A warm welcome to author Tara Lain joining us today to talk about the re release of “Fire Balls”.

Tara shares a few fun facts , shares an excerpt and brought a giveaway with her

Welcome Tara 🙂

10 Fun Facts About Fire Balls & a Valentine’s Contest

 

Hi Love Bytes! Happpppy Valentine’s Day! I’m Tara Lain, I write the Beautiful Boys of Romance, and today I’m delighted to share with you the re-release of one of my most popular books – Fire Balls. Fire Balls is the second book in the Balls to the Wall series, although the books stand alone. Here are a few fun facts about this novella –

1. Fire Balls was my first serious bestseller, hitting #1 in gay romance on Amazon and staying there for days and in the top 10 for weeks
2. Fire Balls was inspired by the classic tale of Cyrano de Bergerac, a French nobleman with a feature that made him feel unattractive (in his case, a big nose) who woos the woman he loves for another man
3. In Fire Balls, my hero Rodney is small (5’6”) and flamboyant, but, like Cyrano, he’s a fierce fighter. Rodney is a karate master.
4. Fire Balls is partly set at the famous Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach, CA., a juried art show
5. The title, Fire Balls, was originally suggested by the fact that Rod, the hero, is feisty and dynamic – -a regular fire ball.
6. The title helped shape the story and my other hero, Hunter, is a firefighter
7. Fire Balls introduces another of my readers’ favorite characters, Jerry Wallender, the beautiful surfer who doesn’t seem too bright but who Rod helps woo Hunter, the man Rod loves
8. While writing Fire Balls, I lived near one of the Laguna Beach fire stations and I would go by on my morning walk every day and stare in for details to use in the book – like the fire gear lined up for easy access
9. Readers used to ask me why the villain in Fire Balls, Mick Cassidy, kind of disappears at the end of the book – until they read FAST Balls where Mick makes a dramatic reappearance
10. The success of Fire Balls inspired 3 more books in the original series and an additional 2 new books that will be released in 2017 and early 2018

 

If you haven’t read Fire Balls, I hope this re-release introduces you to Rodney, the “Runtback of Notre Dame”, and the beautiful Hunter who lives his life for someone else.

How about a Valentine’s contest? I’ll give away an ecopy of one of my backlist books set in Laguna Beach – winner’s choice. That includes – Volley Balls, Knight of Ocean Avenue, Knave of Broken Hearts, Prince of the Playhouse, Lord of a Thousand Steps, Outing the Quarterback, or Hearts and Flour.

2nd Edition

A Balls to the Wall Romance

Renowned artist Rodney Mansfield stands five foot six, has pink hair, six earrings, a black belt in karate—and a desperate yearning for firefighter Hunter Fallon. But Rod, the Runtback of Notre Dame, knows he’ll never land the beautiful “straight gay” guy, so Rod musters his altruism and helps his more masculine friend Jerry attract Hunter. As if a broken heart wasn’t enough, Rod saves Hunter from a firehouse homophobe—humiliating Hunter in front of his dad!

Hunter lives a dream life—his father’s dream. While he’d like to teach literature in college, read poetry in the sun, and find a strong guy to top him, he fights fires for his dad. Hunter hates flamboyant guys like Rodney. So why can’t he resist him? Maybe it’s time to admit this is one flame he has no desire to put out.

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

 

The firefighters piled out onto the hard-packed dirt drive and hauled the hose toward the hydrant out by the highway. Shit, they were just going to make it… if they were lucky.

“Save him. Help, please, help,” one woman screamed, pointing toward the building.

What? He gave his spot on the hose to another man and ran to the woman’s side. “Ma’am. What do you mean?”

The woman on the driveway was white as a cloud and pointing, her mouth working. “Rod. Rodney. He ran in. Do something.”

He gripped her arm. “Ran in? Rodney ran in there?” Ice froze his heart.

“Yes, yes. I came over to see, and suddenly he just ran past me and straight in the door. I don’t know where his car is….”

Hell no! He pulled on his respirator and ran toward the door of the studio. His heart beat way too fast. Had to get control. Why, why would Rod do it? What was worth his life? His life. He couldn’t die. Hell, no.

“Fallon, wait. Don’t go in alone,” Cam screamed behind him.

Hell, no. No time to wait. Rod was in there.

The screen door, the damned squeaky screen door, hung half off its hinges. He tore it away and, hunched against the heat, moved into the studio. Smoke. Embers raining down. The heat pushed like a wall through his gear. The flames crawled along the half-missing roof like a snake slinking along a branch, hissing.

Stop. Think. The part of the structure closest to the door remained most intact. He dropped to the floor and scooted along a few feet. Not much in here. Beside him, the old desk had burned nearly to ash. His heart hammered. Breathe slowly. Don’t panic.

Where is he? Can’t be too late. No, hell, no. Never too late. He crawled another couple of feet and pressed his head down by the floor, squinting through the smoke…. Yes!

A body. Rod. Collapsed on the floor clutching a small canvas to his chest. The insane idiot. No painting was worth this. Crouching, Hunter covered the few steps.

Jesus, Rod looked so small. And… so still. Hell, no. Hunter pulled Rod into his arms. Felt right. Felt good. Hunter took off his respirator and fitted it over Rod’s nose and mouth. Breathe for me, baby. Rod’s body hung, limp as a doll.

 

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 35. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

Website:             http://www.taralain.com

Blog:               http://www.taralain.com/blog

Goodreads:       http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain

Twitter:               http://twitter.com/taralain

FB Page:         http://www.facebook.com/taralain