Jaime Samms's Blog: Stories Between Men, page 7

Better Audio Giveaway

Hey, all you wonderful readers. I wanted to let everyone know that Better has gone audio, and between now and March 23, you all have a chance to win a copy of the audio version by going to Gay Romance Audiobooks on Facebook and leaving a comment on the post.

 

Art…

I can’t seem to just sit and watch tv. Never could. So this alst week, I wanted to do something other than play silly iPhone games while I watched. I drew instead. I’ll add these to the art section later, but I thought I’d share here.

First, there is a small passage from the WIP I’m working on, and this picture to go with it:

“Hey,” he said, voice soft and close. Gregor’s fingers trailed over the silk covering his eyes, his cheek, along his shoulder as the other man sat on the bed. Behind the blindfold, color flowed along in the wake of the touch, streaming after Gregor, swirling back in a tsunami wave, with music intertwined. It was the same music as the night before and he hummed along, sitting up, now that Gregor was no longer lying on the ends of the ties and he could move.

Gregor shifted. The bed dipped. Coby’s music cut off in a jagged gasp as he tilted, but Gregor was still right there to catch him.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” Gregor crooned, once more touching his face. “Can I listen?”

Coby smiled, watched the kaleidoscope of color for a few more minutes, letting the music embed itself in his mind and finally, found the thread that he could translate. “Can I have my guitar?”

He didn’t need his eyes to play. But he needed the guitar to remember the song. He needed to hear it outside his head to make it stick.

“Sure.”

The bed moved again, though this time, Gregor kept a hand on him as he rebalanced. His fingertips trailed off Coby’s shoulder. A sparkle of rainbow colors drifted after and Coby listened for the soft shuffle of feet over carpet. He heard it this time, just under the riff of brushes on symbols in his head. Another aspect of the music settled into place and he made a mental note to tell Bruce.

A moment later, Gregor took his hand and pressed the neck of his guitar against his palm. He settled the instrument on his lap as Gregor sat next to him and silently listened to him pluck vibrations out of the colorscape and translate it into sounds, notes and chords.

“No words?” Gregor asked when Coby finally stopped.

Coby shook his head. “Not yet.”

 

 

 

Then there is the “cat” my daughter suggested I draw:

And finally, Maikil, from the merman story I will unveil. Someday.

Good News and Plain Fun

So, I mentioned last time that The Foster Family had come out. I normally forget completely to talk about my releases, but this week, it’s been hard not to remember, since the book vendor, All Romance e-Books keeps sending me emails saying how The Foster Family is rising on their Best Seller Charts. Today, it was #22. (I squee here, because, while I have had a few of those pretty sivler stars before, ARe has never sent me emails about it. I don’t know what the difference is this time.)  So that’s new.

And that was the great news that makes me happy.

Here’s the good, plain fun, curtosy of Amy Lane.

New Release!

So yes, the rumours you may have heard about my absolute suckage at promotion are all true. I’m already two days late telling you , all my loyaly and wonderful peeps, that I had a new release com out on Valentine’s Day. The cover looks like this:

Is that awesome, or what?

And the Blurb goes something like this:

Growing up in foster care has left Kerry Grey with little self-esteem or hope for his future. A college dropout, Kerry scrapes by on a part-time job at a garden nursery. His friendship with his boss and working with the plants are the only high points in Kerry’s life. He’s been dating the man who bullied him at school, but when his boyfriend abandons him at a party, Kerry wanders down the beach to drown his sorrows in a bottle of scotch.

 

Malcolm Holmes and Charlie Stone have been together for fifteen years. Despite Charlie’s willingness to accept Malcolm’s unspoken domination in bed,something is missing from their relationship. Early one morning, they rescue a passed out Kerry from being washed away by the tide and Charlie immediately senses a kindred spirit in the lost younger man. When Kerry’s roommate kicks him out, Malcolm and Charlie invite him into their home. As Charlie and Kerry bond over Charlie’s garden, Malcolm sees Kerry may be just who they have been looking for to complete their lives. All they have to do is show Kerry, and each other, that Kerry’s submissive tendencies will fit their dynamic.

 

But someone is sabotaging Kerry at every turn. As he struggles to discover the culprit, he fears for the safety of his new friends. If Malcolm and Charlie cannot help, their lifelong search for their perfect third may not end with the happily ever after they imagined.

And the buy link:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...

Dare to Tell A Tale

I think, as writers, sometimes we forget that once we’ve released a book out into the world, it is no longer ours. I’ve made this comparison before but I’ll make it again. It’s like my kids. I brought them into the world, and I’ll do my very best to bring them up, teach them, nurture them and give them the very best tools I know of to make a favourable impression on the world. But once they’re out there, on their own, they are no longer mine to control or protect. It doesn’t mean I love them any less, but at a certain point, I have to say I’ve done all I can and I have to cast them out onto the sea of life, sink or swim as they will, and hope I’ve done a good enough job they have the resources and wherewithal to sail off into the sunset.

What happens to them out there–books or kids–might reflect on the job I did, for sure. I might have to take responsibility for doing a crappy job and giving the world a shitty product. I might have the pleasure of accepting the responsibility for doing something right. Everything that happens to them out there is subject to the vaguarities of worlds I can’t do anything about. Everyone approaching my creation brings their own world into play, and that alone makes their interaction with what I’ve produced theirs, and not mine. I can’t have any control over that, and it isn’t my place to try.

Once the book is out there, it isn’t mine any more. It belongs to the hearts and minds of those who read it and love it or hate it. Or are indifferent to its existence. I am no longer the writer of that story. It’s been told and laid down. I’m now the reader, bringing my world experience to the story, as well. That’s going to change a story I’ve written as much as it will change a story I read that I didn’t write. This is how the storytelling art creates legends. Everyone who reads it interprets it, changes it just that much, and a boy with a bow and arrow becomes Robin Hood. A lady in love with two valiant men becomes Gwenevere. A persuasive young man with a couple of loaves, a few fishes and a passionately spoken good idea becomes a god.

So before you put pen to paper, remember. Once you put it out there, it ceases to be yours. Because truth only exists in the eye and mind of the person who perceives it, and the truth is, a story never reads the same way twice.

It’s Video Day Today!

So yesterday, I did this crazy thing which I never do. I did a live, video interview-y type thing that I was crazy nervous about, but I think it actually turned out ok. It was a lot of fun, with Ariel Tachna hosting, and B.J. Thomas and SJD Peterson being interviewed along side me. They were great, and the whole thing turned out to be a great time. You can watch it on YouTube if you didn’t get to watch Live.

And also, I saw this cute country music video that’s sort of fitting for the book I talk about, The FOster Family. It’s called Follow Your Arrow, by Kasey Musgraves, and it’s on her album called Same Tariler, Different Park.

Book Talk: Old Loyalty, New Love

I usually like Mary Calmes characters, I admit. But this is a whole new level, and it isn’t just because she mentioned me, either. It’s because Roman is ten kinds of awesome. And Quade is ten kinds of adorable, meathead idiot. Perfect for each other. And absolutely a hoot to read. IAt just over half way through the book, I’m getting the feeling Quade’s sort of invincible, and normally, that would put me off. Except there’s one thing he’s completely useless at, and that’s understanding his own heart. That’s why he has Roman, aparently. And as for Roman, the man has more money than God. Completely unrealistic. And yet, the one thing about his life he could care less about. Which makes it much less annoying than it could have been. I’m excited to see what happens in the second half. Will do my best to actually make a second post when I get to the end of the book this time….

And also, related to nothing, really, is this:

Fireside Chat: My First Time

I will confess I’m a little nervous about this, but on February First, I’ll be participating in Dreamspinner Press’s initial Fireside Chat.

SJD Peterson, B.J. Thomas and I will sit around, answer your questions, talk about our books, and maybe read from them, (if I get brave!) So follow this link:

http://dreamspinnerpress.com/blog/gay...

to leave a comment with any questions you have for any of us, and then tune in at 5PM East on Feb first. (We’ll let you know where and how) to hear our answers to your questions.

 

Welcome Lex Chase and her Checkmate series!

I am pretty psyched about this visitor. Why? I’ve had this crazy dream my whole life to write a book and create the visual illustrations for it, as well. I’m not hopeless with a pencil and paint brush, but I’m sort of pretty average. So it’s a dream of mine.

Lex, now, she’s gone and done it! And I’m super thrilled she’s come to share all that talent with us, because yeah. This whole thing just rocks, and I’m all over fangirling her skillz. She talks about knowing what you’re doing as a published author, and she’s certainly got the right of it: none of us really do have all the answers or know how to reach all our goals, but we have this little geek circle of our own now to help each other out, and I think that’s half the battle right there.

So enough of me nattering. Go look at her pretties!!!!

Hello, everyone! I’m Lex Chase and thank you for joining me here with Jamie Samms on the Pawn Takes Rook: Conventional Love blog tour. Conventional Love is the conclusion of the Checkmate trilogy where Rook and Garth face an insurmountable challenge and come away from it forever changed. For this tour, I’ve decided to make it a retrospective of the series. I’m sharing behind the scenes goodies, inspirations, and the complete insane adventure of my first year as an author. And like all things in fabulous superhero collectables, I’m giving out trading cards drawn by yours truly. Make sure you check them all out in the tour!

Today, I’m going to talk being a professional author. Let’s start by saying, the difference about an aspiring author and a professional author is an aspiring author claims they have all the answers when they don’t, and a professional author claims they have all the answers and they still don’t.

As a professional author, the only difference is you get paid for your words. You may make a nickle, and if you’re really lucky you may make a million. But you will still be that neurotic self-conscious kid in the back of the class at high school jotting in your notebook and just hoping you may make some kind of friend before you graduate. Imagine, my surprise, when I got the first contract, I met all of the self-conscious kids. And they were all just like me. And we all wanted to make friends.

I was suddenly with my people. I have finally found my planet.

Granted on this planet, there are others that have lived here longer and have pretty much figured out most of the planet. But remember one thing that’s crucial, they still haven’t figured out everything. Not everyone has all the answers. Not everyone has the right way to do everything.

What works for Contemporary Author A does not work for Fantasy Author B. Everyone’s answer is different, everyone’s approach is different. There are no wrong answers. We’re all still those geeky kids in high school that just want to get along. So for someone to give you advice that is guaranteed to work? Take it with a grain of salt. Consider the source.

And believe in yourself.

You know what they say… It’s always that quiet nerdy kid in the back of the class that is the one that wows them all at the 10 year reunion.

 

Genre: M/M Urban Fantasy, Superheroes, Sci-Fi, Humor

Series: Checkmate, Book #3

Length: Novella 41,000

Published: Jan 1, 2014

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

ISBN: 9781627984218

Blurb:

Sequel to Cashing the Reality Check

Checkmate: Book Three

Three years ago, superhero Memphis Rook saved Hogarth Dawson’s life, and now the two can’t imagine being apart. Sort of.

By day, they’re a loving couple. By night, they’re the superhero duo Checkmate. Since that’s too much time in each other’s personal space, Rook and Garth decide they need friends outside of each other. Garth finds friendship with a D&D group comprised of the social misfits Chad—who has crammed himself so far in the closet he might never find the door again, Jackson—who’s so mysophobic he’s afraid of his own germs, and El Jefe—who has all the social grace of a brick.

With an epic dose of peer pressure, the group urges Garth to go to Tolkicon, the biggest comic convention in Axis City. When the supervillain league the Coalition of Calamity appears and takes the convention hostage, as the only real superheroes around, it’s up to Garth and Rook to save the day. With Rook as one of the hostages, Garth knows it’s time to nut up or shut up about being a hero.

Pawn Takes Rook Trading Card!

Time for Card #11!

(Miss a card? See the previous ones at: Gay List Book Reviews | Lily Velden’s blog | Release Party at the Dreamspinner Press Facebook Page | Tali Spencer’s blog | House Millar | Tricia Kristufek | Tempeste O’ Riley | Epically Romantic | The Novel Approach | Charlie Cochet | Tara Lain | CJ Elliott)

Rook Rages – Lex Chase

 

 

Pawn Takes Rook: Conventional Love Excerpt

I met Rook in the lair, where he was conveniently dressed in his usual obscene layers of black leather. You know, you’d think I’d be into that sort of thing, having a boyfriend with a strange penchant for looking like Dom in some S&M fantasy. But I’m not really. I like them clean-cut, gentlemanly, suit and tie, with ambition, goals, and a ten-year plan.

Instead? Somehow I got my very own Viking Biker Bad Boy. How did this happen? Did I trade in the lust for a Wall Street mogul from the penthouses of New York for the lust for a corn-fed farm boy from Depression Era Iowa? Somehow this will all make sense someday.

“This way,” Rook said, gesturing toward the wide gaping maw of a rocky cavern.

“If hundreds of bats are going to fly out, I’m outta here,” I warned him and cautiously followed.

The darkness swallowed Rook, and the only thing visible were his glowing aquamarine eyes, blue on blue, like he’s been huffing the Spice of Arrakis by the boatload. “Better,” he said in a content tone that was likely Rook-code for “Traumatizing.”

I sucked it up, putting on my best big-boy face, and followed. The darkness swallowed me, and the temperature dropped a handful of degrees in the span of a few feet.

“Look,” Rook whispered.

“Better not be bats,” I muttered, tracking his eyes, which seemed to be floating in the blackness.

There was a flutter of green, a shimmer of blue, and then a glittering of purple. I watched, turning my gaze upward. And there they were.

Lunar moths. Thousands of them. They lit the way with their bioluminescence, and their wings fluttered casually while they sat perched on the ceiling of the cavern. They pulsed in waves of green, then blue, then purple, winking like the flash of a camera in a crowded stadium. Sparkling. Enchanting. And this was in my lair. What? I don’t even….

Rook’s fingers laced into mine, and I smiled, watching him in the green light.

“Remarkable, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Definitely not bats,” I said, chuckling.

“Come on now, we have a stupid nerd prom to get to,” Rook said and turned to punch a hidden button.

Gigantic steel doors slid apart with a hiss and a puff of vapor. The lunar moths took flight and shot out of the cavern in a gargantuan glowing flock. I covered my face with my jacket sleeve as the moths brushed over my clothes. I blinked in the new darkness as my eyes adjusted to the light beyond the steel doors. Pale-blue spotlights, yellow tracer lights, and red beacons twirled, all tossing colors and shadows on the stalactites and stalagmites.

“It’s a hangar,” I said, realization clicking in with that oh dur moment. “We can’t afford this,” I spat, panic rising in my brain.

“We can afford this,” Rook said all too confidently.

“On what? Cereal box tops?” I asked, stepping up to observe the compact jet. I noted the folded wings, the nested propellers—of course it would be a vertical-takeoff-and-landing-capable vehicle. “We can’t—”

“We can afford this,” Rook said in a stern way that echoed off the cavern walls.

I jolted, and my attention darted to him. He didn’t seem the least bit amused about my agonizing over every last nickel and dime. Just how much did he make doing heroics for money? What was he even doing while on the job? Assassinations? My gut rolled as I immediately jumped to that conclusion.

“Okay…,” I said weakly and offered a nod.

The cockpit’s locks popped and slid open. Rook was already ascending the rungs of the side ladder. He got halfway up and held out a hand to help me. “Come on,” he said, flicking his fingers.

I put my hand in his, and with a sure pull, he lifted me off my feet and placed me in the rear of the cockpit behind the pilot seat. I buckled in, tightening the unreasonable amount of straps. I had no idea what they were all for.

Rook got situated at the controls and started crosschecking the various pieces and parts. Once he was satisfied, the jet engine revved to life and he took the control stick in a sure grip.

Finally, I mustered the courage to ask him, “You’re a pilot?”

“Nope,” he said, and my stomach hit the deck as we lifted off the ground.

“What?” I squeaked.

He chuckled.

Why God, why would you put me in a flying machine with a madman?

“I read the manual,” he said and tilted his head toward my left. “It’s there. In the compartment.”

Immediately, I yanked that puppy out of said compartment.

And held a folded three-page pamphlet.

From Ikea.

I said nothing and tightened my seatbelts again.

Oh, God. I hate flying.

Available from:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Giveaway Prompt:

What is your greatest motivation in life?

About the Author:

Lex Chase

Lex Chase once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, “We’re all going to die, I’m just trying to make it a little more interesting.” She knew then she wanted to make the world a little more interesting.

Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventure, epic love—and depending on how she feels that day—Lex sprinkles in high-speed chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. She loves tales of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. She believes if you’re going to going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one you love.

Lex is a pop culture diva and her DVR is constantly backlogged. She wouldn’t last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind. She is incredibly sentimental, to the point that she gets choked up at holiday commercials. But like the lovers driven to extreme measures to get home for the holidays, Lex believes everyone deserves a happy ending.

Lex also has a knack for sarcasm, never takes herself seriously, and has been nicknamed “The Next Alan Moore” by her friends for all the pain and suffering she inflicts on her characters. She is a Damned Yankee hailing from the frozen backwoods of Maine residing in the ’burbs of Northwest Florida where it could be 80F and she’d be a popsicle.

She is grateful and humbled for all the readers. She knows very well she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them and welcomes feedback.

You can find her on those Facebook and Twitter things at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LXChase

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lex_Chase

Find her blog at http://lexchase.com or drop her an e-mail at lex.a.chase@gmail.com.

1 winner will receive eBook copies of the full Checkmate trilogy

(Pawn Takes Rook, Cashing the Reality Check, and Conventional Love)

2 winners will receive an eBook copy of Conventional Love

Drawing is open to US and International readers.

Facebook Chat will have it’s own prizes!

Such as:

All 20 Checkmate printed trading cards! Including the 4 special mystery cards! Free books! Or a 25 USD Visa Gift Card!

To Enter

Just leave a comment on any of the blog posts along the tour, along with a contact email address. If you would still like to enter the contest but don’t wish to leave your email address in the comment, you can also enter by emailing lex.a.chase@gmail.com.

Winners will be chosen at random and posted on Lex’s blog at Lex Chase on Wednesday, February 5th, and on Lex’s Facebook page. Winners will then be notified via email.

Contest ends

Tuesday, February 4th at midnight, Eastern Time.

Pawn Takes Rook: Conventional Love Tour stops:

1/1 – Gay List Book Reviews[Collect Mystery Card #1]

1/3 – Lily Velden [Collect Trading Card #1]

1/5 – Release Party at the Dreamspinner Press Facebook Page [Collect Trading Card #2 and Win Bonus Goodies]

1/7 – Tali Spencer [Collect Trading Card #3]

1/8 – House Millar [Collect Trading Card #4]

1/9 – Tricia Kristufek [Collect Mystery Card #2]

1/10 – Tempeste O’ Riley [Collect Trading Card #5]

1/12 – Epically Romantic [Collect Trading Card #6]

1/15 – The Novel Approach [Collect Trading Card #7]

1/16 – Charlie Cochet [Collect Trading Card #8]

1/17 – Tara Lain [Collect Trading Card #9]

1/18 – CJ Elliott [Collect Trading Card #10]

1/20 – Jaime Samms [Collect Trading Card #11]

1/22 – Mrs. Condit Reads Books [Collect Mystery Card #3]

1/24 – Anne Barwell [Collect Trading Card #12]

1/26 – Dawn K. Johnson [Collect Trading Card #13]

1/28 – Chris T. Kat [Collect Trading Card #14]

1/30 – Skylar M. Cates [Collect Trading Card #15]

1/31 – Cate Ashwood [Collect Trading Card #16]

2/3 – Joyfully Jay [Collect Mystery Card #4]

short note of SQUEEE

I got mail!  

And just in time, too, because I also finished Junk  last night, which turned out to be a very nice read. Both characters delivered on being good guys, and I sort of liked Lewis’s snappy sister. It was a good book and I’d recommend it as a read for anyone who wants the staple M/M HEA with a couple of likable, honest guys.

Now for Mary’s shifters. Can’t wait!!!!!!