Blog Tour Stop, Guest Post & Contest: Damned If You Do by JL Merrow

Hello and welcome to the virtual book tour for Damned If You Do! Longtime readers may be familiar with Rael and Lars, which is why I want to start the week by talking about the collection and why I decided to re-release it through Riptide Publishing. I also brought along a giveaway—leave a comment below by 11:59 pm on 6/28 and you’ll be entered in a week-long contest to win a $10 gift certificate to Riptide! Follow the tour all week for more Damned If You Do celebrations, including interviews, thoughts from editor Sarah Frantz, and, of course, more chances to win.

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The Rael and Lars stories were some of my earliest publications, and although I love the characters now as much as I always did, when I re-read the stories there was a lot in them I knew I could do better with the benefit of a few years’ experience in the writing business. The first story, A Calling for Pleasure, was originally written to a strict word count to fit into an anthology, and it was such a relief to be able to give it the space it really needed—it’s now a whopping 75% longer than the version first published!

I had a great time revisiting the first three novellas, aided by the ninja editing skills of Riptide’s Sarah Frantz. The stories are all stronger now, and more importantly, they’re more fun! One of the things I love about writing is the way it takes you in unexpected directions, and the editing process can be just the same. Has your editor found a plot hole? Well, you could just fill it in with rubble and tarmac over it, but on the other hand, what about making it into an ornamental pond, adding a suggestively-shaped fountain and some razor-toothed, predatory fish, and having your character fall in and need rescuing at a dramatically appropriate moment? 😉

Sharp-eyed readers will notice there’s now something of a theme to place names in the series. If you’re wondering if there’s a reason behind Montague Street, Warren Street, and Eymeric General Hospital—and many others—well, yes, there is! (See below.) Sarah also encouraged me to flesh out the world the stories are set in a little more—and to expand on how our sexy little succubus actually feeds on his lover, leading to a more, ahem, sensual experience all round. 😉

I’d always intended to write at least one more story after the three originally published, but other projects jumped ahead and it got shelved for a while. However, having written the Devon’s Plate song, there was no way I was going to leave it languishing unpublished forever! Readers of A Wish Too Far will know I leave Rochelle in a bit of a situation at the end of that one—rest assured that it gets resolved in satisfactory fashion in A Glutton for Punishment! And Rael and Lars’ story feels more rounded now and, dare I say it, more romantic.

I hope readers will enjoy these fresh, expanded versions of the first three stories, plus the fourth (and longest) novella, now available for the first time from Riptide Publishing.

Notes: Montague Street is named for Montague Summers, author of (amongst others) The History of Witchcraft and Demonology, which inspired Rochelle to utter the immortal words, “Ab insidiis diaboli, LIBERA NOS, motherfucker!” Was Buffy Summers also a nod to dear old Monty? I think we should be told.

Warren Street: For over fifty years now, Ed and Lorraine Warren have been considered America’s preeminent experts on the subject of spirits and demonology. According to their website, at any rate, so it must be true.

Eymeric General Hospital is named for Nicholas Eymerich, 14th century Inquisitor General of the Spanish Inquisition. You weren’t expecting that? Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition… 😉

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Title: Damned If You Do: The Complete Collection by JL Merrow
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Paranormal, M/M, Erotic, Romance

Summary:

Some sins are worth the price.

Sexy male succubus Rael has an insatiable appetite for men that gets him into all kinds of trouble. And he’s just found his favorite flavor: hunky blond detective Lars Thornsson. When those cool Nordic looks combine with Rael’s smoldering dark charms, all Hell could break loose.

Lars’s job at the Paranormal Enforcement Agency means he’s supposed to be policing demons, not falling in lust—or love—with them. But there’s something about this feisty little sex demon that hits all his buttons.

With no shortage of deadly sinners in his city, from serial-killing succubi to drug-dealing demons, all Lars can do is try to keep his private life from interfering with his work. But Rael has a knack for getting mixed up in cases that threaten both their domestic harmony and their lives.

Damned If You Do can be purchased from Riptide here.

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Author Bio

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through is a 2013 EPIC ebook Award finalist. She is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online at: Website * Twitter * Facebook

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Contest

Leave a comment below by 11:59 pm on 6/28 and you’ll be entered in a week-long contest to win a $10 gift certificate to Riptide! Here’s how to enter:

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And don’t forget to:

6. Leave a comment below by 11:59 pm on 6/28 and you’ll be entered in a week-long contest to win a $10 gift certificate to Riptide!