My name is Remmy Duchene, I write
interracial, GAY romance and erotica and I have a confession to make.
I have a
n unhealthy
obsession with everything samurai, but not just any samurai--I love the
masterless samurai, the Ronin. My love of the culture and the warrior stemmed
from a research paper I did in university on who is arguable the best samurai
to ever live, Miyamoto Musashi.
n unhealthy
obsession with everything samurai, but not just any samurai--I love the
masterless samurai, the Ronin. My love of the culture and the warrior stemmed
from a research paper I did in university on who is arguable the best samurai
to ever live, Miyamoto Musashi.
Most of us know him as the writer
of the book of five rings but this man was bad-ass. He wasn't your typical
samurai. What do I mean by that? Well back then a samurai was not only
bad-ass but he was kind of the Justin Beiber of the time. They were loyal,
wickedly skilled, well groomed and well, everyone wanted to sleep with them.
They were hip, cool, in, revered. Musashi on the other hand was unkempt,
unknown for a long while, scraggly, found with whatever weapon he could get his
hands on and had no respect for timing when it came to duels. You see, he
fount is first duel was at sixteen years old. And after a few shots from him to
his opponent, who might I add was older and very well known as a very well
skilled samurai - Musashi picked up his opponent, flung him to the dirt and
beat him to death.
Another noteworthy duel came when
he was fighting another well known samurai. He showed up to the duel about two
hours late, then instead of bringing a sword like a regular samurai, Musashi
showed up with apiece of wood that was made from an extra oar on the boat that
brought him to the duel. You see, showing up to a duel late was considered
highly disrespectful. It made his opponent crazy that Musashi would DARE
show up so late and without a sword.
But you see, that was precisely
what Musashi wanted. He wanted to get into this samurai's head--psyche him out,
throw him off his guard. Musashi was not only great at fighting, but he was a
master when it came to psychological warfare.
Ever since I learned about this one
man and a few others, my love of all things samurai was born. My newest release
is about a Samurai who died during the Onin war that started in Japan in 1467
and lasted to around 1477. He then inherited the powers of the SHIVERS and now
must fight with evil to save the planet and the man he loves. Yes, back in the
day there is history that claimed Samurai engaged in homosexuality. One
source I read said it wasn't a question of why a samurai would do this--it
would be a question of why not.
Osaki joined forces with the
Shivers, a species created when Zeus cheated on Hera yet again. Hera, in her
fury cursed any offsprings that comes from that union and when Ciro, Aerios and
Koi along with their brothers were born, they came out with the ability to
control the weather - you see, their mother is the Goddess of the Storm Winds
and Zeus--well he has his lightning bolts.
There are few Shivers that are
good, like Koi and Ciro. But most of the others are out of hand, they just want
to see the world burn.
Osaki has a lot on his plate and
love is the last thing he has time for. Not only does he have to get used to
his new powers as a Shiver and all the training it involves, but he also finds
himself being drawn to a human—though Kofi makes it clear he’s into women—and
Osaki must respect the man’s wishes. All Osaki really has to do is focus on
training and being the best tour guide possible for Kofi. But nothing ever goes
as planned and soon rogue Shivers are popping out of the woodwork, hell-bent on
destroying Osaki for his inheritance. It soon becomes quite clear that they
want him dead, and they’re not afraid to use Kofi as leverage—or as collateral
damage.
Kofi Olabasu needs a vacation. He’s
spent so much time looking out for his brother and working that he’s completely
neglected himself. To make matters worse, feelings for a man are driving him
crazy. The moment Kofi feels Osaki, he knows something is about to change.
Confused about his attraction to Osaki, he agrees to take a vacation and
accepts Osaki’s offer of being Kofi’s tour guide in Japan. However, nothing is
as it seems. Soon every dark corner is filled with danger and those who wish to
do him harm.
EXCERPT
With the faint sounds of laughter
floating up from the others below him, he put on his apron and grabbed the
brushes. He stared at the blank canvas for a moment before setting up then
began with red paint. He worked until the canvas was completely covered. It was
as if he couldn’t stop. Kofi sat back and smiled. He was caught up with his
work but not enough to miss that familiar feeling he always felt when Osaki was
near.
“Are you just going to stand there
and stare?” Kofi asked without turning around. “Or are you going to say
something?”
“I did not think you knew I was
here,” Osaki replied. “I was careful not to make a sound.”
“I didn’t hear you,” Kofi said,
placing his brush down then turning on his stool.
Osaki was dressed in a blue samurai
kimono.
“I felt you. Is everything okay
downstairs?”
“Everything is fine. You left a
dinner you planned. I may not be human any longer but that, I do not believe,
is something that is done. Am I correct?”
“I think so.”
Osaki chuckled. “For a minute
there, I thought you would say something like ‘I smelled you’.”
“Nothing like that. Why aren’t you
with the others? It sounds like a real party out there now.”
“I just wanted to check on you.”
Osaki walked into the room to peer closely at the fresh painting. “You did not
look so well when you left us. I was merely curious.”
Kofi smiled. “Thanks… For checking
on me, that is.” He turned to stare at the painting with Osaki and for a
moment, neither of them spoke. “Do you have a last name?” Kofi questioned. For
some reason Osaki mattered to him.
“A last name?” Osaki asked.
“Yes. A family name. Like I’m Kofi,
my last name is Olabasu…”
“Oh, right. Hirosuke.”
“So you’re Osaki Hirosuke.”
“The English way, yes. In my
country, my name is Hirosuke Osaki.”
“Well, look at that. I learned
something new.”
Osaki laughed. “This is beautiful.
What is it?”
“I don’t know. It’s what I’m
feeling inside. Do you really think it’s beautiful? I mean, do you really like
it?”
Kofi’s cheeks heated when Osaki
turned to look at him. He took a breath and undid the apron he wore, but he
pulled the wrong string and it knotted around his neck. He frowned. “This is
ridiculous. I can’t even untie a stupid string now?”
“You are feeling chaos, Kofi,
confusion. I think perhaps you do need that vacation. Here… Let me help you
with that.”
Osaki stepped behind Kofi and
tugged at the strings. His fingers brushed Kofi’s skin, sending a streak of
electricity down his body. Biting his lips, Kofi held back a moan, wondering
why this man’s touch caused such a storm inside him. He said nothing, nor did
he try moving away. Kofi was curious, silently burning with each inadvertent
stroke of his neck by the samurai.
“I don’t know anything about you,”
Kofi said, happy that his voice didn’t crack. “Are you a real samurai?'
Thanks for stopping by and check me
out! Thanks for having me!
Remmy D
Start your SHIVERS obsession today with book 1 in the
series - CIRO! And Grab OSAKI on April 17 at Totally
Bound!
