Jon Michaelsen's Blog: Ramblings, Excerpts, WIPs, etc., page 34

SWITCH HITTER available now from Wilde City Press

SWITCH HITTER

by Alex Morgan and Jon Michaelsen

Blurb:

Top ranked National League baseball player, Jase Dockery, was having a record-breaking year until a sluggish bat threatened to derail his streak. To the world Jase is a hero, but the MVP harbors a deeply guarded secret…one that just might end his career.

To satisfy his craving for domination, Jase agrees to a tryst with the captain of APD S.W.A.T. The night of unbridled passion has him fantasizing about his next rendezvous with the hard-bodied cop the next day at practice, but his pans are soon derailed by a stalking fan who abducts the nation’s hero to hide out in a lake cabin outside the city.

Can the smitten S.W.A.T captain locate Jase before the humiliation that awaits him with risking coming out to his comrades?

excerpt…

Jase swallowed hard and counted to ten before taking a breath. Jesus Christ! He expected his subjugator to bust him over the head, take his wallet and bike, but nothing happened.

“I…look, I’m sorry, man,” Jase managed. “Just forget it, all right? I made a mistake.” He flinched as the arm slipped higher around his chest. “I really need to go, now.”

The man breathed against his neck. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? I’m horny as hell tonight, and you’re precisely what I need. Lady Velvet has never disappointed me. Anonymity is as important to me as it is to you, she assured.”

Jase didn’t answer in words, but in the thickening of his cock. Tendrils of lusciousness rose from the base of his balls, and surged through his abdomen. He glanced down at the hand covering his left, at the thick fingers that clamped over his own. Lady Velvet had said the man was a cop, a S.W.A.T. officer at that. What luck!

Fighting off fear, Jase found his voice. “I-I’m not sure this is a good idea,” he said, still feeling uneasy. The man’s hand moved up to caress his chest, fingers tweaking his hard tits. Jase held his breath, ready to drop his load right there on the bike without shedding his clothes.

“My friends call me Cap.” The tip of a moist tongue slid up the base of Jase’s neck as the man’s hand settled on his crotched and squeezed hard. “I hear you’ve been a real dick lately and need some attitude adjustment.”

Those final words sealed the deal. Concern and fear evaporated in the heat churning between them. Jase wanted nothing more than to lose himself in the arms of this beast, captain of a S.W.A.T team.

Jase dismounted his motorcycle, and faced Cap. His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. The mustachioed face, more handsome than any professional athlete or model, stared back at him. The brown eyes seemed to draw him in, engulfing his vision. He couldn’t look away, didn’t want to look away. Cap’s torso seemed to explode from out of his narrow waist. His T-shirt stretched across a huge, muscular chest.

The gorgeous specter smiled, and Jase’s legs nearly buckled.

“Let’s see what Lady Velvet has in store for us.” Cap draped an arm around Jase’s shoulders and led him to the elevator.

http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-erotica/switch-hitter/#.UgKlgu7D_IV

 

 

SWITCH HITTER availabe Wednesday, August 14th, 2013 from Wilde City Press

SWITCH HITTER

by Alex Morgan and Jon Michaelsen

Blurb:

Top ranked National League baseball player, Jase Dockery, was having a record-breaking year until a sluggish bat threatened to derail his streak. To the world Jase is a hero, but the MVP harbors a deeply guarded secret…one that just might end his career.

To satisfy his craving for domination, Jase agrees to a tryst with the captain of APD S.W.A.T. The night of unbridled passion has him fantasizing about his next rendezvous with the hard-bodied cop the next day at practice, but his pans are soon derailed by a stalking fan who abducts the nation’s hero to hide out in a lake cabin outside the city.

Can the smitten S.W.A.T captain locate Jase before the humiliation that awaits him with risking coming out to his comrades?

excerpt…

Jase swallowed hard and counted to ten before taking a breath. Jesus Christ! He expected his subjugator to bust him over the head, take his wallet and bike, but nothing happened.

“I…look, I’m sorry, man,” Jase managed. “Just forget it, all right? I made a mistake.” He flinched as the arm slipped higher around his chest. “I really need to go, now.”

The man breathed against his neck. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? I’m horny as hell tonight, and you’re precisely what I need. Lady Velvet has never disappointed me. Anonymity is as important to me as it is to you, she assured.”

Jase didn’t answer in words, but in the thickening of his cock. Tendrils of lusciousness rose from the base of his balls, and surged through his abdomen. He glanced down at the hand covering his left, at the thick fingers that clamped over his own. Lady Velvet had said the man was a cop, a S.W.A.T. officer at that. What luck!

Fighting off fear, Jase found his voice. “I-I’m not sure this is a good idea,” he said, still feeling uneasy. The man’s hand moved up to caress his chest, fingers tweaking his hard tits. Jase held his breath, ready to drop his load right there on the bike without shedding his clothes.

“My friends call me Cap.” The tip of a moist tongue slid up the base of Jase’s neck as the man’s hand settled on his crotched and squeezed hard. “I hear you’ve been a real dick lately and need some attitude adjustment.”

Those final words sealed the deal. Concern and fear evaporated in the heat churning between them. Jase wanted nothing more than to lose himself in the arms of this beast, captain of a S.W.A.T team.

Jase dismounted his motorcycle, and faced Cap. His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. The mustachioed face, more handsome than any professional athlete or model, stared back at him. The brown eyes seemed to draw him in, engulfing his vision. He couldn’t look away, didn’t want to look away. Cap’s torso seemed to explode from out of his narrow waist. His T-shirt stretched across a huge, muscular chest.

The gorgeous specter smiled, and Jase’s legs nearly buckled.

“Let’s see what Lady Velvet has in store for us.” Cap draped an arm around Jase’s shoulders and led him to the elevator.

http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-erotica/switch-hitter/#.UgKlgu7D_IV

 

 

“IM” by Rick R Reed (Audio Book) A Wonderful, Eerily Suspensful Novel!

IM by Rick R. Reed – Narrator Taavi Mark

Reviewed by – Jon Michaelsen

I first read IM, by Rick R. Reed back in July 2008. It was actually the first novel I had ever read by Reed, but certainly not the last. I have since become a huge fan of his writing and read several of his novels since, including my two favorites, “Tricks” and the sequel, “Rent”.

In my original review of IM, I wrote how I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author handled the various POV changes throughout the story effortlessly and fluidly, well balanced for this kind of mystery, suspense/thriller novel – which also includes an intriguing love-story between ex-cop, Ed, and his new boyfriend, Peter. It’s precisely because of the different POVs within the novel that I was a little apprehensive at first listening to the audio version narrated by Taavi Mark.

I had enjoyed reading the print version so much that I decided to through caution to the wind and just go for it – and I am so glad I did. Not only did I enjoy listening to the twisty mystery of a serial killer of gay men he plucked from the internet again, I had the luxury of popping in my headphones and sitting back to get lost in this wonderfully suspenseful  thriller.

Let me just say right off the bat, this novel is out-and-out scary, but it’s the narrator’s voice that makes the experience downright creepy. I felt Tavvi Mark had perfectly captured the serial killer’s state of mind, but his voice inflections were spot-on, to the point where listening to the words of Reed’s awesome novel became bone-chilling. The challenge of a good narrator if he (in this case) can project enough voice variation to discern each character and still come across authentic  enough to keep the listener engaged, to not sound dull or boring by simply “reading” a script. Tavvi Mark is able to perform this act and much more, especially in the case of the psychotic killer, who comes across as decidedly eerie.

As I mentioned in my review of the print version a few years back, I greatly enjoyed the romantic sub-plot between Ed and Peter and would love to know more of their story, should Mr. Reed endeavor as he has done with other unforgettable characters readers have grown to love.

https://www.facebook.com/AudioBooksNowHearThis

http://www.audible.com/listener/A8NE0FPK2W9X0/IM/ref=pd_seeReview?asin=B00DDVPY90

2013 Rainbow Awards – Celebrating Quality LGBT Fiction / Non-Fiction

For the second year I have signed on to be a Juror to review submitted novels considered for the 2013 Rainbow Awards hosted each year by Elisa Rolle. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience last year, reading a bevy of fine novels written by both new and seasoned writers. So, when the opportunity came around again this year, I couldn’t pass up the chance – and I must say, judging by the first three novels I’ve read so far, the field is stronger than ever!

Being a Juror for the Rainbow Awards has also introduced me to writers and genres I may not have otherwise chosen on my own, such as “Ink” by Isabelle Rowan, a novel which I wrote a review last year saying “Isabelle Rowan” has created a very gratifying m/m love story and thriller…a novel  between opposite men, unlikely lovers – men destined to meet in this lifetime (and perhaps the next.). I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, not to mention the incredible cover. Another pleasant surprise was newcomer, Rob Kaufman’s “One Last Lie“, of which I wrote “…Kaufman has created a “must-read” novel for anyone searching for a kick-ass psychological thriller with a strong romantic theme…”

Other novels I read were “Where Nerves End” by L. A. Witt, “Handle With Care” by Josephine Myles, “Servitude” by Rebecca Cohen and “Spice And Smoke” by Suleikha Snyder.

If you are an author with a new novel and want to submit your entry(ies) for the 2013 Rainbow Awards, the deadline is fast approaching;

Deadline to submit: September 5, 2013.

A shortlist of up to five finalist for each category will be announced no later than Oct 15, 2013

Winners will be announced on December 8, 2013

The 2013 Elisa Rolle Rainbow Awards are an annual contest celebrating outstanding work in LGBT fiction and nonfiction. Hosted and owned by blogger Elisa Rolle, the contest is open to all authors of work containing LGBT fictional characters and work chronicling the true stories of LGBT persons.  For this the contest’s fifth year, some new rules have been instigated, and a new partner has emerged to assist Elisa. The Rainbow Romance Writers, a chapter of the Romance Writers of America, will partner with Elisa in the management and coordination of this contest. Despite RRW’s status as a chapter for romance writers, their participation in no way changes the Rainbow Awards and do not make them exclusively a romance contest. One need not be a member of RRW or RWA to participate in this contest.

Form more information and to find complete submission guidelines, please visit the following websites:

http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/3455751.html

http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2013.html

Update About My Books and Writing

I wanted to take a moment and let you know what is happening with my previously released novellas, SWITCH HITTER (co-written with Alex Morgan) and FALSE EVIDENCE: MURDER MOST DEADLY I.

Many of you know that my publisher, loveyoudivine (LYD) shuttered its doors the last day of June 2013. Therefore, both titles, as well as the MEN anthology (which included my short-story, VOYEUR) were removed from all e-book purchasing websites. I will forever be grateful to Claudia Regenos, publisher of loveyoudivine for taking a chance on me and publishing my writing, not to mention my cover artist, Dawne Dominique and editor, Dalia Craig.

The good news is very soon both novellas, SWITCH HITTER and FALSE EVIDENCE have found a new home! In the next few weeks, both will be re-released by Wilde City Press (www.wildecitypress.com). Each will receive a new book cover and be re-edited to ensure the best quality possible. As soon as I receive the new covers and release dates, I’ll post them here, via my Goodreads blog (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1702208.Jon_Michaelsen/blog) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/jon.michaelsen), so stay tuned!!

  

Wilde City Press Celebrates this Summer with Fun Author Memories and a Sale!

http://www.wildecity.com/bookstore/

Wilde City Press celebrates Summer with fun author memories and a sale!

Posted on Wednesday, July 3 2013

Summer is all about fun, adventure and making great holiday memories. What do the Wilde City authors get up to? Find out when they were asked about some of their favorite summer traditions … past, present, and future.

Help Wilde City Press celebrate the start of summer and July 4th. Enjoy 25% off your entire cart from Thursday July 4th through Sunday July 7th with the coupon code: WildeFreedom.

 

What is your favorite July 4th / Independence Day memory or tradition?

Shae Connor

My favorite July 4th tradition is putting the watermelon in the pool.

See, my extensive extended family mostly lives in and around a small Georgia town, and the main gathering place for as long as I can remember has been the house of one of my grandmother’s sisters. (Both my grandmother and her sister are gone now, but some things just don’t change.)

Every year on the 4th of July, everyone who’s in town gathers at that house for a cookout. There’s a big grill out back, where the manly men types cook the meat. There’s also a pool, and every year, there’s a watermelon that goes in the pool. The kids play with it in the water most of the day, and then after everyone eats, the watermelon gets fished out, washed off, and sliced for everyone to dig in. The water in the pool chills it perfectly, not too cold like it would be from the fridge.

Now I want some pool-cooled watermelon!

I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember, but it took me a long time to figure out that maybe I should start writing them down. I started out writing fanfic well over a decade ago, and in 2010, I moved into original fiction. (Though I do still get waylaid by a fanfiction plotbunny now and then.)

Shae is new to Wilde City. Look for Fringes, her Charlie Harding Presents erotic sci-fi short due out later this summer. Visit her at: shaeconnorwrites.com

Owen Keehnen

I am not sure if it was the exactly the 4th of July, but I do recall the fireworks. I was probably 20 or so and felt very grown up. I was in my first real apartment with my first real boyfriend. It was night and to escape the heat we climbed out my bedroom window onto the roof. We spread a sheet on the graveled tar and were lying there just holding hands and watching the stars. There was heat lightning to the south. The small town fireworks began about a half hour after dusk and probably lasted a total of five minutes. When they ended, I turned to him and said, “I love you.” I didn’t know exactly what those words entailed, but I knew how I felt and at that moment there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. It was such a feeling of complete contentment. We ended up falling asleep out there on the roof and climbed back inside around 3 a.m. He’s gone now, but whenever I see fireworks I think of him and that rooftop and that moment. It always brings a smile.

In addition to the four poems he contributed to Falling Awake, Owen has two other projects coming soon to Wilde City. The LGBT Book of Days is a fun and comprehensive guide to thousands of the most important dates in LGBT history – it’s great for reference and trivia and a real treat to compile. The second is a humorous novel called Young Digby Swank, a gay coming of age story about growing up Catholic which is hilarious and heartbreaking and heroic all at the same time. Visit Owen on facebook.

What is your favorite Summer memory or tradition?

Geoffrey Knight

My favourite Independence Day moment has to be when Will Smith socks that mean old alien in the chops after they have the dogfight in the canyon and he says something bad-ass like, “You aliens just wrecked my July 4 barbecue and now I’m gonna have me some E.T. burgers because you guys suck!” Oh … you mean a real Independence Day memory, not a scene from the movie! I guess I’ll answer the Best Summer Memory or Tradition question instead.

I don’t think I have one particular memory or tradition that stands out because I love everything about Summer. Being Australian, Summer means lots of public holidays: Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Australia all happen in the space of a month or so, so January pretty much means lots of delicious seafood and days at the beach and your skin feels dusty with sea-salt the whole time, which is a feeling I love. Now that I’ve moved to an island it’s even better; Sydney beaches can get really crowded but up here I can walk from one end of the beach to the other with my dogs and not see a soul. And yes, of course I go in for a skinny dip!

“I want to see.” … “Nash, we’re in Egypt, in the ruins of an ancient city, standing in front of a secret door! Aren’t you curious?” “Curiosity killed the – ” … “No, I’m not curious.” The lie was unconvincing enough to give Ryan the confidence to sway him. Sway him with a kiss. … “Curious yet?”

You can read Nash’s answer in Cairo Curse, book two in the Vampire Lair series. Visit Geoff at www.geoffreyknightbooks.com

Check back all weekend for more amazing Summer traditions and memories from the authors of Wilde City Press!!

http://www.wildecity.com/bookstore/

 

“The Butcher’s Son”, Audio Book, the first Dick Hardesty mystery by Dorien Grey

The Butcher’s Son – Audio Version

Written by Dorien Grey – Narration by Jeff Frez-Albrecht

Review by Jon Michaelsen

 

Over the past few weeks I’ve been introduced to Audible Books, unabridged audio versions of print novels, and in my case gay genre. Years ago, I’d purchased or rented “books on tape” as they were known back in the day, typically multiple cassette tapes of unabridged versions of print books by often more popular writer’s whose publishers had the funds to produce and release novels due to said authors’ popularity. Impractical at the time, the only opportunity to listen to the “tapes” was when traveling alone in a car or aboard a plane most often renting tapes since purchasing had proved financially unsustainable. Alas, the GLBT genre I preferred was sorely underrepresented, and I preferred reading opposed to listening.

So along came ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange), whose author-friendly processes have attracted many writers of GLBT literature to release new and backlisted works in audio book. Wow, have I hit pay-dirt, since many of my favorite authors are releasing older, out-of-print novels in this new format for today’s audiences, often complimented with e-book and print versions. Shortly after, I learned of a new Facebook page dedicated to GLBT audio books and immediately “liked” the page to stay informed. Created in April this year by popular writer, Dorien Grey, the Facebook page is Audio Books: Now Hear This – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Now-Here-This/289308547757611.

I’ve listened to several audiobooks from many favorite authors lately, including the first in Dorien Grey’s infamous Dick Hardesty detective/mystery series, “The Butcher’s Son”.  The blurb alerts listeners that “…someone is torching the city’s gay bars…”, thus sets the tone for Grey’s multi Lammy Award nominated, long-running Hardesty mysteries, fourteen books over eleven years and counting.

More exciting for those of us who have been waiting – hoping! – for the earlier novels in the series to be reissued, listening to the recently released audio version “The Butcher’s Son” provides yet another medium for readers to enjoy. The plot is deftly written, exhibiting poenty of cleverly spaced twists and turns to provide not only a satisfying read (I read the e-book version last year, so I know what I’m talking about), but a pleasing listening experience aimed to challenge even the best amateur armchair sleuth.

What I found vastly different listening to the audiobook versus reading the e-book version was experiencing narrator, Jeff Frez-Albrecht’s, dead-pan interpretation of Grey’s crisp prose, a new experience altogether exciting and chilling, like reading, err listening, to the story for the first time. The mysterious, suspenseful aspect of the novel is significantly enhanced with perfect timing enunciation, not to mention offering the opportunity to kick back, close your eyes and get lost in Grey’s skillfully crafted fictional character’s lives, especially the never perfect, oft complicated Dick Hardesty.

http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00C5S8YH6&qid=1370825165&sr=1-1

http://www.doriengrey.com/

 

Making History Now…One Gay Romance at a Time with Geoffrey Knight & Ethan Day

Making History Now… One Gay Romance at a Time Geoffrey Knight

Geoff Knight and Ethan Day

How often do we say to ourselves that generations from now, people will look back in shock and dismay that once upon a time gay rights weren’t equal rights? They’ll wonder why things were not balanced or fair or safe for some, why people were treated as second class citizens just because of their sexual orientation, and why so many of us—on both sides of the debate—got so angry. Which is probably why so many of us love gay romance. Because when it comes to the struggles of finding yourself and overcoming adversary, every romance novel has its hero or heroes, and every ending is a happy one.

To read the rest at Romance University, click on this link

http://romanceuniversity.org/2013/05/15/making-history-now-with-geoff-knight/

“City Knight” by T. A. Webb – A Force to be Reckoned With!!

“City Knight begins with a lurch, grabs on tight and doesn’t let go until your eyes are burning and blurry from reading too fast to find out what’s on the next page, not wanting to put the story down until done…”

Read my entire review at Gay/Lesbian Book Reviews:

http://glfictionreviews.blogspot.com/…

Find Out How I Met the Love of my Life in The Face of Gay – Kage Alan’s Blog

The Face of Gay 32 (Jon Michaelsen)

 

One of my favorite bands, Tears For Fears, regrouped several years ago and released an album titled Everybody Loves A Happy Ending. I find

that I concur. The human adventure comes with a number of hidden traps and pitfalls mixed with uncertainty and the ever-looming unknown. And then there are times when we’re asked to look over that life in order to find something about it worth telling others. Welcome to Jon Michaelsen’s Face of Gay.

The Face of Gay 32 (Jon Michaelsen) It never fails, once in a while a reader will come along and ask a question I can’t answer readily as I can espouse reasons for my love of penning gay fiction, developing plot and characterization, outlining, proofing, editing–yes, I love editing –and, why I choose to write in a genre overwhelmed with a bevy of newly published authors with the emergence of small electronic publishers, indie publishers and self-publishers, all competing with legacy publishers of GLBT fiction.

A reader recently asked, “What are you most proud of?”

To read more, click on the link below:

http://www.kagealan.com/blog/2013/the-face-of-gay-32-jon-michaelsen/