Harper Fox's Blog, page 10

Something really rather nice

Yes, I'm trying to hide behind my charming British understatement, but I'm actually dead excited about this. Those of you who've been reading Josh Lanyon's Men Under the Mistletoe blog today at http://www.joshlanyon.blogspot.com will have seen that he's offering a very sparkly lovely prize, a print edition of the anthology. Carina Press has issued just a handful of these special editions. They won't be going on general sale, much as I wish they could be available to all of you, and I too will be parting with one of my cherished author copies as a prize on my blog on Thursday. To be eligible, just come along and comment, and I will sign and dedicate the volume to my winner and post it out to you, wherever in the world you happen to be. Now, given that Carina has to get the books out to me, and I will have to send the prize out to you, it might not be so much as a Christmas present as something to brighten up your mid-January, but maybe you won't mind that if you win? :-D  Really rather nice, eh?

Scavenger Hunt results!

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Men Under the Mistletoe Scavenger Hunt, Tammy, Jaymi, and Tricia. KA will be contacting the winners through email. Thank you all very much for participating and we hope you enjoy the anthology.

Best regards,

Ava March

Harper Fox

Josh Lanyon

KA Mitchell

Men Under the Mistletoe release - Miniblog Tour!

I can't believe the time's come round so fast. The Carina Press Men Under The Mistletoe holiday anthology releases tomorrow, and all this week the authors will be blogging about their stories. Josh Lanyon leads us off tomorrow - who better? - with a feature on Christmas Kisses, and you know you want some of that action, so be sure to pop along for a chat. Ava March takes over on Tuesday with her theme of Home For The Holidays. KA Mitchell is talking about Setting on Wednesday, and Thursday is my day, so do come and chat with me about the Dark Side of Christmas - not so gloomy as it sounds, I promise! On Friday we'll tie it up with all sorts of festive greetings.

We'll be contributing daily to one another's blogs, so it's chance to see our various takes on all these themes. We look forward to seeing you and talking about this terrific holiday collection.

Men Under The Mistletoe - Scavenger Hunt!

Men Under the Mistletoe, Carina's great M/M festive anthology, releases on 5th December, including stories by Ava March, Josh Lanyon, KA Mitchell and my own Winter Knights. The antho is available to pre-order here http://tinyurl.com/738b6ef (Barnes & Noble) and here http://tinyurl.com/cggtdax (Amazon Kindle). We're all very excited about this, and to celebrate, we'd like to invite you to take part in a scavenger hunt, with a great prize to be won. The competition opens 15th November and you can find all the details here, as well as on my fellow authors' websites. http://www.harperfox.net

Just click on my orange button. You know I'd love that.

I'm very pleased to say I've got a release date for Scrap...

I'm very pleased to say I've got a release date for Scrap Metal, my next release from Samhain Publishing -


** 27th March 2012 **

Check out my website http://www.harperfox.net for more pictures of the wonderful island of Arran which gave me the inspiration for this novel. You'll also find an excerpt there, and to celebrate the release date I'm posting another one here, which will give you some background for this picture of a very happy young Cameron racing around on beautiful Kildonan Beach. First, though, here's the blurb...

On a rainy Scottish island, Nichol is struggling to save his grandfather’s farm. Lonely and nearing the end of his rope, he almost shoots the intruder who breaks into his barn one stormy night. But Cameron, on the run from a Glasgow gang, quickly charms his way through Nichol’s defences and into his heart. Even Nichol’s curmudgeonly old grandfather takes to Cam, whose hard work and good head for figures help set the business back on its feet.

Nichol is grieving for lost family and the academic life he’s had to leave behind him in Edinburgh. As a cold Arran springtime melts into summer, Cam’s presence restores all his love of the island and his joy in life. He’s falling in love – with a young man whose heart is full of secrets and who stays resolutely silent about his past.

When tragedy strikes the farm, Cam’s secret is finally revealed. Now Nichol has to face the truth. He’s given his heart to a stranger, and it’s time to pay the price. Is their bond strong enough for love to survive – no matter what Cam has done?


And here's the extract. Cam, falling head over heels with Nichol, is delighted to find out he hasn't arrived too late to be a part of his life. Maybe things will all turn out right for them now. Or maybe not... ;)

We didn’t talk for the rest of our way down the rock-strewn climb to the sands. Once on the beach and not struggling to find our footing, the silence became electric, and I knew I had to speak, though my heart was beating harder than the wings of the raven I could see fighting the wind to regain his cliff-face perch. “Listen,” I began, roughly, as if I were about to tell him off. “When I went to Brodick last night – ”

“Nichol, don’t.”

I stopped. Cam had stopped a few feet behind me and was watching me miserably. “I want to explain,” I said, but he held a hand out to me.

“No. You don’t have to struggle to tell me things I already know. Let me talk.”

“Okay, but…”

“Hush up. You got back together with Archie last night. I’m glad about that, because somebody like you should never have to be lonely. All I want to say is – I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner in my life. I’m sorry I didn’t know you while there might have been a chance.”

I took a breath. For a moment I studied the ripples in the sand at my feet. The air was rich with the tang of seaweed. No wonder my ancestors had lugged it up to the clifftops to revive their land – it smelled of life, of brine and blood. For me from now on it would always mean happiness, the dawning of a joy so great I wasn't sure I could contain it. “Let me tell you about last night with Archie,” I said, not looking up. “It was meant to be drinks with a whole bunch of my friends. But when I got there it was just him, and – yeah, I got drunk, and I went home with him and I got into his bed. It was what we always did. Then I started thinking about you, and I got straight out again.” Cam's mouth had fallen open slightly. I thought I'd better clarify. “I couldn't let him touch me. I don't think I could let anyone but you touch me now, and I don't care how long I have to wait for that.”

What had I been expecting? For him to jump into my arms, or make me a little speech in return? As it was, he walked straight past me and carried on towards the sea. The sun was in my eyes and I couldn't make out his expression. I followed, stumbling over the long strands of kelp. “Cam? Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.”

His stride was powerful, elastic. He was moving like a man with huge weights lifted off from his shoulders, and I didn't dare imagine that what I'd just told him had produced this effect – just jogged to keep up with him. He was wearing the jumper I'd given him on the night of his arrival. It almost fit him now, and a moment later I saw why. Without breaking stride he pulled it over his head, exposing a torso still pale but warm as new milk in the sun, skin smooth over compact muscle. Helplessly I thought of the seal-bride again, how she'd cast off her human skins and returned to the ocean. Her people were there to greet her today, heads and tails held high as they basked, making the shapes of smiles or crescent moons. “What are you doing?”

“It's a beautiful day.”

His words came to me in tatters on the sharp sea wind. “Not that beautiful. You'll catch your death.”

“No, I won't. Not now.” He tied the jumper round his hips and suddenly took off at a flat run. The seals, safe here for centuries now, gazed placidly as he made for the water's edge and pelted along the shore, sending spray flying. I wished I shared their insight. There was a child in me that wanted to strip off too and dash around on the sand, but I'd had to move so far away from boyhood pleasures that I couldn't close the gap. Cam reached the deep inlet that bounded this stretch of the beach and circled back to me, still at top speed. I'd had no idea how strong and fit he'd become. He was beautiful in motion, his feet barely touching the sand. Automatically I put out a hand to catch the one he was extending to me, and he grabbed me as he passed, pulling me after him. I gasped and burst into laughter, letting myself be hauled round in a huge half circle. “What are you doing, you bloody nutcase?”

“Running.” He reeled me in and I went willingly, a fish jumping out of the water to be caught. “The sun's so bright. I just want to run, or...” He threw his arms around my neck. “Or dance. Dancing would do. What'll we dance to, Nichol?”

Winter Knights - Carina Christmas Antho 2011

My contribution to the Carina Press Christmas anthology had an amazingly painless first round of edits. Phew! The biggest one was a title change - Hallow Hill has become Winter Knights. I wasn't too sure at first (even though it was my own suggestion), but now it's caught my imagination, and I kind of love it. It nicely touches on the story's Arthurian themes, and I'm really looking forward to joining Josh Lanyon, Ava Marsh and KA Mitchell in the antho, release date 5th December 2011.

Now, I'm not usually one for playing around with my Photoshop (not in a public forum anyway :), but I started out with a photo of Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, where Winter Knights is set, and then I met these two Pre-Raphaelite knights (upon whom no copyright infringement is intended), and one thing led to another. I'm not displeased! I hope it gives a little foretaste of the story's flavour. I'll be posting a blurb and a couple of extracts soon.

Salisbury Key - I do like a nice print galley!

 

Yes, I can cart it around with me, read it over breakfast, get as much Nutella on it as I like. Even better, The Salisbury Key is getting released to print on 3rd January 2012, which will certainly brighten up my new year. Does a two-volume print collection qualify for bookends? :-D

A book and a bat

Good news - Last Line is out on Amazon today. And you can find it, but only if you're very cunning - searching "harper fox" won't do it, nor indeed will "Last Line". But "harper fox" "last line" will. Do... not... ask me. I would like to thank my good friend Bob for this information. Or you could just follow this handy link, which I hope to God works because I do not have a good track record with LJs and links.

www.amazon.com/Last-Line-ebook/dp/B005ES9EBE/ref=sr_1_1

In other news, for those of you who took such kind interest in Harry the baby bat, I heard from the Bat Trust that he's doing well and should soon be ready for release into the wilds of our loft once more!

LAUNCH DAY Driftwood Print Edition

Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered and I hope you enjoy the books. I'm a little excited, as you can tell from my decision to let the Red Arrows be my LJ profile pic today. Whoo-hoo!  

store.samhainpublishing.com/driftwood-p-6443.html
www.amazon.com/Driftwood-Harper-Fox/dp/160928173X/ref=sr_1_1

 

I'm in print!

All you lovely readers and friends share so many of my traumas - crashed computers, endless demands for more hours to be inserted in the day - that it's only fair I share with you what has to be one of the most exciting, wonderful moments in any author's life. Yes, the Driftwood print copies are here - mine, anyway, muhahaha. Samhain sent me my author's advance copies on Monday in advance of the release on 5th July. I can't begin to describe (I know - some writer!) the arrival of that box, or the turmoil in my heart - and, sadly, digestive tract - when I finally brought myself to open it. Needless to say I'm a very, very happy Fox, and I want to say thank you to Samhain for making such a great job of the book. Such very handsome copies! In fact there are so many people to thank that I'm a bit lost for words, but principally my patient, endlessly supportive SO, Josh of course and always, my brilliant webmistress, and my good mates Grimey and KT for keeping me plugged into some kind of reality whilst at the same time being as excited as I was - nearly. :-D

Driftwood is available to pre-order from Samhain
store.samhainpublishing.com/driftwood-p-6443.html

and Amazon
www.amazon.com/Driftwood-Harper-Fox/dp/160928173X/ref=sr_1_1

And, as my very helpful friend Antonella says, you can save money by ordering now! Antonella, thank you - I've been in this game for a year now and am still green as grass xxx