Naughty Netherworld Press's Blog: Naughty Netherworld Press on Goodreads, page 34
April 21, 2025
Late Bloomer Baby Boomer Review and Guest Post #GayBookPromotions
BLOG TOUR
Book Title: Late Bloomer Baby Boomer: A Collection of Humorous Essays About Being Gay Back in the Day and Finally Finding My Way
Author and Publisher: Steve Milliken
Release Date: December 2022
Genres: Memoir/Biography
Tropes: Self-discovery through humor, finding identity, acceptance, and resilience by laughing through life’s absurdities.
Themes: Finding humor as a gay Baby Boomer – Because the coming-out process never really ends, and it’s best to laugh along the way.
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 66 000 words/228 pages
It is a standalone non-fiction book.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Laugh-out-loud stories about coming out, coming of age, and coming to terms with myself—finally!
Blurb
What happens when the class clown embraces his truth, becomes a teacher, and takes on the absurdities of life? Hilarity ensues.
In LATE BLOOMER BABY BOOMER: A Collection of Humorous Essays About Being Gay Back in the Day and Finally Finding My Way, Steve Milliken delivers a laugh-out-loud memoir packed with sharp wit, self-deprecating humor, and occasional bursts of wisdom. With the observational humor of David Sedaris and the candid charm of Augusten Burroughs, these essays explore self-discovery, urban teaching misadventures, and the hilarity of navigating adulthood as a gay baby boomer.
Spoiler: It’s a parade of pitfalls, pratfalls, and punchlines.
Review Quote:
"Delivers great sendups of the gay dating scene... impressive comedic timing. Each essay is short and snappy... A wide-ranging collection driven by humor and insight." — Kirkus Reviews
Excerpt 1: From "Introduction"
“Some people ask me, ‘Steve, who's the target audience for your book?’
And I tell them:
‘My book is for anyone who is gay, knows someone who's gay, or someone who is NOT gay but would like to be! Or… a straight guy who’s had a gay experience—like wearing a belt that matches his shoes.’”
“Back in my distant youth, I pursued a career as an actor, but the problem with acting for me was that I was a comic character actor trapped in a leading man's body. If Rodney Dangerfield and Grace Kelly had a baby, that would have been me.
But to be honest, I never wanted to be rich and famous… and so far, that’s working out great! Not really…”
Excerpt 2: From "Epistolary Possibilities for a New Year"
“After not working out for a month, I arrived at the gym only to realize my gym bag had turned into a mildew science project thanks to a rogue water bottle. Unfortunately, I discovered this catastrophe only after I'd stripped down in the locker room. I panicked, naturally, but I was too far gone to turn back. I had no choice but to wear my stinky clothes.”
“Now, I’m not religious, but in moments like these, I consider a higher power. I clutched my hands together and said a novena to the patron saint of putrid smells: ‘Our Lady of Sacred Stench, please help me now.’”
“Once on the gym floor, I tried to keep a safe distance from everyone. But when someone got too close, I’d suddenly dash to another part of the gym for no apparent reason. I’d seen my cat do this, so it seemed worth a try…”
Excerpt 3: From "Bitch Ass Snitch"
“One day, I ‘snitched’ to the Dean about a student of mine who had tagged his desk with a box cutter blade. The next day, when he came back, in front of the whole class, he called me a ‘bitch ass snitch’ and ran out of the classroom.
Later that day, in the staff parking lot, I discovered someone had vandalized my car.”
‘Gee, I wonder who that could have been?’
Of course, I came to one conclusion… ‘Karma's a bitch… for a bitch ass snitch!’”
Excerpt 4: From "Changing Closets"
“Originally, I was in the closet for being gay… but now I'm in the closet about my age.
To counter the effects of aging, I’ve reluctantly adhered to diet and exercise mandates. I even tried becoming a vegetarian… although not a strict one.
Occasionally, I’d eat chicken, fish, and ass. I’m kidding, I kid. I didn’t eat chicken…”
About the Author
Steve Milliken, a native Californian who never left—thanks to a rent-controlled Santa Monica apartment—is a writer, humorist, and recovering class clown who has spent a lifetime finding the comedy in life’s quirks and curveballs. A gay baby boomer with a knack for self-deprecating wit, he’s been an inner-city teacher, a reluctant adult, and an expert in the fine art of laughing at himself.
In LATE BLOOMER BABY BOOMER: A Collection of Humorous Essays About Being Gay Back in the Day and Finally Finding My Way, Steve shares sharp, heartfelt, and laugh-out-loud stories about coming out, inner-city teaching, and navigating life one misadventure at a time. His writing has been compared to the observational humor of David Sedaris and the candid storytelling of Augusten Burroughs.
When he’s not finding the humor in everyday life, Steve creates and shares short comedy videos online based on excerpts from his book, proving that some stories are best told with a punchline… and good lighting.
Author Links
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Guest Post1. Tellus a little about yourself and your writing goals.
Myname is Steve Milliken, and my first and only book, LateBloomer Baby Boomer,was 20 years in the making. I’m a former class clown turned highschool English teacher in the inner city who finally channeled mylove of storytelling—and a lifetime of procrastination—into apublished book. Think of me as the guy who always made the classlaugh (and the principal sigh), but also the guy who handed in hishomework a couple of decades late. My goal is to offer stories thatare funny, relatable, and remind people it’s never too late tofigure yourself out. Making people laugh is my passion, so this bookis an extension of that.
2. Fiveor ten things I learned while writing this book
Humor is a powerful healing tool.
Sometimes laughter says what tears can't—and it reaches people faster.
It’s okay to cringe at your past. It means you’ve grown.
Growth isn't always graceful, but it's usually funny in hindsight.
“Coming out” doesn’t have an expiration date.
Identity isn’t a one-time announcement—it’s an ongoing evolution.
Gay history isn’t just about Stonewall—it’s about the quiet, cringey, and hilarious stories too.
The personal is political… and often ridiculous.
Nostalgia and humor make a potent combo.
Looking back is easier when you're laughing while you do it.
This was the book I needed years ago. I hope it finds someone who needs it now.
Sometimes you write the thing you wish someone had handed you earlier.
My stand-up background helped me shape each essay like a set.
Every piece had a rhythm: setup, build, punchline—and occasionally, a mic drop.
Editing your life is hard. So is keeping a straight face while doing it.
Memoir is emotional excavation with a laugh track.
I hoped the humor would land on the page—and was surprised how much emotional truth snuck in with it.
Turns out, jokes and feelings are often seatmates.
My old students probably deserve royalties….
3. Whatwas the most difficult part of writing this book? Why?
The hardestpart was writing honestly about two very different—but equallypersistent—forms of denial: the closeted kid who thought “straight”was a believable costume, and the adult who thought his drinkingwasn’t a problem—as long as the jokes kept landing. Writing aboutmy younger self felt like emotional time travel with a side ofwhiplash and heckling. (And yes, I was heckling myself.)
Revisitingthose moments through a more honest, present-day lens confirmed whatI’ve known for years: coming out isn’t a one-time event—it’sa lifelong process. And somehow, writing about it deepened myself-acceptance even more.
If I can’town the cringe, I can’t own the growth.
Humor helped mesurvive it then—and now, it helps me make sense of it all.
4. Fiverandom facts about this book
The book took decades to live and 20 years to write.
My early stand-up career shows in the rhythm of every paragraph—even the heartfelt ones.
The title Late Bloomer Baby Boomer came to me while eating a bran muffin. Fiber inspires.
I compare liposuction to childbirth—more than once.
There’s a fart machine involved. Yes, really.
5. Fivepersonalities from the book
Me, Myself & I – The core trio in this memoir. I narrate, I reflect, and usually only one of us gets to talk at a time. (You're welcome.)
Young Me – Funny and well-dressed (Thanks, Mom!), desperate to fit in—and even more desperate to stand out. The class clown with a Barbie obsession and a Barbie-shaped hole in his soul.
The Closeted College Student – Joined a fraternity for the brotherhood, the bonding, and the belief that straightness was contagious. (Spoiler: it wasn’t.)
The Comedy Performer – I’d been performing long before I ever set foot on a stage—playing it straight, playing it funny, and trying to look like I had it all together. I didn’t lose my manginity until my mid-twenties, which tells you everything you need to know about how “together” I really was. Yes, that’s a word. Yes, it’s in the book.
The High School Teacher – Picture a three-ring circus of whiteboards, chaos, and curriculum! Now put the former class clown—turned teacher—in charge as the ringmaster. Equal parts sarcasm and survival mode, I juggled lessons, tamed students, and always found the funny.
6.Elaborate on the inspiration for the book
Iwrote this book because humor is contagious—and I’m trying tostart an epidemic! It’s how I’ve always processed life:connecting the dots, cracking jokes between the trauma, and turningpain into punchlines. Basically, therapy with spit takes and noco-pay. And let’s be honest—if your memoir doesn’t include afart machine, what are we even doing?
7.Elaborate on your writing style
It’sa mix of memoir and comedy club. My style is part stand-up, partstorytelling, and part cleverly candid commentary. I aim forlaugh-out-loud moments with occasional bursts of wisdom. I usereal-life absurdity, punchlines, and random left turns intovulnerability. If David Sedaris had a slightly more unpredictable,verbose gay cousin, I’d like to think I’m him. It’slaugh-out-loud humor with heart—and just enough delightfulderailments to keep things interesting.
8.Things you edited out of this book, or that were originally plannedbut changed once you started writing
Editingis the grown-up version of putting away your favorite toys. Painful,but necessary. I had to part ways with a few essays I loved—somewere too niche, too weird, or just didn’t play nicely with others.Some cuts were necessary because they didn’t serve the largerstory… or served a little too much—like one piece best describedas “emotionally chaotic with hints of gastrointestinal distress,”which I once considered a colon humor classic. It might resurfacesomeday—possibly in therapy, with a very open-minded therapist….
9. Whatis your advice for new writers?
Don’twait for inspiration—it’s lazy and has a terrible work ethic.Write every day, even if it’s just a paragraph or a grocery listthat spirals into a monologue. The first draft is just you shovelingsand into a sandbox—the real magic happens when you start shapingit into a castle. Don’t fear rejection; every “no” gets youcloser to the right “yes.” Even Stephen King’s first novel wasrejected 30 times, and he still turned out okay… if by “okay”you mean global domination through nightmares. And if you need toretreat into a blanket fort now and then, make sure it has Wi-Fi,fizzy drinks, and salty snacks—creativity needs fuel.
10. Ifyou had access to a time machine just once, is there anything you'dgo back and change?
Iwouldn’t erase the awkward evolution—it’s what brought me here.But I’d definitely ditch the detour into alcoholism. Recovery gaveme gifts I’m deeply grateful for, but I lost too many years toself-loathing, fear, and trying to be someone I wasn’t. I’d goback and find that closeted, confused kid and say, “You’re notbroken. You’re scared—and that’s okay. But life gets so muchbetter when you stop pretending. Also: Invest in Amazon. Trust me.”
11. Ifyou could choose any superpower or magical ability, what would it beand why? What would you do with it?
Thepower to instantly recharge energy. Forget super strength—I wantsuper stamina for writing, aging gracefully, and pretending tounderstand cryptocurrency without a nap.
12. Ifyou could go anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where wouldyou go, who would you take with you, and why?
I’mnot well-traveled, but people keep telling me it’s time to venturebeyond my comfort zone… so I’m thinking Death Valley in thesummer or Antarctica in the winter. I’ve also heard there’s aGroupon for a boat trip down the Congo River—complete with optionalcannibal engagement and a Marlon Brando impersonator mumbling “Thehorror.”
My friendstend to be squeamish, so I’d probably go solo.
As far asdescents into madness go, I’ve faced greater horrors—liketeaching high school English in the inner city. It’s all in mybook….
13. Ifyou were stranded on a desert island, what three things (or people)would you want there with you?
A waterproof copy of my book, Late Bloomer Baby Boomer—If I’m going to be stranded, I’d rather be entertained by previous misadventures than counting on conversations with coconuts.
A shirtless Chris Hemsworth lookalike who reinvented himself as a wilderness survivalist—and is surprisingly great at both fire-starting and emotional intimacy. Listen, I’m not proud—but I’m also not trying to build a shelter with just sunscreen and anxiety.
A fart machine—for morale. Nothing lifts your spirits like juvenile colon humor echoing across the island at sunset.
Free use image from Open Clipart Vectors
Ornery Owl's Review
Five out of Five Stars
Reading this book feels like having coffee with a new friend. By the end of the book, you're hoping this new friend will be a forever friend because he lifts your spirits with his funny, crazy, and sometimes saucy stories.
The book addresses adult issues, and the stories are a bit bawdy at times, but there is nothing overly explicit in these essays. If I had a gay son in his late teens, I wouldn't have a problem with him reading this book to learn about what it was like to grow up gay back in the day. The fact that gay youth today still face many of the same struggles is both confounding and astounding.
I have a straight son in his thirties, and I will suggest that he read the book next time he feels a bit grouchy and out of sorts. I recommend this book for adults of any sexual orientation who enjoy a good laugh.
Diving Into the Beloved Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Poetry, Art
Date Published: 10-14-2024
Publisher: Infinite Heart Publications
The Timeless Dance of Love and Devotion
These poetic verses explore the timeless and transcendent nature of love, where beauty and devotion surpass the boundaries of time and space. The writer evokes a cosmic connection between two souls, celebrating love as an eternal, infinite force that binds them together in a dance of passion and unity.
About the Author
Lark enjoys being a hermit and staying out of the limelight.
He has been know to accidentally bodysurf with turtles at play.
He leaves them alone and they leave him alone.
Everyone’s happy.
Contact Link
Purchase Link
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Eurovision Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
A Plea For Respect: Continental Songs And British Attitudes
POP MUSIC /Ethnomusicoligy
The Eurovision Song Contest holds a unique place in the history of modern Europe.
The yearly pan-European soiree has developed into a phenomenon that is now far more than a mere song festival,
Unveiling the beauty and diversity of Europe's most iconic music event - The Eurovision Song Contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest has grown to become a great European tradition and holds a unique place in the history of modern Europe.The yearly pan-Eurpean soiree has developed into a phenomenon that is now far more than a mere song festival.Its stage has been graced by Europe`s greatest artistes and its songs written by some of the continent`s most respected song writers yet there still exists negative attitudes towards it in Britain where the Contest is often portrayed as of little aesthetic value .A more indepth study shows that it is far from a parade of glitz and banal lyrics.Through this book we delve into the background and history into which many of its entries had their roots and examine why it has been maligned so much in Britain and how certain attitudes have taken root particularly in the U.K as well as taking a closer look at notable entries throughout its history.We travel on a journey through the plethora of artistes, songs and events that have made up the Contest and site the reasons why it should be regarded as quality culture and merit respect.
About the Author
Steve Kerr was brought up in the pleasant seaside town of Broughty Ferry in North East Scotland. He spent part of his teenage life in Glamis Castle, home to Macbeth and the Queen Mother, reputed to be the most haunted house in Scotland! He later worked and studied in London, he also lived in Spain, Hungary and for a number of years, Greece and worked as a lecturer in Yorkshire.
Steve's interest in writing came from the early 1970s when his somewhat unconventional English teacher encouraged his creativity. His creativity and imagination went back however to childhood when he would create stories and draw them in a series of pictures. He has always had a strong interest in History and music. As a teenager he composed many songs but never met with success his creative abilities were slowly channeled into writing books.His first Novel " A Cafe In Arcadia",about life in an insular Greek town, was published in 2014. He had already published " The Christmas Tree Of Tales " in 2013 under the name S R Kerr..In 2021 he published another novel "The Winding Streets Of Kolonaki" set in Athens.
He counts a love of music in his interests as well as travel and reading. He has travelled extensivly to places as diverse as Pakistan and Peru and hopes to visit Japan, Hong Kong and the USA in the near future.
Growing up next to the beach on the River Tay in his home town was a a major influence on him as was living in a castle. He was always interested in anthropology and visiting other countries where he often immersed himself in their culture. Places he visited and lived in inspired much of his writing, as did his interest in psychology, people watching. He worked as a lecturer, tutor, journalist ,civil servant in London where at a point he shared a house with the group The Test Department.
He is at the moment working on three other books
1) Eurovision, A plea for respect (continental songs and British attitudes)
2)The afternoons of Sanjay Bassinger
3)It Came Upon One Christmas Eve.
Contact Link
Purchase Link
April 18, 2025
The Abandoned Theater Pre-Order Blitz #rabtbooktours
Book One of the Alderland Series
Middle Grade Fiction
Date to be Published: 05-01-2025
Publisher: Our Street Books
Deep in the woods of the Winnodov property sits the abandoned theater. Something mysterious happened during the last performance there - the same night Mr. Winnodov disappeared.
Eight years later, it’s happening again. A group of mischievous teenagers sneaks into the theater. And now, one is missing.
When 12-year-old Beth Shoner learns who the missing teen is, she sets off with two friends to find him. But what they discover is more astonishing than they could ever have imagined.
Early Reviews
5 stars - “Absolute gem of a read that had me hooked from the first page. A thrilling, magical adventure with a touch of danger.”
~K.L, Netgalley
5 stars - “Genuinely brilliant tale filled with lush imagery and fantastical settings. Wonderful fantasy adventure. Very highly recommended.”
~A.S., Readers Favorite
5 stars – “What a compelling and engaging read. Action-packed, magical, and entertaining. A must-read middle-school/YA fantasy read.
~A.A, Author
5 stars - “Masterfully weaves suspense and wonder, keeping readers on edge with unexpected twists and a richly built setting.”
~Kids World book blog
5 stars – “Novel is wonderful, whimsical and beautifully crafted. A spectacular read for people of all ages.”
~T.C., Goodreads
About the Author
Dana Robertson lives in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. She writes fantasy, mystery, science fiction and middle grade fiction.
Contact Links
Preorder Links
April 17, 2025
Summer Fated To Be Mine Teaser #rabtbooktours
YA, Coming of Age, Urban, Romance
Date Published: 05-06-2025
First Love is Overrated
This summer these two broken souls discover if your second love can make you forget your first
Growing up, the Morelli brothers were close
Their kinship sinks deeper than the Titanic the summer they both fall for the same girl. Zakiah always felt Iliana Kaplan's heart belonged to him. All along, it has been their story, until fate removed the blindfold.
Everything falls apart when Zakiah realizes Iliana will never give him her whole heart. This time, the middle brother, Elijah, won't be able to repair the damage. A rift is torn amid all of them, and nothing will ever be the same again.
Two years later, when love comes knocking on his door, Zakiah strays from his motto. He can't pretend the connection he feels with Glory Glover isn't real. He just can't afford to fall victim to love again—already learned that lesson the hard way.
Life drops the other shoe. When his dad reveals who his betrothed is, there's no running from what fate has in store. Can your second love make you forget your first? Zakiah must decide if love only exists in fairytales. No matter what choice he makes, it won't be easy to find what's truly his to behold.
What happened in the spring might've made him forget his summertime dreams, but reality rarely has a silver lining.
About the Author
B. Truly has wanted to be an author since she was fifteen years old. She is grateful to have accomplished this dream. B. Truly has very vivid dreams and a wild imagination. She likes to read, watch tons of TV shows, and movies. She’s addicted to romance and gets a thrill out of suspense and sci-fi. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romance, sci-fi, dystopian, paranormal, and urban genres.
B. Truly likes to explore conflicted plots of romance with thrilling twists. She also loves creating impossible situations for her characters to grow from and try to overcome.
B. Truly has three wonderful children, and a husband who defines the person that she is today. She works full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in Houston, Texas.
Contact Links
Preorder Today
https://mybook.to/SummerFatedToMeMine
April 16, 2025
The Pot of Gold at the Rainbow Cafe Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Contemporary Fiction
Date Published: April 1, 2025
In a time when too much emphasis is on our past sins, instead of our many celebrated successes, The Pot of Gold at the Rainbow Café is a breath of fresh air. It's a story that looks at what’s right with America, its big heart, and its kind and generous people. It is an inspiring, touching, humorous story about main-street America, still the land of opportunity and exceptionalism, where fairy-tale endings are still common. It’s a place where neighbors look out for each other, help each other, then pay it forward, pass their good fortune along. Just look around you. It still happens every day.
About the Author
Dan Chabot is a retired newspaper editor and columnist for a major metro daily, the Milwaukee Journal (now the Journal-Sentinel). For many years he presided over the paper’s most popular section, the Green Sheet, a daily compendium of entertaining feature stories, nostalgia, history, humor and whimsy. He is the author of several other novels and now lives in Florida.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
The Night Menagerie New Release Blitz #IndiGo
Title: The Night Menagerie
Series: The Pact of the Veil, Book One
Author: Kathryne Lentes
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 04/15/2025
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Female/Female
Length: 25400
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance, paranormal, urban fantasy, lesbian, trans, shapeshifters, police detective, disappearance, role-playing game
Add to Goodreads
DescriptionSah Williams is used to navigating the fantastical worlds of her own creation, but when her sister disappears, she is thrust into a world of magic and shapeshifters beyond anything she would have put to page. The only things she might be able to count on are a mysterious detective who she suspects has their own agenda and her novel’s main character’s voice whispering her advice.ExcerptThe Night Menagerie Kathryne Lentes © 2025All Rights Reserved Chapter One
I woke to the sound of a person screaming. I sat bolt upright in bed and looked around, trying to remember where I was. There was no one else in the room, and I realized it had been me who had screamed. My heart beat like a jackhammer and I clutched the blanket to myself.
Instinctually, I reached out to the right side of the bed, but there was no one there. There had not been anyone there for almost six months, and most nights, I had no problem remembering that. Robert had been a comfort in the darkness, able to quiet the nightmares I had. Nisha, my sister, had loved him for that. He could also make you laugh, no matter how hard times were.
Everyone loved Robert—everyone but me, I guess, or at least I could not love him in the way he needed me to. I was most at home in solitude and did not really believe in just one person, one love, for the rest of a person’s life.
I reached out and ran my hands along my shoulder; the pain had been so intense in the dream when the beast had torn a chunk of flesh, I half expected to find blood on my fingers. I looked around at the plain white walls barely visible in the moonlight and took several long, slow breaths, forcing myself to calm down. Slowly, my heart began to beat slower, and my mind distanced itself from the nightmare and came back to reality.
Okay, let’s start with the first question: where was I?The room was small and sparsely furnished. I could hear the hustle and bustle of the street outside, even at this hour, and remembered this was my new apartment. I had not decided if I would stay in New York after my breakup.
There were a lot of memories here, good and bad, and it was where Dominique lived. Dominique Fortune, an international thief and woman of mystery, is a character I created for my novels. Dominique had given me everything I had dreamed of when I was a kid. She lived in New York so, as soon as I could afford it, I moved here, even though I have always felt my real home is Saint Louis.
Some people are method actors; I think I am a method author. I had to get into all the details and experiences of a character if the book was going to feel real when I was writing it.I reached out for the notebook I kept by the side of my bed and tried to remember the dream that had shocked me awake. That notebook had served as a constant stream of inspiration, and I wrote down almost every one of my dreams, from the scary to the spicy. This dream was different somehow, and it seemed to be fading quickly; the only thing reverberating in my head was the howl of an animal and that searing moment of pain.
I involuntarily reached out again to the untouched right side of the bed. I knew I could have been using the whole bed, but even after six months, the right side was still Robert’s side. Not sure if the loss of the relationship had hit me so hard because of what it said about us or what it said about me, I lay back and closed my eyes to dispel thoughts of him and tried to return to sleep, but when I did the fear rose inside me like the beast was waiting for me in my dreams.
I gave up and looked at my phone, but it was dead. The clock on the wall said 4:45 a.m. Well, it was too late for warm milk and cookies and too early for a shot of whiskey and a beer, so I figured I might as well go for a jaunt.
I got up out of bed and pulled out some sweats and a baggy T-shirt from the top drawer. Before I met Robert, my choice of outfits had been sexier, but now all I wanted was something that would not shred when I did a jump or tumble.
Dominique had taken up parkour. Thus, so had I, joining lock picking, mastering security systems, combat driving, and generally being sneaky in a series of skills I had acquired to make the novels feel more real. Parkour or free running was all about trying to cover a distance from one point to the next in the most efficient way; usually that included flips, rolls, and jumps using any piece of available architecture to maintain your momentum.
“If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.” As I said it out loud, I could hear my dad speaking. It was something he picked up in the service from some drill sergeant and passed on to us. I’m not sure what Dad would have said about my current career. His life had been built on service, and all I did was entertain.
I had grown up as an army brat traveling with my father. He went from infantry to the rangers, to OCS, and finally to a battalion command. It had been a long road and my only companion had been my twin sister Nisha. I allowed myself a smile that turned bittersweet. Whenever I thought of my sister, my thoughts naturally went to our mother. She had died in childbirth, and the only thing we had to remember her by was our names, Nisha and Sah; they were small pieces of her—well, our—Nepal ancestry.
My parents had met when my dad had been serving in East Asia, and from all the stories he told, it had been true love at first sight. After she had died, he refused to be apart from us except when he was deployed in a forward position. He even put special effort into allowing us to develop our own identities and never dressed us the same or pigeonholed us into being like each other, except when it came naturally. Nisha was more of a girly girl and loved fancy clothes, while I was more of a tomboy and could usually be found halfway up a tree or on a rooftop.
He also decided at an early age to teach us how to take care of ourselves. We both learned general hand-to-hand combat, but he also gave each of us specialized instruction. Nisha was trained on how to handle knives and blades of assorted sizes, while I was taught how to shoot. When I was young, it had always seemed strange that my father had split things up between us, with him constantly trying for us to be a family, but I soon realized that it provided time for each of us to be with him individually. Also, it meant any of the boys who had tried to go too far in high school had an unpleasant surprise waiting for them.
We did have one thing that united us: no matter where we went, we loved stories. It started when we would constantly ask our father to tell the story of how he and our mother had met and their courtship. Then, when Dad was deployed, we would tell each other those stories, and it soon grew into us creating new stories all our own.
We would while away the hours working on huge, convoluted sagas filled with action and romance. Nisha would come up with a grandiose flight of fantasy, and I would populate it with the day-to-day details that would make the story believable.I was still focused on my memories to get rid of the aftereffects of the nightmare when I climbed out onto the fire escape. A moment later, I was on top of the building and sprinting across the heights, leaping, and rolling from one elevated position to another, hopefully looking like a cross between Jackie Chan and Spider-Man.
I had been a gymnast in high school, but this was so much more intense, and after a couple of months in the gym, I was hooked. I had replaced my daily jog with a run over the rooftops in my neighborhood. As I sped through the city, I saw a huge divide looming in front of me. The gap between the buildings was large, but nothing I had not done with pads on the floor. I dug my heels in and propelled myself faster and faster, but as I got closer, a little voice spoke up inside my head.
You’re not Dominique. That is a long way down. You can’t do this.Contrary to what most people believed, being too gutsy was not the greatest danger to a free runner; the biggest threat was hesitation. The moment you were not confident, a person got hurt, and suddenly, my attention was diverted.
I panicked and slammed on the brakes, breaking into a slide. My feet kept moving on the gravel.A moment later, I felt air under me. I started to tumble downwards. As I fell, I saw out of the corner of my eye a clothesline between the buildings. I had no thoughts, just a blind instinct to reach out my hands. I grabbed the rope, the impact causing the line to cut into my fingers, but I held on; for one long moment, my descent was stopped. I took a deep breath as I hung there, then the hook holding the rope to the far building pulled out of the wall. I swung backward, desperately keeping a grip on the rope, and slammed into the wall. The impact smacked the wind out of me, and I tumbled onto the fire escape.
“What the fuck are you doing out there?” A guy looked at me with a menacing glare and turned back to cooking his breakfast.
You gotta love Brooklyn. If I did this in Hell’s Kitchen, I would probably get some yuppie calling the cops. Brooklyn, a little profanity and everything is forgotten.
I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the protest of my body, and swiftly went down the fire escape to the street before the person I woke up decided I was a burglar.I limped my way back to my apartment.
As I walked in, I grabbed my mail. There was a package wrapped in brown paper from my sister in there. I threw the rest of the mail on the nearby counter and ripped into the packaging. It was a thick book with a note stuck to the front.
Hey, sis, I’ve been playing this new game and thought you might like it. I know you don’t normally do the DND thing, but you might find the world-building cool. Let me know what you think.Hmm.PurchaseNineStar Press | Books2Read
Meet the AuthorKathryne Lentes has been writing stories as long as she could hold a pen in her hand. She is a transwoman who, when not working on her own projects, operates Paper Phoenix Ink, a blog showcasing queer creators. She is currently living in Saint Louis with her wife, two cats, and a pile of science fiction and fantasy books.Website | Facebook | TwitterGiveawayOne lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!a Rafflecopter giveaway
Earth's Passion Pre-Order Blitz #rabtbooktours
LGBTQ, Dark Fantasy, Steamy
Date Published: April 18, 2025
As their need for each other grows, so does the danger.
Kailee and Tom are falling for each other, but their secrets continue to come between them. Kailee’s afraid to show her physical scars, while Tom dreads his lover will discover the power those he still calls Master and Mistress hold over him.
Dragon and werewolf must join together in every way to defeat those who would dominate Tom and kill Kailee.
The following excerpt contains material suitable only for readers 18+.
EXCERPT
Kailee had been lying next to Tom for close to twenty minutes. Her new dragon lover was fast asleep, and she knew she should be resting too. Instead, she was filled with joy and an incautious sense of promise that she hadn’t felt in years.
Tom rolled over, draping his arm over her waist. Kailee wriggled a little as the urge to pee made itself known. A deeper craving drew at her also.
“Are you okay?” Tom mumbled. Then he stiffened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He pulled his arm off her.
She turned over, snuggling in close. “I like it when you touch me. I just… I need to get up and use the bathroom.” It was true, but her ulterior motive was to take so long that he fell back to sleep, and she could go outside.
“I’ll wait up for you,” he said, slurring his words a little.
Kailee kissed his temple. “Go to sleep. I’ll be back in a moment.”
His eyes were already closed. As she watched, he lost the tension in his limbs and the worry lines on his face smoothed out. He began to snore.
She waited another five minutes, to make sure he was well and truly under. He’d had a sucky, hard life and she thought he hadn’t probably slept well for large parts of it. Knowing he was safe here, that she would protect him, made her smile.
She got up, padding to the bathroom after putting on the clothes she’d worn before they made love. Once in the bathroom, she unzipped her jeans. As much as she felt one hundred percent female most of the time, she still enjoyed the simple pleasure of peeing while standing up.
When she was finished, she flushed, zipped up, and washed her hands. Then, moving silently, not wanting to wake anyone up because this pack already knew everyone else’s business as it was, she went to the mudroom, put on her boots, and made her way out of the back door into the gloriously dark night. It was a waxing crescent moon tonight, about four days from the first quarter, and with so little light coming from that celestial orb, the darkness was close as a passionate lover, full of kindness. Like Tom.
She wrapped her arms around her chest, which was flat without the boobs she usually wore. That felt a little awkward but for this one moment, she was able to dismiss the feeling. She’d needed to embrace herself for pure joy’s sake. She’d been so very alone for damn near half her life, relying on gentleness and understanding from those who were either hired professionals or simply much older than she was and thus not quite as in touch with their wolflinghood as she could have wished. Maybe it was foolish to assume someone closer to her own age would have “gotten it,” her experiences and suffering. Still, because Tom understood, and only after so short a time, she thought the idea had slight merit.
Wanting to make some sort of noise to express herself, she began to sing. It was a simple song in Werewelsh, her first language. She’d grown up surrounded by the language developed by werewolves for their own kind, and although other people spoke it now, it remained mostly shared among the ones who had to change at the full moon. Werewolves largely did, though, and she was, first and foremost, a wolf.
She translated in her head as she sang, loving the poetry even though it didn’t rhyme in English.
Moon of darkness, moon of light,
Moon of power and strength.
Moon of my heart, full and wise,
Be with me tonight.
Probably, she thought as her joy crested but didn’t recede, I’m being foolish. He hasn’t even said he loves me.
That was true but what made her heart sing was a simple truth, not complicated by whether Tom wanted to be her mate or not. “In all honesty,” she whispered to the night that seemed to be listening, “I never thought anyone could see past my scars and love me anyway.”
All right, so he hadn’t actually seen her physical scars, her dead name carved into her chest with a silver knife and made to stay because of silver powder. She hadn’t been quite that brave. Still, Tom knew she had a reputation, that she’d killed, and he hadn’t pulled away. Wasn’t that worthy of ecstasy?
She closed her eyes and resumed her singing. Now she sang a song of how the sky so loved the moon that he bid her to cross from one edge to the other so he might admire her beauty. The moon’s response Kailee sang too, reveling in the way the moon demanded something in return: to see the stars scattered before her like diamonds.
Once again, her joy crested until it filled her chest. She broke out in a light sweat. That was when she became aware that the exhilaration she felt wasn’t hers alone.
Wary because she’d been influenced by outsider forces before, although less directly or psychically, she mounted her defenses and scanned the area with her telepathy, seeking the source of the external, pushy force.
At first, she felt nothing and no one. Widening her circle of ability, she fumbled in the darkness of the in-between that existed in the psychic world. Reaching, reaching, she felt a half-familiar mind.
About the Author
Emily Carrington is a multipublished author of male/male and transgender women’s speculative fiction. Seeking a world made of equality, she created SearchLight to live out her dreams. But even SearchLight has its problems, and Emily is looking forward to working all of these out with a host of characters from dragons and genies to psychic vampires. And in the contemporary world she’s named “Sticks & Stones,” Emily has vowed to create small towns where prejudice is challenged by a passionate quest for equality. Find her on Facebook at Shapeshifter Central or on her website.
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
Fate of the Storm Cover Reveal #rabtbooktours
Demon Storm, Book Eight
Young Adult Fantasy
Date Published: 05-13-2025
Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing
The shadows have retreated with Raven's downfall, but darkness still curls at the edges of the world. For a moment, though, Kari and Ari have a moment of peace. There is a glimmer of light that threatens to wash away the darkness as they finally bind their fates together in a formal ceremony.
But Raven hasn't given up, and there's an older, crueler foe who hasn't forgotten Kari - the Lord of Demons, the very one who crafted the Catalyst which Raven sought to control, still trapped in an ancient Tree.
Kari's moment of joy comes to a halt as the world shakes and Taris is ripped apart.
Velthas has risen.
About the Author
Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.
Contact Links
April 14, 2025
Warpath Release Blitz #rabtbooktours
An Axel Blaze Crime Action Thriller
Action Adventure; Military thrillers; Vigilante justice
Date Published: April 10, 2025
A cartel kingpin. A botched raid. A blood-soaked vendetta.
When Mexico’s deadliest cartel, La Manada, spills blood on American soil, Delta Force Captain Axel Blaze gets the call. His mission: capture cartel boss Javier Salazar and crush his empire. No red tape. No half-measures.
But when an ambush forces Blaze to pull back stateside, the cartel takes the fight across the border—hitting civilians, targeting officials, daring him to respond.
Now, it’s personal. This time, it’s not about taking prisoners—it’s about ending threats. Blaze is coming for Salazar, and he won’t stop until La Manada is nothing but a smoldering memory.
About the Author
Bill Runner cut his teeth as an investigative journalist, plunging into the gritty underbelly of crime, before turning to writing edge-of-your-seat thrillers. Raised on a steady diet of westerns and lone ranger sagas, Bill’s real-life encounters with rogues and heroes shaped his electrifying protagonist, Axel Blaze. An adrenaline junkie at heart, Bill is a seasoned mountain climber and paraglider, and also a lifelong student of martial arts. Working the crime beat and studying the art of fighting honed his skills to craft pulse-pounding thrillers, renowned for their razor-sharp action sequences. You can find out more about Bill at his FB profile under the name Bill Runner Author.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
Naughty Netherworld Press on Goodreads
- Naughty Netherworld Press's profile
- 5 followers
