Updates: Reviews, Interviews, Appearances and Giveaway

What a busy week! I should have posted some of these sooner, but I've been a very busy girl. I've got two reviews to share, two interviews, a blog appearance, and a giveaway!

Reviews:

Black Hurricane received 4 stars from 3 Chicks After Dark (or: "RATING: BAD ASS KNEE HIGH BOOTS WITH SILVER BUCKLES"). The review is my favorite so far as the reviewer also talks about the other books and seems to understand my boys very well. Here's a snippet:

"I have to say I was fractured! Crushed! I had to pull out the tissues! My heart bled for both Jazz and Dean. Erica Pike portrayed all the emotions so strongly it left me feeling hollowed out and shattered. Yeah, she’s that good!

It’s not an Erica Pike book unless we experience the full gamut of emotions so after all the angst, happiness, and heartbreak we do feel so much love at the end and that makes the whole ride worth every word, every minute spent in Jazz and Dean’s world."

Thank you, Kristy at 3 Chicks After Dark - Email me next time and I'll send you a review copy ^.^

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The Walls Have Ears also received a nice review from The Romance Reviews, 4 stars. Here's a snippet:

"Then there was the third character. The Wall. The scenes with that wall in between were insanely hot and it was all the more erotic as these boys were caught mid-action. I thought it wasn't going to get much better than that but, oh, was I wrong."

Thank you, Breann at The Romance Reviews ^.^

Interviews/Blog Appearances:

First I had a blog appearance on Ellie Potts' blog to showcase Black Hurricane (hey, that cover needs to be seen!). Then I did an interview with RJ Scott, showcasing the College Fun and Gays covers, talking about global warming and favorite position in my books I've always wanted to try. 

Lastly, I was interviewed by the amazing Lucy at Hearts on Fire Reviews. This is my favorite interview by far as it was tailored to me and my books, so if you want more info on the Boston Boys and a little peek into what's up ahead, this is the interview to read.

Giveaway:

Along with my Hearts on Fire Reviews interview, I'm doing a giveaway. If you comment on the blog entry (on their site), you might win a copy of Black Hurricane :) This giveaway ends on September 9th.

That it, for now ^.^

Five Bestsellers in Eight Days

I know, it shocks me too. The first in the series, Hot Hands, is free and it ranks very highly in its categories (currently 5th in Romance), 1st in Romance > New Adult, and 23rd in Romance > Erotic Romance).

Yes, I'm talking about the College Fun and Gays series. Three titles sat in the Top 50 Bestsellers list on All Romance eBooks last Friday while four titles had earned their stars as a category bestseller. 

Cold Hands: Top 50 and category

The Walls Have Ears: Top 50 and category

Grade-A-Sex Deal: Top 50

Welcome, Brother: Category

Little Stalker: Category

Grade-A-Sex Deal is no longer in the Top 50, it was first to reach it and first to go, but Cold Hands and The Walls Have Ears are still there :) 

Cold Hands also reached the top 100 list on Amazon. The only screenshot I captured was the 16th place in Erotica, but I have no idea if it went higher (damn time differences). I don't know if the other titles reached the top 100 there, since you don't get a notification and I failed to check. When I checked on Cold Hands, they weren't in the top 100, so let's just assume they never made it. Most of the sales have gone through All Romance eBooks anyway ^.^

This is my first "OMIGOSH" post of this kind, so I hope you'll bear with me. I'm afraid this will come off as if I'm bragging, but I'm really just very excited about the success of these stories. It was so unexpected. Four of these titles are republished (five, if we include Hot Hands), and one is brand new. A Life Without You and Hot Hands earned their stars on All Romance eBooks last year, but I didn't know about it back then. It wasn't until much later that I discovered it. This is why you're currently seeing me with stars in my eyes and a huge grin on my face; this is my first real success report. 

But it's not about bragging. I'm thankful to everyone who bought one of these books (and my other books), and continue to be thankful. I'm also thankful to Douglas Black for editing the series, and Zathyn Priest who made these lickalicious covers. So, thank you, thank you, thank you, all, for unintentionally bringing a smile to my face. I hope you like the books ^.^

Re-Release: The Walls Have Ears (Gay, College, New Adult)

Here's the next one :) Only two more to go and then I can focus on other things ^.^ Little Stalker will be out tomorrow and Cold Hands the day after, if nothing goes wrong. Again, edited by Douglas Black and cover by Zathyn Priest.

$1.99 on All Romance eBooks and Amazon.

Blurb:

Short and scrawny college student Harley Santos has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his bedroom wall. For weeks, the two have been masturbating to each other’s voices, but they have never met in person. In fact, he doesn't know a single thing about his wall-mate except that he looks and sounds incredibly hot. 

When Harley’s roommate, Ryan, is asked on a date by one of his neighbors, Harley is devastated that his wall-mate mistook not-hot Harley for super-hot Ryan. Helping Harley through his heartache is Tasha Novokov, the other neighbor, who is tall, dark, and impossibly handsome. 

Erica Pike: Survivor and Nominee

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I'm a Mayan Apocalypse survivor! Good thing I read all those post apoc books and had all these survivor skillz. Okay, you're probably sick of hearing that by now, but I really AM looking forward to 2015 since there'll be hover boards and self-drying clothes. Go McFly!

I didn't plan to just joke around all day (even though I'm technically a day late for that). I stopped by to announce that a bunch of my books have been nominated for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's 2012 Member Choice Awards:

Best Short Story

Best Debut Book

Best Enemies to Lovers

Best Story that Should/Must have a Sequel

Best Sex Scene (When Casper and Hot Hands have sex in Casper's room)

Best Friends to Lovers

Best Coming Out Story

Best Gay/Out for You Story

Best Side/Supporting Character (Eric)

Best Tear Jerking Scene (When Adam broke down)

Best Book of the Year

Best Contemporary Story

Best Couple/MCs (Eric and Alex)

Best Sex Scene (Eric and Alex's first time)

Best Free Story

Best Humorous Story

The polls are open, if you want to go vote for your favorites. 

Loads of great books on those lists.

One last post apoc joke:

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Hehehe.

Wicked After Dark Hop

I'm taking part in three blog hops or events over Halloween. This is the first one, the others will be on Oct 26 and 29. 

We don't celebrate Halloween in Iceland so I am absolutely thrilled to be in the USA on the 31st this year. My cousin and I will be in Vegas on the weekend before - the 27th - and we're going out clubbing in costumes. Can't miss the opportunity! Then on the 31st we'll be in Veil, looking like two creeps standing on a street corner to watch the kids trick or treat. I just hope the cops don't show up! We just want to see this thing in action ^.^

I'm supposed to offer up something wicked. All I can offer are erotic stories from my College Fun and Gays series. These are short stories that have been well received and there are even people waiting for the next in the series. All of them are standalone stories (with college as a theme), so you don't have to start with the first. If you're impatient to get one of these stories, they can be bought at No Boundaries Press and other retailers (Amazon, B&N, ARe etc.).

However! You can try to win a story. I'm choosing two winners. Each winner can choose from one of the following stories. To enter, please leave a comment and tell me which book and format you'd prefer (pdf, mobi or ePub). Please also leave me your email address. If you don't want your email address on the internet you can send me mail at eripike at gmail dot com with "Wicked Hop" in the subject line. I will randomly draw, contact and announce the winner as soon as I can after the hop (since I'll be on the road!).

I'm not going to force you to follow me or subscribe to anything of mine, but if you're interested I have several options. There's a follow button to the right for those who prefer that. I also have a newsletter, Twitter account and a Facebook page. You can even check me out on Goodreads. Again, this is not necessary to take part in the contest.

Before I post the excerpts, if you want a free story of mine you can download Half-Baked Promises from here.

For weeks, college student Casper has been the victim of sail-by goosing and groping. The problem is that Casper would very much like to get more than groped by those wonderful, big, hot hands. 

With a journal full of clues, he sets out to discover who his mystery groper is. However, he may be in serious trouble once he discovers the ominous identity, trouble that has nothing to do with the light bondage involved.

When College professor Daniel Corrigan was brutally kicked out of his home after revealing his true sexuality to his wife, he had to make a whole new life for himself. For the first time in two years Daniels main heartache isnt the none-existent relationship with his two kids, but the fact that the grade-A-sex deal with his student Troy Anderson is about to expire. After a whole semester of office fun, Troy has managed to squeeze his way into the core of Daniels soul. Daniel, however, is positive hes nothing more to Troy but a teacher who can modify a grade.

Short and scrawny college student Harley Santos has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his bedroom wall. For weeks, the two have been masturbating to each others voices, but they have never met in person.

When Harleys roommate (Ryan) is asked out on a date by one of his neighbors, Harley is devastated that his wall-mate mistook not-hot Harley for super-hot Ryan. Helping Harley through his heartache is Tasha Novokov, the other neighbor, who is tall, dark, and impossibly handsome.

M/M Reader Appreciation Day: The Sweet Spot

The second post from me today. I'm taking part in the M/M Reader Appreciation Day on The Sweet Spot. It's a yahoo group that you have to sign up for if you want to enter the giveaway. My prize is a copy of The Walls Have Ears, but there are more authors offering prizes and you only have to sign up in one place. I'll also be dropping by for a chat/excerpt.

Short and scrawny college student Harley Santos has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his bedroom wall. For weeks, the two have been masturbating to each others voices, but they have never met in person.

When Harleys roommate (Ryan) is asked out on a date by one of his neighbors, Harley is devastated that his wall-mate mistook not-hot Harley for super-hot Ryan. Helping Harley through his heartache is Tasha Novokov, the other neighbor, who is tall, dark, and impossibly handsome.

When Harleys affections shift to Tasha, his heartache hits an all time high because with all the girls hanging around, Tasha has to be straight.

Indulgence Winner

I am so sorry, guys. I was supposed to draw a winner days ago, but I've been moving houses and have had limited internet access. However, I just drew a winner:

SheriV!

Congrats, Sheri :) I'll send you mail tonight so you can receive your copy of The Walls Have Ears.

Didn't win? Don't fret, there's another giveaway in two days! The Romance Reviews' GLBT Madness Hop. I'll be offering a choice between my Boston Boys books in that one, so come back in two days and sign up :)

Hop Winners and Free Read

Thanks to everyone who took part in the blog hop :) Random.org has chosen my winners and they are:

Debby: A Life Without You in ePub
Nancy: Absolutely Eric in pdf

Congrats!

I sent out my very first newsletter yesterday where I revealed an insider info on Jazz's love interest. If you're interested in such insider scoops and advance knowledge on giveaways and freebies, feel free to sign up for the newsletter. I will send out a newsletter monthly - twice a month at the most (if there's something special going on that can't wait).

Please stay tuned for next Saturday. I'll be giving away a copy of The Walls Have Ears on The Sweet Spot yahoo group. 

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4th of July Blog Hop!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Because of the unexpected 50% off sale at ARe today (and today only - happy 4th!), I won't hold you to your choice in case you decide to use the opportunity to buy one or more of my titles. I'll email the winners tomorrow and they can decide if they want to change the title they want as a prize.

Ready for another treat? I'm taking part in the Celebrating Independence Blog Hop along with over 200 other authors. We're lucky this time because Dawn has marked off the m/m ones for us! (And the f/f, m/f etc.). So now you can scroll down the list (click the link above) and look for the m/m ones, if that's your only poison.

Free

Anyway! MY giveaway is a book of choice to two winners. Please leave me your email and which book and e-format (pdf, mobi, or ePub) you'd like to receive, if you win. These are the only conditions (though I can be forgiving if someone forgets to mention something), but if you'd like to follow my sometimes-senseless blogging, or my book updates, there's a follow button to the right. There's also a newsletter option, facebook, twitter, etc. None of this is mandatory to get your name into the hat (or random.org, which is what I'll use to pick a winner), just a friendly reminder :)

Now, if you want to sample my writing, a short story of mine was recently released: Half-Baked Promises (Castor Springs #1). If you'd like to download the free copy, please click the link. It's available in the three formats: pdf, mobi, and ePub.

If you win, which of these would you like:

A Life Without You:

Jesse's like a bar of soap: the tighter Adam holds on, the faster Jesse slips away. Or thats how it feels to Adam. It doesnt help that Jesse has a girlfriend back home and claims to be straight, but there's no way with all the sparks and physical intimacy flying between the two roommates.

When Adam believes he has reached his ultimate happiness, the bedroom walls come crashing down with a visit from Jesses girlfriend.

Now Jesse has to decide if he can come to terms with his sexuality, while Adam has to learn to accept that Jesse might never be able to crawl out of the closet.

Absolutely Eric:

Eric Wesley is short and snazzy, hot and happy. Or thats what he thought. After three years of living on the wild side hes tired of being a playboy and wants to find love.

Eric, however, has never been in love before and doesnt see that the guy whos been gazing at him all summer might be Mr. Right. Alexander Centauri isnt only style-less and clumsy, but also terribly awkward. After a miserable date, Eric plants Alex on another guys lap and goes after Mr. Wrong who looks so right.

When Eric realizes his mistake, it might be too late.

Hot Hands:

For weeks, college student Casper has been the victim of sail-by goosing and groping. The problem is that Casper would very much like to get more than groped by those wonderful, big, hot hands. 

With a journal full of clues, he sets out to discover who his mystery groper is. However, he may be in serious trouble once he discovers the ominous identity, trouble that has nothing to do with the light bondage involved.

Grade-A-Sex Deal:

When College professor Daniel Corrigan was brutally kicked out of his home after revealing his true sexuality to his wife, he had to make a whole new life for himself. For the first time in two years Daniels main heartache isnt the none-existent relationship with his two kids, but the fact that the grade-A-sex deal with his student Troy Anderson is about to expire. After a whole semester of office fun, Troy has managed to squeeze his way into the core of Daniels soul. Daniel, however, is positive hes nothing more to Troy but a teacher who can modify a grade.

The Walls Have Ears:

Short and scrawny college student Harley Santos has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his bedroom wall. For weeks, the two have been masturbating to each others voices, but they have never met in person.

When Harleys roommate (Ryan) is asked out on a date by one of his neighbors, Harley is devastated that his wall-mate mistook not-hot Harley for super-hot Ryan. Helping Harley through his heartache is Tasha Novokov, the other neighbor, who is tall, dark, and impossibly handsome.

As Harleys affections shift to Tasha, his heartache hits an all time high because with all the girls hanging around, Tasha has to be straight.

Have fun hopping and happy 4th of July!

Excerpt: The Walls Have Ears

Harley has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his wall...

Excerpt for The Walls Have Ears:

The walls have ears, or more like, the guy on the other side of the wall has ears…and a lovely voice. His moans are deep and sensual. They drive me nuts every time I masturbate to his grunts, like I’ve been doing almost every night since moving in.

I had been dreading going off to live with some stranger in the deep, dark forest that is Philadelphia. The rustle and bustle of city life was scary for a small-town boy like me. It didn’t help that the people I knew, who’d been to Philly, took great joy in stuffing my head full with stories of serial killers, mobsters, and nasty dorm mates. That last part scared the hell out of me, because I was a green-horned little girly-guy. I was sure I’d be pushed down and fucked by the first guy to cross my path. Of course, the idea of being fucked wasn’t all that unappealing, but I didn’t want to be made into the dorm’s butt boy or anything.

Naturally, nothing of the sort happened and I really hit the jackpot with my roommate Ryan. We don’t really run in the same circles. It’s not that he wouldn’t hang out with me if I asked; it’s just that he’s a very busy guy with his sports and other multiple after-school activities. The guy is so busy he barely stays in our small dorm apartment, so it’s almost as if I have it all to myself, which is another plus.

However, it isn’t Ryan who’s moaning so deeply on the other side of the wall. There’s a whole living room-slash-kitchen area between mine and Ryan’s rooms. No, the neighbor is one of the two smoldering hot guys who live in the apartment next to ours.

On my first night here, I was just about to fall asleep on the wooden bed, under my green comforter, when I heard these low, sexy grunts coming from the other side of the wall. He wasn’t alone. In between his deep groans were low gasps and moans coming from another guy. My cock immediately perked up at the sweet sounds. I jerked off as quietly as I could and came hard just about the time the owner of the deep voice did.

There were more nights like that. The guy had a lot of partners, and sometimes it was just him alone. Lately it’s just been him and me. See, one night, about a month ago, we were both getting off on each side of the wall. When he let out a particularly long and sensual groan, my own voice slipped with a low moan. I practically heard him stop for a few seconds, but then he continued and groaned again, only a little higher this time. I was curious, embarrassed, and thrilled all at the same time. Instead of stopping, I kept at it and let out an experimental moan. My neighbor’s voice grew louder and from the sound of things he was definitely masturbating. We ended up fisting our cocks, vocalizing our pleasures with moans, groans, grunts, and gasps until we climaxed. I hid under the comforter after that with a mind spinning like a hula hoop. I thought he’d want us to talk and that would only get me embarrassed, but he never said anything. We did, however, repeat the game every night after that.

With knees pressed in the thick mattress, I lean my head against the red wall with labored breaths. I yank on my cock so fast my vision goes blurry. He breathes equally hard on the other side. His forehead bumps against the wall, right against mine with only the thin wall between us.

“Fuck,” I whisper when the wonderful tightness in my balls gathers in a knot.

He groans deeply in response, which coaxes out a moan from me just before I cry out my groin-twisting ecstasy. His lovely voice lets out a series of deep grunts as he comes. We know each other’s voices so well now that we automatically tune in on each other’s rhythm and almost always come at the same time.

After my boneless body slumps down on the bed, I reach for tissues to wipe myself off. My neighbor runs his fingers along the wall and rustles about, maybe wiping himself off too or getting comfortable on the bed. When all is quiet again, he strokes the wall and whispers good night to me.

“Good night,” I murmur back just before curling up and dozing off.

St. Pat's Day Winners!

I had 42 entries (one excluded at request) and these are the winners:

For The Walls Have Ears: PaParanormalFan! (#39)

For Grade-A-Sex Deal: Melanie! (#27)

Congrats girls ^.^

And for the grand prizes...

For the Kindle/Nook: Melissa L!

For the $90 GC: Shadow!

Congrats everyone! This was so much fun ^.^ 

My next giveaways will be:

Sunday March 25th at The Romance Reviews
Friday-Sunday April 6th-8th here during the Easter Hop
Sunday May 13th at Guilty Pleasure Book Reviews
Thursday May 17th-20th here during Hop Against Homophobia (the m/m-only blog hop)

Then, of course, there's two copies of Absolutely Eric to win at Goodreads. Add it to your to-read list there and you're in :)

My newsletter should be ready by the 25th, for those who want reminders and updates - possibly even a contest  or two :)

Hope to see you then :)

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St. Pat Day Blog Hop - Kindle Fire/Nook Tablet

We don't celebrate it here, but all the green makes me think of summer, so I'm in! 

There are two grand prizes. This is for the overall hop - not something I'm offering single handed ;) 

Grand Prize 1: Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet (winner's choice)

Grand Prize 2: $90 Amazon or B&N gift card (winner's choice)

Here's the main site. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have of winning.

But I know you're all here for MY prizes! (Come on, you know you are!). I'm giving away one e-copy of Grade-A-Sex Deal and one e-copy of The Walls Have Ears (once it releases) to two different winners (one book each). If you're interested in buying them, please click on their links to see the info on my webpage. Please, if you don't read m/m, let me know in your comment and I'll exclude you from my drawing. You'll still be entered to the grand prize drawing :) It'll give m/m readers more chance to win a book of their liking.

The Walls Have Ears:

Short and scrawny college student Harley Santos has a strange relationship with the guy on the other side of his bedroom wall. For weeks, the two have been masturbating to each others voices, but they have never met in person. 

When Harley's roommate (Ryan) is asked out on a date by one of his neighbors, Harley is devastated that his wall-mate mistook not-hot Harley for super-hot Ryan. Helping Harley through his heartache is Tasha Novokov, the other neighbor, who is tall, dark, and impossibly handsome. 

When Harleys affections shift to Tasha, his heartache hits an all time high because with all the girls hanging around, Tasha has to be straight.

Grade-A-Sex Deal:

When College professor Daniel Corrigan was brutally kicked out of his home after revealing his true sexuality to his wife, he had to make a whole new life for himself. For the first time in two years Daniels main heartache isnt the none-existent relationship with his two kids, but the fact that the grade-A-sex deal with his student Troy Anderson is about to expire. After a whole semester of office fun, Troy has managed to squeeze his way into the core of Daniels soul. Daniel, however, is positive hes nothing more to Troy but a teacher who can modify a grade. 

Now, I'm supposed to talk about something Irish. I've been to Dublin once and loved it there. It was the first big European city I'd really had the chance to explore and I was fascinated by all the statues. Only a couple of weeks after I got back, I received a pen-pal request from an Irish guy called John. This was back when pen-pals used snail-mail and you waited in anticipation for the next delivery. Anyway, John ended up visiting Iceland and fell for my best friend. They dated for a while, broke up, and then got together again years later. They're married today and have a little girl :) Anyway, when I got my first phone call from John, I could not understand a WORD he was saying. Man, that accent had me going "yes...uhuh...mhm...yeah...oookay..." But I got used to it and have no trouble speaking with him on the phone today. The Irish I know are a jolly bunch and we get along great humor-wise. Almost as well as Icelanders and Australians (who are a perfect mix).

Anyway, just leave a comment below with your email address and you'll be added to the contest :) Happy Hopping!

Wait! While I have you here, I'd like to remind everyone of the M/M-only blog hop on May 17th: Hop Against Homophobia. Over 160 m/m authors, reviewers and publishers have signed up and we're expecting more before May rolls in. It's a great cause (held on the International Day Against Homophobia), so please mark it down if you're an m/m lit lover :) If you're an m/m author/reviewer/publisher, feel free to sign up.

Before I go, if you want to win a copy of Absolutely Eric (see the new cover!!), I'm having a giveaway at Goodreads, drawing two people who've added it to their to-read list before the book comes out. Giveaway ends on release day :)

Okay, hop, hop, hop!