Claire Cray's Blog - Posts Tagged "new-release"

Merrick closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. His hands framed my face, then slowly moved down to my neck. I watched his face as his fingers undid the knot of my cravat. His eyes were lowered to the task, his soft lips faintly pursed, and a thick lock of ebony hair had fallen over his brow. When I reached up to brush it aside, his fingers paused at my throat and he turned his head to sweep his lips against my wrist. Then he hooked a loop of my untied cravat and pulled, slowly, dragging the strip of linen from my collar, teasing the sensitive skin of my throat.

"How I missed you," I said without quite meaning to, and tilted my head up to kiss the edge of his jaw. I felt his soft sigh against my ear, and another loop of my cravat sliding free.

"My thirst for you has driven me to the brink of madness."

"I've dreamt of your bite."

Merrick pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth, and I kissed him tenderly. No matter what, my last moments as a human would be well spent. I felt the last inch of my cravat finally fall from my neck, felt him tuck it into my pocket. His fingers slipped beneath my collar, turning it back to bare his target. I could hear my own pulse pounding there like a drum; his coppery gold eyes were fastened to it.

So close. It was so close. I wound my arms about his shoulders as he lowered his head, moaned as he opened his mouth against my fluttering vein and pressed his teeth into my skin. The first nip made me gasp. His glass-sharp teeth broke the skin, but sank no further; he dragged his tongue over the little wound, making me shiver and lean against him.

Merrick groaned softly, a low and needful sound that turned my knees to butter. Cradling my head with one hand, he wound his other arm about my waist to hold me securely. And then, once more, I felt the edge of his teeth.

"Ah," I gasped as I felt them begin to penetrate my skin. "Merrick!"

Presenting The Hidden Talents Trilogy.



Or as I've been calling it, Hidden Talents (REMASTERED).



Fully re-edited.
New and expanded scenes.
New chapters.
Better sex.



All three novels are coming your way December 8. Pre-order status TBA.

Stay tuned, heroes.

Can't believe it: Rebel Hell, the first book in the new Hidden Talents Trilogy, is out now! Get it everywhere.

I still can't believe I wrote a story like this. Psychics, evil conspiracies, action?! So unlike me. But this turned out to be the most character-driven thing I've ever written, with an ensemble cast of smart, complicated dudes whose friendships and rivalries add up to a hot, delicious mess.

Jin and Ken, the two central characters in Hidden Talents, were a blast to write. Jin starts out as a carefree baddie who loves to make trouble. But once he meets Ken, a strange teen with a dark past and a surly attitude, Jin finds himself changing in ways he never imagined.

This story has some dark themes in it. Central to the tale is the concept of Talent. Talent means superhuman power, and those who have it — Talents, as they refer to themselves — develop extraordinary physical, intellectual, and psychic abilities. Nobody knows where Talent comes from, but it often appears after a traumatic experience. Suffice it to say, many of the most powerful Talents in the books have been through some shit. So be prepared for references to past abuse, torture, rape, murder, and psychic mutilation.

Also be prepared for loads of sarcastic humor, sex scenes ranging from mean and nasty to slow and tender, and an international roster of fine-ass men who get in all kinds of trouble.

Ken, an enigmatic young Talent who's just entered the real world after a lifetime of isolation and torture.

Jin, a devious Russian telepath who loves nothing more than to stir up trouble.

Lip, an affable Australian hunk who uses his razor-sharp intellect to watch out for his friends.

Mark, a bisexual Cuban-American whose dark charisma almost makes up for what a moody jerk he can be.

Sky, a beautiful, drug-addicted empath fresh out of the Osaka underworld.

Kel, a stoic intelligence expert from Senegal with little patience for dramatics.

David and Luke, lovely Irish twins with major issues, and their older brother Dylan, who just wants them to stay alive.

Aki, a self-exiled yakuza heir determined to overcome a devastating tragedy.

Jackson, a coldly charismatic precognitive with a secret plan in which all of the Talents have roles to play — whether they want to or not.

(Which one would u?)

The second book in the series is already out, so get readin', mates. The third will be available for pre-order by the end of the week, so stay tuned!

I'm back with a new release, my friends!

Spooky Smutty Stories: Classic Tales Gone Gay is a collection of seven short and steamy m/m tales inspired by some of my favorite classic folktales and urban legends.



My favorite is "Runner, Runner," a stormy, sexy, sad-eyed spin on the ghostly hitchhiker trope. A close second is the sequel to my old story "Backwoods Beast." I've always wanted to cap off that story, so I decided to use the O.G. and the sequel as the start and finish for this collection.

It's been a while since I took a hard hiatus from social media and left my author accounts gathering dust. But I'm thrilled to finally have something new out! Hope you read and enjoy.

xo
Claire

Friends! I'm so excited to announce the imminent release of my new m/m romance novel, In Strange Woods:

Wild hearts and hidden passions ignite in the stormy coastal woods of the Pacific Northwest.

James is a moody photographer from New York City whose wealthy family was recently murdered in a high-profile crime, leaving him a massive fortune — including one oddly unexplained piece of property deep in the foothills of coastal Oregon. Convulsed by grief and desperate to get away, he sets out to find it...and is quickly sucked into a bizarre spiral of events involving dead-end logging roads, a mysterious doppelganger, and a soft-spoken, mouthwatering local hunk named Hunter Quaid.

Read the full description and pre-order In Strange Woods on Amazon!

There's a lot of mood in this book, and a lot of music. To capture the vibe, I made a Spotify playlist inspired by all of the songs referenced and not referenced in the story. The backwoods of the Oregon Coast are ancient, lush, and full of mysterious life, and sometimes it really feels like it was directed by David Lynch.

This playlist has flavors of grunge, blues, jazz, rockabilly, and a little hint of psychedelia. Think Nirvana, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin...give it a listen and tell me what you think!

Lots of exciting things coming up, believe it or not. Be sure to catch me on Twitter and subscribe to my newsletter for all the updates and freebies I can give ya.

Happy to be back! xoxo

Things you'll find in In Strange Woods when it comes out Friday (pre-order now!):

Crashing waves
Ancient forests
Kurt Cobain
Battered leather jacket
Old diner
Eerie hitchhiking moment
Renovated mid-century trailer
Rainstorm
Masturbation
Blackberry thorns
Lookalike
Whiskey
"Eco-terrorism"
Sexy backwoods eccentric
Tattoos
Standoff on a bridge
More Kurt Cobain
Hot slow sex
Cemetery
Beautiful man muscles
Mood swings
Murder
Elvis
An actual plot
Very good weed
Even better blowjobs
Oregon history
Roy Orbison
Cozy pickup truck
Gun
Scenic river
Slow burn romance
The most unequivocal HEA that's ever come out of my brain
...and more!

1,000 thanks to all the early readers leaving reviews <3 To everyone else, I so hope you dig it! And if you wanna get in the mood before Friday, remember to check out the playlist.

P.S. Join my mailing list for updates on new releases, freebies, behind-the-book tidbits!