Title: Craving Stains
Author: Alina Popescu
Length: novella
Genre: gay, gay fiction, science fiction, paranormal, gay romance
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Synopsis
Wynn Brenwood has been trapped by his mother since birth, shut away in a sterile, hospital-like apartment.
Is it her desire to keep him safe that sees him locked up in his pristine cage? Or are her motives less innocent and well-intentioned?
Wynn longs to break free to experience the world he sees beyond his window.
Desperate to escape, he meets Doyle, a handsome, leather-clad, and enigmatic stranger.
But is Doyle real, or is he just a figment of Wynn’s imagination?
Wynn has been locked away since his birth in a sterilized apartment by his crazy mother. She has always claimed it was to keep him safe in his hospital like cage or are her intentions less motherly and more selfish? All Wynn ever thinks about is to escape his mothers clutches and be free for the very first time in his life. He meets the beautiful and sexy stranger, Doyle but now Wynn starts thinking could he be real or something his mind has conjured up?
I so enjoyed this short story by Alina as she keeps you guessing is Doyle real or the very creative imagination of a guy locked up his entire life by his mother. Whether he's real or not, the hot encounters were mind blowing and you are rooting that he's real for Wynn's sake. I liked that Alina has created something so very different from the other MM novels which was a huge delight to read. This mother OMG how she beat the system in making everyone think that Wynn has mental issues but it's actual her that is nuts. Will Wynn defeat his crazy mother and escape and experience the outside life for the very first time? Will the mother gets what's coming to her? Is Doyle real as Wynn needs someone finally in his court?
This novel was a complete joy to read as Alina takes us on a new type of journey. The way she created the characters, especially Wynn was just simply some brilliant writing. How the author keeps us guessing if Doyle is real and how exactly they meet is some of the best writing I have come across in awhile. I have to personally thank the author, Alina Popescu for writing a brilliant, steamy and thought provoking novel....Craving Stains. I highly and I mean highly recommend this novel to everyone as you will not be disappointed in the least!!!
I so enjoyed this short story by Alina as she keeps you guessing is Doyle real or the very creative imagination of a guy locked up his entire life by his mother. Whether he's real or not, the hot encounters were mind blowing and you are rooting that he's real for Wynn's sake. I liked that Alina has created something so very different from the other MM novels which was a huge delight to read. This mother OMG how she beat the system in making everyone think that Wynn has mental issues but it's actual her that is nuts. Will Wynn defeat his crazy mother and escape and experience the outside life for the very first time? Will the mother gets what's coming to her? Is Doyle real as Wynn needs someone finally in his court?
This novel was a complete joy to read as Alina takes us on a new type of journey. The way she created the characters, especially Wynn was just simply some brilliant writing. How the author keeps us guessing if Doyle is real and how exactly they meet is some of the best writing I have come across in awhile. I have to personally thank the author, Alina Popescu for writing a brilliant, steamy and thought provoking novel....Craving Stains. I highly and I mean highly recommend this novel to everyone as you will not be disappointed in the least!!!
I MUST have fallen asleep at some point, Wynn thought. He must have slid into this dream, surely, as that was the only explanation for the room he was currently in. A bed with dark silk sheets took up most of the room, flanked by two nightstands. A stained pizza box was thrown on one of them. On its path to the nightstand, the box had knocked down a can of soda, the liquid a messy stain on the carpet. Clothes were piled up all over the chair and desk next to the window. Wynn would guess there was a pretty old laptop under that messy pile of garments, but he couldn’t be sure.
The door was flung open and a dark shadow entered the room. As it approached Wynn, he could tell it was a man. Tall, dark, and generally huge. Wynn gripped the window pane he was leaning against. He lifted his gaze to the man’s face, and a sly grin greeted him. The man’s dark brown eyes swam with mischief, and his full lips parted to reveal a bright smile. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, and Wynn suddenly found it hard to breathe. He stalked closer and Wynn finally noticed what he was wearing: combat boots, black leather pants, and an old leather jacket over his bare upper body. Muscles bulged under his olive skin, and Wynn couldn’t suppress the urge to lick his lips, his nostrils flaring at the stranger’s spicy, masculine scent.
“And who might you be? All alone here in my room. That’s not a very safe place to be in, kid,” the man warned in a deep rumble.
Goose bumps quickly covered Wynn’s skin from his neck to his shoulders and down his arms. He blinked a few times, trying to remember his name and to get some words out. The man’s reached out to his face, cupping it. His thumb brushed Wynn’s cheek, and he swore he could have swooned at the touch. His very first touch from someone who was not a doctor or his mother.
“I... I... sorry, I don’t know how I got here,” he whispered. “I’m Wynn.”
“Doyle,” the man said firmly, right before his lips crushed Wynn’s in a bruising kiss.
Wynn gasped and clung to the stranger’s leather jacket, distracted by the surprisingly soft material. A warm tongue pushed past his lips and found his own, swirling around it. Wynn’s knees went weak, and he whimpered. He was falling, and embarrassment was his only emotion. Strong arms caught him. Doyle chuckled, and Wynn felt the tremors in his body.Well, at least I can amuse the man.
“Feeling okay, Wynn? You look like you’re about to faint like a teenage girl after her first kiss.”
Doyle’s teasing should have embarrassed him further, but the man’s voice made Wynn shiver, heat pooling in his groin, his stomach twisting painfully.
“Hey, stay with me,” Doyle demanded, shaking him a little. As Wynn was still having a little trouble breathing properly and holding himself up, the stranger helped him to the bed, pushing him down to sit on it.
“That couldn’t have been your first kiss,” Doyle said, arching an eyebrow and pushing back a little to give Wynn a once over. “I know it’s my birthday, but did they pick up a virgin for me?”
“Pick up a virgin?” Repeating Doyle’s words didn’t help him much, but Wynn still felt like saying it over and over again. What was the man talking about? “I am a virgin, but no one picked me up. Like I said, I don’t know how I got here.”
The door was flung open and a dark shadow entered the room. As it approached Wynn, he could tell it was a man. Tall, dark, and generally huge. Wynn gripped the window pane he was leaning against. He lifted his gaze to the man’s face, and a sly grin greeted him. The man’s dark brown eyes swam with mischief, and his full lips parted to reveal a bright smile. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, and Wynn suddenly found it hard to breathe. He stalked closer and Wynn finally noticed what he was wearing: combat boots, black leather pants, and an old leather jacket over his bare upper body. Muscles bulged under his olive skin, and Wynn couldn’t suppress the urge to lick his lips, his nostrils flaring at the stranger’s spicy, masculine scent.
“And who might you be? All alone here in my room. That’s not a very safe place to be in, kid,” the man warned in a deep rumble.
Goose bumps quickly covered Wynn’s skin from his neck to his shoulders and down his arms. He blinked a few times, trying to remember his name and to get some words out. The man’s reached out to his face, cupping it. His thumb brushed Wynn’s cheek, and he swore he could have swooned at the touch. His very first touch from someone who was not a doctor or his mother.
“I... I... sorry, I don’t know how I got here,” he whispered. “I’m Wynn.”
“Doyle,” the man said firmly, right before his lips crushed Wynn’s in a bruising kiss.
Wynn gasped and clung to the stranger’s leather jacket, distracted by the surprisingly soft material. A warm tongue pushed past his lips and found his own, swirling around it. Wynn’s knees went weak, and he whimpered. He was falling, and embarrassment was his only emotion. Strong arms caught him. Doyle chuckled, and Wynn felt the tremors in his body.Well, at least I can amuse the man.
“Feeling okay, Wynn? You look like you’re about to faint like a teenage girl after her first kiss.”
Doyle’s teasing should have embarrassed him further, but the man’s voice made Wynn shiver, heat pooling in his groin, his stomach twisting painfully.
“Hey, stay with me,” Doyle demanded, shaking him a little. As Wynn was still having a little trouble breathing properly and holding himself up, the stranger helped him to the bed, pushing him down to sit on it.
“That couldn’t have been your first kiss,” Doyle said, arching an eyebrow and pushing back a little to give Wynn a once over. “I know it’s my birthday, but did they pick up a virgin for me?”
“Pick up a virgin?” Repeating Doyle’s words didn’t help him much, but Wynn still felt like saying it over and over again. What was the man talking about? “I am a virgin, but no one picked me up. Like I said, I don’t know how I got here.”
Queen of Procrastination: Top 5 Activities that I Label as Research
Authors need to do their research. This is a rule I live by. I like to research places, myths, ideas, people, characters, meaning and history of names, historic events… You name it, I’ll research it and try to use it to make my story better. While no one can really fault an author for spending ridiculous amounts of time researching, there is a rather fine line between research and wasting time. Sparkly details easily distract and I am a pro at crossing that line and making excuses for my procrastination habits. I brush it all off as research, but let’s face it! Sometimes I just muck about…
Watching videos on YouTube – this is by far the biggest time waste for me! Sometimes it’s because I want to see a certain person and observe their gestures, grimaces, and way of speaking. Other times it’s a video of a place I want to visit, or on an issue I am building a story around. Either way, I get distracted and end up watching vids for a couple of hours when thirty minutes would have been quite enough.
This is genuine research! Watching Steven Retchless dance because he was the inspiration for Blake from Flawless Design helped a lot! Then again, two-three videos would have been enough. Watching all of his vids a few times, then more from other dancers… not so much helpful as it was distracting. Plus, I published that short story a year and a half ago! It’s safe to say I no longer watch the vids for research.
Writers’ Groups – This is the place to ask questions, debate ideas, share facts… pretty much interact with other writers, get support, and stay motivated. We all know we end up posting 300 comments on a thread when we’ve stopped debating the topic by comment 5. We digress, joke around, get distracted and forget what the question was to begin with.
Wikipedia – Wikipedia is where I start my research on a lot of subjects. I fact check with other sites, articles, and books, but this is a great resource. I use it to research obscure gods and beings, ancient cultures, myths and legends, history of faraway places, geographical details… in short, everything. The problem with Wikipedia is that all other related subjects are a click away. So… I want to know more about Tiamat, and from there I end up researching ancient Sumerian beasts, names of fallen angels, myths about dragons… All I needed were some ideas and facts on Timat! Sure, I will use everything else later, but I so didn’t need it yet! And besides, by the time I am using the info, I will have probably forgotten half of it and will start researching the topic again.
Reading – this activity makes every writer better at their craft. And sometimes books in your genre or on a certain topic or exploring a certain setting are the best research you can do. I read books, manga and other types of graphic novels. Then I move on to see the movie, or anime, or TV series adaptation. And let’s face it, finishing 4 books in a week is not really a requirement for my research. Three of those books were on unrelated topics. And yeah, that entire anime series wasn’t necessary either.
Browsing photos – I am visual and I need to see photos of places, characters, or events. I also randomly browse photos because they inspire me. Once, this photo of a bunch of trees with bright yellow leaves, half of which had fallen, covering the ground, inspired a whole story. Did I really need to browse ten million photos of Gackt to finish Shiki’s story, Strength to Let Go? Probably not, but I still did it!
Does it sound like I waste a lot of time? Yeah, that’s because I do. Sure, I am harsher with myself than I should be, but I still think I am the Queen of Procrastination. And don’t even bring up the topic of my search or browsing history! No one wants to go there, no one. ;)
Authors need to do their research. This is a rule I live by. I like to research places, myths, ideas, people, characters, meaning and history of names, historic events… You name it, I’ll research it and try to use it to make my story better. While no one can really fault an author for spending ridiculous amounts of time researching, there is a rather fine line between research and wasting time. Sparkly details easily distract and I am a pro at crossing that line and making excuses for my procrastination habits. I brush it all off as research, but let’s face it! Sometimes I just muck about…
Watching videos on YouTube – this is by far the biggest time waste for me! Sometimes it’s because I want to see a certain person and observe their gestures, grimaces, and way of speaking. Other times it’s a video of a place I want to visit, or on an issue I am building a story around. Either way, I get distracted and end up watching vids for a couple of hours when thirty minutes would have been quite enough.
This is genuine research! Watching Steven Retchless dance because he was the inspiration for Blake from Flawless Design helped a lot! Then again, two-three videos would have been enough. Watching all of his vids a few times, then more from other dancers… not so much helpful as it was distracting. Plus, I published that short story a year and a half ago! It’s safe to say I no longer watch the vids for research.
Writers’ Groups – This is the place to ask questions, debate ideas, share facts… pretty much interact with other writers, get support, and stay motivated. We all know we end up posting 300 comments on a thread when we’ve stopped debating the topic by comment 5. We digress, joke around, get distracted and forget what the question was to begin with.
Wikipedia – Wikipedia is where I start my research on a lot of subjects. I fact check with other sites, articles, and books, but this is a great resource. I use it to research obscure gods and beings, ancient cultures, myths and legends, history of faraway places, geographical details… in short, everything. The problem with Wikipedia is that all other related subjects are a click away. So… I want to know more about Tiamat, and from there I end up researching ancient Sumerian beasts, names of fallen angels, myths about dragons… All I needed were some ideas and facts on Timat! Sure, I will use everything else later, but I so didn’t need it yet! And besides, by the time I am using the info, I will have probably forgotten half of it and will start researching the topic again.
Reading – this activity makes every writer better at their craft. And sometimes books in your genre or on a certain topic or exploring a certain setting are the best research you can do. I read books, manga and other types of graphic novels. Then I move on to see the movie, or anime, or TV series adaptation. And let’s face it, finishing 4 books in a week is not really a requirement for my research. Three of those books were on unrelated topics. And yeah, that entire anime series wasn’t necessary either.
Browsing photos – I am visual and I need to see photos of places, characters, or events. I also randomly browse photos because they inspire me. Once, this photo of a bunch of trees with bright yellow leaves, half of which had fallen, covering the ground, inspired a whole story. Did I really need to browse ten million photos of Gackt to finish Shiki’s story, Strength to Let Go? Probably not, but I still did it!
Does it sound like I waste a lot of time? Yeah, that’s because I do. Sure, I am harsher with myself than I should be, but I still think I am the Queen of Procrastination. And don’t even bring up the topic of my search or browsing history! No one wants to go there, no one. ;)
Book Trailer
Buy Links
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UUE58SU/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UUE58SU/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00UUE58SU/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00UUE58SU/
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/craving-stains-by-alina-popescu/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cravingstains-1766728-145.html
About the author
Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.
Social Links
Site & Blog: http://alina-popescu.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alina_popescu
Instagram: http://instagram.com/alinapopescuwriter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/alina-popescu
Google+: https://www.google.com/+AlinaPopescu
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/alinapopescu
Prizes:
1 x $20 WIP Giftcard and 3 x ebook copy of Craving Stains by Alina Popescu
1 x $20 WIP Giftcard and 3 x ebook copy of Craving Stains by Alina Popescu
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