JL Merrow

It’s day 2 of the Fall Hard blog tour!

I’ve been delighted by comments from reviewers of Fall Hard that the setting—Iceland—really comes alive in the book, and that the reader can tell I love the country. So today I’m thrilled to be a guest of a real life Icelander, Erica Pike, who was kind enough to cast a native eye over the book to save me from any unintentional bloopers.

I’m sharing 10 Fun Facts About Iceland, but be warned: some are more factual than others! So why not pop along and see if you can tell which is which! (Hint: it’s not that hard!)

All comments on posts on the Fall Hard Blog Tour will be entered into a draw for the grand prize! Good luck! 

It’s the first stop on the Fall Hard blog tour, and today I’m over at Well Read talking about Viggo’s Viking forebears in Who Can Resist a Viking?  (Which is, by the way, a direct quote from the lovely Jenre when I approached her about a guest spot).

Vikings: love ‘em? Or run away screaming?

Why not pop along and let me know what you think about those axe-wielding, hairy-faced, homicidal poets?

All comments on posts on the Fall Hard Blog Tour will be entered into a draw for the grand prize! Good luck! 

Yes, you can finally get your (virtual) hands on modern-day Viking Viggo!

And to celebrate, the Fall Hard blog tour will be kicking off tomorrow:

Weds 18^th Sept: Who can resist a Viking? at Well Read

Thurs 19^th Sept: 10 Fun Facts About Iceland at Erica Pike’s blog

Fri 20^th Sept: Tabula Rasa at Joyfully Jay

Tues 24^th Sept: To Shave or Not to Shave at RJ Scott’s blog

Weds 25^th Sept: What’s in a Name? at Cup o’ Porn

Will there be a giveaway?  Of course there will!

I’m offering a free signed paperback copy of Pressure Head (I’m happy to ship internationally) to a randomly chosen commenter on the tour, plus a $10 Amazon gift certificate!

I’ll be making the draw around teatime on Monday 30^th September, GMT. Good luck!

And here’s the blurb for Fall Hard:

Some memories are better off lost in the mist…

Eight months ago, British academic Paul Ansell lost his lover—and all the memories of their time together—in an accident at Iceland’s Gullfoss Falls. Returning to the misty island country to resume his study of the bloodthirsty Viking Egil Skallagrimsson is tough as he struggles to pull his life back together.

First, there’s his colleague, Mags, who treats him like glass, and summer student Alex, who peppers him with discomforting questions. Then there’s Icelandic jet-boat driver Viggo, a tattooed, modern-day Viking who won’t say much about how they know each other. Leaving Paul to wonder if their volcanic attraction is fuelled by a desire to make a fresh start, or desperation to forget the past.

As more fragments of his lost memories fall into place, Paul is unsure if he can trust himself, much less anyone around him. And he begins to suspect his accident was nothing of the kind.

Warning: Contains a modern-day Viking whose boat has V8 engines for oars, and a harsh land of hot springs and hotter passions that won’t forgive any false steps.

Samhain | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

It’s been grey and cold for the last day or so in Britain, so why not cheer yourself up with a copy of Summer Lovin’?

And if you pop on over to Cup o’ Porn, where Josephine Myles, Chrissy Munder, Lou Harper, Clare London and I are discussing our favourite summer drinks (hint: mine ISN’T tea) there’s a chance to win a copy!

Good luck!

…from Josie Goodreads at Mrs Condit & Friends:

Viggo was wonderful, I could just imagine him as a Viking warrior of old, tall, blond, strong, but gentle, he was quite the enigma. Right from their first meeting its obvious Paul and Viggo fit together, and they are as hot between the sheets as the springs of Reykjadalur.

I’ve never been to Iceland but it’s a country that’s always fascinated me and in Fall Hard JL Merrow brings it to life with her descriptive prose as a land of mystery and wonder overflowing with history… Definitely one to keep and re read again. 4 stars.

Fall Hard is due out from Samhain 17th September 2013, and now available to pre-order:

Samhain | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

The lovely Chris over at Stumbling Over Chaos is holding a draw for a free copy of Fall Hard – just pop along to the giveaway post and leave a comment to be entered. Good luck!

Here’s the blurb:

Some memories are better off lost in the mist…

Eight months ago, British academic Paul Ansell lost his lover—and all the memories of their time together—in an accident at Iceland’s Gullfoss Falls. Returning to the misty island country to resume his study of the bloodthirsty Viking Egil Skallagrimsson is tough as he struggles to pull his life back together.

First, there’s his colleague, Mags, who treats him like glass, and summer student Alex, who peppers him with discomforting questions. Then there’s Icelandic jet-boat driver Viggo, a tattooed, modern-day Viking who won’t say much about how they know each other. Leaving Paul to wonder if their volcanic attraction is fuelled by a desire to make a fresh start, or desperation to forget the past.

As more fragments of his lost memories fall into place, Paul is unsure if he can trust himself, much less anyone around him. And he begins to suspect his accident was nothing of the kind.

Warning: Contains a modern-day Viking whose boat has V8 engines for oars, and a harsh land of hot springs and hotter passions that won’t forgive any false steps.

Due out from Samhain 17th September 2013, and now available to pre-order:

                      Samhain | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Today, the Summer Lovin’ authors; Clare London, Chrissy Munder, Josephine Myles, Lou Harper and me are over at Joyfully Jay, where we’re debating that age-old question: Room Service, or Roughing it?

Why not pop along and give us your two cents (or tuppence ha’penny, as may be)? One lucky commenter at Joyfully Jay will win a copy of Summer Lovin’!

The contest closes on Wednesday, September 4th at 11:59 pm EST.

Good luck!

Visit Reviews by Jessewave and leave a comment in the post for your chance to win a copy of Summer Lovin’!

…at time of writing, it’s #5 in the Amazon.com gay fiction charts. Woo-hoo!

I’m blogging today over at RT Book Reviews on the perils of living in an English country village, the setting for Pressure Head (and its sequel, which will be coming out next year).

Although now I look back at the post, it seems to be mostly about pubs. Hmm…. Can’t think how that happened!  Rumours that I went on a pub crawl to scout out settings for use in Pressure Head are entirely, ahem, true.

Why not pop along to RT Book Reviews and find out how I came up with the names of some of the pubs in Pressure Head?

Well, I’m sure it’s lunchtime somewhere in the world, so here, without further ado, is the result of the Hot Pressure Print Giveaway

*pauses for drumroll*

*wonders whether drumroll counts as “further ado”*

*decides it does and hopes nobody notices*

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnndddd the winner, courtesy of our old friend, Random.org, is:

Sue

who commented on WordPress. Congratulations, Sue! You win a signed copy of EACH of The Hot Floor and Pressure Head. Please drop me an email at jl(dot)merrow(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll be in touch re sending them to you.

Thanks to everyone who played – and better luck next time if you didn’t win! Jo and I will be offering more giveaways very soon, this time for our anthology Summer Lovin’, so watch this space!