Wild Angels - 3 Story Anthology: Guest Post Excerpt #NewRelease @RosalieStanton @Totally_Bound

Wild Angels

Anthology

Lily Harlem, Rosalie Stanton, Helena Maeve

Burning Rubber

by Lily Harlem

When trouble rides into town, what girl can resist the ultimate bad boy?

Handling men isn’t an issue for me. I’m not a girly girl and my best friends are the machines I spend my days fixing, tweaking and servicing. So when the Wild Angels roll onto my forecourt and need my help, I’m happy to be of assistance.

But I’ve always been a magnet for trouble and when the leader of the pack, Gid, questions my ability, I can’t help the sassy backchat. Seems it doesn’t bother him too much and before I know it, I’m climbing onto his beast and hanging on for the ride.

Bad ass guys like him don’t come without baggage, though, and it seems he wants to get rid of mine. Who am I to complain when it means revenge is hot, his body is hotter and we leave a trail of burning rubber as we head into the sunset? Biker girl, me? I guess it’s in the blood.

Reader Advisory: This book contains a scene involving mild breath play.

Witness

by Rosalie Stanton

She’s the only thing good about his former life, and he’s been asked to end hers.

Serenity Jones never expected her homecoming to be heralded with a double-murder, or that she’d be the lone witness. Yet when she points the finger at the president of the Lucifer’s Legion Motorcycle Club, she finds herself the target of more than just an investigation—she’s a liability, one Lucifer’s Legion is determined to erase.

Dash Denyar owes everything to Lucifer’s Legion. A decade prior, he set himself on a path of self-destruction, and would have crashed and burned were it not for the motorcycle club. His loyalty was bought and paid for—he just never expected the price of loyalty to include ending the life of Serenity Jones, the only woman he ever loved.

Serenity has dreamed of her reunion with Dash ever since she left her hometown behind. Never did she imagine it would be on the other side of a blindfold, or with her life in the balance. As she tries to work out what happened to her childhood friend, she finds herself battling more than just survivor’s instinct. Ten years of unspoken feelings, regrets, and what-ifs threaten to break her, if Dash doesn’t do it first.

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of kidnap, murder, references to drug use and suicide.

Grounds for Divorce

by Helena Maeve

Overworked and jaded, Kayla is convinced she’s had her fill of bad boys when her boyfriend’s debts catapult her into a stranger’s arms.

A woman with a reputation, Kayla has long given up on true love. She’s thirty-three going on ninety-four, mother of one with a boyfriend who makes no secret of settling for her. When she’s not doing the books at the local strip club, she’s warming up the stage. Holding off the loan sharks is par for the course, until the night outlaw biker, Booker O’Connor, rolls into town.

Suddenly the bills come due and, in an act of desperation, Kayla’s boyfriend offers her up as payment for his debts to the motorcycle club. But their new leader has a reputation of his own.

Booker’s the real deal, from prison ink to bullet scars. No matter how sexy he may be or how much she’s growing to hate her boyfriend, Kayla has been with enough bad boys to know that she should fear callused hands and dangerous smiles. Striking out on her own seems like Kayla’s best option, but the Hell Hounds aren’t known for backing down quietly. She doesn’t expect Booker to give chase, much less discover that she doesn’t mind being caught by a man who can finally give her what she wants.

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to prostitution and sexual coercion.

 

Rosalie Stanton on Wild Angels

If you had told me six months ago I would have a novella in a motorcycle club anthology, I likely would have laughed in your face. While I love a good contemporary romance, my focus this year has been on other projects. Also? I would have been quick to assure you that I couldn’t pen a motorcycle club novella because I had never read a motorcycle club romance. It simply wasn’t on my radar. 

Yet here I am, with a brand new release in an excellent anthology, alongside Lily Harlem and Helena Maeve. The process has been tremendously exciting and challenging. When I was approached to contribute a novella to this anthology, I had no idea where to start. After all, for the past several years, the bulk of my focus as an author has been on my paranormal series, so stepping out into something new was a bit frightening. Especially since there is a plethora of work out there done by others much more experienced in this sort of writing. 

But I said yes. Because, well, when you’re asked by someone you respect to step up, what choice do you have? You say yes. 

Then, of course, you panic. 

I had never been asked to write anything so directly before. Also, as I mentioned, I hadn’t read a motorcycle club romance. To be honest, I still haven’t. I had a tight deadline—three weeks or so—to get the manuscript written, edited, and submitted. There wasn’t much time to do research, and I was concerned any reading I did might influence my writing a bit too much. So I did what any author would do…I asked around. And haunted the Sons of Anarchy Wikipedia page (because, of course, I haven’t watched a single episode). 

That, ladies and gents, was my process. 

Somehow, by god, it worked. 

My agent, Tish Beaty, got a nudge. So did two incredibly good friends (and talented authors themselves)—Sarah Ballance and Terri Meeker. Each gave me a different prompt. 

From Tish—“on the run.” 

From Sarah—“they knew each other before.” 

From Terri—“blindfold.” 

And just like that, Dash Denyar and Serenity Jones were born. I had a concept forming, one that was slightly on the vague side, but developing the more I considered it. I had an outline to write, then a manuscript to crank out. I have always, always, always been the sort of person who thrives under a tight deadline. It’s one of the reasons I love NaNoWriMo so much—and lament that I couldn’t do it this year. The knowledge that I had said yes, that I had committed, immediately rejected any delay. I had to get this done, and I had precious little time. 

Also? It’s a novella. I had a word count budget I couldn’t cross. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t excel with word count limits. I was terrified with every word I wrote that I’d exceed the run and have to axe something important. The more I talked to Serenity and Dash, the more they talked back, and the more they wanted to talk to each other. I wasn’t writing them anymore—they were writing themselves. The more I delved, the deeper I got into their world. Brutal, hard, heartbreaking, but somehow hopeful all at the same time. I have truly not enjoyed writing something as much as I enjoyed writing Witness in a long time. It came so fast, the characters didn’t have time to BS me or each other. 

And I managed not to egregiously cross my word count limit. Somehow, it all came together. My agent loved it, my friends liked it, and my editor said yes. 

So there’s the unlikely story of how a paranormal romance author got included in a motorcycle club anthology. I absolutely loved the process, and I loved the characters. And while I have yet to actually read another motorcycle club book, I’m starting with my lovely co-authors’, because they sound absolutely amazing…and I have a feeling I’ll be hooked. 

As for Witness, I can only hope it finds an audience that enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Excerpt from Witness

She’d been here before.

The vein-chilling, hard-pounding, sweat-inducing edge to which only pure panic could drive a person—oh yes, Serenity Jones knew this place well. She’d visited numerous times over her short and rather unremarkable life, most often for reasons or problems fabricated by an overactive imagination. The first true anxiety attack had come at age nine, when she’d been certain her father was right, and she would spend an eternity in Hell. The most recent had been nearly seven years earlier, when she’d come face-to-face with the reality that she didn’t believe in Hell, or God, for that matter, and the world wasn’t as terrible as she’d been told.

Sessions with her therapist had taught her that panic—the sort that was produced in the mind—was the brain’s way of reacting to disorder-induced fears as though she were in actual danger. Serenity had always assumed finding herself in an actually dangerous situation would bring about a different sort of biological reaction. She’d been wrong.

Her arms hurt, stretched above her head, joined by a cuff at the wrists. At least, she assumed it was a cuff. The blindfold prevented her from doing much outside of guessing.

Blindfolded. Cuffed. Holy fuck, what happened?

There was the panic again—pulsing through her body like an old friend. She kicked her legs out, the flaps of her dress—or skirt, she couldn’t remember—sliding across her skin. Her feet, bare, rubbed against what felt like a concrete floor, catching on jagged particles. Pebbles? Whispers of dirt met with her skin. A thick, pungent but familiar smell tickled her nostrils. Motor oil?

Tears burned her eyes, and something else burned too. Her shoulder. Her right shoulder was torturing her. God, what had she done to her shoulder?

Serenity whipped her head, trying to dislodge the blindfold. No use. It didn’t budge.

Slowly—oh so slowly—the panic began to ebb. Not due to lack of reason or fear, but rather because it had nowhere to go but down. Her hammering heart sought a more reasonable tempo, her body—cold, clammy and drenched with sweat—began to rein in the tremors. Wisps of clarity penetrated the hard fog surrounding her brain, and she forced herself to think.

All right, Serenity. Focus. What’s the last thing you remember?

Serenity panted for air, shoving back the urge to vomit. Her last memory was Ellison. Ellison seeing her to car, favoring her with one of his swarmy lawyer smiles, and vanishing in her rear-view mirror.

Then—nothing.

No, not nothing. Squealing brakes. Stomach falling. The twisted scream of metal. A flare of pain. The car caving in.

Okay, so she’d been in an accident.

Her heart began racing once more as her panic cycle shoved her into another round. Serenity bit her lip and kicked her legs out again. Again, her skin took the brunt of dirt and scattered bits of debris. Again, she inhaled in the increasingly familiar scent of oil and exhaust fumes.

A car accident didn’t explain why she was blindfolded and cuffed.

Then it hit her. The missing pieces. Ellison had smiled his swarmy lawyer smile because they’d just concluded dinner—the same dinner he’d talked her into taking with him after the last meeting to rehash her testimony.

The testimony she was supposed to give tomorrow. Or today, more likely.

The testimony that would put Gunner Pierce permanently behind bars.

Like the sound of Wild Angels?

About Lily Harlem:

Lily Harlem lives in the UK with a workaholic hunk and a crazy cat. With a desk overlooking rolling hills her over active imagination has been allowed to run wild and free and she revels in using the written word as an outlet for her creativity.

About Rosalie Stanton:

Rosalie lives in Missouri with her husband. At an early age, she discovered a talent for creating worlds, which evolved into a love of words and storytelling. As the granddaughter of an evangelical minister, Rosalie applied herself equally in school in the creative writing and religious studies departments, which had an interesting impact on her writing.

About Helena Maeve:

Helena Maeve has always been globe trotter with a fondness for adventure, but only recently has she started putting to paper the many stories she's collected in her excursions. When she isn't writing erotic romance novels, she can usually be found in an airport or on a plane, furiously penning in her trusty little notebook.

December Submission Calls:

MF—Chick-lit

Lighthearted, funny and relatable storylines are the order of the day here. Totally Bound Publishing are currently acquiring Male/Female stories in the chick-lit genre. If you know an identifiable heroine who makes her way through life battling whatever comes her way with a smile, we would like to meet her. Submissions between 10—100k please. Series or serials are also welcomed. Send your submission, synopsis and series outline, if applicable, to submissions@totallybound.com. 

MF—BDSM

Do you have the next bestseller just waiting for a place to call home? Totally Bound Publishing are currently open to submissions of MF, BDSM stories. Here’s your chance to step out of the box and create a world different to any other. Daring Doms and scintillating subs are essential—the plot is entirely up to you. Submissions between 10—100k please. Series or serials are also welcomed. Send your submission, synopsis and series outline, if applicable, to submissions@totallybound.com. 

MM—Bikers

Rebellious bad boys and established MCs are notorious for enforcing hype, action and crime onto all those who they touch. Totally Bound Publishing are actively acquiring MM Biker stories with heroes who do everything in their power to exceed their dishonourable reputations. This is a genre that is becoming ever more popular, and here is your chance to let your heroes join this dangerous, exciting lifestyle. Submissions between 10—100k please. Series or serials are also welcomed. Send your submission, synopsis and series outline, if applicable, to submissions@totallybound.com. 

MM—The Rich and Famous

Prestige, Glamour and Fame. This is a reality that many of us don’t get the opportunity to enter. Here’s your chance to give readers a glance into a world filled with money, debauchery and all that goes along with the lives of the high-class and illustrious. Totally Bound Publishing are actively acquiring MM stories where the main focus is around the rich and famous, this can be set in any location around the world, with any profession taking your characters all the way to the top. Submissions between 10—100k please. Series or serials are also welcomed. Send your submission, synopsis and series outline, if applicable, to submissions@totallybound.com.

Totally Bound Publishing is a royalty paying, full-service ePublisher. This means that we do not charge fees for the author at any time. We pay a royalty rate of 40% of the RRP for eBooks, 30% for audio, and 10% for print, based on our standard two year contract. Our contracts are for both electronic and print rights.