Andrew Grey's Blog, page 29

Love Comes Silently Releases Tomorrow at Midnight!!!!

Love Comes Silently releases tomorrow night at midnight from Dreamspinner Press. This story really touched my heart as I was writing it. I hope you'll read it and see if it touches yours.

Caring for a loved one with cancer is tough. Doing it alone is overwhelming—especially when that loved one is a child. But ever since Ken Brighton’s partner left him, Ken has spent his days at the hospital with his daughter, Hanna, hoping for a miracle. Maybe the mysterious care packages that appear for Hanna don’t qualify, but they bring a spark of hope into his and Hanna’s tired life—and so does Ken’s neighbor, former singer Patrick Flaherty.

For two years Patrick hasn’t been able to focus on anything but the life he should have had. An injury robbed him of his voice, and the idea of introducing himself to new people intimidates him. But over the past months, he’s watched as his neighbor nursed his sick child, and once he meets Ken, Patrick starts to crave a life with him—a life he isn't sure he can have.

Ken doesn’t realize he’s fallen in love until the doctors send Hanna home, saying there’s nothing more they can do: Hanna will either recover or succumb. Ken’s heart is set on a new beginning—with both Patrick and Hanna. But Patrick's silence leaves Ken wondering what Patrick wants.

Add to your Dreamspinner Press Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3252

Excerpt:

Patrick Flaherty had seen the little bald girl’s reaction to the box of hats he’d placed outside the front door of the house she shared with her father. Patrick had found out the man with the beatific smile and eyes so deep it looked like the worries of the entire world would fit inside them was named Ken, and that he was some sort of artist. He hadn’t heard much else about him, other than he was new in town and that his daughter had been very sick. Patrick did know from watching him that the other man who’d lived in the house had been Ken’s boyfriend, but he appeared to have moved out, and now it was just Ken and his daughter. That was fine with Patrick. He’d noticed the other man the very first day he’d moved in two houses down the street from the small house Patrick had inherited from his mother. Not that he had any illusions that Ken had noticed him, other than to see him outside working.

People in town had been talking about Ken and his daughter for months, their tongues flapping like a flag in the wind off Lake Superior. Apparently, Ken Brighton was some really famous artist, with his paintings hanging in museums and selling for big bucks all over the country. That was one thing Patrick had found out very quickly after the accident that left him nearly completely silent—people figured that since he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t hear, either, or think. Patrick clenched the handle of the snow shovel as his anger and hurt welled inside. He was the same person he’d been before the accident, and he wished he could make others see that.

After watching the front of the house for a few seconds more, Patrick let the squeal of joy he’d heard drifting on the wind bring a smile to his face as he returned to his chores. He had to get these done before the snow that had begun to melt hardened into ice he’d never get off the sidewalk.

Patrick worked for nearly an hour, and he was about to put his shovel away when he saw Ken and his daughter come out of the house. He couldn’t suppress a grin when he saw the little girl was wearing the poofy pink hat he’d given her. She held her father’s hand, and Patrick walked closer, waving at both of them. He saw the little girl wave back at him before she pulled her hand from her dad’s and walked down the sidewalk toward him.

“Hello,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for the mac-cheese, it was really good.” Patrick nodded and smiled, watching as the girl cocked her head curiously. Patrick touched his throat and shook his head. “Can’t you talk?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“Hanna, don’t bother the nice man,” Ken said as he came up behind his daughter.

“Daddy, he can’t talk,” Hanna said to him. Patrick was used to the pitying looks or even tsking sounds when people found out, but Ken smiled at him and extended his hand.

“I’m Ken Brighton, and this is Hanna,” he said as he firmly shook Patrick’s hand. Once Patrick let go, Patrick pointed to the embroidered name on his coat. One thing he’d begun doing after the accident was have his name added to his jackets and coats. It was the best way he could figure out to easily tell people his name. “It’s nice to meet you, Patrick,” Ken said with an ease that Patrick rarely saw in others. Most people didn’t quite know how to react to him. “We both wanted to thank you for the macaroni and cheese. It was fabulous,” Ken said, and Patrick began to shift slightly under the other man’s piercingly perceptive gaze.

Patrick smiled once again and nodded, placing his hand over his heart in a gesture that meant their thanks was appreciated.

“We’re going to the store, and then Daddy and I are going to paint,” Hanna told him excitedly.

“We need to get going,” Ken said. “You shouldn’t be out in the cold for very long.” Ken might have been talking to Hanna, but he continued looking at him, almost studying him. “Thanks again for the food. I’ll return the dish later today,” Ken added with a slight smile, and Patrick felt his insides jump a little. Patrick waved as the two of them walked back to the car, and after getting inside, Patrick saw Hanna wave as they drove away.

He’d been attracted to Ken since the first time he saw him. But he quickly found out that he had a boyfriend, so Patrick did what he usually did—pushed his interest aside and went on with life. Granted, he wasn’t sure if the boyfriend was really gone, and if the relationship had just ended, then his handsome neighbor probably wasn’t looking for someone else right away. Not that he’d be particularly interested in Patrick, but he could dream. He watched until the deep green car disappeared from sight before putting his shovel away in the garage and then opening the door to the attached workshop.

Patrick turned on the lights, looking over his woodworking shop and the chest of drawers that he’d been working on. He made his living making fine handcrafted furniture, and he had an order he had to get completed, so he put the way his neighbor moved beneath his clothes and the depth of Ken’s eyes out of his mind and got to work.

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Published on September 29, 2012 10:18

4.75 Stars for The Good Fight from Jesse Wave!!!!!

The Good Fight received a 4 3/4 Star review from Andrea at Jesse Wave. This was a very well written review and I'm so glad she liked the story.

The romance between John and Jerry was great. I was drawn to them as a couple and felt the love they had for one another. They were the right balance of reality and sweetness for me. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, which is a good thing because I hate perfect. The star of the book though was the cultural divide and getting the kids out of the foster care system. I learned something while reading this book. I was both fascinated and appalled at the same time, but had the romance to distract me when I needed it.

Read the entire review: http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2012/09/22/the-good-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-159820

Purchase from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3188&osCsid=bidqubi1tkpjfb7pf6i7psibt7

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Published on September 27, 2012 15:03

Amazing Review for The Good Fight from Rainbow Book Reviews

Rainbow Book Reviews reviewed The Good Fight. I get alot of reviews but this one in particular out a huge smile on my face.

Here's a brief excerpt form the review: Every once in a while a book comes along that has me fascinated not only because it is well written, meticulously researched, about interesting characters, and deeply touching emotionally, but also because it contains a story that needs to be told. "The Good Fight", as the name already implies, is such a book. Two very special men meet and then unite in a fight for justice which, to be honest, should not even have to be fought.

Serena captured and understood exactly wht I was trying to do with The Good Fight. This is real and its still happening today.

Read the entire review: http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/book-reviews/the-good-fight-by-andrew-grey-at-dreamspinner-press

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Published on September 26, 2012 16:51

The Obscured Vixen

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The Obscured Vixen posted a wonderful review of The Good Fight as well as an author interview. Take a look if you want a glimpse into some of my research methods. (Gotta love the research)

Link to the review and interview: http://obscuredvixen.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/book-review-author-interview-the-good-fight-by-andrew-grey/

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Published on September 24, 2012 14:59

Shared Revelations is Now Available Everywhere!!!!!

Shared Revelations was released today from Dreamspinner Press and it’s now available everywhere. Here are links if you need them. However Dreamspinner is having a sale and today only, you can get Shared Revelations for 25% off at the DSP site.

Blurb:

It’s the sixties, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to be different. Eddie Baronski spent his high school years looking out for his partially deaf friend, Jack Emmons. Now that they’ve graduated, they spend their free time at Green Bay’s newly renamed Lambeau Field, taking in the practices.

When Eddie’s crush, Johnny Grant, a new Packers team member, offers him a ride home, Eddie thinks it’s the start of a grand romance. But Johnny and Eddie may not be on the same page, and love—true love—sometimes comes from an unexpected quarter.

Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3226

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shared-Revelations-ebook/dp/B009DKHK7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348091627&sr=1-1&keywords=shared+revelation

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sharedrevelations-944717-145.html

Rainbow eBooks: http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=8848

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Published on September 19, 2012 14:58

Shared Revelations Got its First Review

Mistress Anya at House Millar reviewed Shared Revelations and gave it 4 1/2 Drops. Anya said: I have to say that I saw who Eddie was to end up with early on but Eddie would not have been the man he became without his journey. And the end . . . tissues, please The ending was purrr…fect! A wonderfully written story that was both spicy in places and cuddle your hunny sweet in others.

Read the entire review: http://apmassie.com/%e2%9c%af-release-day-promo-review-%e2%9c%af-shared-revelations-by-andrew-grey/

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Published on September 19, 2012 14:47

Shared Revelations is Now Available!!!!!

Shared Revelations was just released by Dreamspinner Press!!!! When I was writing this story I swear I was channeling my dear friend and wonderful authior Amy Lane. I really hope you like it!!!

Blurb:

It’s the sixties, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to be different. Eddie Baronski spent his high school years looking out for his partially deaf friend, Jack Emmons. Now that they’ve graduated, they spend their free time at Green Bay’s newly renamed Lambeau Field, taking in the practices.

When Eddie’s crush, Johnny Grant, a new Packers team member, offers him a ride home, Eddie thinks it’s the start of a grand romance. But Johnny and Eddie may not be on the same page, and love—true love—sometimes comes from an unexpected quarter.

Purchase from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3226

Excerpt:

“Shhh,” Jack scolded, but he smiled as he said it.

“Maybe he’d be better off deaf,” Donny cracked in a soft voice, and Eddie reached behind Skip and smacked Donny lightly on the back of the head.

Jack was the unfortunate one in the group, even if his family had money. When they were kids, Jack had had a difficult time hearing, and as he’d gotten older, he’d been able to hear less and less. The other kids had picked on him mercilessly, but he never heard half of it anyway. He wore hearing aids that sometimes whistled, and in a group like this, he often turned them off because the ambient noise drove him totally crazy. Jack was also the closest person to a brother Eddie had. When the other kids had teased him, it was Eddie who’d taken them on. Sometimes he’d won and sometimes he hadn’t, but once they became friends, no one picked on Jack with impunity. And that extended even to now. Jack was his brother in every way that counted. Eddie was an only child, and while Jack had older brothers and sisters, he was his parents’ “late in life baby,” and the other kids had been nearly out of the house by the time he and Eddie had met in junior high.

“Hey,” Donny griped, rubbing the back of his head, but Eddie simply glared at him before turning his attention to the field. The guys were running play after play, practicing for the game in a few weeks. His friends all liked Bart Starr and thought he was the cat’s meow, but Eddie watched Johnny Grant. He wasn’t one of the stars of the team, but for some reason Eddie could always pick him out of the group of players, his eyes gravitated toward Grant wherever he was on the field. Eddie knew damned well why, but he tried not to admit the truth, even to himself, because after watching an hour of practice, Eddie would have to shift in his seat a few times to hide the wood he was sporting. There was no way he could admit what he was feeling to anyone in the world. But his eyes rarely left the field as he watched Johnny run plays with the other guys.

“Bart’s doing great,” Skip said from next to him, pointing out the star of the team, and Eddie nodded, agreeing silently as he watched his own star on the field. But what he thought he loved most were the tight pants and the way Johnny kept bending over all the time. Every now and then Johnny’s practice uniform would ride up, giving Eddie the fleetingest glimpse of skin before the shirt fell back into place.

Eddie knew he was being completely ridiculous, and he knew nothing could ever come of his infatuation. And for God’s sake, no one on earth could ever know how another guy made him want things he could never have. “It’s getting late,” Skip said. “Dad wants me back at the store by seven, so I gotta go.”

“Okay,” Eddie said as he half stood to give Skip and Donny a chance to scoot by in front of him. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Okay, Mr. Whipple,” Skip quipped, jumping out of the way before Eddie could take a swipe at him. “Don’t squeeze the Charmin.” Skip hurried away and up the stairs with Donny right behind him. Once they were gone, Jack moved over, and Eddie noticed him fiddling with his hearing aids.

“Is it better now?” Eddie asked, and Jack nodded slowly as he continued to watch the men on the field. The practice wouldn’t go on for much longer. It was starting to get dark, and while they could work out under the lights, Eddie figured they’d already been practicing for hours. Sure enough, before he could say anything to Jack, the men started walking to the sidelines, gathering their stuff and headed into what Eddie knew was the entrance to the locker room.

Jack stood, and Eddie did as well, and both of them walked up the stadium seats and through the empty corridors, their footsteps echoing off the walls until they reached the outside. “Were you able to get tickets to the game next Sunday?” Jack asked as they passed by George in his booth.

“No. I can’t afford them. You?” Eddie asked, and Jack shook his head. Both of them were lucky if they got to go to an actual game once a year, and some years they weren’t able to swing that since tickets were just that scarce. They both said good-bye to George, and he waved at them as they passed. Jack walked across the parking lot to where the old car his mother had given him was parked. They called the old Cadillac “the Boat,” because the thing was huge and rode like a land yacht.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Eddie called, and Jack continued walking toward his car. He knew Jack hadn’t heard him. Jack had told him that even with the hearing aids, according to the doctors, his hearing would continue to get worse, and in the next few years, he wouldn’t be able to hear anything at all. Eventually Jack turned around, and Eddie saw him wave. He returned it and watched Jack get into the car, and heard the engine start before his friend drove away.

Eddie walked to where he’d left his bike, got on, and pedaled twice before he realized the bike didn’t feel right. Stopping, he looked down and saw that his back tire was totally flat. “Damn it,” he swore and walked the bike back to the rack. The parking lot was empty when he looked around. Eddie returned to George’s booth, but he was gone too, the gate and doors locked up tight and the only phone around was in the closed guard booth. Eddie had no idea how he was going to get home except to walk. Figuring he had no other choice, Eddie started walking. At least it was still warm, and along the way he could probably find a pay phone to call his dad. Eddie fished in his pockets to come up with a nickel and remembered he had one tucked in the corner of his wallet. Sighing loudly, he headed toward the road on the far side of the parking lot.

Headlights shone around him, and Eddie turned as a car moved in his direction and pulled up close, the convertible top down. Eddie could hear the radio playing. He noticed the deep-red paint and white scoops along the side of the impressive sports car before he saw the man driving it—Johnny Grant, in the incredibly handsome flesh. “Is something wrong?” he asked in a deep, rich voice that sounded like Eddie’s mother’s hot chocolate felt in the middle of winter.

“I got a flat tire on my bike, so I was walking home,” Eddie said, and Johnny reached over and popped the door open.

“Hop in. I’ll give you a ride home.”

Eddie hesitated for a split second before sliding down the plush seat and closing the door. “Thank you, I appreciate the lift.” He thought about asking to take his bike, but Johnny giving him a ride was favor enough.

“No sweat,” Johnny said with a smile as he gunned the engine and they took off across the pavement toward the parking lot exit. “I see you and your friends in the seats for almost every practice.”

“We’re all big fans, but can’t afford tickets very often. My dad knows someone who knows the coach, so we get to watch the practices. The guard at the gate lets us in.” They stopped at the corner, and the air in the car got real still. Eddie got a nose full of Johnny’s rich, herbal scent, mixed with a hint of soap. He wanted to lean closer and inhale deep, but he stared ahead. Damn, he was just inches from the man who gave him wood just from thinking about him. Thankfully he’d left his shirt untucked, so he could use it to cover the huge woody he was sporting right now.

“Which way, uh….”

“Eddie,” he supplied. “Straight up Military to Dousman and turn right toward town.” Eddie was trying to figure out how he could delay getting home. When the light changed, they took off, and Eddie laughed as the wind whipped his hair. He was riding in a car with Johnny Grant.

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Published on September 19, 2012 03:42

Shared Revelations Releases Tomorrow Night at Midnight!!!

The novella, Shared Revelations, releases at midnight Wednesday morning from Dreamspinner Press. I wrote this story as a nod to Dominic's home town of Green Bay, WI and dang if I didn't fall in love with it. I'm not a writer of historicals, although I love to read them, but the time and place really called to me. I really hope you enjoy it.

Blurb:

It’s the sixties, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to be different. Eddie Baronski spent his high school years looking out for his partially deaf friend, Jack Emmons. Now that they’ve graduated, they spend their free time at Green Bay’s newly renamed Lambeau Field, taking in the practices.

When Eddie’s crush, Johnny Grant, a new Packers team member, offers him a ride home, Eddie thinks it’s the start of a grand romance. But Johnny and Eddie may not be on the same page, and love—true love—sometimes comes from an unexpected quarter.

Add to your Dreamspinner Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3226