Diverse Reader: Author Saturday Spotlight: JM Dabney ~ Guest Post #Giveaway

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Author Saturday Spotlight: JM Dabney ~ Guest Post #Giveaway

I'm excited to have JM Dabney here as the Author Saturday Spotlight! I truly adore her writing and her books are SO SO good! Normally, we have an interview and such but on occasion we spice it up with something different. Today JM is doing an outstanding Guest Post where she is talking about ALL the books. Well, not all but many. Some you may of heard about and others that have not. At the end there will be a giveaway so don't miss that!

First, I want to thank Meredith for inviting me to be on her blog today. Well, I might as well introduce myself, I’m J.M. Dabney, I’m an author of LGBTQ+ Diverse Fiction/Romance with an emphasis on body positivity. Because love doesn’t come in one size, color, ethnicity, or sexual identity. I write stories for just about everyone and it’s my goal to have every reader see something of themselves in the characters I create. Queerness isn’t made to order and I hope I showcase that in the books I choose to put out. Today I’ll introduce you to my ladies and gentlemen, and hope you possibly love them as much as I do. Read until the end for an excerpt from King (Executioners 3).

SAPPHO’S KISS

LESBIAN ROMANCE

When All Else Fails -
Out and proud Andrea Slade carries around doubts soul deep, her family and job have taught her hard lessons about love. When she meets Eva Lange and starts working with the beautiful, curvy woman, she wants things to be different. Although, she settles for being her friend and boss.

As time passes, Andrea finds it’s not an ideal situation, but she tricks herself into thinking that it’s for the best. That is until the sexy, femme fatale shows up in her office one day in a figure-hugging outfit with plans for seduction.

Full-figured Eva is in touch with her body, embraces the curves, but part of her looks at successful and gorgeous Andrea and decides friends is better than a failed love affair with the somewhat jaded and commitment-phobic divorce attorney. That is, until she decides to take what she wants.

Despite scars and insecurities, when all else fails, there’s love.

More Than What They See -
Bartender-extraordinaire Amy Thompson loves her job at Sappho’s Kiss, but grows weary of the party lifestyle she lives. A decade has passed since she’d taken her life into her own hands and said enough was enough.That didn’t mean a lifetime of programming changed overnight and concealing her pain from others was a habit she held to with a steely, white-knuckled grip. That is until she caught sight of big, azure eyes across a coffee shop.
Psychologist Maya Chamberlain tells herself she’s content with her life since she was widowed years before. The same crash that took her husband left her with a limp and a loathed cane. She loves her job at the LGBT Youth Center in Colton, Maine’s Pride District until an over-sized, blonde ego plops down across from her in Pink’s Diner.

Can two women who hide what they desire from the rest of the world find freedom and acceptance in each other’s arms?

TWIRLED WORLD INK

BERZERKER

BOOK 1

The hum of a tattoo machine was Brian “Berzerker” Anderson’s favorite sound in the world. He’d won a coveted spot at Twirled World Ink with a legend in the business, Gib Phelps. Creating beauty with his large, scarred hands was his happy place—the place where he fit in the world. Although, nothing could remain perfect forever, his boyfriend of over a year decided to move on and up without him in tow. He had two choices return to living with his friends and co-workers or take an offer too tempting to pass up.

Landon Phelps grew up in an unusual home as the only child to Legendary Tattoo Artist Gib Phelps and mother, Peaches. He always felt a bit out of place when he became a boring accountant instead of following in his parents’ footsteps. Boundaries were in place early on; he didn’t date the employees of Twirled World Ink. Sometimes rules were meant to be broken. Bezerker was his idea of perfection, large, husky and tattooed; the thick, grab-worthy beard was a bonus. So when the boyfriend became the ex, Landon decided it was time to get his man.

With the help of the matchmaking Twirled Crew, can Landon finally get Berzerker to see him as more than a friend and the employer’s son?

TROUBLE

BOOK 2

Model perfect Jimmy “Trouble” Carver had never heard the word no. Tattooed, sexy and the quintessential bad boy Trouble had men falling over themselves to get to him. What people didn’t know about him was he was self-conscious even if life was easy for him. He’d started out as an apprentice at Twirled World Ink after college and never looked back. Trouble was exactly where he wanted to be, although there was one speed bump, his crush refused to go out on a date.

Brody Vaughn worked in a dead-end job, barely making it from paycheck to paycheck. He didn’t have much time for anyone other than his five-year-old daughter Mina and besides he’d never quite found a place in this world he fit. Chunky and average, that's how he felt, except for when Trouble came into the grocery store where he worked. The flirty, gorgeous man asked him out every week with a sexy smile, but Brody had to refuse. It wasn’t as if he wanted to say no, it was just how could he date a man Brody knew he had no business trying to keep.

The Crazies of Twirled World Ink excel at one thing, matchmaking, and they are determined their resident bad boy would get his man. They just had to make sure that neither Trouble or Brody screwed up their plan.

SCARY

BOOK 3

Gene Sheridan earned the appropriate nickname when Legend Gib Phelps employed him at Twirled World Ink—Scary. No one made it out of his old neighborhood without scars both mental and physical. At one time, Scary thought he had a chance that is until his ex-boyfriend discovered slumming with someone like him wasn’t worth his trust fund. No-strings hookups became his go-to when he needed to relieve some tension. Co-owning a bar called Brawlers with his best friend, Tank, made it easy to find a body to use for the night. If not happy he was content with his life, but one man made content seem like such a terrible thing.

Elijah Vaughn worried about everything. His life was put on hold at eighteen when his mostly-absent parents died on one of their many adventures leaving him to raise his six-year-old brother, Brody. He’d never had anything or anyone that was just his. When Brody met a tattoo artist named Trouble, Elijah hadn’t realized how much it would change his life too. He met a huge man named Scary and how the man made him feel terrified him.

Tank Davis lost his voice the night he was attacked and had this throat slit ear-to-ear. It kept him in a world of silence. Silent and intimidating, he scared off more men than he drew to him. His best friend Scary and him made a life for themselves in small town Georgia with their bar Brawlers. Most night everyone could find him working security at the door. Scary called in a favor, and Tank met the one man he couldn’t resist, proper and upstanding Elijah Vaughn.

Can one man accept that there’s not one perfect man for him, but two damaged souls who need him to be whole?

LUCKY

BOOK 4

When someone was asked to describe crazy, if they knew Lee “Lucky” Trenton they’d point at him. Accident prone and without a filter of any kind to tell him to shut up before he says something inappropriate he’s no one’s idea of a perfect partner. Growing up with parents who subscribed to a philosophy of Radical Honesty Lucky and his siblings were doomed from the womb. Lucky found a home away from home at Twirled World Ink, but he didn’t just find a place to belong. He’d found Priest.

Matthew “Priest” Beall ran away from his judgmental family the second he’d earned the money. He’d come in search of Gib Phelps a legend in the tattoo industry. If you wanted to learn the craft, then Gib was the man to beg an apprenticeship with, and he’d begged. Priest might have left the violence of his past behind, but when he closed his eyes it came back to torture him. The only place he felt safe was when his best friend Lucky let him sleep in his arms. He wanted more, but he didn’t think he deserved it.

Priest left his family behind without regret only to find a new one with the crew of Twirled World and the super weird Trenton family. Could he grab onto his new life or would the memories of the past ruin the happiness he’d gained?

BRAWLERS SERIES

TWIRLED WORLD INK SPIN-OFF

Crave Book 1
A quick pit stop for a comfortable bed to sleep turned into an eight year stay. Vincent “Crave” Butler hit the road the day after college graduation and hadn’t looked behind him since. He’d swore to never stop moving, but the night he drove into Powers, Georgia changed the course of his life. He’d hit a bar called Brawlers with its rundown exterior and pride flag beside the door, the next day he had a job. Second in command to the Head of Brawler security, Crave found the place he didn’t have to run from. No one would call Crave sane. He lived to make people as uncomfortable as possible just for his own twisted amusement. That all changed when a certain cute as fuck bartender walked in for an interview.

No one wanted Twitch Harrison around for the long term. He was small, femme and annoying on his best days, downright abhorrent on his bad ones. When college turned out to be a no-go and the parents canceled his credit cards he’d needed a job. Walking into Brawlers, the roughest gay bar in his hometown, was like a game of pick the thing that didn’t belong—him. The two owners, Scary and Tank, hired him on and a year later he was still that thing that didn’t belong. No one made it more apparent than bouncer Crave Butler who didn’t hide the fact he barely tolerated Twitch’s presence.

Crave threatened every man who thought they’d get the pretty Twitch, but would Twitch rather be in their beds than his? Only one way to find out and he hoped Twitch was ready for forever because that’s what Crave was determined to have.

Psycho Book 2 -
Life wasn’t easy when you were certifiable, Gerald “Psycho” Clemons lived on the fringes of society. Five years he hadn’t thought twice about riding with a group who saw most laws as flexible. When the leader of the group turned crazier than Psycho he stepped in and made the man pay. He’d never been rewarded for his temper before, yet that’s what happened when he earned a permanent place and a job as a bouncer. Everyone walked a wide circle around him and he liked it that way. One look from his cold black eyes and he had people backing up. Then he met a man who had to be crazier than him.

Decadence Bakery was Ben Morin’s dream come true and he loved it, but he grew tired of his lonely existence. Six months earlier he’d turned on the open sign and hopefully changed his life for the better. Ben loved his small cottage in the middle of nowhere even with the 3 a.m. rumbling of motorcycles and loud music at the farm next door. Although one thing he didn’t love was his new hobby of watching one of the terrifying men next door. What could a little harmless peek every now and then hurt?

Sweet and older wasn’t his type, but Psycho couldn’t deny the need to possess the beautiful baker. It was stronger than even the insanity he barely kept at bay, could he have a man who looked passed it or would Ben run like all the rest?

Bull Book 3-
They said men only get better with age, all distinguished and all that BS, but Archer “Bulletproof” Woods hadn’t gotten better. At fifty-six he was still as much an asshole as he’d been in his twenties and thirties, hell, maybe he was worse. Being a bouncer at a bar called Brawlers suited him just fine and he even tolerated the rest of the crew who’d taken up residence in his house when they’d had nowhere else to go. He was big, growly and homely that kept the parade of men passing through Brawlers at arm’s length for the past decade. One night changed all that.

What he’d thought was happily ever after turned into a nearly five year nightmare. Gregory Charles appeared to have it all, a successful business, sophistication, and a perfect marriage. His friend and best employee, Landon, begged him to come out to a friend’s bar to celebrate Landon’s engagement. What could it hurt? A night without contemplating the hell that would come down on him the moment he served his husband with divorce papers would do him good. That is until he met the brooding older man staring into a whiskey straight ignoring everyone around him.

Watching for trouble was his job and Gregory screamed mistake as soon as the long, lean and handsome man sat down beside him. But he also knew when someone was in over their head and Gregory needed someone to watch his back. That someone was Bull, only time would tell if he’d have to fight Gregory as much as the man after him.

Hunter Book 4 -
If there was a way to completely destroy his life, Hunter Black would do it. He was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Survival was his only priority and having to leave his old life behind that meant a job of the legal variety. He’d found one as a bartender at Brawlers Bar and a safe place in a huge house with the rest of the bar crew who quickly became the family he’d never had. The one thing Hunter didn’t need was his old life tracking him down.

Deputy Wren Gramble hated his job and his weekend assignment of staking out a bar in the middle of nowhere waiting for drunks. Although he’d heard the homophobic and racist jokes going around about the crew and customers, he kept his head down and stuck to his job and nothing else. He despised being driven back into the closet, but he’d reached the end of the line and what he’d do if he earned another transfer he didn’t know.

Linus Trenton was considered the normal one in his family and according to the weird ones that meant he should be punished on a daily basis. He never came out one way or another, if he found someone attractive he was attracted. His life was complicated enough having a crush on the sweet and awkward Hunter but now he had to throw Wren into the mix. Linus didn’t have time for dating or romance, most of the time he didn’t even think about having a sex life, although, Wren and Hunter were ruining his calm.

Hunter was in lust with the handsome deputy the minute the man pulled him over, but a man like that wouldn’t give him the time of day. His friend, Linus, was another matter all together. Hunter wanted both. His bosses made it work with their man, why couldn’t he? Could Hunter prove he wasn’t as much of a screw up as he appeared or would he have to call in backup to claim his men?

EXECUTIONERSBRAWLERS SPIN-OFF SERIES

Ghost Book 1 -
Gideon Jane earned the name Ghost for his reclusive nature when he joined a group of guys in Powers, Georgia in a band called Executioners. It had been his way of settling into small town life after living in New York for the past twenty years. He loved the band and his small organic farm. What he didn’t love was being single, but it appeared it was his new reality. He didn’t want his ex back, although he did want something. What that was eluded him until the evening he walked into Nightingale’s Books.

Small town girl Harper Sage knew pain and she’d lived with it—she had the scars both mental and physical to prove it. It would’ve been easier to hop in her car to find safety and anonymity, but Harper stayed to prove she was stronger than hurled fists and bruising prejudice. She found herself within the safety of a close-knit Bohemian community that lived on the outskirts of her town and with her best friend since third grade.

What’s a girl to do when she craves normalcy and acceptance: she just smiles. Choices are made, some with dire consequences and others that bring her closer to her dream. Will she make the right decision or finally discover escape is her best option?

Joker Book 2 -
Joker, what a misnomer, but Jackson Webb’s friends were idiots. He’d joined Executioners almost three years earlier after the lead singer King caught him playing his guitar behind his garage. It broke up the monotony of his life, but once he got bored he’d move on to another distraction. He wasn’t nice. He sure as hell wasn’t friendly. He was what he was, his friends handled his attitude and standoffish nature just fine. At thirty-eight he was pretty sure he was too stuck in his way to change shit now. Demetri “Dem” Urban was settling into a new life in the middle of nowhere. Okay, he was hiding from everyone in a kitchen as far removed from his five-star kitchen back in New York as he could get. Gideon invited him to stay with him and his wife for awhile just until he could get everything back on track. He didn’t see it happening, but he had to admit the scenery wasn’t bad even if the man had the personality of a rabid, man-eating bear. Dem did like a challenge and that fit Joker Webb perfectly.

COMING SOON

KING

EXECUTIONERS 3

Andrew King’s life wasn’t what he’d expected it to be. At thirty he was a single dad who drove his rig to make ends meet and played in his band Executioners on the weekends. King saw himself being a husband and father one day because that’s what was expected. Their parents had given them one choice, they’d stuck it out a year and at twenty-eight he became a single dad when she went off to college. He loved his son more than anything and they’d quickly fell into a life of just the two of them, well, not just the two of them there was Lincoln too. His ex-wife was still his best friend. They all co-parented Mal, it was natural and right.

Lincoln Church lived for his nephew and his teaching job. While King his ex-brother-in-law worked driving a truck most of the week Mal lived with him. It was the closest Linc would ever come to being a dad. The only bleak spot in his life was his feelings for King who would never reciprocate. It wasn’t so bad because he still had King and Mal in his life and that meant the world to him.

A stupid accident and a broken leg sidelined King, keeping him off the road. When King needed help Lincoln rushed in, he couldn’t deny his attraction or love for Lincoln and would one kiss ruin the weird, little family they’d created?

KING EXCERPT (UNEDITED)

A Crews’ Kid Playdate

“Peace, what have you done?”

Priest yelled at his son, but the laughter made it hard to be serious. Peace had gotten his hands on his other Dad’s sewing machine and he’d stitched himself to yards of colorful fabric. The boy was on the run with a tapestry waving behind him like a flag or a cape.

Rage and Gunner were in their usual posts on either side of Mal as he played. Their skinny arms crossed over their chest as if they dared someone to take the toys Mal was playing with. Sometimes he thought it weird how protective they were of Mal, but to be honest the crews were a protective group. Sawyer, the twins younger brother, was off to himself with Craig, Linus, Wren, and Hunter’s adopted son, hovering nearby. Craig was quiet and a bit on the shy side. The crews were building a bond stronger than anything blood could ever come close to producing.

The partners hovered over their kids, yet gave them all freedom to be themselves—find their own ways in the world—even from an early age.

The oldest of the group was Juvie at twenty, and Princess at fourteen. Even a lot older than their cousins they never missed a chance to hang out. They were attentive to their cousins, yet tended to hover near each other. They’d become best friends the day Juvie was introduced.

It still amazed him the tight-knit group he’d become a member of in recent years.

“What’s with the scowl,” Twitch bounced up beside him and sat down in the lawn chair next to his.

“I didn’t know I was scowling.”

“Well you are, so what’s the deal, no, wait,” Twitch ordered, then called over the rest of the partners.

“Am I about to get a Crew Intervention?”

“Do you think you need a intervention, Uncle Linc,” Juvie asked as she stepped up onto the picnic table bench and sat down.

Princess took a seat on the bench and leaned against Juvie’s leg.

“No, I definitely don’t, there’s no reason for it.”

“You’ve been drooling over a certain hot, hairy lead singer for, oh, how long now,” Ben asked with a smirk.

Some times he hated that man. Thankfully, Priest was quiet when he joined the group. Priest was quieter and more reserved than the rest, while Priest’s husband didn’t know what not to say. They were an odd combination, yet they somehow worked perfectly.

Elijah slid a chair closer to him and he groaned, the man was almost as bad a menace as Twitch.

“Three years, I believe, Twitch, three long and sexually frustrated years.”

“Thanks, Eli.”

“You’re welcome.”

The smug grin on the man’s too handsome face irked him.

“How the hell does everyone know my business?”

“That’s easy, you don’t have a poker face,” Twitch bounced a bit in the chair, “When King is on stage you drool, man, drool.”

Twitch drew the word out several syllables and he couldn’t help, but smile at the man’s exuberance. Twitch was always so bubbly and it was nice to see a man who’d faced what Twitch had still possess hope.

“I don’t do something as undignified as drool.”

“Then you’ve never done a blowjob right.”

He jerked his head around to find a serious expression on Elijah’s face. The man had to be a sociopath.

“We’re out,” Juvie announced and dragged Princess away.

“Now, you’ve scared off the children.”

“No, we didn’t, my daughter is a lesbian, she’s not really into the whole dick thing and Princess’s favorite person is Lily. We’re not saying anything they haven’t heard from Lily.”

Lucky’s mother was worse than her son, Lucky. Who the hell raised children in a Radical Honesty household. It seemed too—weird.

“So, since we’ve found out your blowjob skills are lacking, is it the sex, do you need advice? We’re all friends here, just ask.”

“What the hell is going on, Brody and me were sent 9-1-1 texts.”

He looked over his shoulder to find Landon and Brody.

“Nothing is going on.”

“Of course there is, you need the D, and King has a fine one for ya.”

“Has everyone seen King’s dick?” He glanced around the group and saw everyone’s head nodding a yes.

“That’s so cute,” Landon said and plopped down on his lap.

The man’s lack of knowledge when it came to personal space made him highly uncomfortable. A slender arm came around his shoulders and he groaned.

“Don’t be all jealous, if you’d gone to the lake when we’ve invited you, you’d have seen it too. So, what’s going on here?”

“Intervention,” Twitch squealed.

“Oh, we haven’t had one those since Ben.”

Brody leaned down and kissed his cheek, “Just take it, Linc, they won’t let you escape, Landon is like Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth, but he sits on you until you talk.” The man straightened and barely braced himself before Princess was hugging Brody, then taking off again to watch over the kids.

“What have we learned,” Landon asked.

“We’ve learned that Linc has terrible—”

“My blowjob skills are exemplary,” His face flamed as his voice rose a bit too much and Juvie barked out a loud laugh nearly tripping as they played Keep Away with Mal as the prize. “I hate you all.”

“No, you don’t, you love us, you know why,” Elijah kicked his ankle.

“Oh, wise one, why is that?”

“Because we’re fucking awesome, the best friends a person could have and we give advice. You have met our husbands, right?”

He answered Elijah, “Definitely.”

“Each one is an asshole, moody, violent, sexy as fuck, possessive and love us unconditionally. Being a Crew husband isn’t the easiest gig around.”

“No, it’s not, Crave gets all growly and punchy when a man pays too much attention. He’s so cute.”

“You calling Crave cute is disturbing. Your husband is a beast.”

“A very sexy and sweet beast, at least to me. So, what’s holding you back from making your feelings known?”

“How about the whole ex-brother-in-law thing?”

“Is it because his dick was in your sister that freaks you out?”

Priest channeled Lucky and that was scary.

“Wouldn’t it freak y’all out if you hooked up with your husband’s partner?”

“We see where you’re coming from, Linc, but are you going to throw away something that could make you happy just because of an insignificant issue.”

“The man I want was married to my sister.”

Landon sucked his teeth and let out a heave sigh, “We can’t worry about every person our husbands’ hooked up with before us. What do you want more, to watch the man you love hook up with someone else or get him for yourself?”

Landon always hit below the belt. Elijah and him knew where to hit to make it hurt when someone was being stupid. He hadn’t anticipated developing feelings for King. The attraction was instant. The man was a beast, huge and hairy, hit all his attraction triggers. What he felt seemed right, but also wrong at the same time. What was he going to do if it all blew up and he lost everything he’d ever wanted?

“You can’t drown yourself in guilt. Being attracted to someone isn’t really up to us. When I saw Scary the first time, oh, fuck, you should’ve been inside my head. He looked mean and acted like he hated me, but I instantly gravitated toward him. Even though I was nervous, I felt safe with him around, then I met Tank. I didn’t see the scars or mind his silence, to me he was perfect. They treat me and each other like we’re the best things to every happen in their lives. Do you really want to throw aside that because you’re guilty?”

“How about talking to Melanie? You two are close, best friends, maybe discuss it before saying no.”

“I think he should pounce on King when he gets home,” Twitch suggested. “Or tie him to the bed and don’t let him up until he’s begging.”

“Crave let’s you tie him up, wow, your sexy Daddy has secrets,” Landon grinned as he winked at Twitch.

“He likes to make me happy.”

“Anyone within a mile of where you two are fucking knows how happy he makes you.”

He blocked out the conversation and let his mind wander to the pouncing part and away from a bound Crave. How many times over the years had he fantasized about King? The powerful work-hardened muscles. The tanned hair-roughened skin. The way the man filled out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, or the times he’d seen King in nothing but briefs. His thick bush peeking over the waistband.

“Down, boy, you’re not my type.”

“Shut up.”

Landon laughed and the rest joined in, sometimes he loved having them as friends and other times like this he didn’t understand why he hung out with them.

“You’re so sensitive, sure sign of sexual frustration. So, since you’re going to be an idiot, we’re going to tell you what to do.”

“Is that right, Landon, and what is it that I should do?”

“Claim your fucking man, life is too fucking short. If we all went with first impressions, most of us wouldn’t be happily married with families. You’re being a dick. King wants you too. You may be blind as fuck, but none of the rest of us are. Do yourself a favor and get your man before someone else snatches up King and you got to watch him get all lovey and dirty with someone else.”

Landon smacked a kiss on his cheek and stood. Everyone but Twitch wandered back to their posts watching the kids play.

“Crave loves me, me, he’s kissed every scar and told me he loved me. I ran too long because I didn’t think I was worthy.”

He turned to watch Twitch stare off into the distance as he spoke.

“I get to wake up to a man who doesn’t judge me for all the times I thought I was weak and needed to take a razor to my skin. Doesn’t look down on me when I need a little more affection on certain days. He just holds me tighter. He makes everything calm. Don’t you want that? Someone to make it calm. To be there to hold you up when you think you’re going to fall or celebrate your accomplishments.”

His heart broke for Twitch. He’d heard the stories. Seen the anxiety that sometimes held the tiny man in a choke hold and the instant relief when Crave simply touched him. Since he’d met the Crews, he witnessed countless times the absolute and unconditional love that existed between the partners. It was beautiful and jealousy-inducing.

“I just don’t know how, Twitch.” He lifted his hand to scratch his beard.

“Falling in love is never easy. It’s not supposed to be, but if we don’t give it a chance we lose the opportunity for something great.”

“What if I lose him and Mal?”

“I doubt you will. If I know anything, from a lot of years of observation, King is a twisted up in the head as you. Grab it while you can, King is a great guy and he’s going to make some man a lucky partner one day.”

Twitch left him with that and took off in pursuit of Peace who was still using running around with the sari flying behind him. Suddenly being alone it all crashed down on him. The possibility of losing King and Mal to someone else, someone else loving King and some other man being Mal’s Dad. Could he handle that: the answer was no.

He needed to set aside a decade of guilt and that was going to be harder than anything he’d ever done in his life.

STALKER/BUY LINKS

HOSTILE WHISPERS PRESS