a little plot bunny of an idea and see where it will take me once I add some spice from my knowledge of modern paganism, mythology, and a dash of just being wacky. Sometimes the additions are from a single resource but sometimes they are from all over.

I do have a few cardinal rules for myself when I build a world:

The reader must be able to relate to the world.
I find it difficult to read stories where the world is so alien that it has nothing in common with my real world frames of reference. Would the life of a space-going amoeba call to me? Probably not. In order to not have the reader too off balance, it’s good to make sure the paranormal world is near enough to seem famailiar but different enough to be exciting and interesting.

The world must be consistent within itself.
The world has to make sense. I get really frustrated with worlds where rules contradict themselves and seem like they could never make a cohesive, unified world. If the people worship trees, should they cut down trees to use as fuel?

The world should be different
The world I build should not be like every other paranormal world out there or it loses its luster. The more similar it is, the more readers will expect it to behave the same way as similar worlds, as well. I really enjoy taking the more established paranormal mythos (vampires, werewolves, etc) and giving them a half twist to see what comes out.

The characters must be part of their world, not mine.
The ways the characters behave or act, the phrases they use, etc must be integral to the world they inhabit. This paranormal world must be their natural environment and not a departure that would cause them to make note of something that should be normal. So someone living in a world where vampires are the norm and aren’t hiding wouldn’t freak at just seeing one. A pagan character would probably not use “Hotter than Hell” if their belief system didn’t include a Hell that is believed to be hot.

This can be especially tricky because we all have a tendency to fall into commonly used phrases or slang and that’s something that will throw readers right out of a story.

When I’m developing “rules” for a world, I write them down. Sometimes in painful and annoying detail, even. Then I ask my ever-so-helpful husband to read through them for me and look for things that don’t make sense. Sometimes I make changes based on his feedback, but not always, I admit.

I use this written record to then write the story but new situations or ideas often emerge as I do so and I add those to the world notes and make sure they don’t clash with anything already there before I submit the story.

Reviewers are Giving Me Mood Swings!

Okay, I can’t claim to be even keel all the time but seriously folks, a 5 one day and a 3 the next?  Then another 5 and then no rating at all, but a few unkind words.

I’m trilled and motivated to continue on and strive for excellence when I get a extraordinary review; and then with the next reviewer’s lackluster opinion, wonder why a mediocre writer like me doesn’t throw in the towel?  I can’t be alone in this, can I? Actually, I’m not. I know a New York Times best selling authors who no longer reads her reviews for the same reason.

My critique partner, who gets consistent 4’s, 5’s and top picks, blast her, says it’s because I’m a risk taker. I don’t write the same, expected thing over and over. To that I say, “Well, duh!” I—I mean, well done! That’s what I’m aiming for. Entertainment is my only goal. Maybe I’m easily bored, but I like my entertainment to vary from time to time. And in all honesty and modesty, I can’t say I don’t deliver. (Pardon the double negative.) To bring laughter and love to a world that badly needs it is my aspiration. To provide a healthy escape from today’s stress is a lofty ambition but I hope to accomplish it. I know these are tall orders, but on good days I feel as though I’ve succeeded and maybe I’ve chosen the right profession. On those other days, I think I should take up truck driving.

I’ve had some health problems lately and even though I was told I have to remain on this strict diet for the rest of my life doesn’t help my mood, it doesn’t affect it nearly as much as a crumby review. I cried in my doctor’s office last week. I’m embarrassed to say it was from grief and nobody died—just my “indomitable” spirit. He gave me his philosophy. He said, “Don’t you know the number one rule of life? It’s: There is no gratitude.” Yikes. I made sure I thanked him.

Okay, here is where some a**hole is going to tell me to grow a thick skin. Before you do that, be sure you can tell me where to buy the fertilizer and the “how to” book. Constructive criticism is welcome. Admonishment for being human is not.

Do I expect stellar reviews all of the time? Of course not. I’m actually my worst critic and uniquely surprised when a reviewer praises my book to the skies. So, if I want to keep this job, how do I get off the roller coaster? I guess I’ll have to do what my best selling friend does. Wear blinders and count my blessings. I have a wonderful supportive husband who pays the bills while I pay my dues. I have my health—such as it is. I can still work in my garden, walk on the beach and enjoy a beautiful day.

I know it’s against the rules to tell reviewers anything but “thank you.” Still, I’m going to do it. You can be nice when being honest. One of my recent reviewers admitted to being a “stick in the mud” when it came to what she liked and said that other readers who might enjoy something a little different would enjoy the twist in my story. That’s fine. A 3 isn’t enough for the overachiever in me, but the review was honest and respectful. And yes, though disappointed, I thanked her.

I recently decided to try a different genre. I know it’s starting all over, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t hear that constructive feedback. I think my style might be too audacious and not sophisticated enough for adults, thus I’ll be writing for young adults or those young at heart.

My first step is to read. I read every day, but now I’ll read what people in that genre are writing. So far, I’m pleasantly surprised. These books seem to run the gamut. The next step is to plot my own book—or series of books, and I have a great idea. Third step (and this is the one I’m not looking forward to) is selling the book. Try to find that needle in a haystack known as an agent who loves my voice as much as my present editor does, create a website, and promote my new pen name so my YA readers find the new me and not my erotic romance! 

Want to suggest a new name for me? I’m having a contest on our chat loop and the one who comes up with my new name wins a pink, Chanel silk scarf. The “rules” are simple.

1)      I must like the name and choose it from the entrants

2)      I must be able to look like a ____ (fill in the name.) I’m blond with green eyes.

3)      It needs to add up to #9 in numerology.  (My destiny or birth path number) Here is a quick numerology lesson.

Each letter is assigned a number. A single number from one to nine and then the order begins

A=1 J=1 S=1

B=2 K=2 T=2

C=3 L=3 U=3

D=4 M=4 V=4

E=5 N=5 W=5

F=6 O=6 X=6

G=7 P=7 Y=7

H=8 Q=8 Z=8

I=9 R=9 Nine is my destiny (or life path) number.  This is what you get by adding up all the numbers in your birthdate. 

> >

> > Start making suggestions!!! The ride won't stop until we have a winner!

To see what your number adds up to go here: a site for beginners which is all I can handle without my head exploding…
http://members.aol.com/AspireA1/index5.html

Have fun!

Ash

I am so pleased to receive the first review from Elisa Rolle: My Reviews and Ramblings. Elisa is a reader from Italy and often reviews m/m books, so I’m happy she enjoyed Brandon and Ron’s story!
Here’s a snippet from the review:

“The book is written if first point of view and follows Brandon’s thoughts. Like Brandon, also Ron seems to be a very “easy” man regarding sex, and so their relationship is from the start down and dirty. Ron has not a simple behavior, he sometime acts like a domineering man, and wants to be the Alpha of the moment, and soon after he seems to need the strenght and the reassurance of Brandon. Brandon instead is simpler, he has his scope in mind and he will do anything to reach it.

Happy Birthday to our Brigid aka Jeanne Barrack! May you have a fantastic day and be blessed always and more for all that you do.
From the LAW ladies

I was interviewed on a very cool blog recently called Nose in a Book. Shortly afterward, lisabea wrote to me and a few other authors and asked us if we’d name our “desert island keepers” or, in other words, the 5 men we’d choose to have with us if we were deserted on a desert island.

Not an easy list to come up with. Even harder now that I’ve read other people’s lists. It’s one of those things that after you read someone else’s list you think “oh man, I didn’t even think of him! I want him too!”

But I still stand by the list I came up with, which is: Luc from Purgatory, Radin from the Dark Elves series (yeah, I like my own guys), Batman/Bruce Wayne, and Jean-Claude and Nathaniel from LKH’s Anita Blake series. Galen from LKH’s Merry Gentry series was a serious contender too.

So, give it some thought. Who would you choose to have?

On this particular day, I wanted to recognize my fantastic friends: the Ladies of LAW. Our bond goes beyond friendship and I know no matter what comes my way, they’ll be there to support me. So while they may not be my mother….they are women who inspire me…fight for me…love me….just like a mother is supposed to do.

So….I raise my glass and thank the goddess, she sent such beautiful women into my life!