Xavier Mayne's Blog, page 7

Rainbow Book Reviews on Husband Material: “I loved the whole story and everything about it”

Thanks to the wonderful Serena Yates for her review of Husband Material at Rainbow Book Reviews. It’s a terrifically thoughtful review, and it absolutely made my week to read it. Here’s the concluding paragraph:

If you like reality shows where contestants are voted off every week, and even if you don’t, this book will hold your attention with all the strategies behind every move anyone makes. If you enjoy reading about tortured characters who struggle to understand themselves and what is important in life, and if you’re looking for a read that is as amusing as it is hot and intense, then you will probably like this novel.

It’s nice that readers appreciate how I torture my characters!

Read the full review here.

Husband Material Now Available

Husband Material, my second novel, is now available from Dreamspinner Press. I am so pleased to bring you this much longer novel, which was a great deal of fun for me to write.

Here’s the blurb from the back cover:

Husband Material is a long-running reality show, where eighteen lucky guys compete for the hand of one lucky lady. Meet contestant number one, Riley. Since being left at the altar, he’s hit the gym to get into the best shape of his life. Now he’s in it to win it. Contestant number two, Asher, doesn’t really want the bachelorette; he needs the prize money for his sister’s cancer treatment. Asher’s upbeat personality brings Riley out of the funk he’s been in since his breakup. They make a formidable team, with one complication: Asher’s falling for Riley.

Producer Kaitlyn has her hands full when two bachelors are found in the shower soaping up inappropriately, then another live-tweets the entire debacle. If another scandal erupts, the network will cancel the show.

The two bachelors are on a collision course under the watchful eye of a producer torn between wanting them to find true love and trying to keep her show going. In the end, Riley must choose the bachelorette or the bachelor.

You can purchase the book directly  from Dreamspinner. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Sid Love Gives Husband Material Five Stars!

The first review is in, and it’s like Christmas all over again. Thank you to Sid Love for the wonderful, thoughtful, and make-me-jump-up-and-down-in-my-chair review of Husband Material. I was holding my breath until I got to this:

I was so hyped up to read it, there was no way it could live up to my expectations.

Yes. It. Could.

Aaaand my heart could start beating again. I really appreciate reviews from readers who have clearly taken the time to think about the book and its characters, and this is a marvelous job. This bit, near the close of the review, is what made my day:

Most people raved about Frat House Troopers and, sure, I liked that one, but in my opinion, with Husband Material, Xavier Mayne knocked one right out of the park.

Thank you, Sid and reviewer Donna, thank you so much.

Read the review here.

Juan Pablo Galavis–A Bachelor in a Bind

I feel sorry for Juan Pablo Galavis.

Not because I support what he said, because of course not. But I empathize with the impossible bind he finds himself in. He’s in a no-win situation when it comes to “the gay question,” in ways that the Duck Dynasty folks simply are not.

Here’s the first problem:

Juan Pablo Galavis™, from his Twitter of the same name.

Nothin’ but straight about that guy, amiright?

Okay, so maybe I’m being unfair. Here’s another pic, to show his range:

©2014 Fox News Latino

I think we all see the issue.

For a bachelor to be successful in the eye of a media frenzy, he must be stylish, he must be fit, and he must be instantly charming, graceful, and empathetic to his bachelorette(s). For those of you keeping score at home, those are also pretty much the job requirements for every woman’s Gay Best Friend. Oops.

When the very qualities that would make him the most eligible straight man in the world are the exact same qualities that would make him the most eligible gay man in the world, something’s gotta give.

I’m not excusing the reprehensible homophobia inherent in his remarks. I’m not even arguing that he is himself homophobic–I’ve never met the man (we travel in rather different social circles). But I am saying that I understand the bind he is in. In an essentially homophobic culture, he must find ways to establish that although he may dress like he’s gay, have a physique that many gay men in the world might find appealing, and come across on television as sensitive and romantic, he is not gay. And perhaps a clumsily worded interview is the best way he could think of to stake his claim to straightness.

In the future, when homophobia is as passé as racism, this kind of defensive gay-bashing won’t be a convenient “get-out-of-gay” free card. But we don’t really expect our reality-TV stars to be revolutionary thinkers, do we?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this issue lately. If you’d like to see what happens when a gay man does compete on a bachelorette-style show, I would direct you to my new novel, Husband Material, published this week by Dreamspinner. It’s fun, sexy, and has a pretty sharp take on the sexual identity politics inherent in “reality TV” romance.

Maybe I’ll send Mr. Galavis a copy.

Please note that this line of reasoning does not have anything to do with the Duck Dynasty debacle. Those people are just bigots.

“The Accidental Cupid”–Part of “A Valentine Rainbow”

My first shorter work to be published by Dreamspinner Press will be available 6 February 2014. “The Accidental Cupid” is part of the anthology A Valentine Rainbow. It will be available early—on the first day of February—if you pre-order the entire collection for the the super-discount price of $17.99 now.

If you want a hint as to the plot of the story, just know that the “Cupid” of the title is none other than Josh, from the Cupid stories I’ve previously published on Literotica. If you enjoyed my “lovable pervert” in those stories, you’re going to love him here as he helps two roommates feel their way to the love they’ve been blind to for so long.

Pre-order “The Accidental Cupid” from Dreamspinner today!

Husband Material now available for pre-order!

Husband Material is now available for pre-order from Dreamspinner Press! It will be published on 24 January, and you can have your copy on the first day if you order now.

The e-book is available for pre-order here.

There are 20 signed copies of the paperback, which will be sent only to the first people to place their order on the Dreamspinner site. Order your paperback copy here!

New book, Husband Material, coming in January from Dreamspinner

I’m in the second (and, I think, final) round of edits on Husband Material, my second book from Dreamspinner Press. As before, Andi and the rest of the team have made this process a smooth and manageable as is humanly possible. I’m really looking forward to having this one released–hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Frat House Troopers.

Husband Material was a lot of fun to write, mainly because the characters develop so much more gradually than Officers Brandt and Donnelly. The book is nearly twice as long as FHT, so I had a lot more room to bring them along slowly. But I think there’s enough sexy along the way to keep it interesting!

I’ll post more info once we have a publication date.

Sequel to Frat House Troopers is a Go!

I’m happy to report that I’ve signed with Dreamspinner to publish the sequel to Frat House Troopers! It’s been a lot of fun to write the next chapter in the troopers’ lives, and I think you’ll enjoy their new adventure as well.

The publication date is April/May 2014, so it’ll be a while, but I’ll be using the time to come up with more capers for the boys to investigate.

Save a spot on your bookshelf for more fun with my two favorite troopers!

Sequel to Frat House Troopers!

For anyone’s who’s been wondering what’s happened to Officers Brandt and Donnelly since they wrapped up the case in Frat House Troopers, I have good news for you. I’ve completed a sequel, and Dreamspinner has it under consideration as we speak. The troopers have a new case, and of course it involves a little scandal and a whole lot of sexy.

Plus, the new book has 106% more Bryce and Nestor than FHT did. Those boys crack me up.

I’ll let you know when I hear from Dreamspinner!

Second Novel to be Published by Dreamspinner!

I’m happy to be able to announce that I’ve signed a contract for a second novel, to be published by the good folks at Dreamspinner Press in Jan/Feb 2014. This one is almost twice as long as Frat House Troopers, and I think it’s a whole lot stronger as a novel–I’ve learned a lot from working with Andi the Amazing Editor at DSP.

I’ll keep you posted on the novel’s progress as it works through the editorial process. Exciting!