Tag: m/m fantasy

What’s in a name?

What’s in a name?

by fnmanning ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Want to know my dirty little secret as an author?

Well, first I should mention a ton of my books are on sale this week and next week, that’s no secret.

The secret is that I suck at character names. It’s really inconvenient considering I love having names that relate to a character’s personality or story in some way, but names are one of the hardest things to come up with. 

In Bold as Brass, I finally got the chance to name a character Liam. I’ve wanted to use the name for a while because it shares the first two letters with one of the placeholders I use for names, LI. LI is short for love interest just like Liam is short for William. And the name Liam and the character share Irish ancestry so it worked out.

(True story, looking up Liam’s name just to see what it meant is when I learned Liam is short for William. Which makes all the sense in the world, I just somehow missed this memo.)

This time, I lucked out on naming my main character. His specialty is metal magic and then I came across Tolliver, a surname that literally means metalworker. Being literal for the win.

(P.S. Tolliver is Oliver Brass’s actual first name because he has fussy waspy parents that would totally name him Tolliver, and he just goes by Oliver. But that’s one of those backstory details that did not actually make it into book.)

I had no idea I was going to write a novel about a metal wizard losing control of his powers and ending up in the arms of a dominant older man who is literally the sweetest and dirtiest guy at the same time. But this was a very fun ride to go on and I ended up enjoying these characters and their story a lot, so I hope you do too.

Bold as Brass is indeed on sale for 99 cents. It’ll go back to regular price next Wednesday, so get it on sale while you can!

Control is everything… until you find someone worth surrendering to.
After studying metal magic in posh British universities, Oliver Brass proudly becomes a wizard. Unfortunately, he barely has time to celebrate when a family scandal sends his world into chaos and his powers spiral out of control. A stiff upper lip isn’t helping, so the metal mage turns to a provocative professor to tame his magic—and his body.

A charming educator by day and a dirty dom by night, Liam Monroe has the unique ability to magically master a willing partner. Liam demands obedience, and even though Oliver may never stop blushing, he and his powers are eager to comply.

Both men are thoroughly satisfied until dragons drop in, determined to make the wizard pay for the sins of his family. Oliver must reign in his malfunctioning abilities if he has any hope of stopping the vengeful beasts… or keeping Liam. Can Oliver be bold enough to fight for his man, or will the dragons burn it all down?

The Strongest Paranormal Predators

The Strongest Paranormal Predators

by fnmanning ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Who is the toughest predator in paranormal romance novels?

The paranormal world is full of fearsome monsters and super strong creatures. That’s the cool part of writing M/M in this genre. Anything is possible.

So, who are the contenders for being the toughest? There are the werewolves with sharp fangs and rock solid abs howling at the moon. Or vampires, pale beauties who are strong and deadly and somehow make drinking blood seductive. And wizards who can shape the world with a snap of their fingers.

And in addition to being powerful, these supernatural men also happen to be incredibly sexy for some reason. Maybe because I write paranormal romance.

Which one is strongest? Which wouldn’t you want to meet in a dark alley? Which one would you like to take home with you? That’s up for debate.

For me, it’s hard to beat an alpha werewolf that will destroy all obstacles to protect their mate. (Again, I read and write paranormal romance. No surprise that alpha werewolf ranks as the strongest for me.)

But do you know what’s truly scary? Lightning. Like real, actual lightning. Not sure an alpha werewolf could stand up to it, to be honest. This is something I learned when writing my magical novel, Strikes Twice. The two leading men will have their work cut out for them if they want to overcome magical lightning and find a happy ending together.

Why is lightning such a worthy adversary?

While the novel deals with lightning and the elements in a more magical and fictional way, I got curious and did some research. Since I’m not actually trying to make you terrified of leaving the house, I went with two very scary sounding lightning facts:

  • Lightning bolts can get five times hotter than the sun. 
  • Lightning moves about 30,000 times faster than a bullet.

But don’t freak out. You’d think something hotter than the freaking sun and faster than a bullet would be ultra lethal, but it hurts more people than it kills. And not many people actually get struck by lightning. 

The main reason to worry would be, for instance, if you were an air wizard who needed to stay away from electricity and lightning magic, but you found yourself getting closer and closer to a cursed man whose skin could zap you. Obviously, this very specific scenario comes from the novel Strikes Twice. 

They say lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice. But when it comes to love and magical curses, all bets are off. Our main character Marty Russo is a determined wizard trying to solve an electrical curse. Azure ‘Az’ Serrano has basically given up hope when his magical affliction makes touch impossible.

Is love stronger than a curse? The novel features enemies to lovers, magic, shifters, and steamy scenes.(P.S. for some of the steamy scenes, Marty and Az weren’t able to touch. This turned out to be a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoy these moments too.) Here’s the cover and book description.

When lightning strikes, can love thunder back?

Marty Russo doesn’t need wings to fly. As an air wizard, he can soar through the clouds with his magic. He needs a purpose when coming back down to earth, so Marty agrees to help a man with a debilitating electric curse. But solving this impossible hex isn’t nearly as challenging as keeping his hands off Azure “Az” Serrano.

Az is difficult. Anyone would be, after six years of zapping anyone they touch with a painful electrical charge. Yet Marty didn’t need to touch Az to feel a jolt; he’s drawn to the passionate man underneath the leather jacket and guarded exterior.

But getting too close physically could land Marty in the hospital, or worse, because electricity is especially dangerous to air casters. As their emotional connection grows stronger, the temptation does as well.

Will Marty be able to free Az, or will the curse strike him down first?

Order your copy here!

Strikes Twice can be read by itself, though this is the second novel in my Elementally Yours series where casters devote themselves to one type of elemental magic. (They also fall in love with hot men.) And if you haven’t checked out the free novella associated with this series, you can get Circuits and Sparks here.

Sexual Tension and Other Professional Dilemmas 

Sexual Tension and Other Professional Dilemmas 

by fnmanning ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In my magical M/M romance Strikes Twice, Marty is a new air wizard looking for a purpose and he’s convinced he can help a troubled man with a debilitating electrical curse. Az, cursed and cranky, has some doubts. They don’t get off on the right foot.

Here’s an excerpt from the novel. In this scene, Marty and Az are outside on the Primrose University campus and they’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. Well, technically they get off an incredibly sexy foot which then goes wrong, then really wrong—and now they’re at odds. Marty’s having some trouble acting professional while trying to convince Az he can handle himself around unpredictable magic energy. Then Az tests Marty’s resolve.

Marty

I can’t help but notice how hot Az looks in the sunlight. Who wears a leather jacket in the summer? He’s dressed in layers and black from head to toe. I tell myself he looks stupid, but… 

At least six feet tall and packed with solid muscle, Az Serrano practically towers over me. His bronze skin must be a genetic gift because despite the summer season and sunny day, he’s extremely covered up. How is he not sweating and panting in the heat? Maybe his bad attitude fends off the heat. Isn’t he hot?

Yes, very hot, my brain supplies instantly. Not what I meant. Az should look hot temperature-wise, but instead, he looks sexy hot.

I force myself to focus and start clearing the air.

“You’re going to hear me out. This is professional.”

“Really?” That evil smirk and glint in his eyes only makes him less hot, I tell myself firmly. “Tell that to your eyes, they keep undressing me.” 

“No, my eyes are doing no such thing. If anything, they’re putting more layers on you, Az. You must be delusional. Az the delusional ass. Has a nice ring, doesn’t it? Or maybe just Az the ass. Hey, Az…” Eager to get off this topic, I let the unusual name distract me. “What kind of name is Az, anyway?”

“Short for Azure,” he grits out because even pulling basic information out of him is apparently too much. 

“Is that so, Azur—”

“Nope. Don’t even try. Only my tias and abuelas call me Azure. Are you my tia or my abuela, Marty?”

“Okay fine, just curious.” I raise my hands and remind him why I’m really here. “Let’s talk about the study you canceled.”

“You wouldn’t last a day on this study, so there’s no point in pretending otherwise.”

“I have what it takes to contribute,” I grit through clenched teeth. 

“No, you’re an overconfident newbie who’s going to run away scared at the first unexpected zap.”

“Bring it on.”

“Oh yeah?” To test my resolve, the lunatic reaches out and touches my wrist, sending an electric shock coursing through my body. I grit my teeth. The jolt isn’t strong, but it’s a struggle to not react. Especially since the smartest thing for an air caster to do is to not get shocked.

But he needs to know he can’t scare me away that easily. I’m not running away. I’m not afraid of a challenge and I can do this job.

“See? I didn’t run away at the first unexpected shock.” I stand my ground, but he still doesn’t look impressed.

“Handling an unpredictable curse is vastly different from a single zap of electricity,” he says.

“Bring. It. On.” I repeat, not about to come this far and back down now.

“Fine, you think you can handle yourself around wild electricity? Prove it.”

—

And that’s all for now. Does Marty pass Az’s test? Do they play an absurdly serious game of tag on the campus lawn? Can Marty unravel the curse? Find out in Strikes Twice. This was a really fun one to write as Marty and Az are both so feisty and they wind each other up so easily.

Terrible Superpowers

Terrible Superpowers

by fnmanning ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

 

magic

That’s what we’re trying to figure out.

Why? In honor of my novel The Frost or The Bite where the main character must choose between ice and earth magic. We’re deciding which element is better for ourselves. 

 In case you forgot, here’s the score after round one:

Ice: 0 Earth: 1

When comparing the elements, a natural step is to wonder which one is stronger. 

I did briefly approach this as if it were a real topic of research and try to answer this question intellectually. I found an encyclopedia to look up powers and everything.  (I should never approach things intellectually. Never goes well.)

My research went off course pretty fast. I found myself just clicking on the fun sounding ones instead. Which brings us to the next category in this contest.

Not which is stronger but which has the better most useless power. I tried to find two of the most nonsense powers, one in earth, one in ice, and let’s look at which has the most ridiculous one. (I had fun with this and I hope you do too, but if not, we’re looking at who has the hottest characters next time.)

Ice’s Most Useless Power: Ice Cream Mimicry

icecream

Ice cream mimicry is defined as ‘transforming into or having a physical body made of ice cream.’ The power is mostly used by characters who look like or are ice cream cones, like a character on the Amazing World of Gumball  or certain Pokemon like Vanillish.

(There are over a dozen characters with this power, but those are the two examples I was even remotely familiar with.)

 My favorite way to think of this power is by someone pretending to be ice cream. Why? No clue! Maybe they want to know what it’s like to be a bowl of rocky road. Or maybe when trying to hide from a lactose intolerant person and so being ice cream makes you safe from them.

There’s just something so sweet and innocent about pretending to be ice cream. No pun intended. It’s useless in a fight but undeniably awesome, in a useless way. 

And this is less sweet, but I found it hilarious that under limitations in the encyclopedia it says ‘user may simply be eaten.’ 

 

Earth’s Most Useless Power: Earth Swimming

guyOkay, I picked powers that sound ridiculous, but earth swimming is actually pretty useful.  It gives the user the ability to swim through the ground and earth like it was water. Since the real world isn’t Minecraft, going deep into the ground just by doing the backstroke must be pretty useful.   

So earth swimming has uses, except in the way I’m imagining it. Earth swimming makes me think of somebody swimming in a big pile of dirt, which someone with this ability could also do. 

I’m picturing a person being like, “I’m not going to the pool today. I’m just gonna do laps around the sandbox in the backyard.” And the power to swim in a sandbox is undeniably lame. 

The only known user I was vaguely familiar with from the list is a white defender like this from Hollow Knight.

The Winner

dessert

Calling it earth swimming makes it sound lame and silly as hell. More useful, yes, but come on, ice cream mimicry! Gotta give the win to ice cream mimicry. 

This brings the total for our ice vs. earth competition to… a tie!

Ice: 1 Earth: 1

Next time, we’ll get into the real stuff. Like who has the hotter men. No, sexier. Because ice characters aren’t hot because they’re cold. 

Since this is an M/M romance blog, all characters will be of the M variety. 

The Frost or The Bite

The Frost or The Bite

by fnmanning ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Jack has a major magical decision on his hands in the Frost or The Bite. Ewan’s pack is in trouble. Naturally, meeting each other will complicate things in about a million ways, but will it also lead to love?

Maybe! (Okay, probably. I do write paranormal romance.)

Today I’m sharing an excerpt from the novel.

To set the scene, Jack is an indecisive wizard, torn between earth and ice magic. He’s trying to relax in his garden and preparing to do some earth magic when a werewolf stumbles in and soon transforms into a sexy naked man, Ewan.

Jack

One moment, the warm, vibrant energy of the earth surrounds me. The next, I know I’m not alone and I open my eyes to find a massive wolf looming over me. 

My heart starts beating double time as I try to think through panic. I can’t outrun this creature. My grasp of defensive earth magic for a fight is woefully lacking. 

The wolf huffs and backs up to give me room. A bushy tail ticks and tucks in behind him almost bashfully. Did he realize he startled me?

“H-hello there.” I manage to find my voice. “Where did you come from?”

Naturally, the wolf says nothing. He does seem to understand me. A shapeshifter?

“Thanks for dropping by.” I wince because I don’t know what else to say and I’ve switched to default politeness. “Um, can I help you with something?” 

Light blond fur covers his large form, and he isn’t quite as terrifying as he seemed a moment ago. I keep staring like I have no manners whatsoever and was never forced to attend etiquette classes. I can’t help myself. He’s mesmerizing. I’ve never been up close to a shapeshifter in their animal form before.

And then it gets better. His form ripples and starts changing. 

The best casters allow magic to flow from them seamlessly, shaping an idea into reality like it’s the simplest thing in the world. Shapeshifting seems more complicated. It may be natural for shifters, but it still involves altering one’s anatomy and physical form, altering even your skeleton to twist into a new shape. The process always sounded painful to me, but this guy makes it look natural, a fluid transition between fur to skin. Even when the man is on his hands and knees for a moment, it doesn’t seem silly. 

He rises gracefully, standing to his full height.

A man stands before me. Proud, unashamed… and totally naked. My eyes see him, see all of him, since I haven’t been able to look away since the wolf appeared. I get a very good look. It’s like I’m in a trance.

“Hey,” he says, casual and friendly like one of us—him—isn’t naked. “Thanks for the warm welcome.” He huffs a laugh. “Could have been a lot worse.”

His rough yet pleasant voice jolts me out of my daze. My eyes snap up to his, and there are those same blue eyes the wolf wore. 

I blink furiously to get miles of smooth skin and the firm lines of his body out of my mind. It doesn’t quite work. An attractive naked man has just appeared in my yard. He seems steady, comfortable in his own skin, though maybe all wolves are? How is that possible right now? I wouldn’t be nearly as calm to find myself naked in an outdoor setting with a stranger. What the hell am I supposed to do?

Here’s one idea: stop staring at the nude man like a total idiot!

“What, what are you doing here?” I squawk. “This is private property; you can’t just wander in and—”

“Yeah,” he says dryly. “This is more like the reaction I expected.”

“This is what happens when you drop by unannounced and scare people half to death!” I nearly shout, fixing my gaze on the hedge to his left. 

Now he sounds concerned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“A huge wolf appeared in my garden and turned into a” naked, naked, naked, “human trespasser who definitely knows that other people’s lawns are off-limits. My garden isn’t suited for carousing wolves! How am I supposed to react? Comment on the weather and invite you in for tea?”

“Oh no, I didn’t trample your plants, did I?” he comes closer to inspect the chamomile bush near him with concern.

Nakedness may be normal for shifters, but handsome naked people don’t stroll through my yard every day. 

“The plants are alright,” I promise hurriedly. “Stay right there!”

“The wolf side doesn’t always care about private property,” he explains. “Usually, I steer it in the right direction to avoid things like this, but…” this time he’s the one to look away, almost bashful. “We caught a really amazing scent.”

“That’s why you’re here, you sniffed out the neighbor’s azalea bushes?”

“No, it was a scent but also sort of a feeling?” Even when unable to stare directly at him anymore, I feel him totally focused on me. “I think it was you.”

– That’s all for now. You can get your copy and read the rest here.