Jan Irving's Blog, page 11

Straight Cowboy is out in Saddle up N Ride

Joshua Ryan did a stint for much-needed cash as the 'straight cowboy' in gay porn movies but he doesn't think of himself as gay, so why does he want to do the things to Matt James he once did in front of a camera?

Cowboy Joshua Ryan can't stop his erotic thoughts about Matt James, the hearing-impaired guest he's taking into the foothills in search of wild horses. Matt James has dreamed all his life of coming out west. He's at first taciturn with Josh, afraid he's as close minded as some other hands they encounter on their excursion, but when Josh reaches for him unconsciously in his sleep, Matt has a tough time hiding his desire for a 'straight' man.

Writing this was such fun. This is the first novella in my 'Uncommon Cowboys' series which continues in late March with Shifter Cowboy.

In future, they will be releasing a print version of this collection and eventually an audio of my story as well as a single release ebook.

He knew just how it would feel sliding in, the tight heat clamping around him so his eyes would shut. He'd dig his fingers into the man beneath him, buried so deep in Matt James, a shade of heaven as blinding as the noon day sun overhead.

Joshua Ryan's eyes saucered at the forbidden thought and he nearly choked on his coffee, which was bitter and grainy in his tin cup, leaving a residue that his Grandmother Ruth could probably have read like tea leaves.

He rubbed his forehead, thinking maybe he was having a weird flashback to his summer job last year. It was just that he hadn't had sex with anyone since then, it wasn't that he was craving being with another man. Despite the stint as the 'straight cowboy' in gay amateur porn he'd done to make some quick cash, he wasn't gay and no one knew, thank fuck, that he'd ever done them. They'd just shot his body and the back of his head during a few orgy scenes.

Who knew him well enough to identify him just from that?

"Josh, man… What's with him?" Tupper nudged him so that Josh put his cards down. He hadn't wanted to play poker with the hands of the Triple M, but when he and his guest had found them already ensconced at the watering hole, he figured it was best to be friendly while they had some lunch and gave their horses a break. "City boy too good to hang out with us?"

He looked over at Matt, a solitary figure leaning against a pine tree at the edge of the campsite, arms crossed as he looked down the ridge towards the waving tall grass in the prairie below. Matt was slender, about four inches shorter than Josh with glossy brown hair. His eyes were a chocolate almost the same colour as his pupils.

Josh dragged his gaze away from Matt and raised his eyebrows at Tupper, a man in his mid-forties with reddened green eyes and salt and pepper short hair who was in charge of the hands riding fences on the border between their land and the national park.

He debated for a second but then decided to just be honest. Matt hadn't seemed the type of guy who was into bullshit. "He's deaf, Tupper."

Tupper blinked and more of his hands glanced over at Matt.

Matt's expression hadn't changed but there was a subtle tension to his posture now that Josh picked up on.

"Deaf? What the fuck is he doing out here then?" Tupper asked.

"He's up here to photograph and write about the lost horses of Chaos Valley," Josh said.

"Huh, those mustangs are a damned nuisance. Should shoot them all," Tupper growled. "But I say again, why is he here? I mean, if he can't hear anything…"

That wasn't completely true since Matt had tersely informed Josh the morning they set out on their trail ride that he had an implant, but Josh wasn't familiar enough with the technology to know how much Matt might pick up.

"He's got me," Josh said flatly.

A couple of the hands snickered and Josh threw in his cards, having had enough.

"So you're his hearing loss dog or something, Josh? Geez, you boys down at Western Trail Rides must be hard up."

"I'll see you guys," Josh muttered. He shoved his blond hair back off his forehead and replaced his dusty cowboy hat, thinking Tupper was right about one thing—Josh was hard up. He'd barely slept last night, restless in his bedroll. It made for one cranky cowboy come morning. Shit, when he finished this trip, he was going to visit Diana this time. She'd made it clear she was available.

Find the collection here: Saddle up N Ride .

Drop by

We're doing a day long celebration of the release of the Saddle Up N Ride anthology today at Ethan Day's yahoo group. Drop by for excerpts, prizes, a chance to win a PDF copy of the anthology, chat with all the antho authors. I'll be sharing an excerpt from Straight Cowboy.

Find it here .

Loving Kindness finds a home

Unexpectedly last fall I wrote a m/f futuristic IR romance. I think I wrote it because dealing with my Mom's illness had me quite depressed. For those who know me a little, you know that she was diagnosed with severe memory loss. It happened very quickly, where she was my best friend and then she was someone who could not retain anything new. You know how when you're a kid you imagine (or I did) telling your parents you're a published author? Well, life played a joke on me there. I have never told her. She wouldn't remember. I did, however, tell my almost 80 year old father a while back. I sat him down with some of my print books. He told me he wasn't much interested in reading romance but that was okay. So I did get to share it with one of my parents. That's a gift.

Anyway, Loving Kindness was something that took me by surprise. I was much slower writing over the fall since I was so introspective. It has found a home with Loose Id and tentatively I've heard it may be out at the end of March.

Right now I'm writing a menage, m/m/f called A Pastry Princess and also I have a little novella in the works that is m/m called Innocent Cowboy. I'm writing there about a hero with a weight problem which I like writing.

Here is a blurb I came up with for LK:

Kealton James has possibly the most beautiful body Gwendolyn Thompson has ever seen-—no wonder he does katas in the nude, flaunting himself--but that doesn't change the fact the man is keeping secrets. Anyone with any experience with alliance agents can tell he is not who he seems to be, mild mannered martial arts teacher aboard the Loving Kindness, an interstellar cruise ship.

Kealton mocks Gwen about the way she lives her life—a perky cruise director with a thing for professional suits and the occasional tepid affair with gentlemen passengers. Gwen likes her life, likes it predictable and more importantly, under her control. But despite how much Gwen tries to keep Kealton at a distance, when pirates take over their ship, her warrior keeps Gwen safe and gives her a taste of his own loving kindness.

New reviews and website update

Sam's Reviews was a top pick at The Romance Reviews . Jan Irving's SAM'S REVIEWS combines the best of suspense/mystery with erotic romance and showcases a non-traditional hero who dares to go for what he wants.

And Literary Nymphs also gave it five nymphs: Fans of author Jan Irving come to expect strong characters as well as strong story lines. Readers will be glad to know that they get just that with her latest release, Sam's Reviews--Critter Nymph at Literary Nymphs Reviews.

And I updated my website since my story Straight Cowboy will be out on the 17th of this month in the collection Saddle Up N Ride. There are new blurbs of upcoming work (though I don't have it all up there yet) as well as new excerpts and pages: http://janirvingwrites.com/

Reflections, reviews, happy holidays

I've been reflecting a lot this past fall into winter and it's been a good thing for me. I hope in the new year that all the things I've learned and been thinking of take positive fruit. Today I finished up to 30,000 words of a story I've been working on for two months. I have only one more chapter to go for it, so good feeling.

I had some nice reviews of the stories that came out over the fall and winter.

The Wanderer at Just Erotic Reviews : The Wanderer had me from the get-go by starting things off through the eyes of blind boy Mouse. Through Mouse's "eyes" and memories we quickly learn that Jude is a loyal friend, protector and a genuinely kind soul without getting banged over the head with the sickly sweetness of it all. He is content to care for the people in his small town. It's 1879 and he prefers the company of men but refuses to give in to his feelings for fear of destroying everything he's built. He's content, but his existence is a lonely one until Gabriel shows up, all smoldering looks and hard horny, alpha male. Gabriel knows the price revealing his sexuality costs, a reminder has been permanently etched in his skin, but he's not afraid of his sexuality. He never stays in one place for too long and takes pleasure where he finds it, but Jude's compassion and irresistible good looks draw him in and he finds himself lingering even as he becomes healthier.

Sam's Reviews at Siren's Book Reviews : Sam's Reviews was one of those heart-tugging reads you don't see coming.

Nathaniel was a top pick at Night Owl Reviews : Nathaniel and Aaron's story is both sweet and sexy. It's the perfect antidote for a cold winter's night or if you need a perfect pick-me-up.

Happy holidays to all my readers. I hope you have some time to reflect and enjoy this season.

Jan

Shifter Cowboy new cover and news

I hadn't shared the cover for Shifter Cowboy, which will be out in late March. I just love this.



Luke had a nice review at Whipped Cream reviews here . The reviewer had a fresh take on the story.

I want to thank those people who came around for the m/m chat hosted for me on Goodreads. It was very nice to get to talk to people, meet some I hadn't met before.

Nathaniel out

Remember that tonight I am doing a chat through M/M goodreads. I will be giving away two books to readers. The chat starts at 6 PM Eastern, 3 PM Pacific time. Hope people can drop by.

My novella Nathaniel is out so here is a taste.

On Monday, Nathaniel danced in the dust outside Aaron's cabin, his boots kicking up little tufts of dirty air that hung suspended, as if lazy in the morning heat.

It all began as Aaron dished out pancakes, something that he'd learnt to make from a mix to which he added only water. He still wasn't sure just what was in this mix. Everything seemed like a chemical, making him uncomfortable with the result--he couldn't help but think what his wife Anna would have thought of that, but then if she were still alive, he wouldn't be here.

The hands he was feeding thanked him, their eyes touching on his face, his shaggy beard and suspenders and homespun clothing and then darting away. Aaron didn't know what to say to them; they were like Happy Nathaniel, speedy hand gestures, laughter. He knew they thought he was strange, quaint. He should not feel pride, but pride locked up his words.

Only Nathaniel had ever treated him as if he were just like anyone else on the Rocking M Ranch, his eyes alight like the water in nearby Sylvan Lake sparkling under sunlight. But now he barely looked at Aaron, and Aaron felt like a closed up house, truly stuck inside now, his fault, but he had no idea how to pry open the boards so he could only look outside, watch the interaction of the other men and women.

"How was your date, playboy?" Albert asked Nathaniel when they were next in line. Aaron's hand jerked as he handed a plate of bacon and pancakes to Nathaniel's friend. Albert and Nathaniel's eyes flashed to him and Aaron reddened, dropping his gaze.

"Fine," Nathaniel snapped off, but his tone said more. It said, not here, not in front of him; he doesn't get it.

Nathaniel had never sounded like that before. Always before he included Aaron, even taking the time to explain things like movies Aaron had never seen. Aaron's throat tightened, but he silently poured out coffee, remembering who liked it with sugar, who with cream, who plain.

The work was a comfort at least. He had the work still, the rhythm of being useful. He was thinking of that when he handed out Albert's cup and his hand somehow collided with Nathaniel's.

Coffee spilled all over Nathaniel so he gave a soft cry of pain.

"No!" Aaron said, grabbing a cloth, standing there with it in his hand. He stood frozen. Should he hand it to Nathaniel rather than touch him? What was proper? "No, I didn't mean to—"

"Save it," Nathaniel said, eyes heavy with some kind of cynicism Aaron could not begin to understand or relate to.

"Ouch, you okay?" Albert asked, ignoring Aaron who stood there, like a stupid big mountain, watching, wanting to say…wanting to—

Nathaniel took the cloth, giving a wry twist of his lips. "Fine. Good thing I'm wearing blue today; stains won't show up as much, huh?"

Albert rolled his eyes. "You are hardly going to meet any hot men mending fences."

"Au contraire, my friend, there are hot men all over this ranch," Nathaniel teased. Just then his smoky quartz gaze caught on Aaron's before he dropped it just as quickly.

Albert shrugged. "Sheila and I went to the diner for meatloaf. She wanted me to talk about my feelings and shit again. I think you're lucky, sticking with guys."

Albert and Nathaniel were almost at the door of Aaron's kitchen now. Aaron watched Nathaniel reach out and rub some of the basil between his fingers that Aaron had planted for a window garden. It was something Aaron had noticed he did every morning, as if he liked the pungent scent.

"I am sorry," Aaron boomed.

All the hands froze at the sound of his loudness and Aaron swallowed, feeling eyes on him.

Nathaniel had been saying something to his friend, his lips still stretched in a smile. He had smiled just two days before like that at Aaron. He turned his head and his gaze again collided with Aaron's.

"I am sorry," Aaron repeated in a softer voice.

Nathaniel frowned, as if he were trying to make something out. He gave a stiff little nod and then he stepped outside, leaving Aaron and his kitchen.

***

He was wiping up the kitchen table, long maple planks scored like a picnic table with dents and carved initials when a shadow fell at the door. He looked up and there was Nathaniel, his hands full of dishes. He used to return them, but just lately, no, he hadn't done that.

He hesitated and Aaron went to him, taking the dirty plates.

"I can scrape out the stuff for your, uh, recycling."

Aaron blinked. "Recycling?"

"The stuff you put on that heap of earth in the vegetable garden," Nathaniel said.

"Oh, that is a compost heap. Next year I will scatter it on the garden," Aaron said. "Better tasting vegetables."

"That's hard to believe. Your tomatoes are really great."

Aaron dropped his gaze, basking a little now. He knew he shouldn't, but he liked that Nathaniel had noticed the superior quality of the stock he grew.

"The pail is under the counter," he said, even though it was unnecessary since they'd done this before. He stacked the plates by the sink and then watched Nathaniel as he began the chore, the easy swing of his hips as he dipped to drop leavings in the pail and the way his chaps seemed to emphasize where he was a man.

Nathaniel looked over his shoulder at Aaron and then huffed out a breath. "Okay, are you homophobic?"

Aaron blinked. It sounded like one of the ingredients in the mix he disapproved of. "I don't like chemicals," he said.

Nathaniel's too serious face cracked into a smile. "Oh, Aaron. Do I even ask?"

Aaron guessed this was one of the things he didn't understand. He had picked up as much as he could, but it was a like a quilt with gaps in the sewing. "I don't like that you stay away now," he said. He cleared his throat. "Samuel misses you."

Nathaniel held Aaron's gaze, the other man for once not dancing, or talking and smiling. He contemplated.

Familiar with thinking time, Aaron felt his muscles relax.

"You may not know much about the outside world, but you're a confident man; it's sexy."

Aaron blinked. "I am…sexy?"

Now Nathaniel smiled again. "Yep." He winked, as if encouraging Aaron not to take him too seriously.

"Why did your friend call you a playboy?"

"Do you know what it means?"

"Yes." Aaron was short. He wasn't stupid. They had all rented a movie with James Bond and watched it in the bunk house. From this, Aaron understood what a playboy was.

"I, uh, date a lot of guys," Nathaniel said.

"Taste a lot of flowers," Aaron said.

Nathaniel blinked and then he grinned. "Yeah."

Nathaniel excerpt and purchase link

Win a copy of Jesse today and holiday stories

My wonderful friend Lex Valentine is giving away a copy of my book Jesse on her blog today. Comment to be entered in the draw here .

And I'm feeling some holiday nostalgia today. I have two holiday stories out this month, Sam's Reviews where everything but the most important thing of all goes wrong over the holidays and Nathaniel where an unusual little family comes together over December.

Last year my holiday story was The Star Man. I came across a review of it recently from last year at Jeffandwill :

This might be my most favorite story in the collection. In a freak accident, Matthew ends up face to face with his guardian angel, who is really an alien that's been watching over him for years. Matthew has to get the alien home or he will die. It's E.T., a love story and so much more.

Find The Star Man here .

And this Wednesday, remember I'm doing my special chat at the Goodreads m/m chatroom starting at 6 PM Eastern time. I'll be giving away two stories so hope people can drop by.

Sam's Reviews out this evening

I'm happy that my holiday book about Sam, romance writer, ex-marine and Tall, his slinky architect, will be out this evening. Sam is suddenly forced to become a parent, the holidays are upon him and he's still trying to get his life back together plus the alluring Tall Hollander keeps flirting with him. Here's an excerpt from the book:

I was just wheeling out of Audra's sitting room when I had another visitor. My palms froze on the wheels, and my heart gave a great big goofy bang!

Tall Hollander had visited Starbucks again this morning, probably the little corner one that was three blocks down and in a better neighborhood. He had two coffees and some wrapped treats on a paper tray. His mouth dropped open when he saw me, and we stared at each other for a prolonged moment. I was surprised little hearts weren't revolving around my head at the cartoon simplicity of what I felt on seeing him. I like, my body said.

Yeah, yeah. I answered it by putting the towel over my tight shorts, which were tenting.

"I thought I'd share what I'd found out on-site," Tall said. "The general contractor and an operator for the Cat will be here within the hour."

I made myself nod, trying to play it cool, but it was hard when his gaze moved over my bare chest like a slow caress, touching on my nipples. I wondered if he'd like to suck them. I wondered if nipples were a special erogenous zone for him. If I licked and sucked his, would he cry out and grip my head, making messy haystacks of my hair?

He cleared his throat. "I hope you don't mind. Your assistant at the shop said where I could find you, so I just came upstairs."

"Any man who brings me coffee at this hour with…"

He gave me a small grin. "Cinnamon rolls. I baked them this morning."

I blinked. "You're shitting me."

"My sister wanted them," he said, shrugging. "I didn't make them from scratch. It's that stick-in-the-oven-and-ice-them-afterward thing."

"Geez, you still beat me in the parental deal," I said. "Your sister's back? So you're driving something else?"

"No, ah, she's still got my car."

"What is it?"

"A Lexus."

"Sucker."

"Yeah." His grin widened.

"Come on; we can go back in the sitting room and have the coffee there." I wanted him more than his home-baked cinnamon rolls.

* * * * *

Tall's blond hair was slightly in his eyes, probably from the wind that had stirred up this morning around two. I would know since I'd been on watch then. I liked it that way, looking like he'd just leaped out of bed. My bed.

I wish.

There was something more to that feeling of lust, but I didn't want to examine it too closely. I sipped my coffee and decided I could eat two cinnamon rolls in the wake of my workout. I had one in my mouth when I caught Tall staring at my chest again.

I reached for my discarded T-shirt.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He ducked his head. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

I made some sound, still chewing, and pulled the cotton over my head.

He looked up again, and his gaze held mine. "You're beautiful. I mean… I don't know what I mean. You're beautiful like a man. I like the whiskers and the lines around your eyes and…and you have an exquisite upper body."

I listened to the very loud sound of Audra's windup anniversary clock ticking.

"Sorry," he said. "Back to business. No one on the site knows how that piece of equipment wound up over here. It was shut off and secured for the next business day. The site has a guard and a dog on patrol after hours."

I nodded. "I know. I, uh, have watched what goes on over there sometimes."

Tall shoved his hair back. "I've called Mr. Stevenson, the developer behind Troubadour Towers. I have to put it down as some kind of prank, Sam, and I'm sorry. The men working the site are experienced, good guys. It just doesn't add up."

I rubbed my forehead, relieved he'd moved to another topic other than my, uh, beautiful-like-a-man's whiskers. Damn, I wanted to pull him into a kiss. And thinking about that wasn't helping my erection subside. Fortunately the towel covered it as well as my knees. "So what happens now?" I asked.

"Now we fix the damage," Tall said, a determined light drowning the warmth in his eyes. "Starting with the stone facade. I was able to locate a charity source for used building materials that still has some of those blocks on hand and purchased them this morning. We'll rebuild the wall and replace the siding. I have a carpenter coming in to measure the damaged window seat and repair it, as well as order some replacement glass for the window."

My shoulders relaxed. "Thanks. I just need it fixed."

"You do seem to have a lot going on," Tall noted. Then he smiled, and his blue eyes were sparkling like freshly poured soda. "Like that romance novel…"

"Oh, Christ."

His smile widened. "Come on; you didn't think I was just going to leave that, did you?"

I looked at him, blond hair, blue eyes, slinky tall body. "I'll tell you more under two conditions."

"Name them." He raised his eyebrows, and I also felt the ante rising between us.

"Tell me if you do yoga."

He looked confused, but he answered. "I do."

"I knew it."

"Okay."

"And…and have dinner with me." My heart was pounding in my ears. I had asked him. Why had I asked him? Oh, fuck.

***

Find the book and another excerpt here: Sam's Reviews at Loose Id .

Featured author of the month at Good Reads MM and Jesse reviewed

It was lovely to be asked to be the featured author for December at Goodreads. You can see the post here . Drop by if you like. At the chat mid month, I hope to give away two stories to readers.

Meanwhile, Jesse was reviewed at Whipped Cream Reviews:

What a great book this was! I couldn't take my eyes from the screen. Each character sucked me in and had me wanting more. I loved how loyal Jesse is to his younger brother and how well he takes care of Davy. And the love he shares with Kyle is just phenomenal.

I loved how all the family men had a special mental connection. The dream scenes were amongst some of the best fantasies I have ever read.

If you missed the free read I posted yesterday, find it here: Mine by Jan Irving .

Well, back to work on Loving Kindness...