Happy Birthday, Marcus

Avey World is celebrating Marcus Clayton's birthday with a 24-hour special. The first reader to identify one character from the debut novel and share why you love or hate that character will receive an autographed copy of Bastards. See entry guidelines below. Good luck to you!


Birthday Contest Guidelines:
* Include character name
* Include your name, email address, and mailing address with entry
* Email all entries to
* Entries will be reviewed at the end of 24-hours, i.e. after 3:00 p.m. CDT
* One entry per household
* Avey World employees, contractors, and associates are ineligible to apply

Avah's Holiday Pack

I've got a special holiday offer for all my friends in Avey World! Get caught up on the saga with all the drama of a TV series in book form and save money in the process. Visit Avey World now until December 31 and purchase all three titles in the Lost & Found saga series at a special low price. Click Holiday Pack on the homepage. It's all for you for Christmas. Happy Holidays from Avey World!

Avey World is www.avahlareaux.com

12 Days of Marcus

What could be better than one day of Marcus? Twelve Days of Marcus, naturally. I've got just the 12 for you...

Join my extended Avey World family on FaceBook as we celebrate the season with the main character of the Lost & Found saga series. Marcus Clayton makes a holiday appearance just in time for a special Avey World offer and in anticipation of the release of book four. Visit me and join the discussion in FaceBook. Search Avah LaReaux and get in on the fun.

Bomb Pop Cocktail

As promised on the Food Temptress blog, here is the adult version of the 3-Stage Bomb Pop. Enjoy!

Bomb Pop

Bacardi® Razz Rum
Lemonade
Blue Curacao Liqueur
Quantities for one drink:
2 oz Bacardi® Razz Rum
2 oz Lemonade
2 oz Blue Curacao Liqueur
Blending Instructions:
Pour the Bacardi Razz rum into a small rocks glass or otherwise
Add blue curacao, and then lemonade, and serve

(recipe courtesy of supercocktails.com)

Today is the Day...

I'm visiting with The Food Temptress, Rekaya Gibson, on her blog today. It's National Dessert Day and I'm sharing 13 Desserts Marcus Clayton Loves. Come on over, leave a comment, pick up a few recipes, and learn something new about the bad boy of the Lost & Found saga series. Where? www.thefoodtemptress.blogspot.com

Come Visit Me...

I'll be sharing some details about the main character of my Lost & Found series with The Food Temptress this Thursday, October 14. Get to know Marcus Clayton like never before. Join me at www.thefoodtemptress.blogspot.com. See you there!

Woke Up This Morning

Moving the crowd
Making 'em clap to this
Writing stories to be added
To your Amazon Wish List
Show stopping
Jaw dropping
It's not what "they" said
It's what I know
My mama used to say
I been here befo'e
Probably
I am Spirit
What he says write
I hear it
And scribe...nouns and verbs
Word after word
My ultimate goal to be seen
Not just heard
It's what I do
Not for me, but for you
All the late nights
Greeting the daylight
Yeah, it's fun...and it's work
Making fiction reality 'til my hands hurt
It's a gift, not a curse at all
Using pen and palabras to knock down walls
I've got a plan and I'm all about it
No need to stand on the mountain top and shout it
I just write
Proofread, edit, make it tight
And present it
Everything that's in it is from me
Every dotted "I", every crossed "T"
Says, A-vah Lah-Row
(the phonetic spelling for those who don't know)
It's who I am

Affaire de Coeur Chat Tonight

I have my new chat time for Affaire de Coeur. Join us tonight, 8pm Central, as we discuss book three and get better acquainted. The fun's at www.affairedecoeur.com. Click chat under Talk to Us.

Affaire de Coeur Chat Tonight RESCHEDULED

We had a couple techy things happen at AdC tonight and we're going to chit chat in the near future. Stay tuned for the new time. Hugs & kisses...


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Tonight is the night, 8pm CST with Affaire de Coeur. Come chat with me and the Bay area's hottest women's romance magazine. Bastards is the topic and we'll be putting it all out there...for Marcus, of course. Final confirmed time is 8pm Central at www.affairedecoeur.com. Click Chat under the Talk to Us section.

July Family Dynamic Featured Author

I'm pleased to join Desiree Dalton and the members of Sexy Ebony Book Club as a July featured author. The topic this month is the family dynamic and Bastards is up for discussion. Stop by, learn about some of my favorite things, and enter to win a copy of book three in the Lost & Found saga series. See you on the Sexy Ebony blog.

Sexy Ebony Book Club blog

Memorable Moments...

Only the men in the Clayton family traveled to the reservation in Bryson City, North Carolina. Robert, Jewel, and Marcus rode in one car. Marcus’ uncles—Richard, Kyle, and Brett—rode in a car by themselves. Each man had taken days off from work or leave from the military to be present for their only nephew’s ceremony. This event was too important to their family to miss.

The Clayton brothers loved each other dearly, but didn’t see eye to eye regarding their father. Each had witnessed too much of his random illicit behavior against them and their mother. For that reason, the older sons rarely came home. Richard, or Richie as his family still called him, was married to one Anastasia Petrof Clayton, a white woman. No way his father was letting her in the house. He barely spoke to his granddaughters, mainly because he said they were whiny and he didn’t like whining little children. Add to that the fact that Richie had moved to California and the outcome was very few trips across country to see an ornery old Indian.


From Bastards
Blue Planet Publishing
February 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0982429860

Memorable Moments...

Change is inevitable. All good and bad things come
to an end. It is our responsibility as humans to understand
that change and become one with it. Even when we don’t
understand it, we must still reconcile it.


Marcus Clayton from Bastards
Blue Planet Publishing
February 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0982429860

Memorable Moments...

The fact that Marcus spoke French had long been a sticking point with his grandfather. According to the story, not only had Launa named Marcus after her father, but she had also taught him French before she taught him English. All of this was done in protest to her father-in-law’s bigoted ways. He considered her to be French rather than black because of her light complexion. Therefore, in Poppa C’s ornery mind, she was white. He didn’t like white, unless he was cutting hair. At that point, all money was green and he accepted all green.


From Bastards
Blue Planet Publishing
February 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0982429860

Memorable Moments...

While everything went well between Robert and his sons, there was nothing but tension between him and Ebony. There was still bitterness about the decision to terminate her pregnancy and there was mistrust based on lies told by an angry son. No matter what Robert told Ebony, she refused to let her guard down. And though she understood why Jewel had been so cruel, she couldn’t bring herself to surrender to her former lover again. Decisions made, Robert agreed to continue taking care of his sons financially and to visit them as often as he could. And as Robert walked back to his rental car and sped toward the airport, Ebony trembled with tears for the man she still loved and the baby she had sacrificed.


From Bastards
Blue Planet Publishing
February 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0982429860

Memorable Moments...

“I fell in love with the fact that I was loved in return. No presumptions. No criticisms. No rules that were impossible to live up to. No one to throw the Bible at me when I made a mistake.”


Robert Clayton from Bastards
Blue Planet Publishing
February 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0982429860

The After Party

ISBN: 978-09824298-6-0
Retail: $14.95*
Genre: Fiction - Saga, Family
Retail Site: Avah on Amazon

{title also available online at Barnes & Noble}

* Wholesale, bulk, and large group rates available

A Birthday Toast

They tell me it's time for a toast. I'd be lying if I said I'm a man of few words. Guess everyone knows that.

The last two years have been amazing. I never imagined being able to share my story with so many people and have each of you embrace me the way you have. The journey to this point has been beautiful and it's because of you.

Each of you have inspired me to be something more than I am. I appreciate that. The Marcus I am today is so much more because of friends, family, individuals that cared enough to give input. Thank you.

So, on my birthday, I celebrate each of you as you celebrate me. Here's to evolution...

Reviews for Bastards

Avah LaReaux has mastered the art of story-telling. In her tale, Bastards, Ms. LaReaux has spun a story filled with laughter, tears, and most of all entertainment. She is very clever with turning a word that usually possesses a negative stigma into a powerful literary work. This authoress will make you look at yourself in the mirror and ask, “Am I a bastard?” Kudos, Avey!

~ Ni'cola Mitchell, Best-Selling Author of Over and Over Again and The Appetizer.


Bastards is Avah LaReaux at her best. Through the voice of Marcus, she skillfully re-defines a traditional term. Bastards is a fast-paced page-turner that kept me on edge from beginning to end.

~ Recha G. Peay, Award Winning Author of Table for Three, Illusion of Love, Intimate Betrayal, and Mystery of A Woman.

What We Working With...

Hey, ladies and gents. I know there are so many people here that it's hard to tell who's who. No worries. You know I got you. The honoree, as you know, is Marcus Clayton. He's rarely seen out, but peope hear a lot about him. Put your pens and notebooks away for a minute. Hold off on asking for autographs and easing in interview questions. Well, maybe a few interview questions will be alright. He loves the attention. To know you're talking to the right guy, here's what you look for...

** Athletic build
** Six-foot-three in height
** Smooth sun-kissed skin
** The face of a naughty muse highlighted by two, deep dimples, and hazel eyes
** Short-cropped hair, close to the scalp. Usually curly, but probably be straight tonight.


Note to family: Look for the one who looks like Uncle Joseph

Welcome to the Party...

Welcome to the party! Today, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., we will be celebrating the evolution of Marcus Clayton and the Lost & Found saga series. This series and character were debuted to the literary world in 2008. Since that time, book clubs, readers, and literary aficionados have seen many transformations. Today, all are welcome to post about those changes. Blog your reviews, leave your comments, and feel free to share concerning the man (and series) of the honor.


* Reviews left on this celebration blog will be posted to Amazon.com.