THE TRAILER

THE BLURB
Through time and space, there’s a lot of love. But love gone wrong can turn to betrayal and seal one’s destiny forever. And destiny has the bad habit of repeating its pattern lifetime after lifetime as two men, caught in their passionate love, struggle eternally in quest of the divine.
From the ancient walls of Egypt, Us-Yri’s sexual obsession for Set gets in the way of his destiny to ascend from ruler to god of the underworld. His Spirit returns as Mitra, prince of the ancient Persian empire, to continue on struggling against his lust for Vayu in order to become the new shiny god of rebirth, judging the souls of the deceased. But only Shaun and Halifax in Celtic England will finally reveal the truth about Divinitas.
THE PG EXCERPT
“You[image:image-0]’re crazy to submit to these tortures,” Vayu scolded bitterly as he passed the healing lotion on the blistered skin. Wherever he looked, the Aryan saw tiny bubbles bursting with water. Underneath, the defenseless red and raw flesh throbbed relentlessly, sending fresh pain waves to the entire body.
For days, Mitra could neither lie down nor wear clothes. His tortured body hardly withstood the air circling on the raw skin and the mere thought of anything brushing against it, even by accident, caused him untellable pains. Now the worst seemed to be over, though it still stung whenever Vayu’s hand spread the soothing lotion.
“You don’t understand,” Mitra said, trying to ignore the pain.
“What’s there to understand, Varuna? You all seem mad to me, including your father. What have you proven with this insane act?”
Mitra sighed deeply. If he had to explain it rationally to someone who did not believe in his faith, it would probably make no sense. “It helps the mind control the body,” he said at last.
“Why do you need your mind to control what lives of material passions? The two travel separate ways and it would be foolish if one controlled the other.”
“You’re wrong, devil,” Mitra argued patiently. “We are a combination of soul, mind and body. They seem separate to a neophyte, yet they are one single entity,” he explained, revealing the mystery of the Three joined as One. “The soul’s journey is what’s really important because it is everlasting, but the mind and body both contribute to its travel.”
“Your Magi is fucking with your head, sweet Prince. They taught me that mind, body and soul are each a part of us and we should explore their potentials, not limit anyone in particular. They define us as human beings,” he pressed harder on the raw skin to mark his point, “made of flesh and blood. If you try to deny that part of yourself, you’d be wasting the essence of life itself.”
“I don’t deny it,” Mitra retorted hotly, wincing from the pain. He remained silent for a while. “I just think there has to be something more than immediate material satisfactions. When I’m dead and my soul has to face the final judges, whoever they may be, what will it tell of my life?”
“That you fucked a lot and with increasingly higher satisfaction,” Vayu teased, his hand playing with Mitra’s ass.
“Fuck you, devil. Would you give such an answer?”
Vayu bent down to brush his lips against Mitra’s, his tongue gently tracing the thin edges. “I’d be proud to give such an answer, knowing who my lover was.”
THE SENSUAL EXCERPT M/M
Outside, cool crisp air cleared his mind from the turmoil. He leaned against the Palace walls, partially hidden from view, and looked up at the starry sky. The night was clear, stars sparkling, not dimmed by the moon’s bright light. Us-Yri’s gaze swept the universe’s vastness, wondering, How powerful the gods must be to create such a never-ending marvel.
“Admiring my constellation?” a familiar voice asked, looking upward. “The Scorpion is very bright tonight.”
Startled, Us-Yri straightened his back away from the wall, seeing Set standing under a torch, his skin gleaming in the half-light. Born during the Goat constellation, the ruler liked to keep track of the bright designs ruling the sky at people’s birth. A matter of curiosity, no doubt, although according to some theories, the stars’ birth patterns influenced a person’s destiny. Dimly, he remembered something about Set’s birth occurring during the Scorpion’s constellation, though it was a vague memory. “You’re right, it looks particularly beautiful tonight,” he agreed, turning back to stare at the constellation. “But not as much as the Goat,” he challenged, indicating a group of stars low on the horizon.
Set moved closer. “The Scorpion can beat any goat any time,” he retorted huskily. “And I believe I just did,” he continued smoothly, “or you wouldn’t be hiding out here in the dark.”
“What are you talking about?” Us-Yri retorted, upset at the thought the young man could read him so easily. “I’m not hiding,” he lied, “just—
Set pressed closer. “Then explain why you left so abruptly, Ausir,” he inquired. “You didn’t even finish dinner.”
“I wasn’t hungry,” Us-Yri lied again, “and I wanted some fresh air.”
“What a smooth liar you are,” Set muttered under his breath.
Not believing his ears, Us-Yri turned to him. “What?”
With a sudden lurch forward, Set pushed the ruler against the wall, his body pressing tightly. “You heard me right, Ausir,” he said softly, his breath tickling the ear. “You’re nothing but a liar.”
Cold rage swept over Us-Yri like an icy storm drowning his control. The comment seemed most unfair under the day’s excruciating circumstances, which had forced Us-Yri to rely heavily on his restraining power. He shoved against Set’s hold, but despite his bigger frame, he failed to break free. “I don’t lie,” he spelled in a clear, angry voice. “I never wanted to—
“That’s all you ever wanted,” Set whispered, again, bending on Us-Yri’s ear, “to fuck me until there’s no more strength left in your body.”
Us-Yri shoved him harder, but Set did not let go. “Do you think I haven’t noticed how your eyes follow me around everywhere?” he continued under his breath. “Or felt your desire to touch me?” He raised his voice. “To possess my body completely?” His gaze bore deeply in Us-Yri’s brown depths.
The ruler sighed, the proximity unbearable as his sex hardened and pressed against Set’s stomach. But refusing to surrender, he tried one last stand. “You’re wrong,” he assured, pausing to search for a suitable appellative, “devil,” he concluded, the title coming naturally to his lips. He took a deep breath and felt anger melting away. “I don’t feel like that,” he lied, avoiding to stare at Set’s tempting mouth so close he felt his warm breath on his face.
“Tell that to your cock…brother,” the young man mocked maliciously, his hand grabbing the hardening shape under the cloth.
Us-Yri almost gasped from the shock. Enflaming the rest of his already excited senses, Set’s hand lingered just enough to make him feel its unbearable heat, but not a second more. As suddenly as he had struck, Set pulled back and left the ruler alone in the dark night, cock hard with unfulfilled desire and mind in utter turmoil.
THE UNUSUAL PROMO
In looking over my other promos for Divinitas by Laura Tolomei, I realize I’ve just been following the usual trend. Sure, I told you about blurb, characters and excerpts, the sexiest ones of course, carefully chosen to attract your attention.
But never once does the power of Divinitas get through to a potential reader, especially the one looking for something completely different. If I had to give a definition, it would be of an erotic book with an intellectual content that addresses central themes in our beliefs about life, after-life and our connection to the divine.
In my writing, I try to communicate, not just entertain with a story, however sensual, dramatic, fantastic or emotional. I’d like to make people think, not just escape reality because can be ugly. True, society as a whole is making life difficult, but society is the sum of its individuals so maybe if we change, it changes, too.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers or magically solve problems. Rather, I offer alternative points of view to interpret life differently and…who knows? indicate new paths for individual growths.  That’s why, just like in all my other books the characters in Divinitas learn to grow along the way thanks to important lessons that will help them lead better lives in the end. And even if I tackle ancient myths or legends as in Divinitas, I still talk about real life people struggling through the same battles we all face everyday. Us-Yri has to learn to master his uncontrollable passion for his friend Set in order to understand his spiritual side. Mitra, too, tries to fight against his lust for Vayu only to find that total acceptance of his love is the only thing that will make him free of earthly ties.
But Divinitas goes even further. Its greatest message is perhaps that everyone has a divine connection within as long as they don’t lose touch with their spiritual side. And analyzing the succession of religious myths, it becomes crystal-clear that spirituality is a force man’s been reckoning with ever since he walked the Earth. True, times, spaces and even names change, but the tale they tell is always the same, a love so great that even if betrayed, it will find the strength to save himself and mankind.
It’s not an easy concept to grasp. That’s why it’s finely embedded in what apparently seems like just another erotic book about ancient myths. I made it more interesting by using a sensual format, but my promotion so far failed to get the message across. I hope now I set things right.