Release Day!

Hi all,

My latest title, Pack Initiation (sequel to Pack Rules), is now out! (Excerpt at the bottom)

Darren Lane, a newly turned werewolf, finds love and friendship in experienced were Paul Christenson, and is soon invited into Paul’s wolf pack, led by alpha Ethan. Problems soon surface, though, when Paul’s old pack leader, Gabriel, attempts to blackmail Paul into committing a brutal crime. Just what is it that Gabriel holds over Paul’s head?

Paul is left with a dilemma. He refuses to do what Gabriel asks of him, but if he doesn’t Gabriel will reveal to Ethan the reason why Paul was forced out of his pack. He could tell Ethan himself and minimize the fallout, but he knows his new pack leader. If Ethan found out about Gabriel’s threats, it could lead to a pack war.

With tensions increasing between the two wolf packs, will Darren and Paul come through with their relationship, and their lives, intact?

Excerpt -

A new scent. Paul paused in the shadow of a nearby tree heavy with snow and sniffed the air. It was certainly a shifter, a male shifter, but the scent was muted. Light, almost airy, too. That meant that whoever they were, they hadn’t been a shifter for long.

On powerful legs, he sprinted in the direction of the scent. He was downwind, and the wolf was new and probably not used to their abilities, so he could get close as long as he slowed as he got near.

The trees rushed by on either side as Paul bounded through the deep snow. Going so fast was reckless if he hadn’t known the area, but Paul had hunted and played in the copse of trees for years. He knew every rabbit hole, every exposed root.

On he ran, dodging remembered trouble spots, running on instinct and adrenaline. The scent grew stronger as the other wolf changed direction, and Paul slowed and headed off to the side, coming to a halt behind a thick-trunked oak.

The new wolf came into sight a few seconds later, apparently unaware of Paul’s proximity. The wolf was smaller than him, with a lighter brown coat, but moved just as fast, if not faster. His muscles shifted under his skin like finely tuned machines.

Just as Paul thought he was in the clear, the wolf skidded to a halt and spun to face the tree he stood behind. Better senses than I gave him credit for.

Paul padded out from behind the tree, his pace slow, his stance unthreatening. The new wolf backed up a few steps, then stopped. He was obviously confused. Maybe the guy thought he was the only shifter in town. Boy, is he in for a shock.

The two wolves stood stock-still for a few seconds, then the new wolf bolted back the way he had come. Paul watched him go, then headed off further into the woods. He had some thinking to do.

* * * *

Darren scrabbled back through his tunnel into his shed and shook the dirt free from his fur, spattering the wooden walls with snow and dirt. He shifted back into his human form and quickly pulled on his clothes.

Who the hell was that wolf? No, not wolf, werewolf. Somehow Darren knew that the guy was the same as he was, and it freaked him the hell out. He retrieved his door key and placed a hand on the cold shed door, then paused. What if the wolf had followed him home? Wolves in the wild were territorial, so it made sense that at least some werewolves would feel the same. The wolf could be waiting on the other side of the door.

“I can’t stay in here all damn day,” he muttered.

After a deep breath, he pushed the door wide and stepped out, half expecting to be bowled over. There was no one, and no footprints in the snow other than his own, either. With a sigh of relief he jogged back to his kitchen door and let himself in, locking it behind him then kicking off his snow-covered boots.

The more he thought about the encounter, the less concerned he became about the wolf being hostile. Yes, the wolf had hidden behind a tree, and only a chance gust of wind had alerted him to its scent, but when discovered, the wolf revealed itself and didn’t show any hostility. If it wanted to, it could have torn out Darren’s back leg as he ran away. It would have been an easy kill.

He shuddered, and it wasn’t just from the low temperature. Before his change, even the mere thought of such fights would have him come out in a cold sweat, but since the wolf took up residence in his head, a coldness had settled over his thoughts. He wasn’t a fan, but it had its advantages. It was much easier to remain calm in situations that used to make him anxious. On the other hand, it had shortened his temper significantly. It was a tough balance to maintain.

Something on the floor caught his attention. It was the flyer for The Wolfpack. The opening of the door must have blown it off the table. He stooped to retrieve it and clipped it back onto the fridge.

A drink would take his mind off things. He’d call Robby and see if he was up for a night out.

“But first, a shower before I freeze to death.”

Presenting Alex Bowman

Hi all!

So I was chatting with a fellow M/M author, the dashing Alex Bowman, and it was suggested that since we both have new books either out now or out soon, we should swap posts on our blogs. Sounds like a good idea to me! Without further ado, here's Alex.


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First off, I want to thank JC for allowing me to come share today.

(Click me!)

Welcome to the world of the Soul Collector, a special human able to save other souls from the clutches of the Hell Demons that have stolen them.

In the first story, Losing His Religion, we met Jamie, the one male who would lead the Soul Collector Army, whether he wanted to or not. In Laying Down the Lawman, we meet Sheriff Jason McCall, a rugged officer hell-bent on saving his community from the new paranormal threat moving in. When he gets otherworldly help, he's not sure he wants it, nor is he sure he likes the attraction he feels for Prince Elia. His Majesty sets his sights on the human, determined to have him fight the war that's coming.

And determined to have him in his bed.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt and happy reading!


Le excerpt (I'm so fancy - JC)


“Hands up where I can see them.”
Elia looked the human over, seeing the uniform of a lawman in the dim light, the moon casting a glint over the tin star on the man’s chest.  Law or not, there was a chance this man was working with Molock, so he needed to tread carefully.  He lifted his hands up and signaled his surrender, which was anything but.  At first chance, he would subdue the male and continue his perusal.
“Come out into the light so I can see you better.  Keep the hands up.”
Elia stepped forward and into the full moon’s illumination, shifting back into his human form before doing so.  Apparently he’d not been quick enough.
“Dammit, you’re one of them, aren’t you?”
Elia couldn’t help but bristle at the term them, or the way the man spit it out.  “One of what, officer?”
“Don’t play me.  If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it’s a duck.”
Elia couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Quack, quack.”
The gun trained on him never wavered.  Elia stopped laughing as he saw Chastity get out of the car from the corner of his eye.
“Chastity?  What are you doing up here?”  The man never removed his eyes from Elia.  Smart man.
“Aww, Sheriff McCall, whatchu got your gun out for?  This gentleman has been nothing but nice to me.”
“Well, this gentleman seems to have put himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“How’s that, sheriff?  Is there a law against stopping in to see if a friend is home?”
“A friend?”  The sheriff lowered his voice an octave, as if he didn’t want Chastity to hear what he had to say.  “I know what you freaks are doing up here.  There’ll be no more killings in my county.  Is that why you brought her up here, to drain her blood and pitch her body into the river like the others?”
Drain her blood?  Elia’s mind spun as he tried to insert that knowledge into what he already knew.
Was Molock working with vamps? 
Mother-fucker.  He looked the sheriff over one more time, wondering if he should keep playing dumb or if he needed to lay some of his cards out on the table to offer to share a little information.  The officer could potentially help give him more of the intel he would need to take down the demon, to see what they were up to and how wide the net spread.
“Sheriff, you’ve got it all wrong.  You really do.  I’m on your side in this.  I saw all the strange disappearances in Jackson and came here to help.  I’m a demon hunter.”  Elia took a tentative step forward, knowing if he could get close enough, he could tell the sheriff to release him and to forget everything that had just happened.  If he could just get a good look into the man’s eyes.
“Stay the fuck back.”
Elia took another tentative step closer.  “Molock has left a trail of dead bodies in his wake before.  I can help you.”
The gun never moved or shook.  Elia felt an instant of respect for the man behind the weapon.  “I said, stand your ground.  Do not move closer or I will shoot you.”
“Now, sheriff, I’m not trying to hurt anyone. I just came out here to see what Molock was up to and to see how to stop him.”  Elia was only a few feet away now and could finally get a good look at the sheriff’s face.  He was younger than Elia expected, his skin smooth.  The wide brim of his Stetson cast a shadow over half his face, but the wide mouth was expressive, the lips curved and bowed.  The peppering of beard growth just made the male all the more attractive.  A twinkling light came from where his eyes should be.
Elia captured the stare as best he could, staring at where those twinkles were.  “You’ll release me now, and let the woman go.  We were never here.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
Elia grimaced.  Apparently, he’d not gotten a good enough look into the man’s eyes when he’d issued the command.  He’d need to get closer, pop the hat off him.  He took another carefully measured step.
“I will not hesitate to shoot you.  Take one more step and you’re gonna have a hole in you.”
Elia knew he needed to be quick.  He’d have to jump the sheriff and pin him to the ground, get the ridiculous cowboy hat off him and capture his stare.  Once it was all over, the human would never realize what had even happened.  In the blink of an eye, he pounced, but not before the human let off a round from his gun.  Elia was too fast and the bullet didn’t get him in the intended spot, but rather, slipped just past his shoulder, nicking him.
The pain lanced through his arm, but he couldn’t stop until he had gotten the officer to forget him.  Tumbling him to the ground, he soon landed on top of the human and wrestled him for the gun.  The thing went off in their hands, hitting the Mercedes on the side.  Dammit, my car!  He heard Chastity scream and begin running, her feet sounding over the pebbled drive.
Elia somehow knocked the hat from the man and saw him for the first time, Elia not needing as much light to see in the moonlit night.   A strong brow covered the most intense set of green eyes he’d ever seen.  An aquiline nose ended above those firm lips, taut cheeks sloped down to a firm jaw.  The man was absolutely stunning.
He tried to ignore the jade green and how incredibly beautiful those eyes were.  He also tried to ignore how turned on he was getting, too, the strapping man fighting with incredible strength below him.  He tried to ignore how rock hard his cock was already becoming.

Books in THE SOUL COLLECTORS Series:

Losing His Religion
Laying Down the Lawman