Anna Butler's Blog, page 14

Emi Louise Croucher: Horned, Winged, Blessed

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I am always happy to host new-to-me authors on this blog. I like discovering new voices, and in a genre that’s always growing, it’s often difficult to hear them for the noise created by those who have established their place already. So, it’s always a delight when I do find someone whose book really appeals, and who I haven’t come across before. It’s even better when what they’re offering is something different from the usual beefcake fare in the LGBT genre. There are nowhere near enough books with female leads. This one appeals both because of the strong female lead character, and the idea of a government threaded through with pagan values – which when you think of the mess so-called religious values impose on the world, has an attraction all of its own!

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About The Book

Follow Joan on her adventure of discovery, as she learns the hard way that her post-apocalyptic utopia isn’t always full of rainbows and Merlot.

Yes, she lives on the nicer side of the settlement, as the daughter of the Mother Founder. But after a life-threatening attack on her home, she soon realises that many out there are against the Silver Party regime.

Horned Winged Blessed is the story of one girl fighting against a tyrannous government, elected to power amidst the unending chaos of World War III. Heavily enriched in their pagan values, the Silver Party are to thank for pulling Broken Britain up from the brink of a depression, but at what cost?

Will Joan decide to take down the Silver Party from the inside…

…or will she go on to fight alongside the rebel faction that allures her so intensely?

 

Title: Horned Winged Blessed

Author: E L Croucher

Category: LGBTQ+ Dystopian Fiction

Publication Date: 29th November 2019 (Pre-release as of 10th Nov)

Publisher: Amazon

Editor: Jake Ratcliff

Cover Artist: Dawn M Larder

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Buy Links

Amazon UK|  Amazon US

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Excerpt

“He said that you represent them… the enemy. There’s something about you, and I see it too.” She has no idea how right she is in this exact moment. It’s almost frightening.

“Maybe I don’t want all that though, did anyone ever consider that?”

“We don’t always get to choose what we stand for, Luna. I didn’t. I’m here, fighting this fight because I have to be.”

“You have to be?” I’m confused. What is she saying? “For Matthew?”

“No, not him. He means the world to me, that’s no secret. But no. Not him. Luna, look at me.” I submit and do as she says. We put our wine glasses to the side. “I didn’t go through what I did in the previous world to live as a stupid, suppressed ‘Blessed one’. No way. And neither did any of my other sisters. Do you understand me? I’m a woman. Not a trans woman. Not anything else. A woman. The minute I’m defined as a subcategory is the minute my identity stops being up to me. I haven’t fought to become who I am – and was always meant to be – just to have it dictated to me by a bunch of crazies.”

Suddenly she stands up, and walks over to my kitchen surface. One drawer after another, she searches for something. The wine is on the table, so it can’t be that. Then, she pauses when she finds whatever it is she’s looking for. A small dagger, given to me by a guy I could’ve fallen for, once upon a time. It stands for everything she stands for. For me, it’s a symbol of what could’ve been. A night’s warmth. A fleeting memory.

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About E L Croucher

[image error]E L Croucher is a young author, living in London. She started writing over two years, with her first novel The Butterfly on Fire, which she published on Amazon. Alongside her career as a writer, she works as a Japanese translator and interpreter for a well-known Japanese gaming company, after studying Japanese at university and living in Tokyo, Japan.

Her latest novel, Horned Winged Blessed is an ironic look into a world in which gender roles are swapped, and minorities are forced into labels that they did not choose. With a mix of feminist views and a pro-LGBTQ+ stance, E L Croucher writes to further her dream of a world free from prejudice, hate-crimes and bullying.

Follow her story on her website or find her on social media:

www.ELCroucher.com  | Emi Louise Croucher| @emi13230 on Instagram

 

 

S A Collins’ “Beware Mohawks Bearing Gifts” – with Giveaway

 

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SA Collins has a new queer alt-earth sci fi book out, book one in the Cove Chronicles: “Beware Mohawks Bearing Gifts.” I don’t know about you, but I love intriguing titles, and when that’s combined with a cover that eschews the beefcake so prevalent in LGBT fiction, this book looks very attractive. Am adding it to the TBR pile, pronto.

 

About the book: 

It’s 1847, New York. William Matthias Hallett is a fashionable dandy of the Manhattan social set. His life is laid out before him: a world of soirees, riches and luxury. Yet all he wants to do is find an adventure so deliciously wicked that it would satiate his soul for an eternity.

So, disguised in a lower-class manner, into the notorious Five Points he goes, seeking that spark of adventure. That is until it greets him in the form of his old schoolmates from Dartmouth College – a pair of Mohawk warriors who will up-end his world and all he knew it to be forever.

 

Series Blurb:

Set in an alternative Earth that deviates from our own known timeline, William Matthias Hallett, a Mohawk/British New York socialite and dandy, who wants very little to do with his upper-crust Manhattan set, sets out to the notorious Five Points, seeking an adventure so decidedly wicked to satiate him for a lifetime. He gets far more than he bargains for when he crosses paths with two Mohawk warriors from their days at Dartmouth college.

Thrust into an unseen war that the Mohawks and the rest of the Haudenosuanee Confederacy has been fighting for over 600 years, William must come to terms with his maternal heritage that is pressing ever forward as their newly created sovereign nation rapidly expands, isolating the burgeoning United States along the eastern seaboard and now reaching a boiling point with the new Americans.

Central to this sci-fi adventure is the creation story of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy where myth becomes reality in ways that William can scarcely imagine.

 

Buy Links:

NineStar Press | Amazon eBook | Amazon Paperback | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Goodreads

Giveaway

SA Collins is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour. For a chance to win, enter via this Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Excerpt

He leaned against the doorway with a slight smile upon his face and placed the message from my sister onto the desk nearest the door.

“So, are you planning to sleep upon the floor, or will you nest down in the kitchen?”

“Just be glad the bed I have in your room is large enough for us both. You will just have a bed mate until we can rectify the situation downstairs.”

“I could always sleep on your sofa in the receiving room, Will.”

“Certainly not. If I am anything, I am a superb host. I will not have you attempting to recline on a sofa that is barely sufficient to sit upon, let alone gain some much-needed rest.”

“Fancy little Indian, are you not?” He indicated the quality of my nightshirt and dressing robe.

“I walk in two worlds now; allow me my fashionable proclivities,” I replied as I began to change out of my clothing and into the nightshirt. For a few moments he stood there shaking his head and smirking at my nightly routine, though I did detect a blush moving across his face as I got down to my undergarments. As I pulled my shirt over my head, I noted he had slipped into the spare bedroom.

I carried the nightshirt and robe over to the spare room to join him as he began to slip off his leggings and mocs. After he shucked his shirt, I paused to appreciate the simple utility of the Haudenosaunee male wardrobe. Moments later, Joss changed from the comfort of his daily outfit into a simple loincloth suitable for sleeping, and here I struggled with overgarments, shirts, pants, undergarments, and various pieces that served only as ornamentation. I began to question for the first time the intelligence of my way of dress.

::But you wear your clothing so well. I do not judge your choice of them. This is simply what I know and have grown comfortable using. Why are you curious as to our way of dress?::

::Well, I suppose I should gain a better understanding of our people’s ways. I feel I know so little about my Mohawk life. I assume I can lean on you for that. Unless you find me a lost cause.::

::Will, have no doubt. You are Mohawk; your lineage is clear. You just have not had much in the way of guidance in our way of life. You can always turn to me for that.::

“Thank you. I cannot tell you how much that means to me. Since I came into this whole new world of the Guardians and Flintlings, I have felt little more than a leaf upon the raging river, with little hope of purchase with which to grant me some sense of security. You have provided the security I desperately need.”

“Wait here…” He gated out of the room, though to where, simply wearing his loincloth for protection against the elements, was beyond me. I did not have to wait long as he returned within a few moments with a beaded side bag in his hand. He threw it upon the bed and began to rummage through it. He extracted a beaded belt and a tightly rolled piece of blood-red cloth.

“Get out of that precious royal swaddling you have encased yourself in,” he chided me as he unrolled the cloth, revealing it to be about the length of the loincloth he was wearing. I realized he had retrieved his spare clothing, though from where I was uncertain.

Reading my musings, he replied, “I have spare clothing set aside in various places. I can retrieve them when needs arise. These shall be yours now.” He indicated the bag on the bed as much as the belt and loincloth he held.

“Oh, Joss…” I gasped, filled with awe at his offering, knowing that to refuse would deeply mar our new relationship. Not something I was willing to risk, given our being inextricably bound to each other.

Forgetting my near nakedness, I knelt upon the bed, running gentle fingers over them, and watched as he completed the folding around the back of the belt. A small smile broke over his face, bringing his eyes to light. Clearly, he was most happy in his offering. I only wished I had something to offer in exchange. As if hearing my thoughts, he had a reply. “Just your wearing it will be more than enough,” he murmured as he

handed me the garment. “Come, let us have you try it on.” “I am afraid you will have to help me out a bit.”

Shortly thereafter, I found myself wearing my first Mohawk loincloth. My slightly burnished alabaster skin, with a dusting of freckles along my muscular shoulders that mellow as they wend their way over my bare torso, standing in stark contrast to the rich colored fabric of the loincloth.

He placed two gentle hands on my shoulders as we regarded my reflection in the mirror. I felt him course along our link with such gratitude and care that I was undone by his gesture.

Joss beamed, watching me take root in my heritage, pleased he could do this for me. After sheathing myself in some of the finest material and clothing the world could offer, I was amazed at how much comfort, both in movement and luxury, this simple natural garment afforded me.

He pulled out the leggings, a pair of mocs, and a shirt. After another few moments, I was fully clothed in my maternal heritage clothing. A sense of pride seemed to swell within me that I had not anticipated. I nearly wept from the sensation. I know Joss did not miss my eyes misting up from the transformation at his hands.

“Joss, I never knew just how comfortable these really are.”

“You wear them well; as if you were born to them,” he added with a bright grin, no doubt pleased with himself.

I paused, turning this way and that, before bringing Joss into a tight embrace, so thankful for his offering. He moved his head from my shoulder to place my forehead against his, his hands on either side of my face, gently holding me there.

::Like this, Ohnehta’kowa. When it matters most, this is how we share that moment.::

I nodded, thankful for his teaching and his generosity. I knew, being so linked with him, our intimacy would be something I needed to embrace and let flow. It was a part of who we are. If I were truly honest, I longed for it to go on into the night; spending this singular touching moment with him and to share it thusly shattered what I knew about myself and the world around me. Joss sensed this and gradually broke contact between us. I felt bewildered and in a slight stupor for the loss of him. I needed to regroup.

“Yes, well, now to bed, eh?”

Author Bio

SA “Baz” Collins hails from the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his husband and Zorro, a character of a cat. A classically trained singer/actor (under a different name), Baz knows a good yarn when he sees it.

Based on years of his work as an actor, Baz specializes in character study pieces. It is more important for him that the reader comes away with a greater understanding of the characters and the reasons they make the decisions they do, rather than the situations they are in. It is this deep dive into their manners, their experiences and how they process the world around them that make up the body of Mr. Collins’ work.

You can find his works at sacollins.com, violetquillredux.com and as a co-host of the wrotepodcast.com series.

 

 

Author Website: www.sacollins.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): www.facebook.com/sacollinsauthor

Author Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sacollinsauthor

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacollins.author/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11881481.S_A_Collins

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/sa-collins/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SA-Collins/e/B00RQ93PXC

TAKING SHIELD E-boxed set goes live today! And other news, some of it soggy and wet…

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The Taking Shield Boxed set has gone live today. I’m thrilled to have finally brought all five books together into a single volume, and at a great saving for readers – around 40% cheaper than buying the books individually.

If you’re anything like me, you hate starting an unfinished series because either you wait around for years for the final book, or you wait around for years and the final book still hasn’t appeared. Looking at you, George Martin. At least, with the Rainbow Award-winning Taking Shield series, I can guarantee it’s done!

For *a limited period only* all five volumes are published today in an e-book boxed set. I’ll keep the boxed set live for three months, then I’ll review to see if this experiment has been successful or not. I hope it works out!

Find your nearest e-book store via this link: https://books2read.com/Taking-Shield-Complete-Series.

Also if you fancy your chances of winning a $20 Amazon gift card, then go here. Good luck!!

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About the Taking Shield series:

Earth’s a dead planet. Her last known colony, Albion, has grown to be regional galactic power in its own right. But Albion’s drive to expand and found colonies of its own has threatened an alien race, the Maess, against whom Albion is now fighting a last-ditch battle for survival in a war that’s dragged on for generations.

Taking Shield charts the missions and adventures of Shield Captain Bennet, scion of a prominent military family. Bennet, also an analyst with the Military Strategy Unit, uncovers crucial data about the Maess to help with the war effort. Against the demands of his family’s ‘triple goddess’ of Duty, Honour and Service, is set Bennet’s relationships with lovers and family—his difficult relationship with his long term partner, Joss;  his estrangement from his father, Caeden, the commander of Fleet’s First Flotilla; and Fleet Lieutenant Flynn, who, over the course of the series, develops into Bennet’s main love interest.

Over the Taking Shield arc, Bennet will see the extremes to which humanity’s enemies, and his own people, will go to win the war. Some days he isn’t able to tell friend from foe. Some days he doubts everything, including himself, as he strives to ensure Albion’s victory. And some days he isn’t sure, any longer, what victory looks like.

More information and background on the Shield Universe

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What the reviewers say:

***** …the Taking Shield Series is hands down the best sci-fi series I will be reading this year! – The Jeep Diva

***** I desperately hope Anna Butler decides to further this series. But if she doesn’t, then I’ll be happy with Taking Shield as it stands. It’s the kind of work that, as a reviewer, I have been privileged to read. – Joyfully Jay Reviews

***** Grief. It’s what I’ve been feeling for a couple of days…and I’ve tracked it back to finishing this series. I loved the Taking Shield series … Ms. Butler is one of my favorite sci-fi authors… If you’re a sci-fi reader, and you haven’t read this series, you need to start it right now… I could go on praising the author all day … I can only give 5.0 stars, but I’d give it more if I could. – Love Bytes Reviews.

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NEWS OF THE LANCASTER’S LUCK SERIES

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The second editions of The Gilded Scarab – with revised cover! – and The Jackal’s House are now available at Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and Payhip in addition to Amazon. There are also paperbacks available from Amazon only. In either form, they are at a lower price than the first, Dreamspinner editions, so yet more savings!

Use these links to find a copy:

The Gilded Scarab: books2read.com/The-Gilded-Scarab

The Jackal’s House: books2read.com/The-Jackals-House

 

 

 

WET FEET

Ah, the misty, moisty morning part of this post…

I’m very privileged, I know, to live in an old house deep in the English countryside. Most of the house is Georgian – we know it was here in 1770, but we don’t know how long before that date – with the ‘new’ addition built in the 1830s. It’s an old vicarage, set on the edge of a village in the Dukeries, the area of Nottinghamshire where four Dukes had country estates. I’m a five-minute drive away from Sherwood Forest, and every Robin Hood legend and story your heart could desire. We’re up to our ruddy necks in history.

We’re also up to our necks in that misty, moisty bit.

I’m beginning to think I live in one of the rainiest parts of the UK – winds sweep in from the west bringing a lot of the Atlantic with them to break over the Derbyshire Peak District a few miles west of me, and then they dump most of said Atlantic on my head. Or more accurately, on the 300-year-old roof of my house which has decided that three centuries of rain is more than enough, thank you. I spent this morning mopping out the bathroom and beseeching overworked roofing companies to come and save my metaphorical bacon. Or at least my bathroom. I see scaffolding, several men clumping over my roof, and making a lot of builder’s tea in my immediate future. Not to mention a severely depleted bank balance.

The image? Me, earlier today.

[image error] Photo Jan Buchholtz, Flickr under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Ah well, publication day cheered me up!

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A M Liebowitz’s “Minuet” – with giveaway

A.M. Leibowitz has a new queer MMF romance out: “Minuet.”

When it comes to love, Mack Whitman prefers to limit it to writing songs and poetry. Aromantic, he’s content to have quality friendships and people who sometimes also share his bed. He’s never considered himself the jealous type. But when he sees everyone in his life, from his best friends to his occasional partners, moving toward more settled lives, it leaves him frustrated, disappointed, and worried he’ll be left behind.

Amelia Roberts doesn’t care about the genders of her partners as long as she follows her one rule: Don’t ever fall in love. It’s worked out well for her, since that’s a line she knows she’ll never cross with Mack. He’s as happy as she is to keep things as they are. The only trouble with her philosophy is that she didn’t count on meeting the one person who might change her mind.

Jomari O’Brien’s supportive family made it smooth for him to transition several years ago. Since then, he’s been in and out of love, and other people’s beds, plenty of times, and he has no regrets. Each one is a small part of a larger symphony. Becoming involved with two people at once is a more complicated harmony, but it’s one he’s willing to learn as long as they are.

Their individual melodies become discordant as they struggle to make them fit together. But if all three can learn to play with each other instead of against, they may yet hit all the right notes.

About the Series:When Trevor, Nate, Jamie, and Mack moved in together, they had no idea how it would change their lives. Four roommates. Four stories about living and loving in the City on a Hill.

 

Publisher | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | QueeRomance Ink | Goodreads

Giveaway

A.M. is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card AND the first three books in the series in eBook format as a single prize. For a chance to win, enter via a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt

‘They paid for the groceries and headed for Mack’s van. Once they’d loaded it up, Mack went to start the van, but Trevor put a hand on his arm.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“I’m not letting you go home without talking about what the hell that was back there. You were really pissed off when you came to see me. You’re calm now, but if you go back home, you’re gonna get right back into that mess all over again.”

He was right, and Mack knew it. He turned over the engine. “Look, it’s freezing out here. I’ll drive you back, and I’ll explain on the way.”

“Fair enough.”

Mack waited until they were out on the road to say, “It’s fucking weird, having both of them together. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before, but not like this. I don’t know. It felt like they were doing this bonding thing, and I wasn’t part of that.”

“I get it,” Trevor said.

“Do you? Because your family looks different.”

“What is it you wanted? To have Amelia to yourself? You’ve said she’s not your girlfriend. So why does it matter?”

“I don’t know!” But he did know. He had a very clear idea why it bothered him so much. Mack slammed his palm against the steering wheel. “She and I…we’re both fucking Jomari. We all know, but we’ve never hung out just the three of us.”

Trevor seemed to contemplate that. “Yeah, I’d say that’s different from my family. It really bothers you, huh?”

“Not that. It’s…” Mack didn’t know how to explain the way he’d seen the tender gestures between Amelia and Jomari. Sure, she would do the same for him, but it didn’t look or feel identical for some reason Mack couldn’t pinpoint. “I guess they’ve been getting to be closer since she started playing with Cian’s band.”

“Makes sense. Spending more time together. But you think there’s more going on?”

“I don’t know,” Mack admitted. “Up until now, I wouldn’t have thought so. She always said she was mostly into women. She doesn’t date men, and she made that clear to me. I didn’t care. But now here she is, and I can’t really tell what’s going on. She’s already cancelled plans with me so they could go out.”

“Ah.” Trevor was quiet a moment. “People change, you know. Until Andre, I thought I only loved Marlie and the couple times I fooled around with guys were, like, just sex. Then after Andre, I thought maybe Marlie was my exception and I mostly wanted guys. Now I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter because this works for us. Jamie’s only into men, but I know he’s fucked women on camera and enjoyed it. He said Cian can’t separate love and sex, he’s got a high drive for both, and he doesn’t care about gender at all. Maybe Amelia’s needs have changed.”

“Maybe.”

It wasn’t only about whether or not her relationship with Jomari was changing. It was why. Why now, after years of things being the same? What made him different from everyone else? Mack hated the feeling she’d finally had enough and was choosing someone who might be able to give her what he couldn’t. But why would she have told him their kind of relationship was enough if it wasn’t? She knew who he was and that he made no apology for it. Was it like Trevor said, and she was changing, or had she been dishonest?

“Listen,” Trevor said as they pulled into his driveway. “Why don’t you invite Jomari for Thanksgiving?”

“What? Why?”

“It might be easier if it’s not the three of you having to figure this out alone, that’s all.” Trevor unbuckled, but he didn’t move. “Talk to them. The only way I made it work with Andre and Marlie is by telling them both the truth. And the only way I didn’t fuck it up with Jamie was by telling them I needed him in my life too.” He curled his fingers into a fist. “If only we could work that out.”

Mack didn’t reply. Jamie was still a sore spot for both of them. He helped Trevor unload the groceries and put things away. They had some time for him to think about inviting Jomari, but he wasn’t sure he was going to.

“Thanks for your help,” Trevor said. “Hey, you feeling better?”

“Maybe.” Mack accepted the Night Crawlers from Trevor. “I should get these to the others.”

“Good luck.”

Back in the van, Mack looked at the package on the passenger seat. For once, Trevor was right, but tonight he didn’t have the right words. Instead, he would bring the sour gummies as a peace offering and sit with them this time, even if it meant he had to watch confusing science fiction shows. He pulled out onto the road and headed for home.

Author Bio

A.M. Leibowitz is a queer spouse, parent, feminist, and book-lover falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. They keep warm through the long, cold western New York winters by writing about life, relationships, hope, and happy-for-now endings.

Their published fiction includes several novels as well as a number of short works, and their stories have been included in multiple anthologies. They are an occasional host for Bi+Plus, a podcast for the bi+ community, as well as doing bi+ advocacy work and curating the best-of bi list on the QueerBooksForTeens website.

They are a social media contributor for Supposed Crimes, LLC, and they post about news, reviews, and updates. In between, they blog coffee-fueled, quirky commentary on faith, culture, books, chronic illness, and their family.

Author Website: http://amleibowitz.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/AMLeibowitz/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyunchained

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyunchained/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8544236.A_M_Leibowitz

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/a-m-leibowitz/

Author Amazon: https://www.booklinker.net/author-links.php

J Scott Coatsworth’s Shoreless Sea – and giveaway!

 

Lots of nice things today. First, J. Scott Coatsworth has a new queer sci fi book out, the final book in his Liminal Sky trilogy: “The Shoreless Sea.”  Second, he’s giving us a unique excerpt here. You won’t read this anyway else!  Third, there’s a giveaway to enter where you can win an Amazon gift card.  Fourth is a bargain you should run to collect – books one and two are on sale!

 

Here’s a little more about The Shoreless Sea:

Humankind is on its way to the stars, a journey that will change it forever. Each of the stories in Liminal Sky explores that future through the lens of a generation ship, where the line between science fiction and fantasy often blurs. At times both pessimistic and very hopeful, Liminal Sky thrusts you into a future few would ever have imagined.

As the epic trilogy hurtles toward its conclusion, the fight for the future isn’t over yet. It could lead to a new beginning, or it might spell the end for the last vestiges of humankind.

The generation ship Forever has left Earth behind, but a piece of the old civilization lives on in the Inthworld—a virtual realm that retains memories of Earth’s technological wonders and vices. A being named Lilith leads the uprising, and if she succeeds in setting its inhabitants free, they could destroy Forever.

But during the generation ship’s decades-long voyage, humanity has evolved. Liminals with the ability to connect with the world mind and the Inthworld provide a glimmer of hope. They’ll have to face not only Lilith’s minions, but also the mistrust of their own kind and persecution from a new government as homotypicals continue to fear what they can’t understand.

The invasion must be stopped, the Inthworld must be healed, and the people of Forever must let go of their past and embrace what they’re meant to become.

 

Buy Links:  Dreamspinner | Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | QueeRomance Ink | Goodreads

 

 

Get Books One and Two on Sale!

The eBook for book one in the Liminal Sky trilogy, “The Stark Divide,” is just 99¢, and book two, “The Rising Tide,” is $1.99 at all vendors:

The Stark Divide Buy Links – 99¢  –  Dreamspinner | Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play

The Rising Tide Buy Links – $1.99 –  Dreamspinner | Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play

 

Giveaway

Scott is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour, along with three eBook sets of his Oberon Cycle trilogy. For a chance to win, enter via a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Unique Excerpt

Kiryn taught Dax some of the basic signs—yes, no, me, you—and a few curses for good measure.

Dax was a quick learner. He mostly got the sign on the first try, and when Kiryn quizzed him, he only missed one.

Kiryn wished he had his mother’s gift to talk directly into someone’s mind. His sister could do it too. It would make this whole thing so much easier. The world gave you different gifts. He wished it would hurry up and show him what those gifts were.

He loved seeing the joy Dax took in learning the simple signs. He wondered if they were similar to the signs Dax and his sister had made up together.

For just a moment, Kiryn let himself get carried away with the idea that he might have a life with this one. That Dax would like him despite his deafness.

Not that he really cared what others thought. Being deaf was as integral to him as the color of his eyes or his eternal sense of optimism. He’d grown a thick skin to deal with those occasional assholes who thought otherwise.

Still, he wondered what it might be like.

I can show you the letters next…, he scribbled.

Dax nodded eagerly. “Show me.”

He wrote a letter A and made the sign like a closed fist. Signing by spelling was a lot slower, but it was handy when he didn’t know the sign for a word.

Dax repeated the sign.

“Good.” Now B….

Kiryn!

His sister’s voice echoed through his skull.

He jumped up and almost fell backward over the railing. Dax grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “What?”

Kiryn scribbled, My sister. I have to go. He pulled open the access hatch and scrambled down the metal ladder to the ground. Belynn needed him.

Dax landed right behind him. He tapped Kiryn’s shoulder and mimed, I’ll go with you.

Kiryn nodded. He opened the metal door and bounded off through the darkness with Dax at his side.

 

Author Bio

Scott lives between the here and now and the what could be. Indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine, he devoured her library. But as he grew up, he wondered where the people like him were.

He decided it was time to create the kinds of stories he couldn’t find at Waldenbooks. If there weren’t gay characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

His friends say Scott’s brain works a little differently – he sees relationships between things that others miss, and gets more done in a day than most folks manage in a week. He seeks to transform traditional sci fi, fantasy, and contemporary worlds into something unexpected.

A Rainbow Award winning author and Science Fiction Writer’s Association (SFWA) member, he runs Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink with his husband Mark, sites that bring queer people together to promote and celebrate fiction reflecitng their own reality.

Author Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworthauthor/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/jscoatsworth

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8392709.J_Scott_Coatsworth

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/J.-Scott-Coatsworth/e/B011AFO4OQ/

M D Neu’s Angel of Death – launch and giveaway!

M.D Neu has a new MM paranormal/alternate universe book out: T.A.D – The Angel of Death.

Tad loves bouncing around in time and watching mankind grow and change. He loves humanity and helping when he can. However, his job isn’t conducive to helping people. He’s an Angel of Death.

Doug is fun loving and a drama queen. Despite his witty exterior, he has a dark history and is prone to self-destruction. He’s also an amazing drag queen and hairstylist with big dreams.

When Tad pushes the boundaries of his duties too far, his angel wings are stripped away from him, and he is sent to New York City to live as a human. Lost and alone he ends up meeting Doug, and the two start a friendship that will shape them both and last a lifetime. But nothing is simple when you’re dealing with a former Angel of Death and a Drag Queen. Could these two cause the fabric of our world to collapse or will they manage to keep the future as it should?

NineStar Press | Universal Buy Link | Amazon | Goodreads

Giveaway

Marvin is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this reveal and tour. Enter via Rafflecopter

 

Excerpt

Doug glanced up at the big void where the buildings once stood.

How could anyone do that? All those people, and for what? Thank God, no one I know was there. Thank goodness, Garret’s train was running late. Even from across the river, seeing the buildings fall, one minute there, the next not, awful. Not knowing if Garret was alive or dead. The not knowing was awful, and it seemed to last forever. Then getting his call when the phones were back up. It was a relief. Still, the not knowing? Horrible. How do survivors do it?

Doug shuddered. He had to look away before he started to cry again. That day. The world wasn’t the same. How could it be? Would it ever be the same again? He swiped at his eyes, keeping the tears he was trying to hold back from dropping. He caught his reflection in one of the storefront windows and fussed with his blond spiky hair.

One year.

The months right after the attack had been hell for everyone. People from all over the world sent support and offered help. But New York was moving on, as it should. They already had seven different architects offering new designs to fill the empty skyline. Mayor Giuliani was doing everything he could for the city, and there was even talk of him running for president.

Doug checked his flip phone and picked up his pace. He was running late. He shouldn’t have spent the night at Tim’s, but leaving such a sexy guy was no easy task. Not to mention they might have partied too much.

I doubt that is even possible. You can never party too much.

There was a large group of mourners, and he had to step to the side to let them pass. He took a deep cleansing breath, pushing all thoughts from his mind, and started walking again. He rushed past the families and friends heading to Ground Zero. Now he had to hustle to make it to work. He’d gotten lucky no one he was familiar with was killed. Still, every time he thought about the attack and looked up at the twin lights filling the night sky, he wanted to cry.

Monsters.

Why President Bush didn’t blow up the whole of the Middle East after the attack, Doug would never understand. Instead, the president sent troops to Afghanistan, searching for Osama bin Laden and taking out Al-Qaeda.

Just as long as they find and kill the monsters who did this to us.

Doug couldn’t help but stop again and glance up to where the twin towers once stood. He quickly wiped at his eyes. “I need to get out of here.” He moved over to the brick façade and leaned against the wall as more people passed him, heading to the memorial ceremony.

“So much suffering and for what?” Doug mumbled. He started walking again, taking a deep breath and trying to avoid the crowds. A woman in a dark jacket passed him and bumped his shoulder, causing him to step closer to an alley. She didn’t bother saying anything; however, Doug thought she said something about his size. He caught his reflection again. He hated how everything made him feel so fat. Nothing he wore looked right on him. Even the baggy pants still made him look fat and messy. He would need to start at the gym if he wanted to continue dating Tim and keep up with his partying. He frowned.

At least I have good hair.

He played with the spikes of his hair.

“It’s my fault,” a gruff voice whispered from behind him.

Doug startled and turned around, but no one was there. He glanced over to the dumpster.

Sitting there, a raggedy black man, with kinky hair in desperate need of a cut and wash, stared at him. The man had the most beautiful green eyes Doug had ever seen. The rich tones of his skin really made his eyes pop, quite possibly the unkempt man’s best feature. The man was in shambles, and tears streamed down his dirty cheeks.

The anniversary affects everyone.

“I did this,” the man groaned through his sobs. “And now I’m being punished.”

Doug wasn’t sure what to do or say. Should he walk away and get to the salon? Leave what appeared to be the crazy homeless guy alone? Could he do that now that they made eye contact? Could he do that today of all days? The man needed help. The man needed a shower and clean clothes. Perhaps, if he talked to him, that would be enough…well, the talk and ten bucks.

That’s what Shannon would do. Talk to him and give him money. Shannon was such a kind soul, and I need to be more like him, more like he was. To honor him. Just like my drag name. Maybe Miss Enshannon needs to be more. I need to be more.

Doug’s heart ached at the memories of Shannon and how wonderful he was. When he picked his drag name there was no doubt on what it would be, but to honor someone you loved had to be more than using their name.

“It’s not your fault.” He knelt close to the man, still keeping his distance just in case. “It was the work of terrorists. They killed all those people, not you.”

“I should have stopped them. I should have done more,” the dirty man moaned.

“Oh, baby, no one could have done more,” Doug offered. Some people thought the government knew about the attack beforehand and the president allowed it to happen. Doug didn’t buy it. Why anyone listened to these people was beyond him, but they did. He just wished they would shut up and crawl back under the rocks they came from. They weren’t helping anyone, and in the long run, their remarks and comments only hurt people more.

“Now, I’m being punished. They sent me here and took my wings,” the man whispered.

Was this guy a pilot? Oh, that would be awful. I bet he was supposed to fly one of the planes, and he couldn’t take it. Survivor’s guilt.

Author Bio

M.D. Neu is a queer Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.

Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.

When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of twenty plus years.

 

Author Website: http://www.mdneu.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/mdneuauthor/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/Writer_MDNeu

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormdneu/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17206592.M_D_Neu

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-neu/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M-D-Neu/e/B076FK1S14/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Second Editions of the Lancaster’s Luck books, and a Boxed Set of Taking Shield

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In other words, some real news to impart at last. It’s been a while since I had real ‘stuff’ to talk about, rather than just host other writers. Partly that’s been due to my having to deal with illness and death in the family, which cut seriously into my writing time; partly to having had my head down, writing furioso in order to get the third Lancaster’s Luck story finished; and partly, too, to wringing my hands over the Dreamspinner Press issue and worrying about what to do with the first two Lancaster books that DSP had published. On top of all that, I’m producing a ‘boxed set’ of the Taking Shield ebooks.

So yeah. News.  Taking those in reverse order…

 

The Taking Shield boxed set

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This is a project that’s been in the works for over a year, waiting on my finishing the final Lancaster’s Luck novel and finding the time to put together the biggest damn document in the universe. I’ve finally got my act together, and on 05 November – Guy Fawkes Night here in the UK – the complete Taking Shield series of five novels will be published in a single volume. It will be available from Amazon and (eventually) other ebook sellers for $9.99. This is a massive $6 saving on buying the books individually. However, I’m promising to make it available only for a limited period of three months, after which I’ll review and decide if it’s worth keeping it up as part of the Taking Shield stable.

It’s appeared on Amazon for preorder with remarkable speed, since I only uploaded it three hours ago! Here’s the link:

Amazon.com  |  Amazon.co.uk

 

 

 

Second Edition Lancaster’s Luck novels

I had a very heavy heart when I finally decided to ask for the rights of my books back from Dreamspinner.  I’d hung on for weeks, reading their regular reports on what they were doing to try and resolve the cash flow problem, and seeing so many other authors popping up on my facebook feed saying they’d asked for their rights back. It was like a run on the bank. Remember the panicked scenes from A Wonderful Life, where rumours of the bank’s instability had everyone running there desperate to get their money back?

 In the film, the hero George Bailey saves the bank. In real life, once that run starts, it’s hard to stop. Small publishers – all publishers – operate in a savage marketplace. I had to consider that if, God forbid, DSP doesn’t get through this, then I might have no say at all where the publishing rights for my books might end up. They’d be included in DSP’s assets in any sale to another publisher. That was my sticking point.

I didn’t have a lot with DSP, just the two Lancaster’s Luck novels and a short story. But let’s be very clear about those books. The Gilded Scarab and The Jackal’s House are as dear to me as they are, as good as I think they are, because of DSP and its wonderful team of editors. I am desperately proud of those two books, and I know what I owe DSP for its faith in me when I submitted them, when they agreed to publish. I won’t ever forget that. I truly, sincerely hope DSP weathers this storm and goes on to more great things.

So, the rights reverted to me two days ago. In readiness for that, I had created a second edition, essentially by turning the texts back into British English spelling and grammar. After all, Rafe Lancaster and I are both as British as they make ’em. The new files are now live in the Kindle store. They’ll go live at other booksellers over the next few weeks, as soon as cover artist Reese Dante has satisfied her inner perfectionist and completed her tweaks to the Scarab cover.

They’re for sale here:

The Gilded Scarab   Amazon.com  |  Amazon.co.uk

The Jackal’s House  Amazon.com  |  Amazon.co.uk

and they are, in fact, a little cheaper than they used to be: $5.99 instead of $6.99

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The third Lancaster’s Luck novel, The God’s Eye

I had just submitted this when Dreamspinner’s difficulties became too pressing to ignore, but along with the return of my publishing rights, I withdrew The God’s Eye from consideration. That means I’ll be publishing the last book in the Lancaster’s Luck series myself under the Glass Hat imprint. Work is proceeding apace. I’ve lined up a development editor to help me hone the draft, and a content/line editor to help me convert the draft back into British English, Reese Dante will do the cover for me, and Margaret Warner will (I hope) create the internal artwork. I commissioned both yesterday. No imagery yet, but the god in question is Thoth, the ibis-headed scribe and inventor, and all the action revolves around a secret pyramid hidden deep in the Abyssinian Highlands (modern-day Ethiopian Highlands), near the source of the Blue Nile.

Until I have the edits back, I can’t really commit to a publication date, but I hope it will be in time for Christmas. I’ll let you know! In the meantime, have a teasery little reminder of Rafe Lancaster’s inimitable voice:

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And finally, real life.

Not much to say here, really, other than getting old sucks.  I was responsible (as in had power of attorney) for three elderly relatives. Now it’s two. I don’t think I ever anticipated how much hard work would be involved in dealing with an estate and it isn’t over yet, but we can see some end to it and earlier today I scattered S’s ashes.

I’m tired, bone tired actually, but less stressed than I was. Life has a way of giving you a casual kick in passing, and then not waiting for you to catch up. You’re forced to get up and run after it. I’m glad to say that I’m just about caught up. Once the work of uploading the revised Lancaster books and the Shield boxed set is done, I can turn back to my current work-in-progress. This isn’t going to be a m/m romance, though it will have LGBT characters – because Life has – and it’s aimed more at the younger reader. Shadow Glass is about a young glass artisan, Midge Gowrie, living on an Earth colony far in our future, a colony where the inhabitants have developed strange gifts. None is stranger then Midge’s.

Here’s a little teaser:

My Gift didn’t appear the first time I had my monthlies, the way it’s supposed to. All the girls in the First Families get their gift then, from the hoity-toity Tech families down to the Artisan ones like mine.

I have no idea who my father is and I never knew my mum. She got some sort of infection not long after I was born and didn’t get through it, Gran said. A surprise, really, in this day and age, especially since I don’t think I was born here on Hekat. Once I overheard Gran say something about Earth, though what an ArtisanMage was doing off-world is one mystery, and her being on Earth is an even greater one. Gran denied it so hard when I asked her about it, I’ve never dared ask again. I thought she would have a heart attack, right in front of me.

Anyhow, what I mean by all that, is my mum isn’t here to worry about me being Giftless. Aunt Yvonna, her sister, though. Wow, does she like it. She purses her lips and frowns a lot whenever she’s sure I can see her, but she isn’t worrying. She’s gloating. Jealous, most likely. But then, I don’t think she can have liked my mum much. Auntie’s supposed to be a woodcarver, but she doesn’t do much of anything now. She married into an EcoMage family, and thinks she’s better than those of us who work with their hands for a living. I don’t see she had anything to boast about. Having a few farmers love you for keeping their crops irrigated isn’t so much. Not stacked against one of my mum’s glass sculptures. They’re the embodiment of light, according to the cards in the main art gallery that explains what mum meant by them. Three of her sculptures are in the gallery for everyone on Hekat to see, visitors from the Company on Earth and from the other colonies as well as those of us stuck here. No one else has that many sculptures on show. So Auntie Yvonna can shove that up her pipe and smoke it.

Gran, my mum’s mum, worries about it some. But she’s a worrier anyway, over everything from why couldn’t I have been an EcoMage ’cos that cloud over there looks like rain and will spoil my garden, and what if the bees swarm tomorrow, Midge, while you’re at work and I can’t skep the queen?, and Holy Hecate, I can’t believe you’re twenty soon and how will I ever afford your Age party?

I don’t worry about it as much as Gran thinks I should. I may not have a Gift, you see, but unlike everyone else on Hekat, I have shadows.

 

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McKenna Dean’s Bishop Takes Knight – review

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About the Book

[image error]New York, 1955. Former socialite Henrietta (“Rhett”) Bishop, destitute after her father gambles away the family fortune, takes a job at Redclaw Security. But Redclaw is no ordinary operation. Part detective firm and part enforcement agency, Redclaw regulates matters involving the growing population of shifters who have emerged since the onset of the nuclear age.

Peter Knight is a nuclear scientist shattered by the death of his wife. Blacklisted by the government and scientific organizations, he drowns his sorrows while searching for the people behind his wife’s murder.

 

When Rhett is assigned to recruit Knight, their meeting is more than either bargained for—a rival organization will do anything to secure Knight for themselves. Following a lead to locate a missing cache of alien technology stolen from Redclaw, Rhett is thrown back into her previous glittering life with Knight as her pretend boyfriend. But when someone from the past turns up to start a bidding war on the artifacts, Bishop and Knight wind up in a fight for their very lives.

 

 

 

Buy Links

Amazon.com  |  Amazon UK  |  Audible  |  Kobo  | Book Depository  |  AbeBooks  |  Alibris  |  Indigo.ca

 

Review

[image error]This author, people, is the only reason I still look at shifter romances. The only reason.

I’m not terribly fond of shifter stories, you see. They’re too often thinly veiled rape – or at best dubious consent – apologia, with the excuse that the ‘alpha’ male of the shifter pair has no control over his animal urge to conquer and possess the female. Well, excuse me if I fail to find the attraction in some dickhead jackass waving his primal urges in my face. I prefer characters to have a little more depth than that.

Which is why, of all the genre, I read McKenna Dean. She writes about real people, who are likeable. The sort you wouldn’t mind inviting round for dinner. Faulty – yes, of course they are. But you can respect them and understand the reasons they make their choices and decisions because she gives them backstory and depth and – ruddy heck – development and growth.  This book is no exception.

Dean’s building up a cadre of books based on the premise that shifters live in a world that overlaps with ours, with parallel structures, organisations and government. One such organisation is Redclaw Security. Her previous books have been contemporaries, with Redclaw in the background, its agents seeking out lost shifter princesses or coming to the aid of former team members. It hasn’t been front and centre in the books, but ticking along nicely, and intriguingly, behind all the main action. In Bishop Takes Knight, she pulls Redclaw into centre-stage, taking us back to 1955 to show us Redclaw’s origins and how it grows into the premier shifter agency on the planet.

Cleverly, though, she doesn’t show us that through a shifter’s eyes. Henrietta (Rhett) Bishop is no shifter. She’s a socialite in post-war America, down on her luck. She’s proud, clever, impetuous, terrible at taking orders and something of a loner who finds it hard to trust or work with others. Taking her last desperate chance of a job, she ends up as a typist at Redclaw, and so the agency is, quite brilliantly, revealed. The reader finds out more about Redclaw – what it means, what it does, the odd-bods who staff it, who the mysterious Ryker is – along with Rhett. We know only what she does, when she knows it, and in her narrative, we’re plunged into 50s America, with all its differences from the present day and all its similarities. Add in a love interest for Rhett in the shape of damaged scientist hiding from his grief in the bottle, and a treasure hunt with remorseless antagonists in opposition that reaches a breathless climax, and you have a fascinating story that I really couldn’t put down.

The romance is low-key. Both because of the time period of the book, and the two main characters’ personalities and experiences, don’t expect physical gymnastics. There aren’t any. This is a slowly growing love story, that’s all the more satisfying because of its restraint. It’s sweet, without being saccharine. I can’t wait for another story involving Bishop and Knight. They’re a wonderful pairing.

All in all, highly recommended.

 

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Clare London’s Romancing the Rough Diamond

 

But then, who would be surprised at that? I suspect Clare has always had a soft spot for diamonds! As this new book of hers proves….
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Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
 
Length: 244 pages
 
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
 
Cover Design: Alexandria Corza
 

Romancing The…

Trust is the most precious jewel of all.

When Mayfair jewelers Starsmith Stones wins the commission for a gay royal wedding, CEO Joel Sterling is recommended to the brilliant young designer Matt Barth—only to discover Matt’s the man with whom he shared an anonymous and passionate kiss on the celebration night.

Disenchanted with the commercial jewelry industry, Matt nowadays prefers muddy archaeological digs to designing. Openly resentful of Starsmith’s hostile takeover of his family’s firm, he is horrified at the realization he’ll be working with the man who engineered that deal—but the opportunity to create something fabulous and unique for the royal couple is too tempting to refuse.

Working as a team reignites the spark between Joel and Matt. But when betrayal from within Starsmith threatens both the project and Joel’s confidence, will they have built enough trust to keep their newfound love as precious as the royal jewels?

 

GIVEAWAY

Win a $10 Amazon Gift card by entering this  Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Clare London took her pen name from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant.





She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with award-winning novels and short stories published both online and in print. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic, and sexy characters.





All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello!
 
Website | Facebook | Mailing List | Twitter | BookBub
 

 

 

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions

Drama Dance with Joe Cosentino : Interview

 

Joe’s a regular visitor here at the blog, and I’m delighted to welcome him back again on the release of his new Nicky and Noah mystery, Drama Dance. This time, as well as telling us about the new book, which is the 8th in the series, I’ve interrogated Joe asked Joe a few pertinent questions about his writing. You can use the handy-dandy menu here to skip around the post.

Interview with Joe

About Drama Dance, with Buy Links

Excerpt

Praise for the Nicky and Noah series

About Joe

 

Interview with author Joe Cosentino

Hello, Joe! It’s great to interview you in cyberspace.

Thank you. May the force be with us. (smile)

You’ve written over twenty-five books in five years. Are you a sorcerer?

No, and I’m not on the sauce either (smile). Another author once gave me great advice. It’s all about priorities. If writing is important to you, you’ll write. Since I’m a college theatre professor/department head (like Martin Anderson in my Nicky and Noah mystery series), I work during the daytime. So, I write at night after my spouse is asleep and the house is quiet—except for the owls in the woods outside our house. They seem to know when I’m writing and hoot up a storm in encouragement.

Why did you write a gay cozy comedy mystery series?

I come from a long line of funny Italian Americans who are great storytellers. There’s a rumor that my grandmother as a girl left her small town in Sicily to shotgun explosions. I guess some of the villagers didn’t like the stories she was telling about them. My family’s motto has always been, if someone doesn’t tell you about themselves, that’s license to make up a good story about them. (smile) I carried the storytelling gene by majoring in theatre at college. Then I went on to act opposite stars like Rosie O’Donnell (AT&T industrial), Nathan Lane (Roar of the Greasepaint musical onstage), Bruce Willis (A Midsummer Night’s Dream onstage), Charles Keating (NBC’s Another World), Jason Robards (Commercial Credit computer commercial), and Holland Taylor (ABC’s My Mother Was Never a Kid TV movie). Finally, I began writing plays and ultimately writing novels. Since I’m a cozy mystery reading fanatic, and there are so few gay cozy mystery series out there, I was happy to fill the bill—or in this new novel, the dance belt.

Are the Nicky and Noah Mysteries set in the theatre department of a college because you are a college theatre professor/department head?

They say write what you know about. Besides, there isn’t anywhere with more humor, drama, mystery, and romance than a college theatre department.

Is Treemeadow College like your college?

Treemeadow (named after its founders, gay couple Tree and Meadow) is the place we’d all love to live and work (except for the murders there). It’s the perfect setting for a cozy mystery with its white Edwardian buildings, low white stone fences, lake and mountain views, and cherry wood offices with tall leather chairs and fireplaces. Vermont is a cozy state with its green pastures, white church steeples, glowing lakes, and friendly and accepting people.

Why did you pick The Nutcracker Ballet as Nicky and Noah’s college production in Drama Dance?

It’s my favorite ballet. Every December I sit at the edge of my seat in the theatre as Uncle Drosselmeyer (definitely a gay uncle since he gives the best presents) gives Clara the nutcracker. I cringe as her (clearly straight) brother Fritz breaks the nutcracker, and I sigh when Clara mends him. As the party is over, and the Christmas tree grows, I fall asleep with Clara and wake to her handsome Nutcracker in a red jacket and white (bulging) tights. After his duel with the Mouse King, Clara saves her Nutcracker and they take me with them to The Land of the Sweets (definitely a metaphor for Provincetown). Once the international sweets (visiting gays) are finished entertaining them, the Sugar Plum Fairy (need I say more) and her gorgeous Cavalier (again with bulging white tights), send Clara, the Nutcracker, and me off on a golden sleigh to wonderland. Who could ask for a better winter holiday treat?

Where do you write?

My home study is very much like Martin Anderson’s office at Treemeadow College, including a fireplace with a cherry wood mantel and a cherry wood desk and bookcase. I also have a window seat beneath a large window/gateway to the woods.

Do you write an outline before each book?

For a mystery, an outline is important to plot out all the clues and surprise reveals. I generally wake up at about 3am with a great idea and jot down some notes on the pad at my night table. It drives my husband nuts. If I can read the notes the next day, I draft the outline. Since I was an actor, I also write a long character biography for each character. Then I close my eyes and let the magic happen. As I see the scenes in front of me like a movie, and the characters start talking to each other in my head, I hit the computer. My spouse reads my second draft. After we argue, I write my third draft. The fourth draft is after notes from my editor, which I complain about bitterly but always make my work better.

Why do you write gay fiction?

As James Franco once said in an interview about his indie films, LGBT people have many interesting untold stories. Speaking of films, go to a mall and look at the row of big studio movie posters without any LGBT characters in them. Visit a bookstore and see cover after cover of only opposite sex love stories. Take a look at so many of our political and so-called religious leaders who raise money and gain power by demonizing LGBT people and trying (and often succeeding lately) to take away civil rights. I mourn for the young gay kids who consider suicide. So, I support organizations like the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Alliance, and I write stories that include LGBT people and themes. However, just as my Jana Lane Mysteries series with its straight leading characters and gay supporting characters has huge crossover appeal for gay people, my Nicky and Noah Mysteries series with its LGBT leading characters and straight supporting characters has a tremendous amount of crossover appeal for straight people. Most people like a clever mystery, sweet romance, quirky and endearing characters, plot twists and turns, and a shocking yet justifiable ending, regardless of the sexuality of the characters.

Speaking of James Franco, wouldn’t he make a great Nicky Abbondanza?

Totally! I would love to do a TV version of The Nicky and Noah Mysteries. I’ve written a teleplay of the first novel and treatments for the remaining novels. Come on, TV producers, make your offers!

You’ve written MM romance (six for Dreamspinner Press), an MM serial (the Cozzi Cove series for NineStar Press), an MM comedy mystery series (Nicky and Noah Mysteries), and a mainstream mystery series (the Jana Lane Mysteries for The Wild Rose Press). Which genre is the most difficult to write?

Writing a mystery series is like going to war (not that I’ve ever done that, thankfully.) I groan when I read a mystery that presents suspects and then randomly selects whodunit at the conclusion. You need to chart out every clue, red herring, and plot point. It’s important to decide when to release what information, use sleight of hand to camouflage the murderer, and create a totally justifiable conclusion. Also, a good mystery, like any novel, needs captivating and lovable characters, heart-pounding romance, a charming setting, and in our trying times a good dollop of laugh out loud humor.

Is it hard to write comedy?

Not for me. I’ve always thought funny. I remember as an actor when playing a dramatic scene, directors would tell me to stop making my role so funny. I didn’t realize I was doing it. I think I get this from my mother. For example, for Christmas one year my mother said, “Tell me exactly what gift you want, so you won’t return what I buy for you.” I replied, “I’d like a red shirt.” Mom answered, “I don’t like red. I’ll get you a blue one.”

Nicky’s hysterically funny side quips to the reader often include swipes in the political and religious arenas. How do you get away with that?

Readers love it, and I’m able to vent my frustrations in a positive way.

What have you learned about reviews?

I always encourage readers to post a reader rating and review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Audible. That’s how people find out about books. It’s like applauding for an actor at the curtain call. My reviews are generally very good. I don’t read the few negative reviews. If I did, I might stop writing. I believe if you don’t like a book, you should stop reading it after chapter one and read something else, rather than posting a low rating and mean review. Remember folks, karma can be a bitch! What you put out there, you may get right back at you one day. Writers don’t do it for the money. We do it for the love of our books and our readers. We put our hearts out there to be embraced not stamped on. Think about that the next time you post a reader comment.

What advice do you have for unpublished writers?

Don’t listen to naysayers. Get in front of the computer and start writing your unique story. Don’t copy anyone. Find the magic within yourself. Write what you know and feel passionate about. Write every day. Don’t be afraid to take chances. When you have a story you think is perfect, ask someone you trust to read it. Then after writing another draft, email it to a publisher who has an open submissions policy and who publishes the kind of story you’ve written, or publish it yourself.

You work with three publishers for your other series, yet you self-publish the Nicky and Noah Mysteries? Why?

I love working with my three publishers, but the Nicky and Noah Mysteries are so personal to me that I want to publish and promote them my way and in my timeline. It’s worked out well as the novels have sold well and won numerous awards including Divine Magazine Readers’ Poll Favorite MM Mystery of the Year (Drama Queen) and Rainbow Award Honorable Mention in the Best MM Mystery of the Year Category (Drama Muscle).

How can your readers get their hands on Drama Dance, the eighth Nicky and Noah mystery, and how can they contact you?

The blurb and purchase links are below, as are my contact links, including my web site. I love to hear from readers! So after you read the novel, tell me what you think!

Thank you, Joe, for interviewing today.

It is my joy and pleasure to share this eighth novel in the Nicky and Noah Mysteries series with you. So take your seats. The curtain is going up on Clara, the Nutcracker, the Mouse King, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Cavalier. And of course hilarity, romance, and murder in Drama Dance!

 

 

About Drama Dance

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DRAMA DANCE (the eighth Nicky and Noah mystery) by JOE COSENTINO: Buy Links

Universal Amazon Link  |  Smashwords  |  Barnes and Noble

 

 

Theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza is back at Treemeadow College directing their Nutcracker Ballet co-starring his spouse, theatre professor Noah Oliver, their son Taavi, and their best friend and department head, Martin Anderson. With muscular dance students and faculty in the cast, the Christmas tree on stage isn’t the only thing rising. When cast members drop faster than their loaded dance belts, Nicky and Noah will once again need to use their drama skills to figure out who is cracking the Nutcracker’s nuts, trapping the Mouse King, and being cavalier with the Cavalier, before Nicky and Noah end up stuck in the Land of the Sweets. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining eighth novel in this delightful series. Take your seats. The curtain is going up on the Fairy—Sugar Plum that is, clumsy mice, malfunctioning toys, and murder!

Cover Art: Jesús Da Silva

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Excerpt from Drama Dance

Noah kissed my neck. “Being back at Treemeadow and in a show again has been great for Taavi.”

“And for us.” I kissed his forehead.

Always thoughtful and kind, Noah said, “I grew up in Wisconsin with my extended family nearby, as you did in Kansas. I can tell Taavi misses our parents, our brothers and their husbands, and their kids.”

“But Taavi has us. And his fairy godparents, Martin and Ruben.”

“And his theatre family.” A line appeared across Noah’s porcelain-like forehead. “Interesting how Taavi picked up on all the bickering at rehearsals.”

“He’s a perceptive kid. Besides, Martin and Ruben have been bickering since the turn of the century. It’s their way of showing affection for each other.” I ran my sideburn against his cheek. “Every family bickers a bit.”

“Especially the Lamas siblings. You’d think they were playing the Borgias instead of Clara and the Nutcracker’s understudy.”

The gossip in me was awoken. “It seems Piero told their conservative parents that Caterina is a stripper. And Caterina told them Piero is gay.”

“You think they’re each vying for a higher spot in the parents’ will?”

“Or at least in their parents’ hearts.”

I squeezed Noah closer into my chest. “And did you notice how Liz turned into Eve Harrington when Caterina was hit by the tree?”

“All understudies yearn to take over their roles.”

“But Liz was practically salivating on my neck.”

“While she gave her lecture about abstinence until heterosexual marriage.”

I laughed. “Our heterosexually-married choreographer didn’t seem to notice. Otto was too busy trying to get into Piero’s dance belt.”

“Totally inappropriate. And not only because Otto is married. Piero is his student!”

“I agree.”

Noah’s crystal blue eyes shimmered. “But, Nicky?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not your student.”

I grinned. “But you are married.”

“And I’d have it no other way.”

 

 

Praise for the Nicky and Noah mysteries

“Joe Cosentino has a unique and fabulous gift. His writing is flawless, and his use of farce, along with his convoluted plot-lines, will have you guessing until the very last page, which makes his books a joy to read. His books are worth their weight in gold, and if you haven’t discovered them yet you are in for a rare treat.” Divine Magazine

“a combination of Laurel and Hardy mixed with Hitchcock and Murder She Wrote…

Loaded with puns and one-liners…Right to the end, you are kept guessing, and the conclusion still has a surprise in store for you.” “the best modern Sherlock and Watson in books today…I highly recommend this book and the entire series, it’s a pure pleasure, full of fun and love, written with talent and brio…fabulous…brilliant” Optimumm Book Reviews

“adventure, mystery, and romance with every page….Funny, clever, and sweet….I can’t find anything not to love about this series….This read had me laughing and falling in love….Nicky and Noah are my favorite gay couple.” Urban Book Reviews

“For fans of Joe Cosentino’s hilarious mysteries, this is another vintage story with more cheeky asides and sub plots right left and centre….The story is fast paced, funny and sassy. The writing is very witty with lots of tongue-in-cheek humour….Highly recommended.” Boy Meets Boy Reviews

“This delightfully sudsy, colorful cast of characters would rival that of any daytime soap opera, and the character exchanges are rife with sass, wit and cagey sarcasm….As the pages turn quickly, the author keeps us hanging until the startling end.” Edge Media Network

“A laugh and a murder, done in the style we have all come to love….This had me from the first paragraph….Another wonderful story with characters you know and love!” Crystals Many Reviewers

“These two are so entertaining….Their tactics in finding clues and the crazy funny interactions between characters keeps the pages turning. For most of the book if I wasn’t laughing I was grinning.” Jo and Isa Love Books

“Superb fun from start to finish, for me this series gets stronger with every book and that’s saying something because the benchmark was set so very high with book 1.” Three Books Over the Rainbow

“The Nicky and Noah Mysteries series are perfect for fans of the Cozy Mystery sub-genre. They mix tongue-in-cheek humor, over-the-top characters, a wee bit of political commentary, and suspense into a sweet little mystery solved by Nicky and Noah, theatre professors for whom all the world’s a stage.” Prism Book Alliance

“This is one hilarious series with a heart and it just keeps getting better. I highly recommend them all, and please read them in the order they were written for full blown laugh out loud reading pleasure!” Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 

 

About Joe

Bestselling author Joe Cosentino was voted Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author of the Year by the readers of Divine Magazine for Drama Queen. He also wrote the other novels in the Nicky and Noah mystery series: Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle, Drama Dance; the Dreamspinner Press novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star, the Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories: A Home for the Holidays/The Perfect Gift/The First Noel, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland with Holiday Tales from Fairyland; the Cozzi Cove series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings (NineStar Press); and the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Chair of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and he is happily married. Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and his books have received numerous Favorite Book of the Month Awards and Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions.

Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_Cosentino

Amazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino