A Look At Raine Delight & 'Moonlight Masquerade' ( @Raine_Delight #SO )

Today we have author Raine Delight visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Raine Delight loves to be pampered by her harem of men that exist solely for her pleasure. Wait…..that was in a movie she saw. Hey, she can dream. :) Raine loves to fight with her muse, attack her manuscripts and find a way to silence the many voices in her head. Inspiration hits at odd times and for Raine, a blank word document page gives her many possibilities on story ideas. Living with her two kids, a significant other who supports her every move in writing and doesn’t seem to mind she gets up at 2 am to type away on the computer. With a love for Johnny Depp, movies and 80’s hair bands, Raine finds a way to bring all her chaotic thoughts into a story that tells her readers about love and romance.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what's the order the books should be read in?
* Today I am talking about my story in the On Valentine’s Day anthology, Moonlight Masquerade. It is a m/m anthology filled with a wide range of stories from some of today’s best m/m authors.
* Moonlight Masquerade is a short contemporary story and is my second m/m story I have done. I got to admit the cover is what inspired me to write this story. It’s gorgeous, romantic and sexy all at the same time. This isn’t part of a series or anything so can be read as a stand alone title.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?
* My muse saw the mock up for the cover and went screaming at me about a secret admirer, a guy unlucky in love and a workaholic who longs for love of his own and roses. Plus I was able to incorporate my experiences working in a bakery in this story with a special addition at the end of the story for my readers from my hero, Skylar.

Describe the hero in five words.
* workaholic, lonely, driven, geeky/nerd and sweet

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
* I adore Marc and Skylar. They both touched a cord in me as they became friends and Skylar fell for this new neighbor not knowing that Marc was hiding a big secret from him.

What's your favorite line in the story?
* I had to have a coffee addicted character and Skylar was delighted to be that one who moved heaven and earth for that perfect coffee. :)
* “…Stopping at Tim Horton’s helped but he liked grinding his own coffee and the smell always perked him up…or that was what he told people who thought he needed therapy over his coffee addiction. Wasn’t his fault if he enjoyed that rich, bold flavor each morning?”…

A look into the anthology story Moonlight Masquerade

~ Blurb for Moonlight Masquerade ~ * Mysterious roses keep popping up on Skylar Everclear's doorstep. No idea what is going, a little disturbed by this secret admirer, he tries to forget it all since he just got rid of the latest line of loser boyfriends and just wants to do his job at the local bakery. But when he meets his new neighbor, Marc Douglas, he finds himself drawn to the quiet young man even as he tries to not let his libido take over. But on Valentine's Day, a mysterious rose again pops up with a note to meet his admirer that night. Will Skylar take a chance that this time, love is right there waiting for him?
~ Excerpt for Moonlight Masquerade ~ * Skylar opened his door and groaned. Another damn rose was lying on his doormat. It ticked him off that he had no idea who was doing this but every freaking night this week he either came home to a rose on his porch or opened the door to it. It was enough to feel creeped out now. He looked around, seeing no one, shut the door with a soft click and leaned against the door in despair. It has been three months since he threw out his lover, Saul, after catching him fucking some other guy after one of the numerous block parties the neighborhood held in the summer and autumn months and frankly he didn’t know what to do anymore. All he did was work, sleep and work some more. He always seemed to pick those guys who are bound to break his heart.
* “I must have ‘Loser’ tattooed on my forehead the last few years.” Skylar muttered to himself. “Why can’t I find a nice guy for once? One who won’t lie, cheat or steal and break my heart by telling me I wasn’t good enough for them.” Sighing, Skylar grabbed his backpack, keys and cell phone as he hurried to get ready for work. As a baker in the local bakery, his day started earlier than many others. With Valentine’s around the corner, he was working longer than normal hours. He was in the bakery at 4 am and not coming home till almost five at night. It made for long hellish days but he enjoyed what he did. Plus he enjoyed seeing the people enjoy his desserts and hey, the paycheck after days like this made a nice chunk of change in his bank account. His mind on what items he needed to get done for the next few days, he opened then shut his door, locked it and made sure to pick up the rose before he stepped all over it, crushing the fragile blooms. As he turned and walked to his car, he wondered who his mysterious admirer was.
* Skylar’s day got off to a good start at work as he hummed a long with a local radio station playing 80’s rock bands while he rolled out dough for cookies, breads and made delicate fruit pastries. He was finally able to take a quick break around noon when the front sales person, Marlene, poked her head in the doorway saying they needed more pastry hearts. Seemed everyone was buying those desserts for their significant other, or ordering the smaller ones for class or office parties. He sighed as the fleeting dream of getting off his feet for ten minutes went on by as he got to work making more goodies. By the time five o’clock hit, Skylar was exhausted but pleased. They sold out of many of the Valentine themed items and the specialty breads were also almost gone. He made a note on the dry-erase board what needed to be replaced tomorrow and clocked out, waving to the front sales people as he went through the door to the parking lot.
* Shivering as he hurried to his car, Skylar fumbled with his keys before unlocking the door and sliding into the seat. Turning the heat up on high, he waited a bit before putting his car in drive to go home. All he wanted to do was grab a shower, order a pizza and veg in front of the television. He was so exhausted it wasn’t funny. Watching couples come into the bakery or men buying items for their partners/girlfriends was a downer to be sure. He never liked Valentine’s Day to begin with. He felt it was a holiday that Hallmark cards liked so they could guilt people into buying cheesy cards and florist could raise the prices of roses so high it was mind boggling. He never had a nice Valentine’s Day where a lover surprised him with dinner or gave him something romantic or funny or sweet. He was always alone on Valentine's day and he tried to make sure he didn’t have to deal with people who were so sugary sweet they made his teeth ache. Finally feeling the car heat up, he drove off determined to not think of hearts, flowers and all the things associated to Valentine’s Day. It was for couples, people in love and not for him.

Buy the On Valentine’s Day anthology here...
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Thank you for joining us here today, Raine Delight! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.