Ethan Stone's Blog, page 9
September 8, 2013
August 29, 2013
Prodigal Wolf by LE Franks and Sara York
The enjoyable adventure begins—well, we hope it’s an adventure you’ll enjoy. Last November, Linda and I began working on a novel together. It was messy work at first with a few false starts but through it all we had a vision. At times that vision was murky because of communication. She’s West Coast, I’m East. Our time to work together was restrained by distance and family obligation, but we never lost sight of our desire to create an entertaining read.
Our Wolf Pack, the Montefiore clan, has its roots in Italy. They migrated to the US because of congestion and settled in South Carolina. Angelo, the Alpha, has a problem. He’s not supposed to be Alpha and he wants to make things right, but Carlo doesn’t accept the change. But that’s not all to our book, Prodigal Wolf. We’ve got outside influences in the form of twinks, Kevin and Grady. They haven’t decided if they want a relationship with each other or not, but Carlo’s roommates want a piece of the twinks and they don’t play fair.
Prodigal Wolf is the first in the Wolves and Waves series. The pack is full of characters that will make you fall in love and leave you wanting to pull your hair out. I hope you enjoy Prodigal Wolf.
Blurb:
Carlo has a problem; after years away he’s finally returned to his South Carolina roots – but instead of peace and quiet all he’s found are nosy wolves, romancing twinks, an out of control roommate threatening to expose them all, and a demanding Alpha who just won’t go away.
All his Alpha wants is to show Carlo who he really is, and where he belongs. But Carlo Montefiore is a man fighting his instincts, memories, and responsibilities. His beachside home was supposed to provide sanctuary, but pack politics, unruly roommates, and human neighbors at risk of discovering that shifters exist, are making life anything but peaceful. Twinks Kevin and Grady have their own problems. Two college freshmen are no match for a couple of hot wolves who like to play chase. If they don’t stop playing games they’ll miss the biggest thing to happen in their young lives—love.
Excerpt:
Angelo sat down at his desk and picked up his phone, sliding his thumb over the screen before opening his contact list and typing in Carlo’s number. Each digit entered made his heart beat faster. Carlo had come home—well, not home but back to the area for some reason, and that gave Angelo hope. He switched to his text application and started a new message. He typed each word with care, grimacing as he finished the text. He scrolled up and read what he’d written wondering just when he’d become so sappy.
Hey Carlo, Angelo here, I heard you were back and I’m here too. We haven’t spent much time together, okay, we haven’t spent any time together in the last four years. I want that to change. Maybe we should go camping. You know, no one ever is on the beach south of Pritchards Inlet. We could shift and swim over, spending the night together. I’d bring a sleeping bag. I know you don’t like carrying bags with you when you’re in wolf form and swimming, but you don’t need clothes. I’m fine with you walking around naked. I’d keep you warm all night long. With you in my arms I think I’d finally be happy. You probably didn’t know I felt that way about you, but I do.
Angelo shifted in his chair, groaning, he rolled his eyes then deleted the entire message and typed a new line of text.
Carlo, it’s Angelo. I heard you were back. I need to meet with you.
He pressed send and waited. The minutes ticked by and he was beginning to wonder if Carlo was going to return his text. Angelo got up from the desk and paced the office. He should tell Carlo the truth. His phone dinged and he raced to the desk, checking his messages.
Call me. I don’t want to see you.
His chest tightened. Why wouldn’t Carlo see him? Hell, he’d tried over and over again to make things right between them, but he’d obviously failed.
Prodigal Wolf is available at most online book retailers.
July 3, 2013
Celebrate the 4th with Wilde City! 25% off
Wilde City Press celebrates Summer with fun author memories and a sale!
Summer is all about fun, adventure and making great holiday memories. What do the Wilde City authors get up to? Find out when they were asked about some of their favorite summer traditions … past, present, and future.
Help Wilde City Press celebrate the start of summer and July 4th. Enjoy 25% of your entire cart from Wednesday July 3rd through Sunday July 7th with the coupon code: WildeFreedom.
If you could escape to anywhere in the world this summer, where would it be?
Me: I would love to go on a cruise to somewhere warm but not too hot. I want a place with a beach, cool clear water and some hot cabana boys. The hot cabana boys are not just for eye candy, they’d…
Find out what else I said as well the answer from all the other amazing Wilde City authors. Click here.
March 13, 2013
Recommended Read: Revelations by Julie Lynn Hayes
For readers looking for a M/M book not the standard fare this is the book for you. I had the pleasure of reading an early draft and it is unlike anything I have read before.
The Making of Revelations
How It Came To Be
The idea was born many years ago. Over forty, actually. When I was a teenager. Back then, it didn’t have a name, and it had no real shape. But I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell the story of Judas Iscariot. The trouble was I didn’t know how.
What drew me to Judas, is probably what you’re asking yourself, and that’s a valid question. Ask anyone else who Judas is and you’ll get answers that are probably all variations on a theme of betrayal. I’m not sure exactly when I began to question that, but I do know that when I saw Jesus Christ Superstar performed live back in 1971 (or thereabouts), I had an epiphany regarding him. I saw him, not as the bad guy as often portrayed, but someone who not only believed in Jesus but was willing to do what he needed him to do. For without Judas’ “betrayal” of Jesus, the story would not have worked out the way it did. It needed to happen that way. And if you read the Gospel of Judas, he was the only apostle who trusted Jesus enough to do that for him. Gives one food for thought, doesn’t it?
Very interesting, but where’s the story, I wondered. Was I going to take an historical perspective, research the man and his life? Easier said than done, especially back then. We had no Internet. We didn’t even have computers. Research was all done through books. Libraries had card catalogs, a far cry from today when you can log onto your library website and browse their selection, then request what you want. So I looked and I found bupkus (nothing). I had the Bible, of course, but it tends to be limited on information, as well as a bit biased.
So nothing was written, and I let it go, as my thoughts formulated in the back of my head. In the meantime, I was reading, watching… and learning. King of Kings was my first Biblical movie, and I loved it. Jeffrey Hunter’s portrayal of Jesus is very moving, and I was very enamored of the film. Jesus Christ Superstar – I think I know all the words, I’ve listened so many times. I liked the stage version, but the first film not so much.
Besides watching these things and others, I read. Christopher Moore’s Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. What a fabulous book! I loved it! So much I bought the special edition. And I read The Gospel of Judas! Forty years ago I’d never heard of such a thing. Of course I read the DaVinci Code, and watched the movie. And everything began to percolate inside my head…
Then one day it happened. Judas spoke to me, for the first time. And I simply began to write it down, not knowing what he might say, or where his story might lead. It turned out to be quite the story and took me on quite the journey, and led to places that I didn’t expect it to. If he’d have spoken forty years ago, I would not have been ready to receive his message. But my life up until the moment that I first heard him speak prepared me. And the result is Revelations.
The original title was Kyrie Eleison, a tribute to the Mister Mr. song, Kyrie. Kyrie eleison means Christ, have mercy on us. But then fellow author Marie Sexton, who was reading Kyrie for me at the time, suggested a simpler title. A better title. Revelations. So Revelations it became.
I know there are people who will not like Revelations, and by extension, me. People who will not see the message it carries, only that it does not follow what they believe. But ultimately, no matter what you believe, Revelations is a story of love. Love is the message, and love is something that binds us all together.
Revelations is love.
Thank you for having me here, enjoy your day!
Blurb:
Judas has never been very popular, not in any incarnation that he and Jesus and the others have lived through. But he doesn’t care about that. All he cares about is following the instructions of God as set forth in the script that they follow. And Jesus. For Judas has secretly loved the son of God for over two thousand years.
But now he decides that enough is enough, and he’s tired of watching Jesus die far too early, and for what? This time Judas is determined to see that Jesus lives a long and happy life, no matter what price he has to pay to accomplish it…no matter if he has to make a deal with the devil himself.
Revelations is a story of what could be, told by those who play it out, time after time after time, unbeknownst to the rest of mankind. They’ve come back again, for yet another round. But this time is going to be different.
Excerpt:
Prologue: God
It’s not always easy to sit on the sidelines and watch what is happening, to resist the urge to intervene in his best interest. My son’s that is. Jesus. But I do so, because I know it’s for his own good. As well as for the good of mankind. I can’t let my concerns as his father override my vested interest in the fate of man. But sometimes that is easier said than done.
This morning I am not alone. Someone else is with me, someone with his own agenda, although we are not as diametrically opposed as some would imagine us to be. Good and evil aren’t the simplistic concepts some would portray them as being—there are more grey areas there than you might think. And rightly so.
He smirks. Too much for my taste, I have to admit, but sometimes he does have his moments, and he too has a part to play in what is happening in the world of men. Someone needs to fill the role of the villain, after all.
The stage is being set for the third act, the scripts have been handed round, and the actors are taking their places. Will this time end any differently than the others? That depends on my son, on Jesus. I’m thinking this will be the time when he’ll make the change.
“He’ll change nothing,” Lucifer interjects, although I’ve asked him nothing, certainly not inquired as to his opinion.
I glance at him. He’s dressed to within an inch of his life, and wears the most ridiculous sunglasses I’ve ever seen. I decide not to comment on his fashion sense. “I think he might, this time. I think he’s ready for change.”
Lucifer snorts. “It’s been two thousand years, and neither one has exactly caught on yet. Why should this time be any different?”
“Care to put your money where your mouth is?”
He eyes me carefully. “I would, but you see you have this whole mystic omnipotent God thing going on. Personally, I don’t care for those odds.”
I arch an eyebrow. “I may be omnipotent, but Jesus does have free will and he does possess the ability to make his own decisions. You think I’d stack the deck in my son’s favor? Just to win a bet with you?”
“Let’s say I’m taking no chances.” He smiles. “Tell you what, though—give me free rein. Let me do what I want, and you not say anything or do anything to interfere with me? As far as they’re concerned, that is.”
I open my mouth to object, he hastily interjects. “No killing, I swear to it.”
That’s better. I still have some measure of control over the serpent.
“So be it.” I agree, turning my attention back to where it had been, to my son. I’m smirking now. Openly.
O ye of little faith, watch and learn.
Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she’d never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another’s arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn’t mind. Marching to the beat of one’s own drummer is a good thing, after all. Her published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, MuseitUp Publishing, and No Boundaries Press and she has also begun to self-publish at various places on the Internet.
My Links:
My blog: http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com
My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527332074
My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3442231.Julie_Lynn_Hayes
My Publishers:
Museit Up Publishing: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_222
December 7, 2012
An Amazing Ten Months
Every author has their own story about how they got started writing. For me it was a name–Cristian Flesh. Today,new author, and a good friend of mine, K.C. Wells, talks about how it started ten months ago.
Ten months that have changed…everything.
Okay, where to start? Well, I suppose, first of all, my choice of title is slightly inaccurate, because things got going way before February 2012. About three years ago, I discovered m/m romance – quite by accident, as it turned out. I was reading an erotic romance about a woman who had a couple of lodgers. One night she comes home to find them in her bed…having sex. Turns out they’re both bi…and off it went! As books go, it was okay… what I couldn’t have predicted was my reaction to the scenes between the boys. I totally loved them. It was fascinating…and soooo hot. So hot, in fact, that I wanted more. I started reading books by Samantha Kane, which were all ménage titles, until finally I took the plunge and bought my first male/male title, Bareback, by 
Chris Owen – and could not put it down. Then came Sean Michael….then GA Hauser…. Yep, I was hooked.
So how did I move from voracious reader of m/m books (and I DO mean voracious!) to writing them for myself?
My dad wrote a book. Sort of a paranormal fantasy, which definitely erred on the risqué side. I watched him as he received rejection after rejection, until finally he self-published. I’d always thought about writing a book, because I loved reading. When I was in my late teens, I used to go to the library and take out eight books at a time…then my little brother let me use his ticket, so that doubled…Yeah, I devoured books. I toyed with a few ideas, but you know what happens…Life gets in the way. I became a teacher, and all thoughts of writing went out the window. Until February of this year.
I’m not going to go into details of what happened to bring me to what was the lowest point in my life. Let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty. I was so stressed out, I’d started to lose my hair, and when half of it had gone, I knew I had to do something. (By the way, it’s growing back, in case you’re interested…) I’ve always been a creative person. I play the clarinet, I sew, I’ve drawn since I can’t remember and I paint. But I hadn’t painted since 2002. There you go, life getting in the way again. And I knew I had to do something positive.
I’d had this idea for a story floating around in my head for about a year. A story about students sharing a house in their first year at University…and two of them falling in love. I hadn’t done anything much with it, just kicked it about a bit. I’d been onto the Submissions page of a couple of publishing companies, but I kept coming back to Dreamspinner. So, I’m sat in a classroom, while my exam class did a one hour exam. There was some paper on the desk. Now, don’t ask me why, ‘cause I have no idea, but I suddenly decided to jot down the outline of my story. I knew from Dreamspinner’s site that 60,000+ words was a novel, and up to that was a novella. I wrote down the bare bones of about thirteen chapters… wow! I could write a novella! I certainly didn’t have enough for a novel…. Yeah, I’m laughing as I type this. Little did I know…
So, I’m driving home – and I was excited. I mean, really buzzing with it. And all of a sudden, I knew exactly how I wanted the first chapter to start. I could hear the words in my head. I got into the house, fired up the laptop…and started writing. It just flowed out. I couldn’t stop it. I wrote continuously until the husband came home. And I didn’t tell him what I’d been doing. I now realize why. If I had, there’s a good chance he would have done his level best to talk me out of it. Let’s just say, he didn’t exactly approve of my recent reading material… Sore point. Let’s move on.
I kept writing. And writing. And writing. Every day I came home and wrote some more. I just couldn’t stop this story from pouring out of me. And then I realized three very important things. One… thirteen chapters was not going to be enough. Not by a long shot. And two? This was going to be the first of a series, because by now Michael and Sean were all loved up, and Evan was watching them, desperate for his own Prince Charming…and I wanted him to have that, too. The title of the series, Learning to Love, came in a flash, along with the knowledge that there were four of these books in me. Three? I loved writing sex scenes. Okay, so they were the most difficult, because they had to be perfect, but yeah, I loved them. The hotter, the better.
It shocks me to realize that I wrote the whole thing in less than five weeks.
I quickly got into a pattern. I’d write one night, and the next time I came to write, I’d hone the last part until I was happy with it, before continuing. It meant that when I finally arrived at the end and did a final read-through, there was very little that I wanted to change. And before I could change my mind, I wrote up a complete story summary and emailed all of it to Dreamspinner. This was the last day of March, 2012. And then I finally told someone – my dad and step-mother.
Dad’s reaction blew me away. He was definitely suffering from what he called Very Proud Father syndrome. He gave me a warning not to expect too much and asked if I had some other publishers in mind. Oh yes, I had a list of about three others – but Dreamspinner was always going to be my first choice. I knew about expecting rejection letters – or in my case, emails – and yes, I was prepared for that… but a small part of me was hoping, Please, say yes!!! I knew I had to wait six-eight weeks until I heard anything, so what did I do? I started the second book, of course!
Dad wanted to read the book. Oh hell…. I know I have probably the most liberal-minded father in the known universe, but I didn’t know how he’d react to reading scenes where guys have sex. And there were a few…. He reassured me he could cope, so I duly emailed it to him. His reply came three days later. He said he was going to assume that I knew my genre, he wasn’t going to comment on the content, and he gave me lots of technical advice. Wow….. I have the best dad….
It was now the end of May. I was more than three quarters through Evan and Daniel’s story, and my step-mother had done lots of research for me into two of the main points of the book. And then it happened. Monday morning: getting ready to go to school, I thought I’d check my emails – well, it had been seven weeks – and I nearly fainted on the spot. There were two emails waiting for me. One from Elizabeth North, CEO at Dreamspinner, telling me they wanted to publish the book…and the second was a contract.
Oh…..My……God….
And that was the start.
So where am I now, ten months after I first started writing?
Yes, the husband does now know that I write – I told him the day the contract arrived. It hasn’t been an easy ride, but we’re getting there. Having the book released last month was probably a turning point. We’re never going to agree on the subject matter, but there’s a sort of truce. Dreamspinner are publishing books two and three of the series, and I’ve just written and submitted my first BDSM novel. I discovered Facebook – and along with it, a whole host of new, supportive friends. And it wasn’t until book three that I got up the nerve to let someone else read my stuff – and that was Ethan Stone, to whom I owe a big debt of thanks. Ethan boosted my confidence just at the right time – especially when he read my first sex scene – but we’re not going to talk about that, are we, sweetie??
So, yes, I never thought ten months ago that I’d be where I am right now. And it’s not over yet…
But so far? I’m loving the ride…
Visit K.C.’s website here. You can find her on Facebook here. Buy her new book here or here.
December 2, 2012
Subject 13
Subject 13 received a Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention. Thanks to the wonderful Elisa and the judges.
November 26, 2012
Find out more about me…
Check out the awesome little interview of me at Rom Fan Reviews.
November 23, 2012
October 12, 2012
Boxer Falls…I don’t wear boxers
This week’s episode of the awesome gaytime drama Boxer Falls is written by me. I’ve been a major fan of soap operas since I was a wee little boy. I’ve watched all the soaps that have been on in my lifetime so I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. I love the drama and angst of soaps and miss my shows dearly. All of the soaps I really loved are no longer on the air. Be sure to check out the latest episode. Be warned…there is a desire for cheese!
