Devon Rhodes August 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
All about Devon Rhodes
 It's almost a cliché in this field, but yes, I was the kid who always had my head in the clouds and my nose in a book. I've had thousands of books over the years (and have gotten rid of most of them, so no photos of groaning shelves here!), but I only just began writing last year.
College time, decision time for everyone, and people whose opinions carried a lot of weight with me all told me that a degree in the arts was worthless unless I wanted to be a teacher. Not my idea of the ideal career, so I went the pre-med route, and then backed into business when the upper level science started kicking my...well, transcript.
I was an upper level manager in long-term care eight years ago when I gave up the stress to take on a new challenge...parenting. Which isn't stressful at all. Ahem. And then I had my midlife crisis, which leads me to... How Devon Rhodes got into Erotic Romance?
E-Bay. Seriously. I had a small E-Bay business (totally unrelated to books) before I began writing. One day I went to my local library sale and picked up a bunch of nice trade-sized paperbacks, and after I read them, I thought I'd auction off the lot. When I looked to see what they were going for, I was shocked to see how well they'd held their value.
I started doing more research, which led me to genre publishers' websites...and their calls for submissions. The old "I could write a better story than that" kicked in, and combined with a looming Big 0 birthday, I finally did what I'd always wanted to do...wrote a book.
That one still hasn't seen the light of day, and perhaps it never will, but the second one I wrote, Wet Your Whistle, a futuristic ménage, will be published by TEB this November. My fourth story was A Pint Light, my first TEB publication and one week shy of being my first contracted book. The Scoop!
I've done all my published work in the male/male genre, so my current big news is that my first hetero romances will be coming out with TEB beginning this month! A series of four stories titled Seasoned Women, each takes a challenge that forty-something women face (a career that left no time for fun, a biological clock ticking, single parenthood, and the empty nest) and comes up with a sexy solution in the form of a twenty-something man.
The first installment is Sex On Summer Sabbatical, which releases on August 9th. Here is the blurb:
Who knew it would so hard to get a twenty-something man to have sex?
Forced by her employer to take a three month sabbatical, workaholic Tori Warren makes a checklist of things to accomplish which will make the time off worthwhile.
Get into the best shape of her life. Have the most fun of her life. Oh, and have the best sex of her life.
Sexy young Adam comes into her life at just the right time. A physical trainer with a loving-life personality, he should work nicely in helping her meet all three goals. He'd be especially perfect for the best sex. Now if he would only just cooperate...
Look for Falling For The Other Brother in October, Winter's Thaw in December, and Spring Training in March!
I'm also expanding the world in which my Vampires & Mages & Weres, Oh My! series is set, and I'm currently at work on the third and fourth books. What Devon Rhodes likes to read...
What don't I like to read? In this genre, I cut my teeth on Carol Lynne--in fact, she lead me to TEB. I enjoy sexy thrillers by Laurell K Hamilton and Karen Marie Moning, and anything by Stephen King. I also enjoying the classics and actually have (and have read) the complete works of Shakespeare.
INTERVIEWThe Sensible Questions:- 1.How have your life experiences affected your writing?
- I write about a lot of things I haven't personally experienced, but I do think growing up doing a lot of travelling and interacting with different people has given me a rich bank of memories and impressions from which to draw.
- 2.Which of your characters is your favourite, and why?
- Is it corny to say, whoever I'm writing at the moment? If you threatened me with bodily harm, I'd have to say Abe from Silver & Gold. He's the perfect combination of sweet and sassy, confident and vulnerable. Totally hot but not conceited. And snarky to boot, just like me.
- 3.What heat level do you enjoy writing most, and why?
- I love the nitty-gritty, crank it up, burning and melting hot stuff. Why water it down?
- 4.What authors have influenced you most (not necessarily in the romance genre)?
- Some of my first loves were Kathleen Woodiwiss, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, and Jean Auel. As far their influence on me, I aspire to reach the world-building talent and ability of all my favourites to write those enthralling, sweeping sagas. Sigh, so good.
- 5.Which comes to you first when you write, the basic premise of the plot, or the characters?
- About an even split of both. For A Pint Light, it was the premise (what if a vampire story didn't have to be dark and angsty?). With Through The Red Door, I envisioned my angel and demon then built a story around them.
- 6.What is the biggest lesson that you've learned since you began writing?
- Don't force it. If the story needs to be manhandled down a path, it's not the right way for it to go. Characters who don't gel aren't being ornery, you just haven't allowed them to go in the right direction.
- 7.Describe your writing space.
- Wherever I can sit comfortably with my laptop - with a place to set my coffee. At home, in my new house I just love!, I have an old hotel chair and ottoman (pictured here in the old house) in a high-ceilinged office with French doors. But of course, I'm not always at home. Right now I'm in Mom's sunroom, curled up in a recliner listening to the thunderstorm driving the rain against the window. A few days ago, I was stretched out on a chaise longue in the shade at a resort, glancing up occasionally to watch the kids making new friends in the pool.
Shasta
 My space!
The Pool!

The Naughty Questions:
- How many toys do you have in your toy-box? (and we don't mean Barbie dolls!)
- Apparently I need to do some shopping since I can count them on one hand!
- What or who does your ideal man look like?
- I love tall, athletic guys. And a great smile and healthy dose of confidence really puts the frosting on my cake. Jessie Pavelka, yum. I like a guy who could pick me up with no effort at all. The body part I secretly check out (besides the obvious ones)-”forearms. Mmm.
Hot!
 Jessie Pavelka - hotter!
Hotter!
 Hottest!

Are any of the sexy scenes in your books based on real life?Oh yeah. Although you have to add in the imagination factor, since I am a woman and write a lot of gay sex. A little secret - the scene where the hero wakes up in his neighbours' bed after sleepwalking? I did that...more than once.
What kind of clothing do you like to wear in order to feel sexy?Comfortable and flattering, but not "mom" clothes. Not that I have much that isn't mom clothes anymore!
What kind of clothing do you think makes men look sexy?Clothing? Why would I want them in clothing? Oh, well, okay, maybe some low-slung jeans. With a button-fly. Mostly unbuttoned.
What is the most outrageously naughty thing you've ever done?Snuck into someone's house and into bed while they were sleeping. I just had an impulse to cut through the whole I-like-you-do-you-like-me?-let's-have-date-after-date-until-we-find-out. Oh, the things you do in college. And that wasn't the sleepwalking incident either.
ReleasesDevon Rhodes's ReleasesThrough The Red Door - Genre: M/M Paranormal
- Rating: Total-e-Melting
- e-Book: Novella
- ISBN: 978-0-85715-169-8
- Total-E-Bound
Book two in the Vampires & Mages & Weres, Oh My! Series
Just a demon's luck. Seth finally finds the perfect house...and it comes with an angel.
The last thing that demon Seth expects to come across while househunting is an injured angel...especially one who has no idea he's anything but human. Every instinct in him wants to stay far away, but Kyrian is being targeted by another demon, and Seth reluctantly finds himself playing guardian to the irresistible male.
Kyrian has no idea what is 'haunting' his house, but after he breaks his ankle being shoved off the deck, he's had enough. Strong, handsome Seth is a godsend, making him feel safe and secure. But he alludes to secrets that will test everything Kyrian believes...and turns the tables on just who needs protecting.
Reader Advisory: This book is part of a series, but can easily be read as a standalone book. What the reviewers are saying"4.5 Nymphs. I loved this story! This is the first book I've read in this series, but I plan to add the upcoming releases to my list of future reads. Action, suspense and erotic scenes designed to make you squirm are awaiting you in Through the Red Door." Literary Nymphs Reviews Read An Excerpt:[Click here to expand/collapse]EXCERPT:Kyrian watched with keen interest as the high-strung agent practically shoved the potential buyer out the door. He couldn't stifle a chuckle as a strange wince of discomfort crossed the man's face.
Oooh, not nice, Kyrian. You'd better watch it. One of these days you're going to laugh at the wrong person.
It was his worst fault unfortunately, schadenfreude, which had caused him no end of trouble over the years. He just couldn't help laughing at inappropriate times. An automatic reaction to anything unusual.
His victim whipped around, and for a moment, Kyrian thought his day of reckoning had actually come. But the dangerous, feral glint in those dark eyes changed in quick succession to shock then something like distaste.
A born people-pleaser, Kyrian felt a stab of disappointment at the look of disdain. He glanced down at himself in reflex to check his appearance. Nothing obviously out of place. He was actually dressed fairly nicely for a day at home. Maybe the guy just didn't like shaggy hair. He was very clean-cut, bordering militaristic in his grooming, severely shaped almost black hair with a hint of wave to it above a smoothly shaven face.
A man's lips moved, and that's when Kyrian realised that Michael Franti and Spearhead were still happily Say Heying in his ear. He quickly pulled out the earpieces.
"Hi there. Sorry about laughing. I don't know why I did that."
Tall, Dark and Dangerous narrowed his eyes, apparently at the reminder of Kyrian's faux pas, and said something incomprehensible in a deep, almost gravelly voice. Ah ha, a foreigner.
"No comprende," he apologised.
His visitor actually rolled his eyes in disgust. At him! Kyrian would've jumped to his feet to tell him off if he didn't have the flipping cast on his ankle.
His visitor angrily spouted off more gibberish in whatever language he was speaking, and Kyrian rolled his own eyes in response, which apparently wasn't very well received since suddenly the man was looming threateningly over him.
Trapped in the chaise lounge, at his mercy, Kyrian could only freeze and hope the man wouldn't get violent.
Holding out his hands in what he hoped was the universal symbol for wait a sec, he tried placating the aggressor. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry, okay? I. Don't. Understand. You," he enunciated. Using basic body language, he thumped his chest, shook his head, and tapped his temple as he tried Tarzan-esque simplicity. "Me no understand."
"Oh for fuck's sake!" The man threw up his hands as if Kyrian was the one acting like an idiot.
"Geez, why didn't you just speak English in the first place? That would be the logical language to start with considering the country we're in." Kyrian snarked as he tried to keep his lips from twitching into another inappropriate smile. The whole thing really was pretty funny in a weird way. "I'm Kyrian."
"Kyrian...?" the other man prompted.
Kyrian quirked his brow. Liked to get formal, did he? "De Angelo."
The other man winced and groaned, "Oh, that's fucking original," and shook his head with a huff.
What the heck? "Say buddy, where do you get off laughing at my name? And you haven't told me your name to make fun of."
"I'm Seth."
"Seth...?" Kyrian mocked Seth's earlier tone.
He shrugged with a deliberate smirk. "Just Seth."
Kyrian gasped with outrage and was about to attempt rising to confront him, cast or no cast, when Seth leaned closer to him and inhaled. No two ways about it--he sniffed him. Okay, this was getting a bit odd, even for him. He needed to nip this visit in the bud.
"Okay, just Seth." Kyrian watched warily as a contented look crossed the man's face for the first time, turning it into something serene and beautiful. "Thanks for visiting the house. Hope you liked it. Uh..."
Seth dropped to his knees, heavily lidded eyes locked on Kyrian's startled ones, and wasted no time in claiming a toe-curling, bone-melting kiss... A Pint Light - Genre: Seasonal/ Vampire/ Gay
- Rating: Total-e-Burning
- e-Book: Short Story
- ISBN: 978-1-907280-37-5
- Total-E-Bound
Book one in the Vampires & Mages & Weres Oh My! Series
Valerian stole Raine's blood, his magic...and his heart.
What's a vampire to do when every day is the same old dull quest for blood? Head to Maui, of course. But before Valerian can hit the beach, he needs to get rid of the sultry mage seducing him in his sleep. She may have fooled his subconscious, but he doesn't need a mate complicating his life. Imagine Val's shock when he finds out she's a he, yet still has the power to arouse him beyond anything he'd ever imagined.
Raine faints at the sight of blood and isn't looking forward to being a vamp's chew toy. Still, family duty calls, and Valerian turns out to be the hottest, and most powerful, male on two legs. Raine is crushed when the sexy vamp of his dreams runs from their rough play in horror. But his pride can't stand in the way when Valerian accidently steals his magic along with his blood.
Now, with time running out, Raine needs to seduce him one last time to even up the score, and maybe this time, they'll exchange more than blood and power. Magic is in the air, and sometimes love only needs a little nudge. What the reviewers are saying"5 Delightful Divas-”Reviewer Recommended Read. A fun and light-hearted story, Devon Rhodes' A Pint Light was a real treat to read...I hope that there's a LOT more to come from the mind and wonderful creative imagination of Devon Rhodes... Soon please!" Dark Diva Reviews
"4.5 out of 5! Rhodes adds in just the right amount of hot n' steamy sex to get your mind racing and gets your imagination hopping and reels you into the story. This is a fantastic read." Night Owl Romance Reviews Read An Excerpt:[Click here to expand/collapse]EXCERPT:Val's body saw the possibilities here immediately, and his morning erection perked up at the oh-so warm pressure. However, that reaction exacerbated a different problem, one that was even more delicate given the circumstances. Normally, Valerian had almost complete control of his need to feed. But for some reason, his iron will melted away in Raine's presence. He knew, knew that even broaching the subject right now was the worst thing that he could do. But after what happened last time, he was afraid giving into his increasingly burning desire would trigger another frenzied attack.
His hands rose of their own accord and settled on Raine's morning-warm skin, just above the elastic waist of his boxer briefs. Val closed his eyes and savoured the feel of Raine's cock aligned with his, holding onto Raine in counter-pressure while circling his hips upwards in little thrusts. With only the thin material of their briefs between them, Val could feel the heat of Raine's shaft, the moist warmth of the growing spot of pre-cum soaking into the fabric. He imagined the smooth heat of the skin hidden from view, and suddenly couldn't wait another minute to feel that weight in his palm. His slid his hands smoothly, fingers first, under the waistband and down Raine's hips, his thumbs learning Raine's hipbones in passing before he reached around to cup his firm, bare buttocks.
"This is where things got out of control last time, wouldn't you agree?"
Val's eyes flew open at the unexpected and incredibly coherent question. He tried to get his brain to formulate an answer, but couldn't manage more than, "Uh..."
Raine sighed heavily, "I can see that I'm going to have to have conversations with you before you're turned on. Obviously, all the blood must leave your big head when you're aroused or something."
Val couldn't agree more. He could barely process what Raine was saying, only revelling in the fact that he was still sitting on top of Val's pulsing cock. He continued to push up against Raine, now trying in earnest to remove Raine's tight briefs without letting him move off his cock, an impossible task, unless he were to rip them...
He turned thought into deed, and three yanks later, the briefs were in tatters and Raine's erection popped up, slapping against his own belly, leaving a dab of pre-cum behind. Before he even consciously decided to, he reached out and rubbed the spot off with the pad of his thumb, bringing it to his mouth for a lick. He watched those celadon eyes darken with desire as Raine focused on Val's tongue sliding over his thumb, cleaning it of Raine's cum.
The musky, briny taste, with the same notes as Raine's amazing blood, hit his senses like a shot of adrenaline. Val reacted without thought, flipping Raine over, grinding down against him as he reversed their positions.
"If you're going to nail me with those teeth again, you're going to have to let me suck you off first. Take it or leave it." A Detour Home - Genre: Contemporary/ Gay
- Rating: Total-e-Burning
- e-Book: Short Story
- ISBN: 978-0-85715-031-8
- Total-E-Bound
Homecoming Valentines Collection, stories of love lost and love found: "If you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with..."
The road to love is never smooth, and when Jon pushes Cameron away with his demands, he thinks he's lost his chance forever.
Jon has held his love for Cameron in check, waiting for his late-blooming friend to grow up. Then one college summer working road construction, they are forced to share a bed, bringing them closer than ever before. The dark nights spent in each other's arms reveal their mutual attraction, but Jon pushes too far, too fast.
Cam has looked up to his best friend Jon for years and trusts him completely. He enjoys the gentle loving they share but when Jon wants to go further than he's ready for, Cam balks, and Jon's reaction costs them their friendship.
Years later, Cam needs a friend, and Jon returns home to lend his support. Has there been too much water under the bridge, or will they both finally be ready to embrace the love they once lost? What the reviewers are saying"Four Stars. "A Detour Home" is not a long story and therefore I worried that it wouldn't be told with much depth or emotion, but it is...A Detour Home" is short, sweet, and sexy." Rainbow Reviews Read An Excerpt:[Click here to expand/collapse]EXCERPT:Warmth.
That was the first thing Cam noticed as a slamming sound brought him abruptly into wakefulness. Despite it being summer, most nights in the motel rooms he awoke chilled to the bone from the artificial air conditioning they'd cranked up to combat the days residual heat the night before.
But tonight he was toasty warm.
Mmm. Eyes still closed, he pressed back into the warmth. An arm tightened around him and he smiled.
Arm?
His eyes flew open, but all he got for that effort was blackness. Must still be night. Even with black-out curtains, he'd be able to see something if the sun was coming up.
A feminine giggle and an answering masculine grunt.
Now he was really confused; that sure sounded like a girl. Trying hard to think, not an easy task coming out of a deep sleep, he tried to remember the previous night to get his bearings.
Okay, getting there. New motel. Furnace behind him must be Jon. And they were sharing a bed, because...
The wet sounds of kissing clear as a bell in the darkness.
Ah shit, Sid for a roommate. Who must've brought a girl home from the bar, apparently their entrance was what woke him up. Cam rolled his eyes in the dark, trying hard not to listen to the rustling of clothing and murmurs coming from the direction of the other bed.
Crap.
He pictured the clothes coming off some faceless girl, and his damn hormones perked his prick up, picking right up where it had left off without satisfaction earlier in the shower.
Not even the thought of Sid being involved could quell the rush his cock and imagination were getting from the almost pornographic sounds emanating from the couple.
Cam wriggled with his discomfort, and the arm around him tightened once more, bringing his attention back to his own bed. This time, as the arm trapped him close, the unmistakable feel of an erection pressed against his backside had him momentarily freezing in place.
That's Jon's hard-on against my ass.
Just putting words to the acknowledgement in his mind was incredibly arousing. Jon was hot, yes, but he saw Cam as just his best friend. Never in a million years would Cam have thought he'd be tucked into bed with him, cradling Jon's apparently very unchoosy cock in the crack of his backside.
His own erection took on new life and his breath grew short as the struggle to not move became way too much for him. Surreptitiously, Cameron arched his back, pushing back against Jon and was answered with a volley of thrusts and an incoherent muttering in his ear.
His heart pounded through his chest, fuelled by the addition of skin slapping and unmistakable sounds of fucking off to the right, Cam set up a rhythmic undulation back against Jon that had his friend following suit as if following his lead in an intimate dance.
His own ragged breathing was masked by the noise from across the room, and as Jon's own breathing picked up along with the speed of his rubbing, Cameron went for broke, pushing his shorts down in the front enough to expose his cock then licking his palm and taking his erection firmly in hand. As he began to stroke, his upper arm was resting along the top of Jon's, whose hand was still wrapped around his middle. It was an incredibly intimate feeling to be so surrounded by another, by Jon, as Cam pleasured himself. His breath caught and he sped up his motion, pressing back recklessly, wantonly, invitingly...
Suddenly, his hand was batted out of the way, and a larger, firmer hand took its place, curling around his straining cock with assurance, spreading the pre-cum welling from his slit over his sensitive head with a calloused thumb. Cameron gasped aloud, thankful that the sound coincided with a moan from the girl in the room. Jon's chest heaved against his back, his breath on Cam's neck coming way too fast for him to be anything other than fully awake...
Devon Rhodes's BacklistPlease Note - Some of the following links will take you to other publishers websites. Total-e-bound is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.Rough Riders - in the Gaymes anthology - Genre M/M Contemporary
ISBN 9780857150158ISBN Print978-1-907280-83-2 - Publisher Total-E-Bound
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One Wild Wish - Genre M/M Paranormal
ISBN 9781615814961 - Publisher Dreamspinner Press
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Neighbors By Day, Naughty By Night - in the Necking anthology - Genre M/M/M Menage, Contemporary
ISBN 9781615813711 - Publisher Dreamspinner Press
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Silver & Gold - Genre M/M Contemporary
ISBN 9781615813384 - Publisher Dreamspinner Press
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Remarkable Restraint - in the Games In The Dark anthology - Genre M/M BDSM
ISBN 9781615810635 - Publisher Dreamspinner Press
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