K. Evan Coles's Blog, page 2

Hurt Comfort Promo and a Sale

Hooked On You is discounted 50% through April 30 as part of a spotlight on books featuring hurt/comfort. Check out the full list of books in the promo, many also running specials, and find something new to read!

Focus On: Hurt Comfort

Participating authors: AE Via, Annabelle Jacobs, Anne Barwell, Avery Cockburn, BA Tortuga, Beth Laycock, BL Maxwell, Charley Descoteaux, Charlie Cochrane, Eli Easton, Elizabeth Noble, Emma Jay, G.R. Lyons, Garrett Leigh, H.L Day, Jackie North, Jamie Lynn Miller, Jay Hogan, Jay Northcote, Jodi Payne, K. Evan Coles, Lillian Francis , Mel Gough, N.R. Walker, Nic Starr, Nora Phoenix, Posy Roberts, RJ Scott, Stella Shaw, V.L. Locey

"Hooked On You”
What’s a straight guy to do when he falls for his new friend?

Tropes: H/C, Bi-awakening, Friends to lovers, Opposites attract, A side of knitting and forced proximity

March Madness Promo

I’m participating in a fantastic March Madness backlist promo for LGBTQ romances from March 11-23 with group of wonderful fellow authors. One lucky winner will win a bundle of prizes including 3 x $5 gift cards, 8 x backlist ebooks, 1 x audiocode, and a 1 x swag bundle.

Enter to win the prize bundle here: http://bit.ly/MMRJGp3

Participating authors: V.L. Locey, N.J. Lysk, Jessie G, Barbara Elsborg, Jackie North, Kasia Bacon, Jamie Lynn Miller, JP Sayle, Kaje Harper, Louisa Masters, Nic Starr, K. Evan Coles, and Jackie Keswick

I’ve dropped the price of the first two novellas in the Stealing Hearts series--Thief of Hearts and Healing Hearts--to only $0.99 for this event so if you haven’t met Mark and Owen or Zac and Aiden, now is the time — these Boston nurses will steal your hearts!

Stealing Hearts novellas: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082X925XK

"Hooked On You" has been expanded and is live!

I wrote Hooked On You for a giveaway in January and though the original story was 52K words, I only stopped writing because I had to make the submission deadline. Connor and Judah were just so chatty it was hard to let them go.

After the New Year, I found a little time to revisit the manuscript and rounded out the book with over 20K new words to make it the story I always meant it to be. I even added a bonus scene for those of you who've already read Hooked On You to add a little spice ;)

Hooked On You is a 72.8K friends-to-lovers MM novel. Come meet Connor, a stressed out paramedic who’s figuring out he’s not quite straight, and Judah, a yarn shop owner with a bad habit of falling for unavailable guys. There's also lots of knitting and snowstorms, and a sweet, happy-sigh HEA that just feels so good.

Summary

What’s a straight guy to do when he falls for his new friend?

Paramedic Connor Devlin is a stressed-out tower of a man. Hoping knitting will help him unwind, he visits a local craft shop, where he’s overwhelmed by the yarn selection but more so by his feelings for shop owner Judah.

Judah Bissel is tired of falling for unavailable men. He can’t help his crush on Connor, though, or wanting to get closer to the big, gentle bear. And that just might spell trouble because pining for straight guys is not Judah’s style.

As a blizzard pummels the city, the men hunker down together to wait out the storm. When the spark between them ignites, will the revelation that Connor feels more than friendship for Judah bring them together or tear them apart?

"Hooked On You" and The Winter Wonderland Giveaway at Prolific Works

Hooked On You is my contribution to The Winter Wonderland Giveaway on Prolific Works, running January 1-10, 2021.

Hooked On You is a 52K friends-to-lovers MM novel. It features Connor, a stressed out paramedic who’s figuring out he’s not quite straight, and Judah, a yarn shop owner with a bad habit of falling for unavailable guys. There's also lots of knitting and snowstorms, and a sweet, happy-sigh HEA that just feels so good.

Hooked On You was meant to be a novella but ... well, anyone who knows me at all can tell you I'm not great at keeping things short, so when Connor and Judah urged me to keep writing, I didn't argue.

More than 180 new stories are available for download so head on over! You have plenty of time, by the way, because the giveaway runs through January 10, so take your time and download at your leisure. There's even a handy guide/checklist to help you navigate.

Summary

What's a straight guy to do when he falls for his new friend?

Paramedic Connor is a stressed-out tower of a man. Hoping knitting will help him unwind, he visits a local craft shop, where he's overwhelmed by the yarn selection but more so by his feelings for the shop's owner Judah.

Judah is tired of falling for unavailable men. He can't help his crush on Connor, though, or wanting to get closer to the big, gentle bear. And that just spells trouble because pining for a straight guy is not Judah's style.

As a blizzard pummels the city, the men hunker down together to wait out the storm. When the spark between them ignites, will the revelation that Connor feels more than friendship for Judah bring them together or tear them apart?

"Hooked On You" is a 52K friends-to-lovers MM novel. It features a stressed out paramedic who’s figuring out he’s not quite straight, a yarn shop owner with a bad habit of falling for unavailable guys, lots of knitting and snowdrifts, and a sweet, happy-sigh HEA.

Updates to "A Hometown Holiday"

Back in 2018, I penned A Hometown Holiday, a M/M novella that highlights my affection for winter holidays and Amherst, Massachusetts, a small town in the western part of the state that is surrounded by colleges and universities.

Once upon a time, I was a student at one of those schools, and it was during those years that my love of writing grew from hobby into something deeper. I fell a bit in love with the Pioneer Valley during my time at school and setting a story there gave me all sorts of good feelings.

"A Hometown Holiday" is a sex-buddies-to-lovers MM novella that's been re-covered and tweaked with 3K words of new content. In it you'll meet Josh, a bookshop owner with a fondness for jazz, and Alex, a closeted cop who could be Mr. Right if only he'd give himself a chance. While it takes some work to get there, Josh and Alex get the warm, fuzzy HEA they absolutely deserve.

Summary:

He’s stepped back into the closet for a guy, but how long can he stay there?

Life in a college town suits Josh Cassidy. He has good friends and neighbors, and the bookshop café he runs with his family is thriving. As the winter holidays begin, Josh finds himself enamored with police officer Alex Curiel, an old friend who has recently moved back to town. The trouble is, Alex isn’t ready for the world to know he’s attracted to men.

At Alex’s request, Josh agrees to closet their relationship, though the secrecy quickly becomes a burden. When Josh realizes he is falling for Alex, his ability to hide his feelings from the world begins to slip, and he’s forced to decide if love is enough to keep him hiding behind closed doors.

A Hometown Holiday is a 21.5K sex-buddies-to-lovers MM novella. It features a bookshop owner with a fondness for jazz music, a closeted cop who could be Mr. Right if only he’d give himself a chance, and the warm, fuzzy HEA that both guys deserve.

You can read an excerpt from "A Hometown Holiday" on my blog.

"Open Hearts" - Stealing Hearts #3

Dang, I'm really behind with blog posts, and with a new year barely underway, I'm going to catch up!

In March of 2019, I made plans for a new addition to the Stealing Hearts series, a Pride-themed story titled "Open Hearts" and set in the same universe as the Thief of Hearts and Healing Hearts novellas. I outlined and took notes (like a good Virgo), began writing, and even had a plan to release in June. And then, of course, a whole truckload of stuff happened that I couldn’t have imagined if I’d tried.

I had a negative beta reader experience. A writing relationship was dissolved in a way that I did not expect with no timetable to re-form. And, of course, COVID-19 happened to us all.

Man, I was freaked out. Maybe I still am. But, some very positive things happened in the middle of the mess. My family has remained healthy and gainfully employed. My day job has been unbelievably fulfilling (even as it tries to kill me). I won an award for my work at that day job. I learned to bake bread! My brother and his girlfriend had a baby!! And, thank all the holy things, I was still writing. A LOT more slowly, thanks to the damned day job, but words were happening.

The one-time novella "Open Hearts" became a novel that I released in September. The characters, Jae and Emmett, surprised and guided me in ways I’d never have expected that made writing their May-December romance a true hard-won pleasure.

I’m still putting my self-confidence back together, but that’s okay. I’m happy and feel good and I am definitely ready to move forward with all the new projects my heart and head can handle.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk (I totally mean that, by the way).

Summary:

Some hearts are made to be opened.

Jae-seong Bak has never been in love. He prefers to let his personal life take a backseat to his career as a nurse, especially since no-strings hookups with men he’s glad to call friends have always felt like more than enough.

After years of moving around the United States, Jae takes a job in his home city of Boston, arriving just in time to celebrate his brother Ty’s engagement. In reconnecting with friends and family, Jae befriends Emmett McNeil, a young chef and Ty’s future brother-in-law, whose own bad luck with love hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm for life.

As the summer passes and Jae and Emmett help their families plan the wedding, the spark between the two men ignites, though each agrees to keep their hookups under wraps in order to prevent potential drama. Taken off guard by the depth of his feelings, Jae backs away, only to find that going back to being just friends with Emmett is much harder than he ever could have predicted.

Now, standing with Emmett as their siblings make their vows, Jae must decide if he’s really content to hold the man he loves at arm’s-length or if taking a chance on more is in the cards.

You can read excerpt from "Open Hearts" on my blog.

New Release: "Straight Up," The Speakeasy #4

In 2017, Brigham Vaughn and I began The Speakeasy series, a spin off of the world we’d created in the Tidal duology, Wake and Calm. We sketched out an outline for four books, but I certainly couldn’t picture reaching that final story. With the release of Straight Up, the fourth and final book in the series, we’re each feeling delight and nostalgia in equal measures.

These books and their characters have come to mean a great deal to me and I’ll dearly miss writing them. If you’ve been on this journey with us, thank you so much for your words of encouragement and the love you’ve shared with us over the last two years. I’ve truly treasured every moment.

Buy Straight Up from your favorite retailer, or read the whole Speakeasy series on Kindle Unlimited.

"Working Stiffs" M/M Vampire Romance Charity Anthology is live!

Earlier this year, I joined a group of authors to create Working StiffsWorking Stiffs, an M/M Vampire Romance Charity Anthology.

We’re truly excited to share these thirteen stories and donate all proceeds to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited at Amazon!

You can also enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card here in our Rafflecopter.

~BLURB~

Not all vampires are idly rich. Some of them have day jobs. Er, night jobs.

In a world struggling to come to grips with the existence of vampires, where reactions range from excitement to fear to determined disbelief, these vampires are just trying to make ends meet. Some of them do mundane work—like waiting tables or driving a cab. Others have more prestigious careers in medicine and crime prevention. But what all their jobs have in common is people. Unpredictable, interesting, frustrating, hostile, helpless, tasty people.

Whether they’re pouring drinks, answering phones, hacking into a computer system, or serving up the perfect food/wine pairing, these working stiffs are too busy to fall in love. Or are they?

This International Workers Day, celebrate by sinking your teeth into thirteen awesome stories about vampires at work. Because even the undead have to earn a living. Proceeds benefit the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Story List
Bad Blood by Lyra Evans
Bad Decision by H.L. Day
Call My Number by Megs Pritchard
Dial a Vamp by Roberta Blablanski
Fangs for the Memories by Sadie Jay
Fire and Ice Cold Skin by Mel Gough
How To Keep an Author (Alive) by A.J. Sherwood
Graveyard Cops by Crystel Greene
Life Hacks by Eliott Griffen
Long Haul by Tanya Chris
Off the Menu by R.J. Sorrento
Overexposed by K. Evan Coles
Quality Assured by Edie Montreux

Cover Reveal: "Working Stiffs" an M/M Vampire Romance Charity Anthology

Earlier this year, I joined in with a group of authors to create Working Stiffs: an M/M vampire romance charity anthology, an M/M Vampire Romance Charity Anthology. It'd been a while since I'd written any kind of vampire story and I had a blast working on this project and meeting new writers.
We're excited to share these thirteen stories on May 1st and donate all proceeds to World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Blurb:

Sometimes, work sucks in a good way.

Not all vampires are idly rich. Some of them have day jobs. Er, night jobs.

In a world struggling to come to grips with the existence of vampires, where reactions range from excitement to fear to determined disbelief, these vampires are just trying to make ends meet. Some of them do mundane work—like waiting tables or driving a cab. Others have more prestigious careers in medicine and crime prevention. But what all their jobs have in common is people. Unpredictable, interesting, frustrating, hostile, helpless, tasty people.

Whether they’re pouring drinks, answering phones, hacking into a computer system, or serving up the perfect food/wine pairing, these working stiffs are too busy to fall in love. Or are they?

This International Workers Day, celebrate by sinking your teeth into thirteen awesome stories about vampires at work. Because even the undead have to earn a living.

Proceeds benefit the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Story List

Bad Blood by Lyra Evans
Bad Decision by H.L Day
Call My Number by Megs Pritchard
Dial a Vamp by Roberta Blablanski
Fangs for the Memories by Sadie Jay
Fire and Ice Cold Skin by Mel Gough
How To Keep an Author (Alive) by AJ Sherwood
Graveyard Cops by Crystel Greene
Life Hacks by Eliott Griffen
Long Haul by Tanya Chris
Off the Menu by R.J. Sorrento
Overexposed by K. Evan Coles
Quality Assured by Edie Montreux

Free Titles Through Pride Publishing/Totally Entwined Group

Things have changed radically for so many of us in a matter of weeks and it’s no wonder scores of people have resorted to reading to find a little peace. Brigham Vaughn, my co-writer, and I are very happy to work with our friends at Pride Publishing/Totally Entwined Group to make some of our books available for free.

In less than six hours, the TEG Team pulled together an amazing giveaway at First For Romance with hundreds of books available, including two that Brigham and I wrote together and two solo books. All four of our books are free.

Please make sure you look after yourself and your loved ones and stay healthy and safe. We’ll get through this together.

“Third Times the Charm” – Boston Seasons Book 1

“Wake” – Tidal Series Book 1

“The Soldier Next Door”

“With a Twist: – The Speakeasy Series Book 1