Lisa Worrall's Blog, page 35

ALWAYS HOPE AVAILABLE NOW! AND A FRESH TASTE TEASER!

AVAILABLE AT ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS HERE!
AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM HERE!
BLURB:
Ash Watts has his life exactly how he wants it: burgeoning career, gorgeous boyfriend, and an apartment with a fabulous view of LA. But his perfect world comes crashing down around his ears when he learns of his only sister's untimely death. A small town isn't all he finds when he lands in Freedom, Alabama for Annie's funeral. This small town is brimming with secrets; secrets that could change Ash's life forever. 
Kaleb Gibson, honest-to-God cowboy, and native of Freedom, born and bred, found his best friend the moment Annie Watts breezed into town. Her death left a gaping hole in his heart, and while Annie's brother may have her same dark hair and green eyes, Kaleb refuses to lose his heart all over again, and he can't forgive the man for neglecting his sister when she needed him most.
Revelations from Annie's Will throw Kaleb and Ash together in ways they never imagined. Will Kaleb be able to carry out Annie's last wishes without killing her beloved brother and without revealing a secret from his own past that could destroy everything? And will Ash stick around long enough to see that Freedom may hold an even more perfect life than he could have imagined?
EXCERPT:

"You know I'd come with you if I could," Mason said for the hundredth time as he wrapped his arms around Ash, drawing him close and pressing his lips against the dark waves of Ash's black hair."Yes," Ash replied, annoyed that, in the midst of this clusterfuck, Mason sought his understanding to make himself feel better. At this point in time, he couldn't care less about the other man's feelings; lost in his own misery."What with the Marianne Wheatley thing and not to mention Ronald Kline breathing down my neck—""Mase, I said it's okay, you don't have to go over it again, it's fine," Ash glanced over Mason's shoulder at the departure board and tried to ignore the anger roiling in his gut because, to be honest, it wasn't okay—any of it.Three days ago he'd been cocooned in a sleeping bag, in Mason's arms, and now he stood at the security check-in at LAX about to board a flight to Mobile, Alabama. Then he had to hire a car and drive to the ass-end of nowhere. Of course, the locals preferred to call their home town Freedom, all 1872 of them. Not that he gave a shit about their feelings either, not when the purpose of his journey was to bury the only person in this world he truly loved, and who loved him—his sister, Annie.Ash wanted to be charitable, but it was difficult. He hadn't had a great deal of experience in relationships, but he'd assumed that when you were committed to someone, weddings and funerals were two occasions you could pretty much rely on having a date. Apparently for Mason, the ruling only applied if he could get there and back in a lunch hour. Sitting on a plane for almost six hours, some of which would be on the tarmac in Houston, definitely didn't fit in with his boyfriend's hectic schedule.Glancing over Mason's shoulder at the clock on the wall behind him, Ash extricated himself from Mason's arms, "I've gotta go, I'm going to miss my flight. I'll call you when I land," he added, turning his head at the last minute as Mason kissed him, bypassing his lips and brushing his cheek instead. In the dim recess of his mind he guessed he should have felt bad, but he was hell bent on getting his body on the plane before he ran screaming from the airport like he wanted to. He ignored the hurt expression on Mason's face because he had nothing left to give in the sympathy stakes and strode towards the security checkpoint to take his place in line. He'd look back when the security guard returned his boarding pass and drivers licence, he told himself— but when the items were placed in his hand, he couldn't bring himself to. Mason represented reality and if he had any hope of getting through this, he needed to cut himself off from as much reality as possible.Ash strode quickly to the gate without a backward glance and handed his boarding pass to the smiling stewardess who directed him towards the front of the plane. Mason had paid for the flight and when he'd insisted that Ash go first class, he hadn't argued, silencing his inner voice who'd piped up that it was the least Mason could do if he was making him go alone. Ash stowed his bag in the overhead locker and took his seat by the window, fastening his seatbelt once he was comfortable. Well, as much as one was able, first class or not, when you were a little over six feet tall. Comfort didn't appear to be a word airplane designers were familiar with. He took out his cell and turned it off before placing the slim piece of metal in the drinks holder beside him. Laying his head back against the seat, he gazed out at the gray of the tarmac below them.Every bone in his body ached from exhaustion. Not that it made any difference if he was awake or not, because the last few days replayed like a badly edited movie in his head regardless. The cop had blue eyes and the left one drooped at the outer corner, giving the vague impression he couldn't decide whether or not to wink at you. Ash wondered if that was weird; to remember the color of the eyes of the man who'd told you the one person who meant everything was gone. Was the sound supposed to fizzle out like a bad signal, leaving you with a ringing in your ears as the man's mouth moved but no noise came out? And was it perfectly normal to throw up over the poor guy's shoes about ten seconds before you passed out? Ash hoped so; otherwise he needed to brush up on his etiquette for future reference.

FLASH FICTION FRIDAY

Hello my pretties and welcome to Flash Fiction Friday, where you will find one hundred words per week based upon a picture chosen at random by either myself or my cohorts in this marvellous adventure.  Make sure you follow the link at the bottom of this post to see what other delights await you.


Here I sit on her right side like some giant gooseberry.  She, of course, keeps leaning in to hear what he's saying.  That's what he does, draws them in like a moth to a flame, with his big eyes and charming smile—asshole. The sight of her red hair brushing against his cheek as she moves in closer still and her tinkling laugh grates on my nerves as she bats her eyelashes.
It's my own fault for introducing them. He catches my gaze and telegraphs silent thanks. I smile encouragingly—idiot.
My best friend and my sister… what've I done?
MORE FLASH FICTION THIS WAY
See you next week!

ALWAYS HOPE - 20 FEBRUARY 2012 - NEW EXCERPT

Blurb:

Ash Watts has his life exactly how he wants it: burgeoning career, gorgeous boyfriend, and an apartment with a fabulous view of LA. But his perfect world comes crashing down around his ears when learns of his only sister's untimely death. A small town isn't all he finds when he lands in Freedom, Alabama for Annie's funeral. This small town is brimming with secrets; secrets that could change Ash's life forever. 
Kaleb Gibson, honest-to-God cowboy, and native of Freedom, born and bred, found his best friend the moment Annie Watts breezed into town. Her death left a gaping hole in his heart, and while Annie's brother may have her same dark hair and green eyes, Kaleb refuses to lose his heart all over again, and he can't forgive the man for neglecting his sister when she needed him most.
Revelations from Annie's Will throw Kaleb and Ash together in ways they never imagined. Will Kaleb be able to carry out Annie's last wishes without killing her beloved brother and without revealing a secret from his own past that could destroy everything? And will Ash stick around long enough to see that Freedom may hold an even more perfect life than he could have imagined?
EXCERPT: Grabbing his keys from the ignition, Kaleb opened the door and jumped down to the ground. His boots echoed on the steps when he climbed the porch and peered into the living-room window, cupping his hand against the glass."Wouldn't it be easier to knock?"Kaleb spun on his heel, cursing loudly, "Christ, City Boy, you scared the shit out of me!" He padded across the porch to the cane love seat under the study window. "What the fuck are you doing sitting out here in the dark?" Kaleb caught a glimpse of moonlight reflecting off the bottle of whiskey Ash raised to his lips. "Are you wasted?""Nearly. Wanna join me?""Ash—""Stop being an asshole for five minutes and sit the fuck down," Ash hissed, holding out the bottle. "Have a drink."Kaleb ignored the voice in his head telling him this was a really bad idea and tossed his keys onto the small cane coffee table, then took the bottle from Ash's outstretched hand. He lifted the liquor to his lips and took a healthy draw, his breath hissing from between his clenched teeth as the alcohol burned its way down his throat and expanded in his chest. "Make some room, City Boy," he said, nudging Ash's ankle with the toe of his boot. The other man shuffled along on the love seat and Kaleb flopped down on the cushions beside him. He took another healthy gulp of whiskey before handing the bottle back to Ash and propping his feet on the small, circular table.The sound of Nickelback's Burn it to the Ground broke the silence from the vibrating cell on the table. Kaleb turned his head to look at Ash, who was swigging from the bottle and ignoring Chad Kroeger. "Don't you wanna answer that?""Nope.""Could be important.""Could be."Kaleb raised an eyebrow and accepted the bottle held out to him, "Right, I forgot, you don't do phone calls." He cursed as the bottle was grabbed from his hand en route to his lips. "What the fuck?""Seriously?" Ash ground out, his words slurring very slightly. "You wanna do this now? We buried Annie today. She's gone. Nothing I do is going to make any difference." Kaleb grabbed the bottle back and took several swallows before half-turning in the love seat and glaring at Ash, who was obviously only getting started. "Do you think I didn't mean to call her back? Do you think I haven't called myself all kinds of asshole for not picking up the phone? What gives you the right to be so sanctimonious, so fucking righteous?""She was my friend," Kaleb growled. "I loved her." He moved back when Ash twisted on the love seat and rose to his knees before ripping the bottle from Kaleb's hands and chugging it back."She was my sister," Ash spat. "I loved her more!""Then where were you?" Kaleb yelled into the other man's face, getting to his own knees on the cushions. He'd be damned if he was going to have City Boy looking down on him, literally or metaphorically. "Huh? Where were you? She asked for you, did you know that?" Kaleb wanted to stop the words, but they tumbled over each other in their haste to get out. "When they were cutting her out—she asked for you.""What?"Kaleb slapped his hand to Ash's forehead in irritation. "Who do you think was holding her hand? Who do you think told her everything was going to be okay? They were going to get her out? That it wasn't that bad? That she was going to be fine? Who do you think lied to her? Told her you were coming, that you were on your way? That I would take care of—" He bit the inside of his lip and ran his fingers through his hair, the lump in his throat so big he could barely breathe. "They kept looking at me while they were cutting her out, shaking their heads, and I had to tell her it was all going fine, it was all good. But she knew. She knew I was lying, I could see it in her eyes.""You were there? At the accident?""Of course I was, who else did you think they'd call, you?" Kaleb snapped, grabbing and downing the remainder of the whiskey in the bottle. Then slamming it onto the table, surprised that the force didn't shatter the glass. "I'm not sure you would've considered your sister bleeding to death a good enough reason to return the call!""You bastard!"Kaleb was unprepared for the sloppy punch Ash threw at him. The fact that he'd not eaten today meant that the neat whiskey had slowed his reflexes. The blow caught him on the shoulder and he almost toppled backwards, throwing his hands out to grab Ash's arms to steady himself."I'm a bastard? I'm not the one who ignored her when she needed me! I'm not the one who sat on my ass, too tied up in my own life to support her.""I'm gonna kill you, you asshole!"Kaleb grabbed hold of Ash's hands and his breath huffed out of his body when the other man lost his balance and fell on top of him, forcing him flat on his back on the love seat. He pinned Ash's hands behind his back and tightened his grip until Ash stopped struggling, his green gaze heated and angry as they glared at each other. "Are you finished, City Boy? Don't mess with the bull, you'll always get the horns.""God, you're such a cliche.""And you're not? What do you call this? If you wanted to get me horizontal, all you had to do was ask." Kaleb snapped his head to the side when Ash attempted a very miss-aimed headbutt, ending up with his face against Kaleb's throat. "What?" Kaleb could feel Ash's lips against his skin as the other man mumbled an angry retort, and his irritation was heightened by the fact that his cock had taken a sudden interest in proceedings."I said," Ash ground out, turning his head, "you're a neanderthalic asshole.""A what? You just made that up. Trying to pretend you're smarter than this poor ole country boy?""Let me up, so I can break your face!""You can't even break wind!""I'm gonna rip your fucking head off!""Like to see you try, City Boy!""Stop fucking, call—"Kaleb had just wanted to get Ash to stop talking. He probably could've found a better way than releasing the man's hands, grabbing his face and kissing him. But it would be fair by that point, considering the way Ash's hips were inadvertently grinding into his, to suggest that his brain wasn't exactly running the show. The kiss was over almost before it had begun, a mere hard pressing of mouths, and they stared at each other, lips parted, breath panting harshly into each other's faces. "Ash… I—" His words were stilled by Ash's mouth against his, long fingers sliding into his hair, gripping tightly and tilting his head to enable Ash to deepen the kiss.
ALWAYS HOPE IS AVAILABLE ON THE 20 FEBRUARY 2012

WHITNEY HOUSTON - 1963 - 2012

I was 15 when this record was released and it was the first song of Whitney's that made a huge impact in Britain. I remember sitting in my friend's bedroom listening to this over and over, both of us singing along, watching all the music shows that would show her video, Top of the Pops, Soul Train, everything we could find.  She was only six years older than us and we all wished we could warble like her... sadly none of us could... and there is no one else in this world who could either.


I bought her albums religiously and followed her career.  She was an inspiration to many and such a big part of my eighties and nineties.  Every song evokes a memory for me and that is what it's all about.

No matter what choices we make in life and however much the negative side of latter years is bandied about in the press, she had the voice of an angel and brought joy to millions - and no one can ever tarnish that.

WHITNEY HOUSTON 1963 - 2012(I hope you have found peace at last)

A MOTHER, A WIFE & A REPUBLICAN - MAUREEN WALSH SAYS IT ALL

I don't think anyone could have said it better.

I have always been in the firm belief, even way before I began writing M/M romance, that however you dress it up, politicize it, dissect it, whatever you wanna call it... love is love.  When it all boils down to the basest of arguments, lovers are lovers regardless of what sky under which they make love.  Regardless of which form that love takes - whether you are gay or straight, its all about finding that special person who makes your stomach flip when they walk into a room, or puts a smile on your face when they send you a text.  The one who makes you know that you are loved, warts and all.

The sooner people accept that... there'll be no more discussions on gay marriage... it will simply be.

FLASH FICTION FRIDAY

Hello my pretties and welcome to Flash Fiction Friday, where you will find one hundred words per week based upon a picture chosen at random by either myself or my cohorts in this marvellous adventure.  Make sure you follow the links both within the one hundred and at the bottom of this post to see what other delights await you.

Sue sighed heavily; he was whistling in the shower—again—except he couldn't carry a tune in a handbag. She'd been lying on the bed when he'd arrived home and he'd gazed at her, a smile curving his lips.  "I'll be two minutes." Two minutes my ass.  Fifteen minutes later he was still fucking whistling and she was feeling less femme fatale and more femme fa-corpse as she waited.  Maybe he'd move faster if he knew she'd been in this position and several other more acrobatic ones all day with one subtle difference… the gardener didn't whistle in the shower.
MORE FLASHERS THIS WAY
A huge thank you to my bestie, Sue Brown for allowing me to lay her horizontally on the bed this week.  Make sure you click on her name to check out her blog and her new releases, Light of Day (Nightporter 2) and Masquerade: The Layered Mask.See you next week!

LAUREL HEIGHTS RELEASE DATE REVISION

Hi guys... I didn't know but according to Silver's websiteLaurel is scheduled for release on Saturday 3rd March - not the 10th as I previously stated.It's my birthday on the 3rd, so hopefully it's a good sign.If you click on the cover on the left hand side of the blog - you will be able to pre-order if you wish.

Thank God For Thursday!!!

It would appear that I have been a bit lax on the gorgeous men front... I am ashamed to say I've been so tied up with writing I've not had the time to trawl through endless nudity for you... I'm sorry, I know I should be punished...

I hope this makes up for it...










I promise I shan't leave you in the lurch again my lovelies...

UPDATE FOR THE REST OF 2012 (ESPECIALLY FOR ENNY :) )

UPCOMING RELEASES:

20 February 2012 - Always Hope


Blurb:Ash Watts has his life exactly how he wants it: burgeoning career, gorgeous boyfriend, and an apartment with a fabulous view of LA. But his perfect world comes crashing down around his ears when learns of his only sister's untimely death. A small town isn't all he finds when he lands in Freedom, Alabama for Annie's funeral. This small town is brimming with secrets; secrets that could change Ash's life forever.  
Kaleb Gibson, honest-to-God cowboy, and native of Freedom, born and bred, found his best friend the moment Annie Watts breezed into town. Her death left a gaping hole in his heart, and while Annie's brother may have her same dark hair and green eyes, Kaleb refuses to lose his heart all over again, and he can't forgive the man for neglecting his sister when she needed him most.
Revelations from Annie's Will throw Kaleb and Ash together in ways they never imagined. Will Kaleb be able to carry out Annie's last wishes without killing her beloved brother and without revealing a secret from his own past that could destroy everything? And will Ash stick around long enough to see that Freedom may hold an even more perfect life than he could have imagined?
5 March 2012 - Continental Divide (co-written with Laura Harner)
Blurb:Detective Remington fuckin' hates the missing persons detail, but a cold fury builds in the pit of his stomach when he realizes that six boys have disappeared from the smaller communities that surround the greater Phoenix area over the past three months. Runaways looking for a way out of their shitty lives.  He's starting to put together a picture and he doesn't like it one damn bit.
Inspector Mainwaring stars at the six reports, wiling them to make sense.  Six boys, six months, six different parts of the city, six different investigators.  All between the ages of ten and thirteen, all runaways, all from dysfunctional families.
There are always runaways.  Every small town loses them, every big city collects them.  Kids looking for freedom and discover they have more to lose than they ever thought possible.  London and Phoenix, culture and cowboys, nothing linking these two sprawling metropolitan areas.  Nothing except a hit on a computer data search.
Two cops, one a cowboy, the other a Lord.  A secret government agency and human trafficking.
What the hell have Remington and Mainwaring got themselves into?  And will they be able to fight the bad guys while fighting their attraction to each other?
10 March 2012 - Laurel Heights
Blurb:A shot rings out in the dead of night and leaves two residents dead in the exclusive, gay gated housing community of Laurel Heights, an apparent murder/suicide, but not everyone is convinced.
Detectives Scott Turner and Will Harrison are sent undercover to dig beneath the surface and discover answers. There's only one problem: Scott and Will are not out of the closet at work. Now they are two gay men, pretending to be straight, who must pretend to be gay in order to stop a murderer.
Will the two closeted officers be able to hide their attraction while believing the other is straight? And is the killer living among them waiting to claim his next victim?
WORKS IN PROGRESS:
Before Sundown - a story of love between two cowboys in the 1870's. Samuel is being forced into a marriage by his father, believing his lover, Ely, is dead - murdered by his own father to bring him into line. Unbeknownst to Samuel, Ely is desperately trying to get back to him, scarred by Samuel's father, but determined to stop the sham wedding and take Samuel away as they'd planned.
Barty Bear, Me & Daddy Makes Three - Evan left Texas for LA with ambitions of seeing his name in lights and he has succeeded, sort of.  He plays Barty Bear, Dreamland Theme Park's star attraction.  When he meets Casey, a pretty little lost seven year old, he doesn't expect to end up locked in a cell, accused of kidnapping by the girl's father.  And he certainly doesn't expect the man to be the most gorgeous thing he has ever seen.When Dean loses Casey at the theme park, he is beside himself, every true movie he's ever seen playing in his head as he searches for her.  On seeing her being led away by a big muscled brut of a man, he does what any self-respecting father would do, he chases him down and has him arrested.  The only thing is... the following morning he is told by the police that the muscled brut was telling the truth... he not only works at Dreamland, but he's Barty Bear, the star of the show.  How the hell is he going to get Evan to forgive him?
(Barty Bear, Me & Daddy Makes Three - is told in a three book series, with three novellas within each book, with titles such as... Barty Bear & Cotton Candy, Barty Bear's First Date, Barty Bear Get's Laid... Hopefully - and so on)

TIME TO TELL (A DRABBLE)

"Did you tell her?"Michael glanced at Lee as he hung his overcoat on the hook inside the door.  Lee held two glasses of wine in his hands and Michael didn't mind admitting he needed the drink offered.  "No.""Mike—""The time wasn't right," Michael protested, padding down the hall and taking the glass from Lee's right hand.  The red wine lit up his taste buds and he rolled the fruity liquid around his mouth before letting it slide down his throat with a sigh.  "It never is," Lee mumbled; his tone flat and the hurt in his green gaze cutting right through Michael's heart."Lee, come on," Michael followed his lover into the living-room and sank down beside him on their over-stuffed couch.  "I'm working up to it.""Two years, Mike," Lee said sarcastically, "you've been working up to it for two years.  I can't live like this anymore.  I can't wait in the shadows for you to grow a pair.  I'm worth more and if you can't see that, then maybe you should leave.""What are you saying?" Michael's stomach bottomed out and he had trouble swallowing past the sudden lump in his throat.  "I'm saying that maybe you should go back to your cozy little life and carry on living the lie.  I'm through waiting.""But, I love you," Michael reached out and cupped Lee's cheek, turning his lover's face to look at him.  He caressed a high cheekbone with his thumb and a bolt of hope shot through him as Lee leaned into his touch, green eyes closing.  That hope was shot down when Lee's eyes opened and they were filled with tears."I love you, too," Lee said softly, his voice thick with emotion.  "But I don't want to hide it anymore.  Do you know how hard it is for me knowing that she thinks I'm just "one of the guys"?  That I can't touch you, hold you… but she can?"Mike's heart broke in his chest at the raw pain in Lee's gaze.  He knew he'd been selfish, stupid, scared… but in that single moment, the only thing he was afraid of was losing the man beside him.  Taking a deep breath he lifted Lee's chin and kissed him slowly, savouring the taste of him before parting their lips on a soft snick.  "I love you and I'm not going anywhere."Reaching across Lee, he grabbed the phone and stabbed at the numbers, putting the handset to his ear.  The sound of the call connecting and then ringing echoed in his head and his stomach churned while he waited for it to be answered.  "Hello?"Mike closed his eyes at the sound of her sweet voice and he pulled Lee closer, needing his warmth and his strength.  She repeated the greeting and he took a breath, "Mom?  It's me."