Favourite Couples

I write romance, and as I'm currently having a bit of a confidence crisis with my latest WiP I've been thinking about my favourite couples.

Now, I can't think of any in books that I like that much. You know, the couple that you route for. The one you "ship". Apart from maybe Darian and Ash from Glitterland. And there are definitely none in films. But TV shows... TV does good with the couples. I guess it's because it can be stretched out more than in films, explored more, unless of course the film is a romance (which, to be honest, I don't tend to watch). A good couple has a will they/won't they on/off thing going on. I also have to like both characters. But there has to be something more. Some chemistry. Something that'll suddenly get me on board that ship.

So, here are my faves.

1. Ste and Brendan from Hollyoaks. Hollyoaks is pretty good at having couples I like - Darren & Nancy, Dennis & Blessing (that moleman speech?), Paul & Mercedes, Carmel & Jim, Grace & Esther... But Stendan are the best. Ok, I'm not good with the whole domestic violence thing, but Brendan's tragic past and Ste's acceptance... I just love them. They were tragic and romantic and funny. Stendan in Dublin still makes me blub. The couple had a tragic ending with Brendan taking the wrap for his sister's murder of their nasty peodophile dad and ending up in prison, but the ride was great.

I'm going to link to music vids in case you're not familiar with the couples. Watch them. Even if you are familiar.

Stendan

2. John and Aeryn from Farscape. He's a human. She's an alien. He's a scientist. She's a soldier. Farscape is probably my favourite TV show of all time anyway - it's full of strong female characters and I absolutely adore Aeryn. They were on and off. Lots of tragic little moments and will they/won't they. But they get a happy ending. Complete with baby.

John & Aeryn

3. Seth and Summer from The O.C. AKA Summereth or Sethummer (according to Seth!) He's a nerd. She's one of the popular kids. It's classic. The O.C., like Farscape, is chock full of strong women and Summer is one of the best. She has brilliant character growth throughout the series, and she's also hilarious. They will they/won't they throughout but end up married and have baby bunnies. It's all good.

Seth & Summer

4. Percival and Gwaine from Merlin. AKA Perwaine. I'm cheating with this one because they weren't shown as being a couple, but we all knew they were totally doing it. I watched the whole series of Merlin for that one forehead touch moment, I swear. Tragic end, poor Percival was brokenhearted.

Perwaine

5. The newest one! Sienna and Trevor from Hollyoaks. I said Hollyoaks did good couples didn't I? They get two in my top five. Their story is still ongoing, but already we've had on/off will they/won't they moments, and lots of chemistry. He's a bad boy with PTSD. She's posh, with a tragic backstory and mental health issues. I don't know how their story's going to end. But I'm onboard the ship for the ride.

Trienna

~

A good couple has to be worthy of a montage. I can just about envisage one for Rowan and Daniel from my own Shuttered. I can definitely imagine one for Liam and Jimmy from mine and Liz Powell's Otherworld - they have all the hallmarks - on/off, will they/won't they, chemistry and tragedy. I'm not sure about my current WiP, but I'm working on it.

(You can buy both Shuttered and Otherworld from Amazon, plus various other online bookstores, or direct from the publishers.)

Rowan's Con

This is the very first of my video blogs. May also be the last, we'll see! But I promised my editors of Shuttered that I'd film myself doing the trick that the character Rowan does. It's taken me a while to get round to it, because I had neither a sherry glass, nor a brandy glass, but I found some in a charity shop the other week and bought both for about 75p. Bargain!

Please excuse the sound blip, I think I got a text. ;)

Ray of Sunlight by Brynn Stein - Guest Post

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Emma.

This is the last actual blog stop on my tour. Tomorrow will be a blog take over at Harmony Ink and Friday wraps up the tour as a Facebook takeover at Harmony Ink's FB page. Thanks to everyone who has followed the tour so far. Feel free to drop by the takeovers.

I tried something new with this book and had a book trailer made by Lex Valentine at Winterheart Designs. I love it. Go check it out if you get a chance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ctr82RV_j0 and let me know what you think of it.

Ray of Sunlight comes out today. I’m so excited. This is probably one of my favorite books so far of the ones I’ve written. Living Again will always be toward the top of the list, and Through the Years was fun because it spanned five decades. Haunted will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first. But something about CJ and Russ just grabbed my heartstrings and won’t let go.

I do have a couple more books coming up. For Mac will be out in May. It’s about Branson, who was raised by his homophobic brother, Mac. He has tried his whole life to deny that part of himself. When he meets Liam, he fights his own nature tooth and nail until love wins out and Liam helps him have the courage to be comfortable enough to live life for himself and not for Mac.

What No One Else Can Hear is coming in July. Jesse McKinnon is called (mentally) by a young empath who has been misdiagnosed with Autism and is living in a residential facility. Jesse travels across the country in search of Jimmy, but helping him proves to be more complicated than just showing up. Fate and a disgruntled ex-employee at the residential facility where Jesse now works combine to keep them apart and both would have been much worse off if it wasn’t for Drew Ferguson, another employee at the center and best friend (and eventually more) to Jesse.

Comment below for a chance to win.

Here’s how the giveaway will work. Visit as many sites as you want, as often as you want. Each comment will enter you to win one of the following prizes: 1^st) An autographed paperback copy of Ray of Sunlight, 2^nd) An electronic copy of Ray of Sunlight, 3^rd) Your choice of audio or electronic copy of Living Again, 4^th) An electronic copy of Through the Years, and 5^th) an electronic copy of Haunted. The takeovers for Harmony Ink’s blog and Facebook page will be part of the tour, so comments on there will count. I will draw the winners during the FB takeover and will announce them then, but will come back and announce it to all the sites too. So, you don’t have to leave your email address here if you don’t want to, just remember to check back. You’re also welcome to leave your email in the comments if you’d rather or email me at brynnstein2@gmail.com with the subject heading of “just in case”, so I can contact you if you win, if you don’t want to have to stop back by the blog sites. You don’t have to be present at the FB takeover to win.

Blog Tour Stops
3/3/2015	Bike Books Review	http://bikebookreviews.blogspot.com/
3/4/2015	Grace Duncan	http://www.grace-duncan.com/guest-author-brynn-stein-3/
3/5/2015	Susan Laine	https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/7982063-guest-post-brynn-stein
3/6/2015	Jo Ramsey	http://www.joramsey.com/blog/
3/7/2015	Alicia Nordwell	http://ciasstories.blogspot.com/2015/03/visiting-author-brynn-stein-with-ray-of.html
3/8/2015	Jana Denardo	http://jana-denardo.livejournal.com/
3/9/2015	Lex Chase	http://lexchase.com/blog/author/megs/
3/10/2015	Sean Michael	http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca/
3/11/2015	Charley Descoteaux	http://cdescoteauxwrites.com/
3/12/2015	Anne Barwell	http://anne-barwell.livejournal.com/98344.html
3/13/2015	Karenna Colcroft	http://karennacolcroft.com/special-guest-brynn-stein/
3/14/2015	Anna Butler	http://annabutlerfiction.com/2015/03/14/
3/15/2015	Nic Starr	http://becausetwomenarebetterthanone.com/2015/03/15/guest-post-ray-of-sunlight-by-brynn-stein/
3/16/2015	Shae Conner	http://shaeconnorwrites.com
3/17/2015	Jessica Davies	http://jessicaskyedavies.blogspot.com/
3/18/2015	Aidee Ladnier	http://www.aideeladnier.com.
3/19/2015	Emma Tett	http://emmy-j.blogspot.co.uk/
3/20/2015	Harmony Ink Blog	http://harmonyinkpress.com/
3/21/2015	Harmony Ink Facebook Page	facebook.com/harmonyinkpress

Ray of Sunlight

Brynn Stein

Russ Michaels has his whole life ahead of him but no plans beyond dropping out of school as soon as he turns eighteen. He’s been in and out of juvenile detention for the last four years and thoroughly expects to end up in an adult penitentiary at some point. He hates life and everyone in it, especially this latest community service that he earned in lieu of juvie yet again.

CJ Calhoun has big plans. He wants to bring joy and happiness to sick and injured children for as long as he can by performing as a clown. The problem is, he has stage-four cancer and a horrible prognosis.

When circumstances throw these two polar opposites together, they find they have more in common than they imagined. CJ discovers Russ’s talent for art and arranges for Russ to create a mural in the hospital foyer, which leads to a tentative scholarship to the Art Institute. As life changes in ways neither of them could have expected, Russ must work harder than ever to better himself as CJ struggles with his deteriorating health.

  

 

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6176

http://www.harmonyinkpress.com/books/ray-of-sunlight-by-brynn-stein-261-b

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25005560-ray-of-sunlight?from_search=true

Brynn Stein

Brynn Stein has always loved to write. Fan fiction, original fiction, whatever. While Brynn wrote in numerous genres—everything from mystery, to contemporary, to supernatural—she had always tended toward strong male characters. And then she discovered “slash,” male/male romance, and all those strong male characters were finally allowed to express their love for one another. It seems that there are always at least two characters clamoring to tell Brynn their story.

Brynn lives in Virginia near her two grown daughters who encourage her writing and provide a sounding board for fledgling stories. When she isn’t writing, Brynn teaches children with special needs. In free time, when such a thing exists, she reads anything she can get her hands on, and haunts bookstores. She draws and paints, and enjoys the outdoors—especially if she can get to the beach—and is always thinking about her next story.

Please feel free to contact Brynn at any of the following:
http://brynnstein2.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/brynn.stein
brynnstein2@gmail.com

Fixing the Hole by Katherine Halle

Today I'm joined by my Dreamspinner sister, Katherine Halle. Like me, Katherine is a novella author!

~

 Hi everyone!

I want to thank Emma for having me here today. This is my first novella with Dreamspinner so I'm pretty excited.

One of my MC's is Riley. Riley is twenty-eight, owns his own business and lives with his father. (It's cheaper and his father needs a bit of looking after – or so Riley thinks!). Riley is a bit of a chatterbox and basically would not keep his mouth shut. It was loads of fun to write him and he and Steve (the other main MC) got along like two peas in pod.

Steve is a lawyer and his best friend Dale says he only talks when he's in court. Except Steve doesn't go to court a whole lot. Like ever. Riley talks enough for both of them though and Steve is surprised to find it charming instead of annoying. It doesn't take long for him to imagine evenings at home, sitting in the living room, listening to Riley chatter on about the events of his day.

It's funny, it took me a while to realize it, but Riley reminds me of my kid. My kid is a total chatterbox. Could talk the leg off a dog! Flits from one subject to the next and really does not stop talking from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep. At times, it can be exhausting. There are many times I say to my husband, "My ears are full." Or I tease my kid, "You've used up your allotted words for the day. If you speak anymore you will be using tomorrow's words and therefore will have to remain silent tomorrow."

Despite all that and despite the fact that I really cannot write with all that chatter in the background? The house is almost too quiet when he is at school. So go figure. Anyway, writing Riley turned out to be a joy and I hope these two characters give me more of their story down the road because I would love to see what they're up to in about a year. And find out if Steve's ears eventually filled up.

Thanks again to Emma for having me today!

Katherine

Blurb:

Heavy rains and strong winds slammed an uprooted tree through Steve Crowell’s roof, leaving a gaping hole to match the one in his heart. After his ex left him for a younger man, Steve’s not sure he’s ready to handle another disaster. His best friend highly recommended the contractor, but the man’s already late, and when he shows up with his music thumping, Steve isn’t impressed—until Riley steps out of his pickup truck. Personable, gorgeous Riley talks a mile a minute, which Steve finds both ridiculously endearing and terrifying. Piecing together a heart isn’t as easy as fixing a roof, but Riley might just be the right man for the job.

Excerpt:

I was just about to look at my watch again when I heard a pickup truck come rattling up the driveway, loud pop music blaring from the open window.

Silence reigned when the engine cut off. I watched as a wiry young man opened the door and stepped out. I looked him over and took in the muscular legs shaped by a tight pair of jeans. My gaze roved over muscles barely contained by a fitted, army green Henley, finally landing on bright green eyes set in a young face under a military-style buzz cut of brown hair.

"Hi." The young man strode forward, his hand outstretched. "I'm Riley Jones and you must be Steven Crowell. Sorry for being late. My dad tried to convince me to make him eggs and bacon instead of the oatmeal he should be eating for his heart, and he wouldn't let up until I promised to make him a big breakfast this weekend."

Confused by this outpouring of information, I found myself stupidly saying, "Breakfast?"

"Yeah, my mom died when I was in junior high, so it's been the two of us for so long that I just never moved out. I mean, I was gone during college, but then I came back, started my contracting business and it was just cheaper to live with him than get my own place. Then he had some heart trouble and if I don't make him eat right, he'll just eat burgers and fries or those god-awful frozen dinners all the time. And wow, sorry, I just keep talking, don't I? Why don't you show me what you need done, Mr. Crowell?"

Buy Links:

Dreamspinner

Amazon

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Bio:

Katherine Halle is known as the “Queen of Happy Endings.” She firmly believes that no matter what the obstacles, what the struggles, or how much angst is involved in the journey, that the ending should always be a happy one.
 Katherine’s love of the written word started at a very early age with repeated demands of “read to me” to any who would listen. It was only natural that writing would follow. As a child, she could often be found daydreaming, thinking up fanciful stories and writing them down. Now she does it on a laptop. Much faster.
 Katherine’s favorite animal is her dog. She likes books, movies, and quirky television shows, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Hart of Dixie. She loves cooking and watching cooking shows. She has lived in both Europe and the United States and loved both. When she’s not writing or plotting, Katherine enjoys spending her time listening to music, reading books written by other people, and being with her family.

You can find Katherine here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatherineHalle

Blog:  http://katherinehalle.wordpress.com/  or http://thraceadams.dreamwidth.org/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5761673.Katherine_Halle

Email: katherinehalle@yahoo.com

Otherworld release day

So, Otherworld by me and Liz Powell, is released from Torquere Press today!

Archetypal English toff William "Liam" Barnes is in big trouble. He's borrowed money from Irish gangster Davey McGrath with one simple proviso: get the prism from Matthew Luttrell - seducing him if he has to - and bring it back to him. But the prism isn't with Matthew, and Liam makes a decision he can't undo, meaning he's now twenty thousand pounds in debt to a vicious gangster and has no idea where to find the prism.

That is, until he meets stoic Irishman Jim Henvey, the real owner of the prism, who has a cruel demi-goddess of a mother on the warpath for him. Liam and Jim quickly find themselves tied up in each other's messes, and with more than just the mortal world out to get them, is there any way they can find their way out of a battle between dimensions together and still have time to figure out their feelings for each other? Or will they sink deeper into trouble?

I'm going to talk about locations used in the novel. There are a few different settings we used, some real, some not.

Liam's hometown, Charham, is fictional. It's set in Devon, which is a county in England's West Country, where I'm from. It's loosely based on my hometown - the market scene near the beginning of the novel takes place in my town's High Street where they have market day every Saturday. Then there's Ramsgate, in Kent - which is south east England. Ramsgate is real. It's a picturesque seaside town with a thriving fishing industry - perfect for Jim and his family.

Cork, where Jim hails from, is also real. It's the name of a town and county in the south of the Republic of Ireland. I have an Irish friend (though he's from Donegal, not Cork) who helped me with a lot of the Irishisms in the novel. The little Irish village of Ballinbrook in Cork, is fictional.

And then there's the Otherworld. The "in-between." Fictional? I guess we won't know until we get there.

~

Morning came and went. Liam woke late and cursed himself, knowing Jim had probably already gone out with his father on the boat. He'd just have to catch him on the way back, that was all, so he walked to a supermarket, brought himself a packet of cigarettes, a pasta salad, and a newspaper and strolled back to the seafront.

He peered into an arcade and watched two young lads kicking a penny drop machine until they set the alarm off, then they barged past him as they raced away from the owner and ran down the street, laughing.

He walked a little farther and sat down on a bench overlooking the sandy beach. The harbor was to his right, and he gazed at it for a little while until the wind caught at his newspaper and he had to snatch it up before it lost pages. He folded it in his lap and weighed it down with the pasta salad, cracking open the lid and pulling a face at the ridiculous little plastic fork.

He ate, watched people go by, smoked a cigarette, and looked up at the time on the town's clock tower, too lazy to pull back his sleeve and look at his watch. It was 1:30 p.m. and he had no idea if fishermen returned to harbor to eat their lunch.

The local paper was vaguely amusing if only to see how the other half lived. An article on oiling seagull eggs from the previous edition had apparently sparked letters to the editor in this one. Mrs. R. Fisher seemed to think it barbaric and actively encouraged the gulls to her garden, while Mr. V. Langley said the birds were a menace and needed to be shot.  

Otherworld is published by Torquere Press. Buy it here

You can follow me on Twitter: @emizzy. Or visit my website: ejtett.weebly.com

Also by Emma Jane:

The Queen's Guard - a short story published in Torquere's Men in Uniform anthology

Compulsion - a short story published in Dreamspinner's Hot off the Press anthology due for release November 2014

Shuttered - a novel published by Dreamspinner Press, due for release December 2014

Also by Liz Powell:

Hunted - a novel published by Manifold Press