V.L. Locey's Blog, page 30

Fandom Friday - Sherlock VS Sherlock

To celebrate a new series of "Sherlock" coming on New Years Day *breaks into fan girl dance* I thought we could have a wee little debate on who plays this iconic character better:

Robert Downey Jr.  (Love him to bits)
or 
Benedict Cumberbatch (Love him to bits as well)

I'm honestly torn on this one. I adore both versions so I'll just sit here on the fence while everyone else battles it out.




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If you're interested, here are the links to my fan fiction blog and AO3 page:

Fireflies and Fandoms

AO3 Page

Tuesday Tales - Snow

It`s time for Tuesday Tales.


 Welcome back! This week we have the final excerpt from my novel, Breakout, which is book #2 in my upcoming Brighton Wood Blades M/M hockey series. I’ll be wrapping this book up within few days and will be starting something new for 2017! This book introduces us to Todd Oleksuk, a defenseman on the Blades who is still deeply closeted, and Lee Odette, a drag queen who will capture and free the heart of Mr. Oleksuk.
Our snippet today is taken from near the end of the book and is one of Lee’s favorite chapters.Since this is an M/M romance, so may be some same-sex frolicking taking place as well as mature language. If that offends, now is the time to skedaddle along to another Tuesday Tales offering. Our word prompt for this week is “Snow”.


“Explain this tradition to me again.”            I looked up from the box of dyed eggs on Mah-Mac’s big kitchen table. “You are such a Yankee,” I sighed playfully. Todd chuckled. Guess he’d gotten used to hearing that over the past week. A warm, moist air blew through the old house. I breathed deep, sucking as much bayou into my lungs as I possibly could. The past five days had been magical, truly. I am not just being dramatic. Riding down south with Todd in his big rig to visit my Mah-Mac over Easter had been his idea. One that I leaped on like a hungry old tom cat would jump on a canary with a broken wing.             “I warned you about falling in love with them Northern boys,” Mah-Mac commented from over at the stove.             “We boil and color them too,” Todd interjected as the aromas of Easter dinner cooking vied with the sweet smell of Louisiana wafting in the windows. “We just don’t pock them.”            I poured the man a little more sweet tea as he removed and examined one of two dozen hard-boiled and flamboyantly colored eggs. The wind blew around us, lifting the sheers on the windows. I was in my glory. It was close to eighty degrees here at Mah-Mac’s home. When we had left Pennsylvania a week ago, it had been forty-six degrees. There was still snow on the ground at Todd’s little cabin. Snow. On Easter. How does one hide eggs in snow banks? Thank you but I’ll spend my Easter in shorts and a cute crop top. You can call me a sissy Southern boy all you want. Sticks and stones, honey.             “You want to watch Lee,” Mah-Mac announced after waddling over to supervise the pocking. “He’s been known to use duck eggs instead of chicken eggs.”            “That is an untruth!” I waved my purple egg at the dear old soul. “Can I help it if your eggs are weak? No, I cannot. I insist this impugning of my egg pocking skills stops this instant.”            Mah-Mac stood behind Todd, her age-spotted hands resting on his wide shoulders. She liked him. I could tell.



Copyright 2016 ©by V.L. Locey
*~*~*
Click on the link below to return to the Tuesday Tales main blog for more great reads from the Tuesday Tales authors.
Tuesday Tales

Silent Sunday

*Happy Holidays*

Fandom Friday - The Perfect Gift - A Torchwood Holiday Short

Here's a romantic little gift for my fandom friends who love Jack and Ianto as much as I do. 
This is an M/M story with some same sex elements. If that offends now would be the time to leave. 
*~~*


The Perfect GiftA Janto Holiday One ShotJack
(Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.)
There I stood, in the middle of a packed department store, bells jingling and children screaming, watching the poor rubes scurrying around in search of last minute gifts. Was I feeling a little smug? A touch superior? Why yes, yes I was. 
Being the smart lad that I am, I had taken it upon myself during my last trip with The Doctor to purchase Ianto’s gift months before the maddening crush. He was going to love it and he would lose the small wager we had made about who could find the perfect gift for the other. Let’s face it, I am impossible to buy for. I know it, he knows it, the rest of the team knows it. What do you buy for the man who lives forever? Which is why I ended up with three bottles of cologne from Gwen, Owen, and Tosh that I’ll never use. As if anything synthetic can match my fifty-first century pheromones?
Yep, I was going to win this bet with my man Friday.  I planned to reap the sexual benefits of the bet all night and probably over Christmas day as well. Ho-ho-ho. God, I was clever! Okay, technically using the TARDIS to travel back in time to get the perfect gift for your factotum/lover might not be following the rules, but I’m a rulebreaker. Ask anyone. They can tell you that Jack Harkness shuns the rules. Hell, he does more than shun, he flagrantly flaunts. Ianto had never said I couldn’t go back in time, he only said it had to be a heartfelt and thought-out gift. Something the other would love and use frequently.
I left the bedlam behind, strolling through Cardiff, hands clasped behind my back, pleased as punch to be heading to Ianto’s flat for Christmas eve. Fingers crossed no alien spacecraft chose the next two days to crash into Big Ben or plunge into Cardiff Bay. Even Torchwood deserves a day off from time to time. We hardly ever get them but we still deserve them.
I jogged up the stairs of his tidy little building and let myself in. The door was unlocked. I do not have a key. That’s a whole separate tussle that neither Ianto or I am ready to wrestle with yet. We’re barely able to say that we’re an item let alone have our mailing addresses be the same.
“Ianto?”  I called, the soft sounds of Bing Crosby’s Christmas album playing on the stereo in the bedroom. I removed my coat and dropped it on the sofa then followed the smells of food into the kitchen. The tree winked and blinked at me as I passed it. I reached out to flick a small glass ball on a delicate bough. I peeked around the door frame. Seeing him moving around in his trousers and dress shirt sans tie and jacket was quite pleasurable.
“Jack, you’re early,” he said as he stirred cocktail sauce for the shrimp. I padded over, stuck my finger into the red sauce, and then licked it clean.
“Needs more horseradish.”
“Then give it a squirt.” He shoved the bottle of horseradish into my chest. I grabbed a quick kiss then let him slip past to attend to the platter of cheese and crackers.
“Tell me again why we’re doing all of this food when it’s just you and me.” I shook the plastic bottle, flipped the cap, and gave it a squeeze.
“Jack, you don’t have to squeeze it like it owes you money,” Ianto chuckled while slicing strong cheddar and placing it onto a platter decorated with little painted holly leaves. “We’re doing this because it’s Christmas eve and it’s what people who are in a situation like we are do.”
“You mean people who work together and fuck?” I stirred the huge glob of creamy horseradish around, my gaze darting to Ianto.
“Yes, exactly, people who work together and fuck.” He gave the ceiling a fast peek. That look always made me chortle just a bit. “Are you sure you want to exchange gifts tonight?”
“Definitely. I’m excited to give you yours and win the bet. I’ve been fantasizing about bending you over the couch and making love to you while we watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”.”
He looked appalled. That also gave me all kinds of pleasure. “That’s close to sacrilegious. How can you be humping away while an angel gets it wings?”
“It’s easy. I’ll show you in about…” I glanced at clock on the wall, “… ten minutes.” Then I gave him a randy wink and carried the shrimp and sauce out into the living room. After a moment, he followed, plate piled high with wheat crackers and cheese in hand. I motioned him to take a seat. He did and I went to my coat. From the inside pocket, I pulled out the rectangular package and presented it to him.
“It feels like a book.” He ran his fingers over the thick gold paper then played with the blue bow that held the wrap tightly to the tome. I sat down beside him, lounged back into the sofa, and crossed one leg over the other. “Is it a book?”
“Why don’t you open it and find out?”
His eyes, blue as the skies over Cardiff on a sunny day, brightened a bit as a smile pulled at the corners of his sensual mouth. He tugged on the ribbon. It fell off, puddling on his thighs in a cloud of soft curls. His gaze touched mine then returned to the paper. He carefully pushed the flaps open, taking care to lift the book up and gently turn it over.
“It’s a collection of Tennyson’s poems,” he whispered as if speaking the name would invoke the man's ghost.
“Open it,” I prompted. He gave me a long look and then tenderly lifted the front cover. “Dear Lord.” His fingers reverently ran over the signature on the inside of the book. “Is this really his autograph? But how? It’s addressed to me.”
He looked right at me, his clever mind whirling I could tell. “Do you like it?”
“Yes, of course. But Jack, how in the world…”
“You know that saying about gift horses? Same goes for gift captains. Read me something out of it.” He leaned over, pressed his mouth to mine and kissed me deeply. I so wanted to fling him to his back and gather my prize, but he still had to give me my gift. So, I thumbed his bottom lip tenderly and then nodded at the book in his hand.
He cleared his throat and began to read.
“I come from haunts of coot and hern, I make a sudden sally And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down a valley…”
When he was done with “The Brook” he closed the book, inhaled deeply, and then looked right into my soul.
“There is nothing that I could ever purchase that could match this gift. You’ve won.”
I sat up. “Why don’t you give me your gift and then we’ll decide who the winner is.”
He pushed to his feet, cradling the collection of Tennyson poems like a newborn, and headed off to the bedroom we shared. When I was here. Which was nearly all the time. What did that say about this plan to stay aloof, Jack Harkness? I got up and walked over to the tree. The smell of pine was fading but it still looked fine, the boughs dark green and the needles soft. I captured a few of those needles between my fingers, my attention on the softly winking lights. When was the last time I had a place that felt like a home? A real home? Not a bed in the Hub, but a flat with four walls and artwork, neighbors, bills, and carpet to be vacuumed. I couldn’t recall. It felt like centuries. Probably it was.
And in all that time I had never really realized how important it might be to have a place with a tree in the corner and a man who made shrimp cocktail because it was what people who were in a situation like we are do. To have gifts to buy, friends to send cards to, and fudge to make because it was what people in a situation like we are do. To have Bing Crosby playing in the background and crackers and cheese on the coffee table because it was what people who were in a situation like we are do.
“Here, it’s not much. Nothing like the gift you gave me.” He held out a small present, the size of a coaster for the coffee table. I turned from the tree, and my reflections, and lifted the lid of the silver box. Inside, nestled among soft red material, sat a wristwatch. My sight lifted to his. “It’s engraved.”
The watch was a good one, solid and weighty. “You know every time I wear this, I’ll think of you.”
“That was my plan,” he said and that shy, sexy smile of his appeared. I flipped the watch over and tried reading the inscription. “It’s Welsh,” he explained as I tried to untangle the confusing letters. “When you learn to speak the language then you’ll know what it means.”
“Tease.” I held the watch up so it caught the lights on the tree. “It’s perfect, really.” I fastened it around my right wrist, the weight settling nicely against my skin. “So, I guess we have a tie. What do we do about that?”
“Well, we could take half of my wager and half of yours. We could dance for a bit and then get busy in front of the telly.”
“Or, we could dance for a bit and then go to bed so I can make love to you properly.” I opened my hand and extended it. He placed his palm over mine.
“That does sound like a much better compromise.” He stepped close, his left hand settling on my hip. I captured his mouth, kissed him passionately, then spun him gently away from the tree. We danced to Bing singing “Mele Kalikimaka” and a slew of others until the need to be one was too strong to deny any longer. Afterward, I held him while he slept. Staring at the ceiling, I wondered if he knew that while I treasured the watch, the best present that he could have gotten me he had already unknowingly given me.
Home.
Friends.
Love.


(Acknowledgements to “The Brook” by Lord Alfred Tennyson)

The End
Happy Holidays!
*~~*
If you're interested, here are the links to my fan fiction blog and AO3 page:

Fireflies and Fandoms

AO3 Page

Angle Play Venom #4 Cover Reveal

Strong women and the men who love them.
The Venom Series






That's the tagline for the women on my professional hockey team and it fits them to a T!

On January 18th we'll get another book in my M/F Venom erotic hockey romance series, the fourth, which will be Angle Play. And as always, it's filled with social issues, personal growth, team dynamics, and plenty of lusty love!

The sexy, stunning cover is above and below you'll find the blurb, Goodreads, and a couple pre-order links. More sites should be coming along shortly. Thanks as always to Amber at Reverie Designs for another amazing cover! I simply adore it. Thank you for all your support.




Buy Links:Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/zemkba8Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/690786

Goodreads Link-- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33526884-angle-play

Blurb:

Born and raised in a small town outside Pittsburgh, Stephanie Huschuk has had to battle for everything she’s achieved in life. Now she’s vying for the spot of starting goalie on the Philadelphia Venom and there’s only one thing that might hold her back: her feelings for Professor Greg Blue Blanket. Greg is considerably older than she is and recently divorced.

As if those two things weren’t reason enough for Stephanie to keep her distance, he’s also the twin brother of her goalie coach, Alice Dunlop. But the heart wants what the heart wants and soon Stephanie is facing not only the ire of one of her coaches, but she’s going to have to make one of the most difficult decisions a woman can make.

Will the stresses of family, life, and hockey rip them apart, or will love be enough to keep this couple together?

Warning-This novel contains controversial subject matter.

Tuesday Tales - Picture Prompt

Hello! It`s time for Tuesday Tales.


Welcome back! This week we have another excerpt from my NaNoWriMo novel, Breakout, which is book #2 in my upcoming Brighton Wood Blades M/M hockey series. This book introduces us to Todd Oleksuk, a defenseman on the Blades who is still deeply closeted, and Lee Odette, a drag queen who will capture and free the heart of Mr. Oleksuk.
Our snippet today is a little bit of dialog between Todd and his mother. To say things are strained with him and his parents would be putting it mildly.It`s our picture prompt week and the excerpt must reflect the image and be under 300 words.  Don`t forget to visit the other talented Tuesday Tales authors. Thanks for stopping by!


As I was washing up my phone started ringing. I peeked into the bedroom. Lee looked to be asleep so I grabbed my jeans off the floor, tugged them over my bare ass, and ran to get the phone before it woke up my beau. Beau. The word was growing on me.           “Hello,” I panted, trying to balance the phone to my ear while zipping my fly.           “Hello honey.” I paused in mid-zip at the sound of my mother’s voice. “Are you free to talk? Or do you have a guest?”          I wasn’t sure how to reply because I wasn’t sure what she meant. Then it came to me. Lee. Lee was the “guest” that she was referring to. My defenses instantly went up.           “Does dad know that you’re speaking to me?” I tore open the fridge then glared at the contents.           “Well, no, but I’m sure he’d be wanting me to talk to you.”           I pulled out a bottle of orange juice then kicked the door shut with my bare foot. The floor was icy cold on my soles.           “I doubt he wants you talking to me.” She exhaled dramatically. “You do know that I have a boyfriend?”          I dumped some juice into a glass, tipped it up, and downed it while she tried to think of how to reply.           “Your father said that you’d been experimenting.”          That made me smile. It was a bitter smile but a smile just the same. “Mom, I’m not experimenting. I’ve always been gay I just hid it really well.”          “But you have a wife and children.”          “Had a wife. We broke up because there was no sexual attraction on my part. I like men. I always have.” I dragged a hand over my mouth. My mother grew silent. 





Copyright 2016 ©by V.L. Locey
*~*~*
Click on the link below to return to the Tuesday Tales main blog for more great reads from the Tuesday Tales authors.
Tuesday Tales
See you next week!

Silent Sunday

*Visitors*

Authorly News - Change on the Wind

This past year has been a crazy one. Filled with ups and downs, great moments and not-so-great ones. It was with a heavy heart that I just signed the rights revision letter with Torquere Press. I'm sure many of you have heard that they're folding. Another small press gone. That saddens me terribly. I will always have fond memories of my experience with Torquere. They gave me a chance with my first M/M hockey romance and for that alone I owe them much. I also made some wonderful friends from my time there.
So, I now am looking at about sixteen books coming back to me. Yeah, it's a little overwhelming to say the least. I'm going to work on getting the books from Ellora's Cave - who is also folding and returning rights - up first. I have a new series coming out for the Cayuga Cougars that I'd been sitting on. Now that I own Victor and Dan, I can start putting up more stories about the boys from Cayuga!
Once I get the EC books settled and up then I'll focus on the books from Torquere. I promise those who are fans of my M/M Lake Erie shifter books that I'll for sure be working on getting those back up. It will take time. All the books will need new cover art, ISBNs, and editing, which is costly. I won't get into the money side of all of this but suffice it to say that there has been little royalty money paid out from either house.
Bare with me gang. I'll do my best to get my books back up for you. Until then, I ask that you do not purchase any of my works through Ellora's Cave or Torquere Press. Hold onto your cash for just a little while. Next year is going to be BIG for the Cougar's as well as my other M/M hockey romances. Look for some box sets filled with man-on-man hockey goodness coming in 2017! And my shifter fans, I will not forget you. You have my word on that. Thank you all for your support and love. 

Fandom Friday - Christmas with Jean-Luc & The Gang

There are some holiday space goodies that are just too good not to share. We'll put aside the debate over which Enterprise captain was the best for another week. Today, let's just sit back as Trekkies and enjoy the following video.







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If you're interested, here's the links to my fan fiction blog and AO3 page:

Fireflies and Fandoms

AO3 Page

Tuesday Tales - Bar

It`s time for Tuesday Tales.


 Welcome back! This week we have another excerpt from my novel, Breakout, which is book #2 in my upcoming Brighton Wood Blades M/M hockey series. This book introduces us to Todd Oleksuk, a defenseman on the Blades who is still deeply closeted, and Lee Odette, a drag queen who will capture and free the heart of Mr. Oleksuk.
Our snippet today takes us back to Todd’s point of view. Todd has just come out of the dressing room after a game. This has been Lee's first hockey game and he's now meeting Todd’s sons and ex-wife for the first time.
Since this is an M/M romance, so may be some same-sex frolicking taking place as well as mature language. If that offends, now is the time to skedaddle along to another Tuesday Tales offering. Our word prompt for this week is “Bar”.



Lee was rolling along, his fingers tight around my wrist, his goal now in sight. I peeked around Lee. Mary and the boys were talking to someone selling 50-50 chances for the local animal shelter. When my ex spotted us, her eyes rounded and her mouth fell open just a bit. “Dad!” the boys shouted and took a few steps then stalled. Lee and I skidded to a halt beside my sons, his grip on my wrist still very evident. “Hey guys, Mary.” I smiled at my sons and then at my ex. She was staring up at Lee in something that looked like amazement. “This is my friend, Lee. Lee, my ex-wife Mary and my sons Arin and Daniel.”“Oh, my God, I am so happy to meet you!” Mary said. Lee, being Lee, wrapped my ex-wife in a big hug and bounced them both up and down a few times. Mary hugged him tightly. I stood there, hands on my son’s shoulders, absolutely stunned. “You are just too adorable!” Lee exclaimed after the hug ended. “I love that hat. I have one just like it only in lilac.” Mary held onto Lee, her arm around his waist, but her attention solely on me. “Todd, your friend is so handsome.” Lee pish-poshed the woman leaning into his side as if they were old friend. “Boys, this is Lee. He and your dad are friends.”“Hey,” Arin muttered. Danny just gawked at the tall man giggling with his mother. They had no clue what to make of Lee. I ruffled their dark heads, and asked if they wanted something to eat. They nodded, of course. “Let me take them!” Lee offered, wiggling away from Mary. “I brought all kinds of pin money to spend on my beau’s boys.”The boys looked up at me. Truthfully, I didn’t know whether to shit or wind my watch as the saying goes. Mary, always the gracious one, spoke up to break the awkward moment. “That would be wonderful. Boys, you can go with Lee to the snack bar and then come back to our seats,” she said, smiling affectionately at the boys then up at Lee. “Oh, this is going to be fun. I want to buy one of those flags with the chicken on it and maybe a foam finger. I hear that foam fingers are the way a true fan is distinguished from the lower classes of fans. Your daddy tells me that you boys are quite the hockey players. I once played softball for an inning. That was the extent of my athletic endeavors although I did win a game of checkers once.”Lee led them off, his hands on their backs, chattering away like a magpie until the threesome rounded a corner and disappeared. My ex-wife tugged on my arm, hard. I pulled my worried sight from where I had lost sight of the boys. Mary was grinning like a jack-o-lantern. “He is precious,” she said and then decided to hug me and bounce up and down as she did with Lee.


Copyright 2016 ©by V.L. Locey
*~*~*
Click on the link below to return to the Tuesday Tales main blog for more great reads from the Tuesday Tales authors.
Tuesday Tales