Author Interview: Angel Rothamel

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Title: Misunderstandings
Author: Angel Rothamel
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance

What would you do if you got a call informing you that the family as you knew it, was a lie?

Dan Brock, retired SEAL turned mechanic in small town Cedar, Colorado, gets a call that changes his life. Dealing with the family he never knew about, Dan takes his frustrations out on the man, that because of his good looks, Dan refuses to have anything to do with.

Dallas Bainbridge’s primary job is flying Dan’s former CO from place to place. Getting a request to fly Dan to his father’s funeral, Dallas tries to keep to himself, not knowing why Dan doesn’t like him. Can the two men get past their differences, or will a simple misunderstanding keep them apart?

 Author Bio

Growing up in Washington State then moving to Texas then Missouri, before going on a life changing move to Perth, Australia, Angel has used experiences in her life to encourage her writings. She began writing when she was in 6th grade and always loved to tell tales of drama and intrigue. She insists on a happily ever after, at least for now, but she also says that ‘the more drama they have to overcome the better. I like real stories, stories that take you on the gambit of emotions.’  She loves hearing that her readers laughed, cried, and even went so far as to want to smack the characters and ask… WTF!

She currently lives in Southeast Texas with her two dogs, a beagle Daisy and Chihuahua Bonita, along with her good friend Chris.

You can usually find her in front of her computer, typing away on her latest book, or on the phone with her best friend plotting out what will happen in one of their joint projects.

You can find her at: www.angelrothamel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/angel.rothamel

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

When I first started out, I tried to plan each and every step, situation and the whole kit and caboodle. But as time went on, I found that while that worked for some characters and stories it didn’t work for them all.
So now, with some I plan down to the last detail, but others I just write as they come to me. I usually come up with the characters, the major drama that they have to overcome, and then who ends up with who.

 Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

*snort* All the freaking time! I have even had characters from other stories, come up and say… “well that’s good, but ya know… this would be better!” and the hell of it is… they’re usually right!

Sometimes I allow it, but other times I have a specific vision for the characters and story and while I don’t ignore the suggestions, (because ignoring characters can be disastrously bad), I work with them to either create a different story that what they want will be in, or I incorporate what they want into the story without affecting my vision for it.

What drew you to the M/M genre in particular?

I’ve always loved the idea of two gorgeous men together. I didn’t care who they were or what they were doing really, I just loved the idea.

I began reading M/M when I stumbled along a story while googleing something else. I began reading Nick and Damien (by Rolf and Ranger) and fell in love with them. Then from reading about them I began to get ideas and characters to write about.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I am so a night owl, unfortunately I have to be to work at 6 am in the morning!

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

My first thought has to be, I asked the question… “Ok, I just signed my first contract… Now what do I do?” I was completely in the dark about what authors have to do in order to get their names and books out there to the public.

Since then, a year later, I’ve learned more about editing and the editing process. I’ve learned that as an author I have to create a book buzz. I’ve learned about things like, blog hops and tours, how you can pay to get a block of tours or you can set them up on your own for free. I’ve learned about doing promotion parties and who I can go to for those. I have learned that the best way to get a fan base is to just interact with people.

There is still a lot left to learn, but thankfully we have created a good base of people that we can go to if we have questions.

Is there anything you would do differently?
Yes and no. It is very overwhelming in the beginning, especially if you have several books you want to get out at a time. The excitement gets to you and you think, oh cool! I’ve got one book contracted, let’s do another! And another, and another and so on.

I would only do one at a time, spend the time to get each book done the way you want it, and promote it so that it gets the best chance of being noted.

If you have too many books out there at the same time, then the potential for one book ‘outshining’ another or one book getting more buzz than the other is there. Each book should have their own chance to shine.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Oh boy… take it one day at a time. Your editor really is your friend! They want the book to be just as good as you do. We lucked out, we got an editor that rocks! The door is open for us to talk to the editor about suggestions and so on.

The cover artist is also your friend! Hopefully you will get one that you can converse with about the cover, what your vision is and what they have done.
There will be ups and downs along the way, and you have to have a thick skin in some areas… but there are always people you can ask questions of.

The most important thing is to not give up, don’t take things personally, and don’t sell out your vision to the point you can’t live with it.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

What would you do if you got a call informing you that the family as you knew it, was a lie.

Dan Brock, retired SEAL turned mechanic in small town Cedar, Colorado, gets a call that changes his life. Dealing with the family he never knew about, Dan takes his frustrations out on the man, that because of his good looks, Dan refuses to have anything to do with.

Dallas Bainbridge’s primary job is flying Dan’s former CO from place to place. Getting a request to fly Dan to his father’s funeral, Dallas tries to keep to himself, not knowing why Dan doesn’t like him. Can the two men get past their differences, or will a simple misunderstanding keep them apart?

List of previous books if any:

The Solstice by Angel Rothamel
Misunderstandings by Angel Rothamel
Written with best friend and co-author as AJ Kelton:
Under The Australian Sky
Faelon
Marco

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web

You can find her at either of the websites:  http://angelrothamel.com/   &  http://ajkelton.com/
Feel free to drop her a line at… : angelrothamel@gmail.com
Or on facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/angel.rothamel

Friday Freebie: A Summer Night Fling by Raine Delight

A Summer Night Fling
by Raine Delight
Author Raine Delight Books
Paranormal M/M Short Story
Get it at Smashwords~
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/295396

Cal Larson wasn't expecting to find a hot sexy man stuck in a tree as he took his morning walk in the woods. When he meets Alex, sparks fly and these two find that love is waiting to claim them. Except Alex has a secret…one that may bring danger to Cal’s doorstep. Can Cal find it in his heart to accept Alex and let this summer fling turn into something much more?

This will be free from May 14th to May 27th. Wide variety of formats and once this special is done, it will go back to $0.99.

Book Spotlight: To See the Sky by L M Brown

To See the Sky
by LM Brown
M/M Futuristic/Sci-fi
Total-e-Bound
Buy Links: Total-e-Bound | Allromance | Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N

Blurb:

Can a lab rat whore find love with the servant of his master, or will their different backgrounds and prejudices keep them apart?

In the distant future, where the devastation caused by war has driven the human race below the surface of the Earth, society is split in half. The rich scientists live in towers where they can monitor the surface and determine when the poisonous gases have cleared and the world is safe for humans once more. Meanwhile the majority of the human race lives in crowded labyrinthine caves, where life is harsh and short. Uneducated and with no real prospects for the future, a ‘lab rat’ is lucky to live to see thirty years of age. Employment options are minimal and few can escape the fate of choking to death on the dust of the caves.

When AJ, one of the poorest members of society, needs credits for medicine for his sister he is in a desperate situation.  With no other options available he risks alienation from his family by selling himself to the highest bidder. Love is the last thing on his mind, but while Blake, his new owner, might not be Mr Right, Ryder, his servant, just might be. Unfortunately, their different backgrounds, prejudices, and AJ’s brutal owner seem destined to keep them apart but true love can be theirs for the taking if only they can find a way.

Excerpt:

AJ4982—known as AJ—squinted at the ‘employee wanted’ cards pinned on the wall of the agency. He could only read the figures on the cards and had no idea what jobs they offered. He didn’t care, he’d do anything to raise the credits for his sister’s medicine. Finally he spotted one with the figure 500 printed at the bottom in bold black lettering. He grabbed the card from the wall and marched over to the clerk’s desk.

“Hi, I’m Landon. How can I help you today?” the bespectacled clerk said as he took the card from AJ’s outstretched hand. His eyes widened slightly as he scanned the job details before turning back to AJ.

“Put this back where you found it,” Landon ordered as he passed the advert back.

“I want to apply for the job,” AJ stated.

Landon looked him over, taking in his messy hair, ragged clothes and swiftly assessing him to be one of the uneducated masses. “You can’t do this job.”

“I’ll do any job.”

Landon looked at the card again and cleared his throat before reading the text. “‘Wanted—Laboratory Technician with at least three years experience in bio-science for temporary assignment in sector R9’. Still think you can do the job?”

AJ ducked his head, embarrassment sweeping over him.

Landon gave him a sympathetic glance. “Can you even read?”

“I can read enough,” AJ snapped.

“You can read figures, the same as the rest of the lab rats,” Landon corrected. “You can tell the time, see what things cost and make sure you’ve been paid correctly. The scientists need their staff to be properly educated. Now, what was your last job?”

“I was a runner down in the tunnels,” AJ replied reluctantly. With the surface of the planet uninhabitable after the Last War, the human race had taken refuge beneath the ground. The underground community was outgrowing the caverns they inhabited at an alarming rate. The original emergency caves had filled as soon as the survivors took refuge. Within just two generations the cave system could no longer hold everyone and the tunnelling downward had begun. More than five hundred years later the digging still continued, with twisting tunnels stretching out in every direction as they struggled to accommodate the ever-increasing population.

“I’ve got nothing for a runner these days,” Landon said. “Since the collapse in sector C14 workers in the tunnels are being laid off. No one’s hiring at the moment.”

AJ knew all about the collapse in C14. He had lost a friend in the accident and several lab rats from his own sector had been injured badly enough that they would never work again. AJ had been in sector C13 at the time of the collapse and he could still hear the screams from the neighbouring sector as the roof caved in on the diggers and runners who were trapped within it.

“I’ll do anything.”

Landon sighed and tapped the screen of his hand-held computer. “Can you wait tables?”

“How much does the job pay?”

“Ten credits a night.”

“That’s not enough.”

Landon gave him a stern look over the top of his glasses. “Lab rats can’t afford to be picky.”

“I need five hundred credits in three days.”

The clerk’s jaw dropped. “What sort of trouble have you got yourself into?”

AJ bristled at the implication he had done something wrong. “It’s for medicine for my sister. The physician has given her three days if she doesn’t get the lung decongestant. What have you got that’ll get me the credits?”

Landon shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ve got nothing. Have you thought of moving her to a less dusty sector?”

“Of course I have. We don’t have the credits to move either. There must be something I can do to get five hundred credits.” AJ had no intention of giving up. He had too much at stake.

Landon contemplated him for several minutes before glancing around the office. When he appeared satisfied no one lingered in earshot he leant forward and lowered his voice. AJ inched closer as well.

“I’ll do anything,” he repeated.

Visit L M Brown's author website for more M/M stories

http://lmbrownauthor.wordpress.com/

Book Spotlgiht: My Life as a Myth by Huston Piner

My Life as a Myth
by Huston Piner
YA LGBT/Historical
Prizm Books
Available from amazon | amazon uk | prizm books

Blurb:

My Life as a Myth -- 1969 freshman Nick Horton has problems. He suffers bouts of depression, he’s a high school social outcast, and he doesn’t understand why he’s just not attracted to girls. So when a series of misunderstandings label him a troublemaker, he’s delighted to have Jesse Gaston and his gang befriend him. Nick just wants to explore his attraction to Bobby Warren, but Jesse promises to give him a new image and soon transforms the shy loser into an anti-establishment student hero.

Thanks to his new reputation, Nick finds himself besieged by would-be girlfriends and expectations that he live up to his public image. As Jesse’s PR campaign becomes more and more outrageous, Nick’s road quickly becomes littered with ridiculous misadventures and unexpected psychedelic explorations. Meanwhile he struggles to understand his emerging romance with Bobby while dealing with the Vietnam War’s continuing impact on his family and the dangerous goings-on at school.

Nick’s freshman year is a remarkable journey of struggle with his unwanted reputation and his deepening passion for Bobby. Can he accept who he really is and the meaning of his love for Bobby? Is a world still reeling from the sexual revolution, Acid Rock, and the illicit pleasures of underage drinking and pot smoking ready to accept two boys in love? Will Nick and Bobby’s love survive or will the world’s prejudices drive them apart?

Excerpt:

I lay there on the bed looking up at the ceiling. I hadn't noticed before, but Bobby had found some kind of luminescent paint; little painted stars sparkled on the ceiling, which seemed to melt away and become one with the night sky. I felt like I was floating upward to travel across the universe like the guy in 2001, but without any of the fear and uncertainty. When I closed my eyes the vision just got more brilliant. The frog became a space ship that could take us anywhere we wanted to go. It was like a Technicolor dream, except it was real.

I heard the bathroom door open, and Bobby stood there dripping in front of me.

"My God, you're beautiful," I said as I went to dry him off.

First, I hugged him and let the water share itself with both of us, then slowly ran the towel over his head, around his shoulders, and along each arm. The music continued and the vibration of its colors crossed over with the melody that seemed to ring out every time my fingers touched him. When we looked into each other's eyes, it was like we looked into each other's souls. We were becoming one and I never felt closer to anyone in my life.

We lay down on the bed next to each other while our magic starship drifted out on another voyage. This time, the room seemed to rock and turn, and we held each other. We twisted and explored the stellar vistas and held on tight. Then I sighed and just looked at him.

I've always thought Bobby is handsome, well cute really; but as we lay there together how totally beautiful he is overwhelmed me. I had never kissed a guy before, but there in the darkness, it not only seemed natural it seemed called for. I kissed him, and a rush of emotion erupted inside me. Kissing him turned me on like nothing ever had before.

He didn't pull away. We let our fingers roam and felt the tenderness of each other's skin. The vibration between us became harmonic and resonated through us. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Our starship frog meandered its way through the galaxy, and we kissed, and touched, and caressed each other and grew in a spiritual union. He became me, and I became him, and we became one.

I don't know what I dreamed about, but it was sensual and wet, and I woke up sometime in the middle of the night feeling peaceful and content. Bobby's head lay on my shoulder with his arm wrapped around me and his leg draped over mine. I kissed his forehead and lay there lost in the moment of a new reality. As I fell back asleep I remembered something I had read in Leaves of Grass.

For the one I love most lay sleeping by me under the same cover in the cool night,
In the stillness, in the autumn moonbeams, his face was inclined toward me,
And his arm lay lightly around my breast  --  And that night I was happy.

***

Yesterday morning, neither of us felt a need to discuss our shared mystical experience. To talk about it or try to define it would only cheapen it. It's enough to know that it happened and united us in a friendship that will be ours forever.

Even though we had showered the night before, we showered again, and later Bobby made breakfast like last time. We cleaned up the dishes and went for a walk. The day passed uneventfully, and we had leftover pizza for lunch. The afternoon became glowingly beautiful and when it faded, we counted the minutes till Louie would pick us up and we would gather with the others for our night on the town.

This night on the town was pretty much exactly like all the others. We just went to the Beat Cave and checked out other venues in The District. The only difference was that everything seemed to glow.
Incidentally, when we go to The Beat Cave we always sit at the exact same table as the first time we went there; Jesse insists on it. This tends to work because The Beat Cave is usually not too crowded. But anybody from school who sees us there more than once would think they really had reserved it as "our table." And, of course, that's exactly what Jesse wants people to think.

Last night Jesse, Louie and Matt did most of the talking. As usual Gary only threw in a word or two. Bobby and I spent most of the time just listening to the others. We also spent a lot of time looking at each other and smiling. At one point our feet touched and I felt a shiver of excitement that was just magical. Bobby looked absolutely fantastic.

At the end of the evening, Louie dropped Bobby and me off, and we had some more leftover pizza and beer before retiring. I seem to remember having psychedelic dreams. When I woke up in the middle of the night to piss, it felt like we were back traveling the universe again. I got back in bed, pulled Bobby close, and fell back asleep. As I closed my eyes I remembered something I'd read.

Sweet Child, thou star of love and beauty bright,
Alone thou lookest on the midnight skies;
Oh! That my spirit were yon Heaven of light
To gaze upon thee with a thousand eyes.

Plato, translated by Shelley

Book Review: Mere Mortals by Erastes

Mere Mortals
by Erastes
M/M Historical
Lethe Press
4 Stars

Blurb:

Orphaned Crispin Thorne has been taken as ward by Philip Smallwood, a man he's never met, and is transplanted from his private school to Smallwood's house on an island on the beautiful but coldly remote, Horsey Mere in Norfolk.

Upon his arrival, he finds that he's not the only young man given a fresh start. Myles Graham, and Jude Middleton are there before him, and as their benefactor is away, they soon form alliances and friendships, as they speculate on why they've been given this new life. Who is Philip Smallwood? Why has he given them such a fabulous new life? What secrets does the house hold-and what is it that the Doctor seems to know?

Review:

I love male/male historical romances and anything with a hint of gothic about it. Although I'm not usually a fan of first person novels, in this case it worked well because we as the readers discover things at the same time as the protagonist, Crispin Thorne. It has a hint of the ghost story about it, although nothing explicitly supernatural happens in the narrative, you get the impression you wouldn't be surprised if it did. It was a wonderful sweeping story, but I have one quibble and that is with the ending.

After a build-up of tension for much of the book, we have the denoument and then the last paragraph skims over what happens next to our characters. It all seemed a bit rushed and I was a little disappointed. So four stars instead of five from me.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: Surprising Myself by Christopher Bram

Review copy from Netgalley Surprising Myself
by Christopher Bram
Gay/Coming of Age/Family Drama
Open Road Media
4 Stars

Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Joel can’t be gay if he’s straight

After four years of living with relatives in Switzerland, seventeen-year-old Joel Scherzenlieb finds himself in the United States for the summer, working at a Boy Scout camp. There, he meets nineteen-year-old Corey Cobbett, a fellow counselor who'sand the only person Joel wants to be friends with. Soon, Joel’s sarcastic, distant CIA father shows up and whisks him away to live with his mother, grandmother, and older sister on a farm in Virginia—he’s not going back to Switzerland after all. As his father pleads poverty and his dreams of going to college vanish, Joel faces his longest year yet. But everything changes when Corey returns to his life, bringing with him the discovery and excitement of reciprocal love.

Review:

I'm not sure what to make of this novel. On the one had it is an interesting read on coming out and coming to terms with your sexuality in the 1970s/1980s, but I didn't really get a sense of time at all. It could have been set in today's world and it wouldn't have lost anything.

The book is told from Joel's point of view and the first person point of view is not one of my favourites to read. I'm always wondering what the other characters felt and thought, and we only get Joel's opinions as to what they might be feeling.

It is an interesting read and I enjoyed Joel's growth from scared youth wondering if he was really gay, to his acceptance of himself and others later on. What I didn't like was the time jumps in some certains, such as "Three years later I went back to Switzerland." I wanted to know what happened in the three years in between. The relationship between Joel and Corey felt a bit glossed over, we're told they are in love etc., but only because Joel as the narrator told us so. They are in  a relationship, but it's not a romance, as we as readers don't get to see them on their journey as they fall in love, we come back to them in New York when they are already an established couple.

The writing is good, very solid and flows really well, some of it is quite poetic in places but a lot of the characters besdies Joel and Corey fell a bit flat for me, almost as if they were cariactures of themselves. Since we are only relying on Joel's narration, it might be the way he viewed them, so a lot of them don't get much depth.

I was expecting more of a romance between Joel and Corey and we didn't quite get it. I'm not sure I would class it as a romance, more of a gay drama, and a lot of the book focuses on Joel's sister and her boyfriend and, then husband, Bob Kearney. I wanted more about Joel and Corey, I wasn't all that interested in what happened with the rest of Joel's family.

I think my expectations of a romance were what made it that little bit disappointing for me, as it is a good book, but just not the one I was expecting, so a solid four from me.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Author Interview: Huston Piner

About the Author:

A native of the US Mid-Atlantic coast, Huston Piner grew up in the Stonewall generation and has seen the great strides made in the acceptance of LGBT people in society. He’s witnessed firsthand the ignorance and prejudice that has driven brutality and oppression even to today’s times. As the survivor of a closeted youth, Huston writes adventures and romances that explore the issues and problems gay young adults of every generation experience as they mature and face questions about their sexual orientation. Written with understanding and humor, his characters deal with the same situations and difficulties today’s readers face in their daily lives. Older readers will gain insights into the awakening of adolescent gay sexual identity. Closed minds will find challenges to preconceived notions. My Life as a Myth is his first novel.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

It’s a bit of both really. In My Life as a Myth, I had the idea for the main character’s first day at school, a day in which everything that can go wrong does. From there the story took off. Early on, I had thought it would flow in a certain direction, but the more I wrote the more the plot turned in ways I didn’t expect. As an example, the Christmas sequence almost literally wrote itself; I was shocked at how it unfolded.

In general, I think you have to have a basic idea for a story, but it’s essential to let the story tell itself. That can sometimes be startling, but I think it’s always for the best.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Not only do they want to, they generally do. Right now, one character of a project I’m working on is waiving incriminating photos in front of me threatening to go public if I don’t do exactly what he tells me.

What is your favourite food?

In another life, I must have been Mediterranean; anything Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Egyptian, etc., speaks to my taste buds and soul.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Unfortunately, I’m a bit of both. Yawn…

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I’d love to spend a month in the UK, followed by a leisurely tour of Europe, ending with a slow trek from Italy to Morocco.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Not so far, unless you consider Virginia among those “faraway places with strange-sounding names.”

Do you listen to music while writing?

Yes. For example, My Life as a Myth is set in 1969-1970. I played songs from my already considerable collection from that era, which I supplemented as the characters found themselves listening to the occasional song I didn’t already own. In addition, I listen to a lot of classical music, being particularly fond of Beethoven, Bizet, Carl Neilson (not to be confused with Harry), Rachmaninov, Satie, and Schumann.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

My Life as a Myth is one of those stories that practically wrote itself. I remember clearly getting ready to go somewhere and the phrase, “My life is a myth” came to me. I wrote it down, and when I came back wrote the first draft of the first scene. It’s a story about self-discovery and coming to terms with who one is in the face of societal opprobrium.

Nick Horton begins his freshman year of high school seeing himself as a loser. He equates his differences from other boys as obstacles he can’t overcome. His self-perception as he struggles to understand his emerging homosexuality is the heart of the story. The views of others about him, both real and imagined, colour his understanding of the world around him.

A counterpoint is the pressure society puts on people, particularly young people, to conform to this or that “ideal.” Nick isn’t attracted to girls, but the image Jesse constructs for him demands that he must be. That’s a terrible strain to deal with and his subconscious awareness of the potentially brutal consequences if the truth were known drives the narrative.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

My Life as a Myth is actually my second novel. The first, yet to be published, was a learning experience. I was just becoming familiar with the Young Adult literary world, and realizing that the themes I wanted to write about didn’t fit the format I was initially envisioning. It took me quite a while to find the proper voice. You really have to put yourself in the mind of the characters; you have to think and act like they would in any given situation, not as you might do. That means sometimes a character will make a choice that is ridiculous, but wholly appropriate for how he sees things.

Is there anything you would do differently?

I would have started reading the genre earlier. It’s true that observing how others approach something gives insight into how to do it oneself.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

Authors who have influenced me, in no particular order, include the following: Tolkien, Rowling, Stevenson, Chandler, Hammett, Rimbaud, Stoker, Whitman, and Wilde, to name a few.

In the contemporary young adult world, again in no particular order, I’m very fond of these: Brent Hartinger, Jeff Erno, J R Lenk, Keith Hale, John Green, Dakota Chase, K M Soehlnlein, Bart Yates, and Kim Harnes.

Needless to say, neither of these lists are complete.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Read up on the craft, read the genre, then throw the rulebook out the window and start writing. For every advice to do this or not do that you’ll find a dozen examples of violations that work perfectly. Still, keep learning; and revise, revise, revise.

Then consider a revision. Believe it or not, it helps you get to know your characters better, and that makes the story stronger.

What are three words that describe you?

How about any of these: LOL, WTF, IDK, OMG, YKM


Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

My Life as  Myth
Huston Piner
Prizm Books
YA LGBT/Historical

My Life as a Myth -- 1969 freshman Nick Horton has problems. He suffers bouts of depression, he’s a high school social outcast, and he doesn’t understand why he’s just not attracted to girls. So when a series of misunderstandings label him a troublemaker, he’s delighted to have Jesse Gaston and his gang befriend him. Nick just wants to explore his attraction to Bobby Warren, but Jesse promises to give him a new image and soon transforms the shy loser into an anti-establishment student hero.

Thanks to his new reputation, Nick finds himself besieged by would-be girlfriends and expectations that he live up to his public image. As Jesse’s PR campaign becomes more and more outrageous, Nick’s road quickly becomes littered with ridiculous misadventures and unexpected psychedelic explorations. Meanwhile he struggles to understand his emerging romance with Bobby while dealing with the Vietnam War’s continuing impact on his family and the dangerous goings-on at school.

Nick’s freshman year is a remarkable journey of struggle with his unwanted reputation and his deepening passion for Bobby. Can he accept who he really is and the meaning of his love for Bobby? Is a world still reeling from the sexual revolution, Acid Rock, and the illicit pleasures of underage drinking and pot smoking ready to accept two boys in love? Will Nick and Bobby’s love survive or will the world’s prejudices drive them apart?

List of previous books if any

None published.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

Facebook | Amazon | Blog | Amazon UK | Prizm Books

Book Spotlight: Four Days with Jack by Kelli Wilkins

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Book Spotlight: Off Stage Right by Jaime Samms

Off Stage Right
by Jaime Samms
M/M Contemporay/Musicians
Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Damian Learner and his grunge band, Firefly, are on a meteoric rise to success. If they get the right break, fame awaits. Seeking more professional management, Damian independently strikes a bargain with the best agent in the business, Stanley Krane. Unable to afford the penalty for breaking old contracts, Damian agrees when Stan’s best friend, country and Western megastar Vance Ashcroft, offers to buy him out of his old contract.

Overwhelmed by a crippling loan, secretive guilt, Stanley’s expectations, and a volatile relationship with Lenny, Firefly’s lead guitarist, Damian disintegrates. Bad habits of too much sex, booze, and drugs create a rift in the band. Finally Vance, with his understanding of Dominant/submissive behavior, sees that submissives Damian and Lenny are falling into chaos, clinging to each other to try to avoid the inevitable crash.

When the pressure to perform becomes too much and the unthinkable happens, Damian and Lenny have to decide: accept that they need something they can’t get from each other, or burn out and take Firefly with them. Vance is ready to claim Lenny, but even Stan’s hesitant agreement to give Damian the direction he needs might not be enough for Damian—or the band—if he loses Lenny.

Excerpt:

Lenny was still in his room when Damian emerged from the shower, so he investigated the results of Lenny’s shopping excursion and made them both a supper of salmon and salad. Healthy enough even for a picky, demanding guitar player’s exacting standards.

Lenny emerged from his room as Damian was scooping the fish from the pan. “You cooked?” He made a show of sniffing the meat on Damian’s spatula.

“You want to wear it? Get out of the way.” Damian planted a hand on Lenny’s chest and shoved him from the small kitchen space while Lenny snickered at him.

“You have to admit, it doesn’t happen very often.” He managed to snag a tender pink morsel off the hunk of salmon Damian was sliding onto a plate before being forced away. “Ohmygod.” He licked his lips and reached for more. “And it totally should. This is awesome!”
Damian grinned despite his attempt to be stern and annoyed. “I’m more than this pretty face and a decent set of pipes, you know.” He demonstrated by trilling off a few notes of the song Lenny had been working on.

The guitarist blushed. “So you heard that.”

“Of course.” Damian popped a bite of fish from the pan into his own mouth. “It’s got potential.”

“I know.” Seating himself at the breakfast bar, Lenny accepted the plate Damian handed him and picked up his fork. “All it needs is a set of lyrics.” He glanced up hopefully.

“Already on it.” With a tap to the side of his skull and a wink, he set to his own dinner. “Mmm. Shit. This is good.”

Lenny shouldered him playfully. “I never thought you were all that pretty anyway.”

“Because you’ve never had a proper look.”

“Well.” Lenny made a show of thinking about that. “No, I’m pretty sure that’s not it.” He studied Damian’s bare face and mohawk, still damp and shaggy from the shower. “Good thing you have other qualities, I guess.”

“Thanks.” Lenny grinned. “I live to knock you down.”

Damian speared a broccoli floret and popped it into his mouth without comment.

Book Review: College Boys by Daisy Harris

College Boys
by Daisy Harris
Men of Holsum College #1
Siren Publishing
M/M Contemporary Erotic Romance
5 Stars
Review copy from Netgalley

Blurb:

When soccer star Chris Fischer moves next door to an openly gay classmate, he doesn't realize the wall between their rooms will be so thin he'll hear his neighbor's every move. But soon he and Peter become friends, and Chris is intrigued—imagining what happens on the other side of the wall.

Active on the Queer Student Council, Peter Cohen wishes he wasn't so damn hot for his straight neighbor. He can't tell if Chris is flirting or in denial or what, but Chris's innocent overtures lure Peter into flirtation that throws his world into chaos. Peter doesn't want to date a closet case, but he desperately, passionately wants Chris.

Soon Chris must choose whether to run away from his new feelings or embrace a relationship with the guy he loves. And Peter must decide if he can give his heart to a guy who hasn't yet figured it all out.

Review:

Grieving after the death of his mother, Chris Fischer requests a room transfer to a single dorm room so that his friends won't keep asking how he's coping. He doesn't want to talk about it and thinks that having his own room and his own space will help. What he hadn't realised, was that the single rooms in Cooper Hall were once doubles and have just been split down the middle with thin plasterboard walls and he can hear everything his new neighbour gets up to.

I adored this novella. Chris and Peter were both so sweet that you wanted things to work out for them. Chris' dilemma over these new feelings he's having for a man were well done without piling on too much angst. It's a romance so you hope things will work out in the end. It must be difficult after thinking you were one thing for a long time, Chris has had a few girlfriends after all and enjoyed his time with them, but here he is wondering about Peter and what it might be like to do things with him.

Despite his growing attraction to Peter, Chris is afraid to act on it. He's worried about what his friends and his team mates on the soccer team will think. His questioning his sexuality is what a lot of the book is about and you want to reach in and give him a hug. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to come out in real life and it was done with sensitivity in the book.

Chris and Peter spend a lot of the first half of the book talking to each other through the thin walls of their dorm room and it might have seemed a bit contrived, but it really worked here. They got to know each other in whispers late each night, starting out with intimate conversations and then moving on to shared masturbation sessions through that same wall, which were really hot.

It was great that they got to know each other a bit before they finally got together in the physical sense, it made him seem much more emotional because of that. I loved that their first time didn't quite go as smoothly as one would hope - Peter was a virgin and Chris had never been with a man before and it made it so much sweeter and realistic that they weren't these great lovers straight off the bat. The love scenes were intense though, and you could really feel the love between these two young men.

A wonderful read if you're looking for a romance that is both hot and sweet at the same time.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

New & Upcoming M/M Releases this week

Hooked Up
by Parker James
M/M Contemporary
Silver Publishing
https://spsilverpublishing.com/hooked-up-ebook-p-1476.html
Release Date: 25 May 2013

Cable piracy and a con artist bring Shay and Jagger together in a rough and startling way. When tough guys fall in love and lust, the choice between domination and submission becomes all too important

A body-builder working for a cable company, Shay Masterson, gets sent out on a trouble call to discover who's pirating the company's signal. He not-too-gently meets Jagger.

Jagger Holmes, a muscled, bad boy bounty hunter, comes home to manage his elderly father's recovery after an accident. He discovers someone trespassing in his dad's back yard and jumps the man. The contact results in sexual heat that's a game changer.

Two major conflicts brew--how to catch the con man bilking the elderly by selling stolen cable and, more importantly, how two tough guys come to terms with the need to dominate.

Submission will be a deal breaker or a revelation. The men are forced to discover which--or lose their budding love.

***

The Easy Way Out
by R P Andrews
M/M Contemporary
Silver Publishing
https://spsilverpublishing.com/the-easy-way-out-ebook-p-1471.html
Release Date: 25 May 2012

A Florida hustler goes through a rite of passage as his view of sex as a commodity is forever changed by the love of a bi-racial cripple, until their lives and everyone around them are turned upside down by 9/11.

At the turn of the millennium, Josh, a young, street-smart Florida drifter is snatched from his dead-end existence as a male hustler in a cheap Key Largo motel by Bishop, a Wall Street power broker. Set up as a trophy boy in Manhattan society, Josh leads a promiscuous lifestyle among New York City's gay sub-culture until he meets Hylan, a young, bi-racial, down-on-his-luck, wheelchair bound musician. Hylan shows Josh what love can be between two men. But their chance at happiness and the lives of those around them are forever changed by the fateful day in September, 2001.

***

Title Marco
Author A.J. Kelton
ISBN# MLR-1-02013-0073 (ebook) $7.99
Release Date May 2013
Cover Artist Deana C. Jamroz
Length 79,000 words
Heat Rating Graphic
Categories M/M Contemporary
Available At: MlrBooks (ebook)
http://www.mlrbooks.com/Bookstore.php?bookid=AJKMARCO

Being a superstar can give you everything but true happiness.

Marco, in the public eye from childhood, has everything but the one thing he truly wants. Someone to love him for who he is. Evan, Marco's lead guitarist and part-time lover, tends to Marco's needs, from broken heart to media disaster. He keeps his love for Marco secret for fear of ruining the friendship. Jaron would give anything to reach superstar status, given the chance to work beside Marco, he sees it as the perfect way to realize his dream. Will Marco ever see Evan as more than a friend or will Jaron finally get the stardom he dreams of?

***

Title Die for You
Author A. Sangrey Black
ISBN# MLR-1-02013-0729 (ebook) $2.99
Release Date May 2013
Cover Artist Deana C. Jamroz
Length 11,000 words
Heat Rating Graphic
Categories M/M Contemporary, Paranormal
Available At: MlrBooks (ebook)
http://www.mlrbooks.com/Bookstore.php?bookid=SB_DIE4U

In a dangerous paranormal world, a police detective finds it takes a near un-death experience to express his feelings for his vampire partner.

When you're a cop in Undertown, where things that go bump in the night live, fight, and devour one another in their constant battle to exist in a human world that reviles them, falling in love should be the last thing on your mind. But for human Detective Gage Roberts, a near death experience and a heroic rescue by his vampire partner Jensen Holm brings repressed feelings exploding to the surface. Will Gage put his macho defenses on the line and take a chance on the love of his immortal hero?

Book Spotlight: The Perfect Sub by Jayson Locke

The Perfect Sub
by Jayson Locke
1Night Stand Series
Decadent Publishing
M/M BDSM Contemporary
Buy Link: amazon

Blurb:

Drew Prescott thinks he has to be perfect to attract the Dom of his dreams. However, after a year of repressing his true personality, he must face the fact that Dominant Holt Benedict still isn’t interested. In a desperate effort to move on with his life, he contacts Madame Eve, requesting a Dominant who will make him forget Holt so he can try to heal his broken heart. But when his date demonstrates a different way of seeing things, their one night changes everything and forces Drew to recognize the difference between being a perfect sub and offering perfect submission to the man he craves.

Excerpt:

The door opened and I froze, not that I had been moving. A muffled curse drifted to my straining ears.

“Andrew Prescott?” a gruff voice asked.

“Yes, sir. And it’s Drew, sir,” I replied quietly.

Another muffled curse rent the silence. The door closed. Boots trod across the floor toward me.
“You’re my one-night stand.”

The unmuffled words filtered into my brain and rang in my ears. I fought not to tremble. The voice belonged to Holt Benedict!

As the Dominant paced, the sound of his boots treading across the floor from my left to my right and back again, my mind flooded with disbelief. Had Madame Eve thought one night with Holt would make me decide I no longer wanted him? Perhaps she knew something about him I didn’t. Maybe she knew he didn’t suit me after all. Maybe she thought if I actually spent a night submitting to him, I wouldn’t idolize him any longer.

And she could be right. I would get this man out of my system and it would allow me to get on with my life and find a master who really wanted my submission.

The booted footsteps stopped in front of me. I held myself still. I would not give Holt the satisfaction of performing at a sub-par level.

“Why are you here, Drew?”

I wanted to rage at him and burn through some of my pain, but I didn’t. I had taught myself control, taught myself how to be a good sub, and I wouldn’t do such an undisciplined thing as blurt out my feelings. At least, I was good now. I hadn’t always been.

“I contacted Madame Eve and arranged a one-night stand.” My words were remarkably even for a man who quivered inside with a million nerves.

“With me.”

His arrogant tone made my stomach churn with anger and bitterness. For a year, I had been as near to perfect as possible. I had tamed my temper and my tendency to be a bit of a brat. I bit my tongue so many times I ended up having it pierced it so I’d have something else to bite on besides my own flesh. All because I’d wanted him to notice me. I’d wanted him to want me. Since he’d been looking for the perfect sub, I’d been as perfect as possible, but not once had the man bothered to notice me. His curt, arrogant tone stung my lacerated feelings and set me free of my resolve to show him my perfection.

“Hell, no! I didn’t ask her for you!”

He sucked in a harsh breath. “That is no way to address your master.”

Driven by pain, I let his rough words spur me on. “You’re not my master.”

“Tonight I am.”


Visit the author's website at http://jaysonlocke.com/ for more M/M kinky goodness :)

Book Spotlight: The Fight for Identity by Andrew Grey

The Fight for Identity
Part of The Good Fight Series
by Andrew Grey
M/M Contemporary
Available from: Dreamspinner Press
Cover artist: Ann Cain

Blurb:

Will Martin’s racist father, Kevin, hates Native Americans and wants to keep them off his property, never mind that part of the ranch land is sacred ground for the Sioux. When they request access for prayer, Kevin refuses—but Will doesn’t share his father’s views. Ever since he first saw Takoda Red Bird during one of the Sioux sacred ceremonies, Will has been fascinated. He grants the tribe access.

Takoda defies Kevin on a regular basis. He often sneaks to the sacred site on the rancher’s land for prayer and knows Will has seen him there. When, out of spite, Kevin places the land up for auction, Takoda knows it is time for action and bands together with Will to stop the sale.

In the fight that follows, Will gets more than he expected. He starts out helping the tribe preserve their identity… and ends up finding his own.

Excerpt:

When Will opened his eyes again, movement caught his eye. A lone man sat cross-legged on the ground, gently swaying back and forth. He didn’t seem to be wearing a shirt, his skin almost providing a type of camouflage against the red-brown land. Slowly, Will led Midnight down the far side of the rise, closer to where the man sat. As he approached and dismounted, the man’s posture stiffened, but he made no move to get up.

“If you’re here to kick me off, you can just go about your business,” the man said in a deeply rich voice.

“Why would I do that? You aren’t hurting anything,” Will said. He didn’t come too close. “You might get trampled by the cattle if they wander this way, but that’s the only kicking anyone is going to do.”

The man opened his eyes, and Will stared into the deepest set of brown eyes he’d ever seen in his life.

“I know you, and I know this horse,” the man said, and he slowly unfolded his legs and stood up, tall and proud. “I saw this horse and probably you a long time ago.” He met Will’s gaze. “I was coming to say hello when your grandfather pulled you away.”

Will swallowed as his gaze traveled over the man’s body before quickly returning to his face. He didn’t want to be too obvious, but damned if this guy wasn’t some sort of god come down to earth. “I remember you,” Will said, his mind conjuring up the memory. “I was watching the ceremony when I was a kid, and I remember you on your horse, riding bareback. I wondered at the time if I could ride like that on Midnight here, but I never tried it.”

“How do you know it was me?” the man asked.

“I remember the scar on your shoulder. The boy I saw had the same one, but it was fresher then. Now it’s an old wound, but not then.” Will met the man’s gaze. “What are you doing here?”

“Praying,” he answered. “This place is very special to me and my people. I come here sometimes to pray to the gods to help my people, but they don’t listen.” He sounded angry. “Instead, they let your father keep us away from this land and bar us from coming here.”

“He did that?” Will asked. Not that he was surprised. Thinking back, his father had probably stopped them from using the land as soon as Grandpa died. Even now, Will didn’t know why his father hated Native Americans so much, but he’d found out that the man he’d thought his father was through young teenage eyes turned out to be far different from the man Will saw through adult eyes.

“Yes. He stopped my people from coming here two years ago. Now I’m the only one who comes. Your father would call the police if he found me, but I don’t care. It’s more important to practice my people’s beliefs than it is to obey the wishes of some small-minded, hard-hearted white man.”

Visit the author's website at http://www.andrewgreybooks.com/

New and Upcoming releases this week

Title Ghost of a Chance
Author T.A. Chase
ISBN# MLR-1-02013-0069 (ebook) $4.99
Release Date May 2013
Cover Artist Deana C. Jamroz
Length 23,000 words
Heat Rating Graphic
Categories Contemporary, Paranormal
Available At: MlrBooks (ebook)

For Padraig, finding himself face to face with the man he'd loved and lost a lifetime ago is the biggest thing on his mind.

Padraig Monaghan has a problem. Most would consider dying in a bar fight ten years ago upsetting, and existing as a ghost wandering the world might be thought a real predicament. They might deem a second chance at life through a chance encounter with a dying man a serious dilemma. But for Padraig, finding himself face to face with the man he'd loved and lost a lifetime ago is the biggest thing on his mind.

Gareth Reilly stops at O'Toole's for a drink before he heads home. Tomorrow's going to be another lonely birthday for him until he's approached by a stranger. There's something about Padraig's bright green eyes and Irish accent that reminds Gareth of a man he once knew. Unable to resist, Gareth breaks his cardinal rule and invites Padraig home. On St. Patrick's Day, when Irish magic is strongest, it'll take a belief in the impossible and help from a grateful elf to give Padraig and Gareth another chance at love.

***

Title Do You See Me Now
Author Stephani Hecht
ISBN# MLR-1-02013-0068 (ebook) $3.99
Release Date May 2013
Cover Artist Jared
Length 15,000 words
Heat Rating Moderate
Categories Contemporary, Humor
Available At: MlrBooks (ebook)

Sometimes the best things are right in front of you, just waiting to be seen.

Dax Rogers was a loner in high school, so he kept to himself. Now grown up, Dax has changed a lot. Not only has he made a huge name for himself as a special-effects makeup artist, but he has a whole new look. Then an invitation comes in the mail. It’s the tenth reunion for their graduation and they are having a weekend retreat. When he shows up and sees that Lance, his old high school crush, is there too, Dax is both overjoyed and nervous. Will the men be able to make up for lost time?

***

Better Than Sex by Kim Dare
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-425-0 (Electronic)
Genres: Gay / Contemporary / BDSM (Light) / Voyeurism / Series
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (12k words)
New Release 35% Discount (One Week Only) 
Avaible from: Amber Allure

Description: New from Kim Dare, author of the Amber Allure best-selling Pushing The Envelope series...

Brody has been admiring the new guy at the engineering firm where he works for the last six months. Wallace is all the things Brody isn't--confident, stunning, sex-on-legs. Oh, and straight. Working alongside Wallace is the highlight of Brody's week, and fantasizing about Wallace is the full extent of his sex life.

But Wallace has other ideas. The moment he joined the firm, Wallace knew he'd have trouble keeping his hands off Brody. In an effort to stay professional at work, he's kept his sexuality to himself, but that's about to change. When he hears Brody say that seeing the latest project leave the premises is "better than sex," Wallace knows he has to take action. It's time someone taught Brody how good sex can be--especially when it's served up with a generous helping of leather...

***

Witness Protection by Derek Adams
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-424-3 (Electronic)
Genres: Gay / Contemporary / Suspense / Thriller / Action / Adventure
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (15k words)
New Release 35% Discount (One Week Only) 
Available from: Amber Allure

Description: New from Derek Adams, author of the Amber Allure best-sellers Safe Harbor and Between Hell And El Paso....

Ex-con Tony Bradshaw drops into a convenience store on his way home after work, looking for a loaf of bread. What he finds instead is trouble. Overnight, he becomes the star witness in the murder trial of a major mob enforcer. Death threats quickly follow, and Tony's life is completely disrupted.

Tony is hustled off to a secluded cabin in the woods with bodyguard Alec Dubinski, a handsome young detective who at first appears to be a complete homophobe. Relations between them start off poorly and soon hit rock bottom during a drunken stupor. But after Alec apologizes for his unacceptable behavior, the sexual chemistry between the men can no longer be ignored. A night of unbridled passion leads to a declaration of their growing affection for one another.

Their idyll in the woods is brought to a halt, however, when their hideout is brutally attacked by mafia henchmen. What sacrifice is Tony willing to make as he attempts to save the man he has come to love?

***

Alma's Will
by Angel Viz
Family Drama/Contemporary
Release date: May 18
Available from Silver Publishing

Livia Redding returns to Macon, Georgia, with her husband and children after her mother's death to settle her estate. She is shocked and offended to hear that the will stipulates that her house be used as a safe home for gay teenagers rejected by their families. Against her husband's better judgment, Liv decides to contest it and stay on in Georgia with their children.

But her mother had a reason for making the bequest: her son, Ronnie, who disappeared a quarter-century ago, after his father threw him out of the house because he was gay.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This title is a re-edited, expanded re-release.

***

Soul Mate
by Shawn Bailey
Contemporary
Release date: May 18
Available from Silver Publishing 

Edna Murphy places a personal ad to find her son, Jovan, a mate. He spends most of his time working or fishing with friends and rarely goes out on a date. She wants him to find someone nice and settle down.

Galen Costas drives his mother crazy. He cooks dinner three times a week, does the grocery shopping, and cleans and arranges the furniture. And he doesn't even live in the same house. Gemma thinks he needs a life and takes matters into her own hands by answering a lonely heart ad.

Jovan and Galen click the moment they meet. But their match made in heaven could be ruined by a man from Galen's past.

Book Review: The Abulon Dance by Caro Soles

The Abulon Dance
by Caro Soles
Sci-Fi/Pan-sexuality
5 Stars

Blurb:

While on tour to the mysterious planet Abulon, the pleasure-loving hermaphrodites of the Merculian National Dance Company are intrigued by the virile patriarchal society they discover there. The natives seem friendly enough, but when the star’s young lover is kidnapped, the Merculians find themselves plunged into an alien civil war that they are ill-equipped to survive.

Review:

This is how sci-fi should be, an interesting blend of strange worlds and customs, exotic aliens and culture clashes.

The hermaphrodite/intersex Merculian dance troupe is on its first visit to the mysterious planet of Abulon, the first off-worlders to ever visit. Neither male nor female, the Merculians feel decidedly out of place amongst the patriarchal society of Abulon. A society ruled over by a Great Chief, a hunter, another thing they don't have in common, as the Merculians do not eat meat.

Triani is the star dancer and his lover, Cham, is excited to be involved in such an adventure, never having been to a different planet before. Excitement soon turns to horror, when Cham is kidnapped, ostensibly by rebels in the hills, but the truth is far more intriguing than that. Why does the Great Chief not want the rebels to be heard? What has he got to hide? His son, Luan, decides to help the Muerculians get Cham back, but he risks being called a traitor for his actions. And the Abulonians don't take too kindly to traitors...

A well written novel, full of sexual and political intrigue, it grips from the very first page and is difficult to put down. It's a sweeping adventure, one very easy to get lost in, with a dpeth of character sometimes lacking in sci-fi novels. Sometimes the characters get left behind in place of lots of techno-jargon, not so here. Here the characters are centre stage, as much as Triani is the centre of the dance troupe and anything techincal only adds to the story, not detract from it. The dance scenes were exquisitely described and everything had a very sensual feel. I loved it.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Friday Freebies

The Envelope
by Stephen Del Mar
M/M Contemporary
Free short story, 3,500 words

A tropical storm is battering Bennett Bay, a small town on Florida’s Gulf coast. Tony’s trying to close a sale on a house. The commission on this property will be a life changer but it just isn’t going to happen. He fights his way home through the storm to find a mysterious envelope waiting for him. Will it add more misery to a bad day or will it be a ticket to move on?

Free at smashwords
***

Perfect by
Kathleen Hayes
M/M Contemporary
Free short story, 10,000 words

I have always felt wrong - like I am living in a stranger's body. When I left home for college, it was a last ditch effort to figure out how to live with myself. It didn't work. Until Jesse saved my life.

Free at smashwords

***

Pleasures of Somerville Park
by Ava March
M/M Historical
Free short story 5,000 words

Arsen Grey, Marquis of Somerville, knows very well he is not needed in London. A visit from his youngest brother does nothing to change his mind. All he wants is to remain at his country estate with Henry Shaw.

After days of going over documents, Arsen is more than ready for his brother to depart for London in the morning. He's missed having Henry in his bed. Now if he can just convince his frustratingly cautious lover to join him in his bed for the night...

This free short story is a sequel to Object of His Desire.

Free at amazon

***

If it Ain't Love
by Tamara Allen
M/M Historical
Free story, approx. 45 kindle pages

In the darkest days of the Great Depression, New York Times reporter Whit Stoddard has lost the heart to do his job and lives a lonely hand-to-mouth existence with little hope of recovery, until he meets Peter, a man in even greater need of new hope.

Free at amazon

***

The Importance of Being Denny
by Kari Gregg
M/M Contemporary
Free short story, 9,875 words
Matt appears on Denny's doorstep four years after Matt's mother put Denny on the first bus out of California. Loving the very closeted Matt cost Denny everything once: his home, his family, the safety net of his trust fund. Everything. Denny built a new life. Matt finally coming out has stirred his mother's wrath, though, and four years of not loving Matt is about to cost Denny everything. Again.
Or is it?

Free novelette written for the Goodreads M/M Romance group's "Hot Summer Days" event.

Free from amazon

All the above books were free at the time of posting, but prices may be subject to change.

Author Interview & Spotlight: Vicktor Alexander

About the Author:

Author of the best-selling series The Tate Pack, Vicktor Alexander doesn’t believe that love only comes in one form, one race, one gender and that not only is gender fluid but sexuality as well. He enjoys writing about shifters, humanoids, cowboys, firemen, rent boys, fairies, elves, dancers, doctors, Doms, Subs, and anything else that catches my fancy, all sexy men falling in love with each other and having lots of naughty, dirty, man-on-man sex. While all of Vicktor’s characters all ride off into the proverbial sunset, all sexually satisfied and in love (because it’s the least he can do), they all bear the scars of fighting for that love, just like in real life. Vicktor loves to make people laugh (and guys hot) and when he’s not writing, or rather, procrastinating in writing, he’s reading, playing the Sims 3, hanging out with very supportive friends who all know what he writes and encourages it, talking to his adopted daughter affectionately nicknamed Chipmunk, seeking the man or men who can handle his crazy, stressful, soap opera-esque life and being distracted from said writing by pictures and videos of John Barrowman, Scott Hoying of Pentatonix, Charlie David and Shemar Moore.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I plan out the entire story, make an outline and then my muse, Tommy, (from the Tate Pack) laughs at me and completely changes the story on me.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

All the time. I can’t think of one book I’ve written where the characters didn’t take over.

Do you write in other genres besides M/M?

Yes, although none of them are published yet. I have thrillers, M/F, children’s books and even comic books and graphic novels. I want to write it all and I have ideas for everything.

What is your favourite food?

I LOVE Italian food! I could eat lasagna and tiramisu every day and never get tired of it if it wouldn’t make me fat. LOL.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

A little bit of both. I’m awake every morning before 8 am and I stay up way past 3 am on most nights. I’m up writing and listening to television (usually Torchwood starring John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd and Eve Myles) or reading a book. Sometimes I’m up working on business plans or ideas for books, or the non-profits and charities that I want to have.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

Boston, Italy, and Israel are the three places that I definitely want to go to. Boston and Italy because I’ve been dreaming of them since I was a kid. They’re both beautiful places and both have such history and culture. Israel because of the religious culture and history and my upbringing.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Yes. The music’s on but it’s usually pretty soft because otherwise I’d be singing along and not writing. Everything from Justin Timberlake to Kelly Rowland to Frank Sinatra to The Temptations to Britney Spears to Maroon 5 to Mandy Moore to Lady Gaga and everything in between.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

I’ve had two recently. The Alpha King released with Silver Publishing on April 27th and it’s the first book in the Passion’s Hero series that’s a fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, gay romance. Elian is my latest release with The Rooster & The Pig Publishing on May 10th and it’s the first full-length novel in The Marriage Groups series and it’s a fantasy, Sci-Regency, interracial, polyamorous, supernatural gay romance.

Elian is the youngest son of his family on the planet Kardalusia and is the only coração born. A coração is the “heart” of a Marriage Group, which consists of four men, and the coração is also known as the breeder. They all have other jobs which are identified by the birthmark located somewhere on their body. Elian is the first coração born in an extremely long time who only has the coração birthmark. He is attending his last marriage soiree, which all coraçãos of age must attend in order to be picked by a Marriage Core when he finds out that he’s been chosen by the Royal Marriage Core and is to be the Royal Coração. Someone isn’t happy that he’s been chosen, however, and they set out to kill him before he has time to settle into a life with his husbands Nevin, Corbin and Gaige Cannington.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I’m definitely influenced by some of my favorite authors: Stormy Glenn, Mary Calmes, Andrew Grey, Gabrielle Evans, Jana D. Downs, and Amy Lane as well as being influenced by conversations with people around me and memories of my best friends.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

Elian Glinkobia is the youngest son of his family. Born on the planet, Kardalusia, he is the only breeder, the only coração, born to a family full of Kartusian warriors and soldiers. He was born with no other purpose than to be the coração of a marriage group, there to serve them in every manner that they needed. Or so he thinks. Attending his final marriage soiree, Elian believes that he will not be picked by any marriage group and is destined to live his life alone, or as a prostitute. He is beyond shocked to find out that he was chosen by the royal marriage group the year before. He is to be the coração, the heart, of the three kings, Nevin, Corbin, and Gaige.

However, things are not always as easy as they seem. Before Elian can even settle into his position as The Royal Coração, someone attempts to murder him. Placed under lock and key in the palace by his husbands, Elian begins to discover that the gods of the Kartusians gifted him with a lot more than he could have ever expected.

Will Elian's special gifts come in handy when he needs them to save his husbands and their people, or was everyone right about his worthlessness?

List of previous books if any

Other Books By Vicktor Alexander:
Single Titles
The Besties

The Tate Pack Series
Unthinkable
Inconceivable
A Very Tate Christmas
Unassumed
A Very Tate Valentine’s
A Very Tate St. Pat’s
A Holy Tate Easter
A Tate Pack Memorial
Love, Liquor, Chocolates & Loyalty: A Tate Pack Serial Anthology
A Tate Pack Vacation
Impossible (Releasing June 2013)

The Wilgrin Chronicles Series
Mickey’s Duke
Ethan’s Earl

The Marriage Groups Series
Steamy
Elian
Flip the Coin Series
Chocolate Vanilla Swirl

Passion’s Hero SeriesThe Alpha King

Too Hot to Handle SeriesSuper Gay

Any websites/places readers can find you on the webhttp://www.vicktoralexander.com
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vicktoralexander@vicktoralexander.com

Book Spotlight:

Eilan
by Vicktor Alexander
Publisher and Release Date: The Rooster & The Pig Publishing. May 10, 2013
Buy Link(s): http://www.roosterandpigpublishing.com/coming-soon.html

http://www.amazon.com/Elian-The-Marriage-Groups-ebook/dp/B00COWEPNU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368026969&sr=8-1&keywords=Elian+Vicktor+Alexander

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-elian-1186609-145.html

http://bookstrand.com/elian

http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=10782
Blurb/Summary:

Elian Glinkobia is the only coracao born to his parents on Kardalusia. Attending his final soiree, he despairs of ever being chosen by a Marriage Core in order to become a Marriage Group. A life of being a spinster or a prostitute looms before him when his life is suddenly changed forever. Elian is chosen by The Royal Marriage Core to become the Royal Coracao. Nevin, Corbin and Gaige Cannington are everything Elian could have ever wanted in husbands and Elian is more than happy to spend his life with them.

But there's someone who is bound and determined to get rid of the new coracao. Numerous kidnapping attempts and countless attempted murders begin to overwhelm the royal family and Nevin, Corbin and Gaige must scramble to save the life of their husband and their children before someone gets to them first.

Excerpt:

Sodom and Gomorrah 87 B.C.

A decision had been made and Andalusia, the Supreme Being, had dispatched his most trusted angels to carry it out. The two men travelled down to Earth to mete out the harsh judgment to those who were deserving of it. All of Sodom and Gomorrah would be punished, for their hearts were filled with greed, evil, and murderous intent. While there were those who were innocent, the majority of the citizens were corrupt and unrepentant. They were special. For they had been chosen. Chosen to love in a different way. Created to love those who were of the same gender and Andalusia had been extremely generous when he allowed them to co-habitate with citizens who loved the same way.

They consisted of the Kartusians and the Sapphricians. They had been given an opportunity to have a certain area of their choosing be joined with that of the human planet, Earth. At this joining, they had given the cities the names Sodom and Gomorrah. Andalusia had known that in the end they would rebel. It was just a matter of time before children grew to become rebellious teenagers who would become adults who hated authority and became products of their rebellion, atmosphere, environment, and corruption that surrounded them. But when he looked down at the chaos of Sodom and Gomorrah, he felt himself growing angry. He burned with a rage that he knew would not be quenched by mere apologies. They had disrespected him and misused his gift by becoming a people full of rapists, murderers, thieves, and pedophiles. He would not stand for their disregard of his law and his commandments. Because of this, he was forced to send out his fiercest warriors, Michael and Zariel, to abolish the city. He would mourn those who were lost, but he had allowed it to endure for too long.

Those who survived—there were not many and they only survived because Andalusia willed it be so—were told of the new laws and the new structure of their people.

A group, four men or four women, would be required to marry. One would represent the body of the group, their purpose to take care of the family, the quartet, physically. Then there was the mind of the group. They would be in charge of the family’s education and mental growth. There was also the Soul of the group, the one who would be required to look out for the family’s spiritual well-being. But there was one who was even more important.

The Coração. The heart of the family. The emotions, foundation, and childbearing was required of the Coração. Whether male or female, the Coração would give birth to the family’s offspring. It was an honor and a privilege to be the Coração of a family, but Andalusia knew this would not be the mindset forever. Laws were given to the people, birthmarks appeared on their bodies, and Andalusia revealed their significance. The priests and the scribes rushed to keep all of the information and the laws given. Just as they assumed they were finished with the laws, Andalusia delivered his final blow: the Sapphricians, the term given for females, would be placed on the planet Sapphro while the Kartusians, the men, would stay on the planet Kardalusia. There would now only be same sex relationships on the two planets. There would no longer be any contact with the humans on planet Earth, and like that the veil between the three planets was torn.

On Kardalusia, the priests gathered together and had every new law and rule created and printed for distribution to the inhabitants. Every man was instructed to adhere to the rules with the strictest of punishments should any choose to challenge the laws or disobey. For days the slightest of Kartusian men, those small, short and/or thin in size, were crippled by pain and plagued by sickness. There soon appeared the birthmark of a heart on their flesh and as the god Andalusia had stated, they were marked as Coraçãos. These men were immediately taken to the largest home on the planet and pampered. At the end of the month, they were brought out and a soiree was held to match each Coração with three men who would complete a group. The men who appeared had also received birthmarks on their bodies, and with the help of the god Andalusia’s words, careers, education, and status were provided for every man there.

While the Kartusians seemed to thrive, a small group of survivors from the Sodom and Gomorrah tragedy were chosen by the god Andalusia to inhabit the darkest recesses of the planets Kardalusia and Sapphro. They were given the name Zevinxian and their spirits were fused with those of animals. Special gifts were given to each person, the ability to hear thoughts, to communicate with animals, to manipulate time. There was no rhyme or reason to who received what, and although they bore birthmarks on their bodies, in their hairline there was the mark of the five moons that labeled them as Zevinxians. It was not long before the Zevinxians integrated into the population of their people, just as it wasn’t long before they were banished and returned to the darkest recesses from whence they came. Before long, the Zevinxians were being hunted by their brethren, who feared their substantial power.

And then a gleam of hope. When Kardalusia began to experience massive deaths, strange storms, and a decrease in births, the priests pleaded with the god Andalusia before seeking out their extremely religious brethren, the Zevinxians. A prophecy was given, one that filled most Kartusians and Zevinxians with happiness, joy, and hope yet filled others with fear and anger. There would come a Coração who would give birth to the first female Kartusian in centuries. The Coração would be powerful, he would have powers that were typically given to Zevinxians, the ability to speak to unborn children, to animals, to control the weather, stop time, and to manipulate metal. He would be special and as such, the three men who married him would be special, the strongest mind, body, and spirit members in existence.

One man, upon hearing this, gathered a group of men together and they were determined to not only find the Coração in question, but to kill him before the prophecy could be fulfilled. And so generation to generation, their offspring and descendants continued to look for this Coração in order to dispose of him, but they did not take into account the three me who would be married to the Coração, the three men who would love him and protect him.

The Marriage Group.