J. Alan Veerkamp's Blog, page 18
April 30, 2015
All New Interview on the next stop of The Luxorian Fugitive Blog Tour!
Two stops today on the tour: Prism Book Alliance and Author Iyana Jenna’s blog. Take a moment or two and visit both sites and take a look around! Prism Book Alliance features an all new interview about me and The Luxorian Fugitive.
https://iyanajennaauthor.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/in-the-spotlight-mann-ramblings/
A special thanks to everyone who’s taken part. It’s gratefully appreciated!
April 28, 2015
4 1/2 out of 5 for The Luxorian Fugitive! Review, Guest Spot and more!
My next stop on the blog tour for The Luxorian Fugitive is on MM Good Book Reviews. There’s a review with 4 1/2 out of 5, an excerpt and a guest spot! Go check it out!
I’m so thrilled, the picture below goes to all the people involved in my blog tour!
April 26, 2015
Whoohoo! I’ve been interviewed!
Special thanks to Divine Magazine.net for hosting this leg of my blog tour for The Luxorian Fugitive. This one includes links, a fresh excerpt, and an interview! Check it out!
http://divinemagazine.net/book-stuff/the-luxorian-fugitive-by-mann-ramblings-blog-tour
April 24, 2015
Luxorian Fugitive Blog Tour – Excerpt, Guest post, and Giveaway!!
I’m so geeked! The blog tour for The Luxorian Fugitive has begun! We’re going to visit different sites for the next two weeks! Isn’t the promotional graphic pretty?
First stop: Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents (See the link below)
An excerpt, a guest post, and other stuff is being featured, plus a chance to win a $20 Gift Card for Wayward Ink Publishing or a copy of The Luxorian Fugitive!!
Go, go, go… you’re wasting valuable time! Go see it!
April 20, 2015
30% OFF SALE – LGBT Life Goes Better Together – everything at Wayward Ink Publishing
My publisher, Wayward Ink Publishing is having a sale until the end of April. LGBT – Life Goes Better Together – 30% off everything!
That includes my new title, The Luxorian Fugitive as well as the rest!
(I know the link below says “March Madness,” but it really does go through April. They promised.)
http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/march-madness-sale/
April 17, 2015
I’m now officially a published author!!!
Synopsis
Sergeant Liam Jacks is the security chief of transport vessel, The Santa Claus. He travels the planetary cluster with Marc Danverse, his best friend and captain, seeking to escape his tortured past and find some peace of mind.
Having been through a civil war together, Danverse and Liam are close. Maybe too close…
All that changes when mysterious stranger, Hadrian Jamison, an escaped Adonirati, books passage to Alpha Centauri. Can he be trusted? Can the stories of his past be believed?
As Liam’s fascination with Hadrian grows, jealousy threatens to tear apart his friendship with Danverse.
When Hadrian’s owner shows up, Liam is forced to go against orders in order to launch a rescue mission to save him.
The ensuing conflict may be more than any of them expected.
Buy Links
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Luxorian-Fugitive-Ship-Santa-Claus-ebook/dp/B00V6KO1CG/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Luxorian-Fugitive-Ship-Santa-Claus-ebook/dp/B00V6KO1CG/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Luxorian-Fugitive-Ship-Santa-Claus-ebook/dp/B00V6KO1CG/
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/the-luxorian-fugitive-by-mann-ramblings/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theluxorianfugitive-1768560-145.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-luxorian-fugitive-mann-ramblings/1121637747?ean=9781925222388
Book Trailer
Excerpt
Cold sweat rolled off Liamís body as he sat upright in bed, sheets tangled around his legs. His deafening pulse drowned out the soft whirr of the environmental systems and the mechanical hum of the ship’s movement. There was a hollow quality to the titanium hull of his private quarters that seemed to amplify the resonance of the dream.
“Pull it together, Marine. Youíre not a child.” The horror refused to recede even now that he was awake.
Liam looked around his room as his reality began to settle. The windowless room was nearly pitch-black; the only illumination came from the data screen on the wall, its soft cyber-green time code proof that he was not lost in the abyss. Yes, he was aboard the cargo vessel the Santa Claus. Yes, they were en route to Luxorian from Alpha Centauri Prime for a supply delivery and pickup. Yes, he was the security chief of the thirty or so men employed on the ship. Yes, the dream was of a harsh memory, but still just a dream.
“Mrs. Claus. Status report please.” Liam spoke in quiet, shaken tones while his unsteady hands threaded through his hair. A synthetic voice, sounding like a middle-aged woman, hummed back in response.
“It is zero three seventeen, Sergeant Jacks. We will be docking at Luxorian Spaceport Alpha at approximately eleven fifteen. System sync to the Luxorian environment is in progress and will be complete in two hours and twenty-five minutes. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No.” His reply was brusque, but Mrs. Claus’ feelings couldn’t be hurt; she was artificial, after all. Normally, Liam found Captain Danverseís penchant for ancient Earth history—including the ship’s name and the computer’s voice identity—endearing. Marc was his best friend, after all. But tonight there was no comfort in it.
Even without the nightmares, it was hard to sleep well when forced to acclimate to a new planetís environment and timeline every time you came into port. The ship’s systems were designed to gradually shift the sleep cycles of everyone on board to match up to the active hours for each destination. Add the dreams into the equation, and his rest was as fractured as his self-esteem.
“Lights. Low,” he commanded. Twin light panels on opposite sides of the small room began to glow. The undecorated metal walls were nothing more than panels hiding the storage spaces within. The large bed looked out of place in the three-by-four-meter space, but was required for any chance of a comfortable nightís sleep. Not that he’d seen many of those in a long time. A lone desk sat in the corner with a basic chair on wheels, covered in dirty clothes. Several recessed shelves held stacks of paperwork, but the entire room was devoid of anything personal.
Liam peeled himself from the dampened sheets, the fabric refusing to release from the tackiness of his salty skin. He knew he couldn’t sleep anymore, even if the bed weren’t already cooling and saturated. The ship ran warm, but he couldn’t suppress a slight shiver as the air hit his bare skin. Even the dense pelt of hair that covered his chest, arms, and legs provided little warmth at the moment. He slid into a pair of cargo shorts and sleeveless shirt that were piled in the corner, too shaken to care if they were clean enough to wear. A pair of thick-soled sandals waited for him in front of the room’s exit. Out of habit, he picked up his communicator from the random pile on the desk and put it in his ear.
He placed his hand on the plexiglass palm reader embedded in the hull and the door slid open with a loud hiss. From the outside, he slapped the matching panel to close the door and trudged out into the hallway.
His footsteps gave a soft metal echo as he wandered in no particular direction through the dimly lit tunnel. This was no luxury liner; a subtle vibration could be felt at all times from the tech and mechanicals hidden behind the scuffed and weathered walls. The Santa Claus was sturdy, but not designed for creature comforts. Captain Danverse had purchased the decommissioned cargo ship nearly a decade ago and offered Liam a job when the pair had left the military following the Centauri Prime civil war.
Intelligently, Danverse had populated the Santa Claus with a crew of men who could stand the long distance between stops and could appreciate the company of their fellow men. Ports were few and far between, and it was a small world to live in for an extended span.
About the AuthorLike many gay men, when Mann Ramblings grew up, there weren’t any heroes he could relate to. The world held him back while he tried futilely to hide the real person inside. So much has changed since those hollow days. He finally found his voice, the voice that says it’s all right to revel in the so-called inappropriate joys, laughs, and loves that storm inside a man’s head. It took a long time to find that courage and now that it’s here, he plans to use it well.
While spending years more focused on visual arts, he never let go of his innate passion for storytelling; he wanted to write and draw comic books when he grew up. Once he discovered M/M fiction, a whole new world opened with new possibilities. Why couldn’t you have fantastic and dynamic tales with an M/M cast? He started reading the online tales of authors like, Night Tempest, Rob Colton, and Alicia Nordwell, which only fueled within him the need to create. Eventually he found GayAuthors.org, and with a little coercive nudge from Night Tempest, started sharing his tales with an unexpected level of positive response. That experience and support gave him the courage to cross his fingers and aim for the world of M/M publishing.
Born and raised in Michigan, Mann Ramblings continues to type away, wishing it was practical to use a noisy, old fashioned keyboard that clacks with each strike, if only to annoy his loving partner and spoiled miniature dachshund.
Email: mannramblings@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mannramblings
Twitter: @mannramblings
April 15, 2015
MA Church and Interview Time!
With the upcoming release of The Luxorian Fugitive, my friend and amazing author, MA Church is hosting me on her site, complete with interview questions! You may want to check this out… and not just for me! MA has a TON of content worth digging through. I know I’ve done it.
Come see what’s happening at:
http://machurch00.blogspot.com/?zx=ee298f86f921e472
Thank you so much, MA!!!
April 13, 2015
Thank you Rob Colton!
With the impending release of my The Luxorian Fugitive, Rob Colton has agreed to host me on his blog! Rob is one of the authors that inspired me to write, so his help in making Luxorian a reality is unbelievable!
If you’re not familiar with his work, take a hop over to Rob’s blog and see what he’s all about!
Thank you, Rob!!!
April 10, 2015
7 Days to The Luxorian Fugitive release!!!
My first sci-fi thriller M/M ebook, The Luxorian Fugitive releases on April 17th! Pre-ordering is available and the paperback version is available for sure from Wayward Ink Publishing! Buy Links are below!
THE LUXORIAN FUGITIVE
Book One: Ship Logs of the Santa Claus
Buy Links:
Wayward Ink Publishing: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/the-luxorian-fugitive-by-mann-ramblings/
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Luxorian-Fugitive-Ship-Santa-Claus-ebook/dp/B00V6KO1CG/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Luxorian-Fugitive-Ship-Santa-Claus-ebook/dp/B00V6KO1CG/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Luxorian-Fugitive-Ship-Santa-Claus-ebook/dp/B00V6KO1CG/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theluxorianfugitive-1768560-145.html
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-luxorian-fugitive-mann-ramblings/1121637747?ean=9781925222388
Blurb:
Sergeant Liam Jacks is the security chief of transport vessel, The Santa Claus. He travels the planetary cluster with Marc Danverse, his best friend and captain, seeking to escape his tortured past and find some peace of mind.
Having been through a civil war together, Danverse and Liam are close. Maybe too close….
All that changes when mysterious stranger, Hadrian Jamison, an escaped Adonirati, books passage to Alpha Centauri. Can he be trusted? Can the stories of his past be believed?
As Liam’s fascination with Hadrian grows, jealousy threatens to tear apart his friendship with Danverse.
When Hadrian’s owner shows up, Liam is forced to go against orders in order to launch a rescue mission to save him.
The ensuing conflict may be more than any of them expected.
Excerpt:
“Liam, are we going to be all right?” Danverse hadn’t stopped fidgeting since he returned to the dock. The air of unease was so out of character for the captain; Liam didn’t like it. Danverse not being in charge would upset the sense of order to his universe.
Liam sighed. “Yeah. We’ll be fine. I’m just a little embarrassed by it all. I wish I could find a better way to bury the past.”
“You will. And you let me know if you need help with anything.” Liam snorted. “Pervert.” “Not just that.” Danverse laughed. “I mean with anything you need.” “I know.” It felt like the first time he’d smiled in days.
Soon after that the first passenger came aboard. Dr. Davis Cellus was a professor in his fifties who had been on sabbatical and would be heading back to his regular life. He was heavyset, with a thin goatee and shaved head, dressed in comfortable clothing that spoke of a meager wage, but his manner indicated a modest lifestyle. Liam was convinced his accounts were heavier than he let on.
They turned the second passenger away. Clearly she had ignored the “No Hetero, No Female” rule. She had to be escorted off by station security when she started arguing.
Danverse maintained that Mrs. Claus insisted she would be the only female on the ship. Liam knew better.
Danverse hadn’t always placed such restrictions on passengers, but the ship wasn’t designed with separate facilities. Privacy wasn’t a focus on a military vessel and he didn’t want to spend the currency on making the changes. Voyages lasting easily six or more weeks at a time became tedious with complaints from hetero passengers unhappy about walking in on crew members having sex in the shower room or other areas. Danverse had no interest in changing the men’s habits. Non-hetero passengers complained less or joined in. Since they didn’t have passengers on every trip, removing orientation and gender issues made the whole process a lot easier. The captain liked it that way.
Marley Keyes was next. He was a rough-looking man with a medium build heading for a new job opportunity on Alpha Centauri. He seemed uncomfortable and maintained an iron grip on the satchel strapped around his shoulder. Marley claimed to have never been off planet before. Liam was suspicious of the twitchy man, but the background check came up clean, so another passenger joined the ship.
The boarding period was almost over before the last person on the manifest appeared. Liam had to remind himself not to stare. It was the hooded man from the café.
“I am Hadrian Jamison. I should have a reservation for passage to Alpha Centauri. I hope I am in the right place.” The man’s rich voice bore a subtle accent. Liam checked his list and scanned the man’s hand. He seemed hesitant to be registered. Liam gave the data a cursory glance and then turned the pad off. Danverse threw a questioning look in his direction.
“I’m Captain Marc Danverse.” He shook Hadrian’s hand. “And this is my security chief, Sergeant Liam Jacks.” As Hadrian turned and traded greetings, Liam got his first proper look at the hooded man. Hadrian was above average in size, just a little shorter than Danverse. His hand was veined and strong. He sported wild, long, dark hair and dark facial stubble over an olive complexion, and had the most entrancing eyes Liam had ever looked into. Thick dark eyelashes outlined the white in stark contrast to ice-blue irises ringed in sapphire. It was otherworldly, and he was gorgeous. Liam found a heat rising in his chest as those beautiful eyes looked up at him through the locks of hair falling haphazardly over his face.
“Do you have any other belongings to load?” Danverse asked, glancing at where Liam’s and Hadrian’s hands were still touching.
“No, thank you. The bag I am carrying is all I need,” Hadrian said, nodding to the pack slung over his shoulder. He hesitantly removed his hand from Liam’s.
“Then I can show you to your quarters,” Liam offered. With one outstretched hand and the other lightly at Hadrian’s back, he directed the last passenger up the steps. He noticed Danverse watching them with a cocked eyebrow as they passed. His mouth was slightly open but he didn’t say a word as they stepped on board. What the hell was that odd look about?
Find me at:
Email: mannramblings@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mannramblings
Twitter: @mannramblings
April 6, 2015
Find WIP titles and more on The Bookshop Darlinghurst!
WAYWARD INK PUBLISHING
is thrilled to announce our paperback titles are now stocked by:
THE BOOKSHOP DARLINGHURST!
https://www.thebookshop.com.au/
Introducing themselves in their own words:
“For more than twenty years the Bookshop Darlinghurst has been Australia’s finest source of GLBT books, magazines, calendars and DVDs.
Located in the heart of Sydney’s famous Oxford Street, our store has been a cherished hub for the local and international queer community.
If you’ve ever wondered what literary lesbians, bookish bears, and pop culture poofs have in common, come and pay us a visit where you’ll be welcomed by our friendly and knowledgeable staff.”
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THE BOOKSHOP DARLINGHURST offers a range of services such as:
MAIL ORDER – why not download their catalogue: http://www.thebookshop.com.au/download-our-catalogue/
GIFT CERTIFICATES : http://www.thebookshop.com.au/giftcertificates.php
CALENDARS: http://www.thebookshop.com.au/calendars/
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You can set up an account and buy online
https://www.thebookshop.com.au/login.php?action=create_account
OR VISIT THEM AT:
207 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010, AUSTRALIA
Telephone number: +61 2 9331 1103
Email: info@thebookshop.com.au
