Rick R. Reed's Blog, page 59

THIRD EYE is an EPIC eBook Award Finalist!

I'm pleased to announce that my suspense novel, Third Eye  is a finalist for an EPIC eBook Award in the supsense/thriller category!
Third Eye means a lot to me not only because it's the kind of book that's scary, suspenseful, and hard-to-put-down (I don't write otherwise...boring is one of the worst sins a book can commit), but also because at its heart, it's a book about the unique bond parents have with their children. It's dedicated to the memory of my own mom and I like to think my main, character, Cayce, has the same parental qualities and capacity for love that my mother did.  

BLURB
Who knew that a summer thunderstorm and his lost little boy would conspire to change single dad Cayce D’Amico’s life in an instant? With Luke missing, Cayce ventures into the woods near their house to find his son, only to have lightning strike a tree near him, sending a branch down on his head. When he awakens the next day in the hospital, he discovers he has been blessed or cursed—he isn't sure which—with psychic ability. Along with unfathomable glimpses into the lives of those around him, he’s getting visions of a missing teenage girl.

When a second girl disappears soon after the first, Cayce realizes his visions are leading him to their grisly fates. Cayce wants to help, but no one believes him. The police are suspicious. The press wants to exploit him. And the girls' parents have mixed feelings about the young man with the "third eye."

Cayce turns to local reporter Dave Newton and, while searching for clues to the string of disappearances and possible murders, a spark ignites between the two. Little do they know that nearby, another couple—dark and murderous—are plotting more crimes and wondering how to silence the man who knows too much about them.

"A riveting, nail-biting, thought-provoking, frightening thriller, this story is much more than an M/M romance--it's a brilliant tale worthy of recognition on the New York Times Bestsellers List...Don't miss the chance to read this book."
--Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Reviews, December 2014 

BUY
Amazon
DSP Publications

Inspiration: THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR

The question I get asked most often is: where do your ideas come from. Here's the answer to that for my latest, the romantic suspense novel, The Couple Next Door .

The idea came from the opening pages, which takes the reader from what seems like the beginning of a light romantic comedy, wherein our hero, Jeremy comes back to his Seattle apartment building from yet another disappointing date. Then that whole light romantic comedy thing is upended on its head by this scene:

I open the front door, and that’s when everything changes. My life turns upside down. I go from bored discontent to panic in a split second.

The first thing I hear is someone shouting “No!” in an anguished voice. I look up from the lobby to see two figures on the staircase above, on the second-floor landing. One is a guy who looks menacing and so butch he could pose for a Tom of Finland poster. An aura of danger radiates from him. Aside from his imposing and muscular frame, he’s even wearing the right clothes—tight, rolled jeans and a black leather biker jacket with a chain snaking out from beneath one of the epaulets. His high and tight buzzed hair gives him a military—and mean—air. He has his hands on the shoulders of a guy who looks a bit younger and much slighter, making me want to call up the stairs, “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” The smaller guy, blond and clad only in a pair of pajama bottoms, struggles with his attacker, looking terrified. Their movements, clumsy and rough, would be comical if they weren’t so scary. The smaller guy is panting and batting ineffectually at the bigger one.

“Please! No! Don’t!” the smaller guy manages to get out, his voice close to hysteria.

I have never seen either of these men before. In fact, the whole scene has the quality of the surreal, a dream. The danger and conflict pulsing down the stairs makes my own heart rate and respiration accelerate, causing feelings of panic to rise within me.

And then the worst happens. The big butch guy shoves the smaller one hard, and all at once he’s tumbling heavily down the stairs toward me.

The fall is graceless, and it looks like it hurts. It’s over so fast that I’m left gasping.

I look up to see the leather-jacket guy sneer down at his mate, lying crumpled and crying at my feet, and then turn sharply on his heel to go back into a second-floor apartment that had been vacant yesterday. He slams the door. The sound of the deadbolt sliding into place is like the report of a shotgun. Both slam and lock resound like thunderclaps, echoing in the tile lobby, punctuation to the drama and trauma of this short scene.

I switch into Good Samaritan mode and drop to my knees at the sniveling, crumpled mess of a man lying practically at my feet.

I had that scene in mind before I even began writing. I asked myself: who are these people? What’s going on here? It really made me want to move forward, to figure out these characters and what would become of their very intertwined, complex—and dangerous—relationships.

I hope I have that same effect on you and that you'll be compelled to keep turning those pages to see what happens next. I guarantee what happens next, in this book, is NOT what you expect!

BLURB
With the couple next door, nothing is as it seems.

Jeremy Booth leads a simple life, scraping by in the gay neighborhood of Seattle, never letting his lack of material things get him down. But the one thing he really wants—someone to love—seems elusive. Until the couple next door moves in and Jeremy sees the man of his dreams, Shane McCallister, pushed down the stairs by a brute named Cole.

Jeremy would never go after another man’s boyfriend, so he reaches out to Shane in friendship while suppressing his feelings of attraction. But the feeling of something being off only begins with Cole being a hard-fisted bully—it ends with him seeming to be different people at different times. Some days, Cole is the mild-mannered John and then, one night in a bar, he’s the sassy and vivacious drag queen Vera.

So how can Jeremy rescue the man of his dreams from a situation that seems to get crazier and more dangerous by the day? By getting close to the couple next door, Jeremy not only puts a potential love in jeopardy, but eventually his very life.

BUY
Dreamspinner Press ebook
Dreamspinner Press paperback
Amazon Kindle
Amazon paperback
AllRomance eBooks

Happy New Year!

So, as the year comes to a close, I'm reflecting on mistakes. I don't want to avoid mistakes, past and future. I want to be grateful for them.

One mistake I'm sure I'm not making is wishing all of you a blessed and wonderful New Year. I hope it's filled with much joy, robust health, and love.

Now, I'll allow one of my favorite writers, Mr. Neil Gaiman, to explain why I'm so in favor of mistakes:

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.” ― Neil Gaiman

Good Karma, Good Books: Blood and Dirt by Lloyd Meeker

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (zoot suits, feathered hats, platform shoes, and the like) and introduce you to something new and wonderful in the literary world. This week, I’m excited to shine a spotlight on Blood and Dirt by Lloyd Meeker. 

AUTHOR COMMENT

"This story is unusual for me because it's topical (legal marijuana cultivation) and I don't usually write stories featuring current social issues. But more unusual is the origin of the story itself, in that I never expected to write it. Usually my story ideas gestate in a dim corner of my psyche for at least a year or two before I start writing, but not Blood and Dirt. 

"I wrote Enigma, the first Russ Morgan story, back in 2012 as a submission to an anthology, thinking of it as a one-off about 90's music and a sober and psychic PI. It didn't make the anthology, but Wilde City Press picked it up. Readers seemed to like Russ a lot (and Colin, too, of course!) so I took a more careful look at them and found I was also a fan. For the first time ever I contemplated writing a series, just for them. I started making notes right away, and now I envision at least four or five books. In our LGBTQ literature there aren't a whole lot of stories -- let alone series -- featuring a gay man in his fifties. That has made Russ special to me, too.."

GIVEAWAY
To win ecopies of Blood and Dirt and Enigma , simply comment below with a contact e-mail. Winner will be announced next Wednesday. 

BLURB
Family squabbles can be murder. Psychic PI Russ Morgan investigates a vandalized marijuana grow in Mesa County Colorado, landing in the middle of a ferocious family feud that’s escalating in a hurry. Five siblings fight over the family ranch as it staggers on the brink of bankruptcy, marijuana its only salvation. Not everyone agrees, but only one of them is willing to kill to make a point. 
Russ also has a personal puzzle to solve as he questions his deepening relationship with Colin Stewart, a man half his age. His rational mind says being with Colin is the fast track to heartbreak, but it feels grounding, sane, and good. Now, that’s really dangerous....
BUY
eBook
Paperback
Amazon

AUTHOR BIO
Amongst other things, Meeker has been a minister, a pilot, an orchestra conductor, a janitor, a drinker, a software developer and a cancer survivor on his way to becoming a writer. He's a psychic empath still learning how to live in the world just the way it is. The thing is, the world is so much more than what seems generally accepted. That's his challenge.
He and his husband Bob have been together thirteen years, and married since 2007. Between them they have four children and four grandchildren, are based in south Florida, and work hard to keep up with the astonishing life they've created for themselves.
Social Media links:www.lloydmeeker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lloyd.a.meekerhttps://twitter.com/LloydAMeeker 
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/MBe1gp

A Rave Review of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR from The Novel Approach

It's a given that authors are going to be happy when they get a good review on their work. But it means even more when the review is smart, incisive, and doesn't give away the whole plot of the book. Lisa at The Novel Approach recently gave a huge thumbs up to my romantic suspense novel, The Couple Next Door , and I'm not only grateful for the praise, but for the discretion in holding back on revealing the book's two major twists.

In part, Lisa at The Novel Approach said:

Written in the present tense, the narrative is delivered in a real-time way that places the reader directly into every scene along with the characters. The rising action finally culminates in a tension-filled, make-or-break, do-or-die moment that kept me turning pages to the very end, an end that offers a lovely payoff for all the anxiety inducing moments along the way. The Couple Next Door is a great read when you’re looking for a good old fashioned nail biter.

Read the rest of the review here.

BUY
Amazon ebook (Kindle)
Amazon paperback
Dreamspinner Press paperback
Dreamspinner Press ebook

A Christmas Memory circa 1962

Happy holidays to one and all! And Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

I wanted to share with you this photo of myself (I'm the little cowboy with the BIG ears) and my Mom, Dad, and big sis Susan that was taken I'm thinking around 1962. I would have been four and I think that looks about right. It's a bittersweet memory--those Christmas mornings speak of so much joy, yet both my parents are now gone. Someone on Facebook pointed out to me how everyone was looking at and smiling at the camera, except for my mom, who was looking at me. I'd never noticed and it was such a touching observation that it made me cry.

So on this Christmas, hold your loved ones close and remember those who've gone ahead of you fondly.

Good Karma, Good Books: No One's Perfect by Christiane France

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (zoot suits, feathered hats, platform shoes, and the like) and introduce you to something new and wonderful in the literary world. This week, I’m excited to shine a spotlight on No One's Perfect by Christiane France. 

AUTHOR COMMENT

"This is the second book in the Hennessey Falls series, and I was thrilled when it made the bestseller list on All Romance Ebooks.

"I’m giving away a copy of The Replacement, the first book in this series, to one winner to be chosen at random."

GIVEAWAY
To win a copy of the The Replacement , simply leave a comment below with a contact e-mail. Winner will be announced December 29. 

BLURB
Thanks to an ill-timed joke and a thoughtless action, Terry Miller not only lost his job, he also lost Liam, the man he loved and expected to spend the rest of his life with. A year has passed and Terry knows he should either find it in his heart to forgive Liam for his part in what happened, or forget him and move on. But he can’t forgive and he can’t forget. As far as Terry is concerned, Liam’s the one who owes him the apology. 
Terry briefly appeared in The Replacement, the first book in this series, when he had a blind date with Noah Davidson, the owner of the Davidson Group, a string of restaurants and bars. In this one, Terry is in the final week of a 3-month trial period as manager of the latest jewel in the Davidson crown--BG's an after-hours nightclub.
BUY
AmazonBarnes and Noble
All Romance eBooks
Kobo
Amber Quill Press
AUTHOR BIO
Christiane France lives near Niagara Falls and believes love makes the world go round, be it a brief, happy-for-now affair, or a happily-ever-after lifetime commitment. She also believes in Fate. If two people are meant to be together, it will happen and nothing in time, space or the real world can keep them apart. 
Christiane also writes romantic mystery suspense, sometimes with a paranormal twist, under the name Chris Grover for the Amber Quill Press imprint. 

To learn more about Christiane and her work, please visit her website at http://www.chrisgrover.ca 

My Christmas Gift to You

Matches , my bittersweet, modern-day take on the Hans Christian Andersen classic tale, "The Little Match Girl" is FREE all this week (December 21 through December 25). Pick up a copy for yourself with my best wishes for the holiday season.


BLURBA poignant gay twist on the beloved Hans Christian Andersen classic, "The Little Match Girl"... 
Christmas Eve should be a night filled with magic and love. But for Anderson, down on his luck and homeless in Chicago's frigid chill, it's a fight for survival. Whether he's sleeping on the el, or holed up in an abandoned car, all he really has are his memories to keep him warm: memories of a time when he loved a man named Welk and the world was perfect. When Anderson finds a book of discarded matches on the sidewalk, he pockets them. Later, trying to keep the cold at bay hunkered down in a church entryway, Anderson discovers the matches are the key to bringing his memories of Welk, happiness, and security to life. Within their flames, visions dance and perhaps a reunion with the man he loved most. 
GET YOUR FREE COPY HERE!

A Glimpse into Crafting a Blurb, the Writing Process, and The Couple Next Door

One thing I’ve always maintained with my writing is that the characters come first and the story follows. Sure, I have a general idea about the plot and where I want it to go, but it’s the characters that take me on a journey, often surprising me. Sometimes, I have no idea what will pop up when I sit down to write. I do trust my characters!

My latest,  The Couple Next Door  is no different.I thought it might be interesting to go a little into the publication process (and especially the blurb used on the back cover and to sell the book), so here are some of the things I shared with Dreamspinner Press’s blurb writer.Here’s what I wrote when they asked about the characters. Jeremy Booth  is a wannabe writer and an independent housecleaner in his thirties. He barely gets by, but is your typical nice guy–attractive, fit, but lonely. He dreams of being a writer and works on it, but has never seen any success. Shane McCallister  is his new next-door neighbor. Shane is younger, blond, handsome and Jeremy falls for him immediately. Shane also seems to be a victim of domestic abuse from the man with whom he lives, a man who is an enigma, a mystery.Sometimes, this man dresses up in leather, calls himselfCole, acts hyper-masculine, and is physically and verbally abusive. At other times, he’s John, a friendly, and mild-mannered milquetoast. At still other times, he is Vera, a vivacious and sassy drag queen.Multiple personality disorder? Or is there something more sinister going on? As the book’s tagline says, “Things aren’t always as they seem….”The blurb information form asks about the specific crisis or obstacle the characters will face during the course of the novel. I think the information below gives a unique insight into the principle plot of The Couple Next Door:It appears that the object of Jeremy’s love and affection, Shane, is trapped in an abusive relationship. As the plot goes on, there’s a lot more than meets the eye. What are Shane and the man he lives with fleeing? There are secrets about their past life in Chicago, because their story is always changing. Does Shane’s partner have multiple personality disorder? What, exactly, is their relationship? These mysteries, and the dangers that accompany them, are the driving force of the book, along with the romance–which blooms amidst all the questions and perils.The form also asks about what critical information needs to included in the blurb (or at least hinted at):The abuse, so the romance readers who abhor cheating will understand why Shane needs to get out of his relationship and will be rooting for him to do so, and be with Jeremy. The multiple personalities of Cole/John/Vera–this is a twist that’s intriguing and also crucial to the plot. The danger–as time goes on and Jeremy learns more, he can see that Shane’s, and maybe his own, life is in danger.And last, the blurb composition form has a section called NO SPOILERS! It asks what information must not be revealed. Here’s what I put:More than any other book I’ve written, there are spoilers that I hope will not get out. You need to read the book to know them, but I’ll reveal them here IN CONFIDENCE. [The information has been deleted because, well, no spoilers]. So, those are the things that CANNOT be revealed.ExcerptHOW MANY disappointing dates will I endure before I just give up?I mean, here I am, a perfectly attractive, fit, self-sufficient thirty-year-old, and I’m still waiting to meet the man of my dreams. Mr. Right. Hell, tonight I’d even settle for that character who seems to come along on dates for most of us, the all-too-common Mr. Right Now. But even he isn’t on the seat beside me. In fact, I strongly doubt he’s anywhere in the vicinity of the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle where I live.Believe me, I’ve looked.Mr. First Date pulls his Ford Fusion up to the curb in front of my apartment building on Aloha Avenue. We sit in awkward silence for several long moments, listening as the engine ticks down as it cools. I can feel him looking at me. As he’s done most of the evening, he waits for me to speak. I turn my head and, in the dark, give him a weak smile. The date, dinner at a little sushi place on Broadway, had not gone well, full of uncomfortable silences, awkward pauses, and desperate looks around for avenues of escape—on both our parts.Do I need to say we just didn’t click?I didn’t think so.So what he says now surprises me.“Do you want me to come up?”Really? We’ve just spent an hour and a half of agony together, trying to find a snippet of common ground that doesn’t exist, and he’s wondering if I want him to come up, which we all know is code for “Shall we make the beast with two backs?”Seriously? The most irksome thing is, I’m considering it. I mean, he’s cute in spite of our lack of social connection. He’s a games developer for a software company here in town and looks it, with a sort of hipster/geek vibe going on. He has red hair, which I love. He has a beard, which I love. He wears retro glasses, which make him look paradoxically goofy and sexy—which I love.Would it be so terrible to sleep with him? I mean, it’s been at least two weeks since I’ve enjoyed the charms of anyone other than Mr. Thumb and his four sons, so at least in terms of a release, maybe I should just say “Sure” and open the car door. If things go like some of my dates in the past, he’d follow me upstairs to my apartment and be back in his car in, like, fifteen minutes.No, I tell myself. And then I tell him, shaking my head, looking sad, and saying the words countless heartbreakers have used over the years to stop ardent passion in its errant tracks.“I’m sorry, Neil. But I have to get up early.” Lamely, I pat his hand. “Maybe another time.”I don’t need to be psychic to know that we both know another time ain’t gonna happen.Neil seems relieved as he restarts his car. He shrugs. “It’s okay. Club Z’s just a couple minutes away, right? Down Broadway and a right on Pike—easy.”He grins at me, and I wonder if he expects me to laugh. Club Z is one of Seattle’s filthiest bathhouses, and yes, it’s only a few minutes away. He doesn’t seem to need directions.It’s my turn to be relieved that I didn’t actually succumb to the temptation of inviting this jerk upstairs. Wordlessly I get out of the car and slam the door behind me.Neil roars off into the damp and still night.I pause and sigh, staring up at the building in which I’ve lived for the past five years. It’s an okay place, an old redbrick three story with none of the modern amenities—no stainless steel, granite countertops, or gas fireplaces. My apartment is homey. It even has the original tile, sink, and claw-foot tub in its single bathroom. The living room is large, with three big windows that look out on Aloha and let in lots of light—on the days when we have sun in Seattle (that means usually summer days). The floors are scuffed original hardwood. The kitchen actually has a pantry and built-in china hutch. I’ve painted the place a cheery, soft yellow.Upstairs, the TV, with its DVRed episodes of at-odds Sons of Anarchy and Downton Abbey, awaits. Upstairs, there’s the gelato I love from Whole Foods in the freezer—hazelnut dark chocolate.Such is my life. Comfortable and a little lonely.Sometimes I wonder, like Peggy Lee, if that’s all there is.I head toward the glass-paned front door. I grope in my jeans for my keys. The mail had not yet arrived before I left for my date, and I wonder if there will be any surprises in the vestibule mailbox. You know, like an actual letter from someone, standing out from the usual assortment of bills and solicitations by the cursive lovingly spelling out my name—Jeremy Booth.My problem is I always have hope, even when there’s little reason to.I open the front door, and that’s when everything changes. My life turns upside down. I go from bored discontent to panic in a split second.The first thing I hear is someone shouting “No!” in an anguished voice. I look up from the lobby to see two figures on the staircase above, on the second-floor landing. One is a guy who looks menacing and so butch he could pose for a Tom of Finland poster. An aura of danger radiates from him. Aside from his imposing and muscular frame, he’s even wearing the right clothes—tight, rolled jeans and a black leather biker jacket with a chain snaking out from beneath one of the epaulets. His high and tight buzzed hair gives him a military—and mean—air. He has his hands on the shoulders of a guy who looks a bit younger and much slighter, making me want to call up the stairs, “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” The smaller guy, blond and clad only in a pair of pajama bottoms, struggles with his attacker, looking terrified. Their movements, clumsy and rough, would be comical if they weren’t so scary. The smaller guy is panting and batting ineffectually at the bigger one.“Please! No! Don’t!” the smaller guy manages to get out, his voice close to hysteria.I have never seen either of these men before. In fact, the whole scene has the quality of the surreal, a dream. The danger and conflict pulsing down the stairs makes my own heart rate and respiration accelerate, causing feelings of panic to rise within me.And then the worst happens. The big butch guy shoves the smaller one hard, and all at once he’s tumbling heavily down the stairs toward me.The fall is graceless, and it looks like it hurts. It’s over so fast that I’m left gasping.I look up to see the leather-jacket guy sneer down at his mate, lying crumpled and crying at my feet, and then turn sharply on his heel to go back into a second-floor apartment that had been vacant yesterday. He slams the door. The sound of the deadbolt sliding into place is like the report of a shotgun. Both slam and lock resound like thunderclaps, echoing in the tile lobby, punctuation to the drama and trauma of this short scene.I switch into Good Samaritan mode and drop to my knees at the sniveling, crumpled mess of a man lying practically at my feet.“Are you okay?” I ask and reach out to lightly touch his shoulder.He jerks away and, wincing, pulls himself up into an awkward sitting position. He stares at me for a moment, almost as though he’s trying to place me, with clear blue eyes. He finally looks away.“My ankle is throbbing. It hurts like hell. Maybe I twisted it.”I don’t know what to say, other than to ask, “Would you like to try and stand? Test it out?”He nods.I lean over to grip him under the arms—it’s damp there, and I can smell the ripe aroma of body odor, probably inspired by fear or panic—and pull. He comes up with me and then stumbles, wincing and crying out.“Damn. I might have sprained it when I fell.” His eyes are so appealing, in both senses of the word, as he stares at me, as though seeking direction for what to do next. He leans on me, taking his weight off the injured ankle.I keep my arm around him, and together we limp over to a bench set beneath the bank of common mailboxes. We sit.“What do you want to do?” I ask.“I don’t know. I think Cole may have locked me out for the night.”I look up the stairs at the closed door and imagine the frame vibrating from its recent slam. I notice then that my new acquaintance is shivering. It’s a typical Seattle winter night—chilly and damp—and the vestibule has poor heat. Good thing, I think, that I’ve worn a hoodie over my T-shirt. I unzip it and take it off and then hold it out to him. “You could wear this.”“Are you sure?” Without waiting for an answer, he takes it from me and puts it on. He zips it up to his throat and pulls the hood up over his thick blond hair.“I’m sure.” I grin. “I’m Jeremy. Jeremy Booth. I live here in the building.” I stare down at the lobby’s worn linoleum floor, not sure what else to say or do.“Shane McCallister. I just moved in today.” He casts a nervous glance up the stairs. “Well, John and I just moved in this afternoon. From Chicago.” He tries to give me a smile, but it comes out sad.I nod. “I thought you said his name was Cole.”Shane laughs and his cheeks redden. “Did I? I meant John. Sorry.”We stare at one another for a second, a second in which I feel as though I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole.They must have done their moving while I was out working this afternoon. I rub my chin and then say, because my mama taught me right, “Well, Shane, I can’t just leave you here like this. Do you want to come up to my place?” I think for a moment, get a better idea. “Or maybe I could take you over to First Hill, where all the hospitals are, get you to an emergency room so you can have that ankle looked at. It could be something worse than a sprain. You should do that, you know. I have a car. It’s parked in the back.”Suddenly, chauffeuring this downtrodden stranger to one of the hospitals in the next neighborhood over seems more appealing to me, more exciting, than the date I just came home from.“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”I wave his protest away. “Yes, you could. You’re new in town, right? Do you have someone else you could call?” I pull my iPhone out of my jeans pocket and hold it out to him.He looks at it strangely and just shakes his head. “We haven’t really made any friends here yet.”“Well then, it’s settled. Let me run you over to Virginia Mason or Swedish.” I peer into those icy blue, yet magnetic, eyes. “Okay?”“We don’t have health insurance,” Shane blurts out.“Let’s not worry about that right now.” I stand and comb my fingers through my dark hair. “If your ankle’s broken or even sprained, you need to get it taken care of. That’s not something that heals on its own.”He simply stares at me.I sigh. “Look, I’m gonna run up to my place, get you some shoes—I have some shearling-lined moccasins that will probably fit—and they won’t hurt, much. I’ll grab you a shirt too. Are you gonna be all right here?” I glance nervously back up the stairs, but there’s no John, or anyone else, glowering down at us. The apartment building is still this Thursday night, caught in no-man’s-land between people getting home from work and departing for an evening of revelry farther south on Broadway at the gay bars.“I’ll be okay,” Shane says softly.He seems to shrink into himself, and my heart goes out to him. Poor guy! I have never understood why anyone would allow himself or herself to stay in an abusive relationship. At least that’s what I assume this pair have going on. I can ponder—or maybe even ask the guys themselves, although I already think I’ll be avoiding John—more about their situation later. Right now, duty calls.I start up the stairs, and Shane calls out, “Jeremy?”I turn, halfway up the stairs, realizing suddenly that these two are my new next-door neighbors. “Yeah?”“Thanks. Not everyone would do this.”“Sure they would,” I say, not at all sure that I speak the truth. I pause for a minute, still uncertain about what I’m getting myself into. That John character looked pretty menacing. What if he comes after us? Comes after me? What if he thinks my Good Samaritan act is an attempt to go after his lame boyfriend? I shake my head and continue trudging up the stairs. Sometimes life offers us very limited alternatives. I can’t just leave the guy on his own, friendless and hurt. And even taking him into my place is out of the question—he could be seriously injured. There are a million questions on my lips, and for right now I think the best course of action is to leave them unasked. “I’ll be right back.”And then I hightail it up the stairs. In quick succession I unlock my door and dash into my apartment to hurriedly gather up the things I promised, fearing that at any moment John might return. He looked like the type who might do even more harm to Shane, and I don’t want any part of that. He appears to be a man who talks with his fists as much as his mouth, and my sympathy for poor Shane has manifested itself quickly and completely.In record time I return with a plain black T-shirt and the aforementioned moccasins. I help Shane stand and get everything on. “My car’s out back in the lot. It ain’t much, but it’ll get us there.” I slide my arm around Shane and guide him down the central corridor that leads to the back door and the parking lot.Somehow I have the feeling my life is about to change.BUYThe Couple Next Door on Goodreads
Dreamspinner Press
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
All Romance eBooksNote: This post originally appeared on Prism Book Alliance 8 December 2015

Good Karma, Good Books: Prince of the Sea by Jon Michaelsen

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (zoot suits, feathered hats, platform shoes, and the like) and introduce you to something new and wonderful in the literary world. This week, I’m excited to shine a spotlight on Prince of the Sea by Jon Michaelsen. 

Here's what John has to say about his new book:

"I’ve lived in Georgia my entire life, and spent many vacations and long weekends on the beautiful coast. While in college, I discovered the tiny community of Tybee Island, a lazy seaside town about twenty minutes east of Savannah. There, the beaches are pristine and the barrier dunes natural and relatively undisturbed, having escaped the commercial and residential overdevelopment so common in more well known, popular destinations. I would often spend hours sitting on the dunes daydreaming of living on the “sandbar”, a term of endearment for the islet coined by locals. Descriptions of locales and happenings in Prince of the Sea are my own experiences, with a smattering of embellishment, of course, in the name of fiction."

BLURB
Can a broken heart find love at the bottom of the ocean? 
Destiny calls Jonathan home…
Jonathan Lemke thought spending two weeks alone with his partner in a beachside cottage would help to rekindle the lost passion of their ten-year union. He’d chosen Tybee Island, a quiet seaside community on the Georgia coast east of Historic Savannah. Jonathan had spent his childhood growing up on the pristine shores of the barrier islet which continues to hold a special place in his heart.
The romantic surprise backfires when Paul, Jonathan’s partner, rushes off to Chicago for the chance to woo a high profile client, leaving Jonathan alone and brokenhearted until a chance meeting with a mysterious and seductive stranger linked to a beloved island legend provides a chance at discovering forever love.
But someone with strong familial ties to Tybee Island is desperate to expose its secrets and avenge a grudge decades in the making. An assailant so threatened by the forces of nature that defy explanation, he will stop at nothing to unmask ancient island lore…even if he must kill to prove it.
Novella: 44,440 words
Genre: gay paranormal, suspense/thriller Editor: Jerry L. Wheeler
Cover: Dawne Dominique
BUY
AmazonBarnes and Noble
All Romance eBooks
Smashwords
Kobo
Scribd