Guest Post & Giveaway with Author Cat Grant

Today I want to welcome Cat Grant....

Where did 2011 go? I could’ve sworn I was at RT last week! These last few months have FLOWN by. Next thing I know, it’ll be Christmas!

Life’s a whirlwind these days, but I couldn’t be happier. I’m having a blast writing m/m and ménage, and I’m especially excited about my upcoming m/m contemporary novel, ONCE A MARINE, due October 30^th from Riptide Publishing. I’ve wanted to write a Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell-themed book for a couple of years now, but I had to wait for DADT to be repealed in order to give it a happy ending. I adore my hot alpha Marine, Cole Hammond, and his lover, Marc (who just happens to be a published author of m/m romances!), and I hope you all will too. Can’t wait for October!

People sometimes ask me why I choose to write m/m romance. For me, it’s all about the emotions. Writing fiction is about getting to the heart of things, stripping your characters emotionally bare while they struggle with their inner demons – at least, that’s what I strive for in my books.

Thing is, in real life you don’t see men do that very often. So on those rare occasions when they do, it’s extremely powerful. That’s the hook (and the turn-on) of a well-written m/m novel. For me, a vulnerable man – especially one who’s not afraid to show his vulnerability to another guy – is incredibly sexy.

Speaking of… here’s a short (and unfinalized!) sneak peek at ONCE A MARINE:

No sooner had Cole scrambled to his feet and started unbuttoning his fly when there came a loud crack-pop outside, and the room flickered with bright white light. Pure panic kicking in, he dropped to his knees and crouched down low, covering his head. He trembled all over, adrenaline surging through his veins at another near-blinding flash.

“Hey,” came a voice from right above him, gentle fingers closing over his shoulder, rubbing his back. “Don’t be scared. It’s just lightning.”

A familiar rumble echoed in the distance, followed by another a few seconds later. Thunder, not bombs. Instantly, he realized he was in his own living room. Not Baghdad or Fallujah, with artillery shells raining down around him. Oh, holy fuck. If there’d been enough space under the couch, he would’ve crawled into it gratefully. Good thing the room had gone dark again. Maybe Marc wouldn’t notice how fucking mortified he was.

“S-Sorry,” he murmured, wincing at the apology, even though this one was definitely warranted. Shivering, he took Marc’s hand and let him pull him back up on the couch and tug the blanket over him. “I never wanted you to see me like that.”

Marc’s arms went around him, holding him close, one hand sliding up to stroke his hair. A simple gesture of kindness and comfort, yet it came that close to breaking Cole in half. Is this what he’d been reduced to—accepting someone else’s protection, when that was supposed to be his job? He dragged in a shaky breath, one after another, until the worst of it passed.

“Take it easy,” Mark murmured. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. You’re not the first Marine I’ve dated, remember?”

“Even so, I thought you would’ve been out the door by now.”

“Give me a little credit. I don’t scare that easily.” They sat back together with Marc’s head on Cole’s shoulder again, one hand tracing idly over his chest. Warm, steadying and reassuring. Exactly what he needed. “Does this kind of thing happen often?”

“Not as much as it used to, but… well, it’s not like I can control it.” He sighed and tried to relax, but even with Marc touching him, there was nothing stirring below his belt. Figured. After what’d just happened, he’d need a forklift to get it up again. “Talk about killing the mood, huh?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But I wanted you to have a good time.”

“Do you hear me complaining?” Marc chuckled. “Nothing wrong with saving the best for later, right?”

“You mean, I didn’t mess this up so bad you never want to see me again?”

“Will you stop trying to second-guess me? God, you Marines are all such fucking control freaks.” He sat up straight. “Listen, Thanksgiving’s next Thursday. Why don’t you come over to my place? I’ll cook us dinner, and we can spend the whole afternoon and evening together. And all night too, if you want. No pressure either way. Unless you already have plans.”

“Other than catching up on my sleep?” Cole smiled. “Nope, no plans at all.”

Appetite whetted? Then head over to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/646767-contest-4">Goodreads</a> and leave a comment, and you just might win a copy!

you can visit Cat here

http://www.catgrant.com
http://www.facebook.com/cat.grant
http://twitter.com/#!/CatGrant2009