A warm welcome to author Lynn Lorenz joining us today here @Love Bytes on her blog tour for the In the Company of Men series.
Welcome, Lynn!
Author Name: Lynn Lorenz
Book Names: The Mercenary’s Tale; Jackson’s Pride; Baymore’s Heir; His Duke’s Gift; Silent Lodge
Series: In The Company of Men
Books: One through Five
Release Date: September 2015 – December 2015
Pages or Words: Varies by book
Publisher: Hartwood Publishing
Cover Artist: Georgia Woods
Blurb(s):
The Mercenary’s Tale – Drake is a mercenary for hire. He values little other than his sword and his skill. Fighting his attraction to the young men he trains, he refuses to take any on. When Ansel walks into his life, Drake breaks all his rules.
But life for mercenaries is hard, brutal and deadly.
Can Drake take a chance on finding the love he’s denied himself for so long?
Can he have a second chance?
Jackson’s Pride – Jackson has been called to attend his father, Lord Baymore. The man has never claimed Jackson as his son and Jackson believes this might be his father’s intent. He’s left the Duke of Marden’s employ to discover his destiny—to remain a nameless bastard or to claim his father’s name.
When Jackson stumbles across a man, stripped, beaten, and left in a field to die a slow death, Jackson rescues the man. After all, he’s guilty of the same thing—wanting a man.
Will Holcombe gambled and lost. His meeting with a young, willing man went horribly wrong, and now he must pay for it with his life.
Until a man walks up to him in a frozen field and cuts him down.
Jackson is like no one Will has ever met before—a man strong enough to stand with him, perhaps forever.
But Jackson’s on a mission. Will his pride blind him to what his life could be if he chose Will and not his father?
Or will his pride lead him to a fate worse than death?
Baymore’s Heir – Duke Jackson of Baymore finally has all he’s ever wanted—his name, a title, and the man he loves by his side. Lord Will Holcombe couldn’t be happier. He’s Jackson’s lover, best friend, and manages all of Jackson’s affairs. For two years, their life together, although deadly if anyone knew of their forbidden love, has been perfect.
Until Jackson the day when decides the one thing he needs is an heir.
And the one person to find him a wife is Will.
Silent Lodge – Drake and Logan are worried about their friend and captain of the guard, Peter. After the death in childbirth of Peter’s wife, he’s a changed man. Unfocused, lonely, and devastated, Peter needs a new challenge, instead of going through the motions of living.
Logan sends Peter on a mission – to discover Duke Weathersby’s plans for invasion. Logan’s father has a small hunting lodge near the border of their lands, and it has a caretaker. Peter sets off alone, to make camp at the lodge and do some scouting.
But what he finds at the lodge just may be his future. Arvel is a fascinating young man. Red haired, deaf and mute from a fever as a child, he’s been living in the lodge and caring for it for years. It’s a safe haven for him. But he’s not alone. He has a protector, Gareth.
When Gareth, Arvel and Peter are together, sparks fly. Arvel belongs to Gareth, but he wants Peter too. Can Peter join their small family? And if he does, will he always be the third to their couple?
His Duke’s Gift – In this Yuletide story, Duke Logan is preparing the keep for the holiday. Twelve nights of feasting and gift giving to those in his favor. Gifts must be made or bought. Once mercenary Drake struggles to think of just the right gift for his love and liege, and for their sons.
Something isn’t right. A stranger has arrived at the keep and Logan refuses to let Drake into his bedroom at night. Angry and frustrated, Drake fears Logan has lost his love for the mercenary.
When the Twelfth night arrives, and Drake has received no gift, he begins to think he might need to take his son and leave what has become his home.
Categories: Historical, M/M Romance
Today I’m very happy to be interviewing Lynn Lorenz author of the medieval gay romance series In The Company of Men. Hi Lynn, thank you for agreeing to this interview.
When did you write your first story/book? How old were you?
Actually, I wrote poetry in high school and college. Angsty things about lost love and lovers. I grew up reading Robert Benchley and James Thurber, so I’d write similar stories. Humorous. I imagined hearing them with that lovely British accent. Then, dog years later, I started writing a fantasy/paranormal story, The Avalon Patrol. Let’s just say I was in my 40’s, and leave it at that.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
I started off a panster. I love writing, the thrill of the words, the plot congealing out of nothingness. Then I’d hit the middle and slam into that brick wall. I was writing about 6-10 books a year, so in order to keep up with the load, I started to develop my own way of plotting – I called it my Loosey Goosey Plotting by the Seat of Your Pants method. I sort of gathered up some things that worked for me and mashed them together.
Now, I’m a..planster?? I plot just enough to keep it on track and not enough to make me feel closed in.
What do you think makes your book stand out from the crowd?
When I do this, it opens the character up to me, I can see him or her, perhaps as a child, beaten by a drunk father, or as a young man who is bitten by a werewolf and loses everything he’s ever loved, or a young girl hearing her father sell her to a man for the promise of magical power. Knowing this about a character, knowing what forms them, is the key to knowing who this person is now, when I’m writing their story. I think it’s my characters. Their heart and souls. When I’m writing them, I try to dig deep into their lives. One of the ways I do it is to write a scene – the moment in their lives where they were changed forever – into the person they have become. This always gives me their goals and motivations and that leads to what would be the conflict standing in their way of success.
How do you find or make time to write?
Since I believe in thinking through a scene – the place, the actions, and the dialogue – for days before writing, I’d sit down and spill out the words. Usually I’d write a chapter a night or about 2-2.5k.As my kids got older, the needed me less and less. So we all just did our things – I wrote. Now that I’m retired, I have a ton of free time, sort of, and staying on a schedule can be harder than before I retired. And I have to give props to my hubs! He took over a lot of the housework, like cooking and laundry, so I could just write in the evenings. Then I’d print it out, sit on the couch with the kids and edit and watch videos or TV. I’d go type in the edits, print and edit again. Usually making 4-5 editing passes. When I was done, the chapter was good to go. When I first started writing, I was working full time. I’d get home from work, meet the kids from the bus, and we’d all relax for a while. Then it was homework time. I’d write while they did homework. About two hours a night.
What do you like to read in your free time?
I find that as I age, my tastes in reading change also. Now, I’m loving more rom-com stuff. Light and fun. I’m sort of over the angst, especially if I’m writing it in my own books. I’m not a big romance reader. In fact, I only read about 10 authors in romance. I love to read mysteries, romantic suspense, and police procedurals.
Excerpt from His Duke’s Gift, a Yule story
The next day I came downstairs and found the boys racing around the tables. Joss held one of Tomas’s little carved toys high in the air, and the younger boy chased after him, jumping and climbing on top of the benches to reach it.
“Joss,” I warned.
“Aye, Da.” His tone was reluctant, but I could see the sparkle in his eyes hadn’t left. They’d been playing, and even Tomas looked sad to find their game interrupted as Joss gave him back the toy.
“Time to break fast.” Logan’s voice rang out from the chair beside the hearth. He’d risen early, for him. With a grunt, he pushed himself out of the chair.
“Morning, my duke.” I gave him a bow.
“Morning, my lord.” He gave me one lust-filled look, then schooled his countenance. He nodded and approached the table. We took our places, across the table from each other, with our sons at our sides, as the servants brought out the morning meal.
The boys ate as if they’d never seen food before and chattered about the Yule season. They weren’t the only ones feeling the excitement. The village bustled with activity, the people seemed happier, and preparations had begun here at the keep for the twelve nights of festivities.
Fresh boughs of sweet-smelling pine, laurel, and bay had been cut and stacked outside the doors to the keep, along with some covered in red berries—colorful, but not fit for eating except by birds. Fresh thresh had been brought from the stores, and sprigs of rosemary were laid on the floors of the great hall.
In the kitchens, the duke’s baker and his helpers had been hard at work turning out loaf after loaf of bread for the upcoming dinners Logan would host during those nights leading up to Twelfth Night.
The brewers had begun filling casks of ale in the cellars, and everywhere the smells and sights of the holiday greeted us. I couldn’t fault the boys for being in high spirits.
As for me, the holidays held little attraction. Hard memories of my former life tainted it for me. My uncle had not been a generous man, and my mother under his control was no better.
This time of year usually found me holed up in some tavern, drinking, wenching, and hoping time would pass swiftly. But this year, my first with Logan and the boys, would be different. I swore to that. I swore I would make it good for Joss, who’d had so little in his short life.
I knew at times I spoiled the lad, but he was worthy of it. Never had there been such a boy as my Joss. He’d proven his bravery in defending Tomas from his attackers, and I couldn’t have loved him more if he had been my own flesh and blood. I had decided to make him a gift of a fine pony. It was time he learned to ride.
For Tomas, who already had a pony, it would provide him someone with whom to practice his own horsemanship. So in a way, it would serve them both.
My gift to Tomas, who wanted so badly to have a real sword, was a small knife in a finely worked leather scabbard. He could use it to slice his meat at table and to wear on special occasions. I’d already asked Logan, and after much convincing, he allowed it.
I had to remind him I had a knife of my own at six, when my mother stopped cutting my meat for me. Tomas was nearly seven, so it was time. I think Logan gave in from sheer relief, because he’d been certain I would give the child a sword. Not even Joss had a sword yet, and he nearly ten and two.
As for Logan’s gift, I’d stumbled. I’d been to the village so many times, looking at what was available, what he might like, but nothing struck me. I wanted the perfect gift for him. Something he could have that signified my love and devotion to him.
But all ideas fled. Nothing seemed right. And the twelve nights would be on us soon.
“What have you to do today, Drake?” Logan smiled at me, his green eyes crinkling in that way I adored.
“Peter is taking a group of men to clear the road to town this morn; then when they return, they’ll need to start polishing their arms.” The passage had to be cleared so Logan’s guests could travel to the castle without trouble.
“And you?”
“Da, may Tomas and I go outside?” Joss interrupted.
“It snowed last night.” I frowned.
“That’s why we want to go.” Joss nodded.
“Fresh snow!” Tomas cried. “I want to play in the snow.”
“You’ll catch a cold, son.” Logan shook his head. “No snow. Stay inside and play.”
The boys crossed their arms and hung their heads. Logan grinned. “Upstairs.”
“But, Da…” Tomas whined.
“Come on, Tomas.” Joss stood and pulled the younger boy by the arm. “We can pretend we’re knights guarding a princess locked in our room.”
“A princess!” Tomas’s eyes glittered as he went along. “Is she beautiful?”
“The most beautiful in the world.” Joss’s voice faded as the boys climbed the stairs.
“Our knights.” Logan laughed. “Did you ever play such games?” His warm gaze fell on me, and my body heated.
“Aye. I was often a knight, just returned from the battlefield. There were no princesses, but many battles.”
“Even as a child, you dreamed of fighting.”
I nodded. “And you?”
“Oh, I dreamed of riding my horse to the sea where I’d board a mighty ship and sail to uncharted lands. I’d have great adventures with the Norsemen.” He drew a circle with his finger on the table, deep in his memories.
“Norsemen, eh?”
“At one time, I thought I might be descended.” He ran his hand through his long blond hair. “The green eyes and blond hair.” He shrugged.
“And are you?”
“Perhaps. I never found out if it was true, but it was a good dream for a young boy.”
“And now what do you dream?” I leaned forward, my elbows on the table to support my chin with my hand.
Logan stared past my shoulder as if seeing something just out of reach. “I dream of a place where we can live just as we please. Together, without hiding.”
I snorted. “That is a dream.”
He smiled with such a look of longing in his eyes. “’Tis indeed.” He stood and stepped over the bench. “I must attend to some papers and letters, and you have the men to send out on the roads.”
“Our day starts.” I sighed and rose also.
“All the faster to get to our night.” With that, he moved away to the stairs and up to his room.
Buy the book:
Mercenary’s Tale
Jackson’s Pride
Baymore’s Heir
His Duke’s Gift
Lynn Lorenz is an award-winning and best-selling author of over 30 gay romances. She lives in Texas, where she’s a fan of all things Texan, like Longhorns, big hair, and cowboys in tight jeans. She’s never met a comma she didn’t like, and enjoys editing and brainstorming with other writers. Lynn spends most of her time writing about hot sex with even hotter heroes, plot twists, werewolves, and medieval swashbucklers. She’s currently at work on her latest book, making herself giggle and blush, and avoiding all the housework.
Where to find the author:
Twitter: @lynnlorenz
Tour Dates & Stops:
10-Nov: Elin Gregory, BFD Book Blog
12-Nov: Up All Night, Read All Day, Tara Lain
17-Nov: Divine Magazine, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
19-Nov: Molly Lolly
24-Nov: Velvet Panic, Havan Fellows, Inked Rainbow Reads
26-Nov: Lee Brazil, Jessie G. Books
1-Dec: Love Bytes, The Novel Approach
3-Dec: Bayou Book Junkie, MM Good Book Reviews
Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of any book from any of Lynn’s series
OMG, haven’t read this series yet, must have them!
Lynn’s written some of my favorites, and I know I need to read this series!
Hello inimitable Lynn Lorenz, Queen of smexy men and Mistress of MM romance! This series sounds amazing.
@HojuRose
books sounds great !!!!