Behind the Eight Ball by M.A. Church

Author Name: M.A. Church Book Name: Behind the Eight Ball Series: Fur, Fangs, and Felines Book: Two Can be read as a standalone, but book one does give information about one of the MCs. Release Date: October 30, 2015

Blurb:

A cool morning, a yard full of birds, and a kitty on a mission. What more could a werecat want? Beta Heller Wirth has it all, except a mate—a shifter mate, that is. The last thing he wants is one of those dangerous humans who kill without remorse. Heller knows about that firsthand. So what does the goddess Bast do? She gives Heller exactly what he does not want—a human: business owner Lawson Dupre. Lawson hasn’t a clue what just happened in his car detail shop. One minute a cute client is about to pass out, then he perks up and starts flirting. Next thing, he runs out the door like the hounds of hell are after him. Learning that Heller is a werecat doesn’t freak out Lawson. He happens to be one of those rare humans who knows paranormals exists. He even lives with one. Watch the fur fly as Heller and Lawson battle hurt feelings, misguided beliefs, and a power shift in Heller’s clowder.

Pages or Words: 76,000 words Categories: Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

Excerpt:

Step. Step. Stop. The rustling of dead leaves caught my attention, and I froze with one paw still in the air. Not moving and barely daring to breathe, I waited. My whiskers twitched as a cool October breeze disturbed the scent of decaying leaves and rich soil. The foliage trembled again as something rooted around. I slowly lowered my paw. The disturbance wasn’t very noticeable except to my predatory gaze. The movement continued. Gradually, bit by bit, I crept forward, making sure my long fur didn’t disturb the surrounding mounds of dying leaves. It was times like these I wished my coat were short like Dolf’s. One thing was for sure—whatever was below those leaves was going to be mine shortly. All I needed was to cover a little more distance and I’d be close enough. Step. Step. Crouch. Heart thumping, I watched as the movement continued. My muscles tightened and my bottom started wiggling. Unable to wait, I sprang forward, claws extended. Leaves flew into the air as I landed on my target. Bugs scattered. Eyes narrowed, I searched for…. There! There was the little bugger. I growled at the big black beetle and trapped it with my paw. Seconds passed. The bug wiggled under my paw, tickling me. Hunched down, I carefully lifted my paw and peeked. Dammit, can’t see. Unable to get a good look, I lifted my paw a little higher… and there it went, scuttling across the ground. Gleefully I slammed a paw down, trying to trap it. Slap. Slap. Slap. Arrgh! What’s the deal? I keep missing. Looked like I’d found myself in a game of whack-a-mole, except with a beetle. And off we went. The bug scurried away with me hot on its trail. Every time I thought I had a paw on it, I ended up missing. Stupid critter was fast. I bounded along behind as it raced across the ground. Then it suddenly cut back and ran straight under me. Surprised, I leaped in the air, all four paws coming off the ground. Whoa! Zigged when I should have zagged. I landed and nonchalantly licked a paw. Hope no one saw that. I had to give the bug credit. That was a smart move. The shrill cry of a mockingbird caught my attention. I lifted my head, searching for the little tattletale. Up in a tree it sat, its warning cries echoing around the yard. I eyed the tree. Hmm, I could climb it, but the stupid bird will probably just take off. Still, might be fun. Maybe after I finished playing with the bug… and damn. The bug. My attention returned to where it had been, my tail slashing. Great. Lost it. Stupid bird. I sat up and threw a glare over my shoulder at the bird. Standing, I turned my back to the little menace, tail held high. That’s what I think of you, buddy. I prowled around for a while, sniffing, enjoying the coolness of the morning. In the early morning sunlight, the dew on the grass sparkled like diamonds. Maybe it was pretty, but the stuff was also cold and wet against my paws. I was glad for my fur. As I wandered back toward the house, my stomach growled. I was hungry and… I sniffed. Oh, was that a blue jay I smelled? Oh, oh, a blue jay. Yum. The human side of me groaned, but the kitty part wanted to jump with joy. The noisy little shits were actually quite intelligent. Catching one was always a feat. Quick as I could, I hid in the bright fall foliage by the back porch. I stayed very, very still so the stupid bird three feet from me didn’t fly off in a panic. I licked my lips, my whiskers twitching as I watched the little rascal across from me raise its head. Shit, shit, shit. What caught its attention? Come on already. It’s all fine, nothing to worry about here. No cat hanging around. Just go back to pecking around on the ground. Everything’s good. See? I’m not moving, not even breathing. Crouched low, I waited while my breakfast relaxed and returned to looking for acorns. Other birds came and went, but I refused to get distracted. I knew the one I wanted. Inch by agonizing inch, I crept closer to my prey. My mouth watered and my heart thumped. The chatter of the birds around me was easy and relaxed, no distress calls sounding. That’s right. Just keep on eating. Soon I’m going to be eating you. My body tensed, back legs ready to spring me into action…. And the phone in the house rang.  

Buy the book:

Dreamspinner eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7022

Dreamspinner Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7023

 

Meet the author: M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it! When not writing, she’s exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two children. She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013 and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Rainbow Romance Writers, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.  

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ma.church3 Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Church/173797619379487 Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomoretears00 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nomoretears00/ Other: Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A8JA4C Other: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5141393.M_A_Church Goodreads Link: Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

Tour Dates & Stops: 12-Oct: Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Multitasking Mommas 13-Oct: KathyMac Reviews, Nautical Star Books 14-Oct: Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words 15-Oct: The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, MM Good Book Reviews, Emotion in Motion 16-Oct: Full Moon Dreaming 19-Oct: V's Reads, BFD Book Blog 20-Oct: Bonkers About Books, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves 21-Oct: Happily Ever Chapter, Divine Magazine 22-Oct: Bayou Book Junkie, Lee Brazil 23-Oct: Jessie G. Books 26-Oct:Parker Williams 27-Oct: The Jena Wade 28-Oct: Molly Lolly, Love Bytes 29-Oct: Inked Rainbow Reads, My Fiction Nook, Hearts on Fire, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings 30-Oct: 3 Chicks After Dark, QUEERcentric Books, Open Skye Book Reviews a Rafflecopter giveaway

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​Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing M.A. Church author of Behind the Eight Ball. Hi Michelle, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
 
 
 
1) What are your ambitions for your writing career?
 
I don’t really have any set goals, per se, and I can’t say I really have any set ambitions. I’ve accomplished a few things I’m proud of, and hopefully in the future, I’ll accomplish some more milestones.
 
The main thing is I want to entertain readers—and if I can manage a laugh or two during the process… I’m pretty happy.
 
 
2) How many published books do you have? Can you tell us something about them?
 
Including Behind the Eight Ball, I have twenty books in the marketplace. Most of them are paranormal and tend to revolve around some sort of shifter. A couple of them are science fiction, which is truly a love of mine. Out of all the books I have, not many are contemporary, but I plan to change that next year.
 
 
3) Your main character wants to cook something special for his love interest. What does he make?
 
Key Lime Pie. And Lawson was nice enough to include his recipe lol:
 
Ingredients:
 
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter) melted
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice
2 whole large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.
Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.
 
 
4) What are you working on at the moment? What’s it about?
 
Right now I’m working on a mermaid story I’m going to sub to ARe. I’m also working on the next book after Behind the Eight Ball. That will be about Remi and his mate.
 
 
5) Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
 
I tried to do a minimum of 2k a day, but I don’t always get there. Things come up, or I have a doctor’s appointment, or the Kiddo stopping by, and other such things. I’ve learned not to stress out if I don’t meet my word count for that day.