Anna Butler's Blog, page 21

Make The Yuletide Gay – FREE anthology of Christmassy goodness!

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I really do love Christmas stories. I can’t tell you how they warm the cockles of my shrivelled little heart, and make me do such out-of-character things as want to knit comforters for those in need (“And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?”) and smile fondly at innumerable Tiny Tims rather than think wistfully of the days of King Herod. So an anthology of five – count ’em! five! – Christmas stories is guaranteed to make me want to emulate Scrooge’s transformation and know “how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”

And what’s more, these five gaily-caroling stories are FREE.

!!FREE!!

Even Scrooge would welcome that.

 

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KOBO | Smashwords | iTunes | Smashwords |(Amazon to be updated)

 

 

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[image error] Good looking shirtless young man in Santa Claus hat and briefs in bed

Sleigh bells ring—are you listening?

It’s that time of year again, and we have the perfect way to get you in the mood: A free anthology! Five holiday stories that are guaranteed to warm your heart, heat up your cold nights, and most importantly: Make your yuletide gay.

A Christmas Party to Remember by Nicky Spencer

Last Christmas, Cory and Wes made a connection that left them both thanking Santa. But when Cory doesn’t show up for their first date, Wes swears he won’t make that mistake again. This year, can Santa’s magic find a way to bring them back together?



Let’s Not Go Crazy by Stephen Hoppa

The holidays are stressful enough without Ethan’s boyfriend Nate trying to kill him with Christmas cheer. But Nate’s found a whole new way to torture Ethan when he reveals that he wants kids. Will their conflicting desires tear their relationship apart,or will they find a way to ring in the new year stronger than ever?

Captain Jack and the Snack Attack by Addison Albright

Two men determined to win the same treasure at a charity silent auction, a wayward kitten, grumbling tummies, and a dilemma: what’s the correct gift-giving etiquette for a first date that’s mere days before Christmas, and what could possibly go awry with this merry combination?

The Christmas Day Date by Nell Iris

One rainbow Christmas tree in harm’s way and an afternoon spent eating far too many cookies, equals two men with changed holiday plans. But how does that translate into a date?



The Year of the Monkey by Amy Tasukada

The last thing Aoi wants to do for New Year’s is spend it with his boyfriend’s parents. They were far from thrilled when their son came out. Can Aoi warm their hearts making traditional mochi or will they end up in an even stickier situation?

 

 

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Addison Albright is a writer living in the middle of the USA. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance in contemporary settings. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, french fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.

Web/Blog https://authoraddisonalbright.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/addisonalbright

Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AddisonAlbright

Facebook Profile https://www.facebook.com/addison.albright.profile

Newsletter Signup https://groups.io/g/AddisonAlbright

 

Stephen Hoppa is an author of gay romance who sometimes doubts his own existence. He writes sexy stories about boys kissing and more, because he thinks sex and love are magic. He writes flawed, broken characters who go beyond shades of grey into completely technicoloured morality, because rainbows are the sh*t. (He also writes gratuitous smut…)

You can subscribe to his mailing list follow new releases and freebies!

Amy Tasukada lives in North Texas with a calico cat called O’Hara. As an only child her day dreams kept her entertained, and at age ten she started to put them to paper. Since then her love of writing hasn’t cease. She can be found drinking hot tea and filming Japanese street fashion hauls on her Youtube channel.

Want more of Aoi and Sato every month? Subscribe to Amy Tasukada’s email and get a free short story of this adorable couple. Sign up today at www.amytasukada.com

Read more by Amy: https://www.amytasukada.com/books/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amytasukada

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/amytasukada

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53376722-amy-tasukada

 

Nicky Spencer is a romance writer of all pairings. Nicky is a firm believer that love conquers all– that’s why her favorite theme is forbidden love. If two (or three!) people shouldn’t be together, Nicky will find a way to get them there. When you love someone, nothing else matters.

Nicky lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with no husband, no kids and a part-time dog. She loves to read, write, listen to podcasts, watch baseball and waste time on the internet. She is firmly anti- oxford comma.

Web: https://nickyspencer.com/

Twitter: @authornicky

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicky.spencer.14224

 

Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending, believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.

Nell is a 40-something bisexual Swedish living in Malaysia, where she spends her days writing, surfing the Internet, enjoying the heat, and eating good food.

Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angsty, and loves to write diverse and different characters.

Webpage/blog: http://www.nelliris.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nellirisauthor

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nellirisauthor/

Facebook profile: www.facebook.com/nell.iris.12

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Guest Post: Joe Cosentino on Writing the Nicky and Noah Mysteries

[image error] I *love* cozy mysteries. There’s nothing better when you want to kick back and de-stress. So I’m delighted to welcome Joe Cosetino back to the blog today, to tell us about the cozy mysteries starring Nicky and Noah. Joe’s kindly written a post, all about his inspiration for the series: And here it is….

 

WHY I WROTE THE NICKY AND NOAH MYSTERIES

Book Five: Drama Detective

by Joe Cosentino

When I was a kid I had terrible insomnia. Believe it or not, what finally cured me was reading Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I became absorbed with analyzing the clues, sifting through the red herrings, and marveling at the brilliant detective’s powers of deduction. Even at a young age, I suspected that Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson were more than roommates, which made reading the series even more fun. A vacation in England as an adult enabled me to walk the streets where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle no doubt thought up the series. I also got to see the statue of Sherlock Holmes in the flesh (or in the bronze).

As a kid, I was also a complete musical theatre nerd beginning with producing, writing, and directing mega-musicals in my neighbor’s garage. Our unsuspecting families were our captive (and I mean captive) audience members. Thankfully, instead of committing me, they supported my interests. After graduating from college, I became an actor in film, television, and theatre working opposite stars like Rosie O’Donnell, Bruce Willis, Jason Robards, and Holland Taylor. I also performed in a number of musicals onstage including in The Roar of the Greasepaint opposite Nathan Lane.

I combined my infatuation with Sherlock Holmes and musical theatre for the fifth Nicky and Noah mystery novel, where Nicky is directing and ultimately co-starring with his husband Noah as Holmes and Watson in a new musical Sherlock Holmes play at Treemeadow College prior to Broadway. Their department head and best friend, Martin Anderson (who I want to play if there’s a television series), Martin’s husband Ruben, their office assistant Shayla, Nicky’s brother Tony, and Nicky and Noah’s son Taavi are also in the cast. Of course dead bodies begin falling over like hammy actors at a curtain call. Once again Nicky and Noah use their drama skills to figure out who is lowering the street lamps on the actors before the handsome couple get half-baked on Baker Street.

For those of you who haven’t read the first four novels in the Nicky and Noah mystery series (and you should!), it is a gay cozy mystery comedy series, meaning the setting is warm and cozy, the clues and murders (and laughs) come fast and furious, and there are enough plot twists and turns and a surprise ending to keep the pages turning. At the center is a touching gay romance between Associate Professor of Directing Nicky Abbondanza and Assistant Professor of Acting Noah Oliver. As Nicky and Noah fall in love, I’ve heard the readers fall in love with them too.

In Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Novel of 2015) college theatre professors are dropping like stage curtains at Treemeadow College, and amateur sleuths/college theatre professors Nicky and Noah have to use their theatre skills, including impersonating other people, to figure out whodunit. Reviewers called Drama Queen hysterically funny farce, Murder She Wrote meets Hart to Hart meets The Hardy Boys, and a captivating whodunit. Who am I to argue? One reviewer wrote Drama Queen was the funniest books she’d ever read! In Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention 2016) Nicky and Noah don their gay Holmes and Watson personas again to find out why bodybuilding students and professors at Treemeadow are dropping faster than barbells. Also, Nicky and Noah’s relationship reaches a milestone by the end of the novel. In Drama Cruise it is summer on a ten-day cruise from San Francisco to Alaska and back (which my spouse and I also did). Nicky and Noah must figure out why college theatre professors are dropping like life rafts as Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship starring Noah and other college theatre professors from across the US. Complicating matters are their both sets of wacky parents who want to embark on all the activities on and off the boat with the handsome couple. (The first three books are also available as wonderful audiobooks!) In Drama Luau, Nicky is directing the luau show at the Maui Mist Resort and he and Noah need to figure out why muscular Hawaiian hula dancers are dropping like grass skirts. Their department head and his husband, Martin and Ruben, are along for the bumpy tropical ride. In addition to the sexy hula dancers, we meet a handsome Hawaiian detective, a Bloody Mary type housekeeper, a cigar chomping hotel manager, the hotel owner and his senator wife who give new meaning to the term family values, and a cute young waiter who wants to be a hula dancer more than an anti-gay politician wants a dark backroom in a gay bar.

It is my joy and pleasure to share these stories with you. So put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and coat, grab your pipe and program, and take your front row seat for the musical. The game is afoot in Drama Detective!

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About the Book

Theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza is directing a Sherlock Holmes musical in a professional summer stock production at Treemeadow College, co-starring his husband and theatre professor colleague Noah Oliver as Dr. John Watson. When cast members begin toppling over like hammy actors at a curtain call, Nicky dons Holmes’ persona on stage and off. Once again Nicky and Noah will need to use their drama skills to figure out who is lowering the street lamps on the actors before the handsome couple get half-baked on Baker Street. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining fifth novel in this delightful series. Curtain up, the game is afoot!

 

Buy Links

http://myBook.to/DramaDetective

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/739440

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drama-detective-joe-cosentino/1126899713?ean=2940154485842

 

Excerpt

The Victorian, lamppost-lined London street was forebodingly dark. Prostitutes in low-cut, shabby dresses dug their heels into the dirty gray pavement. A heavy-set man in an expensive suit signaled to an older, small man with a knowing grin. The jeweler locked up his shop and hurried down the street. One of the prostitutes raised a dagger to the jeweler’s throat, grabbed his bag, and disappeared into a smoky alley, as the prostitute transformed into a well-dressed man with a long nose and beady eyes. Another prostitute screamed. The inspector and his men hurried onto the street.

Suddenly, a honky-tonk piano introduction led each of them to face front and belt out, “Acting Butch on Baker Street,” a rousing opening number featuring spinning members of the underworld and a Scotland Yard kick line. At the conclusion of the number, everyone ended with a frozen smile, looking like a pack of right wing politicians entering a ghetto.

“Good energy, everyone! Let’s take a ten-minute break,” I called out from my front row center seat in the audience.

I’m Nicky Abbondonza, Associate Professor of Directing at Treemeadow College, a quaint college in Vermont named after its benefactors, couple Harold Tree and Jacob Meadow. Or as we call them, Treemeadow’s Adam and Steve. Since you can’t see me, I’ll tell you I’m tall, pretty muscular, courtesy of Treemeadow’s gym and my insomnia, with dark hair, green eyes, and a Roman nose. If you’ve read my other four stories, you know I generally wear a dress shirt, blazer, and slacks. You’ll also know that murder is on the menu as are an assortment of characters (and I mean characters)—suspects and victims—as I try to figure out whodunit. So let’s get the game afoot. Ah, speaking of a foot, you newcomers should know another little tidbit of information. Well, not so little actually. I’m referring to my penis. It would make a porn star blush. My nickname in the gym locker room back home in Kansas was “Donkey Donza.” Yes, I’m from Kansas, a true friend of Dorothy’s.

Back to the story. Since it’s summertime, our cozy New England campus is full of multicolored flowers, babbling brooks, warm sunshine, and peace and quiet. So quiet that my department head and best friend, Martin Anderson, Professor of Theatre Management, decided to transform our college theatre into a professional summer stock venue for the tryout of a new Sherlock Holmes Broadway bound musical. True to Martin’s nature, he also took on a role in the play, Langdale Pike (society informer).

Martin, short, thin, bald, and somewhere between seventy and six-feet-under, stood downstage center (meaning closest to the audience for you non-thespians) in his Victorian gray suit. “Nicky, do you think I should act more like a gossip in the opening number?”

“You couldn’t act more like a gossip if twenty closet-gay actors from Hollywood left their beards and asked you for advice on whom to date,” Martin’s husband said sitting third row house left.

I’ll explain. Though Martin is a terrific department head and professor, his brainstorms generally end up as headaches for Martin’s long suffering spouse, Ruben Markinson, who Martin convinced to be our show’s producer. To raise needed funds for this venture, Ruben, the CEO of a gay rights organization, interviewed Broadway chorus boys about their peccadilloes, and then hit up anti-gay Republican legislators to buy shares of the show (and their silence). Next, we held auditions in New York City and found our cast. When our budget had been spent, Ruben (having been bitten by the acting bug in our previous capers) agreed to be understudy for one of the characters in the show, Porky Johnson (agent in the criminal underworld). The rest of the understudies (including yours truly understudying Sherlock Holmes), as well as the ensemble, designers, and technical crews, all came from our college population (including the kids whose parents didn’t want them loafing around at home over the summer).

Like all of us who love Martin, Ruben is well aware of Martin’s “inquisitive” nature. Ruben called out to his husband, “Martin, you and gossip go together like an HMO customer service representative and the words, ‘not covered.’”

“No comments from the peanut gallery,” Martin replied from the stage.

Ruben glared over the laptop on his knees. “Don’t make me fire you, Martin.”

“You try and I’ll bring you up on charges with Equity.”

“Touché, Martin.” Ruben blew him a mime kiss.

Martin caught it and placed it against his heart.

The true sanctity of marriage.

 

Reviews of Joe’s work

“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.” 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

 

About Joe

[image error]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. 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.

He also wrote the other novels in the Nicky and Noah mystery series: Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise (Lethe Press), Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle; the Dreamspinner Press novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star, A Home for the Holidays, The Perfect Gift, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland, The Perfect Gift; the Cozzi Cove series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings (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 is happily married.

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

 

A.M. Leibowitz : Keeping The Faith

Title: Keeping the Faith

Series: Faithfully Yours, Book 3

Author: A.M. Leibowitz

Publisher: Supposed Crimes

Cover Artist: Stacy O’Steen

Release Date: November 1, 2017

Romance Genre(s): Contemporary, M/M

Words: 84,000

View on Goodreads

About the Book
Blurb

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It’s been three years since Micah’s spouse, Cat, passed away at the age of thirty-six. In the process of cleaning his house, Micah discovers a series of letters Cat hid before he died, in which he made one request: that Micah empty his life of Cat as a way of moving on. Micah has been able to work through his sorrow, but he’s unable to fulfill Cat’s last wish. He can’t see a way past his loneliness despite all the caring people around him.

Enter two new friendships. Jude, Micah’s vivacious new coworker, brings joy back into his life. But she has a big secret about her family, and the truth will rock Micah’s understanding of who she is. Chris, the new minister at Cat’s former church, intrigues Micah. Unlike Jude, Chris is an open book, from his musings on theology to his work as a trans advocate and activist. His gentle manner and deep faith become safe space for Micah to open up about his loss.

Through them, Micah becomes involved with the town’s new community center, where he offers a creative writing class. Using Cat’s detailed letters, he fictionalizes their love story to share with his students. In doing so, he at last begins to sort through his complicated grief. Micah learns he doesn’t have to erase his life with Cat in order to make new memories. He may even be falling for Chris, despite their vastly different spiritual views. With a little help from family and friends, Micah will need to open his heart to love again.

Excerpt

After flipping through an album of Cat’s early childhood, Micah put that in the growing pile next to him and lifted out the letters.

These were different. They were written more recently. Micah went through the envelopes, his mouth dropping open in surprise. Cat had written them all during the time after he’d become ill. He’d known then he was dying; it had been his choice not to take drastic measures to alter the course of his long illness. It had taken five months almost to the day for him to finally acquiesce to the effects of multiple organ failure on his body. The final month had been agony, and Cat hadn’t been lucid enough in that time to compose any more letters. The last one was dated about five weeks before he died.

The only thing left in the trunk was the small box. Micah took it out and examined it. The box was metal and had a lock, but there was no key. Micah searched the bottom of the now-empty trunk, but there was nothing inside. He shook the box and heard the items rattle. There might be a way to pick the lock, but he wasn’t any kind of expert.

Micah opened the first letter. Inside, he found the key to the lock box and a folded piece of paper. He withdrew both and set the key on top of the box. Slowly, he unfolded the letter and read the greeting. He only got as far as Dearest Micah when he let the paper fall from his fingers. His immediate urge was to shove it back into the envelope and never open it again nor any of the others.

His head swam; he wasn’t ready for this. What secrets was Cat going to reveal in death that he hadn’t shared in life? It was as though Cat spoke his name right from the page, and it tore open the wound of his death. Micah’s eyes burned as he struggled to hold back an ocean of raw grief. Unable to continue for the moment, Micah let it take him, covering his face and sobbing.

It took a moment for him to realize that something was nudging him, and he fought to regain control. Opening his eyes, he found Thomas in his lap, trying to press close to Micah’s chest. Thomas’ head rubbed under Micah’s chin, and the cat purred. The rumbles soothed Micah, and his crying slowed. He took a deep breath.

He could do this. He could read Cat’s letters and not fall apart. Cat had trusted him to do so eventually, and Thomas was here to comfort him. Micah wiped his eyes and nose and picked the letter up again.

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | Kobo

About A.M. Leibowitz
Author Bio

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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.

In between noveling and editing, they blog coffee-fueled, quirky commentary on faith, culture, writing, books, and their family.

Connect with A.M. Leibowitz

Website | Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google Plus

Giveaway

To celebrate the latest release from A.M. Leibowitz, 3 lucky entrants will win an eBook bundle of all four titles in the Faithfully Yours series, which includes the following:

Passing on Faith
Walking by Faith
Leaps of Faith
Keeping the Faith

For your chance to win, simply enter via the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway closes at midnight EST on November 10, 2017, and is open to entrants worldwide.

Good luck!

Enter here

Tour Stops

November 1:

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Drops of Ink

Stories that Make You Smile

Books, Dreams, Life

November 2:

BFD Book Blog

Romance Novel Giveaways

Kitty’s Book Spot

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

November 3:

Happily Ever Chapter

My Fiction Nook

The Layaway Dragon

CelticLady’s Reviews

November 4:

Boys on the Brink

Liz’s Reading Life

Making It Happen

Loves Great Reads

November 5:

Abibliophobia Anonymous

I Heart Reading

Bayou Book Junkie

Anna Butler – Love That’s Out of This World

Tour Hosted by LoveBound Promotions

ELin Gregory’s “Calon Lân”

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I am over the moon to welcome Elin Gregory to the blog today. She’s one of my favourite authors and a cracking storyteller, and she has a new story coming out today from the Manifold Press Espresso Shot imprint—a neat way to describe a novella, although with the speed I read these days, I’ll need at least a double shot.

 

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As war rages in France, battles are also being fought on the Home Front.

Bethan Harrhy, farmer’s wife, does her best to keep her family happy as prices rise and the weather worsens. Nye, her husband, is angry and worried. Alwyn, her brother, is injured and shaken by his experiences in the trenches. Her baby is teething and there’s another on the way. Surely having her brother’s best friend to stay, another face, another voice, another pair of hands, can only be a good thing? But when Joe arrives, Bethan is forced to confront ideas she had never even guessed at and makes a terrible mistake.

With conflict at home and abroad, can there be a happy ending for any of them?

Publication Date: 01 November

Publisher: Manifold Press

Length: 58 pages / approx. 21k words

 

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Amazon UK  |  Amazon US  |   Smashwords  |   Kobo

 

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[image error]On the day of Joe’s arrival, Alwyn helped her to change his sheets. They pulled the fresh linen taut, tucked the blankets in then covered all in his freshly laundered quilt. Squares and stars of soft blues and greys. Bethan could remember many of the worn-out garments that made up its fabric; here a frock and there a shirt, and the nights she and Ma had spent snipping and stitching. Made with love and all the warmer for that.

“You should sleep snug enough.” Bethan smoothed the quilt over the pillows. “Are you sure Joe won’t mind?”

“He won’t mind.” She could hear Alwyn’s smile. “We slept close often enough in the trenches. At least here there’s no mud. Or rats.”

“Alwyn Beynon! The cheek of it. As if I’d allow rats in your bedroom.” When Alwyn didn’t reply she asked, “Will you walk to meet him or take the trap?”

“Nye said I could take Polly.” Alwyn, who had overseen the birth, growth and training of Polly years before either of them had set eyes on Nye Harrhy, didn’t seem to mind Nye’s unnecessary permissions. “Joe’s not coming for just a few days. He’ll most probably bring all his things.”

There was a note of hope in his voice that made Bethan all the more eager to welcome his friend to their home. In fact, now she came to think of it, Alwyn seemed better. Standing taller, speaking more often in a stronger voice. He had even smiled when she got him to help her fluff up the eiderdown by tossing it high.

 

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[image error]Elin Gregory lives in South Wales and has been making stuff up since 1958. Writing has always had to take second place to work and family but now the kids are grown up it’s possible she might finish one of the many novels on her hard drive and actually DO something useful with it.

Historical subjects predominate. She has written about ancient Greek sculptors, 18th century seafarers but also about modern men who change shape at will and how echoes of the past can be heard in the present. Heroes tend to be hard as nails but capable of tenderness when circumstances allow.

There are always new works on the go and she is currently writing a sequel to Eleventh Hour, planning a series of contemporary romances and doing background reading for a stories set in Roman Britain and the Second World War.

!!PUBLICATION DAY!! The Jackal’s House

PUBLISHED TODAY!

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I’m over the moon about this book and so delighted that publication day has arrived at last. I’ve learned so much about writing since the very first of the Lancaster’s Luck books two and a half years ago, and I genuinely believe this is the best one I’ve done. It’s a romantic adventure. Or an adventurous romance? Anyhow, there are aeroships and deserts, whirling Dervishes and jackals, archaeologists and assassins, villains and lovers, love and hate.

I do hope you grow to love this as much as I do!

 

JUMP TO:

Buy Links

About The Jackal’s House, and an excerpt

Launch Blog Tour and Chances to Enter Giveaway

Winners of Pre-Order Prize Draw

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Buy Links

Dreamspinner Press ebook  |  Dreamspinner Press paperback

Universal link to other digital stores (not DSP)

Individual Store Links:

Amazon.com  |  Amazon.co.uk  |  Apple iBooks  |  B&N   |  Indigo  |

Kobo

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About The Jackal’s House

 

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Something is stalking the Aegyptian night and endangering the archaeologists excavating the mysterious temple ruins in Abydos. But is it a vengeful ancient spirit or a very modern conspiracy…

Rafe Lancaster’s relationship with Gallowglass First Heir, Ned Winter, flourishes over the summer of 1900, and when Rafe’s House encourages him to join Ned’s next archaeological expedition, he sees a chance for it to deepen further. Since all the Houses of the Britannic Imperium, Rafe’s included, view assassination as a convenient solution to most problems, he packs his aether pistol—just in case.

Trouble finds them in Abydos. Rafe and Ned begin to wonder if they’re facing opposition to the Temple of Seti being disturbed. What begins as tricks and pranks escalates to attacks and death, while the figure of the Dog—the jackal-headed god Anubis, ruler of death—casts a long shadow over the desert sands. Destruction follows in his wake as he returns to reclaim his place in Abydos. Can Rafe and Ned stand against both the god and House plots when the life of Ned’s son is on the line?

Title:                           The Jackal’s House

Series:                         Lancaster’s Luck: Book II.  Sequel to The Gilded Scarab

Publisher:                   Dreamspinner Press

Publication Date:      30 October 2017

Genre:                        Steampunk adventure m/m romance

Wordcount:               c111,600

Cover Artist:              Reese Dante

Illustrator (Map):      Margaret Warner

Find out more about the Lancaster’s Luck books and the world of Rafe and Ned

 

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I like kissing.

Like Ned, I’d spent years in hiding. His constraint had been matrimony and the sense of honor and duty that would never have allowed him to be unfaithful to the mother of his sons. Only her untimely death had released those bonds. Mine had been less noble: I had no desire for a court-martial and a dishonorable discharge from Her Imperial Majesty’s Aero Corps. Most of my encounters over the years had been quick and furtive, but I’d taken every chance I could to practice my technique.

I not only liked kissing, I was good at it.

Fast little kisses to start with, kisses that barely made contact with the skin of Ned’s throat, kisses meant to tease. He tilted his head back to let me in, closing his eyes. His mouth opened on a soft sigh. I hoped he was giving himself up to the pleasure, losing himself in it, that nothing mattered to him at that moment except the feel of my mouth on his throat and lips. I hoped so. I wanted to please him.

I kissed and licked the delicate skin under his ear until he choked with laughter at the tickling. He tightened his grip on my hands and tugged at them until I raised my head. Ha! He’d lulled me into trusting him there and took full advantage of it. He swooped to capture my mouth with his, cutting off breath and thought, bringing a dizzying warmth with his hot tongue, and making me moan.

Of course, they were very manly moans.

 

Launch Tour and Giveaways

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I’ll be visiting various blogs to promote the book. At each blog, you get the chance to enter a rafflecoptor to win a $25 Amazon gift voucher (details of the rafflecoptor below). Visit one of more of these blogs to enter – there’s lots of choice!

BLOG TOUR STOPS


October 25
My Fiction Nook


October 28
Rebecca Cohen Writes


October 30
abibliophobia anonymous book reviews


October 30
Bayou Book Junkie


October 30
Chez Shay Online


October 30
Diverse Reader


October 30
Elin Gregory


October 30
Eyes On Books


October 30
Hoards Jumble


October 30
Love Bytes


October 30
MJ’s Book Blog and Reviews


October 30
Padme’s Library


October 30
Queer Sci Fi


October 30
Sarah Madison Fiction


October 30
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words


October 30
Stories That Make You Smile


October 30
The Way She Reads


October 30
Unquietly Me


October 30
Zipper Rippers


October 31
G & T’s Indie Café


October 31
Happily Ever After


October 31
Jim’s Reading Room


October 31
MM Good Book Reviews


October 31
RAM PA Group


November 1
Louise Lyons


November 1
Open Skye Book Reviews


November 2
DreamReaders FB Group


November 2
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words


November 3
Dreamspinner Press Blog


November 3
The Novel Approach


November 6
RJ Scott


November 7
Gay Book Reviews


November 10
Alpha Book Club







REVIEW TOUR STOPS


November 1
 Nerdy Dirty and Flirty


November 3
 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words


November 8
 Jim’s Reading Room


November 8
 MM Good Book Reviews


November 8
 My Fiction Nook


November 10
Bayou Book Junkie


November 10
Drops of Ink


November 10
 Padme’s Library






 .

























Giveaway

At every stop on the tours – or here! – you can enter the Rafflecoptor draw for

1st prize—$25 or equivalent Amazon gift card

2nd prize—a signed paperback of the first Lancaster’s Luck book, The Gilded Scarab...

 

Winners of PreOrder Prize Draw

1st Prize

Signed copy of The Gilded Scarab

TARA

2nd Prize

Gilded Scarab travel coffee mug

CARLA

3rd Prize

Anubis pendant

PAU

 

 

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Sign up HERE for my newsletter and I’ll send you a FREE copy of FlashWired

Links to Blog Posts on Writing August-October 2017

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Not Being Inclusive Is Also A Political Choice – Chuck Wendig

An Oubliette Of Unconventional Writing Advice – Chuck Wendig

What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted? Why Fiction Heals Like Nothing Else Can – Kristen Lamb

Sometimes Storytelling Is Just Resource Management – Chuck Wendig

PSA To Writers: Don’t Be A Shit-Flinging Gibbon – Chuck Wendig

How To Write While The World Burns – Michael J. Martinez at Chuck Wendig’s blog

 

Get Out of Your Own Way: 6 Creative Tips to Crush Writer’s Block – Rebecca Rine at the Write Life

Five Tips for Dealing with Writer’s Block  and  9 Ideas to Get Inspiration or Beat Writer’s Block –  theryanlanz at A Writers Path

A Simple Solution For When Your Story Hits The Wall –  Chuck Wendig

Avoiding the Unmentionable (Writer’s Block) – Ramey Channell at Fiction University

 

The Hack’s Guide to Dealing with Book Reviews – Bill Ferris at Writer Unboxed

 

Vivian Shaw: Five Things I Learned Writing Strange Practice

Katherine Locke: Five Things I Learned Writing The Girl With The Red Balloon

Ferrett Steinmetz: Five Things I Learned Writing The Uploaded

Walt Williams: Five Things I Learned Writing My Memoir

Alethea Kontis: Five Things I Learned Writing When Tinker Met Bell

Kali Wallace: Five Things I Learned Writing The Memory Trees

 

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Showing Versus Telling: So SHOW Me Already! – PJ Parrish at The Kill Zone

7 Words That Often Tell, Not Show – Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Creating Conflict in Your Novel – Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Six Simple Reasons Our Story Sucks & How to Fix It – by Kristen Lamb

6 Easy Steps to Unforgettable Characters – Laurence MacNaughton at Fiction University

The Write Stuff: Creating Strong, Authentic Female Characters –  Cait Reynolds

Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 61: 5 Types of Clunky Dialogue – K M Weiland

Ten Ways to Switch Up Your Sentences –  Chris Winkle at Mythcreants

How to Talk Tough – James Scott Bell at The Kill Zone

7 Tips For Writing Great Love Scenes – Joyce Scarbrough at Fiction University

 

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Cover Art FAQ: Answered – June Stevens Westerfield

 

 

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Marketing

Let’s Do Launch! Getting Out the Word About Your Book  – Peggy J Shaw at the Fiction University

Note to All Creatives: Marketing is Your Job – Ryan Holliday at The Mission

Business Musings: Expand Your Target Audience 3: Aggressive Growth (Branding/Discoverability) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

 

Social Media

7 Social Media Tips For Writers Who Want to Get Noticed – Vanessa Gillette at the Write Life

 

 

 

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The Persistent Taint of Self-Publishing – Dario Ciriello at Fiction University

The Only Rule Amazon Truly Cares About  – David Gaughran

 

 

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What to Look for in “Out of Print” Termination Clauses – Susan Spann

Stealing Intellectual Property –  Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

 

 

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25 Must-Read Books About Writing

Do it Yourself: A 10-Step Guide to Self-Publishing an Audiobook – By Warren Adler

Show the Love—Genre Requirements (Romance) – by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

 

 

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The Jackal’s House Release and Review Tour Stops – Sticky Post For Your Convenience!

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The release blitz//review tour for The Jackal’s House is underway! Here’s the list of planned stops. At every one, you can enter a rafflecoptor for a prize draw

 

BLOG TOUR STOPS


October 25
My Fiction Nook


October 28
Rebecca Cohen Writes


October 30
abibliophobia anonymous book reviews


October 30
Bayou Book Junkie


October 30
Chez Shay Online


October 30
Diverse Reader


October 30
Elin Gregory


October 30
Eyes On Books


October 30
Hoards Jumble


October 30
Love Bytes


October 30
MJ’s Book Blog and Reviews


October 30
Padme’s Library


October 30
Queer Sci Fi


October 30
Sarah Madison Fiction


October 30
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words


October 30
Stories That Make You Smile


October 30
The Way She Reads


October 30
Unquietly Me


October 30
Zipper Rippers


October 31
G & T’s Indie Café


October 31
Happily Ever After


October 31
Jim’s Reading Room


October 31
MM Good Book Reviews


October 31
RAM PA Group


November 1
Louise Lyons


November 1
Open Skye Book Reviews


November 2
DreamReaders FB Group


November 2
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words


November 3
Dreamspinner Press Blog


November 3
The Novel Approach


November 6
RJ Scott


November 7
Gay Book Reviews


November 10
Alpha Book Club







REVIEW TOUR STOPS


November 1
 Nerdy Dirty and Flirty


November 3
 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words


November 8
 Jim’s Reading Room


November 8
 MM Good Book Reviews


November 8
 My Fiction Nook


November 10
Bayou Book Junkie


November 10
Drops of Ink


November 10
 Padme’s Library

 

 .

























Giveaway

At every stop on the tours – or here! – you can enter the Rafflecoptor draw for

1st prize—$25 or equivalent Amazon gift card

2nd prize—a signed paperback of the first Lancaster’s Luck book, The Gilded Scarab.

Hallowe’en with the Dog

No, not this dog:

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Hallowe’en in the UK is no big deal, certainly not a popular holiday the way it is in the US. We aren’t big on trick or treating, or dressing up and playing pranks. We are big on eating lots of sweets, and this is the moment when I regret being on a diet… Oh, and parties. We like those. I can get behind lots of parties. Any excuse for a knees-up!

Then Dreamspinner gave me a publication date for The Jackal’s House of 30 October, aka Hallowe’en Eve.

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What a great opportunity to do something around the spookiest, ghostliest, scariest holiday in the calendar! After all, my heroes Rafe Lancaster and Ned Winter have some scary, spooky experiences in the Aegyptian desert, where the ancient god of the dead, Anubis, stalks the ruins at Abydos. Surely, I thought, there would be inspiration there.

So, as you do, I googled. Looking at pictures of Anubis himself gave me just the idea for something to tie into Hallowe’en and parties and dressing up. This is your crafty post, people! How to make an Anubis mask for your Hallowe’en costume.

Whaddya mean, you’re going as a zombie? Pfft. The Walking Dead are so last year. This year, you need to go as a zoomorphic Egyptian god who has a habit of baying at the moon and shepherding souls to the afterlife. Really, Anubis is completely 2017.

Now then, the ancient Egyptians made Anubis masks themselves, because it was embalmer’s job to represent the god while he worked, and part of the embalmer’s uniform was a jackal mask. Perhaps not as everyday workwear, but certainly as part of the initial rituals that started the process of embalming. They made their masks from painted cartonnage – that is, linen soaked with plaster. Like this one:

[image error] Anubis Mask, Harrogate Museum (Wiki Commons image)

That might be a little heavy to wear while partying the night away, so here are a couple of suggestions for creating a light-weight mask that looks amazing, and can be created from some basic bits and pieces.

[image error]This particular image is all over Pinterest, but no amount of googling has come up with the source. Thankfully the images are self-explanatory when it comes to constructing this. So whoever it was created this—kudos for making a quite brilliant Anubis from nothing more than a plastic Batman mask, a plastic cup, a couple of cardboard ears and a lot of papier maché and paint. Well done!

Another Anubis mask is made by Johannz Aquino on You Tube. It’s still made from simple, easy to find materials, but has a little more complexity than the Batman-based mask. Here it is:

So, there you are, a couple of inspirational ideas to keep you busy getting ready for Hallowe’en.

In the meantime, remember you can pre-order The Jackal’s House here:

Dreamspinner ebook  |  Dreamspinner paperback

Universal link to other digital stores (not DSP)

Individual Store Links: Amazon.com  |  Amazon.co.uk  |  Apple iBooks  |  B&N – to follow  |  Indigo  |

Kobo

and if you send me a copy of the email confirmation (or a screengrab of it) to annabutlerfiction@gmail.com to win some loot and enter a prize draw.

However you’re celebrating Hallowe’en, do have a great time!

 

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Sign up HERE for my newsletter and I’ll send you a FREE copy of FlashWired

Review: The Stark Divide, by J Scott Coatsworth

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I’m delighted to host Scott here again, this time with his latest sci-fi release, The Stark Divide. My review of the book is here too, but just to get your appetite whetted, isn’t that a lovely cover!

This is quite a long post, and I’m proud to show off my new blogging skills with internal links (cough) so use these links if you’d like to jump to:

Guest Post

About the Book

Excerpt

Buy Links

Review

About Scott

 

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Guest Post

Where the Plants Glow

J. Scott Coatsworth

My first epic sci fi tale has just come out, and I thought it would be fun to look at one of the main “gimmicks” behind the book.

And I don’t mean in a bad way. *grin*

When I first came up with the concept of the world called “Forever”, I was knee deep in Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series. I loved the concept of “thread”, a worldwide threat that made her world different and gave her a unique threat that helped shape the planet’s culture.

I wrote part of a novel on a world called Antana (that is mentioned in my novella The Homecoming”) where floods come every 80 years… something to do with sunspots. Never worked out all the details on that one. LOL…

When I started on Forever, I wanted something that would make my world, a generation ship, stand out.

So I made the plants glow.

I needed something to provide light in the depths of space, and bioluminescence seemed like an amazing, magical way to go. As the series progresses, it will also lend itself to more of a fantasy feel that I’m going for.

Just for fun, here’s an excerpt from the first book I wrote about Forever, which takes place a couple hundred years down the timeline from “The Stark Divide.” It was never published, but I plan to tackle it again in a year or two:

Thalisa stepped carefully across the open floor between shards of broken glass to the window-frame, leaning forward to feel the cool morning air rush past her cheeks. No time for the danse today, she thought with regret.

Shake or no, she’d not miss the morning light.

A faint half-circle glow lit up the Darward horizon, along the narrow rounded ridge of the world, as daylight approached the Eyre Estate. A corresponding thrill raced up Thalisa’s spine to momentarily wash away her old regrets and anxieties. She breathed in the crisp morning air deeply, and watched avidly for the new morning to arrive.

Thalisa stood before the window, trying to feel the approach of light, that unknown signal that called the fir and apple trees and the high grass and redfern to give off their warm glow.

The wooden shutters were thrown wide open, and the cool early morning air blew in softly, touched with a hint of pine and the smell of fresh-turned earth from the fields of her Father’s estate.

She watched as the morning came, softly, silently, like a cat on padded toes, as the light hopped from stem to leaf, traced the edges of flowers, climbed the thick boles of fir trees along winding, vital vines, before finally settling down to a comfortable effervescent glow.

Soon her world would be filled with bioluminescent daylight from here to Thyre.

With a last great leap, the morning was at her window and then beyond, as the Estate orchards settled into their bright morning glow, and even the air itself shone as bits of pollen suspended in the breeze flared to glorious light.

She sighed; like yesterday and last week and all the days before, she felt nothing at its passing.

I hope you enjoy “The Stark Divide.” I’m working on the sequel, “The Rising Tide,” right now.

Scott

 

About The Book

Some stories are epic.

The Earth is in a state of collapse, with wars breaking out over resources and an environment pushed to the edge by human greed.

Three living generation ships have been built with a combination of genetic mastery, artificial intelligence, technology, and raw materials harvested from the asteroid belt. This is the story of one of them—43 Ariadne, or Forever, as her inhabitants call her—a living world that carries the remaining hopes of humanity, and the three generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers working to colonize her.

From her humble beginnings as a seedling saved from disaster to the start of her journey across the void of space toward a new home for the human race, The Stark Divide tells the tales of the world, the people who made her, and the few who will become something altogether beyond human.

Humankind has just taken its first step toward the stars.

Publisher: DSP Publications

Author: J. Scott Coatsworth

Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Length: 284 Pages

Format: eBook, Paperback

Release Date: 10/10/17

Pairing: MM

Price: eBook 6.99,  paperback 16.99

Series: Liminal Sky (Book One)

Genre: Sci Fi, Space, Gen Ship, Apocalypse, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer

Goodreads Link

 

Excerpt

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“DRESSLER, SCHEMATIC,” Colin McAvery, ship’s captain and a third of the crew, called out to the ship-mind.

A three-dimensional image of the ship appeared above the smooth console. Her five living arms, reaching out from her central core, were lit with a golden glow, and the mechanical bits of instrumentation shone in red. In real life, she was almost two hundred meters from tip to tip.

Between those arms stretched her solar wings, a ghostly green film like the sails of the Flying Dutchman.

“You’re a pretty thing,” he said softly. He loved these ships, their delicate beauty as they floated through the starry void.

“Thank you, Captain.” The ship-mind sounded happy with the compliment—his imagination running wild. Minds didn’t have real emotions, though they sometimes approximated them.

He cross-checked the heading to be sure they remained on course to deliver their payload, the man-sized seed that was being dragged on a tether behind the ship. Humanity’s ticket to the stars at a time when life on Earth was getting rapidly worse.

All of space was spread out before him, seen through the clear expanse of plasform set into the ship’s living walls. His own face, trimmed blond hair, and deep brown eyes, stared back at him, superimposed over the vivid starscape.

At thirty, Colin was in the prime of his career. He was a starship captain, and yet sometimes he felt like little more than a bus driver. After this run… well, he’d have to see what other opportunities might be awaiting him. Maybe the doc was right, and this was the start of a whole new chapter for mankind. They might need a guy like him.

The walls of the bridge emitted a faint but healthy golden glow, providing light for his work at the curved mechanical console that filled half the room. He traced out the T-Line to their destination. “Dressler, we’re looking a little wobbly.” Colin frowned. Some irregularity in the course was common—the ship was constantly adjusting its trajectory—but she usually corrected it before he noticed.

“Affirmative, Captain.” The ship-mind’s miniature chosen likeness appeared above the touch board. She was all professional today, dressed in a standard AmSplor uniform, dark hair pulled back in a bun, and about a third life-sized.

The image was nothing more than a projection of the ship-mind, a fairy tale, but Colin appreciated the effort she took to humanize her appearance. Artificial mind or not, he always treated minds with respect.

“There’s a blockage in arm four. I’ve sent out a scout to correct it.”

The Dressler was well into slowdown now, her pre-arrival phase as she bled off her speed, and they expected to reach 43 Ariadne in another fifteen hours.

Pity no one had yet cracked the whole hyperspace thing. Colin chuckled. Asimov would be disappointed. “Dressler, show me Earth, please.”

A small blue dot appeared in the middle of his screen.

“Dressler, three dimensions, a bit larger, please.” The beautiful blue-green world spun before him in all its glory.

Appearances could be deceiving. Even with scrubbers working tirelessly night and day to clean the excess carbon dioxide from the air, the home world was still running dangerously warm.

He watched the image in front of him as the East Coast of the North American Union spun slowly into view. Florida was a sliver of its former self, and where New York City’s lights had once shone, there was now only blue. If it had been night, Fargo, the capital of the Northern States, would have outshone most of the other cities below. The floods that had wiped out many of the world’s coastal cities had also knocked down Earth’s population, which was only now reaching the levels it had seen in the early twenty-first century.

All those new souls had been born into a warm, arid world.

We did it to ourselves. Colin, who had known nothing besides the hot planet he called home, wondered what it had been like those many years before the Heat.

 

Buy Links

Dreamspinner ebook  |  Dreamspinner Paperback  |  Amazon  |  B&N  |  Kobo  |  iBooks    QueeRomanceInk

 

My Review

5 stars.

This was a very interesting read. The premise of sentient spaceships isn’t new, of course, not is the idea of a space ark as the refuge of the remains of humanity. But when the ‘ark’ is a created world, Forever, complete with mountains, rivers and farms, all held within a space ship grown from a seed and inhabited with sentient, aware, intelligent AI with ambivalent motivation… that’s a little different.

This is essentially a trilogy of interconnected novellas, with some reasonably large timeshifts between each segment. That didn’t actually bother me – I rather liked the feeling that each segment was clearly complete, and the jumps to the next segment at least did away with the need for pesky (and pointless!) transitions that wouldn’t have added anything to the plot. Instead, the author tells three tight, carefully structured tales that are woven together through the ensemble cast of characters and the book’s theme of mankind’s self-destruction

The least cheerful element of the overarching tale is that even with today’s lessons in front of us, humanity has learned very little, certainly not enough to improve the future. Earth is dying, devastated by ecological disaster and by war. All the issues we face today: demagoguery politics, climate change tackled too little and too late, war and the human cost, refugees, deprivation, prejudice… all are still problems in this future world. Not just problems, but world-killing events. No. Mankind doesn’t learn anything much at all. And perhaps the most depressing thing, is they take the problems with them to Forever.

Excellent worldbuilding, an ensemble of engaging characters and the promise of conflict to come. Very well done.

 

About Scott

[image error]Scott spends his time between the here and now and the what could be. Enticed into fantasy and sci fi by his mom at the tender age of nine, he devoured her Science Fiction Book Club library. But as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were in the books he was reading.

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

His friends say Scott’s mind 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 loves to transform traditional sci fi, fantasy, and contemporary worlds into something unexpected.

He runs both Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink with his husband Mark, sites that bring queer people together to promote and celebrate fiction that reflects their own lives.

Author Links:  

Website  |  Facebook (personal)  |  Facebook (author page)  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  QueeRomanceInk  |  Amazon 

 

The Jackal’s House – COVER REVEAL and GIVEAWAY

Here it is. Here’s the wonderful, amazing cover done by the lovely Reese Dante. Isn’t it just beautiful? Isn’t my Rafe just beautiful? Sighs happily and pats the pretty.

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PUBLICATION DATE

30 OCTOBER 2017

 

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Something is stalking the Aegyptian night and endangering the archaeologists excavating the mysterious temple ruins in Abydos. But is it a vengeful ancient spirit or a very modern conspiracy…

Rafe Lancaster’s relationship with Gallowglass First Heir, Ned Winter, flourishes over the summer of 1900, and when Rafe’s House encourages him to join Ned’s next archaeological expedition, he sees a chance for it to deepen further. Since all the Houses of the Britannic Imperium, Rafe’s included, view assassination as a convenient solution to most problems, he packs his aether pistol—just in case.

Trouble finds them in Abydos. Rafe and Ned begin to wonder if they’re facing opposition to the Temple of Seti being disturbed. What begins as tricks and pranks escalates to attacks and death, while the figure of the Dog—the jackal-headed god Anubis, ruler of death—casts a long shadow over the desert sands. Destruction follows in his wake as he returns to reclaim his place in Abydos. Can Rafe and Ned stand against both the god and House plots when the life of Ned’s son is on the line?

 

 

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Dreamspinner eBook  |  Dreamspinner paperback  |   Amazon  |  Kobo  |   B&N

 

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Want to win some loot?

Pre-order The Jackal’s House either at Dreamspinner or one of the other digitial stores (Amazon, Kobo, Nook, etc) when available, send a copy of the email confirmation (or a screengrab of it) to annabutlerfiction@gmail.com and

(i) I’ll send you the first chapter and some deleted scenes by email. The deleted scenes will be exclusive until the end of the year; and

(ii) Your name will be entered in a draw for

1st prize—a signed paperback of the first Lancaster’s Luck book, the Gilded Scarab.

2nd prize— a Gilded Scarab travel coffee mug.

3rd prize— an Anubis pendant.

Winners will be announced on publication day.

Extra goodies:

(i) If you’re one of the first 15 people to respond, you’ll also get a little bag of Jackal loot, a cool Anubis temporary tattoo and a matching Anubis brooch;

(ii) One of the next 30? You’ll get a bag of loot and a tattoo.

 

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Ned must have already arranged matters with the concierge, Charles. When we walked to the desk, Ned’s hand warm in mine, Charles had a key ready.

Room 12.

The room we’d used last November, the night we’d met. I glanced at Ned. Had he remembered? Was it a deliberate choice? He turned his head to smile at me. Oh, yes. It most definitely was.

Dear Ned. Dear, romantic Ned.

We climbed the stairs hand in hand. A row of ornate, gilt-framed mirrors lined one wall of the upper hallway, pairs of girandole lamps mounted between each one. The lamps, set to a faint glow, left the hallway flickering with shadows. At every mirror, we loomed up in the looking glass, indistinct figures walking close together and flaring into muted life for an instant before fading back into a kind of artificial twilight that leached all the color from the world. Somewhere behind us was Sam Hawkins, at home in shadow, discreet and quiet, and for once, considerately allowing our mood to remain unaffected by his sense of duty and honor. He’d be close by the room all night, alert and watchful. Knowing he was there, that he knew what we would be doing, didn’t embarrass or constrain me, couldn’t suppress the joy bubbling through me. Ned and I were together. Nothing else mattered.

As I closed the door of Room 12, I glimpsed Sam’s dark figure slip into a chair set in an alcove in the wall opposite. He would sit, silent as a sphinx, watching the door all night. I would wager a week’s takings at the coffeehouse that his aether pistol would be primed and ready in the hands resting on his knees. He took his responsibilities seriously, did Sam Hawkins. I didn’t worry about locking the door. Sam wouldn’t let anyone disturb us, and if there was an emergency and he needed to burst in, it saved him blowing the door down.

When I turned, Ned was waiting.

 

 

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abibliophobia anonymous book reviews


Bayou Book Junkie


G & T’s Indie Café


It’s About The Book


Jim’s Reading Room


MJ’s Book Blog and Reviews


MM Good Book Reviews


Nerdy Dirty and Flirty


Queer Sci Fi


RAM PA Group


Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words


Stories That Make You Smile


The Way She Reads


Zipper Rippers

 

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