» Contests

Loving Luki Vasquez, Contests, and a Vote

June 20, 2011

Alright, this is an impromptu post, to catch up.

I’ve only given away one of the e-books for the shockingly easy Cover Question contest. Any others out there? Did I miss someone?

I deleted (accidentally, of course) at least one comment. If it was yours, chastise me and try again? The one I remember was about a Great Dane as a possible candidate for a Vasquez and James dog, and I tried to answer it in another comment reply. Anyway, feel free to take me to task.

Finally, I’ve got two more excerpts prepared, but it kind of looks like I’m only going to get to post one. So a vote: rated PG (or maybe even just G—the rest of chapter one), or rated X, short but hot and sweet. I’m looking for a majority here but if I don’t get votes, I’ll have Boudreau choose. And I’ll be honest, he’s arbitrary. Preferences?

Loving Luki Vasquez—about the author… and her assistant (and another chance for a prize)

June 20, 2011

I’m going to go against tradition, here and not talk about myself in third person. (Just call me a rebel.) So here’s a little (very little) first person paragraph about me, Lou Sylvre:

I was born and brought up in Los Angeles county, California, moved north to the Pacific Northwest at age twenty. That’s been a while and I’m still here. I’ve probably stayed because, even aside from family, so many things I love are here—trees, deserts, rivers, oceans. One key ingredient is frequently missing. Sunshine! Which may be why I’m often chained to my computer desk. Which brings me back to the point. Loving Luki Vasquez is my first M/M romance—or romance of any type—to be published. My assistant likes to believe he helped me write it. His name is Boudreau, and he looks like this:

Or, when he’s trying to convince me the plot needs to take a new twist, more like this:

Finally, when he goes over to the dark side, he looks something like this:

That’s us in a nutshell. If you read this, I’d like to thank you:

The first two people to comment on this post will have an ebook version of Loving Luki Vasquez!. All others who comment, well, your name goes in the hat for the final prize.

Loving Luki Vasquez Release Party: Contest! (#1)

June 20, 2011

As I said, it’s time to get the ball rolling with some friendly competition.

Here are the rules: none, really.

Here’s the question: What is Luki Vasquez former occupation? Okay, I’ll admit that’s pretty easy, if you’ve read the blurb, so to be in the running for a prize, answer part two as well: He worked for an organization referred to by three initials—what do they stand for? (If you don’t know, be creative!)

And these are the prizes: First contestant that answers both questions correctly wins an autographed paperback copy of Loving Luki Vasquez. Second person to get both answers right receives an e-book in the format of their choice. Everybody else who answers both parts right gets their name in a hat for the last prize of the day. (And I promise to draw the name fairly! I’ll have Boudreau do it. You’ll meet him a bit later.)

Let the games begin!

Loving Luki Vasquez—release party!

June 20, 2011

Hi everybody and welcome to the party!

My name is Lou Sylvre, and Loving Luki Vasquez is my first book with Dreamspinner Press. It’s M/M romance, contemporary with a bit of an edge. (This is also my first virtual release party, but I’m already having fun.) Before I go any further, I want you to know a little bit about the novel. Read on—here’s the blurb from the Dreamspinner Press website.

“Reclusive weaver Sonny Bly James controls every color and shape in his tapestries, but he can’t control the pattern of his life—a random encounter with Luki Vasquez, ex-ATF agent and all-around badass, makes that perfectly clear. The mutual attraction is immediate, but love-shy Sonny has retreated from life, and Luki wears his visible and not-so-visible scars like armor. Neither can bare his soul with ease. While they run from desire, they can’t hide from the evil that hunts them. After it becomes clear that a violent stalker has targeted Sonny, Luki’s protective instincts won’t let him run far, especially when Sonny’s family is targeted as well. Whether they can forgive or forget, Sonny and Luki will have to call a truce and work together to save Sonny’s nephew and fight an enemy intent on making sure loving Luki Vasquez is the last mistake Sonny will ever make.”

In a little while, I’ll post an excerpt, but right now, I’d like to get the party started with a contest. It’s easy to participate—just comment under the next post.

Starting right now, if you have questions or thoughts about Loving Luki Vasquez or about me, my writing, whatever—I’m anxious to hear from you. Comment here after any post, and let’s talk. (If you’re at the Dreamspinner facebook page, you may have to come here to the blog to comment.)
Now, for that contest…

A chance to win a copy of Lorcan’s Desire

May 30, 2011

Let’s Play Dirty Minds

I thought this was a fitting game since Lorcan hates when people make assumptions. So here are three riddles that you assume are dirty but the correct answer isn’t naughty so beware. Answer one or all three for a chance to win a ebook copy of Lorcan’s Desire. I’ll pick one winner from, not necessarily the correct answer, but the most creative J Good Luck and Have fun with your answers!!! Try guessing from the first clue before reading the next, there are three clues to each riddle.!!

Check out a blurb and Excerpt HERE

I often get laid in an alley.

I often end up in the middle of your split.

When you slip your finger inside me, I’m ready to go.

I have fuzzy balls.

Someone’s going to be beaten.

You start off with love, but that doesn’t last.

I’m long, hard, and powered by batteries.

I give off a steady stream.

People grope for me in the dark.

Treasure of Love by Scotty Cade – What’s Next!

May 20, 2011

Okay this is the last time I promise!  It’s almost six o’clock, so for those of you who haven’t sent me your Treasure of Love blurb, time is running out.

For my last post, I wanted to give you a sample of the last two novels in the series.  I hope it’s enough to wet your whistle and get your jets firing. 

 

 

Bounty of Love (Prequel to Wing’s of Love)

Alexander “Zander” Walsh is the only survivor when his fiancé and his parents are brutally shot after returning from the rehearsal dinner the night before their wedding and stumbling upon a robbery in progress.  Hunky FBI agent Jake Elliot apprehends the killer and while being transported to the county jail, the transport is involved in a head on collision and the murderer, at first presumed dead, survived and is at large.

The FBI claims to have exhausted every lead and still hasn’t found the killer.   But Zander and Jake sense that something is not right with the investigation and determined to get to the bottom of it, they set out on their own to get the real story and find the killer.  Following a lead generated from the 48 Hours Mystery television show; they head to the Alaskan wilderness where someone fitting the killer’s description was last seen.

During the past six months while working very closely on the case, Zander and Jake finally act on a strong attraction that has been building slowly over time and they embark on a hot steamy romance.  When they apprehend the killer after accidentally stumbling onto his hideout, they find out what really happened on that dreadful night and all the pieces start to fall into place.  Big business, bad FBI agents and trusted friends all play a part in this unfolding drama.  Will Zander and Jake be able to bring the killers down to their knees and will their mountain romance stand the test of time?

Foundation of Love (sequel to Treasure of Love written with ZB Marshall)

Young Dr. Weston Stanhope thought he had escaped the constraints of Charleston society, and his overbearing father, Colonel Robert Lee Stanhope, when he moved to Seattle to pursue a career in medicine. But when his mother dies unexpectedly, Wes learns that she had begun plans to build a children’s hospital outside of Charleston, and that it was her fondest wish that her only child would lead the Stanhope Children’s Hospital.  

Wes is introduced to fellow Seattle resident Ty Williams, an openly gay architect, who agrees to spend a few weeks in Charleston to assist in launching the design of the hospital. But what began as a consulting engagement eventually turns to romance. Wes has always been in love with and married to his career, but now he must confront the growing realization that he is homosexual and in love with a man of color. When his father learns of their growing relationship, he demands that Wes choose between his ambition to run the Stanhope Children’s Hospital and the first true love of his life….Can Wes finally stand up to his bigoted and overbearing father to protect his career and the man he loves or will the constraints of Charleston society send them both back to Seattle?

PS:  Sjd and I will choose the winners and let you know by tomorrow, if not sooner who the winners are!

I’ve really enjoyed out time together and I hope you got something out of it as well!  See you next time!

Scotty Cade out!

Treasure of Love by Scotty Cade – Author Bio

May 20, 2011

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I’m back!!!

Now I know my loyal followers probably know as much about me as there is to know, so if you guys are reading this, just sign off and wait for the next posting.  J  But for those who are new to my work, I’d like you to get to know the guy behind the book.  I’m a little OCD and a little ADD all at the same time, but all those traits aside and I truly cherish each and every one of you and the outlet you’ve given me to show my creativity and follow my dream.  Without my readers and my publisher Dreamspinner Press, I wouldn’t have this wonderful opportunity to dream and create stories that hopefully you’ll enjoy.  So this is where you get to meet the real Scotty Cade, the person.  There’s probably more information here than you’ll ever want to know, but here goes:

I started my life in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, better known as the Big Easy and was raised along with my two sisters in a very small neighborhood along the mighty Mississippi River.  I was undeniably a momma’s boy and enjoyed a lot of alone time with my stay-at-home mother before my younger sister was born, while my older sister was at school and my Dad was at work.  I spent fun days doing chores around the house riding on the back of her vacuum cleaner singing Etta James songs.  When the chores were done, we settled down for story time.  I truly believe that my love of reading and eventually writing was born then.  But all that came to a horrible end when my baby sister was born and I no longer had Mom all to myself.  Then another horrible incident almost ruined my life, my sixth birthday and the first grade.  Oh Boy, did I hate going to school.  I went, but I went kicking and screaming literally every morning until I was seven, my poor mother.  Having to share my mother with my newborn sister and having to attend school left us very little time together and I truly felt deserted, but I really showed her, I jumped ship into my Father’s world.  I was the only boy, so it was the logical next step.  Happy again to be the center of someone’s world, I soaked it up every day.

My father raised quarter horses as a hobby and some of my fondest memories surround that time in my life.  When we were older, on weekends the entire family would pack up the horses and head to local horse shows where, my father, my younger sister and I would compete in barrel racing and cutting.  But my most cherished memories are of my father and me taking long horseback rides along the levies of the mighty Mississippi river enjoying sandwiches and snacks lovingly prepared by my mother.  We spent long summer days of riding and jabbering about this or that or just enjoying a comfortable silence.  It wasn’t really the conversation or the silence that was important to me, but the interest he took in my life that thirty five years later, still makes my heart swell.  After a brief marriage, one of those special moments is where I found the nerve to come out to my Father, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.   He did much better that I did and in the end wanted only my happiness.  He’s been nothing but supportive and non-judgmental of my life and I will remember that as long as I live.  Unfortunately, the lights in my life got a little dimmer when my loving mother died five years ago of colon cancer and dimmed yet again when my Father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years ago.  Fortunately, he still lives in our family home near my sisters and they along with a nurse, act as his primary caregivers, but he has a few good days but mostly really bad days.  He does his best and that’s all we can ask of him.

Okay, enough of the sappiness.  I attended Louisiana State University, majoring in Marketing, but unfortunately never graduated.  I was lucky enough to be offered a job to manage a very large well established furniture store in my hometown and went for it.  I stayed with the company for five years and started making my way up the corporate ladder.  I joined a high-tech company in New Orleans, and was transferred to Atlanta, GA where I met the love of my life.  Kell and I have been together fourteen years now and we’re still going strong. 

I’ve worked for a total of six companies throughout my twenty-five year career and ended up as the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Public Relations for a very large company based in Atlanta.  Throughout my career I focused my writing capabilities on Marketing materials, Annual Reports, Press Releases, radio scripts, broadcast media, and the likes, but always had novels running around wild in my head.  Kell and I both gave up the corporate rat race and bought a small hotel and restaurant on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Can you imagine two southern boys ending up in New England?  I should think not, boy what a culture shock.  But after seven years, we managed to find our way and are healthy and happy in our environment.  About three years into our venture, we hit burn-out and hired a general manager to run our business while we took a year off.  That is when I started my first Novel, Final Encore, and the rest his history.  After that first year off, Kell and I enjoyed our freedom so much that we purchased a forty-two motor yacht called “One Mo Time,” which is now where most of my writing is done.  We travel the waters of New England all summer long with our Shetland sheepdog, Mavis and in October we cruise down south to Charleston, SC for the winter.

The ideas for books keep coming and I have so much in my head that wants to come out, but my fingers are just not fast enough to get it all down.  So I dance the dance between my fingers and brain on a daily basis and can only hope for the best. Being from the south and a lover of commitment and fidelity, most of my characters find their way to long healthy relationships, however long it takes them to get there.  I believe that in the end, the boy should always get the boy.  After all I got mine.

So how’s that for a life? I’ve been so very lucky in love and my career that sometimes it just doesn’t seem real.  Don’t get me wrong, everything I have I worked for and nothing was handed to me, but I’ve feel so fortunate to be in a position to be able to write without the worries of everyday life getting in the way.

Well, that’s it for now.  I have one more post just before six pm and then we’re done!

For more information you can go to www.scottycade.com.

 

Treasure of Love by Scotty Cade – A little Q and A!

May 20, 2011

Yeah it’s me, Scotty Cade here again to bug you a little more!

Below is a little Q&A I did for another blog spot and thought the questions were well thought out and interesting.  I hope you’ll agree and hopefully pick up a little more information about Treasure of Love and me.  And a little later, for those of you who don’t know me, I’ll share a little bit about myself.  You’ll probably be bored to tears, but because everything is always about me, me, me, you’ll read and you better darn well like it.  J

 

Tell us a little about Treasure of Love. How did you come up with the title?

Treasure of Love is the second book of a four book series of independent novels with recurring characters and locations and that began with Wings of Love and will conclude with Bounty of Love and Foundation of Love both due to be released August and December respectively.  Treasure of Love is the story of Jack Cameron, a character you first met in Wings of Love that had a very hard time accepting the fact that Mac Cleary, the man to which his late sister had been married, fell head over heels in love with Brad Mitchell.  He fought the relationship tooth and nail and was almost successful in destroying it before it began.  In Treasure of Love he explores his homophobia and realizes that his over reaction was caused mostly by fear and a buried attraction to the same sex.
What is the hardest scene you had to write in Treasure of Love?

 

Wow, that’s a tuff one.  I guess two scenes were very important to me.  The first was when Jack has the realization that he might be gay.  I wanted that scene to be as realistic as possible because for those of us that have been through it, we know it can be and usually is a painful process and deserves tons of respect.  The second was the first time he and Dax make love.  I wanted that scene to be sweet and eye opening for Jack.  I especially wanted him to feel like this connection is what’s he been lacking all of his life and now he has it with Dax and he’s not letting go.

 

Tell us something about Jackson Cameron and why will readers like him?

 

I really didn’t like Jack very much in Wings of Love or in the beginning of Treasure of Love, but I soon developed a respect for him when he realized the emotions he was fighting and owned up to his feelings.  By the middle of the story I was pulling for he and Dax and I hope the readers will feel the same way.

Why is Jackson, who is sure he is straight, attracted to Dax?

 

People are attracted to whom they are attracted and I believe that if being in a same sex relationship was as “normal” and accepted as heterosexual relationships and it was okay to be attracted to a person regardless of their sex, there would be many more supposed “straight” people in same sex relationships.  So to answer your question, I believe that Jack was man enough to acknowledge his attraction, which shattered everything he thought about himself, and try to explore his feelings and I so admire him for that.

Tell us something about the relationship between Dax and Jackson. Why will readers be rooting for them to be together or will they?

 

In the beginning, Dax has no idea that Jack is experiencing these feelings for him.  In fact, he believes Jack to be straight as an arrow and he’s very frustrated because he’s experiencing the same feelings.  When things finally start to develop, Dax knows Jack is struggling and is ever patient and supportive, which I hope will make the readers pull for them.  It certainly did for me.

What was your first reaction when you got a glimpse of your cover art?

 

 

Now for the fun stuff.  Do you have any guilty pleasures?

 

Oh yeah! Most people have this sweet tooth, but not me.  I’ll trade sweets every day of the week for meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Of course my waistline can’t accommodate it, but boy is it nice top think about it.

Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you.

 

Wow, another tough one!  Let’s see, maybe that I captain our forty-two motor yacht, which oddly enough is where I do most of my writing.

If you didn’t have to worry about counting calories or fat, what’s the first food you’d reach for?

 

Da!  Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

As an author, what makes a book great in your eyes?

 

I love a mystery thriller with an underlying love story and believe it or not the mystery thriller part is the hardest part to write.  My writing process starts out with an outline and I hammer out the story, but with mystery thrillers my outline never really stays true to the story.  My characters always take on a life of their own and as many times as I try to stick to my outline, the characters have other ideas.  With a mystery thriller, I never really know “who done it,” until the story starts to develop and goes in a certain direction and the guilty one always shows his or her true colors. 

If someone hasn’t read any of your work, what book would you recommend they start with and why?

 

“Wings of Love” is a great story about loss and loving again and it holds a special place in my heart, so I would start there.

What are you working on now that your readers can look forward to?

 

I’m in the editing stage of “Foundation of Love” and working on the outline for “Ruby Lode.”  Many readers have asked for a sequel to Final Encore and I’ve been playing around with a plotline for that as well.

Treasure of Love by Scotty Cade – Excerpt and More!

May 20, 2011

Hello Again!

I love you guys.  The blurbs are starting to come in and they are great and a couple a little weird, but keep them coming. I’m very excited!!!!!

Here’s a little more about Treasure of Love.  The story surrounds two main characters Jackson (Jack) Cameron, straight charter boat captain and Daxston (Dax) Powers, renowned gay treasure hunter.  Again for those who read Wings of Love, you’ll remember Jack Cameron as Mac Cleary’s former brother-in-law who had such a hard time with Mac realizing that the man that was married to his late sister for over ten years is now in love with a man.

But the storyline aside, the question I get asked the most about the characters in this book is how I came up with such an unusual name like Daxston, so here’s the real 411.  Daxston was Dax’s mother’s maiden name and it’s very common among us southerners to give your children family last names as their firsts, so it’s that simple! And as most of you are aware, I’m as southern as they come and right proud of it.  To quote Aunt Pittypat from one of my favorite movies, Gone with the Wind, “Yankee’s in Georgia? My heavens, how’d they get in here?”

There I go digressing again.  So what were we talking about, oh yeah, Treasure of Love.  So…in the first novel of the series, Wings of Love, Jack was pretty mean and dead set against his former brother-in-law being in love with a man and caused quite a stir.  But in Treasure of Love, although he starts off rather contrary, we get to know the real Jack Cameron and realize that most of his actions are based on fear and once you read the story you’ll know why.  So here’s your first excerpt and I hope you enjoy it:

Chapter One

Safely docked in Skagway, Alaska, and awaiting his next charter, Dive Master and Captain Jackson P. Cameron was spending a leisurely afternoon lounging on the deck of the Lindsey C, his seventy-five-foot dive boat. Soaking up the warmth of the Alaskan summer sunshine and enjoying the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the hull, he was debating on making a big change in his life. He’d been diving and doing charters for the last ten years, and was hitting the burnout period. It wasn’t a bad life, and he did get to do what he loved—diving and captaining his own boat—but his heart told him it was time for a change. Unfortunately, his wallet told him otherwise.

Everyone needs a change every now and then, damn it. This is my time, he thought. Money or no money, when my next charter’s done, I’m taking a few weeks off and heading to a warm, sunny climate to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.

His tranquility was suddenly interrupted by the voice of Johnny Horton singing the old country classic, “North to Alaska.”  Why in the hell did I choose that stupid song as the ringer on my cell phone? God, I hope this isn’t another charter. He dug his phone out of the pocket of his khaki shorts, lifted it to his ear, and said, “Jack Cameron.”

“Is this the Jack Cameron who owns the charter boat Lindsey C?” the caller asked.

“One and the same,” Jack said. “And this is…?”

The caller said, “I’m Daxston Powers. I’m sure you’ve probably heard of me.”

Jack did a quick scan of his mind’s database. “Nope, can’t say that I have,” Jack responded. “But what can I do for you… Daxston, is it?”

“Yes, but you can call me Dax,” the caller responded in an annoyed tone. “I would like to meet with you to discuss securing your boat for a long-term charter,” he said.

“Really? How long is long-term?” Jack asked.

“I’m not completely sure. It depends on how long it takes you to find what I’m looking for. It could be a couple of weeks on the low end and up to three months on the high end.”

Dollar signs flashed in front of Jack’s eyes, and then the realization hit him. There goes my time off.

Not wanting to seem too anxious, he said, “I’ve got a pretty tight schedule, but sure, we can meet. When and where?”

“Where are you now?” Dax asked.

“I’m docked near the ferry landing in Skagway, he replied. “My next charter pulls away from the dock at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’ll be at your boat at ten am sharp tomorrow morning,” Dax said, and hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

“I’ll be he—” Jack said as he heard a click in his ear before he could finish his sentence.

“Arrogant bastard,” he said to himself as he looked at his cell phone.

He hit the “end” button and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He stretched out again for a second time and tried to place the name Daxston or Dax Powers, but nothing came to mind except arrogant bastard.

“North to Alaska, They’re goin’ North, the rush is on.”

Damn, I really have to change that. He immediately felt a flash of guilt: maybe the guy didn’t hang up on me after all. Without looking at the caller ID, he put the phone to his ear and started to speak.

“I guess we were disconnected.”

He heard a short pause on the other end of the line. “Nope, try again,” the caller said.

Jack immediately recognized the voice and smiled.

His former brother-in-law and best friend, Mac Cleary, was a floatplane pilot who now lived in Hiline Lake, Alaska, with his partner, retired oncologist, Dr. Bradford Mitchell. Mac had been happily married to Jack’s sister, Lindsey, until she had died of cancer eight years ago. After being alone for over five years, Mac had unexpectedly reconnected and fallen in love with Brad, a former passenger. Brad had recently lost his partner, Jeff, to colon cancer, and the two men had formed an unbreakable bond, which over time had turned into love. Jack had had a hard time dealing with Mac’s sudden change in lifestyle, but eventually he’d come to accept it, and if he was honest with himself, was a little envious of their loving relationship.

“Hey, Mac, what’s up, man?”

“Not much, Jackie, just checking in. I haven’t talked to you in over a week. Are you on a charter?”

“Not yet, but picking up a three-day run starting tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good deal,” Mac said. “Fishing or diving?

“Diving,” Jack responded. “Don’t do much fishing anymore, it really takes a toll on the boat, and it’s too damn messy. Hey, how’s Bradford?” Jack asked.

“He’s good,” Mac said. “We just landed in Anchorage for an overnight trip to pick up supplies. We haven’t left the lake since we got back from Europe, and we’re starting to get down to the bare necessities.”

“It must be nice to retire so young and have the means to go on one adventure after another, and then escape back into the solitude of the Alaskan mountains for weeks at a time to rest up,” Jack said, with quite a bit of envy in his voice.

“It is nice, no doubt about that,” Mac said. “But Brad’s the one with all the money. Who would have thought that at this stage of my life I would be married to a rich doctor.”

“I need to find a rich doctor to take care of me,” Jack added.

“Very funny,” Mac said. “Just like you, Jack, to make me sound like a gold digger.”

“I’m teasing,” Jack said.

“I know,” Mac admitted. “But we’ve been on the go for most of the last two years, and although I know he loves it when we get home, I can tell he’s already starting to get cabin fever.”

“You guys never let any moss grow under your feet, and I love that about you,” Jack said. Jack heard Mac start to speak again, but his words faded into the background as he zoned out and stared out over the horizon. It sure would be nice to have someone special to share my life with.

“Jack? Did I lose you?” Mac asked.

“No, no, I’m here,” Jack said. “Sorry, I zoned out for a minute, what did you say?”

“I was saying that I guess we’re both enjoying life again,” Mac confided. “Those five years after Lindsey died, I was barely going through the motions of living. And Brad, he was fighting so hard to cure Jeff’s cancer, he thought of little else. And when Jeff had had enough of the unsuccessful treatments and decided he was ready to give up, Brad supported his decision and never left his side. I think a piece of us died with each of our partners, and we’re just now starting to live again.”

“I think you guys have been really good for each other,” Jack shared. “It’s no secret that it took me quite a while to get used to the idea of you two, you know, being together, but now I can’t imagine you not being together.”

Mac chuckled. “Oh, you don’t have to remind me of how much of a pain in the ass you were,” he said.

“Come on, Mac, that’s water under the bridge,” Jack said. “You seem happy now, and that makes me happy,” Jack added, meaning every word.

“Thanks, Jackie,” Mac responded.

“Not to change the subject, Mac, but have you ever heard of someone named Daxston Powers?”

“Daxston Powers,” Mac mumbled to himself, certain he recognized the name. “Oh yeah, I think he goes by Dax,” he said. “He’s one of those modern-day treasure hunters.”

“Really—a treasure hunter, huh?” Jack asked.

“Yeah. Brad and I just saw a documentary a couple of weeks ago on the Discovery Channel about his last expedition.”

“The Discovery Channel. He must be pretty famous,” Jack said.

“More infamous, I think,” Mac responded.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“Well, in a Geraldo-Rivera-finding-nothing-in-Al-Capone’s-vault sort of a way,” Mac responded.

“You lost me,” Jack said.

“Let me see if I can get this right,” Mac continued. “Last fall, Powers was off the coast of Cape Horn in search of a clipper said to be carrying a bounty of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. I think it was called the Sarah Maria. And according to the documentary, the information surrounding the Sarah Maria’s demise had been so vague that she’d eluded treasure hunters for the last one hundred and fifty years.”

Jack interrupted, “So I’m sure finding that wreck would help to validate his work and boost his career,” he said.

“Pretty much,” Mac continued. “He knew that if he found the wreck, he would garner some much-needed recognition and credibility to help him find investors for future expeditions.”

“And that’s why he invited the Discovery Channel to film the entire expedition,” Jack added. “So, did he find the wreck?”

“Much like Geraldo found the vaults, he found a wreck, but unfortunately for him, it wasn’t the Sarah Maria.”

“Serves him right,” Jack said.

“What?” Mac asked.

“Oh, nothing, go on,” Jack responded.

“Okay, it’s official, you’re very weird,” Mac teased. “But that’s not the best of the story.”

“There’s more?” Jack asked.

“Oh yeah, on the last day of the failed expedition, they were caught off guard by an unexpected fall storm, and Dax’s research vessel, Hunter’s Instinct, went down in very high winds and pounding seas.”

“No shit,” Jack whispered through a smile.

“Yep, and the really impressive thing is that he stayed on board until everyone was safely rescued, barely escaping with his own life.”

“The captain always goes down with his ship,” Jack said. “Not a new concept.”

“I still think it’s pretty impressive,” Mac added. “But once he was finally aboard the rescue boat, he swore, on camera, that he would get a new boat and he would continue his research until he found the wreck of the Sarah Maria.”

“Did he now?” Jack asked as his mind started to wander again. Did Powers want him to help them find the Sarah Maria?

Mac spoke again, “I know this is a stupid question after all that, but what’s this all about?”

“He just called me and wants to talk to me tomorrow morning about chartering the Lindsey C for as long as three months. And that’s who I thought was calling me back when you called.”

“No shit?” Mac said. “Certainly he doesn’t want you to take the Lindsey C to Cape Horn?”

“Who knows what the arrogant bastard wants?” Jack admitted.

“Wow, I can see that he really made an impression on you,” Mac said. “What did he do that has you in such a tizzy?”

Jack explained how their earlier conversation had started and abruptly ended.

Mac laughed and said, “They hinted in the documentary that he can be a little arrogant and somewhat difficult to work with.”

“We’ll just see how difficult he’ll be when he hears my price. The Lindsey C is my boat and I’m the captain, not Daxston Powers. And what in the hell kind of a name is Daxston anyway?” Jack asked.

Mac laughed. “Oh man, he’s in for it now. Give him hell, Jackie,” he urged.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jack said.

“Okay, Jack. Gotta run, Brad’s waiting for me in the truck, but please give me a call after your meeting tomorrow morning. I’m dying to know what he has in mind.”

“Will do, Mac, and give my best to Brad.”

“I’ll do it. Bye, Jack.”

Mac hooked his phone back to his belt as he wondered if he should have mentioned to Jack that Dax was openly gay. Nah, he’ll figure it out sooner or later, and this could prove to be interesting.

He thought back to the many conversations he and Lindsey had had before she died, about how they thought Jack might be gay. He’d been married for a few months some fifteen years ago and would never talk about what went wrong. Since then, he’d not had anything close to a serious relationship, nothing more than a date here or there, and when he’d found out about Mac and Brad, he’d thrown a fit and threatened to never talk to Mac again. Eventually he’d come around, but not without some major coaxing. At the time, Mac was new to the lifestyle as well, and didn’t know the signs like he did now, but Brad’s gaydar was on high alert from the start, and Jack’s homophobia had only added to Mac and Brad’s speculations about his sexuality.

Yep, this could prove to be very interesting.

You can find more information at www.scottycade.com.

 

Treasure of Love by Scotty Cade Now Available – Contest Details

May 20, 2011

Hello All,

Scotty Cade here again.  I can’t believe my third novel Treasure of Love is being released today.  It seems like just yesterday that I was putting the finishing touches on my first novel Final Encore and now I have two more under my belt.  Go me!

But before I start telling you about my Treasure of Love, I want to hear from you.  This is the part I really like, contest time.  I’ll be giving away two electronic books and two paperbacks for the best blurb about what you consider to be your Treasure of Love and why.  It can be anything you hold dear to you like a significant other, a pet, a piece of jewelry from a lost loved one, or anything at all really, that holds a special place in your heart.

And to make this really fair, I’m going to call on fellow author and friend SJD Peterson, who also has a book coming out later this month at Dreamspinner Press called Lorcan’s Desires, to help me judge.  So have no fear, it won’t just be little ole me deciding who wins but you’ll get a woman’s perspective as well.

So with that said, it’s back to me, all about me, me, me, me.  J  Treasure of Love was so much fun to write.  I’m a certified diver and I’ve always dreamed of being on a treasure hunt.  And once I started writing, I knew that this was going to be really fun.  Because I wanted this novel to be fiction based on fact, I needed to find a shipwreck that had mystery surrounding it and was said to have treasure aboard, but was never found or salvaged.  During my many hours of researching shipwrecks, I found the perfect shipwreck on which to base the story, and much to my surprise, it was located in the Lynn Canal, in where else, Skagway Alaska.  For those of you who read Wings of Love, it was set in the Alaskan mountains at a place called Hiline Lake and Skagway is a very short flight away from Hiline Lake, so this book unnamed at the time, became Treasure of Love and the “Love” series was born.  Just as a tease, be on the lookout because there are two more in the series, Bounty of Love and Foundation of Love, which will be out before the end of the year.  God I digress.  But rest assured all the novels in the series are independent of one another, but have recurring characters and places that make the reader’s of the series feel comfortable and at home with familiar surroundings and characters.

So with all that said, here is the description.  And don’t go too far because I’ll have lots more posts throughout the day.

Treasure of Love

Hunky Alaskan dive master and charter boat captain Jackson Cameron is absolutely sure he’s straight until openly gay treasure hunter Dax Powers calls him and offers him the adventure of a lifetime: Dax and his sister Donatella have found the Anna Wyoming, a ship that went down during the 1889 gold rush on return from Skagway Island—very possibly carrying a fortune in gold.

But real treasure is never free, and this one comes with some heavily armed strings attached. Jack and Dax struggle to keep their small crew safe from a powerful threat while they fight against the attraction they feel for each other. Between the danger of the hunt, the risks in the dive, and the thrill of being lost in passion, Dax and Jack are going to have a hard time holding on to their treasure… and to each other!

You can find more information at www.scottycade.com.