It's cover reveal day! This is always such a great day because it's the step that takes the book from something that's just in my head and makes it real. Sharing the visual representation of BLAZE with all of you makes it a BOOK not just a story. So I hope you're ready, because it's time to bring BLAZE into the real world.

Hello and Happy Friday! As I work on my BDSM superhero series, I keep thinking back to The Sergeant - my first self-published BDSM romance. That book is hella long (and I love every page!), but I still had scenes that didn't make it into the final draft. Wild right? Anyhoo, thought I'd share one of my favorite deleted bits. Since it never made it into the final book it's unedited and has not been updated to reflect my progress as a writer. Also, it's NSFW, so don't leave it open on your office computer. ;-) Enjoy!

****

Two nights later, Clay followed Logan into his bedroom. He’d come home with him after their shift. He watched as Logan yawned and stretched, groaning as his back popped. Clay couldn’t resist taunting him.
 
“Man, Logan, you must really be tired. You actually had to get in some foot action today instead of just bossing us around.” The suspect they’d been serving a warrant on hopped out a window and took off running. Logan had been one of the closest to him and chased him down. The guy hit the ground hard when Logan caught him and slammed him down.
 
“You’re probably going to want to take some time to rest and recover,” he continued in a mockingly sympathetic voice.
 
Logan turned around and gave Clay a look. Clay inhaled sharply. He had a feeling he’d just seen the look Tiffany was talking about. Logan crooked his finger at him and Clay obeyed the command, walking over to Logan even though he was a little leery about what he was going to do. He was confused when Logan didn’t acknowledge his comment but reached into his nightstand and pulled out something that flashed silver.

Pssst! Guess what? I’m writing a superhero romance series! What made me write a series about superheroes? Actually, a better question is what took me so long. I’ve been a fan of superheroes since I was a kid watching X-Men and then on to Batman the Animated Series as a tween. The interest faded away for a bit, but then the Marvel Cinematic Universe yanked me back in with Iron Man. And that was it. I’ve been immersed ever since. Recently I got the DC Universe subscription and I’ve binged so much Justice League content. I even came to like Superman, who I’d pretty much ignored for years. So yeah, I think it was pretty inevitable that eventually I’d be writing my own superheroes – except mine are the grown and sexy version. But wait, there’s more!

My superheroes aren’t just grown and sexy. They’re also into bondage. Catwoman runs around with a whip, sexily snapping it at Bats but bondage might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to the brightly colored spandex wearing heroes like the Flash. How’d the idea come about then?

Two things kind of merged in my mind last year. One, I hadn’t written anything of substantial length involving bondage in a long time. And I freaking missed it! So it was no surprise that nearly every story idea I had involved bondage in some way. Then someone posted something online that caught my eye. It’s been at least a year since I saw it so I don’t remember who or where but it basically boiled down to I’d like to see something with BDSM that’s also fun and bright colors. And my brain went ding! That’s it. D/s superheroes. That’s what I want to write. And now, here we are.

Researching the subject to help with my world building and storytelling was no hardship. I just plopped down on the couch and binged cartoons and read comics – something I do every weekend anyway. There’s a million ways heroes can come into their powers so pretty much anything I came up with would work. My favorite superhero overall is Batman (Cap is #2) so it’s no surprise Book One features a quiet loner hero who fights crime in the dead of night. But instead of batarangs and grappling hooks, Blaze uses electricity-based powers to take on the street-toughs of St. Louis.

I actually had a funny moment on one of my research days. Blaze is bi-racial - Black and Caucasian. And I didn’t realize that it’s a running joke in the comic world that Black superheroes often have electric/lightning based powers. I only knew of Black Lightning, Storm and Static, but apparently, it’s more widespread than that. There’s Black Vulcan, Juice, Soul Power, Volt... Adding another Black hero with electric powers to the list wasn’t intentional but I’m happy to have Blaze join that roster.

I set the series in my hometown of St. Louis rather than a fictional city, because I remember years ago watching X-Men, and there’s the scene where Wolverine is fighting Sabretooth on top of the Statue of Liberty. He swings around her crown with his claws, slicing off the tip. I thought that was really cool. But I also thought, Hey! St. Louis has cool monuments. Why isn’t anything ever set there? No one gave me what I wanted, so I had to go Thanos mode - “Fine. I’ll do it myself.”

Okay! You want dates and details, yeah? I got you. I’ve planned for a six-book series. Book One is titled BLAZE and features Blaze and Danny – a popular superhero fan artist. I’ll have the cover, blurb, and Goodreads link for you next Tuesday. The release day is set for May 31st.

I am ridiculously excited for this. It’s nice to be able to put years of nerd-dom to good use. I’m having fun telling the type of stories I’ve enjoyed seeing on screen and in comics – except with the smutty bits added in that you’d usually only get to see in fanfiction. Speaking of which, over the next few weeks I’ll have recs for other m/m superhero romance stories - both fic & pub’d - because they are out there and if you haven’t enjoyed any yet you should definitely give them a try.

Thank you for reading! 

Christa
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Hello and Happy Friday! I have two very special dates coming up this weekend. One, my birthday is Sunday! I've finally reached the Big 40. And... It's The Sergeant's Five Year Anniversary! Wow. I can't believe it's been five years since I first started this self publishing journey and set Logan and Clay loose on the world.

Over the next few days, I though it'd be neat to share a few Cuffs, Collars & Love throwbacks and extras, plus do some giveaways! To start, I have a short for Logan and Clay, written for The Sergeant's One Year Anniversary. Clay decides he wants to try being the Dom for the night and switch-a-roo sexy times ensue. The prompt was provided by Denise over at Two Chicks Obsessed. Please check out their blog. They have amazing recs and reviews. Okay, without further ado I present to you - For One Night Only

Logan lay back in his big bed. His submissive, Clay, lay across his chest. Logan gently brushed his fingers through the silky, dark curls of Clay’s hair as they both caught their breath. They’d been together for nearly seven months now. But their love for one another hadn’t faded and neither had their passion. Logan looked down as Clay propped himself up to look at him. The beautiful flush had faded from his face, but his blue eyes were still soft, his lids still low.

“Do you think we’ll still be this rambunctious in bed when we’re old?”

Logan arched a brow. “We’ve only been together for seven months and you’re talking about us being old? I’m still in my prime.” Clay dug an elbow into his ribs, making him wince. “Ow!”

“Sorry,” Clay said. But the sparkle in his eyes made it clear he wasn’t really. “You know what I mean. Do old people still play? Or will we start having vanilla sex all the time?”

Logan laughed. “Would that bother you?”

Clay’s eyebrows shot up. “Now that you’ve shown me sprinkles, caramel and whipped cream? Hell yeah it would.”

Logan laughed again. “There are plenty of D/s couples who play well into their golden years. I’m sure we’ll be just the same.”

“Good.” He closed his eyes for a second, taking in a deep breath. Then his eyes popped back open. “Don’t go getting any ideas with the ice cream. I’m not really into food-play.”

“Is that right? You didn’t seem to mind the last time I ate ice cream off of you.”

A/N: Hello! Since it’s Wrestlemania week, I thought I’d share an old wrestling slash fanfiction of mine for Fiction Friday. It’s PWP – Porn Without Plot / Plot? What Plot?, so don’t open on your computer at work. ?
 
The first part of this was written around early 2013, when I was actively writing fanfiction. At the time I was a big Dean fangirl and really into the Ambrollins – Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins – ship. Part one was written as a prize for my good friend, Amanda. They gave me a song to set the writing mood – Depeche Mode’s I Feel You. It was a great choice and really helped build the scene in my head.
 
Part two was written as a response to Dean switching up his ring gear and sending his fans into a tizzy as a result. Other than combining into one doc and adding a few commas, this fic has not been changed from its original posting – so you can see a bit of what my earlier writing was like. I hope you enjoy!
 
****
 
Dean walked up the stairs to his third-floor apartment. The black flak jacket he carried in his hand was light, but it felt heavy. Heavy as the anger that pressed against the back of his eyes. He walked across the small apartment into his bedroom, following the sound of running water. The door to the bathroom was open, steam curling out to greet him in a thick mist. Dean yanked the shower curtain back. Seth shook the water from his face and looked over his shoulder at him.
 
“Where did you go?”
 
“Driving.”
 
Seth arched a dark eyebrow. “All night?”
 
“Yes, all fucking night.”
 
Seth turned his back to the water but he kept washing himself. Dean’s eyes followed Seth’s hand as they rubbed the bar of soap across his chest, down his belly, and to his sex. He stayed there, washing slowly, bubbles rising and tangling in the dark thatch of curls. His long fingers dipped lower to cup the heavy sack that hung between his legs, washing that area just as slowly. Dean lifted his eyes back to Seth’s. “You’re clean enough. Get out of the goddamn shower so we can talk about this.”
 
“Fine.”
 
But instead of turning around to face the shower head to rinse off, Seth arched his neck back, way back so that the water splashed into his face and ran down his chest and lower to rinse all the soap away. Dean turned his back on the display. He wasn’t going to let the delicious sight of a wet and naked Seth distract him.

For this week's video, I chat a little about the research I do for writing. Including where I went to get first hand knowledge for The Sergeant and how Star Blazers saved me from a major goof.

Thanks for watching!

Love,
Christa

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It's almost Valentine's Day. You know what that means... a gazillion articles about romance novels that are completely clueless on the genre. I thought I'd clear up a few of those misconceptions with a video. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for watching!

Love,
Christa

Visit my website: www.ChristaTomlinson.com
Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub
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Chapter Three

The day after his heat ended, Rashan returned to his regular schedule. He got up early, hit the gym, and had breakfast. The 29th had patrols today and he was glad for the chance to get back to work. Rashan turned on the radio, listening to the universal news report as he got dressed. Midway through the broadcast, an ad for an intergalactic dating service came on. As he drew on the close-fitting black tank and square cut black briefs he wore beneath his space suit, he found himself wondering how other people saw his body.

Stepping up to the mirror, Rashan looked over his bronze skin, flat stomach, and slim thighs. They were nice he supposed. And he’d never noticed anyone eyeing him with disgust. He usually only took notice of his appearance to make sure he was neat and presentable for work. But today he was curious if people saw him as attractive.
Annoyed at himself, Rashan shrugged and turned away from the mirror. It didn’t matter whether they did or not. He’d only had the stupid thought because he was no longer on his heavily restrictive suppressants.

He took his flight suit from the closet and stepped into it. Although the material appeared thin, it was constructed from titanium infused webbing strong enough to deflect blaster rays. And it was triple weaved over his torso for extra protection. The suit was all black, except for the glowing blue Z.E.A.F logo over the left breast and blue stripe down the length of the sleeves. Rashan tucked his identification tags inside his suit, then reached behind him to grab the zipper pull and zip it up to where the suit ended beneath the nape of his neck.

His black boots were next. They fit snugly, stopping at the knees, with thick soles fitted with mini propulsion packs to help him maneuver on planets with low gravity. Last, he strapped on his blasters, holstering one on each thigh.

Once he was geared up, Rashan grabbed his helmet, turned off the radio, and left his quarters, the door sliding shut and automatically locking behind him. The halls were busy and bustling with crew members reporting to their morning shifts, some perky and awake, others bleary eyed and grimly holding on to cups of coffee. Just before he reached the briefing room, he ran into Layla.

“Hey.” She greeted Rashan with a warm smile. “You look like you need a hug.”

Rashan wasn’t usually a hugger, but he surprised himself by saying yes instead of politely refusing. “I do actually.” Layla leaned in to hug him, the comforting scent of a fellow omega wrapping around him as securely as the hold she had on his waist. It was different than Tony’s scent, homey and sweet, and it helped him relax, leeching away the tension he hadn’t realized he carried in his neck and shoulders.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” She squeezed him once more then stepped back. “I hear we’re going planet side today,” she said as they started walking together. “You know what that means.”

Hello and Happy Friday! This week I have chapter two from Alpha's Desire. It's NSFW, so don't leave it up on your work computer while you go on break. ;-)

CHAPTER 2

Rashan went straight back to his room, not speaking to anyone he passed along the way. The odd tension that had cropped up during the scent marking surprised him. When he'd asked Tony to help him out, he'd thought his friend would mark him as a relative would, with a quick hug and cheerful rubbing of his throat over Rashan's head. He hadn't expected Tony to mark him in the way of a lover, using lips and tongue pressed against his scent glands. If Tony hadn't done that, he never would have thought to ask him to mark that spot at the base of his spine. But an unfamiliar urge had prompted him to do so, and the request popped out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

Tony becoming aroused and his eyes going silver was another surprise. Rashan hadn't ever been involved with anyone so he had no frame of reference for what was normal. Maybe that was just the way alphas reacted to any omega in heat that they got too close too. His was obviously coming soon. He could smell the scent of it wafting off him, and it was growing stronger by the second.

When he arrived at his room, he grabbed his data pad, swiped to the 29th Star Squadron schedule, and marked himself unavailable for patrol. The notification would go to their flight commander, and she would put an alternate in his customary position on patrol. It was a simple system for omegas and their partners to schedule time off during a heat. Rashan had never needed to use it himself. He was slightly embarrassed using it now, but there was nothing he could do about it.

With that small but necessary task out of the way, Rashan started to settle down on the bed. He immediately jumped back up as another task came to him. He was going to need food and water but all he had in his room was a few bottles of water and some pretzels. That wouldn't get him through the next several days. Damnit. He had no experience with this.

Ah, book covers. I love them. So shiny and pretty. For the Alpha Omega Force series, I got it into my head that I could make my own covers. I thought I wanted something with a simply starry background and one or both of the major characters. Piece of cake, right?

I created a cover and showed it to my friends Sam and Ed. They took one look, and gave me the old, "Oh, honey, no." I was shocked! How could I, someone with zero graphic art training have created an ugly cover? (tongue is firmly in cheek here) With my hopes of becoming the next great cover artist dashed, I went looking for help.

Since I'm new to writing sci-fi romance, I reached out to other authors for advice on genre appropriate covers. Then I polled my amazing readers, who told me what colors and type of backgrounds they liked. Finally, I went to my cover artist Melody Simmons of BookCoversCre8tive and she gave me this...

Gorgeous, isn't it? Alpha's Desire releases January 22, 2019. You can add it now on Goodreads. Pre-Order links are live for Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Amazon and Google links will be available on release day.
Pre-Order & Release Day Price: $2.99
Regular Price: $4.99

An Alpha Determined to Win His Chosen Mate
Star Officer Tony Alvarez protects his galaxy along with the rest of the 29th Star Squadron. But deep space can be lonely, and Tony longs to share his love and passion with a mate. Many omegas would jump at the chance to bond with the virile alpha. But Tony desires only one, his best friend, and the one man he can’t have.
 
An Omega Newly Awakened to Passion
When it comes to mating, Star Officer Rashan Grove doesn’t trust alphas. He’s repressed his omega nature for years, choosing instead to focus on his career as an elite fighter pilot. Now that he’s experiencing his first heat in a decade, he turns to the alpha who has always been by his side for help.
 
With a gentle touch and passionate embrace, Tony guides Rashan through nights of passion hotter than an exploding star. Unfortunately, when the heat clears, Rashan retreats behind a wall built from lifelong fears. How will Tony convince Rashan to embrace the bond between them before their shot at love is lost to the stars?
 
Alpha’s Desire is a steamy non-shifter/non-MPreg omegaverse romance set in the distant future. It has mechs, hot sex, and space battles. If you love space opera, anime, and romance you'll want to give this series a try!
 
Tags: Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Omegaverse, Non M-Preg, Friends to Lovers, Pining Hero, Battle Couple, Multicultural
Heat Level: High/Explicit

Lookit what else I have! I wanted character art of my guys in their flight suits, so I reached out to Andy, one of my favorite Voltron fan artists. They hooked me up with amazing drawn art of Tony and Rashan. Artists are the coolest. You can find more of Andy's work and commission info on their website: mondaijo.carrd.co

And finally, I have three advanced copies of Alpha's Desire to giveaway! Click HERE to enter. Three winners will be randomly selected. One entry per person. Winners will be notified Tuesday, January 15th. Good luck!

Love,
Christa

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