Author:

So I found a new T-shirt that I want to add to my wardrobe. :)

Pricing Changes

I am in the middle of making a TON of pricing changes on my books.

The following stories are coming off of Amazon (you can still get various formats via Smashwords) because they are being offered FREE now:

* Castles in the Sand
* Cup of Josie
* Exposed -- if you haven't read this one, it is one of my FAVORITES of my short shorts!
* Just A Nibble vol 1 and 2
* Just A Taste vol 1 and 2
* Longing For You
* Love Among the Stars
* Nine Ball, Corner Pocket
* Paradise Valley
* Spankology 101
* Their Harem Girl
* Wandering Where Led

I have also discounted almost all of my stand alone stories (like Her Majesty's Maiden, All Alone in the Night), Private Eyes, and even my short-short story collections to $0.99 (it might take Amazon a couple of days for the price change over).

This change also affects all of my Animal Attraction, Kinky Girls Do, and A Second Chance at Love stories.  So if you have been eyeing one of them - now would be the time to check them out.

Metallica's Confusion

I am a very eclectic music lover.  I can listen to anything from the soothing sounds of Enigma, to the modern beat of Imagine Dragons, and then turn around and go old school with Metallica's Black album, some Journey, Genesis, Def Leopard and Bon Jovi.  Sometimes I might even throw in a little Lady Gaga.  (Don't judge me)

I will admit, I was rather disappointed by Metallica in the Load/Reload etc era.  As an old school listener - Black Album, Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightening, etc I longed for the gritty throb of their earlier music.

Recently I gave the Hardwired ... To Self-Destruct album a go with Atlas, Rise!  Pleasantly surprised by the return of their depth, I checked out the other songs on the album and came across Confusion.

I was looking for music to listen to while working on my Houston Michael's website and I have to say, it is completely fitting.

It's not often a music video will bring me to the edge of tears - but this one did.

Check out the lyrics:

"Confusion"

Writer(s): Lars Ulrich, James Alan Hetfield 

Wake to face the day

Grab this life and walk away

War is never done

Rub the patch and battle on

Make it go away

Please make it go away

Confusion

All sanity is now beyond me

Delusion

All sanity is but a memory

My life…

The war that never ends

Leave the battlefield

Yet its horrors never heal

Coming home from war

Pieces don't fit anymore

Make it go away

Please make it go away

Confusion

All sanity is now beyond me

Delusion

All sanity is but a memory

My life…

The war that never ends

Father please come home

Shell shocked all I've known

Father please come home

Label him a deadwood soldier now

Cast away and left to roam

Rapid is the road to sacrifice

Just takes longer to come home

Confusion

All sanity is now beyond me

Delusion

Crossfire ricochets inside me

Trapped in a memory forever

My life…

The war that never ends

Watch the music video on YouTube

Alter Ego Update

I have my new website started ... http://www.houstonmichaels.com (it is a work in progress) and a new blog - http://houstonmichaels.blogspot.com/

And Broken Wings is about to be re-released!!!  (May 16th)  It is up for pre-order at Amazon

 Proud to have served his country, Gabriel O'Roarke returned from war unable to recognize the man he had become. While war was hell, it was the aftereffects that were slowly eating away at his soul. Returning to civilian life after surviving events that should have killed him, he struggles to adjust and find himself again. Suffering from PTSD, he is without hope, until a chance encounter with one of the men who saved his life changes things.

Gabriel never imagined Nickolas Tanner would be into the lifestyle, so running into him at a BDSM club is a surprise. The patient and caring Dom is exactly what Gabriel needs, but everything he fears. After suffering captivity, Gabriel struggles to let himself go, to submit to another man. He craves regaining that part of himself, but worries it is forever lost. Nickolas' steady domination gives him something he has thought lost long ago - hope.

Can a broken submissive, damaged by captivity and torture, learn to fly again?

Some news about Broken Wings

This last month I have been working on the follow-up to Broken Wings, called Songs of Yesterday.  As I have been working on it, including tentatively plotting out the third book, I have been mulling over a few things.

One of the conclusions I reached as I looked at Broken Wings, where Songs of Yesterday is going to go, and the possibilities with the third book, is that this series is drastically different from my normal writings, and branding it a Michelle Houston story doesn't fit.

I am also going to be changing the series title to something that fits with possible future books as well as the current stories.

So I have pulled Broken Wings, and I am going to re-release it under a new pen name - Houston Michaels.  When I have the new website up and running, and Broken Wings ready to re-release, I will post about it here.

My 2017 Resolution ...

My resolution for this year isn't anything big or awe-inspiring.  Because let's face it, when I try to do those I make it about a month in and say forget it.

This year, I am going to focus on a little bit each week ... after the heartache of the last two weeks, I really could have used this last night.

So I am going to make certain this year that at least once a week I focus on something GOOD that happened, and not let all the negative crap get the best of me.

Happy New Year!

The closing of All Romance eBooks

I have spent most of the last 24 hours in a state of shock as I have tried to assimilate that 1. ARe is closing, 2. they are screwing authors over so much (10 cents to the dollar is the current offer for 4th quarter sales), 3. they are screwing readers over with only a few days to back up potentially 10 years worth of libraries and to deal with their ebook bucks, 4. that indie authors are loosing one of the platforms to reach readers, and 5. that readers are loosing one of the better platforms for finding new authors.

Readers - if any of you were unable to download a book of mine that your purchased (since we are not getting PAID most indie authors scrambled to pull their books quickly), please email me a screen shot of your library (or a copy of the receipt) and I will send you a copy of the ebook.

I am highly recommending ALL readers take screen shots of their libraries so that in the coming days, they have the documentation needed, because many publishers and other authors are making the same offer ... and the ARe website will go dark at midnight on Dec 31st so after that you won't have access to any of the records.

A little holiday humor ...

Also, be sure to check out the past Christmas funnies ...

Whoops Bad Timing

Reward for Missing Elf

Reindeer Games

12 Days of Christmas Cutbacks

Christmas Present (cartoons)

Top 10 Reasons Why Christmas Trees Are Better Than Men

A Christmas Love Story

S & M Christmas (cartoons)

I think Santa Claus is a woman ...

Snowman Cartoons (cartoons)

12 PC Days of Christmas

Ways to Confuse Santa Claus

Uses For Fruitcake

Top 10 Things That Sound Dirty at Christmas, but Aren't

Desire's Sting

The second story in the Office Interludes series is available.

All work and no play? Not in their office.

As a boss, Richard Mills was everything Lisa could ask for - he stood up for his team, he had their backs, gave them all of the credit and took all of the blame. But as a man - he was a dick! As his office assistant, Lisa was familiar with the love 'em and let 'em go attitude Richard had for women. Too familiar. It was slowly tearing her up to see other women get the chance with him that she craved. Something had to change, and if it took her resigning and finding another job to break the hold he had on her heart, she was ready to do it. It was the perfect solution to a no-win situation - except Richard was hiding a secret from her. He wanted to do all kinds of dirty, kinky things to her, but worried she was too vanilla to handle the sting of his desire.

In honor of Veteran's Day ...

In honor of Veteran's Day, BROKEN WINGS is discounted at All Romance eBooks from now until Saturday, November 12th.

"Cry Havok and let slip the dogs of war"

While war was hell, it was the aftereffects that slowly eats away at the soul.  For Gabriel O'Roarke and other like him, truer words have never been spoken. Returning to civilian life after surviving events that should have killed him, he struggled to adjust and find himself again.  Suffering from PTSD, he is without hope, until a chance encounter with a fellow soldier changes things.

Can a broken submissive, grief stricken at the loss of his friends and teammates, damaged by months of captivity and torture, learn to fly again?

Paranormal reads discounted - until Nov 1st!

In the spirit of Halloween, and my own love of staying home with a good book to read while passing out candy to little monsters, witches, zombies and action heroes - I have discounted some of my paranormal stories at All Romance eBooks.  Discounts range from 25-50% off.  There is a little something for all tastes ...

Fangs and Fur

When an evil scientist starts experimenting on shifters and vampires, trying to uncover the secret to their kind, the races must join together to stop him. In the process, four couples find love and passion beyond any they could have imagined.

Unnatural Bonds: Kali risks everything to free Riordan from the scientist. Once she succeeds, she isn't certain what to do with him. He has a good idea though ... if she's willing.

Laws of Nature: When Shaylee escapes from a kidnapping attempt, she manages to get to safety and the shelter of her neighbor Garrett's arms. Once there, she discovers she doesn't want to leave.

Bound in Blood: Anya is a protector for the vampire race. In the process of taking care of the threat to her people, she meets Ruben, who is delighted to find that she is his mate. Can this strong woman submit to a determined shifter?

Nature of the Beast: As a councilor for the vampire race, Kathryn has had to make hard choices--including sending Anya to take care of the scientist hunting them. One of the hardest thought is accepting that she is a shifter's mate. As a future alpha, Vance isn't willing to accept no for an answer

All Romance eBooks

The Life Not Lived

We all have those moments in our lives we wish we could take back. Natasha has come to regret the choices she has made in her life, the biggest one being turning away from the one woman she had ever loved. But thanks to a late night visit from a succubus and a magical diary that found its way into her life, she can have a second chance.  

If she’s willing to take a leap of faith …

All Romance eBooks

Time After Time

Sands of Time: After being diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Nicole can feel what time she has slipping away. Like many, she has told herself she would do the things she has always dreamed of "later". Pressed for time, later has come: she's going to see the world. She planned to start with Scotland , and go on from there, but once she arrives she meets a man she can't resist. Ciaran offers her a hope for the future she had given up on having, but it comes with a price. For Ciaran is not what he appears to be, and his race can't risk anyone finding out they exist.

Turning Back Time: Devastated at the news of her friend's supposed death, Julie rushes to Scotland to find some answers. What she finds instead is Roarke. Unwilling to let go of her search, Julie winds up figuring out what happened to Nicole. Along the way, she finds her own chance at happiness, if she can accept that Roarke isn't human.

All Romance eBooks

Blood Slave

Sometime in the near future, vampires have been found to exist and have been hunted down and systematically infected with a virus that causes them to lose their sight. But they have found a way around it, through the use of blood slaves.

Where The Blind Leads: Brandon is one of those possible slaves, and if his interview goes right, he will become his master's new eyes, food supply, and lover. After his master is done whipping him and testing his sexual abilities.

Leading The Blind: Nicholas used to be one of those slaves, but through the slow infection of the virus, he has been turned. Now he is facing a future he knows nothing about--dominating another. His old master decides to step in a find a new master for Nicholas, a mortal man who is not only willing to dominate a blind vampire, but also to be his blood slave.

All Romance eBooks

Maidens and Myths

Mt. Olympus will never be the same again ...

PANDORA: Created by the Gods as punishment. It took a goddess to understand that she too was being punished, and a God to unleash the woman she was truly meant to be.

PERSEPHONE: Kidnapped by Hades, she knew that there was more to him than the Lord of the Underworld bit. Underneath his death lord exterior beat a kind and caring heart, as she knew all to well.

PSYCHE: Beloved of Cupid, she wasn't to ever know who her husband was. But she wasn't content to be kept in the dark forever.

CHARON: He had been alone for a long time; then one day a whirlwind of emotion named Ledia demanded that he take her across Styx to meet with Hades, so that she could bargain for her brother's soul. Charon never expected to fall for the demanding minx.

GALATEA. Loved by her creator, she was given life. Unfortunately, the personality had to be worked on a bit.

APHRODITE: It's quite simple exhausting to be the goddess of love. Everyone wants something from her, including the other deities. Yet Aphrodite knows that sometimes a Goddess just has to have some down

All Romance eBooks

Paranormal Delights

Paranormal Delights is a collection of nine sexy tales of mortals, vampires, shifters, ghosts and angels.

Autumn Breeze: A breeze brings back memories, and something more.

Be Careful What You Wish For: On his birthday, a man wishes to understand the female mind and wakes up a woman. 

By The Light of the Moon: A woman finds her perfect match in an unexpected place.

Going Down?: A vampire finds himself trapped in an elevator with a woman who is more than she first appears.

Howl of the Full Moon: A werewolf prefers to sample the essence of female arousal rather than howling at the moon. 

On Angel Wings: Finding out her dream lover was real changes everything for one woman.

On The Prowl: A werecat’s mate waits for the sun to set, so her lover can claim her.

Peeping Ghost: A lonely ghost finds that watching almost makes up for what she missed.

To Dance with the Night: A very sensual vampire nibbles and savors his way through life.

All Romance eBooks

The Care and Feeding of Authors ... Reviews ...

I would like to request - if you purchased a copy of Broken Wings (or any of my other stories) - please consider leaving a review.

Reviews help stimulate sales, and are part of what allows authors to write. The only review I have at AllRomanceeBooks is a 1 star and it is killing traffic to Broken Wings.

Today is the day! Broken Wings is now out!!!

All Romance eBooks     *     Smashwords

"Cry Havok and let slip the dogs of war"

While war was hell, it was the aftereffects that slowly eats away at the soul.  For Gabriel O'Roarke and other like him, truer words have never been spoken. Returning to civilian life after surviving events that should have killed him, he struggled to adjust and find himself again.  Suffering from PTSD, he is without hope, until a chance encounter with a fellow soldier changes things.

Can a broken submissive, grief stricken at the loss of his friends and teammates, damaged by months of captivity and torture, learn to fly again?

CONTAIN BONUS STORY: Taming The Wolf (Animal Attraction book 1)

The Guys of Broken Wings

Authors are often asked who inspires the characters we write about.  I have often see lists of "who would play ______________ if I were made into a movie" posts.

While I know my stories will never make it to the big screen, and I am okay with that, I do draw inspiration from actors and actresses to lay down the basis for my characters.

Many authors who write series have what is called a Series Bible - a document of some kind they can refer back to that tells them details about characters, maybe includes images of the characters, etc.

With Broken Wings, I had to create my first series bible.  This is because while I have other series, the stories are all stand alone, and the series is based on theme, without any interaction between the characters.  For the Dogs of War books, the characters are interacting in a group therapy session, so each character set will continue to build through new stories.

Ready to meet the guys?

NAME: Gabriel O'Roarke
Nickname: Archangel or Angel
Description: black hair, blue eyes, tall, muscular, covered in scars, high forehead, strong jaw, deep set eyes,
Submissive

Gabriel was fairly easy for me to imagine, once he started talking to me.  He got his nickname in bootcamp because he resembled David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel, Bones).  When he was made team sniper, it as solidified.  He was the Wrath of God - an Archangel.

NAME: Nickolas Tanner
Nickname: Tesla
Description: black (pepper) hair, piercing green eyes, shorter than Gabriel, muscular but athletic, deep raspy voice

Dominant

Nickolas was a very tricky character.  I knew about his nickname, but he wasn't really willing to step out of the shadows and let me see him.  He was more focused on Gabriel - and what he needed.  So visualizing him was frustrating, but I did get to hear a lot of his voice.  And oh boy - what a voice it is.  That deep seductive rasp that teases of nights of sin and decadence was modeled after actor Jim Caviezel (Person of Interest).  To some degree he resembles him as well, but it is Nick's voice that is distinct.  Oh - and the eyes!  Love them!

 

Tomorrow is the day ... have you pre-ordered your copy of Broken Wings yet?

All Romance eBooks     *     Smashwords   *   Amazon

Less than 36 hours to go ...

Broken Wings will be out in less than 36 hours.  To say I am nervous about how this story will be received, is an understatement.  I feel in love with Nickolas the moment I met him.  He is so confident and loving and exactly what Gabriel needs.

Here's a brief taste for Broken Wings while we wait for the release on Tuesday.

As he surrendered to Nick’s kiss, his eyes started to drift closed and as darkness enveloped him, he jerked. Cold chills broke out over his skin and he drifted for a moment, lost between what was happening and what had come before. Gabriel went to pull back, but Nick kept his hand clasped around the nape of his neck, holding him still. Shifting his face, Nick pressed his lips against Gabriel’s ear. “Open your eyes. You’re safe here. Just open your eyes.”

Gabriel’s lids lifted, and he stared into the calm green of Nick’s eyes. 

“Keep your eyes focused on me.”

Gabriel nodded, and blue gaze locked on green as Nick pressed soft kisses against his cheek, slowly moving back to his lips. At the firm touch of lips against his, Gabriel opened his mouth, accepting the raspy wetness of a masculine tongue sliding into his mouth again. It felt odd to be staring into someone’s eyes while kissing, but at the same time, it grounded him in the moment. Except for brief flashes of darkness as he blinked, he remained focused on Nick – his gaze, his firm touch against the back of his neck, his kiss, the feel of being surrounded in masculine heat.

The very scent of Nick’s cologne seeped into his pores, until all that mattered was the man who was holding him so gently, with such strong confidence. At any moment he could break away; Nick wasn’t forcing him to stay. Instead, his embrace said he was confident that given the choice, Gabriel would chose to stay in his arms. And he was right.

The depth of the kiss changed slowly, until it was impossible for Gabriel to tell where Nick left off and he began. Their tongues were dueling, not for dominance of the kiss, but for sheer pleasure of contact.
As Nick pulled away, Gabriel found himself panting softly, trying to regain his emotional footing. For a brief moment in time, the past had ceased to exist. 

My Personality Profile

I've taken a few personality quizzes over the course of my life, and I have to say the Myers-Biggs model pegs me perfectly.

Wondering which of the 16 personality types you are?  You can take the same quick quiz here.

 

Teaser for Desire's Sting

When I was writing Butterfly's Effect, Elaine had a meeting with a man who she really didn't get along with - Richard Mills.  When I was getting the re-release of Butterfly's Effect ready, a young woman named Lisa started talking to me.  

She was adamant that Richard was only an ass to those who didn't really know him.  To those who worked for him, he was everything they could want in a boss.  She demanded that I give her a chance to tell everyone about him - which was all well and good, except that when I actually sat down to start writing the story - she promptly told me nevermind, I could forget it.  She was mad at him and he could go play in traffic.  This intrigued me ... I had to know more.

And so Desire's String was born ...

BUTTERFLY'S EFFECT: Elaine’s relationship with her office assistant went from a normal friendship to lovers, and they are both struggling to find the balance between their professional and personal lives together.  Steve wants to take things public, but Elaine is worried about possible complications.  So he decides to show her who's boss, with a little help from her submissive nature and a sexy new toy in Michelle Houston’s Butterfly’s Effect.

DESIRE'S STING:  As a boss, Richard Mills was everything Lisa could ask for - he stood up for his team, he had their backs, gave them all of the credit and took all of the blame.  But as a man - he was a dick!  As his office assistance, Lisa was familiar with the love 'em and let 'em go attitude Richard had for women.  Too familiar.  It was slowly tearing her up to see other women get the chance with him that she craved.  Something had to change, and if it took her resigning and finding another job to break the hold he had on her heart, she was ready to do it.  It was the perfect solution to a no-win situation - except Richard was hiding a secret from her.  He wanted to do all kinds of dirty, kinky things to her, but worried she was too vanilla to handle the sting of his desire.

Pre-Order is Now Live!!!

The pre-order links for Broken Wings are now live at All Romance and Smashwords and Amazon.

September 27th Gabriel and Nick's story will go live!

Excerpt:

As he surrendered to Nick’s kiss, his eyes started to drift closed and as darkness enveloped him, he jerked. Cold chills broke out over his skin and he drifted for a moment, lost between what was happening and what had come before. Gabriel went to pull back, but Nick kept his hand clasped around the nape of his neck, holding him still. Shifting his face, Nick pressed his lips against Gabriel’s ear.
“Open your eyes. You’re safe here. Just open your eyes.”

Gabriel’s lids lifted, and he stared into the calm green of Nick’s eyes.

“Keep your eyes focused on me.”

Gabriel nodded, and blue gaze locked on green as Nick pressed soft kisses against his cheek, slowly moving back to his lips. At the firm touch of lips against his, Gabriel opened his mouth, accepting the raspy wetness of a masculine tongue sliding into his mouth again. It felt odd to be staring into someone’s eyes while kissing, but at the same time, it grounded him in the moment. Except for brief flashes of darkness as he blinked, he remained focused on Nick – his gaze, his firm touch against the back of his neck, his kiss, the feel of being surrounded in masculine heat.

The very scent of Nick’s cologne seeped into his pores, until all that mattered was the man who was holding him so gently, with such strong confidence. At any moment he could break away; Nick wasn’t forcing him to stay. Instead, his embrace said he was confident that given the choice, Gabriel would chose to stay in his arms. And he was right.

The depth of the kiss changed slowly, until it was impossible for Gabriel to tell where Nick left off and he began. Their tongues were dueling, not for dominance of the kiss, but for sheer pleasure of contact.
As Nick pulled away, Gabriel found himself panting softly, trying to regain his emotional footing. For a brief moment in time, the past had ceased to exist.

All Romance eBooks     *     Smashwords   *   Amazon

Broken Wings Teaser 3