Leta Blake's Blog, page 21

Book Review: The River Leith by Leta Blake | Awesome Book Assessment #gay #1click

“Good:

plot

characters

writing

romance

Less than perfect:

not much”

Book Review/Blog Tour: The River Leith by Leta Blake | Awesome Book AssessmentAwesome Book Assessment.

The River Leith is available now at:

AMAZON

B&N

SMASHWORDS

iTUNES

And now at KOBO.

Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.

Will a priest & a rock star obey love’s call? Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn. Coming Sept 2015.

Can a priest and a rockstar 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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25863430-vespertine

Guest Post and #Giveaway Training Complex by Leta Blake — Joyfully Jay

I’m over at Joyfully Jay’s with one of my most personal blog posts and three copies of Training Complex. Comment at Jay’s for a chance to win!

*

“*Trigger Warning for discussion of Mental Illness, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, and symptoms of such*

I can’t say it was unexpected when my husband said the words, “I want a divorce,” one summer day back in my late twenties. I was suffering from a severe, crippling, seemingly-endless depression that correlated with my Saturn Return.

I don’t talk much about my three-year long bout with depression anymore, not because I am ashamed, but because I’m a big believer in the power of stories and so Depression is no longer a story I want to tell about myself.

Speaking of stories, SPOILER ALERT FOR THIS ONE I’M TELLING YOU NOW, we did not get divorced.”

Read the rest of the story at Guest Post and Giveaway: Training Complex by Leta Blake — Joyfully Jay.

Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn! Coming September 10! #mm #goodreads

Can a priest and a rockstar 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.

Add on Goodreads.

“Well developed characters, strong emotions, and real-life decision making all combine to make this a book you won’t want to miss.” Review of Smoky Mountain Dreams #gay #amreading

“A beautiful story! Well developed characters, strong emotions, and real-life decision making all combine to make this a book you won’t want to miss. The background comes alive with vivid descriptions. The people and problems are true to life…you can see each character with amazing clarity, and the emotions are drawn out of every one! Do yourself a favor, when you buy this book and you really want to! give yourself the gift of the time to enjoy it with as few interruptions as possible. The story is gonna blow your socks off, and you’re not going to want to step out of the Smoky Mountains to deal with real life for a few hours. I’d write more, but I read this with a lot going on around me so I am going to go back and read it again…”

via Amazon.com: edith heaton’s 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.

Le Retour de Leith de Leta Blake — Et c’est tout bonnement magnifique — #gay #mm

Et voilà. Encore un coup de coeur pour moi. Je vous le dis, je crois que cette année va être  remplie de coups de coeur en matière de lecture.

Que dire si ce n’est que j’ai aimé cette histoire de bout en bout ? Leta Blake nous offre dans ce récit, un combat pour retrouver ce qui a été perdu. Et c’est tout bonnement magnifique.

— Laeletlo

 

La mémoire est tout.

Après une blessure sur le ring, le boxeur amateur Leith Wenz se réveille pour découvrir que ses plus récents souvenirs ont trois ans de retard. Déconnecté et luttant pour affronter sa nouvelle réalité, Leith doit de nouveau faire face à des révélations douloureuses sur sa famille. Son frère est là pour le soutenir mais c’est le visage familier de Zach, un homme qu’on lui présente comme son meilleur ami, qui lui fournit le calme dont il a besoin. Jusqu’à ce que la présence de Zach commence à attiser des sentiments que Leith ne peut pas expliquer.

Pour Zach, être oublié par son amant est atroce. Il cache soigneusement la vérité à Leith pour les protéger tous les deux d’une douleur supplémentaire. Son désarroi réprimé trouve un exutoire dans le vlogging – un blog qui utilise des vidéos numériques au lieu de texte – où il avoue ses craintes et sa douleur à un Internet sans visage. Mais quand Leith commence à s’ouvrir à lui, les choix de Zach reviennent le hanter.

Au bout du compte, Leith doit poser à son cœur les questions auxquelles sa mémoire ne peut plus répondre.

Voici tous les autres liens pour vous procurer Le Retour de Leith de Leta Blake

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Createspace pour la version papier 

Leta Blake Will Be Attending RainbowCon|July 16-19, 2015 – Celebrating Artistic Diversity!

I’m going to be attending Rainbow Con this July! If you’re in the Tampa area, come out and see me!

I’ll be sitting and speaking on the following panels:

Collaborations in Writing, Thursday, July 16, 2pm
Taboos in Fiction and Fandom, Friday, July 17, 11am
Tropes: Subverting, Averting, and Inverting, Friday, July 17, 4pm
Author Signing, Saturday, July 18, 10am

#ItsGonnaBeFun #BeThere #LoveIt

“Take a walk on the wild side!

The Second Annual Rainbow Conference (RainbowCon) is coming up this July at the Holiday Inn Westshore by Tampa International Airport in Florida. It’s an exciting event centered around QUILTBAG (Queer/Questioning, Undecided, Intersex, Lesbian, Trans*, Bisexual, Asexual, and Gay/Genderqueer) multimedia. This includes fiction, fanfiction, non-fiction, television, movies, stage, music, comics, fan art, and anything else involving QUILTBAG media. For 2015 and 2016, we’re being hosted by the lovely Holiday Inn Westshore in Tampa, Florida!”

via RainbowCon – Celebrating Artistic Diversity!.

Apple Reverses Policy After Taylor Swift Open Letter

Leta Blake:

She is growing up to be amazing.

Originally posted on TIME:

No more bad blood: Apple senior executive Eddy Cue announced on Twitter that Apple Music will pay artists during the service’s free, three-month trial period. The reversal of policy comes one day after Taylor Swift wrote an indictment of Apple Music on Tumblr titled “Dear Apple, Love Taylor.”

“We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists,” Cue wrote on Twitter. “Love, Apple.”

Apple will always make sure that artist are paid #iTunes#AppleMusic

— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015

#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period

— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015

We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple

— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015

On Sunday, Swift called out Apple in a widely circulated post that explained why her latest album, 1989, would not appear on Apple Music when it debuts on June 30.

“I find it to be…

View original 286 more words

Wild West, Boy Whores, More! — Interview re: A Hard Ride Home by Emory Vargas #mmromance #amreading

I’m excited to have Emory Vargas on my blog today talking about her gay Western, A Hard Ride Home! She’ll be answering questions about researching boy whores, hurt/comfort, and the Wild West. Check out her interview and her book!

It’s hard enough returning to his birthplace to replace a dead man as sheriff. The last thing Emmett needs is to find himself smitten with Jesse, the whore he arrests almost immediately upon arrival. Especially since Jesse works for his half-sister and at her thoroughly disreputable saloon.
But being smitten with a whore is only the beginning of Emmett’s troubles. Silver Creek is a town full of secrets and people too terrified to talk. Why does Emmett’s father, the mayor of Silver Creek, have such a strong hold on the town—and on Jesse?

1) Let’s talk about the setting for A Hard Ride Home. The Wild West is always an exciting place to set a story. Did you do much research into the setting or did you rely on the Westerns of movies and books for your inspiration?

As a young teen, I became obsessed with Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove book series and with the less historically accurate but highly entertaining film Tombstone, about Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp. Both stories feature loving male friendships at the core. Both of those settings served as a foundation for A Hard Ride Home, but I spent a great deal of time researching for this book. I didn’t want to use a realistic setting, but I wanted to capture the language and feel of the Wild West. I barely scratched the surface when it comes to historic Western slang. The language of that time period was absolutely fascinating, and so very descriptive.

2) I noticed that there isn’t any/much homophobia in A Hard Ride Home. Jesse, the town’s boy whore, is universally loved, and no one seems to look askance at his existence. Yet, it doesn’t seem entirely free of homophobia because the other MC, Emmett, seems a little ashamed of his sexual attraction and others also seem a little skeptical of it. Did you purposely walk a line there or did it just come out that way?

I wanted to tell a love story about the Wild West without the conflict of historically-accurate homophobia. (This story has plenty of conflict as it is.) I deliberately strayed from many of the cultural norms of the time while drawing inspiration from true stories of cowboy love and unabashed affection between men in that time period.

3) Let’s talk about Jesse! He’s a boy whore in a predominantly female whorehouse in a small town in the Wild West. Was this a common occurrence historically? Obviously, male prostitution is as old as the ages, but did small town whorehouses regularly provide boys for outlets? Or did you take some liberties with that in terms of history?

I took a lot of liberties — the biggest being the fact that despite the conflict with Warren Grady, the Weeping Willow is a pretty positive place. (All things considered.) Sex work can be a very sobering subject, especially in a historic context. I deliberately created a world where these young sex workers feel somewhat empowered. It’s not a fluffy happy whorehouse, but it isn’t a terrible place either. Along those lines, I slipped Jesse into that world as if gay male prostitutes were just as socially acceptable as female prostitutes. The reality of male prostitution in the Wild West was much more grim.

4) There’s a great deal of hurt/comfort in the book. A historical Wild West story seems the perfect place for that trope and you do it well! What was your favorite part of writing the hurt/comfort? The hurting? Or the comforting?

Thank you! My favorite part of hurt/comfort, as a writer and a reader, is the emotional state of the person who is worrying and comforting. It gets me right in the gut.

Wait, I also like tapping into the raw emotion of a character in distress.

I may be a bit of a hurt/comfort junkie.

Jesse’s pain — emotional and otherwise — is a huge element of this story, and that’s due to me writing what I enjoy reading. I’ve always preferred stories with some action and peril and elements of danger. In the context of a relationship, danger creates a sense of urgency and desperation that I find as satisfying as and sex scenes. I’m attracted to characters who remain resilient and retain a grim sense of humor in the face of intense trials. Jesse embodies that for me. (Sorry, Jesse.)

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BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Less Than Three Press

HOT & DIRTY Deleted Sex Scene and Giveaway: Training Complex by Leta Blake — Joyfully Jay #amreading #gay

“From Jay: This is behind a spoiler tag because OMG you guys, this is HOT and DIRTY! It is NSFW and not for under 18. Enjoy, you dirty boys and girls…”

Click on through to read the deleted scene on Jay’s blog!

via Guest Post and Giveaway: Training Complex by Leta Blake — Joyfully Jay.