Rick R. Reed's Blog, page 82

New and Notable: Lily Sawyer's FROM THE DEPTHS

Lily Sawyer's new book sounds like quite an adventure. Read the synopsis and except and see if you aren't tempted to buy (buy link is at the end of the post). 

WIN A FREE COPY! Leave a comment with your e-mail below and Lily will pick a winner from the entrants for a free copy of From the Depths.

BLURB
To the world, Harry Goldberg appears to be a ordinary, happy-go-lucky man. He has a great job working at Nosh Deli on Long Island. His co-workers and customers love him. But Harry has a secret--he suffers from depression. No one understands what it's like to live life on the edge and not to be able to let anyone know for fear of driving them away. That is how Harry has led his life, alone except for his faithful cat.

But things change when a new delivery man shows up at the deli; one that he finds himself attracted to. But there is no one who can love someone with so much emotional baggage like him--is there?

EXCERPT

Harry had a wonderful job; he worked at a deli on Long Island. He loved to watch the looks customers gave him when he served them his special mile-high sandwich. Despite the huge piles of hot pastrami and corned beef on ryewith a pickle and coleslaw on the side, they somehow left a clean plate. The people around Harry told him that he was a likeable kind of guy with a great sense of humor. All his co-workers loved him. Truth was, he had them all fooled. When he left the deli at the end of the day he went home to an empty apartment; his only company, aside from assorted houseplants, was his cat. Tom was a grey and white shorthair Harry had rescued from the local pound. No one knew about Harry's lonely existence, just like they didn't know he suffered with depression. The only ones who knew, aside from his immediate family, were his counselor and a support group he went to from time to time. Most people thought it was just the blues; at least that was what his parents thought at first. His mom was the worst. When Harry was fifteen, he'd buried himself in his bed and wouldn't come out. She kept telling him stop being lazy, get his ass out of bed, and snap out of it. Unfortunately, they didn't understand what it was like to feel as he did. No one knew how much Harry wanted to be normal; he didn't want anyone's pity. No one could know the deep pain he felt. Some days it got so bad he just wanted to lie down, go to sleep, and never wake up.
 * * * *
Nicholas could never stand being cooped up inside some stuffy office building. Nope, that was never going to happen. So when his uncle offered Nicholas a job with his delivery company after he graduated high school, he jumped at the chance. That was almost ten years ago—driving a truck was in his blood now. Stern's trucking specialized in delivering kosher food to all the Jewish delis and kosher markets on Long Island and in the five boroughs of New York City. He checked the manifest; there was a new restaurant on the list. He'd been to Carle Place before but never to Nosh Deli. But a job was a job. He'd done so many deliveries he could do them in his sleep. He loaded up his truck in Queens Village and headed east to Long Island. He took the local roads, completely avoiding the Long Island Expressway.
 * * * *
Harry was handling the lunch-hour-rush crowd. He'd lost count of how many pastrami and corned beef sandwiches he'd made and how much homemade coleslaw and potato salad he'd scooped out onto the plates. "Can I have a chicken on whole wheat bread, please?" Harry stopped his automaton-like movements, taking notice of the customer behind the voice—a blonde woman who appeared to be in her thirties, dressed in business attire. "Bless you. Thanks for breaking the monotony." She laughed. "You must get tired of the same old orders every day." Harry was on the receiving end of that brilliant smile. The woman seemed to be flirting with him. He had to admit she was an attractive woman. He noticed there was no ring on her left hand. There was one problem, though—Harry was gay. He'd known that girls didn't do anything for him that way since he was fourteen. It was one more thing his mother had nagged him about—dating women—until he came out to his parents. He couldn't say they were thrilled, but at least they didn't throw him out of the house. They just didn't talk about it. Besides, Harry hardly ever went out. He had one experimental encounter with a buddy in high school. They had given each other a hand job and that was that. Harry's self-esteem was in the basement. Who in their right mind would want to date a guy who was a killjoy? Depression robbed Harry of being able to really enjoy life. He was glad no one at work was aware of the sad sack in their midst—and no one would find out if he could help it. He buried himself in work, fixing orders for people like the woman who stood before him—he wouldn't let anyone get too close.
* * * *
Nicholas was only too grateful to the person responsible for inventing GPS. That gizmo on his dashboard had just saved him from sitting in traffic for what would seem to be forever and he'd consequently managed to arrive early in the parking lot of the shopping center where Nosh Deli was located. He parked his vehicle, got the hand truck out, and started unloading the order. It would take more than one trip to restock the deli's fridge. He pulled the heavier items in first, only too glad when a customer held the door open for him. "Thanks," he told the man, with a sincere smile and a nod of his head. The number of diners at Nosh Deli had thinned out after the lunchtime rush. A lull had settled in—the perfect time for Nicholas to do his delivery and get back onto the road. He had one more delivery after this—to a deli in Lynbrook—and then back to Queens and home. He lowered the hand truck and looked at the order. Morris Klein was listed as the contact person. "Excuse me. Is there a Mister Morris Klein around?" "Hello." A dark-haired man approached Nicholas. Nicholas couldn't help but notice how handsome he was and he ignored how his cock twitched when he shook the man's hand. "I'm Harry Goldberg. Morris isn't here right now; he's at the hospital." "Oh, nothing serious I hope?" "No, just welcoming his first grandchild into the world. His daughter went into labor this morning and he rushed over to Long Island Jewish." "Mazel tov. Is it a boy or a girl?" "A boy. Morris was beaming from ear to ear before he left, which is probably why he forgot about the order delivery." "That's totally understandable. Where can I put the stuff?" "We have a storage room right next to the freezer—I'll show you." Nicholas couldn't help staring at Harry's ass as he followed him to the back. It had been too long since he'd been in a relationship. He had put his focus into work and was really beginning to feel lonely. Harry certainly had gotten his attention and Nicholas wondered if he should take a chance and make a move. Is he gay? Is he into guys like I am? But if he isn't, I could lose my job. He briefly weighed the pros and cons before he finally decided that life was too short. Nicholas figured he should go for it. He unloaded what he had and went back out to the truck for the rest. He was moving more slowly than usual, trying to figure out how he could make this visit last a little longer so he could find out if Harry was interested in getting together. As it turned out, Harry solved that problem for him. "Are you hungry? I could make you a sandwich." Harry smiled shyly at him when Nicholas gave him the receipt to sign. "Sure, I'd love some pastrami on whole wheat and a potato knish on the side," Nicholas told him. "I'm afraid it will have to be a to-go order, I have another delivery I have to make." "Oh, okay." Was that disappointment he heard in Harry's voice? He'd never been to Nosh Deli before but he was beginning to realize that this wouldn't be his last trip. In fact, this may be my new favorite stop.

BUY
Explore other Lily Sawyer titles.

My "Face of Gay"

For some time now, author Kage Alan has been collecting the stories of gay men and women and their allies in a blog series called "The Face of Gay."

I am honored to participate in this project and share my own--and deeply personal--face of gay.

My story begins:

The Many Different Faces of Gay—Photographs and Memories (Rick Reed)
This blog series, the Face of Gay, has demonstrated one thing to me very clearly—while there are common human threads that run through all of these thoughtful and often poignant posts, there is also a unique “face of gay” for each person who sits down to open their heart to readers.

For me, when I considered my own “face of gay” it was like looking through a box of old photos...

To read my story (and see lots of photographs from my past), go here. And while you're there, check out the sixteen other Faces of Gay...you're sure to come away amused, thoughtful, and touched.

We're Getting Married!

Yesterday was a historic day for four states in the US. Three states (our own Washington, Maryland, and Maine) approved marriage equality at the polls--a clean sweep and the first time in history same-sex marriage in the US has been approved by voters). And Minnesota, while not approving same-sex marriage, REJECTED the possibility of adding a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between only one man and one woman. Thank God that kindness, fairness, and compassion prevailed in the elections. I see the tide turning.

It was a historic day for my partner, Bruce, and me as well. Although we have been "married" in every sense of the word for the last decade, we have never been able to make it legal anywhere we lived. Now we can... and we're officially engaged--and thinking about wedding dates, rings, and stuff like that.

Honestly, it was a day I never imagined coming.

Behind every marriage is a terribly romantic story of how the couple got engaged, right? For those of you who want to know just how romantic our story was, I will share it with you. Get out the tissues and prepare to have your hearts warmed!

Here's how we got engaged yesterday: Bruce called me from his office. "I'm going to change my status on Facebook to "engaged", is that okay with you? I mean, I assume you'd say yes, but just wanted to be sure."

I came back with, "Of course. I'll do the same."

And we hung up. Kind of gives you chills, right?

But it was romantic--for us--because it was represented a watershed moment in the history of our love. We could finally, finally get engaged to be married and have it be legal. That's huge. And I think it took several hours after that phone call (and literally, and surprisingly, hundreds of congratulatory messages on Facebook, which tickled us to our toes and warmed our hearts completely) for the reality to sink in.

Bruce and I can get married. Legally. It is still hard to believe. See, when I came out, some two decades ago, I never even imagined gay marriage as a possibility. Even as recently as when my son came out to me (ten years ago), I thought I would never dance at his wedding (but I did! in Montreal, three years ago). I accepted the status quo--marriage was not for gay people. We had lovers, or boyfriends, or girlfriends, not husbands and wives.

But things began to change and people--myself included--began to see that everyone should have the civil right to marry the person whom they love. Why would anyone be against that? Love is love.


And I love my Bruce. And I am happy-to-tears that one day soon, I will call him, in every sense of the word, husband .

Blog Tour for My Male Escort Romance, RENT

I don't usually do this, but I thought I would try out this newfangled method of book promotion: the blog tour. Most of the time when I go on a tour, I get the benefit of seeing new places, meeting new people, or perhaps lying on a new (or nude) beach.

This time, dear reader, the benefit is all yours.

See, at each stop along the tour, I will be revealing a lot about myself, as well as my new book. There will be interviews galore and even some guest blogs.

Best of all, at each stop along the tour, I will be giving away a free ebook copy of RENT. Here's what RENT is about:

SYNOPSIS
On the worst day of his life, Wren Gallagher loses his wallet, his job, and his security. Can a stranger met in a bar deliver on his promises of wealth and meeting Mr. Right?

On a day he will never forget, Wren Gallagher wants oblivion when he steps into Tricks for a drink. He's lost not only his job, but his wallet as well. When a mysterious stranger steps up to pay his tab, he also offers Wren the key to fulfilling his dreams of prosperity and true love. But appearances are not always what they seem....

His savior is the owner of the escort agency, A Louer---and he wants the young and handsome Wren to work for him. So down on his luck, Wren figures---why not? He can use the money. When he joins, though, he hadn't counted on meeting Rufus, another escort with whom he quickly falls hopelessly in love.

But their love story will have to overcome the obstacles of not only trading love for money, but A Louer's dark---and deadly---secrets.

Read an
RENT BLOG TOUR STOPS
Literary Nymphs 11/1
Book Wenches 11/4
RomFan Reviews 11/6
Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess 11/8
Romance Reviews Today 11/12
You Gotta Read Reviews 11/13
Romance Crush Junkies 11/13
Mantastic 11/14

Come on along on the blog tour with me! Don't want to wait for the tour? Want to buy your own copy? See below.

BUY
In ebook
In paperback
All Romance Ebooks
Amazon Kindle version

Honored and Thrilled! 2 of my Titles EPIC eBook Award Finalists

Just got word yesterday that two of my titles have been honored with the distinction of being EPIC eBook Award finalists. Caregiver is up for the award in the Contemporary Romance category; and Penance finaled in Horror.

The award will take place this coming March at EPICon in Vancouver, WA. Wish me luck! And best of luck to all the finalists. Complete list of finalists here.

Voting for Romney? Please Read THIS.

I don't usually get into politics on this blog, but I thought the letter below, written by actor Max Von Essen (who currently stars in the Broadway revival of EVITA) and posted on Facebook was too important not to share.

Von Essen succinctly says what I think and hope the letter below makes YOU think...


Today, I wrote this letter to an old friend who expressed his support for Romney on my Facebook page. I felt the need to share.

Hey ( ),
Listen, I know you didn't mean any harm commenting on this post and I like you, we had some great times growing up. But Romney and Ryan believe that I am less than you. They believe I am a second class citizen and don't deserve the same rights that you had the privilege of being born into simply by being straight. They want to add a constitutional amendment that will ban gay marriage forever. It will set us back decades and ensure that I never legally have the opportunity to have a family or a partner in my lifetime.

They also believe that being at your partner's side when he/she is dying is a benefit, not a civil right. They could keep me from my partner dying in a hospital. Could you even imagine something like that in your own life? Being separated from your wife on her death bed? Could you imagine your marriage never being recognized and being told that your family is not a family and you do not deserve any federal rights that comes with marriage. Over 1100 rights. Did you know that? 1100.
Ryan doesn't believe in the hate crimes act fought unwaveringly for by Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, murdered for being gay in Wyoming. Murdered for being gay. Could you imagine if I was murdered for being gay? Could you really look my mom in the eye and say 'oh well, we can not prosecute this crime as a hate crime'?

I know there are important issues involved in this campaign. I know people are suffering and the economy has not improved at a rate we all wish it would. Yes, people are suffering but the gay and lesbian community has been suffering for hundreds of years and I am so tired of it. So tired of feeling that I am less than. So tired of knowing I have friends on here who will vote for someone who will keep me a second class citizen for my entire lifetime. I have already spent half a lifetime hiding, half a lifetime conforming. It is exhausting, demeaning and I am worn out. I want to love myself full out. I want a president who can look me in the eye and say 'You are equal!' 'You are equal to everyone else in this country and I will fight for your rights. The time is now and it is long overdue.' Romney and Ryan could not look me in the eye and say that and I feel sorry for every gay and questioning child who might have to listen to a president who believes that he/she is not equal. Children will take their lives. It is the WORST form of trickle down bullying and it absolutely splits my heart in half. When the president says you are less than, it gives permission to every authority figure, every politician, every teacher, every bully on the playground to push you around and bully you and treat you less than. It is dangerous and lives will be lost.

If this is not important to you, please remove me from your friends list. I need people in my life who love me and consider me 100% equal.

Max

New Cover Alert: BEAU AND THE BEAST

It's always exciting when a cover designer delivers his or her take on a story you wrote. Today, Amber Allure's cover designer, Trace Edward Zaber, delivered the cover for my modern-day, gay twist on a classic fairy tale, Beau and the Beast .

I think it's pretty cool. What do you think? Beau and the Beast releases on November 18. Here's what it's about:

COVER BLURB
Inspired by the timeless tale, “Beauty and the Beast”, by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, Rick R. Reed has crafted a new fairy tale for our times that manages to be ethereal, romantic and ripped-from-the-headlines realistic.

Beau is a down-on-his-luck street artist living on the streets of Seattle, drawing portraits of tourists to make enough money to live hand-to-mouth. He has a knack for capturing his subjects’ “very souls” on paper. One rainy night, he is accosted by a group of fag-bashing thugs, intent on robbing him of his art supplies and humiliating Beau for who he is. Beau is beaten into unconsciousness…

…and awakens in a beautiful bedroom, his head bandaged and with no memory of how he got there. Outside his window pine trees and mountain vistas beckon.

Beau’s tale grows even more mysterious when a large, muscular man begins bringing the injured Beau his food. The man says nothing—and wears a wolf mask. When he finally does speak, it’s only to tell Beau to call him “Beast.”

What secrets does the wolf mask hide? What do these two outsiders have in common? And will their odd circumstances bring them to the brink of love—or tear them apart? The answers lie in Rick R. Reed’s haunting love story that reveals that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

New RAVE Review for CHASER From TwoLips Reviews!

Just wanted to let everyone know that my chubby chaser love story, CHASER, just got five lips from Two Lips Reviews, their highest rating. In part, the reviewer, Tina, said:

"This is one book I will have on my keeper shelf. When I want a heart touching story with sweet but hot sex and a message I really love, I will pull out Chaser..."

Read the rest of the review here.

I am just thrilled and wanted to share the good news with you all.

If you want a copy of the book, check out the links below.

Buy CHASER
ebook
paperback
Kindle
Nook

Dreamspinner Press Celebrates Halloween!

Dreamspinner Press celebrates Halloween in style!

During the month of October, we will be offering the following special discounts.

October 1-4: All eBooks in the Angels and Demons category will be 25% off.

October 5-7: All eBooks in the Shifters and Vampires categories will be 25% off.

October 8-11: All eBooks in the Fantasy, Fairytales and Other Paranormal categories will be 25% off.

October 12-14: All Yaoi eBooks and eBooks by our authors who are attending YaoiCon in Los Angeles will be 25% off.

Amy Lane, Mary Calmes, Nessa L. Warin, Shira Anthony, Lori Hawkins, Rhys Ford, Augusta Li, Eon de Beaumont, EM Lynley, Venona Keyes

October 15 - 18: The 2008 Advent set will be available for 44.99 through October 31. It will go out of print on November 1, so don't miss your last chance to get it! All Christmas eBooks will also be 25% off.

October 19-21: All eBooks by authors attending GayRomLit will be 25% off.

Abigail Roux, Aleksandr Voinov, Allison Cassatta, Amy Lane, Ana Bosch, Andrew Gray, Anel Viz, Anne Tenino, Ariel Tachna, Belinda McBride, Brita Addams, Charlie Cochet, Christopher Koehler, Clancy Nacht, Clare London, Damon Suede, Devon Rhodes, Eden Winter, Edmond Manning, Ellis Carrington, EM Lynley, Eric Arvin, Ethan Stone, Felicitas Ivey, Hayley B. James, Heidi Cullinan, Isabelle Rowan, Jacob Z. Flores, Jamie Fessenden, Jana Downs, Jeff Erno, Jackson Cordd, Jonathan Treadway, J.P. Barnaby, Karenna Colcroft, Kate McMurray, KC Burn, Kiernan Kelly, Kim Fielding, Lara Brukz, Lissa Kasey, Lori Toland, Lorraine Ulrich, Marguerite Labbe, Marie Sexton, Michael Murphy, MJ O'Shea, PD Singer, Piper Vaughn, Poppy Dennison, Rhys Ford, Rick R. Reed , Rowan Speedwell, S.A. Garcia, Scotty Cade, Shae Connor, Shira Anthony, SJD Peterson, Sue Brown, T.A. Webb, T.C. Blue, Thursday Euclid, Trina Lane, Venona Keyes, Xara X. Xanakas, Zahra Owens.

October 22-25: All Foreign Language titles and audiobooks will be 25% off.

October 26-31: All eBooks in the Ghosts and Spirits category will be 25% off.

In addition, watch our Twitter and Facebook for special flash sales and other fun opportunities to win prizes from Dreamspinner Press!

Horror Month at Untreed Reads! Get 3 of My Scariest Books at 40% Off!

With Halloween rapidly approaching, Untreed Reads thought the best way to celebrate would be to offer 40% off all horror novels, novellas and short stories throughout the entire month in the Untreed Reads Store. As an extra treat, they're also offering the same discount at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Apple's US iBookstore.

Be sure to check out our Better Together promos, which allow you to get significant discounts (and sometimes freebies) by adding two books to your cart.

No tricks...only treats!

HORROR NOVELS40% Off (at the Untreed Reads Store, Amazon, Apple iBookstore/US only, and Barnes and Noble)

Blood Sacrifice by Rick R. Reed
Dante's Awakening by Devon Marshall
Goodbye Lucifer by John Harold McCoy
Lady in Flames by Ian Lewis
Obsessed by Rick R. Reed
Orlin Wood by Jeremy K. Tyler
Penance by Rick R. Reed
Stolen by Catherine Stovall
Strange People, Scary People by Tally Harbour
The Kingdom of Fear by Robert De Graauw
Where the Dead Fear to Tread by M. R. Gott

Here's your chance to check out some of my best horror titles! Happy early Halloween!

Browse the Untreed Reads store.