Andrew Q. Gordon's Blog, page 55

December Holiday Blog Event.

As ‘lil q gets older, she’s understanding more of what goes on around her. Right now Christmas isn’t anything to her, but as witnessed by her getting her classmates to sing happy birthday to her six weeks after her birthday, she obviously has the ability to comprehend holidays and special occasions.

I wanted to do something to celebrate the holiday on my site, but rather than put up 25 holiday posts from me, I’ve asked a group of people to contribute something instead. The only common theme for all of these posts will be they all come from parents. Not gay parents or parents of gay children, just parents. They’re will be gay parents, straight parents, parents with gay kids and straight kids, some with transgendered and some from grandparents.  Some are Christians, some Jewish, some pagan and something none of the above. My hope was to get a diverse group of people to contribute.

I’ve not seen most of the posts yet, so I’m anxious to see what I get.  As the end of each post, I’ll let you know who’s next. I’ve asked people if they have a favorite holiday song to include with a link.

Since this was my idea, I’ll start the event tomorrow.

Comments are welcomed and encouraged.

-AQG

Guest Author – Cate Ashwood

New mother to be – and very busy and ambitious author – Cate Ashwood stops by today. Cate wrote one of my favorite books of the year – Keeping Sweets and followed that up by not just one book, but a three book series, the first of which – Brokenhearted came out a couple weeks ago.  Cate’s here to talk about her new book, writing and even a bit about herself.

Guest Author – Cate Ashwood:
Welcome Cate. This has been quite a year for you. Your first novel Keeping Sweets–which I loved–was released this year, you went to GRL in October and now you’ve got another book that just came out Friday. How much of a learning experience was that?

So much! When I started out, I really had no idea what I was doing. I’d read a couple thousand books, but had never tried writing one. I sat down and wrote and was too scared to let anyone read it, then sent it in, with no clue what would come next.

The publishing process alone has been an incredible learning experience for me. I had no idea how it all worked. There was a lot of Googling that went on this year as I was trying to figure out the whole process.

The second time around, I was much more confident in what I was doing. I had actual beta readers and got feedback before and during my submission. I really think that my writing has improved and I am pretty proud of this series.

Talk about attending GRL for the first time.

It was an absolutely incredible experience! I’ll be honest, the first day I was there, I wasn’t sure if I would be going back next year. It was very overwhelming. There were hundreds of people and they all seemed to know each other. And then we had our Supporting Author signing (which was a very surreal experience). People walked up to me who had read my book. Of course logically I knew that a few people had read it, but to actually have someone tell you that they loved what you’d written? It’s a very heady experience. That was the first highlight. From there, I attended the Q&A sessions, which were so amazing. There were authors there whose work I had been reading since I discovered m/m and they were so down to earth and friendly.

One of the best parts of the whole weekend was getting to meet so many of the people I have become such good friends with online. I may have even cried once or twice, I was so happy and so overwhelmed (in a very good way).

By the end of the conference I had met so many people and had so many wonderful experiences, I can’t wait to go back next year (even if I do have a four-month-old baby in tow!)

Ha! We’ll see. I had grand aspirations of what I’d be able to do once ‘lil q was born. You may need to wait a year or two.

You’ve newest novel–Brokenhearted–was released on Friday. Did it feel different than when Keeping Sweets came out?

I think I was even more nervous for this release than with Keeping Sweets. With Sweets, I kind of assumed that no one would actually read it. But to my surprise, it did pretty well. With Brokenhearted, I let my insecurities get the better of me. I felt a lot of pressure in the days before it came out. I was worried that people would read it and think I was a one-hit wonder. But the night it came out, the excitement level was the same. I think I’ll always be this excited when a new book comes out.

The cover art for this book was stunning.  What was your reaction when you got the final draft?

Thank you so much. I was beyond thrilled with what Aaron Anderson made for me. He captured exactly what I wanted and I’ve gotten some really great feedback on the cover.

Okay, let’s talk specifics; tell us a bit more about Brokenhearted.
Where did the inspiration come from for these characters?

Brokenhearted has been floating around in my head for a long time. Long enough that I don’t really remember where the original idea came from. The story started out as contemporary fiction. It wasn’t supposed to be m/m or even romance at all. The story started with Maggie, the sister. I knew I wanted a story that revolved around family. Originally, the story was about two women, but I stalled out after the first page. Something about it was just off. After a break, I came back to it, changed the main character to Oliver and added Mack. I knew I wanted a kind of rough-around the edges chef and an alpha sheriff.

Your book is set in the Maine, that’s a long way from Vancouver, British Columbia. How did you come up with the setting?

I knew I wanted the story set in a very small town on the coast. Sweets was set in Oregon, so I thought a change of scene would be good; I chose the East Coast. I hope it comes across as authentic, because I’ve never been to Maine, but I have always wanted to go.

The setting was incredibly important to me though, not necessarily geographically where it was, but the feeling of the town. Hope Cove feels like one of my characters to me. It has its own personality.

Your main characters seem to share a common link – little or no family. Is there something special about that for you?

I think because family is such an important part of my life. My parents and my sister and I are incredibly close (almost unhealthily so). And when my husband and I first started dating, it was one of the first things we discussed. For both of us, family comes first and if the other person hadn’t felt the same, it would have been a deal breaker for both of us.

So I suppose that when I’m creating a character, and I want to try to break that person, it makes sense to me to take away their family. It’s one of the worst things I can fathom.

Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?

One of the things I love best about this book is the secondary characters. Declan gets his own story in Book 2 and Haydn gets his in Book 3, but there is a kid who is a budding scientist that I love. And Maggie, although she dies before the story begins, is a very powerful character for me. I wanted the reader to be able to get to know her, so I included her diary entries in the book. That was one of the most fun parts of writing the book for me. It definitely brought back some “Dear Diary” memories of my own!

Have you ever based characters on anyone you know?

Oh God no! I would be terrified they would read the book and see themselves in it. That being said, I have borrowed little details from real life. The omelet that Oliver makes for Mack at the beginning of the book is my sister’s favourite from a little restaurant called Sarabeth’s in New York and the trip up the coast that Evan takes with Bran in Keeping Sweets is a trip I’ve made with my husband every year since we started dating.

What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

I have to pick just one? I guess it all goes back to the characters for me. I love creating the characters, and I love writing the beginning of the novel when you’re just getting to know them. I feel like I’m meeting them for the first time too. It’s exciting.

What’s your least favorite?

I don’t really have a least favourite… even the stuff that I hate (like writing blurbs and synopses) I really love. The most difficult for me is the sex scenes. I can’t even really tell you why, I just have a hard time with them. It takes me three times longer to get through a sex scene than any other type of scene.

Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?

Too much! If I had another 48 hours in my day, every day, I might get them all written. The next two books in the Hope Cove series are coming out soon—Book 2 on December 9th and Book 3 January 6th. 

I have a book Skylar M. Cates and I have co-authored called Five Ways a Boy can Break Your Heart that is due to hit the shelves sometime in February as well. That one was so much fun to write.

On my WIP list is the sequel to Keeping Sweets (Colt’s story), I have a couple of New Adult books planned, one of which is a paranormal. I’ve never done paranormal before, so we’ll see how that one pans out. It may never see the light of day.

I also have a five book series planned out (and partially written) that follows emergency service personnel: paramedics, cops, ER nurses, and social workers. So far I’m really excited about it. EMTs are what drew me to m/m romance in the first place, so it’s nice to be writing about them.

On top of that, I have a few more co-authoring projects planned, one with Skylar, one with F.E. Feeley and a third with Raine O’Tierney.

It’s going to be a busy year, but I am really looking forward to it!

Year? You forgot about a certain wee little one that’s coming.  This sounds like a bit more than a year’s project.  :)

What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?

I read Carter Quinn’s Out of the Blackness a few weeks ago, and I fell in love with his characters. I cried six or seven times in the first two chapters, but the heartbreak was totally worth it. Definitely worth reading.

Besides that one, I am fortunate enough to beta read for a few very talented authors and I’ve gotten some sneak peeks at what is coming out soon, and there are some really amazing stories hitting the shelves in the next few months.

Skylar M. Cates’s Guy from Glamour is worth picking up for sure. It’s beautifully written and has strong familial elements (which is always a plus for me), and the characters just pull at you.

LJ LaBarthe’s Archangel Series is fantastic. I honestly don’t know how she does it. There are multiple storylines all woven together and nothing is left out. There are about a million characters and all of them are defined and distinct. Liam and Baxter are my favourite and she finally sent me their book to read. It’s awesome.

Will Parkinson and K.C. Wells have the next installment of the Collars and Cuffs Series coming soon—Someone to Keep Me. I love this story. LOVE. These two authors have a real talent for absolutely destroying their characters before building them back up and piecing them back together. It’s not something you’ll want to miss.

F.E. Feeley’s novel Objects in the Rearview Mirror is another great one. It has paranormal elements, but the heart of the story is one of heartbreak and healing. It’s really wonderful.

If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

I think I may have almost met my quota of meeting favourite authors this year after GRL, but there are still a list of people I would love to meet. I’m so looking forward to eventually meeting those that I wasn’t able to this year at GRL. There are a handful of authors I speak to almost daily that I still haven’t had the chance to meet in person.

What’s a fun – non-writing – day for you?

This might be a little bit cheesy, but usually twice or three times a month, my husband and I have a date day. He works a lot and away from home, so he’s only home around 6-8 days a month. When he’s here, we go out for dinner and catch a movie together. It’s simple, but one of my favourite things to do.

Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?

Does editing count? I love beta reading. I know it’s related to reading and writing, but it’s one of my favourite things. I love being able to give a writer feedback on what they’ve written, and getting sneak peeks at upcoming books isn’t too shabby either!

Thanks for being my guest, now it’s time to plug your work.

Blurb:

Oliver Parrish has been alone in the world since he was born. So when Sheriff Owen “Mack” Macklin shows up on his doorstep to deliver the news that Oliver’s sister has died, he’s beyond surprised. Still, Oliver returns with Mack to Hope Cove, Maine, hoping to get to know the sister he never knew he had. As he tries to snap these new elements into his solitary life, he’s not sure how they might fit.

His life is shaken up further as he falls in love with the irresistible town of Hope Cove, and with Mack, its equally irresistible sheriff. But when he receives devastating news about his sister’s cause of death, Oliver doesn’t know whether to stay and fight for love and a good life, or cut his losses and run.

Buy Link:

Ebook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4358

Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4359

Excerpt:

He turned to see Mack walk into the kitchen.

Oliver snickered. “I could have brought it out to you.”

Mack shrugged. “There’s something about eating it right from the dish that makes it taste so much better.”

He opened the cutlery drawer and pulled out a dessert fork. He walked over to Oliver, and reached around him to spear some perfectly softened apple and flaky crust. He was close again… too close. His body was less than an inch from pressing against Oliver’s.

Using his other hand to catch crumbs he offered Oliver the first bite, bringing the fork to his lips. Oliver looked at Mack. There was a dark hunger in his eyes. Oliver couldn’t breathe. He obediently opened up, wrapping his lips around the fork and doing his best not to choke on the bite of pie.

“Good?” Mack asked. His voice was low and gravelly. Oliver didn’t trust his own. He nodded.

Mack reached around him again, this time bringing the forkful to his own mouth. He moaned low. “So fucking good.”

Oliver stood mesmerized, held against the counter by Mack’s larger frame, pinned in place by the hunger simmering in his eyes. Mack placed the fork on the counter and tipped Oliver’s chin up to look at him.

“Most beautiful fucking gray eyes….” Mack trailed off. Oliver swallowed hard, and then Mack’s mouth was on his, pressing firmly against him, claiming him. The kiss was hard and punishing, demanding his submission. Rough stubble abraded sensitive skin as Mack licked against the seam of Oliver’s lips. Oliver opened to him willingly, kissing him back with complete recklessness. He had wanted this from the moment he had seen the handsome sheriff on his doorstep.

Mack moved closer, eliminating the margin of space that had existed between them. Their bodies were flush together, Mack grinding his hips against Oliver’s, Oliver melting against him as they kissed.

He could feel how hot, how hard Mack was. His hands were moving, pushed up under Oliver’s shirt, tracing along the smooth skin of his back, wandering to his sides. Then they were gone, pushing the dishes to the side before he grabbed Oliver, lifting him and dropping him down on the counter with force. His mouth never stopped moving, kissing, claiming him. His right hand lifted, carding through Oliver’s hair, pulling him closer, anchoring their mouths together.

They kissed for what felt like an eternity. The moment of hesitation that Oliver had experienced was barely a distant memory as Mack kissed him into oblivion. They broke apart, gasping to catch their breath. Oliver looked at Mack, his lips swollen and pink, his pupils dilated. They stayed like that, just staring at one another with looks of awe mirrored on their faces. Oliver’s cock was straining painfully against the fabric of his jeans, and if the ridge in Mack’s was anything to go by, he was feeling the same.

Fuck, he was turned on.

Mack moved toward him again, but Oliver’s conscience returned from its brief vacation and he pulled back.

Mack stepped away. The cool air of the kitchen moved between them, chilling the heated air they had created.

Oliver’s gaze trained on the floor. He couldn’t look. Couldn’t bring himself to watch the expression on Mack’s face. Whether it was one of disgust, confusion, or desire, Oliver couldn’t handle it.

“It’s getting late. I should get to bed,” he said, almost inaudibly.

“Oh… yeah… uh…. Sure, yeah. G’night, man.”

Oliver waited until he heard Mack’s bedroom door close before he hopped off the counter and escaped to his own room.

He collapsed on the bed and lay back. His heart still hadn’t slowed, and now his mind was racing, trying to catch up. What the fuck had just happened? Through Oliver’s muddled memory, he seemed to recall Mack initiating the kiss. He had, right?

It just didn’t make any sense. Oliver tried to remember what Mack had said right before, but all he could remember was the heat of Mack’s body, the intoxicating smell of his skin. Was it something about his eyes? Yeah. Something about gray eyes. Fuck. Maggie had had gray eyes.

Suddenly everything seemed to click into place. He missed Maggie. He loved Maggie. In some convoluted way, Oliver had become a second rate stand-in for the girl he had lost.

The realization left Oliver feeling cold and empty.

Bio:

Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.

Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.cateashwood.com

Blog: http://cateashwood.blogspot.ca/

E-mail: cateashwood@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cate.ashwood

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cateashwood

What I’m Thankful For

I’m not usually the overly sentiment type, but as I sat at breakfast with ‘lil q I realized what a great year it had been.  Aside from watching ‘lil q grow up and amaze me almost every day, I have a lot to be thankful for.  Not necessarily in chronological order:

We’ve got an amazing family – on both sides – who are not just accepting. Our family has treated no differently than any other. They’ve been there for us every step of the way.

Aunt Lorraine, Papa, me, Grandpa and Grandma

Mike and I got married in front of our friends and family.

My brother, me, ‘lil q, Mike and my dad.

My mother was declared cancer free in December and was able to come celebrate Christmas with us in our house.

Clearly the women in the family got all the looks, Grandma.

‘lil q has all four of her grandparents who she adores:

if I sit here and behave, do I get more presents, Grandma & Grandpa?

Okay, so a few more pictures won’t hurt me.

We took our first family vacation – we even got to take Emma.

Our little family.

‘lil q had surgery – about as minor as it could be, but we still worried,

What the heck just happened?

But she came through with flying colors and we had ice cream later that day:

Ice cream makes everything better, Papa!

We had birthdays, Easter, Mother’s day and Father’s day.

I had my first two books published on my own:

I’ve made many new friends through writing – too many to mention, (and I’d forget a few if I tried) but ‘lil q and I even got to meet a few in person:

Everyone minus ‘lil q and me.

‘lil q has started to develop from a baby to a little girl, going from crawling and barely talking to being bossy and sassy [okay so maybe I'm not totally thankful for the bossy and sassy.]

Seeing ‘lil q grow up has reminded me that there are so many little things that can be fun if I just let them.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and may we all find new – and old – things to be thankful for in the year to come.

-AQG

Wednesday Briefs – A New Beginning – 7

A New Beginning – 7

Nothing. It didn’t totally surprise me, but I had hoped for more.

“Have you come for vengeance?”

He made my skin itch. I supposed he perfected the skill over a lifetime of using people. Still. It made me almost long for Gar’s detachment so I could smack him hard enough to permanently wipe the smirk off his face. But I could at least pretend.

“No. Had I come for that I’d have broken a few bones and made you suffer before I revealed myself to you.”

His bravado waned as his pulse rate spiked. For all his talk, he had the same fears as everyone.

“I came to speak to you about Daniel Griffin’s disappearance.” I could feel his emotions boil as I spoke the name.

“I had nothing to do with that.”

“I know that.” Given the level of surveillance they had on him, I’d have been more surprised had I found a connection in his mind. But there had been hope. “But I’m sure you have some idea who might.”

I raised an eyebrow, as much for what I saw in his mind as for effect. When he laughed – not the reaction I expected – it took an effort not to visibly show my surprise.

“That’s unbelievable. You think I’m going to help you find Griffin?  You two are the reason I got shit canned by the bureau.  I almost went to jail for life because of you two and now you want my help? Go torment someone else.”

Before he could react, I grabbed a handful of shirt and hoisted him off the ground. Despite the common perception film and television leaves people with, being held in the air by your shirt is painful. The fabric digs into the only place it can; the soft tissue under the arms.

“Your recklessness is what got you fired, not Daniel Griffin. The only thing you cared about was catching me. Everyone else was acceptable collateral damage.” I twisted his shirt tighter. “I don’t give a damn about what you want. You are going to help me.”

He began the motion to spit in my face, but I took control of his nervous system before he could complete the act. When the reality of what happened sunk in, his eyes went a fraction wider.

Giving him my best sadistic grin, something I’d perfected over nearly four decades of avenging the innocent I tossed him back against the cushions. Both his guns flopped around and one landed on the floor. “Didn’t Mother Barrington teach you that spitting is a disgusting act?”

He rubbed his armpits and glared at me. If he could have harnessed the venom in his stare he might have killed even me.

“You’re supposed to be a spirit that can read minds, why do you need my help? Just find your answers and leave me alone.”

The resignation in his voice told me more than the words. He knew too much, had angered the wrong people. Being acquitted hadn’t been a victory for him, only a reprieve.

“They don’t know I’m here.”

“What?”

“The people watching you, they don’t know I’m here. They can’t see me and I’ve neutralized their listening devices.” I let my words registered before I continued. “As far as they know, I’m not even in the area.”

“So?” He had a good poker face, but not as good as mine.

“Agent, I can help you if you help me.”

“Why should I believe you’d help me?” He cautiously leaned over and reached for the 9mm Beretta on the floor. When I didn’t move to stop him, he grabbed the weapon and set it on the cushion next to him. “The last time you spoke to me, you threatened to exact vengeance for the death of your boyfriend. Now I’m supposed to believe that if I help you, you’re willing to forgive and forget? Whatever.”

As much as I disliked the man, his skepticism was to his credit. If he’d leapt to accept my offer, he’d have been a fool. Right now I needed a seasoned pro, not a court jester.

“There are several things you need to know about me. Despite your disbelief, I am a spirit. I’ve been alive since before men grunted to communicate with each other.”

“Right, and what about Leon.” He raised an eyebrow. “What? You didn’t think we knew about the other of your kind?”

“Leon is not one of my kind.” I’d known from my first encounter with the director that the FBI had found Leon’s body. My lack of reaction shook Barrington’s confidence. “He was a human who proved useful to me, nothing more. When he’d outlived his purpose, I let him die.”

“You’re a real Mother Teresa, you know that? He shook his head and stared at his feet. “So my choices are; help you until I’m no further use to you – at which point you’ll kill me or let me die, or, I can refuse and you’ll take vengeance on me. Helluva choice.”

“The third option is you can help me and in exchange I get the Director to call off the dogs.”

“Right and I’ve got a bridge to sell you.” He racked his handgun and set it down. “Why do you need my help anyway? Thought you read minds.”

“I can only read the thoughts you have. Your instincts and ideas are only available to me once you have them.”

“So you need me to be your human computer. Fuck off. You and Griffin.”

The urge to grab him again and throw him against the wall nearly overwhelmed me when a stray thought calm my irritation. Smirking, I moved until I stood in front of him. “Yes, Barrington, I can do even that.”

“What…how….” For the first since we met, he finally believed I could read his mind. “Fine, put your money where your mouth is and prove it.”

“Help me find Griffin, and I will.”

Be Sure To Check Out The Briefs Of These Other Flashers:

JC Wallace

Nephylim 

MA Church

A.R. Von

Elyzabeth VaLey  

Shelly Schulz

Rob Colton

Chris T. Kat

Cia Nordwell

Jon Keys

Tali Spencer

Renee Stevens

Julie Lynn Hayes

Victoria Adams

Lily Sawyer 

Grace Duncan

 

Guest Author: Shira Anthony – Blue Notes Holiday ’13 Blog Tour and Giveaway

It’s Too Easy to Forget

Thank you Andrew, for hosting the Blue Notes Holiday 2013 Blog Tour!  I’m celebrating the release of Encore, the fifth installment in the Blue Notes Series, as well as the upcoming release of the first holiday novella in the series, Symphony inBlue.  Symphony in Blue is also my 10th Dreamspinner Press release, so even more reason for me to be jumping up and down like a complete fool!  To celebrate, I’m running a contest with some super prizes, including a brand-new Kindle e-reader loaded with ebooks.  Check the end of the post for the link to Rafflecopter app.  You can enter more than once, and there are lots of ways to enter.  The contest ends on New Year’s Eve!

Encore, and the Blue Notes Series in general, are loosely based upon my own experiences as a professional musician and upon the men and women I met during my career as an opera singer.  In so many ways, the characters in Blue Notes are a part of me.  More than any other book, Encore, captures a part of my life and a time in history that is very personal to me.  Raw, even, at times.

The main characters in Encore, conductor John Fuchs and violinist Roger Nelson, meet in high school.  And although they’re a few years old than I am, their high school years in Toledo, Ohio, are very much like my own experiences in Cleveland, not all that far away.  With a few key differences.  Roger loses his only brother in Vietnam, a tragedy that remains with him throughout his life.  He struggles to be the son his parents want him to be: a replacement for his brother.  The perfect son.  And he sacrifices his own happiness to be that son.

The 1970s were a much different time.  Now, we hear about the fight for marriage equality on the news, in rap songs, on the internet.  In 1972, when Roger and John first meet, nobody was talking marriage equality.  They were talking about perverts, fags, or even “fluters,” as John’s father calls gay men when there’s a report about the Stonewall riots on television.  John knows he can’t be anything but who he is, although he is definitely closeted in high school.  For Roger, who is trying to take his brother’s place in his parent’s hearts, homosexuality isn’t even on the radar.  When he falls hard for John, he has no clue whatsoever what to do about it.  He says he doesn’t care what people think about his homosexuality, but the truth is really the opposite.

It’s far too easy to forget what life was like back then.  When Roger leaves John without an explanation, it’s easy for those of us who didn’t live through that time to blame him.  Why didn’t he talk to John about his feelings?  Why, if he says he loves John, can’t he admit that he can’t handle things?  Back in the early 1970s, most of the men I knew didn’t discuss their likes and dislikes, let alone their feelings.  To say, “I can’t handle the pressure of family and friends,” or “I can’t handle a gay relationship,” was so foreign, it could have been a different language.  True, even today, many men still have a difficult time expressing themselves, but in the 1970s?

It takes Roger more than thirty years to figure things out.   And when he does, he starts by admitting the truth to John.  Not that John didn’t already know the truth.  But it’s the start both men need to rebuild their relationship in the context of the modern world.  It’s still not an easy thing for Roger, but with John’s help, Roger finally finds his measure of happiness.

Roger and John are based on real men in my own life.  Men who had no role models for gay relationships, let alone what we consider “healthy” relationships.  Men who persevered through the epithets, the gay bashings, and the in-your-face hatred.  Roger and John become the foundation for the next generation of musicians in the Blue Notes series, and they become mentors and role models for them, as well.

We’ve come so far.  Not far enough, but sometimes it helps to put things in perspective.  For me, writing Encore was more than just a trip down memory lane, it was a reminder that we owe men like Roger and John a debt of gratitude. –Shira

Excerpt:

Roger watched the snow fall outside the window of his apartment before glancing over at the clock. It was nearly 9:00 p.m., and John should have arrived an hour before.

“Promise me you won’t come if the snow gets too bad. You know how I-23 can get,” he’d told John that morning over the phone.

“I’ll be fine,” John had reassured him. “With the opera rehearsal schedule and Professor Menard’s vocal performance class, I’d never get to see you if I waited for perfect weather.”

Now, an hour after John was supposed to be here, Roger was pacing the apartment. Worrying. Imagining John’s car somewhere in a ditch. Or worse.

He pulled a beer out of the fridge, popped the top, and resumed his pacing. Ten minutes later, the phone rang.

“Hello!” he practically barked into the handset.

“Roger?”

“Oh, hey, Mom.” Fuck. “How’re you doing?”

“Fine.” She paused, and Roger tried to think of something to get her off the phone. If John needed to get a hold of him, he didn’t want him to get a busy signal. “I’m surprised you’re around on a Saturday night. You usually aren’t.”

“I’ve got an exam on Monday,” he lied. “I can’t talk long.”

“No, of course. I wouldn’t want to keep you from it.” She’d been thrilled when he’d told her he planned on finishing school in three years. He hadn’t told her he planned on moving to New York, where John had already been accepted to do his master’s in conducting at Juilliard.

“Thanks, Mom.” Roger pushed back the curtain on the window in the kitchen with his foot—the long telephone cord didn’t go quite that far. From here, he could see the parking lot. A blanket of white covered the stripes on the asphalt. No John.

“… aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were coming over on Monday for dinner.” She sounded irritated.

“Oh, yeah. Right. Sure. I’ll be there.” He had to get her off the phone. “Look, Mom. I gotta get back to studying. I’ll see you Monday, okay?”

“Are you sure everything is all right, dear?”

“It’s great, Mom. I really need to go.”

Her huff was audible through the handset. “Of course.”

“Bye.”

He hung up the phone before she could say anything more, and opened the drapes a bit farther. There had to be at least six inches of snow outside. He pressed his nose against the cold glass like he had when he’d been a kid, then closed his eyes. A moment later, the buzzer to the apartment sounded.

Thank God!

Roger scrambled over to the door and opened it to find a disheveled John smiling back at him. “Had to ditch the car over by the Woolworth’s. Forgot my keys. The ploughs haven’t made it this far yet—”

Roger grabbed John and pulled him inside. He was soaking wet, his shoulder-length hair curled at the ends, but Roger didn’t care. He drew John against him, wrapped his arms around his shoulders, and just held him.

“You okay?” John’s voice sounded muffled against Roger’s cheek.

“I am now.”

“Can I take this backpack off?” John asked with a soft laugh. “It’s a little heavy.”

“Oh. Shit. Sorry.” Roger grabbed the pack off John’s shoulders and kicked the door shut behind them.

“You were worried about me.” Not a question, and the way the edges of John’s mouth edged upward, Roger could tell he was teasing.

Roger was tempted to lie, but he was so relieved, he just sighed and said, “Yeah.”

John stared at him in surprise. “You really were worried.”

“Fuck, John, I—”

John kissed him. He tasted of snow and Coca-Cola. Roger closed his eyes as their tongues skirted each other in a now-familiar dance. God, he loved John! More than he could get up the nerve to admit.

For two years they’d stolen every moment they could, working around John’s busy schedule and Roger’s mother. Miranda suspected something. Roger was sure of it. She’d even shown up at the apartment early in the morning on the weekend. John said he was sure she was trying to catch them together. It made things a bit more difficult, but they’d worked it out. John stored his things under the bed, and the bedroom closet was big enough that he could slip inside and hide. They’d left a few pillows behind Roger’s clothing, as well as a flashlight and a few books.

“Don’t worry about it,” John had said the first time he’d hidden there. They both knew Roger needed his parents to pay tuition—at least they hadn’t threatened to stop when Roger announced he was getting his own apartment. “It’s just for a little while.”

Roger came back to himself and realized John was shivering. “Shit, John. You’re freezing your ass off.” He took John by the hand and led him into the bedroom. In the light, John’s cheeks looked pink in contrast to his pale skin. Roger unzipped John’s wet jacket and pushed it off his shoulders. “Stay right there,” he said before stepping into the bathroom to retrieve a towel.

John smiled as Roger dried his face and hair. “Feels good. I like it when you fuss over me.”

Roger’s cheeks heated. “Your pants are soaked,” he said in an effort to mask his embarrassment. He reached for John’s belt, undid the buckle, and unbuttoned the waist of John’s pants. The room was silent except for the sound of the zipper and Roger’s heart pounding in his ears. His hands shook as he pulled John’s pants down—he still hadn’t quite moved past the sinking feeling in his gut that had lodged itself there when he’d worried something had happened to John. He could handle a lot, but the thought of losing John terrified him.

“Are you okay?” John was studying him with a strange expression.

“Yeah.” I am now.

Roger focused on helping John step out of the cold, damp pants. He knew if he met John’s gaze, everything he felt would be obvious. It wasn’t just that he was embarrassed. What he felt was something he’d only begun to understand: vulnerability. The feeling you get when you realize your entire world would come to a screeching halt if the certain someone in your life were to vanish.

John shivered again.

“Get under the covers. I’ll be there in a minute.” Roger watched John pull the warm comforter over himself as he got undressed. He joined John underneath and skated his palms over John’s cold thighs until they warmed to his touch.

“Feels good.”

“You’re still cold.” Roger wrapped his body around John’s and held him. John’s skin was slightly damp against his own.

“I’m fine.” John tucked his chin into the space between Roger’s neck and shoulder. “Really.”

Roger just held him tighter.

“Roger?”

“Hmm?”

“You okay?” John pulled away a bit and looked at him with obvious concern.

“Yeah.”

“Talk to me, Roger. What’s up?”

It was Roger’s turn to shiver. “I told you. I was just a little worried.”

“About me?” John reached for Roger’s face and pulled it gently so that Roger had no choice but to look at him.

“Yeah.” He didn’t want to talk about this. He just wanted to hold John and reassure himself John was safe. He looked away again.

“Hey.” John rolled onto his side so his face was next to Roger’s. “You can tell me, you know. I’m not going to laugh or anything.”

“I know.” Roger hesitated another moment, then said, “It’s just that I feel like an idiot.”

“Worrying about me doesn’t make you an idiot.” John leaned in and kissed Roger’s nose. “It makes me feel good.”

Roger’s breath stuttered. “I kept thinking back to that night… the accident. I kept imagining you in a ditch somewhere. Hurt…. Shit.” He grabbed John and buried his face in his chest. “I dream about that night sometimes, except in my dreams, you’re….” He clenched his jaw and blinked back tears. He’d had a lot of those dreams—nightmares, really—since John had started driving down from Ann Arbor to stay with him. He dreamed he woke up in the hospital and instead of John being all right, the doctor told him they’d done everything they could, and then he was standing in front of a headstone and he knew, he just knew whose headstone it was.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” Roger whispered. “I’d lose my mind. I love you so fucking much, I don’t know what I’d do.” It took him a moment to realize what he’d just said.

John leaned over and kissed him again, this time on the lips. In the semidarkness, Roger saw John’s eyes sparkle. The edges of his mouth curved upward in a tentative smile as the kiss broke. “You love me?” he asked.

Roger could only nod.

“Thank God. Because I don’t know what I’d do if I was the only one who felt like that.”

“You love me too.” He said the words as though he didn’t believe them.

“Always, Roger.”

Blue Notes Series Holiday 2013 Giveaway:

Begins on release day for “Encore,” November 11, 2013
Ends on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2013, at midnight
Drawings are open to both U.S. readers and international readers, but physical prizes (Kindle, necklace, book, and t-shirt) are for U.S. readers only. I will award a virtual set of the first 4 Blue Notes Series books to one winner from outside the U.S.
Prizes (U.S. Only):

Grand Prize: A Kindle loaded with the first 4 Blue Notes Series books and some of my other back titles
1st Place: A sterling silver music themed necklace
2nd Place: Winner’s choice of one of my back titles in paperback (i.e., not including the 2 new releases)
3rd Place: Blue Notes t-shirt, cover of the winner’s choice



a Rafflecopter giveaway
Buy Links: 
Encore:
Symphony in Blue:

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Blog Stops Currently Scheduled (with hyperlinks):

November 11th (release day – Encore):  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words (Melanie Marshall)

November 12th: Live Your Life, Buy the Book

November 14th: Michael Rupured’s Blog

November 15th: Joyfully Jay (Blue Notes Cover Art – Interviews with the Artists)

November 18th: Elin Gregory’s blog

November 22nd: Aisling Mancy’s blog

November 26th: Andrew Q. Gordon’s blog

December 6th: Oscar’s Bruised Petals (Sandra Garcia’s blog)

December 10th: Brilliant Disguise (Tali Spencer’s blog)

December 16th: Rebecca Cohen’s blog

December 20th: Purple Rose Teahouse (Charlie Cochet’s blog)

December 23rd: Mrs. Condits and Friends

December 25th: Symphony in Blue Release Day Party at Melanie Marshall’s Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

December 26th: Book Suburbia

December 27th:  Helen Pattskyn’s blog

About The Author:

Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.

Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 35’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.

Shira’s Blue Notes Series of classical music themed gay romances was named one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Word’s “Best Series of 2012,” and The Melody Thief was named one of the “Best Novels in a Series of 2012.” The Melody Thief also received an honorable mention, “One Perfect Score” at the 2012 Rainbow Awards.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shira.anthony

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony

Twitter: @WriterShira

Website: http://www.shiraanthony.com

E-mail: shiraanthony@hotmail.com

DC Metro Area M/M Romance Readers Meet-Up 11-16-13

So yeah, I’m a bit behind, but hey, better late than never.  The DC Metro Area M/M Romance Readers met on November 16. Mike was able to come this time so we made it a family outing.  Thanks to Joyfully Jay for being our fearless leader and to Treva Harte of Loose Id Publishing for hosting the event.

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Wednesday Briefs – A New Beginning – 6

A New Beginning – 6

It had been almost a year since I’d been on a real mission. Even though no one had died and I had no one to avenge, this felt like I was chasing a killer. On the scale of criminals, kidnappers ranked barely below sex offenders and killers.

The small frame house blended in with its neighbors. What was it they said about hiding in plain view? Just one among the many working class homes in a non-descript neighborhood. I imagined they held Detective Griffin in a similar place. Hopefully I’d know more soon.

The Chief expressed her displeasure when I left to pursue this lead. She wanted me to interrogate her subordinates to find out who had bugged her office. I had other plans. It made no sense to reveal that we knew the office had been compromised. Right now that breach was our best hope of finding a trail that led to those who kidnapped Detective Griffin.

With its lights off, the house appeared empty. I knew better. Someone, the someone I’d come for, was inside. Even if I hadn’t seen the man enter the house, I could hear his movements.

My hope had been to get here before the owner came home. Dealing with the disloyal officially ended up taking longer than I expected. If Guthrie and Baker were to have any value to us, they couldn’t know we had figured out their involvement. That meant deleting specific memories, and planting false ones to explain why they were in the Chief’s office. That alone would have taken me some time, but I wanted to explain to the Chief why I tampered with their minds.

If the chief and her lieutenants followed my instructions, right now they should be feeding false information to whoever had Detective Griffin. At least that is what they thought they were doing. I’d explain things to Chief Rawlings when we had Griffin home safely. Right now, however, I needed to do this my way. Our goal was the same; save Detective Griffin, but preserving my anonymity too priority to even that worthy goal

I watched the house for several minutes, waiting to see if anyone else entered. The sound of a clip rammed home followed by the racking of a slide, told me he knew someone was outside. Who he thought it was, I hadn’t bothered to find out. There would be time for that soon enough.

Footsteps alerted me that he was moving towards the front of house. The curtain barely moved as he checked for activity in the front yard and street. Someone else might not have noticed, but I did. I watched the fabric flutter slowly back into place.

My target was alone and anxious and would be easy to manipulate Why then did I hesitate? Gar was better at this type of thing – he didn’t care. For all my efforts, I couldn’t turn on the cold exterior for times like this. I could bluff well enough and maybe fool everyone except Ryan, but it still affected me.

Emotions were fine–no, make that, necessary–when dealing with Ryan. Out in the field, however, they were a liability.  My inability to detach myself from what I was doing was the main reason I turn to Gar forty years ago. But I’ve since learned it’s an all or nothing proposition. Gar demanded total control and I wasn’t willing to let him have that again.

Out of habit, I checked to see if I had my weapons. I wouldn’t need them, not for this mission, but they were still a comfort. Stealth and guile were the tools needed tonight. I couldn’t afford another mistake like the one I made on North Capital Street.

Tapping a key on my box, I waited for it to pinpoint the location of any surveillance devices. Once found, I neutralized the danger to myself and made for the front door.

I didn’t need enhanced abilities to get inside this house. Long before It took my life, David taught me how to pick a lock. Of course a chain across the door would have made things more difficult, but I didn’t have that to deal with today.

The occupant had retreated to the back of the house before I even set foot on the path.  It didn’t matter. I had already made contact with his mind and told him to ignore any sound of my entrance. Having already disabled the listening devices, no one would know I was inside until it was too late.

Pushing the door slowly, I smiled as I heard the hinge squeak. The lock was new; it shouldn’t have made a sound.  My target was well trained.

The smell of new paint and industrial cleaners assaulted my olfactory system.  A fresh start or the appearance of one? I’d find out soon enough.

From the street, the house didn’t look half as big as it really was. Deeper than it was wide, I had to walk through the living room and kitchen to get to the small den at the back of the house.

The black shades were tacked down making certain the weak light from the lone low watt bulb didn’t tip anyone off that the room was occupied. The only person in the room sat on the couch; a gun in his hand and another on the cushion to his left. He clicked the release and dropped the magazine into his hand. After checking to be sure it was full, he put it next to his right thigh.

Pointing the gun in the direction of the small lamp, he locked the slide back and peered through the barrel.

“May I help you with that, Agent Barrington?”

As I expected, he jumped at the sound of my voice. Since I ‘spoke’ directly into his mind he couldn’t figure out where I stood. When he set the gun down, I was truly surprised. Perhaps the man had finally learned.

“I was wondering when you’d turn up.”

Be Sure To Check Out The Briefs Of These Other Flashers:

JC Wallace

Nephylim 

MA Church

A.R. Von

MC Houle 

Elyzabeth VaLey  

Shelly Schulz

Rob Colton

Chris T. Kat

Cia Nordwell

Jon Keys

Tali Spencer

Renee Stevens

Julie Lynn Hayes

Victoria Adams

November Update

NaNoWriMo has been interesting. Much like a lot of things, November started with a surge – the first 12 days I averaged almost 2000 words a day.  The last five I’ve done less than 800 a day.  That said, I’m hoping to get to that 50K mark by the end of the month.  Not sure it will be done at 50k – doubtful really – but at least I can say I made the 50K threshold.  If I do make it, I’ll have written almost  double the number of words in one month that I managed in the six prior, so no matter what the result, it will have been a good exercise.  I’ve got an updater on the right side of this page so check it out for my current progress.

The hard part of course will be to keep the ball rolling. With the holidays that will be impossible.  Maybe NaNoWriMo can move to Feb or March so that once you get in the grove, you don’t let the holiday’s break the habit.  I think it’s safe to say that once I get the rough draft of Harp Strings done, I’ll need to go back and do some major work on it, but I’ll still be glad to getter done.

As some know, I’m part of the Wednesday Briefs Flash Fiction group. We’re trying something new – our own website to help better cross promote each other’s work.  For those interested, here’s the site.:

http://wedbriefsfic.com

As part of the group effort we’re planning to post new releases from the authors involves so if you get a chance, click over and follow the site to get updates as they happen.

 

-AQG

 

School Pictures Fall ’13

‘lil q had her pictures taken at school – I think they came out quite well, even if I am biased.

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Guest Author: Charlie Cochet

Here we are at stop five. In case you haven’t been keeping up, I’m Johnnie, and I’m still stuck doing this tour. At least today we’re visiting one of my favorite places: the pub. Pull up a chair and get ready for a rowdy evening of drinking and darts. After a long day, if we’re not too exhausted to drive, the fellas and I will come down to our favorite pub, the Queen’s Head.

[Attribution: By Roland Turner [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons]

Ain’t she a beauty? The English like to name their pubs after animals and body parts, among other strange things. Don’t ask me why. Red Lion, White Swan, Black Swan, Black Horse, White Hart, White Horse, Bull’s Head, King’s Arm, Black Bull, Green Dragon, Red Dragon, is your head spinning yet? My favorites so far: Poosie Nansie’s, The Drunken Duck, and The Idle Cook–yeah, I read that last one wrong too. Not just read it wrong, mind you, but said it out loud just as Henry appeared. His face flushed a lovely shade of red and just my luck, there hadn’t been a rock around I could crawl under. I seem to turn into some kinda ditzy dame when he’s around. I can be all kinds of uncouth around Chance, but Henry, well, he’s a classy fellow. So after that somewhat embarrassing incident, Chance decided he would never let me live it down and has continued to refer to that pub by its newly appointed, far less innocent name.

One thing I gotta give the English, they like their booze. When we got back from Africa, there was no worrying about prohibition. In fact most folks thought the Yanks were screwy for even contemplating it, much less trying to do something about it. While folks back home were hitting the bathtub gin, the fellas and I were enjoying our Scottish whiskey without having to worry about prohis. Believe me, the last thing you want is a prohi breathing down your neck. I had my share of rum running years ago and I was glad to have left it all behind. I was just a kid trying to earn some dough, but it wasn’t pretty, and I was lucky to get out while I could. Anyway, back to the Queen’s Head. The fellas and I have our own table which Pete–the pub landlord, always reserves for us. Chance is a good tipper and no one can say no to Jacky, so we get our own space.

It’s your typical pub with rowdy fellas that get rowdier the more pints they get in them. We play darts with the locals, Jacky wipes the floor with them, and we all have a good laugh. The Queen’s Head is one of the more reputable pubs. Once upon a time Chance and I might have ventured into the others just to get ourselves into a good brawl or two, but those days are–for the most part, behind us, plus we got fellas that would give us a good dressing down if we came back with a good shiner just for the fun of it. You don’t want to have to end up on Henry’s examining table explaining how you got that split lip, believe me. All right, that’s it for today. Next stop, we’re hopping the train and heading to London.

Blurb:

Eight years after leaving the deserts of Africa and the French Foreign Legion behind, Jonathan Wolfe has settled into life at Hawthorne Manor in the English countryside. Johnnie helps his adopted family run the manor and provide a safe, loving home for a new generation of “brats”: boys mistreated and discarded for their homosexuality—something all too familiar to Johnnie.

Although no longer an unruly youngster, Johnnie is as stubborn, foul-mouthed, and troublesome as ever. His recent rash behavior becomes a concern for those closest to him, especially Dr. Henry Young, the only man ever to capture Johnnie’s heart. Instead of soothing him, their closeness brings Johnnie’s insecurities from an unsettling past to the surface, and leads to an explosive situation that threatens to tear them apart. Then Henry’s past catches up to them….

 

Excerpts are in the form of a serial.

Read Part 4 on Lex Chase’s blog here.

 

Excerpt 5

Aubrey tapped the scuffed cover at the image of a tough-looking detective before tapping my chest.

“You think I’d make a good P.I.?” I laughed when he wrinkled his nose and shook his head. He jumped back and put his fists up. By now, most of us had gotten pretty good at understanding Aubrey, though no one understood him like Rori. It’s like the two of them had some screwy inside link to each other. “I see, he’s a brawler, huh?”

Aubrey nodded then stepped up to me, smiling sweetly. He put his hand over my heart and I took a deep breath, trying not to bawl like a baby. Damn him and his sweet little face. I couldn’t even reply. Luckily, Bobby spoke up.

“He thinks the detective has a good heart like you.”

“Thanks, fella. You sure you done with it?” Again Aubrey nodded. He patted my arm with a big grin and waved as he walked off with Bobby. “Thanks,” I called out after him before looking down at the dime novel in my hand. Well, shit. I ran up the stairs to the first floor where the majority of the bedrooms, including mine, were, which, thanks to Chance, was conveniently located next to Henry’s.

After a quick shower and clean change of clothes where I attempted to make myself look presentable in gray trousers with matching vest and a red tie, I walked over to the bed and picked up my suit jacket. Aubrey’s dime novel sat there staring back at me. “All right, I get it.” Looked like I was going to Market Square instead. Glen would just have to cool his heels for a while.

I turned the bronze door handle and frowned when it didn’t budge. It was locked. Not only was it locked, the key was gone.

“For crying out loud.” Again?

Left with no other choice, I did what I’d done far too many times in the last six months. I grabbed my gray felt hat, climbed onto my bedroom’s window seat, opened the double glass doors, then carefully climbed out, only, my hopes of gracefully landing among the geraniums were dashed with the slip of my shoe.

Part 6 continued on Nov 15th over at Eden Winter’s blog.

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Available in ebook and print from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4362

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Comment prompt: What do you do to relax after a tough day?

About the Author:

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in South Florida, Charlie looks forward to migrating to a land where the weather includes seasons other than hot, hotter, and boy, it’s hot! When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

Website: http://www.charliecochet.com

Blog: http://www.charliecochet.com/blog

Email: charlie@charliecochet.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/charliecochet

Twitter: @charliecochet | http://www.twitter.com/charliecochet

Giveaway

1st Prize: $15 Amazon gift card + Impetuous Afflictions signed swag pack + signed 8×10 art print.

2nd & 3rd Prize: Impetuous Afflictions swag pack + signed 8×10 art print.

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To Enter

Just leave a comment on any of the blog posts along the tour, along with a contact email address. **If you would still like to enter the contest but don’t wish to leave your email address in the comment, you can also enter by emailing charlie@charliecochet.com.

Winners will be chosen at random and posted on Charlie’s blog at http://www.charliecochet.com/blog on Monday, December 2nd. Winners will then be notified via email.

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Contest ends

Sunday, December 1st at midnight, Eastern Time.

Tour stops:

11/9 – Welcome to Hawthorne Manor [Excerpt 1] – The Novel Approach

11/11 – Billiard Room Brouhaha [Excerpt 2] – Author Sue Brown

11/12 – A Trip to the Town of Aylesbury [Excerpt 3] – Author Kim Fielding

11/13 – Time for Tea [Excerpt 4] – Author Lex Chase

11/14 – Stopping for a Pint [Excerpt 5] – Author Andrew Q. Gordon

11/15 – Visiting the Furry Hat Man [Excerpt 6] – Author Eden Winters

11/18 – Meet Gideon Brooks [Excerpt 7] – Author Michael Rupured

11/19 – Meet Rori Curti [Excerpt 8]s – Author Shira Anthony

11/20 – Meet Aubrey Jepson [Excerpt 9] – Attention is Arbitrary

11/21 – Meet Oliver Darling [Excerpt 10] – Hearts on Fire

11/22 – Meet Elliot Young [Excerpt 11] – Author Elin Gregory

11/25 – Meet Connor & Edmund Grey [Excerpt 12]- Joyfully Jay

11/26 – The Devilish Duo [Finale] – Mrs. Condit & Friends