Naoto's appreciative eye sees the honourable and sexy man Koji-san is under the work-driven shell. Little by little, his massages and more coax the real man, the passionate, artistic, sex-loving Koji, to the surface. Yet, the
more time Naoto spends with Koji, the more he finds his own soul craving a partner again, the one thing he thought he'd never find after his lover was killed three years ago. He's not sure he's ready to get that close again. And even if he were ready, it doesn’t mean that Koji wants the same thing. In fact, Koji once mentioned that he was supposed to get married. Yet, when an agonising secret from Naoto’s past is revealed to him, Naoto wants only to turn to Koji.
When Naoto comes to him for help, Koji is suddenly faced with a harrowing decision: remain in his work-driven, soul-killing world or follow the path his body and heart have really chosen for him? And he must choose - for in a world where passion and spirit find union, there is no in between.
Reviews for Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss
Outstanding read "Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss was phenomenal. The story glided effortlessly from between the story and the sex. The emotional obstacles Koji and Naoto faced would have had lesser men throwing in the towel and giving up on love, life, and happiness. Koji was the typical Japanese Salaryman; working long hours, not taking vacations, and thinking that their work was so important that no one else could do it if they were unavailable. Naoto could not escape the nightmare of his lover's murder. The need for revenge was only staunched by his respect for his mentor. I loved Naoto because he was the alpha-male and protector of those he loved. As a reader, you could feel the anger Naoto felt when he noticed the scars on Koji. Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss is part of Ms. Guillone's new White Tiger Series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to reading the next book in the series." - Simply Romance Reviews
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An excerpt from Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss
About Sedonia Guillone
Sedonia Guillone is a multi-published, award nominated author of both m/f and m/m erotic romance. The man in her life is her inspiration and provides all the hands-on research she needs. When she’s not writing, she’s cuddling, watching samurai flicks and thinking about the next naughty, delicious tale she wants to write.
Backlist
Men of Phuket: Tongue-Thai'd (Total-E-Bound); The Lion's Lover (Loose Id); Taming Kate (Loose Id); The Completeness of Celia Flynn (Loose Id); The Bite Before Christmas (Anthology with Laura Baumbach and Kit Tunstall, Loose Id); Lady of Two Lairds (Loose Id); His Beautiful Samurai (Torquere Press); Beautiful Samurai, White Tiger (Torquere Press); Darelle's Trinity (Ellora's Cave); A Man for Michael (Ellora's Cave); Valmont's Trinity (Ellora's Cave); Barely Undercover (Ellora's Cave); Heart of a Sorceress (Ellora's Cave)
An Interview with Sedonia Guillone
By Katie Raines, Assistant for The Romance StudioKR: Sedonia, thank you for joining us at TRS. Please tell us about Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss. SG: Thank you so much for having me here! Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss is Book Two of my White Tigers Series at Total-e-Bound. Chronologically speaking, this is the FIRST romance that occurs at the White Tiger, the gay love hotel/spiritual ashram that I created in the heart of Ni Chome, Tokyo's vibrant gay neighborhood.
KR: Two gorgeous men, a story laced with danger, and deep emotions. How did this sensational story come about? SG: Wow, you make it sound so awesome! lol. The way this story developed is that I wrote a romantic suspense Beautiful Samurai, White Tiger (Torquere Press) set in the White Tiger in which my two heroes, John Holmes and Detective Toshi Genjin were searching for a young man who'd gone missing, suspected of being kidnapped by yakuza.
We are introduced here to Naoto and Koji who have a long, delicious sex scene in this book. After I wrote it, I found myself wanting to revisit the White Tiger because it was filled with these hot men. I thought of Naoto and Koji whose backgrounds we learn a tiny bit about in Beautiful Samurai, White Tiger and realized that they had a story to tell behind their obvious passion for each other. Hence, Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss.
But even before this story, Men of Phuket: Tongue-Thai'd came about. That book is actually where most of the danger is laced because the yakuza in question from Beautiful Samurai, White Tiger is always in the background of the White Tiger. Taro Suzuki, fictional son of a large Tokyo crime family, is archrival to Kiku Fujimara, a hot hot man and the central figure of the White Tiger, Suzuki is always planning new ways to torment Kiku out of jealousy and envy. This antagonistic relationship is threaded through the other White Tigers books and builds to a head in Men of Phuket: Tongue-Thai'd. I'll explain it in the following answer.
KR: What can you tell us about the other stories in the White Tigers series? How did that series come about? SG: Just before I was finishing Beautiful Samurai, White Tiger, my boyfriend turned to me and said, "I have a title of a book for you. Men of Phuket, you know, for the city in Thailand." I thought that was a great idea and so I began doing research on Phuket. Turns out, this city is host to one of the largest Gay Pride parades every year and is one of the most openly welcoming cities in the world to GLBT. I had no idea! It seemed perfect for setting an M/M erotic romance, to say the least. However, I still wanted to write about the men of the White Tiger which is in Tokyo. Luckily, I found a tie-in with one of the characters, Ryur who needed a place to hide from Taro Suzuki. Perfect. The man of Ryu's dreams, Nat Phoenix, an ex-champion boxer turned cop, is the one hired to protect him.
This was the first book to come out at Total-e-Bound and so when I wrote Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss, Claire suggested we put all those books under one main header of a series. Since the White Tiger focuses on the Taoist sexual path of using life force to achieve spiritual enlightenment, I felt that White Tigers was a good name for the series, not to mention an alluring title as well.
I apologize if the series seems at all confusing. The thing is, the stories aren't written in chronological order, but in the order in which they came to my mind. Fortunately, all the books are stand alone and give enough background that a reader can pick up any one of the White Tigers books and read it without having difficulty getting the storyline. Here is a list of the White Tigers books in order of the romances as they occur and the men involved (all from Total-e-Bound):
Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss - Naoto and Koji, Released March 2008
Men of Tokyo: Sudden Surrender - Kiku and Yuzo, Coming in August 2008
Yin Yang, novella in the upcoming M/M anthology Fabulous Brits - Basho and Timothy, Coming August 2008
Men of Phuket: Tongue-Thai'd - Ryu and Nat, Released October 2007
Men of Tokyo: Sudden Heat - Quan Chan and Hiru, Release TBA
Thai'ing the Knot - More of Ryu and Nat, Release TBA
KR: You've written several tales now of M/M romance. What draws you to this genre, Sedonia? SG: Good question. There are several factors which draw me to writing M/M although it's difficult to explain. I'll do my best. Aside from the fact that seeing two hot guys hugging and kissing is so unbelievably erotic, I'd have to say that there's something comforting about writing such a story. For some reason, I'm able to write out the issues going on inside me through the medium of an M/M romance. Perhaps part of that is the fact that my father is gay. He came out when I was nine years old and so I had a primary man/man relationship around me at a formative stage in my life. That definitely had a deep effect on me and just as writing an m/f romance gives me a chance to create the kind of loving couple I would want to see in real life, writing m/m romance gives me this chance in the same way.
KR: How does a female writer depict such beautiful tales of love between two men so convincingly? SG: LOL. I'm really glad that most people find my love scenes convincing. I have been accused of making them too ladylike in the past, but that was only one criticism. I'll tell you what I do. I put myself in each character's place, really trying to feel what he feels, emotionally and physically, smell what he smells, etc. To some degree I must draw on my own experiences and pour in my own emotions and desires. In the areas where my experience cannot have taken me (i.e. being a man having intercourse with a man), I must dig in deep in order to pull together my imagination with experience. Being a writer, there is a certain degree of empathy in me which allows me to feel things that others feel to a degree. This is the case with writers, otherwise, men wouldn't be able to have female characters in their books and vice versa.
KR: You write for several publishers. Do you find this to be to your advantage and why?
SG: It is to my advantage in a couple of ways. First is that I can get more releases out in the course of a year. As the publishers release lineups get more crowded, there's more lag time between releases. Staggering them among several publishers allows a shorter time between releases. Being at different publishers is also good because different readers favor different publishers and so I can get my name out to a wider audience.
KR: Total-e-bound is a newer publisher and one that is gaining wonderful recognition. What has your experience with them been like? SG: My experience with Total-e-bound has been wonderful. Claire is a terrific publisher/editor to work with, patient and helpful. Courteous and really good at business. When Claire was first forming the company, she e-mailed me out of the blue, inviting me to submit something. I admit I was incredibly flattered to be courted and couldn't resist. I had a queue of things to finish before I sent something to her but after I began writing Men of Phuket: Tongue-Thai'd, I sent the partial to her and she accepted it immediately. I admit that I was reluctant to begin with a new publisher, but when I went on the TEB site and saw how well laid out it was and how professional and hot the book covers were, and that Claire had gained the confidence of some really incredible erotic romance authors, I decided to take a chance, especially since she'd invited me to submit among such company. I'm really glad I did!
KR: How much time do you devote to your writing career? SG: I write every day and try to write at least 1000 words per day. 1000 words doesn't sound like much but writing takes a lot of energy. My writing is my job, how I make my living.
KR: What in your writing career are you most proud of to this point? SG: Hmmm, good question. There are several things I'm most proud of. I'm thrilled that many of my books have gotten Recommended Reads and Reviewer Top Picks. I'm also thrilled that I have books in print. It's quite a feeling to look on my bookshelf and see my name on the spines of a bunch of books. If there's one thing, though, that stands out even above the first two, it's the times when someone writes to me who's read one of my books and tells me how much they loved it or that I'm one of their favorite authors. THAT has to be the best part.
KR: What would you like to tell the readers out there? SG: Well, basically I'd like to tell them how much their support means to me. There are so many erotic romance books out there that it's relaly an honor when someone spends their hard-earned money on one of my books. The fact that my work is on people's To Be Read lists and To Be Bought lists thrills me to no end and is increidbly gratifying, especially because I pour my heart and soul into my stories. I heard one writer say once that writing erotic romance is like stripping off her clothes and walking down Main Street in her bra and panties. Nothing hidden. It really is that way. A reader is getting a good look at my fantasies and inner workings when she or he reads one of my stories and when it's enjoyed, that is really special. Thank you. I also hope people will visit my website and blog at www.sedoniaguillone.com. I always keep my works in progress updated and post pics of guys I find yummy, and things like that.
HH: Thank you!
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