Excerpt From RENAISSANCE by Alexa Silver

Part of the NAUGHTY LOVERS boxed-set, available now.

Click here to purchase e-book from Amazon

Blurb:
Kira meets Sage, one of the guys from her favorite band, at a "rock workshop". Can she trust this handsome rockstar or is he after more than her talent?

Genre/Theme:
Contemporary, rock star, friends to lovers

Copyright ©Alexa Silver, 2016

Excerpt:

“How to be a rock star. They make it sound so easy.” Kira McGrath looked at the poster and tried not to fidget. The Fantasy Rock World camp had been a dream of hers for ages, and now that the pre-camp registration day was here, she was a nervous wreck. Hotel check in had been fine, but she was at the end of a long line of music fans now and she was having serious second thoughts. She could go home, sure, but that would be admitting defeat and Kira was not about to fail.

“Oh my God,” the woman in front of her said. “I cannot believe Joe Clinton will be here. He’s like, the best.” She grabbed Kira’s arm, her purple fingernails digging into Kira’s black leather scuba jacket. “Isn’t he the best?”

“I guess,” Kira said, shrugging. She wasn’t a fan of Joe, who was the latest and greatest heavy metal shredder. She was more old school. Give her Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

“I’m Brenda,” the woman continued, releasing Kira’s arm. “I’m a guitarist. You?”

“Kira.” She extended her hand, shaking Brenda’s. “I’m here for the songwriting track.”

“Oh yeah.” Brenda’s eyes drifted back to the poster, where Novell Vinge’s name was blacked out and a TBD had been hastily added in red marker. “I wonder who is replacing Novell. That sucks; he’s a great songwriter.”

“Yeah.” Kira had been excited at the idea of doing a week of workshops with the fifty-something music legend, who’d written more than two dozen top ten hits. But Novell had broken his arm badly and rumor had it he was in surgery. Nobody knew yet who would be replacing him, though names of potential counselors abounded. Paul McCartney and Elton John would be incredible, but that so wasn’t going to happen. Personally, Kira was hoping for someone from one of her favorite bands, but that was impossible. Nocturnal Lions were in Europe, Enigma was in Asia, and Synergy was recording in New York.

“Do you play?” Brenda asked, motioning to her guitar case. Kira couldn’t fathom why Brenda and many others in line brought their music cases to registration. They’d just sign in here, not play. Not yet, though there was a rumor that there would be an open jam session tonight.

“A little,” Kira allowed. “Guitar and keys. And I sing some too.”

“Ohh!” Brenda’s expression turned calculating. “We should try to play together. Do you play much?”

Kira shrugged. Though she’d been expecting this, she hadn’t worked out what her response would be. “Yeah, my band works steadily.”

“You a local?” the guy in front of Brenda, with spiky blond hair and more facial hardware than the average home improvement store, asked. “You look familiar.”

Uh oh.

“I’m local,” Kira said, trying to look nonchalant. “My band plays in the area.”

“What’s your— The Cats! The Cats by Day!” the guy exclaimed and Kira’s face went hot. Shit. She didn’t need this at all, much less as she started at the camp. The guy turned to Brenda. “They’re a tribute band. They do a lot of Nocturnal Lions stuff. Check them out on You Tube.” The guy’s eyes narrowed and Kira knew she was being measured.

“What?” she asked, trying to stay calm and keep her irritation out of her voice.

“Why are you taking a spot from one of us?” he asked, sounding every bit like a petulant child.

Kira had to work hard not to roll her eyes at that. She’d learned, the hard way, that a lot of men in the music industry didn’t grow up, and she was sick and tired of the posturing that belonged on a middle-school playground. “I’m doing the songwriting program, not the performance. And I didn’t take a spot from anyone. We all applied, paid our fees, and are here.”

“Songwriting?” the guy asked just as Brenda’s phone blared out Done, the biggest Nocturnal Lions’ hit, with Kira singing, fronting her tribute band. “You guys do everyone else’s songs. What do you need with songwriting?” the guy asked.

Brenda gasped. “Don’t be an asshole.” Dismissing him, she turned her attention to Kira. “You’re good. Ignore him, he’s just being an insecure jerk. Let’s talk later.” She squeezed Kira’s arm, her expression open and welcoming.

“Sounds good,” Kira murmured, wondering if she should get out of line, pack her bags, and request a refund. Maybe she really didn’t belong here.

Sometimes a Fantasy #romance #LoveIsInTheAirAntho #NaughtyLovers

Fantasies make the world go round!

I don’t mean sexual fantasies, not really, though those are fun, too!

But regular old garden-variety daydreams can be just as much fun, in their own way.

I’ve always been drawn to the entertainment industry and have worked both with actors and musicians in various capacities over the last several decades. As a very shy person, I wasn’t always as drawn to the stage as I was drawn to behind the stage.

But there is a little part of me that always dreamed of performing. I got a very cool chance to sing backup for Meat Loaf (alongside some other fans) for his Storytellers appearance in the ‘90s, but my clip didn’t make it to the performance, though I can hear myself on the DVD.

So when I first heard about Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp, I was fascinated. Regular people like you and me can play music with rock icons in a camp setting, and then perform live at the end of the camp. Sounds like a pretty incredible experience, doesn’t it? I haven’t done it yet, but it is on my wishes and dreams list.

As I pondered plot ideas for Naughty Lovers, I started to get intrigued by the idea of a musician and a camper meeting up at one of these, their chemistry undeniable. And that was where Renaissance began.

Kira McGrath fronts a tribute band, and while she enjoys it immensely, she wants more from her music career. Her bandmates don’t take her songwriting seriously, and she’s at a crossroads. Should she continue on her current course, or should she try to break out and do some solo work, performing her own songs.

Kira’s especially excited to attend the camp because she’ll be working with Novell Vinge, who is a hugely successful writer in her world. At the last minute, though, Novell has an accident and has to drop out of the camp. There’s been no news of his replacement as of the start of camp, and Kira is very unsettled.

It just gets worse--or better!--when she learns that Sage Daniels will be the replacement counselor. See, Kira’s tribute band is called Cats by Day, and they’re a tribute band that plays the many hits of Nocturnal Lions, Sage’s band.

And to complicate things even further, the sexual chemistry between Kira and Sage is off the charts.

Uh oh!

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Will Sage look at Kira as an equal? Will Kira look at Sage as an equal?

How will they make beautiful music together?

You don’t have long to find out!  

As for me, I still haven’t done a fantasy camp, but I’m hopeful that I'll do one some day!

Excerpt From HOMEWARD BOUND by Alexa Silver

Part of the NAUGHTY REUNIONS boxed-set, available for download September 25th

Click here to pre-order now from Amazon
 
Blurb:
Bry intends to come out with a splash. How will the public handle their favorite movie actor coming out of the closet? And how will the stresses impact Bry's relationship with Kell?  
Genre/theme: M/M, rock star, actor

Copyright © Alexa Silver, 2015

Excerpt:

“Hi, Bryson. Or should I call you Bry. Seems as if everyone does.”

“That’s fine. Hi, Orion. It’s good to finally talk with you.”

Bry had put not only his faith and trust in Kell, but he’d taken a leap of faith when Kell had suggested that Orion pitch his story, no names included, to several publications to see which, if any, might bite.

This was going to be Bry’s coming out story, but also his debut as Kell’s lover, and it had to be right. Though Bry knew he couldn’t direct this, as if his life were a movie, he desperately wanted to try. The lack of control was its own stress.

“You too. Anyway, guys, I have some news.” He paused then and Bry white knuckled the steering wheel.

“Vanity Fair is interested in a four thousand word article. That’s huge, guys. And depending on who my celebrity coming out is, they may want the cover as well. Bry, I’m sure they’ll want you on the cover. Before I go forward, do I have your okay?”

“Shouldn’t we sign a contract or something?” Bry asked, panic welling up inside him. Was he ready for this?

“We will. Soon, I promise. And confidentiality agreements that should plug the majority of the leaks. I’ll do my best. Bry, Kell, Vanity Fair is a great choice, and they’re willing to go there without even knowing what celebrity it is. For all they know, I have Lindsey Lohan or Brittney Spears lined up. Or, I might have the girl who was in Glee for two lines. They’re trusting me, and I know you both are, too. It is a trust I’m not going to screw up, on any levels. I care too much about Kell and too much about my reputation and integrity as a journalist to mess anything up. Bry, I know you don’t know me, but I swear, you can trust me.”

Vanity Fair. A possible cover. Kell had thought he was ready for this, but maybe he wasn’t. “Give me tonight to think about it,” he told both Kell and Orion. “I need to make sure this is the right thing at the right time.”

“Cold feet,” Kell remarked.

“Not cold feet,” Bry shot back. “Just...hesitant. This is a huge thing.”

“Orion helped me when I had the People magazine cover,” Kell admitted.

Bry hadn’t known that. He nodded, driving automatically toward his parents’ house, the other cars mere distractions as his muscle memory took over, allowing him to think deeply. “Orion, I will call you tonight. Give me a few hours to think about it all.”

“You’ve got it. Lean on that guy there. He’s pretty amazing. If I wasn’t completely straight arrow, I’d be kicking myself for losing a chance with him. You’re lucky. Remember that.”

“I’ll try.”

 

Writing Through Stress

 This seems like the perfect time for this post, as my life is very stressful and I’m trying to write through it.

Stress can be a career killer.

I had this happen in the past. Due to some incredibly stressful situations in my worklife, I didn’t write original fiction for almost seven years. Oh, I tried. At first, daily, and then, when it got to be too hard, I didn’t open up the manuscript for weeks. It was this black cloud hanging over me and I didn’t seem to be able to get beyond that to write anything. The stories were in my head, but my anxiety didn’t allow me to move forward.

Last August, my job situation changed. I was laid off with zero notice, and as I was a contractor, there were no benefits, no unemployment to claim. To make matters worse, several months of pay were in limbo for months.

Stress Number One, achieved.

Since then, I’ve been dealing with a major medical crisis—two actually, I’m an overachiever, have lost three of my cats, have set up a new business, and a couple of weeks ago, my husband lost his job with two days notice, no severance package, nada, not even payment of expenses owed :/

So…stress upon stress central here at Casa Alexa. You’d think that if one situation (above) had blocked my writing, this would have paralyzed my muse and had her rocking in a corner somewhere, right?

You’d be wrong. For some reason—some blessing in my psyche I don’t even dare to understand—I’m writing more than ever. I’m writing so much that I’m astounding myself, my word count spreadsheets are showing wear and tear, and my poor hands are begging for someone to save them.

This time, my muse is far from rocking in a corner, she’s dancing a jig and throwing me plot ideas faster than I can jot them down. And I couldn’t be happier. Writing is a huge stress relief, a way for me to get out of my present worries and into someone else’s issues.

I wrote my Naughty Escapes story—Get Away—in two days. Yes, two days! The story is 13,000 words and even my beta reader couldn’t keep up with my productivity. She finally threw her hands up and said she’d read it at the end rather than a s a work in progress. I chewed my nails down to bloody nubs wondering if Kell and Bry would strike a chord with her. She’s a tough beta, so I expected the worst. What I got back was anything but. She loved the story. And furthermore, she…er…“encouraged” me, with help from my evil little muse, to write a follow up story for them, and maybe even another story featuring Kell’s sexy guitar player, Ace. I’ll be revisiting Kell and Bry in the Naughty Literati fall anthology, coming in September.

It is funny how my workplace stress caused my writing to grind to a halt, while my homelife stress, which is so much larger in scope and impact, is giving me more inspiration to write.

The brain is a funny funny thing!

To check out the story of Kell, a former boyband singer, and Bry, an A-List Hollywood actor, check out Get Away in Naughty Escapes, out now!