New Review for Leather!

I must confess, I was a little worried about my first review for Leather, but L.T. Blue really seemed to pick up on what I was aiming for with this book. Generally when I write, my heroine is the central character; I develop her first, and create a hero to fit her. In the case of Leather, I started with Pierce. He's a completely unconventional hero; a porn star with major questions about his personal sexual preferences. He's rapidly approaching middle age, and just isn't sure what he wants out of life.

His personal history is a vital part of the story, and some of it came directly from real life. When I was a runaway teen, I encountered some of the dangerous and evil people who scour the bus depots in Los Angeles, looking for young, vulnerable people to take advantage of. I always wonder what would have happened to me if I'd said 'yes' to one of those people. Thankfully, I never wanted to be a star, so I never walked that path.

Pierce turned out to be an amazing hero, and is still active in my imagination. He'll undoubtely show up again in a future book. I look forward to it!

Title: Leather
Author: Belinda McBride
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Reviewer: L.T. Blue
Rating: 5 Stars
Heat Level: H

Pierce Wilder isn't a Dom, he just plays one on screen. As a well known porn star Pierce is ready to leave the life behind. Pierce is looking for the woman who will love him and not just his dick; he wants the house and children and more importantly the happily ever after. When Pierce catches the eye of the sexy woman in the resturant, he begins to wonder who she is and tries to get the nerve up to speak with her. Celeste decided that enough was enough. She was going to take a chance and introduce herself. Pierce wants to be honest with Celeste about his profession and his dreams. He just hopes it doesn't push her away. Celeste will have to make some tough choices, as a cop falling in love with a porn star is difficult. When she discovers someone is plotting something evil against Pierce, it will take all of her love to get him back.

Leather isn't your typical BDSM erotic romance. I fell in love with Piere and began to wish great things for him. As a porn star Pierce is really good, taking his role of Dom with ease, it is amazing that he doesn't feel that he is a Dom in real life, yet he continues to act as one. The sexual chemistry between Pierce and Celeste is instant, and you feel the heat with each page. With the amazing plot and suspense the lovemaking between Pierce and Celeste has an heat that makes you yearn for your partner or toys, whichever is closer. All of the secondary characters in this story were needed to get the plot moving while adding to the intensity of the story. There are some scenes of kidnapping, canning, starvation, and other evil things that some readers may be offended by. Ms. McBride delivered an awesome story with Leather, and I can't wait to read more from her.

Buy Link: http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/leather.htm

Leather is also available for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Leather-ebook/dp/B002TJZLV8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1260140782&sr=1-3

The Man of my Dreams

It seems logical to write about Dorian and Phaedre, the two lead characters from Soul Keeper. However, logic is something I am rarely afflicted with, so, I’m actually going to tell you about a very minor character from the story, and how he ended up making his presence known to me.

First off, Soul Keeper wasn’t the first book I sat down to write, but it was the first that I finished. I didn’t have a particularly clear outline of the book, so I suppose that’s why the door was left open for Roman to enter. I knew the plot, the ending and pretty much how they got there, but I guess my subconscious decided that something was missing.

One night, I had one of those short, vivid dreams that literally bring you out of the bed. In the dream, I was riding a bus. We were on a route that wound through San Francisco’s Presidio, near Baker Beach. The bus stopped and I get on. (That’s the odd logic of dreams…) I took a seat next to the doors and looked at the man sitting across from me.

He was frightening. He was dark, but I was unable to decide what his ethnicity was. His hair was shaved close to his scalp, and he wore a dark, expensive suit. He wore sunglasses, so I couldn’t see his eyes, but I knew they were silvery-green. He was huge. Even sitting, his knees pushed out into the aisle. He was handsome in his way, but very, very intimidating. He then smiled at me, and with that smile, I knew this was a good, safe person.

We got off the bus at the same stop, and he paused as though he didn’t recognize where he was. I realized that he was lost. He gave me a slip of paper with an address on it, and we walked to that address together. He knew that his name was Roman, and he knew his home was nearby, but he couldn’t remember how to get there.

Roman was brain-injured.

He might have been inspired by someone I’d met a few years back. Perhaps he represented the head injury I’d suffered myself years ago. Whatever the case, Roman very quickly found his place in Soul Keeper. For me, he represents things lost and gained. For Phaedre and Danae, he is safety in a very real and literal sense. For Kaine and Dorian, he represents the failure of the Equis to take care of their own.

Every character in the book is reflected by how they dealt with Roman’s injury.

What I found most interesting about the character is his grace. Roman carries a heavy burden, but never grieves over the loss of the person he once was. His family and friends grieve for him. Roman simply moves on. He has a very real appreciation for his life in spite of the hardships that he experiences. Roman can’t read well, but has discovered a genius for computer skills. He can’t handle a pencil or tell his left from his right, but earned a living as a bodyguard and security expert. Sometimes the frustration is there, but he always manages to set it aside and adapt.

Roman reminds me of patience and persistence. He reminds me not to judge others. Roman reminds me to listen to my inner voice.

I’m not quite certain which direction Roman will travel, but I have every intention of going along for the ride. Literally. Did I mention that he’s a shape-shifting centaur?

You can read about Roman, and all the other magical creatures in Soul Keeper, coming very soon to New Concepts Publishing.

If you’d like to know more about me, please come and visit!

www.belindamcbride.com

www.belindam.blogspot.com

www.myspace.com/belindamcbride

How to Save a Life Without Really Trying

This morning, I was on the telephone, making an appointment to take my niece to visit her social worker. Once we’d settled on a date, I had to change the time, remembering that was my regular day to donate platelets through Apheresis.
To my surprise, she didn’t know anything about donating blood, and was even more mystified that I would take several hours out of my day every two weeks to undergo Apheresis, the procedure that separates platelets from blood.

I began to donate blood a few years back, going in to the blood center maybe two or three times a year. And then one day, I overheard one of the nurses mention that some of the cancer patients at local hospitals were literally dying because they couldn’t get enough platelet donors. I asked about the procedure, was tested for my platelet count, and to my surprise, discovered that I was an ideal donor. In fact, with my high platelet count, I am able to do triple donations twice a month. That means six very ill patients receive life-saving platelets from me every month!

What does this have to do with writing? Well, I spend about ninety minutes in a recliner while the Apheresis procedure takes place, and my mind wanders. Once, I was thinking of a new idea for a story; the setting was clear, the story would take place in post-earthquake San Francisco. I had the title: Dragon’s Blood. But the plot just wouldn’t gel.

I looked around the room at all of the donors and thought of a future where a mysterious disease had taken hold of the human population. A future where donated blood became a rare and precious commodity. This disease became a major plot point in the Black Planet series, and will continue to re-emerge in future books in that series. In my current release, Tiger Eyes, the heroine is afflicted with the disease called Dragon’s Blood, and is rapidly dying. Grace fights valiantly to stay alive in this story; she’s an amazingly strong character.

Over the course of my life, I’ve seen many lives saved by the donations of others. My friend Mo received bone marrow transplants which extended her life during her battle with cancer. My brother received whole blood following a devastating injury. My co-worker Melissa made the stunning and selfless decision to donate her kidney to a friend, and literally saved that woman’s life.

You too can save lives; simply call your local blood center to see if you are eligible to donate. It takes a little time, and next to no effort. To learn more about Platelet Apheresis, visit the American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_554_,00.html
Black Planet: Tiger Eyes is now available at Changeling Press:

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1027
Belinda McBridehttp://www.belindamcbride.com/

October Release! IMPERATIVE: ALWAYS YOU

New at Changeling Press!

The concept of the Imperative series is freedom of choice. Is such freedom desirable? Beneficial? If so, why do we always seem to screw things up?

Years ago, there was a song with an interesting lyric: Freedom of choice is what we've got; Freedom from choice is what we want.

After reading romances for quite some time, I noticed a trend; people who are bound to one another by outside forces. Life mates, soul mates, bound by magic, nature or or a biological mating. Since most women's romance is a fantasy for the female reader, what are we looking for on a gut level? A man who will never cheat, will never leave us. A relationship that is perfect, that was meant to be.

Happily ever after. Of course.

Well, at least that's my interpretation.

That irked me, and when something irks me, I generally confront the issue and put my own spin on it. Thus came Nature's Imperative.

Couples are pulled together, sometimes unwillingly. The Imperative can strike anytime, anywhere. Con Montgomery is literally hanging upsidedown on the side of a building when he feels it.

The Imperative is not comfortable, it causes nausea, vertigo, and a major sense of undefined horniness. If you don't connect with your Imperative mate, bad things happen, and your life will never be whole. Without your mate, you are condemned to a half-life of sorts, without the comfort of a lover, children, or sexual satisfaction.

The characters in this universe are human, they mess up. In Missing You, Con and Duncan literally miss Marina, who is intended by Nature to be their third, and as a result, their idyllic love for one another goes awry, resulting in infidelity. (Well, not really, since the "other woman" was really Marina, thier mate.)

In Always You, Neil and Marilyn are futuristic yuppies, up and comers in their corner of the business world. Their relationship is abrasive and tense. When Nature finally butts her nose into the situation, things don't improve a great deal. After all, Neil has lived his entire adult life as a gay man and is comfortable with his sexuality. He is still deeply in love with Jase, the lover he just broke up with. Marilyn still carries her anger toward Neil, as well as a deep lack of self-confidence. Just because an outside force compels this couple to be together doesn't make them suddenly perfect.

What's next in the series? Well, I'm currently working on Saving You, the story of Jase. Its coming slow, because of all the characters I've ever written, Jase is truly sad, truly disturbed, and in spite of a miracle, he isn't going to just "get over" all the pain in his psyche. I want his story to be just right, after all, he plays an important role in Neil and Marilyn's story.

Another important factor in Saving You is Nature herself; she decides that Jase is important enough that she's actually personified in this book. Jase asks for peace, and she decides to grant him his wish. And peace is certainly not what Jason Anders thinks it will be!

Anyhow, I hope you read and enjoy this series. Number Three may be the end, but who knows, maybe Nature will come knocking on my imagnation one again, giving me some new ideas for the Imperative!


TITLE: IMPERATIVE: ALWAYS YOU
AUTHOR: Belinda McBride
AUTHOR URL: http://www.belindamcbride.com/
GENRE/THEME: Futuristic, Fantasy, Bisexual
PUBLISHER: Changeling Press
RELEASE DATE: October 24, 2008
URL TO THE BUYING PAGE: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1021
EXCERPT RATING: NC17
WARNINGS: Sexual Situation
*****

BLURB

In the future, we don't choose our mates; Nature chooses for us. Nature doesn't make mistakes. And if you don't pay attention to Nature's Imperative, you suffer.

She could always get under his skin. He could always send her spinning into fury. Marilyn and Neil aren’t like oil and water, they’re like dynamite and a fuse! Not only do these co-workers hate each other, but Mari’s still in love with her ex-husband, and Neil? Well, Neil is gay.

Nature’s got some explaining to do.


EXCERPT:

He pushed her to the top of the bed, overwhelmed by softness; soft skin, soft muscle, soft hair. He ran his hands over her body, rough and hard, hands clasping her small breasts, listening to her gasp as he bent down, tasted her nipples. A hand dropped between her legs and Marilyn opened gladly, more than ready to take him.

His hand groped, a bit clumsy, finally a finger slipped within her folds, probing, dipping into her wet channel. Neil pushed himself up, away from her breast and watched his hand, looked at what he was doing.. Her hips thrust against his hand, as though silently urging him on, and her hand dropped to his cock, stroking firmly, with an expert touch. She squeezed, her thumb catching a pearl of pre-come, spreading it over his cock head.

Unable to wait, Neil shifted into position, letting her take his cock, sliding it into her wet, glistening folds.

And then he was inside her body.
* * *
He froze atop her. Marilyn pumped her hips, trying to urge him into movement. He was large, as large as she’d suspected, judging by her covert glimpses of him in the past. He’d been nearly shaking in eagerness, sweat blooming over his skin, his muscles taut and rigid. His cock was so hard, so hot she’d been unable to wait.

And now he hovered there, inches above her body, buried deep within her channel.

“Neil?” She shifted her hips, trying to provoke him to movement. She shivered in frustration. This was the most wildly arousing moment of her life. He’d been rough, and it had felt good, so incredibly good. He’d been awkward, but that wasn’t unusual, some men she’d been with had been much more so.

He was hard inside of her, but suddenly, she felt a sense of disconnection. Isolation.

“Neil?”

He blinked in the darkness, and looked down at her. To her dismay, he backed out, sliding to a kneeling position.

“I can’t.”

Nausea bloomed, the sweat on her skin suddenly chilled, and the little bit she’d eaten threatened to come back up.

Marilyn carefully scooted up in the bed, cautious to not brush his skin, to not make any contact at all.

She slid off the bed, glancing at Neil, he still knelt, eyes closed, cock jutting from his body.

“I’m sorry, Mari, don’t leave… please… I just…”

She fished her clothing from the floor, piece by piece, following the trail to the door.

“Mari…”

He’d followed her to the living room. He was naked, and Marilyn thought she’d never seen such a beautiful body before. He was tanned and muscled, the result of hours on a rowing team. His cock was still full and hard, jutting from a nest of dark curls. His long legs were muscular and as perfect as she’d ever seen.

“That’s okay, Neil. I do understand, really.” She pulled her sweater over her head and quickly tied the drawstring on her pants. She picked up her shoes, not bothering to put them on.

“I’ll go home now. If it’s too hard to be apart, I’ll just… maybe take your spare room. I’m not really interested in relationships, but maybe you and Jase…”

Her gaze swept the room and she spotted her tote. She scooped it from the floor.

“Marilyn, it’s not what you…”

The door shut behind her.

“…think.”

He squeezed his eyes closed and turned back to the bedroom. Neil’s cock ached unbearably, and he fell face first onto the neatly made bed.

The pressure of the mattress on his cock was overwhelming.. He thrust once, twice, imagining that he was back inside that incredible, wet, tight passage. Once more and he shuddered in climax. The climax he’d been trying to delay when he’d pulled out of her body. He’d been completely overwhelmed by the foreign nature of the act, the unfamiliar curves and planes of a female body.

He’d found himself lost in an incipient climax before he’d even thrust into her once. His brain had shut down completely, unable to process what the hell was happening.

And then she was gone.

Neil rolled to his back, the buzzing in his head had returned, his stomach gripped with pain. He rolled to his feet and rushed to the bathroom, just in time to make it to the toilet before being sick.

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1021

http://www.belindamcbride.com/
http://www.belindam.blogspot.com/

Fire Storm!

If you look down further on my blog, you'll see some photos of the fires that burned with such devastation here in California. What's that got to do with writing, you ask?

I want to tell you about a special new anthology coming from Changeling Press. Its called Fire Storm, and all the stories are related to fire, fire elementals, and shifters. Remember a few months back when there was flooding in the east and fire in the west? Well, I was unfortunate enough to be right in the middle of a circle of some of California's worst fires. We got to talking and decided to do this anthology specifically to benefit national disaster relief organizations. I'm really proud that my story, Cougar Meadow, was selected to be part of this anthology.
http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1001

A collection of short Paranormal Erotic Adventures from the Changeling Press family of authors. Royalties to be donated to National Disaster Relief efforts.

Catan’s Fire -- Jade Buchanan: Asad needs to teach his mate what happens to submissive Felidae who disobey orders. This is one lesson Catan will never forget!

Brimstone by Mistake -- Alice Gaines: Lucifer has grown tired of processing soul after soul through hell -- until Sally Upshaw appears unannounced. The little temptress turns him on as no other woman ever has. The problem… Heaven's made a mistake. What will Lucifer do when the Man Upstairs wants Sally back?

Shifting Priorities -- Anne Kane: Solar flares have sparked random wildfires amongst the out-ports, and stationmaster Tome Rimmer forbids females to travel alone -- a decision that doesn't sit well with Jexx. Her battle implants more than compensate for her gender. But when the sexy hunk she picks up in the station bar turns out to be more than human, she has more important things to worry about than her profit margin.

Wolf Style -- B.J. McCall: When a wolf races out of the flames and straight into Volunteer Firefighter Matt Reynolds’ arms, he has no idea how his life is about to change.

Cougar Meadow -- Belinda McBride: When firefighter Ellie Cameron is separated from her crew and trapped in a firestorm, the last thing she expects is to be rescued -- by a shapeshifting mountain lion who awakens the heat buried within her -- and the need to mate.

Going Somewhere -- Cameo Brown: Leonora Palmer, an undercover arson investigator, gets an unexpected lesson in desire when the mysterious owner of a wild animal sanctuary catches her snooping in his garden and gives her no choice but to surrender to his primal needs.

Burning Down the House -- Isabella Jordan: Katurah has always had the ability to start fires with her mind. Will she use her powers now to end it all -- or will she give in to a fiery lover?

Stockings -- Jade Buchanan: What do you get when you throw a gorgeous female cat shifter, an enticing pair of stockings, and a very interested lady wolf into the mix? Enough heat to burn down the house...

Fire Thief -- Jordan Castillo Price: A glittery glam rock waif and a tattooed existentialist duck into a closet behind the bar. It’s just another gritty, anonymous, gay encounter in the dark…Isn’t it?

Britta's Beast -- Kate Hill: When Max and Britta met at a convention for members of magical law enforcement, they seemed like a perfect fit. But Max believes women should raise the family while men do the protecting. Problem. Britta’s a Valkyrie, and that’s just not her style. Time for the centuries old cat to learn a few new tricks -- before his lover takes wing.

Firehorse -- Mary Winter: When wildfires threaten a Nevada wild horse sanctuary, photographer Billie Mote takes one chance too many and finds herself needing rescue -- from a man who teaches her that there’s only one thing that burns hotter than the wildfire outside, and that’s the passion between them.

Mating Fever -- Selena Illyria:The moons are full, and Courtney's trapped with Devin Langley -- the man of her dreams. It's mating season for cat shifters, and she’s in heat. Perfect opportunity. The only problem -- she's been promised to another man.

Be sure to check out this great collection!

http://www.belindamcbride.com/

BLACK PLANET: DRAGON'S BLOOD Now Available!

It's always so much fun when a book releases...all that hard work and angst finally comes to fruition. Dragon's Blood is no different, its a book that in many ways came easy to me. In fact, much of the story came to me as I sat in the chair at the blood center, making my regular donation. But still, I worried about this one...will readers understand the cultural references that play such an important part of the story? Will they accept the racial differences between the hero and heroine?

Yes, blood plays a major role in the story, or rather, a creature that craves blood. A vampire? Maybe. A monster? Absolutely. And what exactly is "Dragon's Blood?" No, its not a mythical creature, but rather an insidious disease that kills randomly.

In my opinion, this is probably my best book (thus far!) and I'm really quite proud of it. So read on for a blurb and a racy excerpt about Annie Tanaka and Aiden Chen, the newest heros in the world of the Black Planet.

While this story isn't a sequel to Little Dragon, it takes place in the same universe, but in a different time. You will find some similarities, the Nephris are mentioned, and we meet the Thalians for the first time. And Grandfather Guo Lee makes an appearance...

And by the way, I'm celebrating the release of the book with a contest, read on, and then visit www.belindamcbride.com for details!

Title: Dragon’s Blood

Genre/Line: Sci Fi, Futuristic, Interracial, Cyber Punk

Author: Belinda McBride
Author URL: www.belindamcbride.com
Release Date September 12, 2008

Publisher: Changeling PressPublisher URL: http://www.changelingpress.com/
BUY LINK: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=986

Content Warning: Contains sexual situations, which may offend some readers.

* * * *
BLURB:
San Francisco, 2183 CESan Francisco was never the same after the Great Shake of ‘08. On the ruins of Fisherman’s Wharf, a ramshackle city rose like a mushroom, a strange dichotomy of safety and corruption. In this forbidden city, a monster prowls the corridors and alleys, seeking the nanite-enhanced flesh and blood of underground cage fighters.

Detective Annie Tanaka once survived an encounter with the monster. The attack left her clinging to life and riddled with fear. Now the monster has returned, and is hunting in her territory. She will need every weapon in her arsenal to face this enemy and prevail.

Unfortunately for Annie, her partner hates her and is next on the monster’s menu. And Annie’s mentor is a legendary fight master who hasn’t been seen in decades.

As she closes in on the creature, Annie Tanaka quickly discovers that her real enemy isn’t the monster, but her own fear. And against that fear, Annie must stand alone.

Note: The events in this story take place thirty years prior to Little Dragon.

EXCERPT: Adult
She broke the kiss. “Wait…”

She pushed back, standing, and unbelted his robe, letting it fall away from his body. He was muscular but lean. It amazed her that this beautiful body of his took so much punishment. There was a small scar over his hip; that had come from a domestic disturbance call. The victim had suddenly turned on her rescuers, attacking Annie with a knife as she cuffed the woman’s drunken husband. Aiden had saved her life that night, intercepting the attack, getting cut himself.

She surveyed his body, seeing the small scars of youth and childhood, but nothing newer. Nothing recent to mark the ugly turn his life had taken. His cock rose long and dark from a thatch of black hair, his balls dropped heavily beneath the shaft. Annie carefully drew his legs apart and knelt between them, exquisitely aware of the supplicant posture she assumed.

Aiden’s body grew rigid, his dark eyes fairly blazed with heat. When she took his shaft in hand, he shivered.

“My God, Annie!” He jumped when her mouth slid over the head of his cock. Inwardly, Annie smiled. She was in the pose of submission, but held all the power at this moment.

He was big, bigger than she could comfortably take in, so Annie clasped his shaft, giving long, smooth strokes as she suckled and licked at the head of his cock. She tasted the salty tang of pre-come, smelled the musk of his arousal as he became more excited. Aiden slid forward in the hard wooden chair, giving her more access to his body.

Annie fondled his balls with her free hand, teasing up behind the delicate orbs, the tips of her fingers pressing his anus. He flinched, and gasped, and she pulled her head back, looking up at him.

“Is this okay?” The tip of her finger pressed in a tiny bit, playing with that tight circle of muscle. He nodded.

“Not too much though, just there…“ His words trailed off on a sigh as she pressed a moist finger to his back entrance, her mouth returning to his balls. Annie felt his muscles contract on her finger rhythmically, his balls began to grow tight to his body. Annie looked up, the expression on his face made her heart stand still. Lust and want, certainly, but a look of wonderment and love had settled over his face. Love for her.

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=986

Little Dragon is now available!

Rose Lee was a wonderful character to create, in fact, if you scroll down to "Alpha Bitches and Little Dragons" you will find a little more information about how she came to be.

Arad Soheil? He was literally a mystery even as he first stepped into the story.

This seems to be typical for my writing, a story, a heroine (or hero) and a shadowy love interest who refuses to speak until they actually enter the story.

Arad is a wonderfully complex character, riddled with fears, grief and self-contempt that he certainly doesn't deserve. Odd, even Arad knows that his thinking has become twisted, yet can do nothing about it.

Well, nothing until Rose Lee enters his life!

http://www.changlingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=959

BLURB:

Following a devastating injury, Detective Rose "Little Dragon" Lee takes a courier job to make payments on her ship. The job was easy...safe...until her ship is captured by the dangerous, war-like Nephris.

Nephris Commander Arad Soheil immediately recognizes his captive as the one person his government would most like to capture and terminate. Arad immediately files a property claim on the dangerous female, making her part of his household. Rose means more to him than a warm body in his bed or a vessel for his children. She holds the key to his freedom and his sanity, to his very life.

Because Arad Soheil is not what he seems, and his time is running out.