Hi everyone! We have an exciting week ahead. Last week was pretty darned great too. Wolf in Gucci Loafers came out and it’s been doing great on Amazon, ARe, Dreamspinner, and other book sellers. Check it out!

Today’s guest is the fabulous Jaime Samms. I’m so excited to have her on the blog. I’m also excited to have the Adam Lambert videos. Love the boy! Jaime is offering you a GIVEAWAY. Your choice of either one of the books you see below! So please leave a comment! I’ll just turn over the reins and let her take over! Here’s Jaime —

People often wonder what the process of writing a book is actually like. How I come up with ideas, how I know what’s going to happen, how I know what my characters are going to be like. I’ve seen all sorts of spread sheets, personality tests, questionnaires and fake psychological studies that authors have used to figure these things out.

I don’t use those. I’ve tried them, now and then, but they never hold much interest.

When I started the Off Stage series, the books began with an Adam Lambert song.

And exploded out of my brain in, frankly, a bloody mess. As I was writing, one of the characters was meant to only have a very small part in the whole thing before he died tragically.

This was his first scene:

The lead singer ignored them all. His eyes, pale in the midst of all the black liner, were riveted on his guitarist as the pretty red-headed bombshell of a twink fiddled with his cord, volume, and whammy bar.
“Dude.” The singer wrapped long fingers in a graceful, be-ringed arch over the mike and considered the guitar player. His voice rumbled, low and sexy, through the bar. “Gimme.” Waggling his fingers in the air with a come-hither wink and a half grin got the crowd revved.
The guitarist grinned, an almost-shy expression lighting up his face. He didn’t look up, but he did skim his fingers over his strings and bring forth a surprisingly sensual roll of notes. Finally, he inched his way closer to center stage.

That guitar player wasn’t going to get another scene. He was going to die a fiery death in a car crash, and the singer was going to spend the next few hundred pages getting over the tragedy. I swear. That’s what Off Stage: Right was supposed to be about.

But stories change. Ideas grow. Characters take on life, and the next thing I knew, Lenny, that fated guitar player, became more than a plot device.

As soon as that happened, I knew there was no way to tell his story inside the first book. And that is how series are born. At least for me. Lenny had to have his own book, and so Off Stage: In the Wings was born.

The minute Lenny survived his best friend and band mate in book one, he was going to have to have his own story to resolve the boat load of issues that survival left him with. It was more than a challenge to bring Lenny back from the brink Damian left him on, but eventually, I’m sure he’ll get there.

Like any character, the survival was just the beginning. And his story pushed a new character to his own brink. So book three will be about Kilmer, the ex of Lenny’s new man, finding his Happy Ever After. Or, at least surviving the desperate now he’s found himself in.

For now, In the Wings will be out later this week (on the 25th) and his life can get sorted while Kilmers begins to disintegrate.

Blurb: Lenny Stevens was the lead guitarist of the up-and-coming grunge band Firefly until he crossed the line with the band’s lead singer. Now he’s faced with the impossible task of rebuilding his life without the music that had kept him together. Struggling with his fear and rage, he creates the same damaging patterns in his relationship with his lover, Vance Ashcroft.

Vance knows that Lenny is the submissive meant for him. He is convinced he can save Lenny from his demons and puts faith in his ability. But when Len’s temper leads to him physically hurting Vance and destroying property, both men realize Len’s issues are too big for them to work through alone.

Seeking the help of the people who know Len best, Vance invites his former bandmates to the ranch for Len’s belated birthday party. Together, they try to create a safe haven for Len to come apart and, hopefully, rearrange himself into a man who can live with his past and create a future worth having.

Excerpt: Len looked out the window at the skyline. Which part? The macabre belief his entire being was slowly ripping apart? Or the certain knowledge only Vance could hold him tight enough to keep him in one piece?

“No is not an option, Mr. Stevens.”

“You’d think I’m crazy.”

She smiled, and it was a kind, understanding expression. One that said, That’s why you’re here, without making it an insult or a judgment.

“You ever hear that Adam Lambert song? ‘Underneath’?”
“I quite like Adam.” She wrote a brief note on her pad. “Do you think that song applies to you?”

He shrugged, caught himself even as she pursed her lips in disapproval, and let out a snarl. “Only the bloody, screaming bits.”

True to form, she didn’t flinch. “Not the part about inviting someone to see that in you?”

Len clamped his lips shut.

“Do you think you’re the only one to feel this way, Mr. Stevens?”
“Well, I didn’t write the song, so probably not, no.”

“Whoever did write the song found a healthy outlet.”

“Goody for them.”

“So it’s not impossible.”

I have an outlet.

He wanted to say it.

I have Vance, only he doesn’t want….

The wet, ripping sound that came next proved to be a groan from Len’s lips. It wasn’t his heart separating from his body. It only felt that way.

Thank you again to Jaime for being here and to all of you for stopping by! Be sure to check back for more excitement this week and Big Backlist Weekend is coming! And remember to LEAVE a COMMENT to win your choice of the books!  : )