Showing posts with label Tali Spencer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tali Spencer. Show all posts

Blog Tour: Breaking the Ice by Tali Spencer


A clubhouse fave and fellow unicorn lover Tali Spencer is here today to talk answering the door without embarrassment. 

See our tag team review of Breaking the Ice HERE!




An Author’s Wardrobe

Writing is one of those occupations without a dress code. This is enormously liberating, on the one hand, and a kind of self-defeating mindset on the other. I know a few authors who dress in nothing but pajamas day in and day out. For trips to the grocery store, or other such outings, they don sweatpants and baggy tee shirts. Very few authors write, or do errands, in the buff.

Other authors opt for what might be called “casual style.” I fall into this category, as witness this photo of me with casually stylish fellow author Lexi Ander.


For one thing, I cannot write in pajamas. Those are what I sleep in. I put them on and my brain begins to wind down. Watching television is about the extent of my creative energy at that point. Snuggling into my nice warm bed would be even better. My dreams are very creative. But putting anything into words simply does not happen in pjs.

Also, the love of my life thinks a person in sweats looks like he/she has given up on life. I don’t want my sex life to suffer.

For me, jeans and a tee shirt or pretty top work perfectly. Cotton or linen preferred, because polyester, like wool, can make me itch. Few things pull me out of a scene faster than when my skin nags to be scratched. For that same reason, I never get haircuts on days when I’m planning to write. Bodily comfort is essential to being able to immerse deeply into another world or character and bring them to life on the page. Nothing can be allowed to intrude on the journey.

Authors do dress for the journey, on occasion. For Breaking the Ice, my newest release, I incorporated parts of my former Wisconsin wardrobe. Lots of winter gear, parkas, and ice-gripping winter boots, albeit in male versions. This kind of wardrobe transference is easier with contemporary stories. Not that I haven’t done it with fantasy—I have a separate closet for role-playing clothing and accessories. Really. I do. Familiarity with lacing and buckles can be useful.

Some authors do pull off amazing “creative style” on a daily basis. They manage to achieve a distinctive authorial look. One author friend wears boho, artsy tops and bottoms—embroidered and flowing, like she stepped out of a Stevie Nicks video. She looks amazing wherever she goes. Another friend, a writer of paranormal romances, almost always wears a dragon item of clothing, usually a tee shirt, but sometimes a sweater or jacket. She’s succeeded in creating a signature style that goes with her books. I don’t know if she cooks wearing those things, though.

Sometimes at conventions I attempt to evoke what I write. In the past, when I was younger and fitter, I wore leather and carried a sword. That was before swords were barred from such gatherings. Yes, that long ago. There’s fan art of me in leather, but these days I only haul it out at Halloween to shock local trick or treaters. At conventions, readers are more likely to see me clad in a tee shirt with a unicorn horn on it, or with a handmade basilisk perched on my shoulder. If you see me with a basilisk, chances are I’m giving it away, so inquire if interested.

When at home, when writing, when lost in my worlds or following my characters around, I am wearing comfy clothes that possess a minimum of casual style: jeans, boots, and something on top. Clothes I can answer the door in without embarrassment.



The writing may take place in her head, but this author dresses like the suburban middle-aged woman whose body she inhabits.

So, what about you? What do you wear when you write, or read?


BLURB:

For Matt Wasko, February in Wisconsin is the best time of the year, and ice fishing on Lake Winnebago is his idea of heaven. With shanty villages cropping up, barbeques on the ice, monster sturgeon to spear, and plenty of booze to keep everybody warm, things couldn’t be better—until a surprise storm hits and an uninvited guest shows up at his frozen doorstep.

Matt’s not happy to see John Lutz, a coworker who cracks lame gay jokes at Matt’s expense. But John’s flimsy new ice shelter got blown across the lake, and it wouldn’t be right to leave even a jerk outside to freeze. Would it?

In the close quarters of Matt’s fabulous ice shanty, between stripping off wet clothes, misadventures with bait, and a fighting trophy-sized walleye, the two men discover creative ways to keep the cold at bay. And when John confesses his long-running attraction, Matt must decide if he can believe in John’s change of heart—and crack the ice for a chance at finding love.



About Tali Spencer

Tali Spencer delights in erotic fantasy and adventure, creating worlds where she can explore the heights and shadows of sexual passion. A hopeful romantic and lover of all things exotic, she also writes high fantasy and science fiction. If you would like to see inspiration pictures for her characters, or glimpse how she envisions her worlds, including works in progress, check out her Pinterest boards.
           


Tag Team Review: Breaking the Ice by Tali Spencer

For Matt Wasko, February in Wisconsin is the best time of the year, and ice fishing on Lake Winnebago is his idea of heaven. With shanty villages cropping up, barbeques on the ice, monster sturgeon to spear, and plenty of booze to keep everybody warm, things couldn’t be better — until a surprise storm hits and an uninvited guest shows up at his frozen doorstep.

Matt’s not happy to see John Lutz, a coworker who cracks lame gay jokes at Matt’s expense. But John’s flimsy new ice shelter got blown across the lake, and it wouldn’t be right to leave even a jerk outside to freeze. Would it?

In the close quarters of Matt’s fabulous ice shanty, between stripping off wet clothes, misadventures with bait, and a fighting trophy-sized walleye, the two men discover creative ways to keep the cold at bay. And when John confesses his long-running attraction, Matt must decide if he can believe in John’s change of heart — and crack the ice for a chance at finding love.

Averaged!


Sara - 4.5 Hearts

I have the biggest soft spot for boys in the closet. The deeper they are they softer I get. I also love a good enemies to lover’s story and this gave me both! Oh boy, my soft spot is a puddle of goo for John Lutz and I fell this story.

This was adorable. Sure, it’s short and things move fast and some things are told more than shown but I loved it. I adored Matt and would so bowl on his team. I loved his dedication to Sturgeon fishing even though I wouldn’t want to be a part of it. His dedication to ice fishing is also his loyalty to his family and mainly to his grandfather. It’s tradition and it’s in his bones so of course it would be the only thing John could use to really get Matt’s attention, right?

My poor sweet John. I will tell you now, when you meet him try not to judge him. I admit that I started too but I know all too well the ones who protests or is the loudest jerk about something usually has the most to hide and John is so hidden, you can’t see him. I felt for John, reading his reasons as to why he blends in with the crowd and tries to be one of the guys. He does it for self-preservation but when it interferes with his chance with someone he is romantically interested in, he decides to do the right thing and change his ways. OMG! John is so adorably awkward with his attempts to get Matt’s attention. I won’t spoil what he does but it was cringe worthy but swoony in only the way a romance can truly be. John lays it all out there in so many ways that Matt can’t help but be charmed even if he is cautious.

Matt is an amazing out and proud character. From knowing his past and how he made it to Wisconsin to how he learned how to fish and really handle himself, it’s no wonder John is drawn like a moth to a flame. On the surface, these two couldn’t be more opposite yet in their hearts, they are perfect for one another. I was truly happy that Matt not only decided to open his shanty to a freezing John but open his mind to John’s behavior and his heart to what John offered.

The community built within this romance was a pure joy to read. I loved the ice fishing folk along with everyone we meet at the local bars etc. The community was strong enough to believe that Matt and John would not only be accepted but revered as powerhouse couple in every way.

The story was sticky sweet and I ate it up just like I would a big ass stick full of cotton candy. Sure, I wanted more than what I got but that’s a nod to the author creating characters that I couldn’t get enough of. I would have loved a longer story with Matt and John and really seen the development of John coming out and how they handled the relationship as it evolved but I am stupidly happy with
what I got at the same time so content I shall be.

SheReadsALot - 3.5 Hearts

Ice Fishing.



I knew of it, but this book is definitely an ode to the sport.

Let me tell you something. I'm the least sports appreciating person you might meet. And sadly, I'm surrounded by the sports people. My BFF is a fisherwoman. Like she takes joy in sitting around with live bait and catching fish any free time she can. Do I join her? Fuck no! I tune out the moment she mentions bait. So I took my fishing non-love to this book, it seems.

This book is a lot about the appreciation and dedication of the sport in a icy tundra of a Wisconsin town. That's the major selling point of this book.

Matt Wasko is small, college educated, out and proud, grandson of a revered family in his small town and works an office job in a factory. His co-workers and Matt bowl together and against each other on two teams. And other the other team is Matt's love interest, John Lutz. Lutz's team has a bunch of homophobic jerks and Lutz does nothing to shut those guys up. He joins in the lame jokes or laughs.

Matt can't stand them especially that good looking Lutz. Thankfully, he had a two week vacation away from the job and with his beloved frozen lake Winnebago. When Lutz shows up to his icy piece of heaven, it seems like Matt can't catch a break.

At the core of things, Matt is a good guy. And he can't be an asshole to anyone... even his nemesis. The thing is John isn't a bad guy, he makes poor choices and follows the crowd, so no one knows how deep he's in the closet.

The two make nice on the ice and discover shared geeky interests. But they also are attracted to each other. The romance part was cute. I thought the epilogue was a bit soon just because we don't get to spend as much time with the couple as we did with Matt. There is some hotness dropped in there. *coughs*intercrural *coughs*rimming *coughs*

The guys were cute. Lutz pulls his head out of his ass. Wasko was adorably snarky. I liked them (okay, I liked Wasko a little more) But the klutzy wooing was cute. Thank goodness, we get dual POV.

Overall, the love story is the love of Wisconsin. Never been to the state, but it read authentic.

And who doesn't love unicorn name dropping?



Recommended to readers who enjoy the ice fishing sport (or want to learn as this is chock full of info).


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34515008.Breaking_the_Ice__States_of_Love_

Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit + Giveaway - Tali Spencer



Our final Anniversary Shenanigans of 2016 is being spent with one of our fave authors: Tali Spencer! 

Tali visits, shares about upcoming projects, wrote a magical flash fic AND is hosting an AMAZING  giveaway!

We all hoped you had a great month partying with us! (Psst...there are still open giveaways) Try not to wreck the joint as you dash to them. ;)

Take it away, Tali!



Magic and Moonlight
by
Tali Spencer



Clouds cloak his eyrie. Zyrik protects the floating city with spells clever and fearsome, woven to doom any who seek to invade the heart of his domain. Within his treasure chamber he keeps his prize, a beautiful estrel. Magic-filled. The sweetest of all feasts. So sweet that every night he returns to replenish.

So sweet he never wants to leave the darkness wherein power waits.

He lands on the high window of the highest tower. The stone knows his claws, the frost his breath. Both yield and he enters, spreads his wings again and glides in tight sweeps down the spiral labyrinth. The way glows with silver and veins of living stone, but soon the faint light calls to mind the moon, not the sun.

Zyrik’s dominion extends far beyond his celestial home, over sun-gifted things swollen with sap and blood, over fields golden with grain, and pastures thick with cattle. He reigns over cities and seas. His conquered subjects prosper and, because of this, they are content.

He, however, is cursed with a hunger he cannot quench.

His treasure waits. Moonglow hair spills over the estrel’s shoulders and down his back, brighter even than skin seemingly kissed by white pearls. From his forehead juts a horn of ivory and silver. Virgin. If he were not, the horn would be the color of blood.

“One day, you’ll rejoice to see me.” Zyrik folds his wings and stalks toward his captive.

Amber-bright eyes narrow above the faintest of smiles. “No.”

He moves behind his prey. The estrel is that, also. To possess one is… a jewel beyond kingdoms. Zyrik stands at the naked creature’s back and wraps his arms around him.

“Tell me your truename and I will free you,” he murmurs. He moves ardent lips over the sweet-tasting skin at the back of the estrel’s neck, bestowing a caress.

The estrel leans back, baring his throat. “If you speak my truename, I can never leave you.”

“One day, you will give it to me.”

Zyrik digs a single talon into the tender juncture where the estrel’s neck and shoulder meet, just deep enough, and whispers the blood spell upon the drops that well forth like red jewels. He bends to suck and pure magic fills him.

Magic-drinker. Magic-taker. The estrel’s blood gives him the voice of a god.

He wants to do more than steal sweet hot magic. He wants to join their bodies together, to plunge and soar and claim. But to keep his floating city aloft and his empire strong, Zyrik needs this. The virgin magic is too powerful, too precious.

He drinks.
***


About the author:

I am fascinated by swords, mythology, and everything ancient and magical. Sword and sandals? I'm in! But I also love bodice-rippers, Regency romances, magical realism, pulpy detective stories, cozy mysteries, and South American literature.

Though I grew up as a bit of a nomad, I currently live in Pennsylvania with my husband and travel whenever I can. Every destination yields a story or three.

When not writing, I read everything (really, everything), experiment with food, and take long walks with my loving, if slightly neurotic, poodle.



Amazing flash fic is amazing, right? Let Tali know what you thought in the comments below!

Departures


We all have our happy places. Hometowns. Familiar coffee shops. Those favorite brands we know will satisfy all our quirks. As an author, my happy place is speculative fiction, wherein I gravitate toward fantasy worlds. I’m completely at home in that genre, and trust my readers share my joy in being there.

Every once in a while, though, I want to leave my usual neighborhood and explore. This is how books like The Last Cannoli (free on Goodreads) arise. There’s something quirky in a story about an intense Italian-American cannoli maker in Philly and a Wisconsin-born marketing dropout looking to reinvent his life. For one thing, I’m from Wisconsin… and I live in Philly. With an Italian-American spouse, but I digress.

Or how about “Well, Hello, Eight Eyes” in the Foolish Encounters anthology? Spider shifters, anyone? I wrote that story as a result of a Halloween challenge.

Departures are all about having fun.

After taking a few hits to my health, and not writing for a spell, I am now back up to speed and nudging books into the pipeline. The two with release dates could not be more different. One is a story in the Once Upon a Time in the Weird West anthology coming out in December. Once upon a time I might have said I couldn’t see ever writing a Western… but a friend invited me, so I wrote a Western. The story has a fantasy spin with elemental cowboys (and Comanches) but it’s very much a story with Old West roots and feel. The love story is sweet as can be.


Can I just mention my fellow authors? The Weird West has a great lineup! Kim Fielding, Ginn Hale, Lex Chase, Shira Anthony, Charlie Cochet, Andrew Q. Gordon, C.S. Poe, Astrid Amara, Jana Denardo, Jamie Fessenden, Venona Keyes, Nicole Kimberling, and Langley Hyde. And me.

In April my States of Love novella for Dreamspinner will be out. Breaking the Ice is about a gay man in the wacky culture of sturgeon-spearing and ice-fishing. It’s set in Wisconsin and I had a lot of fun with it. My main character has the “gayest ice shanty on Lake Winnebago,” drinks Fantasy Factory India Pale Ale (love that bottle!), and the story was a hoot to write.


Though not my main fare, these departure stories keep my writing fresh by stretching my skill set and imagination. What do you think? Do you like when your favorite authors do something a little different? Or do you prefer they stay the course with the work you love? Comment for a chance to win my giveaway.


Giveaway Details:
My giveaway includes one copy of any book on my list—including paperbacks where available, or the two unreleased books (to be sent upon release). Also will send fun swag if winner gives a mailing address. For winners not in the States, I do ship internationally.





One winner has the choice of a book from Tali Spencer's back list (this includes paperback and fun swag--open internationally) OR Tali's 2 future books (to be sent upon release)


a Rafflecopter giveaway



The giveaway is open until 12:00AM (Eastern time) on 12/7/16. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner! 

Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hours or we will choose another winner. Good luck!

Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway here! It ends tonight!

Tag Team Review: Victory Portrait (Pride of Uttor #4) by Tali Spencer

Imperial captive and former Sebboyan prince Peta Kordeun has one great wish: to meet Darius Arrento, conqueror of his country and a man he has idolized since childhood. That wish comes true the day the Uttoran emperor assigns Peta to assist the artist who will be painting the great general’s official portrait.

General Darius Arrento would rather take a crossbow bolt through his flesh than sit for a portrait, until his friend the emperor forces his hand. The notorious artist, Brazzi, uses semen and other sexual fluids to bind his colors—and Arrento is captivated by the artist’s pretty helper. Before long he is driven to possess the gorgeous young man who draws battle maps and whose naïve charm has won more hearts in Uttor than Arrento has won battles.

When Arrento learns that Peta, the slave he covets and wants for his own, is one of the despised Kordeun princes, he storms from Uttor toward a far corner of the empire—where he quickly finds himself embroiled in a plot to tear Uttor’s empire apart. His emotions and loyalties frayed, the great Arrento is in the battle of his life…and Peta may hold the key to his survival.


Combined and Averaged = 4.125 Hearts from the both of us


Ann/Peachy - 4.5 Hearts

There were so many things for me to love about this book. Tali Spencer does an amazing job of world building in a really organic way. I don’t feel like I need a schematic and a flashlight to figure out where I am and who is attached to, fighting or fucking whom. It just happens and I can enjoy all the nuances without taxing my brain or reversing and rereading to figure out WTF is going on. And there are a lot of great little nuances and golden sentences that I really love to read. Sentences like;
“That statement begged to be turned inside out and made to reveal its bones.”
So much impact for one little sentence. I really appreciated the flow of the language throughout and it fit the whole feel of Victory Portrait perfectly.

The first half of the book is incredibly erotic and full of deliciously exhibitionistic foreplay. There was plenty of information as to why Peta was in the social state he was in and why he was completely fine with sharing his fluids for Brazzi’s masterpiece of his hero Arrento. The whole thing was an interesting take on slave life in Uttor and how conquered royalty fit into the society. And, while I like slave fic just as much as the next Unicorn, I was glad Peta’s status played out like it did. He was, “the least enslaved slave that ever lived.” Given that these two didn’t know one another but admired greatly the bits they did, any kind of complete master/slave thing would have felt out of balance to me for the later relationship that starts to come together for them. The off balance social structure between captured royalty and the lower classes kept it all in balance in the end.

So, anyway, about the foreplay. Damn, that was fun. A sexually frustrated Arrento is a beautiful thing. A hard and horny Peta is even better. I really dug on the effect Peta had on Arrento and how flattered Arrento was by Peta’s reaction to him. I loved how Peta knew what he wanted and had no issues with going after Arrento in what could possibly be his only chance to get with his hero. He wasn’t about to let the chance get away from him and his incredibly leaky dick. Good on you Peta!
The second half of the book gave the characters the depth they needed to get me to believe there really could be something between them in the long run. Arrento didn’t easily let go of his feelings towards Peta’s family and understandably so. But, it’s a good thing he has a wise Emperor as a BFF in Gaspar. I love that guy. I was pretty enamored of all the secondary characters and they made me want to read the rest in the series. While this book is #4, it’s the first that I’ve read and I had no trouble keeping up considering all the backstory. And, like I said, this one really just made me want to devour the rest, especially Book 2, Dangerous Beauty, I need to know Endre’s story. And books 1 and 3 too. I basically need to know all the things now.

My only niggle was that I needed a little bit more balance between the erotic flavor of the first half and the more technical taste of the second half. The first half was all about the setup between Peta and Arrento, it was flirty, filthy and emotional. The second half was more focused on the whole of Uttor along with the politics and war that had been looming throughout. All of which I found very interesting and I absolutely loved the letters that Peta and Arrento exchanged. There isn’t much more romantic than evolving love letters. The HEA came along in a realistic and reasonable way considering Peta started the book as a slave. I really just wanted a detailed final consummation scene for them. And not just because I love gratuitous boning, because I do, but because I wanted to read about them coming together with their new statuses, without the labels attached to them like they were before. Peta was finally more than just a beautiful boy and Arrento was more than just a war hero.

Of all the great words, sentences and pearls of wisdom, I really loved this conversation between Gaspar and Arrento:

Hearts can overrule cocks, you know . . . except when the two join forces and then a man is lost forever. Be careful with your heart if ever it and your cock should meet and be both enraptured by a smile.

Arrento was completed enraptured by a smile from a beautiful boy in the end and I loved the journey they took to get there.

SheReadsALot - 3.75 Hearts

Art can be sexy.

Painting?


Sexy.

In Victory Portrait, the fourth standalone in the Pride of Uttor series, painting is very sexy.

How much? Fresh semen needed to add into the paint sexy.
Lusting for what seems like ages and finally getting to pound your the object of your desire into next week...with an audience kind of sexy.

"You dream about this, don't you? About taking cock inside you, of becoming one creature, one perfect holy creature, with the man who's fucking you--"
"God help me--"
"He already has."

In this new to me series, Tali Spencer has created a fantasy based world (no magic) filled with intrigue, captives, war, lust, family drama, backstabbing, maps and hero worship that turns into something more. Prince Peta's Sebboyan royal family was captured due to his tyrant king of a father and evil eldest brother by the empire of Uttor. He and his family are Uttoran imperial captives, slaves but due to their ranking they're the least slaved as a slave could get. It's a tricky situation and the author did a great job trying to show the balance. Peta has crushed on the great Uttoran general Sar Darius Arrento for years. The beautiful youth gets his wish to meet the older man who had a hand putting him into captivity as a notorious artist's assistant. Peta has to strip naked , have his semen collected to paint a specially commissioned painting of the general. Let's just say the sexual tension was sticky...



The story isn't only hot sex (though Arrento/Peta do give lava hot screen time), there is a political/double-crossing war antics. Potential triggers: off page rape of a secondary character. I'd say the second half focuses more on war and a suspense-ish secondary plot that introduces mythology and attempted crimes in an interesting mix.

"He was a lion, and he wanted another lion. He didn't have the patience to deal with snakes."

Thankfully, the story is told in alternating POV, I got a great sense of both men without it getting too deep. That was a great aspect of this story it would broach serious topics - captivity, being an orphan, coming from a religious/homophobic background and the story didn't get ugly. There was ample explanation for the author to get their point across.The main characters from the previous books were secondary characters in Victory Portrait and gave follow up/ a prequel to the couples. A lot happens in this 80K+ story.

The story's strongest point? The setting. This world the author created seemed very real, very lived in. There were a lot of side characters and mythology and different lands in this world, at some points it read like the never-ending story, since we kept reading about yet another land embattled with the mighty Uttor empire. Sometimes a new character and their purpose would go right over my head. But I was able to grasp the main plot points and follow along with the central theme without being lost.

The main couple added the needed spice to carry this story along. Reading Arrento's struggle with wanting to bed his emperor's slave was endearing. Arrento wasn't all unicorns and rainbows though. He stormed off but thankfully didn't have a major meltdown because he listened sooner than later. There was a separation period and lasted months, maybe a year? The way the men courted each other was sweet. The sexy first half isn't recaptured in the second half. It's more about the whodunit plot with a romantic background.

"Is that cock of yours still talking? Didn't you vow to Chasca to stop listening to it?"
"After that boy in Dalmeri and barely escaping with my skin intact? My cock has gotten wiser since then."
"Cocks don't get wise," Gaspar said. "Their masters get wise enough to overrule them."

I have to talk a little about the artist Brazzi and his wild and crazy way of needing semen to create his art. He helped bring some comedic relief. And a little CBT. ;D


I was happy with the ending, wouldn't have minded a little bit more on the reunion. I did have a few questions - what happened with Imre? what will become of Adora's child? I didn't have to read the previous books but I really want to now. I was fully immersed in this world and was sad to leave it by the end.

Arrento and Peta remained true to themselves and didn't change, even if they started with a little subterfuge enemies to lovers. I liked that they explained themselves once the hidden identity was revealed. And Peta wasn't a lovesick, puppy dog following his crush for scraps. He was his own man just in every sense as Arrento did. Great couple. Totally think they'll last.

Recommended for fantasy lovers who like erotic scenes, war/political intrigue and some fun times.

Check out on Goodreads!

Author Visit & Giveaway: Victory Portrait by Tali Spencer



TALI SPENCER HAS STOPPED BY THE CLUBHOUSE! I REPEAT TALI SPENCER HAS DROPPED BY THE CLUBHOUSE! Get your horns ready!!!!!!!!!!! 

Because not only has she stopped by, she comes bearing gifts! Check out her character, Aldous Brazzi's awesome ways to use a paintbrush! Check out Tali's giveaway! One lucky winner will win TWO books: an ebook copy of Victory Portrait AND a book from Tali's back list (reader's choice - either paperback or ebook - willing to ship internationally)!


This could be you! ;D
Check out our reviews for Victory Portrait here!
Take it away, Tali!

Hello again to the Unicorns, who when I said I would like to visit, said “Sure! Come on over.” So here I am to talk about my newest release, Victory Portrait, share an ex-clusive excerpt, and offer a giveaway of the book AND one other book (reader’s choice) from my backlist.

Victory Portrait is about a former prince, now captive of the emperor, and the famous general the prince admires more than anyone in the world. Anyone. Naturally the two must be brought together. The character who does so, though not by choice, is the artist, Aldous Brazzi.

Brazzi paints his pictures using…semen. And brushes. Let’s have him talk more about that.



10 Ways to Use a Paintbrush, by Aldous Brazzi


Thank you. I appreciate this topic. My first request of anyone asking about my methods is that they pick up a paintbrush. Any brush will do: long thin brushes for the most elegant purposes, fat brushes for bold strokes, broad stiff brushes meant for large sweeps across the canvas but which can be even more useful if…

I get ahead of my own explanation.

I use paintbrushes not just to put paint on canvas, but for any number of other purposes. Some of these purposes are sexual, but bear with me.

So here are my ten best uses for the paintbrush:

  1. Putting paint on canvas, board, wall, or other surface. Self-explanatory, I know. Still counts.
  2. A broad stiff flat paintbrush of modest size, if dipped in water, can be used to wet the glue on stamps or envelopes. I personally would prefer to use the soft tongue of a slave for this, but a paintbrush is cheaper and does not suffer paper cuts.
  3. Why buy expensive cosmetic brushes? Artist’s paintbrushes made of natural materials do the job just as well, and cost far less.
  4. A cheap medium-sized paintbrush of about one and a half inches (a little less than 4 cm.) is the best brush for basting roast turkey. I trust my author on this. Among Bolivians, she is considered the Goddess of Turkey.
  5. Dusting. I give my old paintbrushes to Janna, my house slave, who claims they are excellent for getting dust out of tight spaces.
  6. Janna also tells me paintbrushes are excellent for applying whatever is needed (hair dye, medication) directly to the roots of hair or onto a skin lesion. I wouldn’t know. I have neither hair nor skin lesions.

Beware. At this point things get more…sexual. For the purposes of this particular discourse I will focus on males.

  1. If you have a properly stiff and excited male partner (as my assistants tend to be), use a flat brush to gather his droplets of pre-come. Do so slowly. The touch of the brush as it lifts the droplet free of his glans will stimulate him further. Use the fluid to baste the rest of the member. If his pre-come is being shy, you can use another lubricant.
  2. Choose a long, thin brush. Use the point of the brush to tease your male subject’s slit. Do so delicately. Observe the way he responds. Some men are too sensitive for this direct of an approach. If he responds well, dip your brush tip into the slit.
  3. Turn the paint brush in your hands. Notice that it has a handle. Think about how well the handle might fit into an asshole…the actual anus. Note: LONG pointy handles are risky. The short squat rounded kind on larger brushes with a wide base of bristles are best; they will neither jab unkindly nor slip all the way in. Always check for a smooth handle, and always use lube.
  4. Tail. A large paintbrush inserted handle first into a willing, well-trained ass makes an excellent bushy tail for parties and games, particularly if your pet is on all fours.





Imperial captive and former Sebboyan prince Peta Kordeun has one great wish: to meet Darius Arrento, conqueror of his country and a man he has idolized since childhood. That wish comes true the day the Uttoran emperor assigns Peta to assist the artist who will be painting the great general’s official portrait.

General Darius Arrento would rather take a crossbow bolt through his flesh than sit for a portrait, until his friend the emperor forces his hand. The notorious artist, Brazzi, uses semen and other sexual fluids to bind his colors—and Arrento is captivated by the artist’s pretty helper. Before long he is driven to possess the gorgeous young man who draws battle maps and whose naïve charm has won more hearts in Uttor than Arrento has won battles.

When Arrento learns that Peta, the slave he covets and wants for his own, is one of the despised Kordeun princes, he storms from Uttor toward a far corner of the empire—where he quickly finds himself embroiled in a plot to tear Uttor’s empire apart. His emotions and loyalties frayed, the great Arrento is in the battle of his life…and Peta may hold the key to his survival.


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Excerpt:

While Brazzi moved the rejected sketches aside and set up a larger canvas upon which to render the final work, Arrento walked around to the crates where he would pose and took a seat upon the foremost. He gazed with renewed interest at the youth, drinking in details. The young man’s fingers as they milked his rosy cock showed no signs of belonging to a warrior. Slender and strong—a beautiful hand meant for pleasure and soft things, not the violence of war. The fingers alternately squeezed and opened with a fluid control so mesmerizing Arrento could only stare in admiration. He craved that touch…in fact, he craved a great deal more.
But Peta was not his slave.
Not for the first time, Arrento reminded himself that a man who obeyed his cock was not his own master.
“So it’s true you use sexual essences to bind your paint to the canvas?” Talking to the artist at least provided a diversion.
“They are an ingredient of my secret formula for applying pigment, yes. With women I often use their own essences for the most luminous surfaces—the skin, the lips, the eyes—that is, if they will permit me to gather their nectar. Otherwise I use my ejaculate or the gifts of a slave. Most men, of course, do not provide their own…I don’t suppose—”
“No,” Arrento said, refusing that option.
“Certainly His Imperial Majesty predicted as much, which is why he provided the boy.”
“A Sebboyan moreover. After my victory we brought many of their number back to Uttor.”
“A handsome people,” Brazzi agreed. He arranged his paint pots and brushes, then took a seat. “Superior, really, in many ways…cultured and well-educated. We laid claim to their finest scholars and artists.”
That was true. The hostilities that had brought their two countries to war had been due to infractions of politics, not a lack of regard. The people of Sebboy were famed for their philosophers, scientists, and actors. They had not lost the war because they were uncivilized or lacking in courage but because they’d been poorly led.
What had Peta been? He was too young to be a philosopher.
Brazzi resumed sketching quickly like a fencer seeking hits, his charcoal stick skating across the canvas.
Arrento contented himself with studying the way morning sunlight created highlights and shadows upon Peta’s body as though he were an artwork himself. An artist would have been pleased with such a creation: the torso just broad enough through the shoulders, balanced by strong arms with toned muscles suggesting some use of weapons. The arms of farmers and laborers differed from those of soldiers. The youth’s legs, however—those glorious thighs and tight half-moons for an ass—revealed him to be a rider. Cavalry, perhaps. He was likely some wellborn youth for whom riding and using blades had been activities of leisure before his country had gone to war. Arrento’s lip twitched at the thought.
He noticed the youth had ceased stroking his cock. “Don’t stop, boy,” he said, “continue. I like watching you work.”
The boy’s elegant jawline firmed, but he resumed. Arrento watched intently the way two fingertips caught drops of pre-cum and curled over the engorged, deeply colored crown. Sebboyans cut away the foreskin in infancy, leaving the glans exposed. That nakedness now held Arrento riveted. Peta stroked his sensitive tip, then slid his hand back down along the shaft, adding slickness until he reached the golden hair at his crotch. High dusky pink balls peeked from within lacy curls. Arrento shifted his position slightly to conceal the burgeoning heft of his own neglected cock.
Angling out from behind the canvas, Brazzi picked up a brush and reached with it toward Peta’s stiff cock. The flat bristles flicked over the slit, picking up drops of pre-cum which he immediately carried to a spot of brownish pigment on the palette. Arrento’s breathing quickened as he watched Brazzi perform this collection again…and again, bristles lightly touching the rosy skin surrounding the boy’s leaking slit.
Peta groaned and worked faster with his hand.
“Cease stroking,” the artist murmured. The youth clearly needed no further stimulation. Droplets flowed freely at every touch of Brazzi’s brush. Like a spigot, Arrento thought, appreciating the image.
“May I?” he asked, indicating the tableau. He wanted to touch that hard cock, test the texture of that porcelain skin.
“Not now,” Brazzi replied. “Stay put. The light is perfect for capturing your coloring.”
“I’ll sit again…perhaps tomorrow.”
“Yes, yes that would be good. I would appreciate if you would dress as you did for the Battle of Cheda, a winter campaign. For now, don’t move. Another sitting, maybe two, and I can work without you for a few days or a week, and then you must return. I prefer morning light for applying the first layers, but later you must come in the afternoon. Late light provides a more martial quality I think will suit you.”
Arrento hardly cared for the quality of the result. He wanted more of the slave. Peta’s fine lips, a delicate tint of rose, parted with a gasp at another touch from Brazzi’s brush. Arrento noticed the boy avoided looking at either man.
Modest perhaps.
“How do you get him to drip so much?”
“Excellent care. I encourage my helpers to eat fruits and meat and to drink plenty of wine. Also I have gotten good at exciting even reluctant partners.”
Yes, he could see that. The man wielded his brushes masterfully—in every possible way. Peta quivered from the stimulation, his breathing ragged and skin beaded with fine perspiration. He almost certainly battled an overpowering urge to spend himself. Fortunately for the painter, the cock noose prevented that. From time to time pretty Peta’s lovely thighs tensed, buttocks tight, pelvis thrusting forward to present Brazzi with that captive prick and pink balls dusky with frustration. Using a pointed brush, the artist applied the bristles directly to the slit, provoking a groan of need and an even more copious flow of seminal drops.
The damn painter had to know his subject would be as aroused as the slave.
“You’re quite devious, aren’t you?”
“An artist must be devious with his art. It is no mean feat to capture the soul of a subject. All things in nature defy our meager talent to capture it, even as a still life or landscape. But the essence of a thinking, emotional being…much harder.” Brazzi peered again around the canvas. “Are you uncomfortable?”
He was, but not from posing. “Get it done,” he grunted. “I have battle plans to make.”
“Battle plans?” The artist’s mocking amusement caused Arrento to narrow his eyes. “Are you going to campaign for a seat on the Quorum? Or eradicate this city’s population of cutpurses?”
“Deal with the rabble however you wish. Uttor still has enemies. Dealing with Sebboy cost us a victory in Yur.”
“Yes. Grain, gold, and camels. A pity you could not stay to finish the job.”
“Just as well, perhaps. We needed to learn more about what we were getting into.” Before leaving Yur, Arrento had ordered an expedition to gather intelligence. “Never go into any land without a good map.”
It was then he caught the look Peta stole, directed when he thought to observe Arrento unaware. For a moment they locked eyes, true creature to true creature. Young stag to old wolf. Arrento’s blood rose to the hunt.




Author Bio:

Tali Spencer delights in erotic fantasy and adventure, creating worlds where she can explore the heights and shadows of sexual passion. When not writing, Tali reads everything from sweet goofy romances to medical research, manages her fantasy football team—go Gekkos!—and takes long walks with her loving, if slightly neurotic, poodle.

Tali’s other books include the three preceding Uttor books: Captive Heart, Dangerous Beauty, and Adored, all with Resplendence. Her gay male high fantasy stories, Thick as Thieves, Sorcerer’s Knot, and The Prince of Winds, are published by Dreamspinner Press. She often posts free stories and excerpts on her blog.   




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