New Winner

Happy monday morning everyone. My daughter drew out today's winner and the lucky person is Kat.
If you would like to e-mail me at info@tonigriffin.net I will send out your copy of MCP to you.

Hope everyone has a wonderful start to the week.

Now available at:

My Christmas Present is now available at All Romance Ebooks Here
and Bookstrand Here

Now available and re-draw

My Christmas Present is now available for download. Yay.
This was my first attempt at some cowboy lovin so I hope you all enjoy.

Zeneida was nice enough to offer up her free copy for a re-draw as she'd already purchased it. So anyone who has yet to buy MCP and would like a chance to win a copy please comment. I will draw the new winner on Monday.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

Christmas Web hunt

This month I am taking part in Silver Publishing's Christmas Web Hunt.
To find our more details you can click here
There are some fabulous prizes up for grabs like an iPad 2, a colour Nook and $500 gift voucher to a store of your choice, plus many more.

Good luck to all those who enter

Winners

My magic fingers have been hard at work this morning drawing names out of a bowl... lol
I included all who commented either here or on my Facebook...
So without further Ado the winners are:

Lupa Padmae
AdrianaC
Zeneida Rodriguez

Congratulations to the winners... To all the others I'm sorry you all couldn't win

Please e-mail me at info@tonigriffin.net and I will send out your prize
Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday

New Review for Forbidden Mate

Night Owl has reviewed Forbidden Mate and given it 4.25 stars.
You can view the full review here:

 http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Reviews/Sandra-reviews-Forbidden-Mate-by-Toni-Griffin.aspx

Contest Time

My addition to Silver Publishing's 25 Days of Christmas is due for release next Saturday the 3rd of December. To celebrate I thought it would be a great idea to hold a contest.

In keeping with the title of my book 'My Christmas Present' I would like to know what your all time favourite Christmas present is. Either giving or receiving.

And because it's Christmas I will be giving 3 copies away. I will announce the winners next Friday.

The Romance Review Contest

Hi everyone,

Holland brothers book two, Determined Mate has been nominated in The Romance Reviews Best Paranormal of 2011 contest. Its in the Best GLBT PNR - Shifter 2011 category.
I would love you votes, but I am up against some stiff competition like Stormy Glenn and Amber Kell. You can click here if you would like to place a vote for your favourite title.

Now available for pre-order

Woke up this morning and found out that My Christmas Present is now available for Pre-Order at Silver. You can get your copy Here

Amber Kell's Birthday Extravaganza

Accidental Alpha – Part #2

Whispers woke Stanley. Not because the voices were saying anything profound but because the sound tickled at his awareness just enough to be irritating.

Blinking he winced at the bright light blasting his eyes like visual pollution.

“Shhh, he’s waking up,” a female voice said.

Stanley frowned. There weren’t any females he was fond of enough to let them next to him while he was asleep, his mother included. His head pounded like the sea against a cliff wall while his throat longed for something moist to break through the dust bowl he must’ve swallowed.

“Water,” Stanley gasped. His voice sounded like a two-pack-a-day smoker.

“I’ll get some, be right back.” The female patted him on the shoulder and he heard the sound of footsteps rushing off.

Closing his eyes, Stanley let the darkness seep back inside ready to return to the comforting unconsciousness of moments before.

“You can only hide for so long.” A rich voice floated across his senses, deep, luxurious. Stanley wanted to wrap himself in the other man’s voice and wallow.

Weird.

Cracking open an eye he braved the brightness to get a look at the intriguing sounding man. “Damn you’re gorgeous.”

Shit had he said that out loud?  His brain to mouth filter must be missing after his attack. The man sitting beside him had dove grey eyes and dark tousled hair. Stanley wanted to sink his finger into the man’s hair and taste his mouth. Damn, his cock hardened at the thought.

The stranger’s nostrils flared as if he could smell Stanley’s desire.

“Hell no!” the gorgeous man growled. “I won’t be any alpha’s bitch.”

A strange noise emitted from Stanley’s throat almost like a puppy whine.

The anger crackling through the beautiful man’s eyes vanished and a small smile tilted his soft lips. He stroked Stanley’s cheek.

A long sigh left Stanley as he settled. It was almost as if the other man calmed something deep inside he didn’t know needed calming.

“I’ve got his water.”

A pretty blond in denim and a cropped shirt rushed forward too close to the handsome man.

Stanley sat up, snatched the water, and growled.

Growled.

He almost dropped the water. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

“You were attacked.” The dark-haired man slipped onto the bed and put an arm around Stanley.

Despite not knowing the man, Stanley rested his head on the stranger’s shoulder. He smelled so fucking good. A low vibration rumbled Stanley’s chest.

“Drink your water!” The man’s voice held a compelling edge that entranced Stanley. He raised the glass to his lips and sucked down the cool liquid.

“We should get you something to eat.”

Stanley’s head snapped around and moved over to block her view of the man.

“Sandy, why don’t you go find some food? He’s feeling territorial.”

The blond smirked. “He’s only territorial over you.”

“That’s because he’s mine!” Stanley shouted.

To learn more about other books from Amber Kell go to www.amberkell.com

Frankie's Vamp - Finished and submitted

Holy cow,
I can't believe with everything else going on I actually managed to complete this by the end of the month like I wanted.
I changed the name from Merrick's coven as I've thought about the next few books in the series and like the new title better.
Now I'm going to have a day of rest before I start on Dealing with the dead.

I really loved Frankie and I hope you guys will too.

Please note all of the following is un-edited and is subject to change

Blurb:

Merrick Winters is growing bored with life, after living for over five centuries, he tired of the same type of men throwing themselves at him for either the chance to be in his bed or donate their blood. His coven is secure, not having had a challenge in more the fifty years.

Frankie’s Reynolds doesn’t give a damn who you are, you hit him once and he’s out the door never to return, he just wishes his ex would get the message.  After one night at Hot Encounters night club he now has both an ex and a master vampire who don’t want to leave him alone.  He doesn’t mind the vampire so much, but the ex he could do without.

Merrick’s life is anything but boring now as he tries to convince Frankie they’re mates. Meanwhile rogue vampires have been spotted around town, is his coven really as secure as he assumed?

Excerpt:

Lifting his glass once again to his lips he cast his gaze out to the dance floor. His hand stopped short just before reaching his mouth. The most stunning sight Merrick had ever seen currently took up residence on the edge of the floor. The young man’s shirt had been removed and tucked into a belt loop on the all too tight jeans he was wearing.

The jeans moulded to his perfect ass and encased his legs before feeding into calf high leather boots that strung up the back. Strawberry blonde curls currently damp with sweat hug to the tips of his shoulders, offering tantalising glimpses of a sweet supple neck.

Merrick had never seen anything like it. His mouth had gone dry and his fangs dropped down, wanting a taste. He watched enthralled by the man as his hands sensuously made their way up his body and into the air as his hips gyrated to the music.

“Merrick” a loud bang on the table brought his attention back to his company.

“What” he growled not wanting to look away from the vision in front of him. The man still hadn’t turned around and yet Merrick could barely bring himself to remove his eyes from the sight.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said to you, have you?” Bryce asked him, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Merrick didn’t dignify him with an answer. Instead he willed the vision to turn around and let him look at the total package. He counted to five slowly, as if the man could hear his thoughts he turned as soon as Merrick reached five.

Merrick lost all thought as the man’s gaze connected with his. Eye’s rimmed with black sparkled as a shy smile broke across the strangers face. Merrick looked him up and down stopping at the pierced navel. God he could have so much fun with that, before letting his gaze continue further down to the nice sized package currently tucked into the tight jeans.

“Who is he?” he asked

New Cover Art

Look what I got this morning.

Isn't it so pretty. My Christmas Present will be available on December 3 as a part of Silver Publishing's 25 days of Christmas

Blurb:

Lucas Winters has been in love with his dad’s best friend for the last nine years. Arriving home after finishing university in Perth, all he wants is to find out if his feelings are returned by the sexy cowboy.

Mitchell Morgan has fought his feelings for his best friend’s son for years. Now when the two families come together for Christmas and Mitchell receives his Christmas present early, will he continue to fight? Or will he give in to the love that’s obviously between them?

Now available on Amazon

Good morning all,

Forbidden Mate is now available on Amazon HERE for all those who have been waiting patiently for its release.

WIP Excerpts 2

This is the beginning of the Necromancer story I was thinking about earlier in the week...

Dealing with the Dead - The Thompson Agency book 1

Jayden Thompson unlocked and pushed open the doors to his family’s offices and walked inside. Not many people could work with their entire family six days a week, but it seemed to work for them. Jayden was thankful they all didn’t still live together. He thought that may have thrown him over the edge and caused a mass homicide. He could probably have convinced the police to let him off with a warning as no one can live and work with their large, and he meant large, family twenty four hours a day.

Jayden was the youngest at twenty, of seven siblings. He had six older brothers, his parents trying and failing to get the girl his mother had always wanted. All seven boys inherited their gift from their father and as such worked with their parents in the family business.

Walking through the still and silent building Jayden made his way through the building until he came to his office. He was glad they all had their own offices as he liked his things just the way they were. Jayden turned on the lights and settled down at his desk before turning his computer on.

Waiting for his computer to finish loading Jayden pulled out the new files that had been placed in his in tray. The damn thing was empty when he left yesterday afternoon, but not anymore. Skimming through the files he found it was all basic stuff. Insurance companies wanting clarification on the cause of death so they hopefully didn’t have to pay out millions, families wanting one last chance to say goodbye to a loved one who was taken from them suddenly.

His computer dinged when it had finished loading and Jayden placed the files to a side and opened his e-mail. He looked through the calendar first to see how many appointments had been added to his day since he last looked. Jayden groaned as he noticed he was nearly booked solid to for the entire day.

As Jayden was the youngest he seemed to get stuck with all the less interesting jobs, as evidenced by the files in his in tray. His dad and his eldest brothers Jackson and Jessie always seemed to get the good ones. What his family didn’t realise yet was that Jayden was the most powerful of them all. He was the seventh son of a seventh son.

His brothers had started to show signs of their powers when they came of age at eighteen. Jayden, however, had felt his magic bubbling under the surface from the tender age of thirteen. He had not told his parents this, not wanting to appear different from his brothers; he had kept it to himself and tried to ignore it as best he could. This didn’t always work, however, as left unchecked and untrained his magic had a life of its own and tended to do things Jayden would rather forget.

Jayden was born into a family of Necromancers. Yes, they could raise and converse with the dead for short periods of time and no, they were not evil. It was just another form of magic. Witches’ magic dealt with the living, Shifter magic came from within and Necromancer’s Magic dealt with the dead.  It was as simple as that.

And with all paranormal creatures there was a destined mate out there just for each of them. Jayden smiled at the thought of finally meeting his mate. His mum and dad were mates and they had been together for over thirty years. A mate was a necessity when you were a paranormal with a great deal of magic. A mate grounded you, gave you a measure of peace and was said they tamed the wild magic within, allowing it to flow more easily.

WIP Excerpts

To celebrate the release of my final Holland Brothers books 'Forbidden Mate' I thought I might post a couple of excerpts from my WIP List

Please note: all excerpt are unedited, so please excuse my horrible typing. lol

Untitled - Merrick's Coven 1

Merrick stood on the balcony of his apartment, arms pressed against the rails staring out over the swan river. The lights reflecting off the black water dazzling in all their different shapes and colours. He sighed. He had been feeling more and more melancholy recently. After living for over five centuries no one could really blame him for it.

His life had boiled down to a never ending line of willing men, both in his bed and as blood donors. Merrick was the master of the city, his coven was secure, hell, there hadn’t even been a challenge to his leadership in over fifty years. Even the club he owned down stairs never had any trouble, people came they drank, they danced, they fucked, they sucked then they went home.

  Paranormals had been revealed to the world nearly five years ago now. It was getting harder and harder for their existence to be kept a secret, so their council had decided to announce their presence to the world. This isn’t to say that the leaders of the world didn’t already know that they existed, because they did. There were several paranormals in high up military ranks, and many more in lower military ranks. We were a lot harder to kill than your average human, as such the government loved us.

There had been some backlash at first, with a few groups campaigning for their immediate death. Stupid humans. The majority of the population seemed to understand that they weren’t in any danger, and the paranormals had always been living amongst them, now they just knew about it.  

Having humans know of their existence was a huge positive for the vampires. It meant there was a lot of men and women who were willing to offer up their life giving blood for the chance to be bitten and experience one of the most powerful orgasms in their life. Just the bite of a vampire was enough to send them into the throws of pleasure.

Merrick was getting bored. He was tired of the same type of people always offering up their ass and their neck for one night only. He wanted someone that was going to stick around. He wanted someone who set his blood on fire, and his heart to pounding. He wanted someone who would stand up to him instead of falling all over themselves to give him what he wanted.

Yes he was a master vampire, and yes he could be scary as hell, He was tall for his kind at six foot five, had long flowing black hair and eyes almost as dark as his hair. Sharp cheekbones that suited his face perfectly and perfectly tanned skin. His body was well defined but not overly muscular like you would find with the were folk.

One of the largest misconceptions about vampires that had been brought to light so to speak when their existence was announced was their ability to walk just as easily in the day as the night. A lot of people were disappointed to find out that their myths about vampires were untrue. Garlic tasted great on pizzas and crosses did absolutely nothing to them. Much to the disgust of some church groups.

They were much stronger than the average human, roughly ten times as strong, they were faster and had heightened senses. They could eat food just like everyone else, they just need blood as well to survive. If  a vampire went too long without drinking blood their skin would become pasty white and their abilities would lessen until they slowly withered away and died.

Their bodies had faster healing abilities, like the weres but they could die, a stake through the heart would do the trick. Well anything through the heart actually would kill them, but the people liked to know that something in their myths were correct. Also you chop someone’s head off and they weren’t coming back. Ever.

Merrick had moved to Perth at the beginning of the twentieth century and watched as the city grew and thrived so had his coven until it was the largest in Western Australia. He had fought for his position often at the beginning, not so much now though.

 He picked up the glass of whisky sitting on the table next to where he stood and sipped at the amber liquid. He heard his apartment door open behind him but didn’t turn to see who it was. Only a select few people had access to his private residence. He stood and watched the river below, waiting for his second-in-command to arrive.

Merrick didn’t have to wait too long, Bryce walked out to stand next to him in complete silence. They stood there and watched the boats pass on the water below, Merrick slowly sipping his drink.

“Did you need something Bryce?” he asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the peacefulness of the night.

“No, just wanted to check that everything was okay, you’ve been awfully quiet lately.” His friend answered.

“Everything’s fine. Just thinking is all.” No matter how long they had been friends Merrick wouldn’t show weakness in front of anyone. Weakness could get you killed.

Bryce grunted beside him.

Merrick turned and clasped his friend on the shoulder. Pasting a smile on his face he looked his second in the eyes. “Everything’s good my friend. Trust me”

“Always” Bryce answered immediately. The man didn’t even need to think about it at all.

“How’s business down stairs?” he asked wanting to change the subject.

Now it was Merrick’s turn to grunt and Bryce laughed at him.

“Come on, man, come have a drink with me, listen to some music, you don’t even have to talk to anyone else if you don’t want to. Your people just like to see you and you’ve been absent lately.”

Merrick lifted the glass in his hand. “Already have a drink thanks” he grinned at his friend.

Bryce returned his grin before he reached out and stole the glass from Merrick’s fingers quickly draining its contents before he placed the now empty glass on the table.

“What drink?”

Merrick laughed at his friend, not many people would have had the guts to do what Bryce just did, and he was right. He had gotten bored with the whole scene and had pretty much stopped going. This was probably not his smartest move, as someone could construe it as weakness on his part.

“Fine, let’s go, the night is young, you never know what could be in store.” With that Merrick turned and walked through the apartment Bryce following along behind him.

 

And the winners are:

Good morning world.... What a beautiful day to try and get some writing done.... Oh and to draw a competition..... speaking of....The winners are:

Petie and Kitana. Thank you to my daughter who delayed going to school to draw the names... It was such a hardship for her. lol

If you would like to e-mail me at info@tonigriffin.net I would be more than happy to send out a copy of Forbidden Mate... If you have already pre-ordered please let me know and I will set aside a copy of my christmas story if you would like.

Thank you to all who entered it was interesting reading some of your favourite foods.

Contest Time

It's that time again. Forbidden Mate, HB4, will be released next Saturday and I would love to give away two copies to my readers.
As I'm on a diet at the moment (Yuck) I would love to hear what your all time favourite food is... Nothing like a little torture to start the day off right. lol

Just comment and you will go into the draw. Good luck to all.

Excerpt from Forbidden Mate

Hi all,

After torturous hours spent doing edits this morning I thought I would pass this on by posting an excerpt from Forbidden Mate for you *grins evilly*
HB4 is due to be released on October 1st through Silver Publishing (In case you hadn't heard yet) and is currently available for pre-order here

Excerpt:

Walking into the house, Rick couldn't stand the thought of going back into the lounge room with all the happy couples. Especially as he knew that would never be him. He knew who his mate was and they would never have the chance to sit cuddled up on a lazy Sunday afternoon watching football. Or get caught making out by his brothers when they came home from work.

Rick made his way to the kitchen. He wanted a drink and needed some peace so he could think. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, Rick headed outside and sat on the back steps leading from the porch to the garden. A cool breeze blew his hair and he lifted the bottle to his lips. Drinking half the beer in one go, Rick agonised over what he was going to do.

Should he find someone else and try to be happy? Even as much as Jake had hurt him over the last ten years he knew, without a doubt, he would never love another man. The thought of letting someone who wasn't Jake touch him sent shivers of revulsion down his spine. Well, it looked like his life was shaping up to be a lonely one.

Rick was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear the back door open and was startled when Brian came and sat down beside him holding a glass of water.

"Hey," Brian said quietly.

"Hey, yourself."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Brian said quietly. Confused, Rick looked at his brother-in-law.

"What in the world do you have to be sorry about?"

Brian smiled slightly at him then lowered his voice further, "I'm sorry Alex is making you go on this trip with your mate."

Rick sucked in his breath and jumped back, never once taking his eyes off the man next to him. His heart was hammering away in his chest. How did he know? Rick hadn't told a soul and he didn't think Jake would have either, seeing how he didn't want him.

Thinking fast, Rick did the only thing he could think of. He wasn't strong enough to outright deny the truth so he did the next best thing. "I don't know what you're talking about. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine and you know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't know why he hasn't claimed you but I'm willing to bet everything I own that Jake is your mate."

Rick couldn't talk, his throat was burning and his head was shaking, trying to deny that which he couldn't voice. Brian placed a hand on his arm.

"It's okay, you know, to talk about it. I'm here if you ever need me."

"How—" Rick wasn't sure how he'd managed to squeeze the word out of his throat but he had and he really wanted to know how Brian had known.

"It's fairly obvious if you know what you're looking at. I noticed it the first time I met Jake. The sexual tension practically explodes around the pair of you whenever you're in the same room together. You also can't keep your eyes off him. It's almost like he can tell the exact moment you look away because then his eyes are all over you. Jason noticed it as well but your brothers seem to be particularly obtuse to the tension between you two."

Rick could feel a tear running down his cheek as he listened to Brian.

"How long have you known he was your mate?"

Rick hung his head and answered as a sob tore though him, "Ten years."

"Jesus Christ, you must have the restraint of a saint! Marcus and I couldn't even last a night after we met. Ten years—" Brian repeated. Rick didn't know if Brian sounded awed at the length of time or saddened by it.

"What are you going to do?" Brian asked him quietly.

Rick didn't know why he was opening up to Brian after he had managed to go ten years without discussing this with anyone else. Why now? "There's nothing much I can do. My mate doesn't want me and I can't stand for anyone else to touch me. Believe me, I've tried." After Jake being around so much lately and always staying as far away from Rick as he could without being rude, Rick had snapped.

"Is that where you were going in the evenings?" Rick had decided that if his mate didn't want him, he would find someone who did. So he hit the clubs and tried to pick up men. The first time Rick had almost thrown up when another man touched him. He decided he needed some liquid courage to go through with his plan. The problem with being a werewolf though, was it took a hell of a lot of alcohol to get drunk. And he meant a hell of a lot too. By the time he was starting to feel a slight buzz, the bars would be closing and he just ended up going home alone.

"Don't give up hope yet, Rick. I believe everything will work out in the end." Rick didn't answer. He'd had ten years of hoping his mate would come around and tell him he was madly in love with him then claim him so they could live happily ever after. If it hadn't happened so far, it wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to say that to Brian though. He would let the man continue to think there was a happy ending to his story.

Walking inside, Rick threw his bottle in the recycling and made his way to his room, luckily avoiding everyone else in the house. He had a bag to pack and things to organise before he spent the next tortuous week in his mate's company.

Now available on All Romance

Protective Mate is now available on All Romance for all those who have yet to get their copy. You can find it here

Blurb: Within the space of two years Zack lost nearly everyone that had ever meant anything to him. After his parents were killed in a car accident and his best friend succumbed to cancer, Zack is left alone with only his eighteen month old daughter. Her ultra-religious and homophobic grandparents will do anything they can to take his daughter away from him. To stop this, Zack packs up and moves to a small town in northern Victoria.

Simon has known he was gay since he was fifteen and he had resigned himself to never being a father. Walking into his house one afternoon, he is shocked to find not only his mate, but a two year old calling his mate daddy.

Is Simon ready to be a father? Can Zack open his heart after so much hurt and risk loving someone else?

Excerpt:
"Daddy?" Zack looked in the rear-view mirror at the most important person in his life. His daughter sat in her booster seat surrounded by everything they owned.

"Yes, Pumpkin?" Zack constantly flicked his eyes back and forth between his precious cargo and the road ahead.

"Are we there yet?" Zack sighed. The question had been constant for the last several hours. It had to be hard for Hayley. Within the space of a six month period, she lost the mother she loved, the house she grew up in and was being taken from the day care she knew and friends she loved. To top everything off, her grandparents were trying to take her away from her father, so he'd finally left with Hayley to start over in a new town with new people and hopefully new friends.

"Not yet Hayley, but soon okay? We'll find the motel and unpack the car, and then we'll find a nice park where you can play for a little while. How does that sound?" The squeals of delight from the backseat let Zack know Hayley was onboard with the park idea.

Glancing back again, Zack couldn't believe how much she looked like her mother. Her sparkling jade green eyes and the cutest little button nose you had ever seen, above a small mouth with rose pink lips, reminded him daily of the only woman he'd ever loved. But her best feature Zack thought, the only feature she got from her father, fell past her shoulders in loose, bright auburn ringlets. One of Sarah's favourite things before she passed was to brush Hayley's hair.

Zack felt momentarily overwhelmed with grief at the thought of his best friend. On their first day in high school, Zack and Sarah had both gone to sit in the same seat at lunch, neither of them paying any attention to their surroundings, and ended up best friends by the time the bell rang to signify lunch was over.

Their high school years seemed to fly past with the two sharing everything. Zack confided in Sarah when he realised the boys at their school held more appeal to him than the girls. Sarah had hugged him and kissed him on the cheek and said being gay didn't matter and she would always love him. She'd encouraged Zack to talk to his parents and let them know what was going on with him. His mum had surprised him and said she'd suspected for a while and his dad nodded and said as long as Zack was happy then that was all he cared about. Zack had hugged his parents, never more thankful for their support.

Sarah however, kept the knowledge from her parents until after they'd graduated from high school and moved into an apartment together. Her parents, being the religious, god fearing people they were, were adamant Sarah have nothing further to do with him. When she refused, they informed her God would punish her for association with him.

Who knows what Sarah's parents would have thought if they ever found out he was a werewolf as well as identifying as gay. They'd probably keel over in an apoplectic fit. Zack chuckled at that idea and thought back to when Sarah found out he was a werewolf. The first full moon after Zack turned sixteen he and Sarah were lying on the floor in the lounge at his place, doing their homework. Zack's entire body had heated, like his blood was boiling, then his arms started sprouting fur. He'd looked over at Sarah, saw her wide eyes staring back at him and said the only thing he could think of. "Please don't scream."

Her eyes had widened even further at his words then his bones started to reshape, his face elongated and before he knew it, he stood on all fours tangled in his jeans and shirt and staring at his best friend as she looked back at him in wide-eyed shock.

Zack's mother had come through from the kitchen clearly in the middle of asking them a question when she noticed Zack and stopped in her tracks, mouth open. She quickly looked at Sarah and regained her senses. "Sarah, honey, are you okay?"

"That is so fricken cool!" Sarah turned and quickly picked up her homework before waving it in front of Zack's face. "Come on Zack! Be a good boy and eat this for me. That way I don't have to do it and I'll have such a good excuse." She giggled as Zack took a playful bite at her hand before his mother scolded him. She sent him sent to his room until he could change back so she could talk to Sarah.

Sarah tried to get him to eat her homework several more times after that and when they moved in together, she came home one day with a collar and lead and hung them by the door. She'd laughed herself silly then ran to the toilet before she wet herself the first time Zack saw the items.

Pulling himself out of his memories, Zack once again looked into the mirror and noticed his daughter was now fast asleep, her favourite toy, a plush wolf, held close to her chest. Concentrating on the road ahead, Zack wondered what he was going to do without his best friend. Sarah had been a constant in his life for thirteen years. When Sarah received her diagnosis of cancer, the news hit the friends like a tonne of bricks. They went to sleep that night wrapped in each other's arms, both with red rimmed eyes and tear streaked faces.

Sarah woke him up the next day by asking for his sperm. After the initial shock wore off, Zack had agreed. The doctors gave her a maximum of two years to live and wanted to start treatments right way; they didn't expect to be able to prolong her life by years, only months. Sarah had wanted to be a mother more than anything else in the world. Any treatment she undertook would take that opportunity away from her.

Zack couldn't deny his best friend anything, and as he was gay he never expected to have a child, but he couldn't think of anyone he would rather have one with. Knowing a part of Sarah would live on in their daughter, helped Zack with the loss of his friend.

After long discussions and more tears, they spoke with Zack's parents. The couple were overjoyed to find out they would have a grandchild. With Zack being an only child and gay, they had resigned themselves to having no grandkids. His parents were so happy they offered to pay for Sarah's wish to come true. Zack and Sarah were extremely grateful for their help, as all Sarah's parents said, upon hearing the news of their daughter's illness, was she would be punished for her association with Zack.

They were lucky and Sarah got pregnant on the first attempt. Zack could see the strain the pregnancy put on Sarah, but she never complained. She worked as much as possible to help pay for her share of the expenses, no matter how much Zack tried to tell her to slow down and take it easy.

Sarah was about 6 months pregnant when Zack received the phone call one night to tell him his parents had been involved in a car accident. They'd been driving back from his dad's Christmas party when the driver of a semi trailer had fallen asleep at the wheel and crossed into oncoming traffic. The truck hit them head on and they both died instantly. There were some things even being a werewolf couldn't save you from. They never got to see their granddaughter being born.

His parents left him their house, which was debt free, so Sarah and Zack moved out of their apartment and into the home he'd grown up in. Zack would never have gotten through those pain-filled weeks and months if not for Sarah. She gave birth to their beautiful baby girl the following March and they named her Hayley after his mum.

Valerie and Howard Stewart, Sarah's parents, didn't want anything to do with Hayley or Sarah as long as he remained in the picture. Zack and Sarah lived happily for nearly eighteen months before Sarah's disease really took hold. Then life was a constant juggle between work, day care for Hayley and hospital visits for Sarah. Sarah passed away peacefully in her sleep less than a month before Hayley's second birthday.

Two months after Sarah's passing, Zack received a surprise visit from the Department of Children's Services. They'd received an anonymous tip stating his daughter was in danger and naming Zack as an unfit parent. Zack knew who the tip had come from even if the social workers wouldn't reveal the name. He'd clung to Hayley while they searched his house from top to bottom before being forced to hand her over so they could perform an examination.

After they determined Hayley looked to be in good health and a happy two year old, they handed her back to Zack and left, letting him know they would be in contact.

Zack waited until Hayley was in bed that night before he picked up the phone and dialled a number he never thought he would. The line picked up on the fifth ring and Valerie's uppity, I'm better than you, voice rang through. "Hello, Valerie speaking."

"How dare you!" Zack was so furious that these people, who'd yet to even lay eyes on their granddaughter, said he was an unfit father.

"Excuse me? Who is this?"

"I said how dare you. What gives you the right to call Child Services and say I'm an unfit parent? You've never even met Hayley. You want nothing to do with her."

"Ah... Zack." Valerie's tone was really starting to get to Zack. "Yes, well, we can't have our only grandchild being raised by someone like you."

"Someone like me? What? You mean gay?" Zack was pacing his bedroom by this time with the phone clenched so tightly in his hand his knuckles were going white.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. You are an abomination and unless you repent, you will be going straight to hell along with Sarah."

Zack paused in stunned silence for a second. How could anyone think Sarah would go to hell? Furious at the people who were supposed to love her no matter what, Zack gritted his teeth and forced out, "You stay the hell away from me and my daughter." He hung up the phone and threw it at the wall.

Collapsing on his bed and curling into a ball, his body shook with the force of his crying. Zack had lost his parents, then his best friend, now these people were trying to take his daughter as well. He knew one thing though, he would fight them every step of the way. Hayley was his, and he would protect her with everything he had.

That's how Zack ended up on this lonely stretch of road, driving towards a town he'd never been before and starting a new job in a week's time. His only possessions were what he could fit inside his small Toyota Camry. Valerie and Howard came through on their threat and Zack was forced to sell his parents' house to afford the lawyers who fought his case in court.

Now available on Amazon

Protective Mate is now available for purchase on Amazon. It should be available on all other distributors 2 weeks after it's initial release from silver. I will let you know on the day it becomes available.

Blurb:
Within the space of two years Zack lost nearly everyone that had ever meant anything to him. After his parents were killed in a car accident and his best friend succumbed to cancer, Zack is left alone with only his eighteen month old daughter. Her ultra-religious and homophobic grandparents will do anything they can to take his daughter away from him. To stop this, Zack packs up and moves to a small town in northern Victoria.
Simon has known he was gay since he was fifteen and he had resigned himself to never being a father. Walking into his house one afternoon, he is shocked to find not only his mate, but a two year old calling his mate daddy.
Is Simon ready to be a father? Can Zack open his heart after so much hurt and risk loving someone else?

Forbidden Mate available for Pre-Order

Right on the heels of Protective Mate's release Forbidden Mate is now available for Pre-Order.

Forbidden Mate is the final in the Holland Brothers series and is also the longest coming in at over 35k. I hope you all enjoy.

Release Day

Protective Mate is finally available for download. You can purchase your copy HERE if you haven't already.
I hope you all enjoy reading about Simon and Zack. I had a lot of fun writing them

And the winners are:

Drum roll please........ By a very scientific process of elimination. (Drawing names out of a bowl.. lol)


Kerstin & Rain....

If you would like to e-mail me at info@tonigriffin.net I will be more than happy to send out a copy of Protective Mate to you tomorrow. If you have already pre-ordered please let me know and you can have a choice of either HB4 or my Christmas story.

Thank you to all those who entered.

New website

Hi all.

The hubby has finally finished so head on over to www.tonigriffin.net to check out my completely re-vamped website. Let me know what you think.

Contest time

So, with Protective Mate being released on Saturday, I thought I would run a contest to give away two copies. Just post below and let me know the most enjoyable book you have read in the last week. (if not week then month, year, lifespan. You get the drift :) )
If you win, and you're one of the eager people who wanted silver's bonus points, and have preordered your copy already I will give you a choice of a copy of Forbidden Mate or any other new realease I have coming up.

Good luck to all

Finished & Submitted

I finished and submitted 'My Christmas Present' today as a part of Silver's 25 Days of Christmas.
Now I just have to wait and see if they accept it.
I loved writing these guys. I wrote nearly the entire story in the last two days. :)
It came in at 9200 words. I have posted a blurb below if your interested.

Blurb:

Lucas Winters has been in love with his dad’s best friend for the last nine years. Arriving home after finishing university in Perth all he wants it to find out if his feelings are returned by the sexy cowboy. 

Mitchell Morgan has fought his feelings for his best friend’s son for years. Now when the two families come together for Christmas and Mitchell receives his Christmas present early, will he continue to fight? Or will he give in to the love that’s obviously between them?

Website Issues

Okay, okay, I know the updates on the website have been really slack, but when the hubby first created it he used a free program, that drove him up the wall as he had to do basically everything individually. Before he updated it again he wanted to buy a web design program. So we've finally had the money to buy the program and he's done the updates. Now, however, he can't upload it...Ggggrrrr. It's been nearly a week and he thought if he just deleted everything that was there and then upload the entire site again that would work... but alas, no... So if you visit the sight and get a 'page not found' notice, please don't stress. We are working on it and hopefully we should have it working soon... Thanks for your patients and understanding.

Toni

Forbidden Mate Cover

For all of you who don't have Face book here is the stunning cover for my fourth and final book in the Holland Brothers series.
I LOVE Jake's tattoo

A little something

Hi all,
I thought I would post a little something from what I'm working on at the moment. Hopefully If I can get it finished and submitted on time It might be apart of the Silver Christmas releases... Fingers crossed
Please remember this is rough and un-edited and is subject to change. Hope you enjoy

Lucas knew just where to find his father. It was a Friday night so that meant Ben Winters would be down at the local pub with his best friend, just as he had been for so many years Lucas had lost count. It was a tradition that had started when he was younger, Lucas thought it was maybe because his dad was lonely, but he couldn’t be sure. Ted’s Place was nothing special, but they did serve the best steak in town. 

Lucas was looking forward to seeing his father again, but more than that he was looking forward to seeing his dad’s best friend, Mitchell Morgan. His dad and Mitch had grown up together, living on neighbouring stations. His father, Ben, hadn’t wanted to work on a station and so his grandparents had sold it when they wanted to retire. Ben had become a police officer and loved his job.

 Mitchell had been a constant in his father’s life since grade school. He was there the day Lucas was born, his mum and dad only being seventeen. Lucas was the result of one too many drinks and a lack of protection that didn’t seem all that important at the time. Boy, were they wrong.

Lucas was lucky though, he could have been given up for adoption or even aborted but his parents had wanted to keep him, Instead he grew up knowing he was loved. Three years after Lucas was born Mitchell was the best man at his dad’s wedding and not even eighteen months later Mitchell helped his dad keep it together after his mum had passed away from breast cancer.

Mitchell had also been there for all the important parts of Lucas’s life. The most difficult being when he came out to his father at age sixteen. Lucas had had a crush on Mitchell since he was fourteen and started to suspect he might be gay. He didn’t know what it was about the older man but there was something that just flat out did it for him.

Mitchell had black wavy hair that always looked like he had just gotten out of bed, when he wasn’t wearing his akubra. He had a strong chiselled jaw that seemed to Lucas like it had a permanent five o’clock shadow, and the most amazing silver grey eyes Lucas had ever seen.

The man looked drop dead gorgeous in a pair of wranglers with his boots and cowboy hat. With his thick muscular legs and arms, that Lucas just wanted to be wrapped in. Lucas had been jacking off to fantasies about Mitchell for the last nine years of his life. He had, however, never gotten up the courage to do anything about his fantasies. He saw the way Mitchell would look at him occasionally when he didn’t think anyone would notice. Lucas didn’t think Mitchell would ever act on whatever feelings he might have towards him though because of his father.

Lucas had thought about this constantly, and had decided that he needed to know once and for all if the love he had for Mitchell was at all reciprocated.

Now available for Pre-Order

Protective Mate, book 3 in my Holland Brothers series in now available for pre-order. You can Purchase HERE

Blurb:

Within the space of two years Zack lost nearly everyone that had ever meant anything to him. After his parents are killed in a car accident and his best friend succumbs to cancer, Zack is left alone in the world with only his eighteen month old daughter.

The ultra religious and homophobic grandparents, however, will do anything they can to try and take his daughter away from him. To stop this Zack packs up and moves to a small town in northern Victoria.

Simon has known he was gay since he was fifteen. With this fact firmly entrenched in his mind he had resigned himself to never being a father. Walking into his house one afternoon he is shocked to find not only his mate, but a two year old calling his mate Daddy.

Is Simon ready to be a father? Can Zack open his heart after so much hurt and risk loving someone else?

Excerpt:

"Do you have to do that here?" Simon didn't know exactly who he was talking to. All he wanted to do was relax after a long day at work, and he came home to find both his brothers and their mates making out in the living room. The television blared in the background, long since forgotten. Simon didn't begrudge his brothers their mates, it just seemed every time he turned around they were attempting to get into each other's pants. They could barely be in the same room together without constantly touching and, quite frankly, Simon was a little jealous.

Simon wanted to find someone who lit up the room when they walked in, someone whose touch caused his body to ache in such a good way, someone who looked at him as if he was their whole world, someone he could lose himself in and forget the world around him.

The growl coming from his brother, Alex, was actually quite impressive since he continued to kiss his mate, Jason, the entire time. Jason finally broke the kiss and giggled. He leaned his head back on the couch and looked up at Simon standing in the doorway. "Sorry."

Alex growled again. "Don't apologise, sweetheart. If he doesn't like it, he can always leave." Alex then started trailing kisses down Jason's neck.

Jason swatted Alex on the arm "Be nice."

"Don't worry about it, Jase. I think I might go for a run. Give you all time to finish whatever you're doing here. Be back in about an hour." Simon turned and walked down the passage to his room. Running had always been one of his favourite things to do, whether in wolf or human form. Simon could always manage to lose himself and forget everything going on in his life with the rhythm of his feet hitting the ground.

In his room, Simon undressed and found his running clothes. Once dressed in shorts and a tank top, Simon slipped on his Nike running shoes and found his armband for his iPod before finding the device itself. Searching through his bedside draws Simon then found his headphones. Connecting everything up and strapping the player in, Simon did some quick stretches then headed out of the house.

Simon jogged down the drive and turned left along the footpath. His body soon loosened up and he settled into a rhythm, heart beating steady, feet pounding the pavement in time with the heavy base beat of the music. Simon cleared his mind and let all his thoughts and worries flow right out of him. All that mattered was putting one foot in front of the other, everything else could wait.

The sweat was soon dripping down his back and his leg muscles started to ache but Simon was just getting started. He turned down the main street of town, most of the shops already locked up this late in the afternoon on a Thursday. The footpaths were clear except for the occasional teenager on a bike. He passed the park where parents played with young children, gradually fading into older kids on skateboards and rollerblades as he neared the skate park.

Simon had resigned himself to never having kids. He’d suspected as young as fifteen he was gay. Kissing his best friend Mark after school when he was sixteen confirmed his suspicions. They’d fooled around together and he discovered what it was like to have sex with another boy.

He’d never been interested in girls. Simon knew who he was attracted to and didn't need to try anything with a girl to confirm his orientation. After all, why should he 'make sure' he didn't like girls, if straight guys didn't have to 'make sure' with another man? The whole thing seemed like double standards to him.

Simon soon found himself at his turning point and he crossed to the other side of the street and headed back the way he’d come. A half hour later Simon's hair was wet with sweat as it dripped from his face and ran in rivulets down his back, his tank top plastered to his skin, and his leg muscles burning. Simon finally turned onto his street and noticed a Toyota Camry parked out front of his house. He didn't recognise the car and it had out of state plates. Must be the new pack member Alex had told him about.

Simon stopped on the front lawn and took ten minutes to do cool-down stretches. If he didn't, his body would rebel against him. His muscles would cramp and he would barely be able to walk.

Once Simon finished his stretches, he turned his iPod off and pulled his shirt off over his head. Simon hated the feeling of his sweat soaked clothes clinging to his body when he finished exercising. Making his way to the house, Simon pushed open the front door and stopped at the sight before him.

A little girl with bright red curls and the greenest eyes he'd ever seen stood in the passageway clutching a little wolf plush toy to her chest. Simon didn't want to frighten the small child so he quietly closed the door then crouched down with his back against the front door. "Hello there, pretty girl. What's your name?"

Simon watched as the girl's eyes roamed over him. "Hayley," came the soft sweet reply.

My New Yummies

Couldn't you just eat them up???



Thank you all

Hi all,

Just thought I would sign in to say thank you for all the birthday wishes. My day started rather ordinary but finished nicely.
On a writing note, I took a week off from writing after I finished HB 4 then I decided it was a good idea to get sick, so not much happening there but I hope to get some done this week.
My FIL arrived last week for his yearly four week visit. He's celebrating his 70th birthday tomorrow and as a surprise both my Brother-in-law's and their wives arrived last night to celebrate with us. Dad was surprised as hell and I now have 8 people in my house for nearly a week.
Wish me well... I will let you know if I survive...lol....

Finished & Submitted

Forbidden Mate, book 4 in my Holland Brothers Series has finally been sent to my publishers.
The boys just didn't seem to want their story to end and I finished just short of 33k, which is at least 4.5k longer than Determined Mate. Hopefully as I submitted it before my deadline I'll keep my October 1st release date. Will let you all know if anything changes. I have posted a rough blurb below to try and tied you over until then.

Have a great Wednesday

Blurb - Forbidden Mate - HB4

Rick has watched as all his brothers settled into mated bliss, quietly dying inside knowing he will never have the same. Rick has lived for the last ten years knowing who his mate is and with the knowledge that his mate doesn’t want him.  When his brother and Alpha asks him to take a trip will Rick have the courage to forget his hurt and try to move on with his life?

Jake has watched from the sidelines as his mate grew from a surprisingly sexy sixteen year old into a stunningly handsome man. Jake has done everything within his power to keep his mate safe. Aware that his mate believes he’s not wanted but unable to reveal the truth. Can Jake finally let go of the man he loves or will everything come crashing down when the pair are thrust together in their search for much needed answers.

Round 2 votes needed

Round two of Summer's Hottest Hero competition started yesterday.

Alex Holland from Determined Mate beat out his brother for the right to continue on.
However I'm up against the amazing Kim Dare in this round.
I would love your vote, but encourage you to vote for who you believe to be the hottest hero.

Click here to vote.

OMG They finally arrived

After waiting anxiously for nearly a month I was finally able to pick my print books up at the post office this afternoon.
I''m so excited. Might go do some more work on book 4 now. :)
Hope everyone is having as good a day as I am now ...lol

ARE's Summers Hottest Hero Contest

Voting is now open in All Romance eBooks Summers Hottest Heroes Contest
Alex Holland is up against his brother Marcus Holland in the first round.
Click Here to cast your votes.

V's