Will love poof into your life?
1) Hi! Let’s start with the introductions. What is your author name (you can use your penname if you have one)?
D.G. Carothers
2) What genre(s) do you write?
LGBTQ Urban Fantasy, M/M Paranormal Romance
3) What is your book’s hook?
Can’t find love? Love will find you and poof into your life.
4) What is its blurb?
P.O.O.F. Happens
Twilight Temptations Book 1
Can’t find love? Love will find you and poof into your life.
Greetings, Nozzag here, an Agent of P.O.O.F. and one of the dedicated caretakers for the Creator of Important Nexuses. It has been over a century since we last shared some of the success stories we helped initiate.
For the first time since the Uprising, we are thrilled to present a new collection of Twilight Temptations tales. Launching this series is a story I hold dear and one that almost didn't come to fruition. Without further delay, I present to you Pako and David.
Pako – Orc, Fashion Model, Boy, and tired of being walked on—literally.
David – Elf, Human Social Worker, Daddy, and too overworked to be looking for love.
Pako represents what David needs to remember about slowing down, while David embodies what Pako must remember about self-love. However, without a gentle push from fate via the Creator of Important Nexuses, their paths may never cross.
P.O.O.F. Happens is the first in a new series set in the world of Bloodlines of Fate. These are instalove, high heat, low angst stories that will feature different kinds of creatures and a guaranteed HEA.
5) Do you have an excerpt that you would like to share?
Excerpt One
Pako POV
Donning a loose-fitting tunic-style shirt and my favorite sandals, I made my way back out of the too-quiet trailer. As soon as I closed the door, the trailer erupted in chatter. One thing I made out as I got as far away as I could was, “Whoever thought it was a good idea to let monsters grace the cover of ezines should be shot.”
I was pretty sure it was the damn elf, but knowing didn’t stop me from physically cringing at being called a monster. Muscles burned as my whole body tensed abruptly with the instinctive urge to rip my claws into their smug faces. Who was he to call me a monster? It wasn’t like his species had a squeaky-clean past. No one did. All species, from elves to dragons to humans to unicorns, for ancestors’ sake, had all done things they weren’t proud of.
I closed my eyes and took a slow breath in, letting the sound of the ocean soothe my frayed temper. A monster was a being who was evil, immoral, and scary. Anyone could be a monster, but all things that defined a monster, in my opinion, were internal, not external. The most gorgeous creature you’d ever seen could be a monster. It had nothing to do with looks or species but everything to do with heart or lack thereof.
Swamped with a heaviness that was as much emotional as physical, my heart calmed with my breath. Feeling more centered, I moved to lean against the agency van and waited for the driver to return. With the sun fully set, the beach and ocean became dark, ominous things for those who couldn’t see past the lights that lined the top of the beach area. But for those of us who had superior night vision, the beach only appeared as it did on those days when clouds covered the sky from end to end.
I wasn’t alive when the vampires led The Uprising and took control of this dimension from the humans. But I’d seen plenty of pictures in the archives to know what Earth, as the humans had called it, looked like before. I much preferred the more harmonious balance between nature and modern technology the cities had adopted after The Uprising.
I stared out across the sand. An eerie glow shone through the water, an indication of the flora that was transplanted from the Shadow dimension to help cleanse the ocean. Lights flickered from an island a little north of us, but a flash of something caught my attention on the sand. Water washed over it but as the wave receded, it sparkled again. Curious, I pushed off the van and jogged back to the water’s edge.
I lost the sparkle, but as the next wave fell back into the ocean, I saw it again to my left. I crouched and swiped some sand away from the small object. The next wave came and I snatched the object out of the sand before it got covered again. I opened my hand, flicked more sand away, and with the next wave, washed the round bit of metal.
The now cleanish coin was gold with an embossed unicorn on one side and the number one on the other in draconian. I didn’t recognize some of the other symbols, but I knew one place I could go to find out more about it.
Excerpt Two
David POV
Three weeks. It had been three weeks since I had gone to the bank before I got a knock at my door inviting me to that night’s Gala event. Work had been busy, as always, so I didn’t have much time to dwell on the coin. Since the king decreed two years back that all the human resistance cells be disbanded and all the children saved, the whole human abandoned children system had been restructured.
I worked in the department that oversaw the money management of the centers and ensured that the money was used appropriately or that I got money if needed for special projects, which meant sometimes organizing charity events, not unlike this Gala. Mercifully, I didn’t have to wear a tux for this one. I decided to show more of my true style than some façade that melted away after the first or second date. I’ve lived too long for those kinds of pretenses, especially when it came to my love life.
Elves were almost as blind to their mates as humans were. Almost, but not quite. Usually, once an elf laid hands on their mate or kissed them, something inside clicked together and instincts told you that this was a compatible person. Elves, like humans, also did not mate for life unless, of course, they mated to one of the species that did. A lot of species did, and I wasn’t against mating for life, but so far, I haven’t found anyone worth that kind of commitment.
I leaned against the bar while I waited for my frozen pina colada. I took a gander down the bar on either side of me and didn’t see anyone that appeared interesting. The bartender placed the frosty glass of pineapple and coconut goodness in front of me, complete with a little umbrella and curly straw. I inclined my head in thanks and took a sip, being mindful of not wanting brain freeze. I had a bad habit of drinking any frozen drink too fast. What could I say? I was a masochist at times.
A tingling sensation spread across my back, and I knew someone was staring at my backside. My tight jeans and cinched waist did make it pop. I turned my torso leisurely to see if I could catch whoever was looking at me. I got a flash of green and white before couples standing at the various tables got in the way. I craned my neck, getting on my toes, fully turned around now, and tried to see. Someone moved through the crowd rapidly, but it looked like they were heading out. I shrugged. It must not have been someone I would have been interested in if they were leaving.
I grabbed my drink from the bar and wove through the crowd to the side area and a bunch of couches. Several couples were making out and one was half-naked, enjoying a little more than some spit-swapping. I sat in the corner of the loveseat and stretched my legs out, crossing them at the ankles. I was of the mindset that I’d people watch for a while and if someone caught my fancy, I’d approach them, or maybe someone would come talk to me. I was flexible with either.
I took another sip of my drink, letting the cold liquid cool off some of my nerves. An imp popped into view next to the couch with a slight bow.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Ralorie, but we’ve just been informed that your possible match will not be here tonight.” The imp clasped his hands behind him with a sincere look of regret.
I straightened, pulling my feet in, preparing to stand. “Oh. What do I do now? Should I wait for another Gala, or should I turn in my coin?”
“You’re welcome to stay if you like for as long as you like. You keep your coin until you’re matched. You’ll receive another invitation to another Gala when another potential match has appeared.”
“Alright then. I guess that’s it.” I stood. “I might as well go home.”
“We do apologize, Mr. Ralorie. Whenever you’re ready, you can go to the lobby, and the concierge will portal you home.”
The imp bowed again and disappeared.
I stood, drink still in hand. I might as well take it with me.
Excerpt Three
Pako
I took my time with the last of my meal and gave myself a few minutes to digest not only the meal but the last hour. I felt infinitely more relaxed away from all the pomp of the Gala. I gathered our used dishes and then searched on the flexipad to see if there were instructions. I tapped the Return Dishes button in the menu, and a panel slid open on the wall. I placed everything in the little cubby and pressed the finished button. The panel closed, and I assumed the dishes were taken wherever they needed to go.
Several of the hotels I’d stayed at in Terran had similar systems. It was the same with the dirty laundry chute I found in the bathroom. I put all the clothes I wanted laundered in it. I wondered if David would find it. I took the flexipad with me and sat on the couch to cruise the movie channels. I paused on the action channel, not paying attention to it.
I wondered back to how David had taken charge of the situation and immediately saw to my needs. Was that the mate bond working or was he really like that? I got ordered around all day, but the way he dominated the situation was nothing like that. It wasn’t demeaning. The complete opposite, in fact. I felt cared for and seen in a way I hadn’t experienced since I was a child. David wasn’t anything like my fathers but I wouldn’t mind calling him Daddy.
A warm hand cupped my face and I startled, opening my eyes, which had shut without my permission. “Maybe we should put the movie on in bed. I don’t think either of us will make it through it.” David’s reassuring smile made my lips curve upwards in response.
“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t even know what I stopped on. I’m beyond exhausted at this point.”
David glanced back and laughed. “Hmmm, Lethal Love. I hadn’t realized they’d made a movie out of King Talos’s fated romance with King Bayne already.”
I read the synopsis out loud. “The Vampryi King. A human assassin. Destined to be enemies but Fate had other plans. Will the human sacrifice everything to win The King’s heart?” A wave of laughter threatened to escape, but I managed to contain it, letting only my shoulders bounce gently as I stifled the uncharacteristic giggle. I blamed the giddiness on coming down from my third or maybe it was my fourth wind. “Well, at least they cast a human to play King Bayne instead of using an elf with a glamour to appear human like usual.”
“Indeed. Now, come on, let’s go to bed and see how silly they made this movie. I heard King Talos rather enjoyed it.” David offered a hand to help me up even though he knew I was stronger than he was. I liked the thought behind it, the care. I took it but didn’t put any of my weight on it as I stood.
David took the flexipad from my hand and tapped it a few times to turn off the screen but kept the window blacked out. Then he led me into the bedroom, where he’d already turned down the covers. He released my hand and gestured to the bed. “I don’t care which side you want.”
David turned on the screen on the window that covered part of the side wall. I settled into the soft bed while David turned off the lights in the other room. He came back with a glass of water and put it on the bedside table near me, then climbed into the bed on the other side. He pressed play on the movie and with his back propped against the headboard, he patted his chest and spread his arm. I scooted closer and placed my head on his chest and my arm around his waist.
Despite our size difference, I didn’t feel like I was crushing him. The clean smell of the soap we used mixed well with his natural earthy scent and it soothed me. I breathed him in and my whole body relaxed. I didn’t make it past the opening credits before sleep took me.
6) Thank you for those! Now tell me a little bit about yourself.
Within the shimmering guise of a mortal walks D.G. Carothers, a dragon of cunning intellect. A weaver of LGBTQIA Romance and Urban Fantasy tales, this enigmatic being revels in crafting narratives that dance between realms.D.G. stands resolute in their commitment to unfurling tales unfettered by constraints. For in their eyes, love transcends all boundaries, a truth woven into the very fabric of their creations.
7) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
8) Where else can we find and follow you?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.g.carothers/
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Thank you so much for sharing my book! :)