Today I am so pleased to welcome Lyssa Dering to Joyfully Jay. Lyssa has come as part of the GRL Blog Tour to talk to us about her latest release, Babyvamp. She has also brought along an exclusive excerpt and a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Lyssa a big welcome!

 

GRL tourHello, Joyfully Jay readers! I am beyond thrilled to be here. As a new author—I’ve been indie publishing since early 2016—I know a lot of you won’t have heard of me. So I’d like to tell you a little about me and the kinds of stories I want to share with you.

Like a lot of authors, I’ve been writing, or at least thinking about writing, for as long as I can remember. But I didn’t start taking it seriously until I was in the clutches of corporate America, deep in a job I didn’t know I’d hate. It’s a similar story, one I’ve heard many times on the writing podcasts that ultimately helped me to get out of my funk. I still work the job, but now I have something to pour my heart into every single day.

So I have selfish reasons for writing, but I have another goal with my stories: I want to write love stories about people who don’t feel they’re lovable. Why? Because a lot of queer people, especially marginalized ones like myself (I’m genderqueer, panromantic, and demisexual), have felt that way. And because mentally ill people (also like me—I’ve been diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety) often feel unlovable, too. When I read about people like me finding love, I experience tremendous catharsis and hope, and I want to bring that to others.

Using one incarnation of my author slogan, I write about damaged young men and their dark prince charmings. Why M/M? Because I’ve loved it since my very first forays into fandom, where I was reading all the Drarry (Draco/Harry) fanfiction I could find. While I plan to release stories about characters with other gender identities in future (such as a genderqueer succubus in October), I will always write M/M, and today I’m ecstatic to be able to share with you an excerpt from my brand new paranormal romance novella Babyvamp.


Excerpt

Kieran told Taylor, “Get on the bed. On your back.”

Taylor moved over to the bed, brushing his fingers against the edge of the mattress. “Do you want me to take my clothes off?”

At the very same time, Kieran and I said, “No.” That earned me a smug smile from Kieran, but the gesture only put me on higher alert. Turning his attention back to Taylor, Kieran crawled onto the bed. His fangs had been out since we’d argued earlier. Though he was no longer in real danger of attacking humans as long as he was fed, I’d watched him struggle stubbornly all night to get them to go back in. Now he moved slow, like a stalking predator, until he was hovering over Taylor’s form.

Taylor watched him intently, and gulped.

“Don’t worry,” said Kieran, his voice like silk. I hadn’t taught him how to enchant a human, and there was a slim chance he’d do it by accident, but Taylor did relax. Kieran dropped down onto one elbow. He trailed the tip of his finger along Taylor’s jugular, from under his jaw to his collarbone. “I’ll bite you, Taylor. But you have to ask me nicely.”

Taylor’s voice shook, maybe with nerves, or maybe with arousal. “Please bite me,” he said.

Kieran’s single fingertip became four. He didn’t slap Taylor’s skin to prepare it, but he scratched. Lightly, and then harder, and my own jaw ached. I wanted to pull them apart. But Taylor was arching up, bringing them closer, and Kieran wore a feral grin.

“Please,” said Taylor again.

“Poor thing,” said Kieran, digging two blunt fingernails into the scratched-red skin over Taylor’s jugular. “Thrown to us like scraps. But I’ll take care of you. Just like I take care of Max.” He didn’t acknowledge me as he spoke that last sentence. I felt naked, and there were too many spectators in the room, and yet none of them were really that interested in me.

Kieran leaned down. He opened his mouth and bit. Taylor’s moan was positively wanton, strangled and high-pitched, and as Kieran fed, he ground his hips down, making my chest ache with each rub of his body against Taylor’s. I watched, frozen, feeling helpless and young. Maybe I should make it a threesome. But if Kieran had wanted a threesome, he would have told me. To me, it seemed he never kept anything inside.

Eventually, Kieran stopped feeding. It was good he stopped on his own because I couldn’t seem to monitor heartbeats, let alone take action to keep my den leader’s human safe.

Kieran sat up and wiped his mouth, oozing arrogance as he looked down at Taylor. “You alright?”

Taylor just stared up at him, his chest rising and falling in panting breaths, though his heartbeat was strong.

“I asked you a question,” Kieran growled. He dropped down again, gripping Taylor’s face, sending Taylor’s heartbeat spiking.

“That’s enough,” I said.

Kieran tossed Taylor’s face to the side and was off the bed in an instant, having sped to stand by the closet with his arms closed.

I sped to Taylor’s side, checking his wound. “Aren’t you going to heal him, Kieran?”

“No. I’ll kill him.” There was a touch of helplessness in his voice. “I swear I will.”


Blurb

BabyvampForty-four-year-old vampire Max lives a mostly solitary existence in an attempt to avoid “vampire drama,” but when he spots abandoned babyvamp Kieran on his way to the club one night, his pesky conscience demands that he rescue him and confront the vampire who turned him. Problem is, Kieran’s creator is Max’s ex-lover James, an emotionally abusive, older vampire whose very presence throws Max into a heart-beating panic. James isn’t happy that Kieran tattled on him, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Max from divulging his offense to the vampire police, including risking Kieran’s life to make Max his rightful guardian. But Max never wanted to be anyone’s guardian. And if Kieran gets his way, he’ll have more than Max’s constant care and attention. He’ll have his sexual submission, too.


Bio

Lyssa DeringLyssa Dering is an author of queer romance with a fascination for the dark and depraved (so as long as it’s fictional). She writes about damaged characters in impossible situations who, despite often horrifying struggles, will always get their happy ending.


Giveaway

Lyssa has brought a $25 Amazon gift card to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Friday, July 29th at 11:59 pm EST.

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
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