Welcome to Lex Valentine's guest blog

Lex Valentine on Men On Men

OMG! You write male-male novels? Men doing you know what to each other? Why?

I can’t believe people ask that question of me. Well, I suppose if they haven’t a clue who I am, have never spoken to me on the Yahoo groups, or read any of my interviews… they wouldn’t know why. Anyone who knows me even a little bit can tell you why.

Itsjustalyce: Why? Because she’s really, really – yes, I mean REALLY – good at it.
Me: *blushes and stammers*

I’m not tooting my own horn. Alyce really does say stuff like that and I really do blush. Gushing fans are new for me. I try to interact with people as much as possible which is why so many people probably know why I write M/M stories when I’m a basically het woman.

First, I have a pinch of hippie mentality. Free love and all. It’s all beautiful between consenting adults. Second, being het, I love male bodies anyway I can get em so why not doing each other? Third, men don’t waffle a lot when it comes to having sex or how they feel about someone. Their emotions are more straightforward than women’s. In a M/M romance problems tend to be because of caution (prior betrayal) or are external issues like a long distance relationship or families who don’t approve. Also, the sex can be rougher, the talk dirtier. I don’t know about you, but I like that. Rawr. Fourth, did I mention it’s just hot?

I’ve espoused my ideas on people specific sexual attraction in various places on the internet in the past. I’m not going to get into my whole lecture on hardwiring (which science has yet to prove) and soft coding (which is more real than people believe and fits the natural selection theory better.) I just know that I am not alone when it comes to the belief that if we are open-minded enough we’ll see that our sexual attractions are more people specific than gender specific. Author Adrianne Brennan has some of the same beliefs that I do. Her vamps are F/F just as my dragons are M/M.

Okay, enough on the why I’m writing it. More on what they are! My first full-length M/M novel is Fire Season and it’s the story of two male dragon shifters who discover they are mates. One dragon has issues with getting close to people. He doesn’t mind having sex with me though. The other dragon doesn’t have issues with getting close to people, but he’s been het his whole life and he has no clue how to be with a man.

This book is set in my fictional world the Darkworld. It’s the third in the series but chronologically comes first. Yeah, I know I’m a freak who doesn’t pay attention to the order in which things are “supposed” to be written. Meh. I write them as I want. There are things that are revealed in the second book that I didn’t want revealed until then. There are things in the third book I didn’t want revealed before one and two came out. It’s weird and complicated but then, that’s me!

Fire Season was released July 9 and has received all rave reviews! Wooo hooo! People are loving the bi-sexual dragon shifters! If you haven’t read them, and they sound like something you might be interested in, here’s the blurb and an excerpt. (On a side note: the first novellas in the series will be bundled together as Tales of the Darkworld, Volume One due out in trade paperback August 20.)

The cover was made by moi and I think the trailer is tres hawt! I’m so glad to be here today. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and hope you love Fire Season as much as I loved writing it.

Love, Lex

Buy Link

Trailer

BLURB:

Black dragon Holden Antaeus isn't looking for a mate. His life is filled with family, work, and dating. Women adore him and he's never short of offers for sex, but a relationship isn't something he's interested in. When Holden's brother Sean hires a new executive for Antaeus International, Holden's whole world, and everything he's ever believed about himself, is blown to bits. Garret Renquist is a green dragon, intelligent, witty, bi-sexual, and hot for Holden. Despite the fact that Holden is positive he's heterosexual, the moment he meets Garret, something happens inside him. What follows is a journey through stereotypes and ingrained beliefs as Holden struggles with the fact that his destined mate is a man.

EXCERPT:

Holden wanted to look over his shoulder to see Garret’s reaction. He didn’t. He returned to the main room of the suite and picked up his water, wandering out to the balcony to watch the sun rise. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes later that he heard a soft sound that told him Garret had joined him.
“Holden, I’m sorry.”
The softly spoken words caused Holden to release his breath on a sigh. “I am too, Garret.” He turned, his gaze caught and held by Garret’s. A wave of emotion, mostly indefinable, rose within him, causing an ache in his chest.
Garret swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Holden sensed Garret’s discomfort, but stayed silent, waiting for him to finish. He gave the man points for holding his gaze when by rights he probably wanted to look anywhere else.
“I was angry and disappointed and confused. When Rob came on to me in the bar…” Garret broke off and swallowed again. “I didn’t think you would care what I did, but that is no excuse. It’s just an explanation of my motivation. I know it was wrong of me to bring him back here on the day I found you. I’m so sorry.”
It had been a long time since Holden had met someone with the level of integrity that Garret had just shown. “I’m sorry too, Garret,” he replied in a low voice. “This whole thing was such a shock. And I know that’s not an excuse for my behavior. It’s just an explanation.”
He smiled as he repeated Garret’s words. The British man’s eyes lightened as a smile curved his lips. Holden caught a glimpse of brilliant white teeth as Garret’s smile flashed out and he suddenly felt sucker punched, his gut twisting with emotion. The urge to reach out and touch Garret overwhelmed him, just like the man’s scent filled his senses, until all he could think about was asking him to repeat yesterday’s kiss.
Garret’s eyes flickered. “You realize that a lot of what you think and feel bleeds out to me now,” he murmured. “Despite your natural shielding.”
Holden sucked in a breath. “If you know what I’m thinking then just do it, Garret, ‘cause the gods know I can’t yet,” he said in a shaky voice, feeling his heart begin to race.
Garret took the three steps needed to bring their bodies within inches of each other. Holden began to shake a little with fear and anticipation. The first kiss had been a surprise and filled with anger on both sides. This would be their first real kiss. They both acknowledged that they were mates, and that they felt some emotion pulling at them along with a steadily growing attraction. Regardless of the previous kiss, Holden didn’t know what to expect and when Garret’s hand came up to wrap around the back of his neck, he stiffened a little at first. Then fire licked through his veins at the feel of Garret’s warm palm on his bare skin. He shook harder.
“Don’t be afraid, Holden. It’s just a kiss.”
Garret’s soft whisper accompanied the press of his thumb against the underside of Holden’s jaw. Reflexively, he tilted his chin up and Garret’s mouth came down on his. Lust swept through his body as Garret expertly parted his lips. Holden gasped a little opening his mouth wider as Garret’s tongue glided easily against his own, the wet heat sending lightning bolts of desire shooting through him. This time when Garret’s hips brushed his, he didn’t move, letting the man press his growing erection against him. His own cock started to respond, twitching inside his shorts.
Just as Holden was about to let go and kiss Garret back, the British man broke off the kiss on a long shuddering sigh. “I think we need to go downstairs before I forget that you’ve never been with a man before, Holden,” he said in a shaken voice.