Being Thankful

By V.S. Morgan 

At this time of year, we Americans often take time to reflect on what we’re thankful for.  Like many who have experienced rough times in their lives, this reflection is powerful for me.

I’m hugely thankful for my readers. Writing is my dream, and I’m so thrilled I have wonderful people to share my stories with. Your enthusiasm and requests for more stories are greatly appreciated.

I’m also thankful for the author community and my family at Decadent Publishing. Writing can be a lonely business, but I’m amazed at the level of camaraderie and support from my fellow authors and all the staff at Decadent.

On a personal level I’m thankful for my family and friends. My husband and son are wonderful in supporting my dreams, and my dogs cheer me on as they snuggle in my chair while I write. While my day job drives me crazy at times, especially when overtime eats into my writing time, I am thankful I have a job, and have the ability to hunt for a new one.

As I was writing Rex’s Mate, the theme of being thankful came up. Aaron, one of my heroes, goes through a harrowing experience. He and his brother are abducted. He wakes up in a strange place to discover his brother is missing, and Aaron has been medically altered against his will. That’s a lot to handle! But Aaron, who is a loner by nature, finds unexpected sources of support at Pack Pawlak, including a cocky yet off-the-charts sexy protector. Without giving anything away, Aaron definitely finds reasons to be grateful during this difficult time.

Rex’s Mate begins with Rex in a lonely place. He sees the love between Hunter and Casey, and wants that level of connection too. But can he find it? And deep down he wonders, is he worthy of it? Aaron and his situation is way more than Rex expected to take on, but he’s never one to back down from a challenge. While he hates the men who caused Aaron’s struggles, he is thankful for finding this fierce and beautiful man. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for.

Blurb:

Former assassin Rex realizes retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be without someone to share it with. He longs for the kind of connection his friends Hunter and Casey have. Tired of meaningless hookups, Rex and his wolf are ready to find their mate. But what if his mate is the human-were bunny shifter his former boss placed in his care? Can he win the heart of this fierce and beautiful man?

Abducted and genetically altered against his will, Aaron is thrust into a world he’d thought was only make-believe. Under the protection of a Minnesota wolf pack, he struggles with his new abilities as a rabbit shifter and his growing attraction for his cocky protector. Can he trust the former assassin to keep him safe and find his brother still being held captive by the evil group responsible for changing his life forever? 

Excerpt:

Something tickled his ear, and teeth nipped the lobe. Oh, he liked it a bit rough.

“Oh yeah, baby. Bite me again. Harder.” Rex opened his eyes, finding himself on his side, face-to-face with the rabbit.

“Screw that!” He scrambled back, landing bare-assed on the floor.

Screw bunny?

His wolf’s puzzled response had him crab walking toward the door. How the hell had it gotten in bed with him? Hunter. That shithead.

Leaving the rabbit there, Rex shoved onto his feet and stormed upstairs to their room. He opened the door with so much force it slammed against the wall, causing Priss to bark at the end of the bed.

His righteous indignation diminished slightly with Hunter’s Glock trained on him. Maybe he needed to rethink how soft the former assassin had gotten. His friend lowered the gun and glared at him.

“What the hell, Hunter?” He planted his hands on his hips, more confident without a gun pointed at his face.

Casey sat up and rubbed his eyes, his reddish-blond hair standing on end. “What’s the naked, crazy man yelling about?”

Hunter covered the little wolf’s eyes. Shifters weren’t prudes, but he was one possessive dude now he had a mate. “What’s your damage? And go put some clothes on. Casey doesn’t need to see your man bits.”

“As if you didn’t know. I moved here, froze my balls off last winter, and how do you repay that friendship? By putting a rabbit on my bed. That wasn’t funny. I could have eaten him.” His stomach churned even though his wolf huffed in denial, insulted by the accusation.

No eat. Wolf like bunny.

Yeah, probably too much, you dumb wolf.

About the Author:

V.S. Morgan has lived all over the US but calls Minnesota her home now. Her family includes her hubby, son, and a menagerie of pets.

She's been writing stories since she could hold a pencil and dreams of happily-ever-afters - even for two hot men - because love knows no boundaries. V.S. writes IRMC contemporary, paranormal, and suspense m/m and m/f with heart. 

V.S. is a GLBT ally and a lifetime contributor of The Trevor Project.

Author Links:

Website || Twitter || Facebook || Goodreads || AmazonAuthor Page 

Audio Love

By V.S. Morgan

     I LOVE TO READ. Shocker, right? Like most authors, I’m an avid reader. While one of my absolute favorite things to do is to curl up in my recliner with my e-reader and my two dogs, I have to do stuff…sometimes boring stuff…like laundry, working out, and going on long road trips. And that makes audiobooks one of the best inventions of all time!

My best friend is always on the go and listens to audiobooks almost exclusively, so it was a big goal of mine to have my work in audio format. When Decadent came to me with the opportunity for “Sam’s Temptation” to be available in audio, I was over the moon.

Jessica E. Subject is not only a lovely person and very talented author, she’s also Decadent’s audiobook coordinator. Jessica was super organized and made the audio process so easy for me. She showed me where I could find narrators, worked through the audition and narrator contracting phases, and guided me through the review process.

As we readers all know, a narrator can make or break an audiobook. I won’t buy an audiobook if the narrator has the pace and enthusiasm of Lurch from the Addams Family. I was thrilled with my narrator, Lane Baldwin. He did a fabulous job bringing my words and the hunky Malone brothers to life. I love hearing him tell the story just as I wanted it to be told, complete with just the right pauses and inflictions.

I’d love to hear from you. When and where do you like to listen to audiobooks?

Check out all of Decadent’s audiobooks here

Listen to a sample of Sam’s Temptation

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Meet Sam Malone – One Smart, Sexy, and Determined Cowboy

By V.S. Morgan

I’m very excited to be here today talking about my new release, Sam’s Temptation.  You may noticed the cover has one hot male with a lovely lady instead of another hot guy. Some of you may be surprised to know I also write m/f romances. My hubby and son sure were!

When I wrote The Gift, I not only created character profiles for Wyatt and Rafael, I made one for each of Wyatt’s brothers.  I needed them to be real in my head since family was so important to Wyatt. While The Gift obviously focused on my two heroes, the other Malone brothers were “speaking” to me.

The next brother who was ready for a story was Sam. He’s the second oldest brother, so he also felt responsible for his younger brothers when their parents died in a tragic airplane crash. While Wyatt wrangled their siblings on the home front, Sam completed two degrees in college so he could manage the ranch’s finances and keep it afloat. It was his idea to expand their Montana cattle ranch, Blackbird, to accommodate paying guests.  This strategy saved it from going under.

All the Malone men are handsome – tall, blond and with steel-blue eyes. Sam is the quiet brother. Originally an engineering student, this hunky cowboy is intelligent and a bit of a nerd.  As I turned to considering Sam’s love interest, he insisted he was straight. We had a whole discussion about it – yes, we writers are a strange breed. So I finally said, “Fine, Sam. But who should be your lady?”

And then it came to me. Not only could I share more of the Malone brothers but I could also bring in some of Rafael’s family, as well.  Sam meets Rafael’s cousin, Gabriela, in New York, sparking an attraction that continues to burn despite time and distance.

However when Gabriela comes to Blackbird on a working vacation, Rafael tells the Malone brothers “hands off.” 

Gabi is very smart, passionate, and owns her inner nerd, pushing all of Sam’s buttons. Sam battles with his desires for the deliciously sexy chef and honoring his new brother-in-law’s wishes.

Sam’s Temptation is mostly set at Blackbird, with Wyatt, Rafael, and most of the Malone brothers serving as key secondary characters.  I greatly enjoyed writing this multicultural foodie Western romance and look forward to hearing what readers think of Sam and Gabi’s story.

Buy Links:  Amazon || Kobo || ARe || Decadent Publishing || iTunes || B&N


Find V.S. Morgan:  Website || Facebook || Twitter: @vsmorgan1

Tiny Yet Mighty

by V.S. Morgan

        Hunter’s Mark is a retelling of the Grimm tale The Skillful Huntsman. In original story, the huntsman hero meets up with some giants who ask him to shot and kill a tiny dog that guards a palace so they can get to the princess inside. The huntsman kills the dog but decides not to leave the princess to the cruelty of the giants. He tricks and slays them instead. Yay for the princess, boo hiss for the poor dog!

As a doggie mama, there was no way I’d have my hero do this. So I decided to include the dog in my story as a very important character.

Priss was a stray my other hero Casey found and cares for. Priss returns this care with fierce love, loyalty, and protection for his owner. Raised by humans, Casey must suppress his wolf shifter nature. Priss helps Casey keep calm, allowing him to remain in control. While a tiny, white Pomeranian, Priss has a big spirit. Big enough to stand toe-to-toe with a badass wolf shifter assassin.

In addition to the excerpt below, here are a few snippets of Priss in action.

When Hunter drugs and kidnaps his owner:

Peering over his shoulder, he [Hunter] saw the dog lick its owner’s still cheek. 

“Want a treat?” He offered it a piece of Slim Jim. The pooch gave him a “f**k you” look and growled. Not so friendly now. 

He raised his shades and allowed his eyes to shift, his wolf staring down the puff ball. It quivered but didn’t yield. He growled long and low, and the dog barked at him before flashing tiny white teeth. Ballsy little thing. His wolf decided to take a different tack and whined. The pooch moved and let him search the smaller man’s clothing. 

And when his owner has a bad dream:

The young shifter mumbled and thrashed around on the bed. Priss pawed at him and whined, but Little Wolf didn’t wake up. Priss gave him [Hunter] a “fix this, motherf****r” look. Damn, for a prissy little thing, the dog was hardcore.

Curious to know how a boy dog ended up with a girly name? Enter a comment below for a chance to win an ecopy of Hunter’s Mark and find out!

Blurb:

Artist Casey Smith lives a quiet life, under the radar of his enemies, until one fateful night he loses control and the astonishing image of a wolf racing down a suburban street splashes all over social media.

Hunter’s bullet never misses its target. The assassin seeks out and kills his prey with a clear conscience by following two simple rules: 1) Don’t kill innocents 2) Don’t kill shifters. 

Realizing his latest assignment violates those rules, the hunter activates Princess Protocol and the assassin becomes the protector. Red hot attraction flares between the hit man and his former target. Can Hunter resist the sweet shifter in his care?

Re-telling a Grimm Tale with Hot Manlove

When Decadent Publishing announced the Beyond Fairytales open call, I was super excited. I love fairytales! Old ones, twisted ones, new ones – I love them all. I’m one of those people who can quote The Princess Bride, line for line.

I was assigned the Grimm tale The Skillful Huntsman. While not familiar with this particular tale, I found it on-line and was quickly inspired to write my own version.  The story features a huntsman who has a gun that never misses. I transformed the huntsman into Hunter, a wolf shifter and master assassin. While street wise, he’s not an everyday thug. Hunterfollows two rules. He doesn’t kill innocents and he doesn’t kill shifters. These rules come into play when Hunter gets his latest assignment.

“The princess” in my story is a Casey Smith, a wolf shifter who was raised by his adopted human mother. Grief from her death triggered him to shift in a public place. When his identity is exposed to a dangerous enemy, Casey’s life is on the line.

I had a blast writing Hunter and Casey as well as the supporting characters Priss (Casey’s dog) and Rex, Hunter’s handler and smartass best friend. It was very cool to have free rein on this story, which weaves in a number of symbolic components of the original tale yet making all my own.

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Blurb:

Artist Casey Smith lives a quiet life, under the radar of his enemies, until one fateful night he loses control and the astonishing image of a wolf racing down a suburban street splashes all over social media.

Hunter’s bullet never misses its target. The assassin seeks out and kills his prey with a clear conscience by following two simple rules: 1) Don’t kill innocents 2) Don’t kill shifters.

Realizing his latest assignment violates those rules, the hunter activates Princess Protocol and the assassin becomes the protector. Red hot attraction flares between the hit man and his former target. Can Hunter resist the sweet shifter in his care?

Excerpt:

He stepped closer to Casey’s stall but stumbled over something small and furry. The toe of one Birkenstock caught on a clump of grass as he attempted not to trample the little beast, and he ass-planted with said beast jumping onto his chest to give him a broad doggie smile.

His buddy laughed piss-your-pants-hard in his ear. Fuck a duck.

“Miss Priscilla!”

The target he’d worked so hard to observe remotely sank to the ground between his sprawled-out legs, peeling the tiny hairball off his chest and setting it on the ground.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

Big blue eyes fringed with long, pale lashes scanned his body while strong yet gentle hands moved over his ankles and legs, searching for an injury. Oh, a toucher. His wolf basked in the tactile attention. His breath hitched as those hands glided past his knees and skimmed his thighs.

Damn, he needed to get laid after this assignment.

“Oh, my, what a li’l sweetie. Look at those freckles! I wonder if he’s got them everywhere. I’d like to lick them,” Rex crowed in his ear.

He growled.

The other man chortled. “Possessive, much?”

He inhaled deeply, only to be slammed with the force of a Mack truck. Strawberries on a warm summer’s day and fresh-cut grass—shit, his target smelled delicious. He took another breath, and his brain reeled. He’s a wolf shifter, too? Fuck.

Casey’s brows furrowed. “Where are you hurt?”

He forced a smile. “I’m fine. No worries.”

Casey returned the smile, his wide and high beam combined with sparkling eyes. Hunter stared as warmth wrapped around him like a blanket. He had no ammo against such a happy, open expression. The guy freaking glowed.