Anna Butler's Blog, page 17
October 3, 2018
Joe Cosentino’s Tales from Fairyland
[image error]Joe’s one of my favourite regulars here at Love That’s Out Of This World, and I’m delighted to welcome him back, pin him into a (relatively!) comfy chair and shine bright lights at him while he’s asked probing questions about his latest releases: the Holiday Tales from Fairyland e-book novella (the second volume of Tales from Fairyland, following The Naked Prince and Other Tales) and the Tales from Fairyland Anthology paperback (a compilation of both volumes).
There’s quite a lot in this post so you can use the handy-dandy menu to jump to the bits you want. Or, you know, just read on!
Interrogation Report Interview with Joe
About Holiday Tales from Fairyland, with buy links and excerpt
About Tales from Fairyland Anthology paperback, with buy links
Praise for The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland
Interview with Joe
Why did you write Holiday Tales from Fairyland?
There is so much to be sad about in our world today. I needed to feel happy and joyous. So, I thought about the two things I love most: holidays and fairytales, and I wrote Holiday Tales from Fairyland/Tales from Fairyland Book 2. Also, after my The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland/Tales from Fairyland Book 1 was published by Dreamspinner Press with an audiobook performed by Joel Leslie, readers and listeners raved about my gay, comic, romantic twists on Cinderella, Pinocchio, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, and The Snow Queen. They begged me to write more stories from Fairyland. To be honest, I missed Fairyland and couldn’t wait to go back. So I did! Finally, I still find it tragic that LGBT people are not represented in traditional fairytales. So I changed that—again!
What is it that you love about the holiday seasons?
At Halloween, I like studly jack-o-lanterns on neighbors’ front porches, white sheets turned into drag ghosts at eerily-lit windows, and friends dressed as campy witches. The month of December turns me into a giggling child anticipating creative department store window displays of Santa and his favorite elf, Scrooge and Marley, Rudolph and Prancer, and snowmen dressed like GQ models. Victorian holiday house tours find me oogling at fireplace mantels and antique furnishings brimming with Christmas stockings, gingerbread houses, and hand-carved ornaments. Not to mention the actor playing the Victorian-era father.
When did your love of fairytales begin?
When my older sister first read them to me before bed eat night. I was totally entranced by peasants becoming princes and princesses and finding true love. The quaint locations, wit, wonder, drama, and happily ever after endings filled my young mind like fairies in an enchanted forest. I wanted to live in those palaces, meet the charming princes, and bring financial equality to those kingdoms.
Tell us about the three stories in Holiday Tales from Fairyland
The first story takes place on Halloween. I’ve always loved The Headless Horseman by Washington Irving. In my version, Ichabod Crane, a young schoolteacher, has a boner over sexy and muscular farmer Brom Bones. When the residents of the homophobic Sleepy Hollow aren’t happy about it, the headless horseman rides into town. Will Ichabod fall off his horse into Brom’s strong, rescuing arms, teaching the town folk a lesson in acceptance they’ll never forget? You’ll see! Every Christmas I salivate over the wonder Nutcracker Ballet. So in the second story, on Christmas, hunky Cavalier P.I. receives a visit from a new client, handsome young Fritz. Somebody strangled Fritz’s sister Clara with the ribbons of her toe shoes, and Fritz is the top suspect. But he seems more interested in the bulge in Cavalier’s tights than in getting himself off the hook. When Cavalier turns sweet on Fritz, it’s time for the private investigator to question his old dance partner the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara’s husband the Nutcracker, Fritz’s other sister Louise, and Fritz’s Godpapa Drosselmeyer to save his intended, and find out: Who Killed Clara? Finally, my favorite Winter Solstice story is Vasillisa, the Beautiful. So the third story brings us young Vasily who falls in love with a mysterious, handsome man who rides by his orphanage each morning, noon, and night. Upon following him, Vasily discovers the man is a prince under the powers of Baba Yaga. Can Vasily rescue his tortured Prince Anton from the witch’s conversion therapy and dance around his pole on May Day? Story three spills the winter beans.
Fairyland is a very gay place.
The gayest. It’s Fairyland after all!
Tell us about the heroes in each of the three stories.
Ichabod Crane is a young schoolteacher whose heart has been stolen by the town hunk, Brom Bones. Ichabod not only needs to win over the man he loves, but also win over the hearts and minds of the bigoted residents of Sleepy Hollow. Cavalier is smart, witty, and looking to partner dance with Mr. Right. Young man of mystery, Fritz, makes his dance belt swell and his heart sing as Cavalier interrogates the suspects to save the man he loves before the last dance. Orphan Vasily gazes out his window watching a gorgeous man ride by on his horse three times a day. He follows the man and discovers he is a prince bewitched by the witch, Baba Yaga. Vasily has to use his smarts, creativity, and heart to save himself and his loving Prince Anton. Vasily is in for an incredible surprise at Baba Yaga’s cottage.
Are you excited about the paperback of the entire Tales from Fairyland Collection?
Yes, beyond words! What I hope is that everyone reads and these funny, sexy, heartwarming, romantic, fairytales. They will no doubt bring you back to better, joyous times. I also hope the movie studio producing those amazing animated fairytales finally realizes that fairytales should include everyone—including the schoolteacher who finds love in Sleepy Hollow!
What other stories have you published?
For Dreampinner Press, In My Heart: An Infatuation & A Shooting Star (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention) are loosely based on my high school and college years. Readers still tell me how much those stories make them laugh, cry, and changed their lives. My popular, heartwarming Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories are A Home for the Holidays (which takes place on the gorgeous and romantic island of Capri), The Perfect Gift, and The First Noel (releasing 12/7). There I go again writing about the holidays that I love!
And you have two award-winning mystery series with other publishers.
Reviewers called my Nicky and Noah mysteries “the funniest books ever written,” captivating mysteries,” and “The Hardy Boys meets Murder She Wrote meets Hart to Hart.” Adorable couple, college theatre professors Nicky and Noah, solve murder mysteries on their Treemeadow College (named about gay couple Tree and Meadow) campus and on tour in Drama Queen, Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle (releasing 2/1/19). My popular Jana Lane mysteries (The Wild Rose Press) feature an ex-child movie star making a movie comeback and solving murder mysteries on set. Jana has a gay agent and gay best friend who provide lots of gay humor. The five novels are Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, and Rag Doll.
You also wrote the Cozzi Cove series published by NineStar Press.
Cal Cozzi runs a gay resort on the New Jersey Shore. We get his story and the sexy, entertaining, and often surprising stories of his gay residents each summer. The novels are Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, and Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings.
What do you do other than write?
I’m a college theatre professor/department head like Martin Anderson in my Nicky and Noah mystery series. My colleagues and students kid me that if any of them tick me off, I will kill them in a novel. Hah. Prior to that I acted with Holland Taylor in the ABC-TV movie My Mother Was Never a Kid, Charles Keating on NBC-TV’s Another World, Jason Robards in a Commercial Credit Computer commercial, Rosie O’Donnell in an AT&T Industrial, and Bruce Willis and Nathan Lane in plays on stage. I also have two master’s degrees, which I never let my spouse forget, though I don’t make him call me “master.”
How do you have the time to write?
I write at night when the house is quiet and my spouse is asleep. My mother said, “Don’t you have anything better to do at night than write? I wonder if Jackie Collins’ mother asked her that?
Where did you get your sense of humor?
My mother is a riot. For example, when she asked me what I wanted for Christmas, so I wouldn’t return her gift, I said, “A red shirt.” She replied, “I don’t like red. I’ll get you a blue one.”
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Write about what stimulates you with characters you adore. Just as I did improvisation as an actor, I recommend letting your characters talk to one another and seeing what happens! An outline is simply an outline. Don’t be afraid to deviate from it. When a reader finishes a book, he/she should be satisfied that the various parts equaled the whole, rather than the author pulling an ending out of the hat. Finally, don’t forget the humor and mystery! And of course, the romance!
How do you deal with bad reviews?
Most of my reviews and reader response have been incredibly positive, which fuel my writing. What a gift it is for a reader to post a positive review on Amazon or Goodreads, relating how something I’ve written has moved them, made them laugh, made them cry, think about something new, or changed their life. I can’t think of anything better. As for the few bad reviews, I don’t read them. As my mother always told me, “If you don’t have something nice to say about somebody, don’t say anything.” I can’t imagine why anyone would continue reading a book after chapter one if he/she doesn’t like it. Just put it down and read something else. Why attack a book someone has poured his/her blood, sweat, and tears into? In any case, worrying about reviews doesn’t help, so why bother?
How is it working with different publishers?
It’s terrific working with the right publisher for the right book or series. I recommend researching each publisher before submitting your work to ensure it’s a good fit.
How do you handle writing love scenes?
Lovemaking is a part of life, so it makes sense to include love scenes in novels. The love scenes in this novella are as beautiful and magical as the stories.
How can your readers contact you?
I love hearing from readers. They can contact me at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.
About Holiday Tales From Fairyland + Buy Links and Excerpt
It’s holiday time in Fairyland. On Halloween, Ichabod Crane, a young schoolteacher, has a boner over sexy and muscular farmer Brom Bones. When the residents of the homophobic Sleepy Hollow aren’t happy about it, the headless horseman rides into town. Will Ichabod fall off his horse into Brom’s strong, rescuing arms, teaching the townsfolk a lesson in acceptance they’ll never forget? On Christmas, hunky Cavalier P.I. receives a visit from a new client, handsome young Fritz. Somebody strangled Fritz’s sister Clara with the ribbons of her toe shoes, and Fritz is the top suspect. But he seems more interested in the bulge in Cavalier’s tights than in getting himself off the hook. When Cavalier turns sweet on Fritz, it’s time for the private investigator to question his old dance partner the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara’s husband the Nutcracker, Fritz’s other sister Louise, and Fritz’s Godpapa Drosselmeyer to save his intended and find out: Who Killed Clara? At Winter Solstice, young Vasily falls in love with a mysterious, handsome man who rides by his orphanage each morning, noon, and night. Upon following him, Vasily discovers the man is a prince under the powers of Baba Yaga. Can Vasily rescue his tortured Prince Anton from the witch’s conversion therapy and dance around his pole on May Day?
Buy Links
Amazon | Smashwords | B&N | Kobo
Excerpt
“Hey, that reminds me.” Brom shook a thick finger at him. “You promised to teach me reading, remember?”
“When would you like to start?”
“As my mother used to say, ‘Now is better than never.’”
“All right.” Ichabod reached into his pocket for the first wooden letter he had taken from the schoolhouse. He placed an “A” on the rug. “What does that letter look like to you?”
“Me upside-down.”
Ichabod stared at Brom and squinted.
“Here. I’ll show you.” Brom took Ichabod’s hand in his and moved Ichabod’s fingers from one shoulder blade, down to his waist just above his buttocks, and back up to the other shoulder blade. Ichabod couldn’t deny enjoying the lesson. “Yes, well, let’s move on.” He put down a “B.”
“That looks like me too!”
“I don’t follow.”
“Here’s the top part.” He moved Ichabod’s hand across one of his expansive pectoral muscles. “And this is the bottom part.” He continued downward to his bulging crotch.
“Ah, c-c-correct. It’s a b-b-b ‘B.’” Ichabod’s body and voice shook so much Bart covered his ears with his paws. “And this?” He put down a “C.”
“Your figure.” Brom moved his own hand from Ichabod’s small shoulder down and around his smooth buttocks.
Ichabod nearly exploded out of his britches. “I think we’ll stop at ‘C.’”
“Why? We’re just getting started!” Brom reached into Ichabod’s pocket to see if there were any other wooden pieces. “What else do you have in there?” His full lips were inches away from Ichabod’s.
Ichabod’s nostrils were filled with Brom’s woodsy scent. He yearned to wrap his arms around Brom’s wide back and rest his head on Brom’s strong chest.
Bart nuzzled his head against Ichabod’s chest.
Brom laughed. “It looks like you have a friend.”
The dog licked Ichabod’s face.
Brom yawned and rose to his feet. “I’m bushed. I can learn more letters tomorrow night. Time for bed.”
Ichabod looked down at the rug. “Should I sleep here with Bart?”
“Bart sleeps in the bed with me. You can sleep in the barn.”
Ichabod rose and headed toward the door. Bart ran there first and barked at him. Ichabod jumped back. “Did I do something wrong?”
Brom snickered. “Bart doesn’t want you to leave. So I guess you’ll have to sleep with us. I warn you. I snore like a bear.” He disappeared into the bedroom.
Ichabod entered the room, hearing his heart pounding in his ears. He found Brom bare-chested in long johns, laying on his back in the bed. He gasped at the sight of Brom’s broad shoulders, bulging biceps, mountainous pectoral muscles, and washboard abdominals.
“Hurry up in while there’s still room. Bart likes to stretch out.”
Ichabod quickly disrobed, rested his eyeglasses on the night table, and lay on his side with his back towards Brom. He could barely contain his excitement, or the bulge in his long underwear.
Brom covered them with a blue checkered quilt. “It can get chilly at night. Sometimes really chilly.” Brom reached his powerful arm over him and spooned Ichabod’s back into his strong chest. As Brom snored lightly, Ichabod felt the other man’s warm breath on his neck. Bart leapt onto the bed and lay at their feet. For the first time in his life, Ichabod felt at home.
About the Tales from Fairyland Anthology paperback + Buy Links
A compilation of both volumes of Tales from Fairyland: The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland and Holiday Tales from Fairyland.
Welcome to Fairyland, a magical place where your favorite fairytale characters come out on the other side of the rainbow. Poor and beautiful Cinder offers his clothes to a naked prince in the woods in a twist on the classic Cinderella tale. Eighteen-year-old Gideon Golden, after being thrown out of his home by his homophobic parents, breaks into the cottage of three irresistibly burly men on Bear Mountain. Romance ensues between that stringy guy with a growing appendage and the character with a thing for giants. A handsome but cold-hearted prince bewitches young Kieran into being his captive. Can Gaelen thaw the ice palace and save his love?
Then it’s holiday time in Fairyland. On Halloween, Ichabod Crane, a young schoolteacher, has a boner over muscular farmer Brom Bones. When the residents of Sleepy Hollow balk, the headless horseman rides into town teaching the townsfolk a lesson in acceptance they’ll never forget. Somebody strangled Fritz’s sister Clara with the ribbons of her toe shoes, and Fritz is the top suspect. When hunky Cavalier turns sweet on sweet Fritz, it’s time for the dancing private investigator to question everyone involved with Clara and the Nutcracker to find out who killed Clara? At Winter Solstice, can orphan Vasily rescue a tortured prince from Baba Yaga, releasing him from the witch’s conversion therapy, and dance around the prince’s pole on May Day?
Praise for The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland
“This is a brilliant work, filled with imaginative twists and sly asides. This is adult literature, overflowing with sometimes gentle but often biting humor, and these fairy tales take on a new edginess without ever losing the morality underpinning each story. The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland gets my highest recommendation! If I could give it more than 5 Stars I would. Bravo, sir, bravo!” GGR Reviews
“Sometimes you are lucky enough to find an author that ticks every box you want as a reader, today I’m that lucky reader….a great saucy, fun collection and highly recommended.” Three Books over the Rainbow
“…the stories are all well done and smart, engaging, funny and sweet.” Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
“The Naked Prince and Other tales from Fairyland is a fun, hilarious collection of stories. Joe outdid himself taking old favorites from our childhood and putting a grown-up spin on them….If you like gay princes, sexy bears, giants, reporters, fairy tales, comedy, suspense, and, sweet, fun man-sex, this is for you.” Cathy Brockman Romance
“If you haven’t read anything by Cosentino, you don’t know what you are missing. His humor and penchant for drama bring these old favorites a new life as he ventures deep into Fairyland….If you love fairytales, you’ve got to read the naughty versions – they are even better!” Joyfully Jay Reviews
“I was most surprised by the author’s sense of humor and his ability to get me to not only laugh out loud, but actually to “belly laugh.” I highly recommend this to audiobook lovers, and especially to those who loved fairy tales in their childhood.” Hearts on Fire Reviews
“In this wickedly entertaining take on classic fairy tales, Joe Cosentino gives us four short stories full of all the characters you remember from storybooks – Cinderella, Pinocchio, Goldilocks, Captain Hook, Jack and the Beanstalk, Prince Charming and many more – but fair warning: This ain’t your childhood Cinderella. Welcome to a world where it isn’t Pinocchio’s nose that grows when he tells a lie. Goldilocks discovers three sexy daddy bears in the woods and ‘someone’s been sleeping in my bed’ takes on a whole other connotation. Jack is ‘very nimble’ but sadly also ‘amazingly quick’ and Prince Charming dons ‘palace protection’ for hot sex with Cinder. Extra bonus points for this wonderful quip: ‘I always suspected he had more down his throat than a frog.’” Gay Book Reviews
About Joe
Joe Cosentino is the author of six novellas published by Dreamspinner Press: The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland (Open Skye Book Reviews Audiobook of the Month); the In My Heart series: An Infatuation & A Shooting Star; and the Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories: A Home for the Holidays, The Perfect Gift, and The First Noel; the Nicky and Noah mysteries: Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Favorite LGBT Mystery), Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity; the Cozzi Cove series (NineStar Press): Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention/TBR Pile Book of the Month), Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, and Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings; and the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, and Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press).
As an actor, Joe appeared in principal roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Jason Robards, and Holland Taylor. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Goddard College, Master’s degree from SUNY New Paltz, and is currently a happily married college professor/department chair residing in New York State.
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
September 2, 2018
Eric Alan Westfall’s “Of Princes False and True” with a giveaway!
I’m delighted to welcome Eric here today to mark the launch of his new book, not least because he is giving all the royalties on the book to one of his local LGBT organisations. That’s really putting your money where your mouth is, and his generosity deserves to be celebrated. Well done, Eric, and every best wish for the book’s success.
A tennis match? Starting a war between the Duchy of Avann and the Kingdom of the Westlands?
Only in a fairy tale.
When Prince Henry hurts a young ball boy who told him Danilo’s ball was inside the line, Danilo’s response is automatic. Punch the prince’s face, pick him up left-handed, and break the royal jaw. Unfortunately, there’s another “automatic” at work: a death sentence for whoever strikes royalty.
King Hiram can’t—won’t—change the rule of law to rule of royal whim. But he grants the Heir of Avann fifteen days to find words that will allow Danilo to live.
In those fifteen days: Magick. The gods, goddesses and gender-fluid deities on Deity Lane. Kilvar, the assassin. A purse which opens in a bank vault. A mysterious old man. The Lady of All. The Magickal Hand writing, rewriting. A fairy tale within a fairy tale. A huge horse called Brute. And at the end…perhaps the right words and a most unexpected love. Plus a deity-supplied dinner with just the right amount of garlic.
Release Date: Monday, August 13 2018
Format: eBook
Romance?: Yes
Price: USD 2.99
Word Count: 81,400
Cover Artist: Karrie Jax
Genres: fantasy, fairy tales
Pairings: MM
Link to Goodreads entry
QueerRomanceInk entry
Available in Ebook format only
Universal Buy Link to a digital bookshop near you
Amazon | Kobo | Indigo | Angus & Robertson
Eric is giving away two backlist eBook titles to one lucky winner with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter
From Chapter 3
The Small Throne Room
The King of Westland’s Castle
Late Morning, the Day The Story Starts
“Sit,” King Hiram commanded. The young man, still head-bowed, didn’t move. The guards squeezed the prisoner’s biceps, half-marching, half-dragging to the chair at the opposite end of the table from the king. With four guard hands occupied by flesh or chains, the difficulty in moving the chair was obvious. The wizard’s spell removed the chains; they reappeared with a clunk! on the floor beside the table.
The guard on the young man’s left pressed a dagger-point against his throat. The other guard released him, stepped behind the chair and pulled it enough away for the young man to be maneuvered in front of it. Rough hands on shoulders forced him down. It was, of course, only happenstance the knifepoint nicked the neck, a drop of blood appearing when the blade was removed.
The recent command not to hurt the prisoner apparently didn’t apply to chairs in which the prisoner was sitting. The force used to propel it toward the table would have crushed the young man’s fingers if he’d rested them on the arms when he sat. Fortunately, his hands were in his lap. The young man’s head remained down as he was in effect caged by the chair and table.
He raised his head, looking straight ahead, but Hiram and his advisors could see he wasn’t seeing anything then present in the room.
Beneath the dirt, bruises, scrapes and crusted blood he was handsome. Sharp cheekbones, aquiline nose, thin lips, a faint cleft in his chin. Brilliant green eyes, flecked with gold. Unusual long hair tumbling near his shoulders, red-brown strands mixed with varying shades of gold. There was something almost familiar… The king chased a wisp of memory, but lost it.
The young man tilted his chin up enough to look at the king, apparently believing if cats could, so could he. There was no cringing in those eyes, no shame, no embarrassment. No anger or resentment. Perhaps, though, a tiny glimmer of…interest. As if this was some grand adventure and he needed to absorb everything happening to and around him for later remembrances.
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be remembering anything again, in the not too distant future. A man doesn’t when his head has been severed from his neck, or he’s been hanged until a neck-snap or slow strangulation ends him. Hiram realized he didn’t remember what death the law required. He would, he knew, have to check.
In silence, the young man lifted his hands, and pushed the long, thick hair behind his ears, each movement telling a story of strain and pain. As did his face. One eye was swollen almost shut; a cut on his forehead still oozed blood; there was dirt on the bruising on cheeks and jaw; one lip was split.
“Captain Nichols!”
“Sire.”
“Did he resist arrest?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Did the prince do this?” The king refused to let himself display the tiniest glimmer of hope the answer was “yes.” The hope Henry fought back.
“Ah…no, Sire.”
“Did he attempt to flee and have to be captured?”
“He is as the Guards found him on their arrival. I am—”
The young man interrupted with a laugh—a bright, beautiful baritone, filling the room with a joy entirely out of place in the circumstances.
The king’s low and angry voice in turn smashed the laughter. “You think all this is a joke?”
The young man blinked. “No, Your Majesty. I just thought it was funny someone thought I might run away. Only a coward runs, when he knows he’s done no wrong. I did what was right.”
“You struck my son.”
The young man shrugged. “I’ll strike any bully beating a child.”
Someone in the room gasped. The king merely thanked the Thirty-Nine it wasn’t him and pretended he hadn’t heard.
But as Hiram spoke he realized he was defending his son because of a father’s obligation, not from a belief in his innocence. “Prince Henry is my heir. He would never—”
“He did.” Kings do not flabbergast easily. Hiram was rendered so. Roger might interrupt him in the privacy of the royal chambers, but elsewhere? No one dared. Until the young man.
Who had no idea what he was facing; had no idea of the inevitable outcome of his admission of guilt. Hiram did not need to hear more. The law was clear. The punishment was clear.
Yet if he was compelled to do as the law demanded, he would at least learn the truth first.
“Do you have any witnesses?”
The young man’s response was a scoffing, “Of course. Anyone there will tell you…” His voice faded away. “But they won’t, will they? He’s a prince, I’m a foreigner, and they’ll only tell you what a kingly father wants to hear: his son is as pure and innocent as the drifting…slush would be, in a kingdom where snow is possible.”
The chin-tilt this time was defiant. “So. What’s the penalty in this kingdom for saving a child from a beating which might have left him crippled?”
“Death.”
The young man paled, but didn’t flinch, and when he moved his hands to the table, there was no trembling.
Nor was there any in his voice. It was calm, almost matter-of-fact, and he didn’t avert his eyes from the king’s. “Interesting. I thought to rescue a child and instead I start a war.”
Old Moldy heard a threat and started to bluster. Hiram heard a statement of fact, or what the young man believed was truth. He told Old Moldy “No!” and the Chancellor slumped back in his chair.
“A man admits to a crime in my kingdom, for which the law demands the severest penalty. Why should anyone go to war over just punishment?” Everyone heard the silent question, “Who are you your death would cause a war?”
The young man’s bow—so far as he could in his seating situation—was formal. An objective observer might have called it regal.
“Your Majesty, permit me to introduce myself. I am Danilo ys Daeaen ys Cirill. I am the only grandson of the Duke of Avann.” The young man shrugged. “They call me the Heir of Avann.”
[image error]
August 20 – Monday
The Novel Approach
August 20 – Monday
Stories That Make You Smile
August 20 – Monday
Sue Brown’s Stories
August 21 – Tuesday
dream, love, imagine
August 22 – Wednesday
MM Midnight Cafe
August 23 – Thursday
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
August 24 – Friday
MM Good Book Reviews
August 25 – Saturday
Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author
August 26 – Sunday
Queeromance Ink
August 27 – Monday
Wcked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews
August 28 – Tuesday
Drops of Ink
August 29 – Wednesday
Matt Doyle Media
August 30 – Thursday
Joyfully Jay
August 31 – Friday
Romance Across the Rainbow
September 1 – Saturday
My Fiction Nook
September 2 – Sunday
Love That’s Out Of This World
September 3 – Monday
kittenwylde
September 4 – Tuesday
Love bytes
September 5 – Wednesday
Cate Ashwood
September 6 – Thursday
Queer Sci Fi
September 7 – Friday
Jessie G. Books
September 8 – Saturday
A.M. Leibowitz
September 9 – Sunday
Bayou Book Junkie
Eric is a Midwesterner, and as Lady Glenhaven might say, “His first sea voyage was with Noah.” He started reading at five with one of the Andrew Lang books (he thinks it was The Blue Fairy Book) and has been a science fiction/fantasy addict ever since. Most of his writing is in those (MM) genres. The exceptions are his Another England (alternate history) series: The Rake, The Rogue and the Roué (Regency novel), Mr. Felcher’s Grand Emporium, or, The Adventures of a Pair of Spares in the Fine Art of Gentlemanly Portraiture (Victorian), with no way out (Regency) coming out a month after Of Princes.
Two more fairy tales are in progress: 3 Boars & A Wolf Walk Into A Bar (Eric is sure you can figure this one out), and The Truth About Them Damn Goats (of the gruff variety). Now all he has to do is find the time to write the incomplete stuff! (The real world can be a real pain!)
Facebook (Author Page) | Twitter
August 19, 2018
Super For You, Bad For Me from Asta Idonea
[image error]
Asta Idonea’s back! And this time she’s not alone. She’s brought a reluctant superhero along with her, and all this girl can say is “Bring it on!”
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 14 August 2018
Wordcount: 60,000 words
Genre: MM/Fantasy/Superheroes
Dreamspinner Press | Amazon US | The Book Depository | B&N | Kobo
Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.
Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!
As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.
Blog: http://www.nickijmarkus.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickiJMarkus
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aleera21
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickijmarkus/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus
August 10, 2018
Release Blast: Matt Doyle’s The Fox, The Dog And The King
Matt Doyle’s here today, with news on the release of The Fox, The Dog And The King, which was published last month. Welcome, Matt, and good luck with the new book.
New Hopeland City may have been built to be the centerpiece of the technological age, but some remnants of the old world still linger. The tools of the trade have changed, but the corruption remains the same, even in the criminal underworld …
When PI Cassie Tam and her girlfriend Lori try to make up for their recent busy schedules with a night out at the theatre to watch the Tech Shift performer Kitsune, the last thing they expected was for Cassie to get a job offer. But some people are never off the clock, and by the end of the evening, Cassie has been drawn into a mundane but highly paid missing pet case. Unfortunately, in New Hopeland City, even something as simple as a little lost dog can lead you down some dark paths.
Until now, Cassie wasn’t aware that there even was a rabbit hole, let alone how far down it goes.
Warnings: The book does contain some violence, though this is not extreme. It mentions a dog fight being set up (spoiler: it gets topped before it can start). Cassie also swears a bit, though entirely in Cantonese.
Publisher: NineStar Press
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Release Date: Monday, July 23 2018
Format: Paperback, eBook
Price: $4.99
Word Count: 58,000
Genres: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Crime Noir, Near Future, Lesfic, non-romance
Series Title: The Cassie Tam Files
Position (Number) in Series: 2
Necessary to Read Previous Books: No, But It Doesn’t Hurt
New Hopeland City was built to be the center of the technological age. It was supposed to be a shining example of humanity’s achievements. A beacon to guide us towards a better future. But some habits die hard. Within five years, it had become a hotbed of crime and corruption. And now, even the police are sometimes in too deep to help. That’s where I come in …
My name is Cassie Tam. I’m a PI. And this is my story.
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | NineStar Press | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble
Goodreads Link | Queer Romance Ink
“I’m sorry, but did you want to get changed before we speak? We’d be happy to leave the room while you get ready. It must be hard work performing in both the TS gear and a kimono thick enough to house projectors without them moving out of line with each other, even if they are the smaller, lightweight models.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Kitsune sighs. “There’s a wireless motion detection system in each hand too,” they add, waving two metallic, clawed paws. “You’ll note that my tails are missing. They don’t yet make multi-tailed suits, you see, and the number is important within the folklore, so we had to find other solutions. The projector tucked under the obi sash keeps the back open nicely, and it allows movement, both in animation and in the actual device, but it’s a bit stronger than the main ones.”
“Meaning that it’s heavier,” I reply.
“Indeed. The way the system works is identical to the tail guidance in regular suits though.”
I frown and Lori clarifies, “Regular Tech Shift gear uses two small wireless touchpads to control tails, one for the bottom half, and one for the top half. They’re embedded in the hand rest of Ink’s front legs. For hybrid-style gear, they usually sit inside the thumb of each hand. It’s the same concept in each one, but animal-style gear allows for bigger movements, while hybrid gear measures micro movements.”
“Which would be rather fiddly, given the level of movement that I require. These are built into the paw pads and are set to register larger movements so that the tails can move in time with the different dance routines and my more flamboyant gestures,” Kitsune explains, demonstrating one of the hand flourishes from the show. They pause then and chuckle. “Ah, but I’m rambling. I am afraid that changing is, contractually speaking, impossible. Will my appearance be a problem?”
“No, I’m used to Tech Shifters…”
Lori laughs and cuts in with, “You are so not used to us yet.”
I laugh quietly, despite myself. The miserable old loner that still lives in my head says I should be angry about that; I’m working after all. But the part of me that was enjoying the evening is far more prominent and reminds me that this was supposed to be Lori’s evening too. I can allow her a small jab or two on that basis. “My early experiences with Tech Shifters were not positive,” I say, addressing Kitsune. “I’m getting better, though. What do you mean by ‘contractually speaking,’ if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Not at all. It is essentially as it sounds. The Kitsune brand is a joint venture between myself and Kevin, and there is a lot of paperwork involved dealing with how the whole thing is to be played out in every mundane situation that you could imagine. What it means is that I can boss Kevin about and make him my dogsbody as much as is required, but at the same time, I must respect his rather brilliant marketing strategies. Part of that means that the mystery of the Kitsune’s true identity is to be protected at all times. As such, I do not meet with anyone without my professional face on. It seems a little strange, I know, but he was previously a historian of certain old-world sporting brands by trade and thought that applying a degree of what he called kayfabe would help give the whole thing a new edge. I can’t say that he was wrong.”
“So, are you Kitsune when you’re around family too?” Lori asks. “Or partners?”
“Oh, I have no time for partners, not with my touring schedule. With family, I can be myself, though Kevin did insist upon them signing a gagging order to prevent them from revealing my identity to anyone who hadn’t signed a similar contract. You should have seen my mother’s face when he brought that up. I honestly thought that the rolling pin she was holding was going to be put to nefarious use. Outside Kevin, even my oldest friends do not know who resides beneath the mask.”
“That must be hard to maintain,” I say.
“Oh yes, I have cover stories and everything. It’s somewhat akin to witness protection if television is to be believed. As far as most know, I am simply a touring stagehand for the great performing fox spirit.”
I nod. “Kitsune, as pleasant as this is, I assume there was a reason that you wanted to see me?”
“Oh yes, of course. I saw the news coverage of your recent success with that Gary Locke character,” they say, and Lori flinches slightly. “As far as local detectives go, there are plenty of them about, but you are certainly the most well regarded. I have actually been in town for a week now, and I am due to remain here for a further two. I am afraid that, over that initial period, I was subject to a crime of the nature I am led to believe the police do not take overly seriously.”
“The police wouldn’t be happy about not knowing your identity, regardless of the crime. If it’s one that they won’t usually touch, that doesn’t leave many possibilities. What are we talking about?”
“It is rather lonely on the road,” they sigh wistfully. “A few months ago, we stopped in Toledo, and I was awoken from a post-performance nap by a clattering outside the tour bus. I wandered out, expecting to find a fan or two hunting autographs, and instead found this charming little thing skulking around the bins. I named him Fish.”
Kitsune produces a phone from their kimono, loads up a photo, and passes it over. It shows a snow white American Shepherd dog sitting on one of the tour bus seats and giving the camera a suspicious look. It’s too big to be a puppy, but certainly not big enough to be fully grown.
“You named your dog Fish?”
“It seems strange, doesn’t it?” Kitsune laughs. “There’s a reason, though.” They take the phone back and enlarge the picture, revealing that the dog’s tail is about half the length it should be. It was easy to miss at normal size because the single colouring made it seem like it was tucked under its legs. “When I was young, my parents had some rosetail betta fish. One of them was pure white, and it had a habit of nibbling through its tail fin. When we took Fish to the vet, they said that the tail damage, judging by the angle of the marks, was likely self-inflicted. I couldn’t remember what my parents called the fish, so I just stuck with Fish.”
I nod. “And I assume that Fish is now missing?”
“I am afraid so. It happened yesterday, during the early hours. I was woken by a loud bang and found that Fish was gone, and the tour bus door was open.”
“Could Fish have run away?”
“It would have been difficult for him to open the door, but not impossible. I don’t think that he would have run, though. We were lifelines for each other, you see. He kept me company during the day, and when he had nightmares, I comforted him. If he was spooked, he would usually run and hide near my bed. I heard something else too, a van door being slammed shut maybe? And then an engine.”
“So you’re thinking that he was stolen.”
“Honestly? I don’t know. Do you think that you could take the case? How much would it cost?”
Matt Doyle lives in the South East of England, sharing a house with a wide variety of people and animals including a dog, a cat, a snake, a rabbit, and an ever changing selection of teas. Matt is pansexual and gender-fluid, and is happy for people to use whichever pronouns they wish.
Over the years, Matt has spent a considerable amount of time chasing dreams, gaining varying degrees of success in a great number of fields. This has included spending ten years as a professional wrestler (both working shows under the ring name Tad, and working backstage booking and running several successful shows in his local area), game creation, and completing a range of cosplay projects.
Author Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | QueeRomance Ink | Amazon page
August 4, 2018
Cozzi Cove Happy Endings with Joe Cosentino: Interviewing Carlos
Joe couldn’t come himself today, so sent along young Carlos Araujo—the new houseboy in Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings, the fifth novel in the Cozzi Cove beach series—to be interrogated in his stead. Honest, Joe. I’m not that scary.
Welcome, Carlos. You must be tired from doing all your duties as houseboy at Cozzi Cove.
Carlos: Most of the time I lay out on the cove in the buff and get some rays.
You are described in the novel as incredibly muscular with dark eyes and hair, olive-colored skin, and adorable dimples.
Carlos: That’s me.
The houseboys at Cozzi Cove were Connor, Billy Dean, and now you. How does it feel to join the Cozzi Cove series in the fifth novel?
Carlos: I’m happy to make my mark. And I’m on the book cover!
Who’s on the other covers?
Carlos: Cal Cozzi is on the first cover. Cal and his husband Michael are on book two. Cal’s brother George is on book three. Billy Dean is on book four.
What led Joe Cosentino to write a fifth novel in the series?
Carlos: He created me and knew he’d have a hit. It was also the readers. He knew they’d fall in love with me. Joe received messages on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and his web site begging him to write another Cozzi Cove novel. One reader wrote that she’s in Cozzi Cove withdrawal! They also said they missed the quirky characters, mystery, drama, sweet romance, plot twists and turns, beautiful locations, and happily ever after endings.
What was it like meeting Cal and his crew?
Carlos: Cal and Michael are terrific bosses. It was a trip meeting all the guests too. They were very generous with their tips. Their stories are full of humor, secrets, and shocking surprises. And of course, lots of hot romance!
But you fell pretty hard for Cal’s new nanny, Alfred.
Carlos: Alfred is amazing. But our relationship was quite a roller coaster ride.
Tell us about it.
Carlos: You’ll have to read the book.
In case anybody hasn’t read the Cozzi Cove series so far—
Carlos: They will now.
—Tell us about the series.
Carlos: Cozzi Cove is a magical place on the New Jersey Shore where nothing is what it seems, and romance is always in the sea air. In each of the four novels, you get Cal’s story, and four additional interwoven stories about the tantalizing houseboys and guests in the bungalows. In this current book, you get my story too!
Give the readers the order of the novels.
Carlos: They are Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, and Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, and now Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings featuring me.
Is Cozzi Cove a real place?
Carlos: Joe made it up. But it’s based on a spot at the New Jersey Shore that he visited every summer as a kid. His family had a bungalow near the beach, bay, and a private cove that formed when soft rocks were worn away by the sun and salty water faster than the harder rocks surrounding them. This created a stunning bay of turquoise water shielded by large rocks in the distance and smaller rocks near the water’s edge. Every summer Joe swam and made sandcastles at the beach, waded in the bay, played miniature golf, ate salt water taffy, and jumped up and down on trampolines. We get to do the same things in Cozzi Cove. I do many of them in the buff.
How did Cozzi Cove become a gay resort?
Carlos: Cal’s great-grandfather built the town and all the bungalows on the resort. Cal’s father, sensing his son’s orientation, decided to run it as a gay resort. Cal took control after his folks passed away. And now I’m his houseboy.
What does a houseboy do?
Carlos: Clean the bungalows, restock the kitchens and bathrooms, and I offer turndown service at night.
What’s the story in book five?
Carlos: Cal and his husband Michael enjoy sharing the cove with their one-year old son, C.J., Cal Junior. When Cal worries about our financial future, Kevin Donovan, Cal’s old football buddy from high school, appears at Cozzi Cove offering to buy the resort for a hefty fee. Cal’s top one-percenter sister, Taylor, is ready to call a moving company. However, Michael does some investigating and finds out Kevin’s offer isn’t exactly what it seems. Cal also hires Alfred and me and romantic sparks fly. I’m an exhibitionist who was famous nudists in my past lives. I have a deep secret. I also find Mormon paraphernalia in Alfred’s bureau. However, this is Cozzi Cove. Nothing is actually what meets the eye. Nobody knows that better than me. Also, a professional matchmaker, Gilead, checks in with his clients: Marine Master Sergeant Matt Pummel, young businessman from Hawaii Keone Paoa, and young writer Luis Lui. Two matches are made, but who ends up with whom will surprise you. Finally, another guest, Nyx believes he was abducted by aliens in the woods. When he meets Kurt, who believes he is a sexy werewolf, the two share some tantalizing moonlit nights leading to a shocking climax that could affect the whole world.
Will each couple have a HEA?
Carlos: Of course! This is Cozzi Cove.
What’s the theme of this book?
Carlos: We all need to feel special, love, and be loved.
Why do you think the readers love the Cozzi Cove beach series so much?
Carlos: Now, because of me. And also because Cozzi Cove is a magical place, where anything can happen.
Which other character do you enjoy the most?
Carlos: Alfred of course. He’s smart, shy, sweet, and adorable.
Which character didn’t you like?
Carlos: Kevin Donovan had a few tricks up his sleeve.
How so?
Carlos: You’ll have to read the book to find out. It’s quite a story with lots of emotional peaks. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, there’s a game changer.
Some of the books have won Favorite Book of the Month at The TBR Pile and Rainbow Award Honorable Mention.
Carlos: This one will do even better with me on the cover.
The Cozzi Cove books are quite cinematic.
Carlos: Joe’s written a teleplay pilot. Hear that, producers! Make him an offer! I’m ready for the screen.
Who might play you?
Carlos: Michael Trevino.
Will there be more Cozzi Cove novels?
Carlos: I’m ready for more.
Readers have compared the books to Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series. How do you feel about that?
Carlos: Excited and incredibly turned on! It makes me want to take off my clothes.
Tell us about Joe’s gay novellas published by Dreamspinner Press.
Carlos: I’m not in them. But you should check them out anyway. In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star are loosely based on Joe’s high school and college years respectively. They were so popular as individual e-books, Dreamspinner Press published them together in one paperback.
In the Bobby and Paolo Holiday stories, Bobby, an American law student, takes a trip to the romantic and gorgeous island of Capri, Italy, where he embarks on a relationship with his captivating third cousin, Paolo, in A Home for the Holidays. In The Perfect Gift, Bobby and Paolo move to Philly, marry, and adopt a child.
The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland is Joe’s hysterically funny gay take on his favorite beloved fairytales like Cinderella, Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, Pinocchio, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Snow Queen.
Joel Leslie did the incredible audiobooks.
The Cozzi Cove novels have mysterious elements, but Joe also has two mystery series.
Carlos: Again, I’m not in them. But they’re still pretty cool. Joe’s Nicky and Noah mystery series are farcical, gay, cozy, who-dun-its. In Drama Queen theatre college professors are dropping like stage curtains. With the inept local detective more interested in getting into Nicky’s pants than solving the murders, it is up to well-endowed Directing professor, Nicky Abbondanza to use his theatre skills (including playing other people) to solve the case, while he directs a murder mystery onstage. Complicating matters is Nicky’s intense crush on Assistant Professor of Acting, gorgeous Noah Oliver, the prime suspect in the murder, and Nicky’s eventual lover. In Drama Muscle Nicky and Noah have to use their theatre skills to find out why musclemen are dropping like weights in the Physical Education department while Nicky directs the Student Bodybuilding Competition. In Drama Cruise Nicky and Noah go on a cruise to Alaska, and discover why college theatre professors are going overboard like lifeboats while Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship. In Drama Luau, muscular male hula dancers are dropping like grass skirts as Nicky directs the Luau show. It’s up to Nicky and Noah to figure out whodunit and why. In Drama Detective, Nicky and Noah do a musical Sherlock Holmes play and actors drop faster than hammy actors at a curtain call. Once again it’s up to Nicky and Noah as Holmes and Watson to save the day. The games’ afoot! In Drama Fraternity, Nicky and Noah shoot a slasher film movie on campus, and life imitates art. It’s up to Nicky and Noah to catch the murderer before they end up on the cutting room floor.
In the Jana Lane mysteries (the Wild Rose Press), with straight leading characters and gay supporting characters, Jana Lane was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. In Paper Doll Jana at thirty-eight lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. Her flashbacks from the past become murder attempts in her future. Jana ventures back to Hollywood, which helps her uncover a web of secrets about everyone she loves. In Porcelain Doll Jana makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why. In Satin Doll Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. In China Doll Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, where she is faced with murder on stage and off. In Rag Doll Jana stars in a television mystery series and life imitates art on the set. The novels are full of mystery, romance, humor, and theatricality. Since they take place in the 1980’s, Jana’s best friends are gay, and Jana is somewhat of a gay activist, the AIDS epidemic is a large part of the novels.
How can your readers contact you?
Carlos: Through Joe. I love hearing from readers! They can contact us at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
So grab your Speedos, suntan lotion, and shades and head back to Cozzi Cove. We have a bungalow waiting just for you. I hope to see YOU there!
It’s summertime, the perfect season for another trip to Cozzi Cove: the magical place where nothing is what it seems and romance is always in the sea air. Welcome back to hunky Cal Cozzi’s seven guest bungalows on the New Jersey Shore. This summer Cal is visited by Kevin Donovan, a handsome man from his past who makes Cal a tempting offer to buy Cozzi Cove and provide financial security to Cal and Michael’s baby. Cal’s Wall Street sister, Taylor, has hopped aboard Kevin’s green wagon. However, Cal’s husband, Michael, and Taylor’s wife, Carla, aren’t convinced, sensing something much deeper in Kevin’s offer than meets the roving eye. Cal’s exhibitionist new houseboy, Carlos, is smitten with Cal’s sweet-faced nanny, Alfred, who carries a shocking secret in his magic Mormon underwear. Middle-aged matchmaker Gilead has matched guests Marine Master Sergeant Matt Pummel and much younger businessman Keone Paoa to the chagrin of cute young lawyer Luis Lui. As skeletons come out of their closets, the bears and cubs search for their true honey. Woodsy guest Nyx Oberon meets a sexy werewolf at the cove and they share a howling moonlit night. Nyx believes his newfound lover could be part of a much larger plan that would change his life and the world forever. Will Cal, his family, and his guests have happy endings? It’s Cozzi Cove after all.
Language: English
Cover Design: Fred Wolinsky
Length: 225 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1720665014
ISBN-10: 172066501X
ASIN: B07DGVLCMX
Release date: August 1, 2018
Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble | Kobo
The porch door swung open to Carlos Araujo. The young man was in the buff with his large olive-toned muscles and club-like penis on display. “Good morning.”
Cal moved behind his desk in the living room, not quite believing his own eyes.
Carlos approached the desk. His dark eyes glistened in the morning sunlight emanating from the window. “I’m ready for a new adventure.”
“It seems you forgot to get dressed this morning, Carlos.”
He unleashed a row of white teeth. “One of the many benefits of working at a gay resort in the summer.”
“Not exactly.” Cal felt older than his years. “This isn’t a nudist camp. If you want to work here, you’ll need to put on some clothes—and keep them on.”
Carlos sighed. “You may want to rethink that, Cal.”
Cal did a double take. “Excuse me?”
“Many brilliant people were nudists, including some past presidents like Roosevelt, Adams, Johnson, Kennedy, and Richter. Though I wouldn’t want to have seen any of them naked, except maybe Kennedy. He was pretty hot.”
Cal stifled a grin. “Richter wasn’t president.”
Alfred said, “He invented the earthquake measuring system.”
Noticing someone else was in the room, Carlos flexed his huge biceps. “And Richter would have shaken like an earthquake if he measured these.”
Cal said, “Carlos, this is Alfred Castle, C.J.’s nanny.”
“Hey,” Carlos replied, checking himself out in the wall mirror.
Alfred put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his shoes.
Cal cleared this throat. “Carlos, how about you put some clothes on.”
Carlos said like an adolescent facing curfew, “Do I have to?”
“Yes, you have to,” Cal replied.
“You’re the boss.”
“Yes, I am.”
Carlos shrugged his large shoulders, sprinted out to the parking area, pulled some clothes out of his trunk, dressed, and hurried back into the main bungalow. With his pec, back, ab, thigh, and calf muscles bursting out of a lime tank top and white shorts, he spun in front of Cal’s desk. “Better?”
“Much,” Cal replied.
Cal looked out the window as Michael got into his sports car and drove off. The sun was already out in full force casting a golden ray over the bay.
Carlos followed Cal’s gaze. “This place is like paradise.”
“No argument here. My great-grandfather and Michael’s great-grandfather built it. My brother renovated it with my sister’s money, including the solar panels on the bungalow roofs.”
Cal noticed Carlos was combing his hair, clearly not listening. He sat and turned on his computer. “Any questions about your duties, Carlos?”
“No. They seem pretty basic, especially stocking the night table drawers with condoms.” His dimples appeared. “I’m accustomed to that.”
“It’s for the guests.”
“Speaking of the guests, I do have one question.” Carlos rested his palms on the desk and his pecs swelled like melons. “Can I take off my clothes when I make up the bungalows?” He grinned. “I imagine the guests would love it.”
Praise for the Cozzi Cove series:
“I loved this story. It carries you through the full range of emotions, from joy to sadness, from happiness to anger. The characters are beautifully written…I look forward to a return visit to the Cove.” TBR Pile Book of the Month
“In true Joe Cosentino style, this book is packed full of drama! This cast of characters will have you laughing out loud one minute before ripping your heart out the next.” Joyfully Jay
“Joe Cosentino has the amazing ability to combine heartwarming, feel good moments with droll, sometimes biting humor, along with insights into the frailties and peccadillos of being human….Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back is the very finest in literary fiction with a romance theme, yet it’s more than just that—it’s about human connections and empathy and finding a way out of the fear and inertia faced by so many. It’s also about courage and strength, about respect and coming to terms with all that life has to offer, and it’s about letting go. I loved this book and look forward to the next in the series. This is a highly recommended read, well-deserving of Five Stars.” GGR Reviews
“Who knew that 7 bungalows set surrounding a beautiful cove, could hold so many secrets, love and intrigue?…The humour, whether subtle or not-so-subtle was superb, the timing delivered with perfection, Joe Cosentino is a natural comedian and another reason why I love reading his books. He is also very clever, he weaved moral messages throughout the entire storyline….Great fun entwined with the Cosentino romantic magic that brings his books alive, I loved it.” Three Books Over the Rainbow
“Oh, Cozzi Cove, you are fast becoming a favorite vacation destination with your action and excitement! Joe Cosentino once again wins his way into your heart and soul with this fun, flirtatious romance. Love, laughter and smoldering intimacy await all who dare to venture to the clear blue waters of the Cove.” 3 Chicks After Dark
“Imagine a beautiful getaway where the hot, sexy, and wealthy gay men go…it’s a place where there’s never a dull moment. Every page of this new title brings readers nothing but excitement, intrigue, and an intensity that will burn away the night’s quiet. Most novels offer readers one journey in which readers travel upon, however, readers are brought not one but several journeys that will leave them breathless and hooked. As with all of Joe Cosentino’s novels, humor comes in abundance and fits in perfectly with all of his stunning characters….Joe sweeps his readers into his characters’ lives by creating realistic characters with real issues. The book automatically captures your heart from page one and forever holds it. After reading the story, readers will be begging for the next grand adventure. Funny, heart melting, and swoon worthy, readers will finish reading this in one sitting. I loved reading this riveting tale, and I highly recommend it to readers everywhere.” Urban Book Reviews
“Spending a week in the sun with the permanent and transitory residents of Cozzi Cove makes for a superb, unputdownable, read. There are laugh out loud moments, lots of chuckles, some very heartwarming as well as heart wrenching moments, lots of gorgeous men and women, love, lust and even some tears. Joe Cosentino has a brilliantly unique sense of humour, and a masterful way of writing stories containing farce, larger than life men and women, and often over the top characters you’ll fall in love with. For all that his characters come across as completely relatable and realistic. His books are one of a kind and utterly addictive. I have yet to read a Joe Cosentino book that was less than 5 Stars, and this book is no exception. Do yourself a favour and grab this book with both hands. I guarantee you’ll be very glad you did.” Divine Magazine
“There is plenty to feast upon within each sudsy storyline, including intrigue, deception, desire, romance, and sex….As the pages turn quickly and events unfold, the ensuing antics are irresistibly entertaining, but more importantly the characters are likeable and deserve our genuine interest and concern as some of their relationships are put to the test. Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings is clearly just that — the beginning — for Cal and Michael, and this highly engaging, enjoyable novel examines both their past and present history as proof that they were destined to be together.” Edge Media Network
“I adore this series so much. I adore it partly because of the setting, the writing, the romance, but also because each one of the guests at Cozzi Cove has a story beyond their face value….There is so much packed into this book’s short 174 pages and I loved every single one of them!” Alpha Book Club
[image error]Bestselling author Joe Cosentino won Divine Magazine’s Readers Poll for Best LGBT Mystery Novel, Best LGBT Humorous Novel, and Best LGBT Contemporary Novel of the Year. He wrote the Cozzi Cove beach series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back (TBR Pile Book of the Month/Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, and Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings (NineStar Press); the Nicky and Noah mysteries: Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Favorite), Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity; the Dreamspinner Press novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), the Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories: A Home for the Holidays and The Perfect Gift, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland; 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 Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married.
Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards! Upcoming novels and novellas are Drama Castle, Drama Dance, and Drama Faerie, Nicky and Noah mysteries; The First Noel, Bobby and Paolo Holiday Story Book 3 (Dreamspinner Press); and Holiday Tales from Fairyland, Tales from Fairyland Book 2.
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
August 3, 2018
Release Blitz and Giveaway – Crystal Lacy’s “Brave For You”
I’m delighted to host Crystal here today, with news about her latest release, “Brave For You”.
Less than a year after moving to Hawaii, construction foreman Nate Ellison’s wife leaves him and their infant son for another man. Months into single-fatherhood, Nate meets Andrew “An” Hoang and is slowly drawn into An’s life. Through An’s friendship, he finds himself finally enjoying his new home in paradise.
An Hoang hasn’t had a real relationship in years. With his pediatrics practice and a niece to care for on his days off, he doesn’t have the headspace for more than a simple roll in the sack. But when he meets Nate—who just happens to be the gorgeous construction worker he encountered in the lobby of his apartment building—something about Nate makes it impossible for him not to care. When Nate needs An’s help with his son, An doesn’t refuse.
What happens when Nate’s past and An’s old-fashioned parents interfere just as the two men begin to fall for each other? Will they find the means to be brave and give their love a chance to flourish?
Length: 86,000 words approx.
Cover Design: Jay Aheer
For the chance to win a paperback copy of “Brave For You”, enter the Rafflecopter giveaway
[image error]He stared at the sweet curve of Nate’s lips on his screen and felt his cock twitch in his hand. His other hand must have twitched in response, too, because the very next thing was that he could hear Nate’s voice on the other line, “Hey,” followed by a slower, “Hello?”
An sucked in a sharp breath. He’d answered the phone. Nate was on the phone and An’s cock was still hard in his hand. He brought the phone up to his ear, the glass casing cold and slippery against his cheek acting as a welcome shock to his system.
“Hi.”
“Hey, man.” Nate’s voice was warm and cheerful, as though he’d been waiting all day to hear from An. An knew that wasn’t a possibility, knew this was probably just how Nate sounded to everyone over the phone, but it didn’t keep his body from responding automatically. His face split into a wide smile and then, An noted rather ruefully, his cock pulsed against his palm.
Picking up the call had been a mistake, and An would have to rectify that mistake any moment now, make some kind of excuse and hang up on Nate. He had been about to seal the deal with whoever it was on Grindr, and he didn’t need to be on the phone with his neighbor at this moment. Not when Nate was only a few steps away. Not when Nate was unavailable.
Tell him you’ll call him back. Hang up.
He cleared his throat, swallowing thickly before speaking. “Hi,” he said, and realized this was a repeat of the last words he’d spoken. Embarrassment, he discovered, did not cause him to lose his erection. “What can I do for you?”
“Oh, I wanted to check if you guys were doing anything next weekend. Going hiking again, or…” Nate sounded unsure. “Am I interrupting something? You seem kind of… Are you sick?”
“No, no. A little cold. I was in the process of getting dressed.” Not technically a lie. It was chilly in here from the central air and he would have to get dressed eventually if he wanted to drive to wherever he was meeting Jay. An forced his hand away from his own cock and ran it through the hair on his head in an effort to calm himself. He needed to focus on the question Nate was asking and not on how intimate Nate’s voice sounded so close to his ear. This was the first time he’d heard from Nate all week, though Nate had left the car on Saturday with a promise to be in touch.
“Dai mentioned she wanted to go down to the Halona Blowhole look-out point,” he managed to say without losing his train of thought. “Walk down to the cove. Swim. Do you know the place?”
“Never been.” Was it wishful thinking or was that hope in Nate’s voice?
“If you’d like to tag along, we could carpool. Perhaps have a picnic. Let the children play.”
“We’d love to, if you don’t think we’re imposing.”
“How could you impose when I’m the one who suggested it? Dai will be very pleased. If there’s nothing else you have planned for next weekend.”
“No. No plans.” Nate’s laughter rang golden over the phone line. “I’m kinda pathetic, aren’t I? Calling you up and forcing you to make plans that include me.”
“We were going anyway,” An lied, feeling touched by the easy vulnerability of Nate’s words. “You didn’t force me, I promise. I’ll text you the details once I find out when we’ll be ready to go. I’m not sure if I’ll have Dai on Saturday or Sunday.”
“Oh, yeah… I’ll let you get back to—to what you were doing.” There was a shyness to Nate’s tone that made An smile, made him pretend that maybe Nate had remembered that An told him he was getting dressed, and maybe that made Nate think about An talking to him on the phone in a state of undress. An reached down again, passing a hand over the hard length of his cock, holding the phone away from his mouth so the quickening of his breath wouldn’t reach the microphone.
“It’s fine.” He spoke a little louder so Nate could hear across the distance of his mouth and the phone. “I’ll talk to you later about next weekend. Or text you.” They said their goodbyes. Nate wished An a “nice weekend” and then the call cut off. An’s display was back on the Grindr chat window.
Show me urs was still the last message on the chat log, right underneath Jay’s dick pic. An swiped up to the camera app. He snapped a quick shot of himself, hard and heavy in his own hand, leaking a drop of clear fluid at the tip. Then he deleted it.
An: Sorry, something came up tonight. Maybe another time.
Crystal Lacy lives with her loving family in Hawaii, where it is always either drizzling or sunny and never snows—which is a shame, because she prefers being cold to being damp and hot unless it’s for Very Good Reasons. She writes queer romance, mainly M/M, but also some F/F. She has aspirations to one day write a YA novel about cats.
Crystal is a long-time fangirl and writes slash fanfiction for the Harry Potter and NBC Hannibal fandoms. She has a deep love for fandom culture, and can be frequently spotted on Twitter and Tumblr reblogging pretty fan art.
Join Crystal’s readers group on FB for sneak peeks, bonus content, and ARC opportunities or subscribe her newsletter for monthly book giveaways, recs, news, and more! You can also follow Crystal on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
July 30, 2018
Etienne’s “Apocalypse—Not” – out now!! Guest Post and Excerpt
I’m delighted that Etienne is here today to tell us a little about his latest release—his 34th!!—which hit bookstores on the 13th July. Etienne and I came into contact over some of my own stuff, and he was incredibly helpful when I was ironing out those final finickity typos and inconsistencies. It’s a real pleasure to host him here today, even though I’m definitely a bit Wow! over the notion of ever being even half as productive as he is. Putting all feelings of inadequacy aside… welcome, Etienne!
When the apocalypse happened, it was nothing like anyone expected. Josh Reynolds has to find a way to survive when all the computer chips in the world stop working. But he doesn’t have to do it alone. He has his man by his side, and together they can overcome all odds.
Amazon | Amazon UK | Smashwords
by Etienne
I’ve always been fond of the post-apocalyptic theme in books and movies. It’s been done many times in both print and film, many of which I’ve read or seen and enjoyed.
When it comes to movies in the genre, 1971’s The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston comes to mind. As does a 1975 film starring a very young Don Johnson, titled A Boy and His Dog. The latter movie is based on a book written by science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison, who recently passed away.
In the realm of books on the subject, there is none better than Wolf and Iron, written by noted science-fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson in 1990.
By definition, when one is considering writing a post-apocalypse novel, there has to have been an apocalypse, and therein lies a dilemma. Should it be nuclear war? No—that one has been done to death. Or a plague? I don’t think so—that, too has been a much-used scenario.
So, I came up with the idea of a massive and previously unknown type of solar activity that caused all of the computer chips in the world to stop working. It’s plausible—solar flares are known to have an effect on electrical things on this planet. When you think about all the things you use every day of your life—things that rely upon computer chips—the list is almost limitless. From the smartphone you depend on to the car you drive, just about everything mechanical in your life is either controlled by, or uses, computer chips in one way or another.
This excerpt from Chapter One of the book spells it out…
“The world ended three years ago, on May 20, 2020,” Josh said, “and these days everybody refers to it as 5-20-20, or sometimes simply as ‘the crash’.”
“That’s not precise,” Randy said.
“Okay, the end began when the earth entered a massive amount of unusual solar activity on that date. And the end was complete when the entire planet had rotated through it.”
“That’s better,” Randy said. “Ever wonder why the scientists who spotted the solar activity didn’t say more about it?”
“What was there to say?” Josh said. “It was unusual activity, and they watched it closely, not knowing what it meant—until it caught up with them. They must have been shocked when their instruments stopped working.”
“Yeah.”
“Of course the world didn’t really end.”
“Yeah, but it might as well have, given that every computer chip on the planet stopped working when it hit that solar activity.”
“Right, and I wish we knew more about that,” Josh said.
“More?”
“I’d like the answers to a bunch of questions—including, but not limited to: a) was the damage permanent? I mean, when the solar activity stops—if it stops, that is—will computers start working again? and b) if not, will some smart people begin to develop computers using regular transistors instead of miniaturized ones? Oh, shit!”
“What?”
“What if the solar activity has already stopped? How the hell would we know?”
“Good point,” Randy said, “but one thing’s certain—solar activity stopped or not, the computers are still dead. I tried to boot my old laptop the other night, and… bupkes.”
“Wait a minute?” Josh said. “If the world had actually ended, wouldn’t we, by definition, be pushing up daisies?”
“Okay, so it wasn’t the end, just an apocalypse.”
“An apocalypse—but we’re not going to let it be the end of us.”
“Apocalypse—not,” Randy said. “I like that.”
“That makes two of us.”
It had, in fact, been a disaster of almost unimaginable proportions. Airplanes in flight for example—as airplanes entered the zone of solar activity, their computers had stopped working. Which meant that the pilots suddenly had little or no control over their craft, and tens of thousands of people had died in the ensuing crashes. An airliner had actually crashed in a county adjacent to theirs, and they’d made their way to the crash site to have a look. Similarly, ships at sea had stopped moving, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine the plight of thousands of cruise ship passengers stranded at sea with dwindling water and food supplies. Trains stopped running—as did automobiles, causing more than a few car crashes on the interstate and other highways as drivers lost control of speeding vehicles.
“At least, we still have transistor radios that work,” Randy said.
“Yeah, but the transistor radios in old cars can’t find any stations on the air. On the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to have one of the older ham radios, you can communicate with others. Although, their numbers are few and far between.”
“Yeah, but we still get a bit of news that way.”
“Right. I just loved hearing about food riots and other horrors in the inner cities.”
“Sarcasm noted,” Randy said. “Besides which, there hasn’t been any news that you really could call good.”
“Frankly, I’m just as glad we don’t know the details of every tragedy that happened during that period. My overactive imagination doesn’t need any prompting along those lines.”
“Which is why we’re riding along the highway in a 1975 Ford Econoline Van that’s nearly two decades older than we are.”
“Thank God for old vehicles, and the people who keep them running,” Josh said.
“We both qualify in that respect.”
This was something of a departure for me since I don’t read a great deal of dystopian fiction, but I was interested in the premise of this one: what would we do in lives so controlled and trammelled by computer-driven technology if every computer in the world failed catastrophically? Everything stops. Power generation, transport, communications, medicine… everything these days is managed by computers, and Etienne’s base notion here is that deprived of that, first world society falls apart.
I’ll admit to being wryly amused at the thought that for millions of people in the so-called undeveloped nations, life would barely change at all. But for us, for the first world, being deprived of our privileged lives means that we’ve forgotten how to survive with nothing. Take away the ability to order takeout by phone app and computer, and we starve.
Except for Etienne’s bands of survivalists scattered across a US devasted by the loss of our ability to twist and manage life to something of our choosing. It starts with members of one such band, Josh and Randy out on a foraging expedition. Josh ends up foraging young Jake and Randy, sadly, doesn’t survive a hostile encounter with some bandits. Josh takes Jake back to the half-hidden valley where he lives in a community of like-minded, independent, tough individualists. It has the flavour of the Wild West about it, to be honest: a group of people not just making do, but making a virtue out of thriving against adversity, rebuilding society from the bottom up in the wilderness.
On reflection, not a great deal actually happens in this book. Etienne takes Josh and Jake on foraging missions where they restock the valley with essential tools, vehicles and fuel. They rescue and adopt a couple of kids, and start the long process of building links both with other communities and with a group of traders who have managed to use the ancient, non-computerised railway stock to travel. And in the midst of all this, Josh and Jake come together.
Etienne has a spare, rather unemotional style of writing. Used as we are to deep PoV where the reader is pulled into intimacy with the characters, I initially found the much lighter, shallower level that Etienne uses a little disconcerting. It keeps the characters at a distance from the reader, who gets to watch the events of the book but isn’t invited in deeper to share them. Josh’s grief at Randy’s death is there, but the reader isn’t pulled into it, observing but not feeling it. There’s also a little too much inconsequential dialogue for my personal taste, and some of that too expositionary, but these are relatively minor quibbles.
On the whole, I enjoyed the book. It is an interesting take on what will happen when society breaks down around our ears. And given the looming menace of Brexit, I’d better take this book as something of a prophecy and start stockpiling the things I’ll need to survive it…
Etienne lives in central Florida, very near the hamlet in which he grew up. He always wanted to write but didn’t find his muse until a few years ago, when he started posting stories online. These days he spends most of his time battling with her, as she is a capricious figure who, when she isn’t hiding from him, often rides him mercilessly, digging her spurs into his sides and forcing the flow of words from a trickle to a flood.
July 24, 2018
Asta Idonea’s Beastly Businessmen and Guitar Gods
Book titles, like their covers, should tantalise and entice you. It helps if it makes you laugh. This one? Brilliant. Funny and yes, tantalising. So here’s Asta Idonea to tell us all about it…
They say magic doesn’t exist in our modern age. But is that really true?
Without magic, how could a stolen guitar or a lost shoe lead to love?
What could spark romance at a workplace assessment, or turn a mean-spirited monster into a man?
Six fairytales and myths receive a contemporary MM twist in this collection of stories, which prove that sometimes the mundane can be magical too.
Dragged Into Love (Þrymskviða)
When Theo’s landlord steals his guitar in lieu of overdue rent, he tells Theo he will only return the instrument if he can go on a date with Theo’s twin sister. With Fran less than willing to play along, Theo is left with one option: to go in her place.
Love’s Code (Ariadne and Theseus)
In order to keep his job, Andre must pass an examination. However, his unspoken love for fellow programmer Eren proves a constant distraction, as does the identity of a mysterious benefactor who offers helps along the way.
Guessing Games (Rumplestiltskin)
A little white lie, told in his job interview, won Sasha his dream role. Only now he faces a pile of work he doesn’t know how to complete. When someone comes along with a solution to his dilemma, he is thrilled. But what price will he have to pay
Assignations and Ultimatums (The Strange Elopement of Tinirau)
Hunter and Ross are deeply in love, but Ross’s father is intent on setting him up with undesirable, yet powerful, older men. That’s bad enough, but the situation worsens when the latest of these potential partners turns out to be Ross’s boss.
Lost and Found (Cinderella)
Attendance at the company’s masquerade ball is compulsory. Cillian intends a swift departure once his presence has been noted, but he changes his mind when a dashing stranger asks him to dance. Love is in the air…until he uncovers the man’s identity.
A Debt is a Debt (Beauty and the Beast)
Dunstan Griffin is not a man accustomed to letting a debt slide. Therefore, when Alfred Siskin offers the EA services of his son, Wynn, in lieu of payment, Dunstan accepts. He intends to make the most of his new worker, but soon his desires change.
Publisher: NineStar Press
Publication Date: 23 July 2018
Wordcount: 60,000 words
Genre: MM/Contemporary/Anthology
NineStar Press | Amazon US | Kobo | B&N
Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.
Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!
As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.
Blog: http://www.nickijmarkus.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickiJMarkus
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aleera21
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickijmarkus/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus
July 14, 2018
Links to Blog Posts on Writing May – June 2018
The roundup is a little late, but that’s my fault for (a) publishing a new book and (b) running off to Euro Pride Con at Amsterdam just when I was supposed to do the last roundup. So this one covers May and June and half of July. I’m moving these to a quarterly update from now on, so expect the next one at the end of September.
The Eternal Question: What Should I Write? – Chuck Wendig
How to Write a Mystery Novel – Joslyn Chase at The Write Practice
Fonda Lee: So, You Think You Know How To Write A Sequel
The Opposite Of “Kill Your Darlings” – Chuck Wendig
Setting Free The Sacred Cows Of Writing Advice – Chuck Wendig
Joseph Brassey: Five Things I Learned Writing Dragon Road
K.R. Richardson: Five Things I Learned Writing Blood Orbit
Stacey Filak: Five Things I Learned Writing The Queen Underneath
Laura Anne Gilman: On Writing Weird Alt-Westerns…
K.D. Edwards: Five Things I Learned Writing The Last Sun
T.J. Berry: Five Things I Learned Writing Space Unicorn Blues
Pixar Storytelling – 20 Points Writers Can Learn From Animated Stories – The KillZone
How Much Do You Need to Describe Your Characters? – By Janice Hardy at Fiction University
5 Ways Repetition Is Hurting Your Novel – – By Janice Hardy at Fiction University
6 Secrets of Science Fiction and Fantasy World Building – by Laurence MacNaughton
Tips on Writing Scene and Chapter Transitions – By Janice Hardy at Fiction University
Perspective: Self-Editing Your Dialogue and Characters by Kristen Lamb
Marketing
10 Ways to Promote Backlist Titles – By Chyrs Fey,
Social Media
Five Tips for Increasing Sales Through Social Media (NSFW) – By John G. Hartness
10 Tips for Authors on Using Social Media from a Literary Agent
Synopsis: Why All Writers Need One Even Though They Hate It
July 4, 2018
Angel Martinez reads an excerpt from Day of Wrath
I was blown away by Angel Martinez—who is an amazing speculative fiction writer herself—offering to read an excerpt from Day of Wrath. It’s a real boost to the ego, I can tell you! And I was even more delighted when she so kindly gave me permission to share the recording with you all here. It is permanently up now on the book page for Day of Wrath.
.
.
.
.
Thank you, Angel. This is truly awesome!
__________________________________________________________________
Sign up HERE for my newsletter and I’ll send you a FREE copy of FlashWired
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/banner.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/montage.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/holidaytalescover.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/fairylandpaperbackfront.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/bn3.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/bannerdone.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline3.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline8.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline15.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline10.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/cover-of-princes-false-and-true.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline21.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline181.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/logo-other-worlds-ink.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/superforyoubadforme_fbbanner_dsp.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline2.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/superforyoubadforme_smimage1.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/superforyoubadforme_smimagequote.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/author-pic-2015.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/banner-the-fox-the-dog-and-the-king.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/cover-the-fox-the-dog-and-the-king.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline4.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/banner.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/ruleline28.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline5.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/rbbanner-15.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/brave-for-you-ebook-complete.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/brave-for-you-3d-ereader2.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/copy-of-out-now.png){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/copy-of-logo.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/3234f-signalboosttransparent.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/bannersize.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline13.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/apocalypse-final.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/05/ruleline12.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/4-stars100.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/bbandgg-slider.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/bbandgg-1.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/bbggsmquote.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/general-links-e1414154732482.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/rocket-3.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/rocket-5.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2050/03/rocket-11.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/rocket-7.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/rocket-8.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://annabutlerfiction.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/metallic-spaceship200.jpg){kind=link}