Leta Blake's Blog, page 19

Vespertine Fan Art! <3 Be still my heart! #thankyou

THANK YOU SO MUCH OOR JANIE FOR THE LOVE!!! :D

No one creates something with the anticipation that it will inspire someone else to make art for it, but if it happens, it’s an overwhelmingly touching thing. Indra and I are so honored! Thank you!

Now Available! Levity by Leta Blake & Keira Andrews (Re-Release!) #fairytale #gay

Once upon a time, in what now feels like a kingdom far, far away, Leta Blake had never published a book. Her pal, Keira Andrews, said, “Let’s do a series of re-imagined fairy tales together and sell them to a publisher!” And Leta said, “Oh, wow! That sounds super fun!”

Thus, Leta eagerly set about scribbling her very first book. (Well, her very first book that didn’t turn into a four book series that still isn’t done yet.) She found inspiration for her leading man in George MacDonald’s fairytale The Light Princess. The idea of a beautiful prince lacking in physical and emotional gravity seemed too fun an opportunity to pass up.

Leta named her little book Levity and even managed to keep it under the word count the publisher required for a novella. Keira added her bits, and they were both quite pleased with the outcome. The publisher seemed to like it, too. Except they didn’t like the title. They said Levity wasn’t sexy enough, readers wouldn’t like it, no one would buy it, etc. So with tears in her eyes, Leta agreed to call the tale Earthly Desires.

Then came the publisher’s cover. It was dark and brooding, with headless, muscled torsos, and an ominous vibe. The publisher said, “Too bad, so sad!” when Leta and Keira argued, “This cover is really inappropriate for the book. It sets completely wrong expectations about what will be inside.” It can’t be stressed enough that Leta cried real tears over that cover. Hot, angry, sad tears.

(Leta’s first experience with dealing with a publishing house wasn’t very awesome. *ahem* This might have something to do with why she self-publishes now.)

Cue the passing of three years and the publisher finally gave Leta and Keira their rights back to this little story! (And the other stories in this series, too! The second tale, Rise, based on Jack & the Beanstalk, has been out since last spring. The third tale, Flight, based on The Twelve Dancing Princesses, will be re-released in October!) And it is with great joy that we announce the new (old) title and brilliant new cover for this sexy, silly, whimsical fairy tale!

May it live happily ever after!

THE END

Now Available

Cursed as an infant with a lack of physical and emotional gravity, Prince Efrosin can’t keep his feet on the ground or his head out of the clouds. Laughing his way through life, he’s never been weighed down by love and lust.
Then one fateful day, his tenuous tie to the earth is severed and he blows away on the wind. He’s rescued by Dmitri, a handsome young woodsman who suffers from a mysterious curse of his own, and the two strangers are irresistibly drawn together. Experiencing sex and love for the first time, they dive into a delightfully sensual and passionate affair.
But the evil witch who cursed them is planning her ultimate revenge. Efrosin and Dmitri must fight to find their fairy tale ending and live happily ever after.
Previously released in 2012 as Earthly Desires.

Available Now

“5+ Stars! This was such a fantastic, emotional rollercoaster read!” Review of Smoky Mountain Dreams #gay

“5+ Stars! This was such a fantastic, emotional rollercoaster read! It was sweet, sizzling hot and oh-so-perfectly angsty! I cried, I laughed, I drooled over the fabulous sex scenes especially the one in Jesse’s workshop office, damn I’m never going to look at pearls the same way again!, but above all, I fell in love with Jesse and Christopher, with Brigid and Will, with Jackie and Joe and their children, with Christopher’s gran and even with Gareth! They were all such well-rounded, tridimensional characters, with good and bad things and everything in between, making them so much realistic to me.”

via Amazon.com: Ana Cardenas’ review of Smoky Mountain Dreams.

Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON

B&N

SMASHWORDS

iTUNES

SCRIBD

OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

“I’m so glad I read this book! It totally blew me away!” Review: Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn

“In general, I don’t like to read religious themed books. All the guilt and hate (both self-loathing and hate directed at the MC’s) just makes my heart hurt. Sometimes, though, I feel compelled to make an exception, when it’s an author that I know I like and I am willing to take the chance. I’m so glad I read this book! Vespertine totally blew me away!”

Read more of Jewel at JesseWave’s Reviews.

BUY AT AMAZON

or

READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

“This was, at its heart, an amazing and raw love story.” Review: Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn #gayromance

“This was, at its heart, an amazing and raw love story. As is only fitting given the characters, there is a slow build to the sex, but when it hits the page, it was remarkable. This book kept me up into the night and it lingers in my mind days after it was done. I feel like Nicky and Jasper are there on their island, and I can’t help but wait to see the amazing journey their love is taking.

There is an excellent collection of secondary characters, and the plot is engaging and well paced.

Don’t miss this excellent read.”

Read more of this review at Watch & Word Society Romance Reviews. 

BUY AT AMAZON

or

READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

“Vespertine is a fantastic read! Marvelously done!” Review: Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn

“Vespertine is a fantastic, challenging read, the romance is emotional and passionate. The pacing is excellent, the dialogue authentic and Indra and Leta’s writing style is warm and smooth, it’s like painting pictures with words. Marvelously done!”

Read more of Tina’s review at Goodreads.

 

BUY AT AMAZON

or

READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

“This is an exceptional book, and I highly recommend it.” Review: Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn

“I was a hard sell on the topic of this book. But, little by little, Nicky and Jazz won me over. They were riveting, compelling characters, drawn with such confidence and empathy. They gave me goosebumps. They made me cry. They made me cheer.

This is an exceptional book, and I highly recommend it.”

Read more of Vanessa North’s review at Goodreads.

BUY AT AMAZON

or

READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

Thank you, Readers! Gratitude & Happiness! Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn #gay #mmromance

What exciting company to be in! Indra and I are absolutely thrilled! Thank you to all the readers out there who have purchased and read Vespertine. A book is nothing without readers and it brings us so much joy to know that you guys are out there buying and reading our months of hard work, dreaming, and research.

What a beautiful morning!

 

 

Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call? 

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

Guest Post, Excerpt, and Giveaway: The Vespertine Blog Tour with Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn

Leta Blake:

A giveaway opportunity and an excerpt from Vespertine! Check it out! :D

Originally posted on The Novel Approach :

Please join us in welcoming authors Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn today on their Vespertine blog tour. They’ve brought along a little tease from the book for your reading pleasure, and are also giving one lucky reader the chance to win an e-copy of a book from either of their backlists (**EXCLUDES Vespertine**). Just click on the Rafflecopter widget to enter.

Good luck!

So, an out gay priest, huh? Isn’t that impossible? While it isn’t common, it definitely happens and the Pope himself has said “Who am I to judge?” For example, a Catholic priest in Ireland came out to his congregation to a standing ovation (Source: Huffington Post), and others are following his example. The key, apparently, to remaining a priest is, as with a heterosexual priest, celibacy.

Researching the limits of priestly celibacy for this book was interesting. We discovered that, due to the correlation between…

View original 1,385 more words

Review: Vespertine by Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn

Leta Blake:

“This book blew me away. Blew. Me. Away. It was surprising in the best way. I don’t know why I was surprised, really…I’m a big fan of Leta Blake’s books; and Indra Vaughn, though I hadn’t read her work previously, definitely has some popular titles, but I had no idea this one would be this good. The blurb intrigued me; I just didn’t know how the authors were going to pull it off. I mean, he’s a priest, you guys. Ha! But, pull it off they did. Vespertine is beautiful, emotional, raw at times, funny at times, definitely sexy, and just a gorgeous, gorgeous love story.”

Read more at The Novel Approach! So happy with this lovely review!

Originally posted on The Novel Approach :

Amazon USTitle: Verspertine

Authors: Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn

Publisher: Self-Published

Pages/Word Count: 396 Pages

At a Glance: This book blew me away.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of…

View original 637 more words