Anna Butler's Blog, page 22

Renewal: Queer Sci Fi’s latest anthology of flash fiction is here

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Each year, Queer SciFi partners with Mischief Corner Books to produce an anthology of flashfic – each a mere 300 words – giving the year’s theme an LGBT slant. This year’s prompt was a simple “renewal”, and the work of 110 authors made it into the anthology.

I can only stand by enviously, because 300 words? Not in my universe, babe. I am never that concise!

 

Re.new.al (noun)

1) Resuming an activity after an interruption, or

2) Extending a contract, subscription or license, or

3) Replacing or repairing something that is worn out,

run-down, or broken, or

4) Rebirth after death.

Four definitions to spark inspiration, a limitless number of stories to be conceived. Only 110 made the cut.

Thrilling to hopeful, Renewal features 300-word speculative fiction ficlets about sexual and gender minorities to entice readers.

Welcome to Renewal.

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books

Author: Various – see Authors section below

Cover Artist: Gus Li

Length: 196 pages

Format: eBook, Paperback

Release Date: 9/13/17

Pairing: Various – covers many pairings and identities

Price: 4.99, 16.99 paperback (b/w illus); 28.99 (color illus – avail 9/16)

Series: SF Flash Fiction Anthologies – Book Three

Genre: Sci Fi, Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Mainstream

 

E-Book:  Mischief Corner | Amazon.com  |  Kobo  |  24Symbols  | Playster

Print (B&W illustrations) : Amazon.com

Print (Colour illustrations) :  Amazon.com

 

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Not a traditional excerpt – hard when each story is only 300 words! – but as a taster, here’s the opening line from several of the stories, to whet your appetite:

Griselda pulled the weeds from between the rows of Valerianella locusta plants in the garden, careful not to disturb the buds that would grow into the babies that were her only real income-producing crop. —The Witches’ Garden by Rie Sheridan Rose

I didn’t know how truly the world was in trouble until I went journeying to look for Anisette’s bluebonnets. —Bluebonnets by Emily Horner

The ship’s drive malfunctioned at the worst possible time. —The Return by Andrea Speed

Before we continue, there’s a rather macabre fact about me I should share. —Rejuvenation by Christine Wright

When I died they buried me at the bottom of the garden and returned to the fields. —Below the Hill by Matthew Bright

The world is ending and I can’t look away from your eyes. —Sunrise by Brigitte Winter

Losing one’s superpowers to your arch nemesis sucks donkey nuts, I tell ya. And trust me when I say I suck a lot of them. —Rainbow Powers by Dustin Karpovich

The day I was born again was damp, rainy—a good day for rebirth, all things considered. —The Birthing Pod, by Michelle Browne

Intwir’s twelve eyes roved over the container, taking in the cracked outer lock and the elasticated fabric stretched tightly over its exterior. —In a Bind by S R Jones

‘You’ve reached Androgyne HelpLine. Press one to start service. Press two to interrupt or cancel service. Press three…’—Auto-Renew, by Ginger Streusel

The doctor tells me that my wife is dying, but I already know. —I Will Be Your Shelter by Carey Ford Compton

‘San Francisco was the first to go dark, followed by Los Angeles.’ —When Light Lef, by Lex Chase

My fingers lingered on the synthetic skin, trailing soft patterns across my work. —Miss You by Stephanie Shaffer

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‘Nathan Burgoine

A.M. Leibowitz

A.M. Soto

Abby Bartle

Aidee Ladnier

Alexis Woods

Andi Deacon

Andrea Felber Seligman

Andrea Speed

Andrea Stanet

Anne McPherson

Bey Deckard

Brigitte Winter

Carey Ford Compton

Carol Holland March

Carrie Pack

Catherine Lundoff

CB Lee

Christine Wright

Colton Aalto

Daniel Mitton

Dustin Blottenberger

Dustin Karpovich

E R Zhang

E.J. Russell

E.W. Murks

Ell Schulman

Ellery Jude

Eloreen Moon

Elsa M León

Emily Horner

Eric Alan Westfall

F.T. Lukens

Fenrir Cerebellion

Foster Bridget Cassidy

Ginger Streusel
Hannah Henry

Irene Preston

J. Alan Veerkamp

J. P. Egry

J. Summerset

J.S. Fields

Jaap Boekestein

Jackie Keswick

Jana Denardo

Jeff Baker

Jenn Burke

Joe Baumann

John Moralee

Jon Keys

Jude Dunn

K.C. Faelan

Kelly Haworth

Kiterie Aine

Kristen Lee

L M Somerton

L. Brian Carroll

L.M. Brown

L.V. Lloyd

Laurie Treacy

Leigh M. Lorien

Lex Chase

Lia Harding

Lin Kelly

Lloyd A. Meeker

Lyda Morehouse

M.D. Grimm

Martha J. Allard

Mary E. Lowd

Matt Doyle

Matthew Bright

Mia Koutras

Michelle Browne
Milo Owen

Mindy Leana Shuman

Naomi Tajedler

Natsuya Uesugi

Nephy Hart

Nicole Dennis

Ofelia Gränd

Patricia Scott

Paul Stevens

PW Covington

R R Angell

R.L. Merrill

Rebecca Cohen

Redfern Jon Barrett

Reni Kieffer

Richard Amos

RL Mosswood

Robyn Walker

Rory Ni Coileain

Rose Blackthorn

Ross Common

S R Jones

Sacchi Green

Sarah Einstein

Shilo Quetchenbach

Siri Paulson

Soren Summers

Stephanie Shaffer

Steve Fuson

Tam Ames

Terry Poole

Tray Ellis

Vivien Dean

Wendy Rathbone

Xenia Melzer

Zen DiPietro

Zev de Valera

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COVER REVEAL and GIVEAWAY: Heloise West’s His Dark Reflection

Pretty covers! Pretty covers!  Take a gander at this one:

[image error]Lovely colours. I really like how that sky melts up into the purple at the top. Very nice!

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Disgraced FBI agent Nick Truman has failed to save his sister, held hostage by a drug cartel until he could give them Alex Crow, who eluded him. His epic downfall lands him in witness protection, where he plays by the rules and keeps to himself. But the murder of his neighbor brings danger to his door. He unexpectedly finds himself the champion of innocents and helplessly attracted to the homicide detective in charge of the case.

This can’t end well.

Homicide Detective Hank Axelrod is good at digging out secrets, maybe because he hides a big one of his own. He also suspects his husband has one foot out of the door of their marriage and the specter of single life looms unpleasantly on the horizon.

A murder resembling another brings Nick into his world, a man who claims to be a mystery writer looking for a real life resource. Hank’s instincts say he’s more than that, and he’s rarely wrong.

Torn between the errant soon-to-be-ex husband and the distracting, sexy stranger, Hank needs to focus all his attention on his murder case before he becomes the next victim.

Title: His Dark Reflection

Author: Heloise West

Series: Heart and Haven #3

Release Date: September 12th 2017

Genre: Gay Romance, mystery

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/178487-heart-and-haven

 

Click here to pre-order His Dark Reflection

 

It was different when he’d wanted information from Nick. Hank wanted to confide in Nick, like with the partner he used to have before he got stuck with Burgess. Like Nick knew what he was talking about—could be trusted.

“Are you a cop?”

Nick touched his fingers to his mouth. He must have needed a cigarette, if the telltale scent of tobacco was any indication. “I answered that one already. Nope.”

That nope was annoying. “Fed? PI? Security?” Hank threw out a few more. “Reporter? Work for the criminal court?”

“I drive limos,” Nick said with a languid shrug. Glancing over his shoulder at the impatient date, he held up two fingers.

“Oh, a fan, are you? Watch CSI, NCIS—a lookie-loo?”

By the tightening of his mouth into a sneer, that pissed Nick off. “I’m no cop wannabe. I don’t watch the idiot box.”

Well, shit. The pain in Nick St. Cloud’s brown eyes was real. Deep. Hank gave him a minute to recover, watching him rub his wrists, then naked arms. It gave Hank a thrill, as if he could feel the man’s heated skin on his own.

“Don’t be a bastard, Detective.”

“Well? I can run a background check on you in a heartbeat.”

Nick tried to hide it, but a flare of panic made his pupils dilate. “And if I say I’m not that extremely guilty guy who hangs around helping the know-nothing cops, you’ll believe me?”

“You’re something. What is it, I wonder?”

Don’t tease the cat, Hank.

“Okay.” A bead of sweat dripped past a pale white scar at his hairline, the only imperfection Hank could see. “I’m a writer, not a journalist. I mean, I’m a mystery writer.”

“Published?”

“Nope, not yet. So maybe you can be a resource, you know? I can do a ride-along with you or something.” Nick looked away, back toward Probably and gave him a nod. Probably picked up his sweater from the back of the chair and stood.

“Sure,” Hank agreed.

“Wait, what—really?”

Hank held still a moment, beer glass halfway to his mouth, unsure what he was seeing in Nick’s intelligent eyes. Hope? Excitement? Fear? “We can talk about procedure—I’ve got some good stories. But I don’t know about the ride-along at this point. My partner’s a prick.”

“But we can meet…and talk.” Nick stood and dug into his pocket for his wallet.

“I’ve got this.” Hank waved it away. “You want the book to be accurate, right? It’s good PR too.”

Nick’s smile curled Hank’s toes.

“On me next time. We can meet here or wherever.” Nick hovered, as if Hank had held out something sweet to him, and he was afraid to take it.

Probably cleared his throat loudly.

“Have a good night, Nick,” Hank said. “We’ll talk. You have my number.”

What did you just do?

 

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For the chance to win an ebook of His Dark Reflection, click here.

 

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Heloise West, when not hunched over the keyboard plotting love and mayhem, dreams about moving to a villa in Tuscany. She loves history, mysteries, and romance of all flavors. She travels and gardens with her partner of thirteen years, and their home overflows with books, cats, art, and red wine.

 

Links:

Blog https://velvetpanic2.wordpress.com/

Website http://heloisewest.wix.com/heloisewest

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/heloise.west.1

Twitter https://twitter.com/velvetpanic

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/heloisewest/

Tumblr http://heloisewest.tumblr.com/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8188216.Heloise_West

 

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Review and Giveaway: The Bones of Our Fathers, by Elin Gregory

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I don’t often review books here, because frankly I need to be cracking on with the fifth Shield book, but I saw this one in draft over a year ago when it was in beta, and it was so delightful, so funny and so bloody well done that I really want to share it now it’s been published. It’s a cracker, believe me. So, without more ado, let’s roll our the red carpet to welcome Elin Gregory to the blog so I can tell you all about her lovely book.

 

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[image error]Malcolm Bright, brand new museum curator in a small Welsh Border town, is a little lonely until – acting as emergency archaeological consultant on a new housing development – he crosses the path of Rob Escley, aka Dirty Rob, who makes Mal’s earth move in more ways than one.

Then Rob discovers something wonderful, and together they must combat greedy developers and a treasure hunter determined to get his hands on the find. Are desperate measures justified to save the bones of our fathers? Will Dirty Rob live up to his reputation? Do museum curators really do it meticulously?

Answers must be found for the sake of Mal’s future, his happiness and his heart.

Length: 80,000 words approx

Publisher: Manifold Press

Cover Design: Michelle Peart

 

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Manifold Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

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Classic, funny Elin Gregory. It truly is one to be savoured, stroked gently with loving fingers and reread. Often.

The whole setup just shines with authenticity. Writers frequently forget that worldbuilding is just as important in a contemporary as it is in historical or speculative fiction. Not Elin Gregory. This is a textbook example of how to create a contemporary world and make it live and breathe. Gregory does this with immense skill and aplomb, immersing the reader in a small village in the Welsh borders as if taking you by the hand and pointing out each character, the local museum, the library, the pub… until you’re convinced they’re real people and real places. The sense of community is palpable. The sense of knowing, of belonging, is not only palpable it’s now alien to the millions of us who live in cities where it’s a miracle if you know your next-door-neighbour’s name. Mal Bright comes from just such city. The community he joins is alien to him, too.

When Mal takes up post as head of a small, local history museum, the last thing he expects is two finds that will change his life: one archaeological and of immense social and historical significance (I won’t spoil the plot but let’s just say I loved the twist here!) and the other the love of his life, Rob Escley, the local who’s a virtuoso with a mechanical digger (back hoe, to those of you in the US). The slow unfolding of these two strands from their delicate intertwining is, quite simply, beautiful.

Because there is trouble in paradise. The archaeological find is on a building site, where much needed, affordable housing is needed to stop the haemorrhage of young people from the area—and boy, that is spot on in terms of rural politics and social pressures—and the dilemma of whether housing or archaeological find is the most important tests everyone involved. I know and understand the politics both at macro and micro level, from the librarian’s jockeying for superiority to the British Museum swooping in to claim a major find. Politics like that were the meat and drink of my professional career and I actually revelled in those aspects. Very, very well done and a prime example of my comment above about how Gregory gets her worldbuilding so perfectly right. It’s this sort of thing that imbues her story with its authentic air.

The real plot twist for me (small spoilers here)  wasn’t that Rob and his pals intervene about the archaeological find , but the way they challenged Mal about it afterward. Gregory is very, very clever about getting us into Mal’s head. I was fully into his feelings of betrayal and hurt, coupled with sympathy for his manflu on top of everything, and whoosh! Gregory gets Rob’s friends to sweep in and suddenly Mal’s stuffed-shirt attitude becomes apparent to the reader as well as to Mal himself. I loved that his conflict becomes a little less about ethics and professional pride, and more about where he belongs and has the potential to be happy.

This is a lovely book. The characters are fresh and likeable, the world building is stellar, the plot fascinating. Do go and read it.

(I’ll add a disclaimer here: I was sent a copy of the final book by Signal Boost for review, but I’ve loved this book since I first saw an early version of it in beta, and I loved it now it’s finished and polished. Love that lasts, people. That’s to be treasured, wherever you find it)

Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway to win a print copy of Bones Of Our Fathers

 

Elin Gregory lives in South Wales and works in a museum in a castle built on the edge of a Roman Fort! She reckons that’s a pretty cool job.

Elin usually writes on historical subjects, and enjoys weaving the weird and wonderful facts she comes across in her research into her plots. She likes her heroes hard as nails but capable of tenderness when circumstances allow. Often they are in danger, frequently they have to make hard choices, but happy endings are always assured.

Current works in progress include one set during the Great War, another in WW2, one set in the Dark Ages and a series of contemporary romances set in a small town on the Welsh border.

www.elingregory.com 

www.facebook.com/elin.gregory 

@ElinGregory

www.elingregory.wordpress.com

 

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August 22 – The Way She Reads, BooksLaidBareBoys, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Nerdy Dirty and Flirty, MM Good Book Reviews, My Timeout Book Blog

August 24 – Love That’s Out of This World, BFD Book Blog

August 29 – Zipper Rippers, Sexy Erotic Xciting, Padme’s Library, Bayou Book Junkie, The Geekery Book Review, Louise Lyons

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Links to Blog Posts on Writing – June and July 2017

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Heartened by Wonder Woman—The Case for Sincere Storytelling  – Vaughn Roycroft at Writer Unboxed

– Gail Carriger at Fiction University

Ways To Stay Motivated In This Shit-Shellacked Era Of Epic Stupid and So, You’re Having A Bad Writing Day – Chuck Wendig at Terrible Minds

An Agent’s Advice: The Big Five No-nos to Querying a Literary Agent – Kathryn Lilley at The Kill Zone

Yes, You Can Learn To Write Better Fiction – James Scott Bell at The Kill Zone

White Writers Writing Non-White Characters: Why I Vote Yes, for Commercial Fiction – Elizabeth Stephens at Writer Unboxed

Robyn Bennis: Five Things I Learned Writing The Guns Above

Linda Nagata: Five Things I Learned Writing The Last Good Man

 

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The Disorganized Novelist’s Guide to Outlines – Erika Raskin at Publishers Weekly

Birth of a Book: The Idea Stage: Brainstorming the Idea – Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight – James Gilstrap at The Kill Zone

How to Write a Fight Scene (in 11 Steps) – Christine Frazier at the Better Novel Project

The Real Problem With Passive Voice in Fiction – Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Whoa, That’s Tense. 3 Ways to Raise the Tension in Your Scenes – Janice Hardy at Fiction University

And, Scene: Some Thoughts On Writing A Scene – Chuck Wendig at Terrible Minds

Putting the Bite in Sex Scenes | Getting Punk’d by Steampunk | Lasers, Swords, and Brianna, oh, my! | Once Upon a Plot: Retelling Myths and Fairytales – Cait Reynolds guesting at Kristen Lamb’s blog with an entire series of interesting posts. Worldbuilding features heavily here.

A Closer Look at Foreshadowing – Don Allmon at Fiction University

Your Frame-Worthy Mini-Guide to ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ (With Tons of Examples) – Alex Limburg at Ride the Pen. Downloadable worksheets and pdfs.

 

EDITING YOUR WORK

Proofreading Tips Part 1 and Part 2 – Diane Hurwitz at Blood Red Pencil

Shifting Between Drafting and Editing – Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Useful Tips For Self-Editing A Manuscript – Emily Nemchick at Writers Path

 

 

[image error]SHOULD You Create Your Own Book Cover?  – June Stevens Westerfield at Writers In The Storm

A Word Count Guide for 18 Different Book Genres – Blake Atwood at The Write Life

Book Writing Software: Top 10 Pieces of Software for Writers – Joe Bunting at Write Practice

Storyboarding with Scrivener (or, A Love Affair with Virtual Index Cards) – Gwen Hernandez at Writer Unboxed

Free Scrivener Template: How to Structure Your Story – K.M. Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors

 

 

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Marketing

Brand Identity | Brand Image | Brand Loyalty 1 | Brand Loyalty 2 | The Intermediate Stages     – Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues her series.

How To Expand Your Target Audience series: Choices | Slow Growth   – and Rusch starts a new one!

Anthologies: Joining With Others In Marketing To The Masses – Laurie Starkey at Digital Book World

12 Tips for Writing and Releasing Collaborative Book Bundles – Linda Yezak at Helping Writers Become Authors

What you NEED to know for successful Amazon Ads! – Penny Sansevieri at Writers in the Storm

The Basics of Advertising for Indie Authors – Marcy Kennedy at Fiction University

How To Find and Work with Book Review Bloggers – TCK publishing

From BookBub:

7 Top Book Marketing Takeaways from BookExpo 2017

48+ Publishing Resources You Should Know About

Promoting a New Sequel with BookBub Ads [Case Study]

9 Reasons a Book Was Rejected for a BookBub Featured Deal

How We Created a Box Set to Boost Ebook Sales 350%

How Indie Presses and Authors Can Collaborate on Marketing Campaigns

Should You Make a Book Available for Preorder? 14 Authors Weigh In

How to Drive Preorder Book Sales: Q&A With a Big 5 Publisher

7 Global BookBub Reader Trends You Need to Know

Rejected By BookBub? Look In The Mirror And Change Your Marketing Ways – Beth Bacon at Digital Book World

 

Social Media

Social Media Content: Feeding the Beast – Jana Oliver at Fiction University

 

Newsletters/Email Lists

Building a Mailing List through Reader Magnets – Marcy Kennedy at Fiction University

Email Marketing Tips: How to Get Your List to Buy Your Book | Building an Email List for Your Book: 2 Effective Tactics to Try Now – Emily Wenstrom at The Write Life

 

 

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There’s No Such Thing As A Self-Published Author – Beth Bacon at Digital Book World

14 Questions to Ask Before You Self Publish – Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Recent posts on the wonder that is Amazon:

Scammers Break The Kindle Store – David Gaugrhan with a depressing post everyone should read.

Amazon’s $23,698,655.93 book about flies – Michael Eison on how Amazon’s algorithms are batshit.

 

 

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The Legal Side of Writing for Anthologies | The Truth Behind Popular Copyright Myths   – Susan Spann at Writers In The Storm

 

 

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‘Personal Relations’ published everywhere today!

Yes, indeed. The author who **never** writes contemporaries, is publishing one today! And it is

!!FREE!!

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Kit Lewis and John Hogarth are two thirds of one of the best Public Relations outfits in the business. Kit has loved John for years now, but John’s wary and skittish. He’s seen far too many of Kit’s loves fall by the wayside, wings burned, to risk it.

One day, though, Kit’s sober when he makes the offer and John is particularly open-minded to the possibility of accepting Kit’s heart and hand. The rest is history.

This collection of six light-hearted short stories charts their relationship from the London Olympics to the celebration of every public holiday known to humankind.

Publisher: Glass Hat Press

Wordcount:

Goodreads

 

Payhip  |  Amazon.com  |  Amazon.co.uk  |  Smashwords  |  Kobo  |  B&N Nook

 

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Slightly naughty excerpt from “A Kiss is Just a Kiss, But a Good Blow Job is, Well, a Good Blow Job.” My favourite story title ever, but definitely not safe for work!

Kit’s tongue traces the contour of John’s cock. He taps the with his tongue, laughing silently as John’s back arches. John whines a little. As you do, in such circumstances. Kit could bring him off in a minute, doing this, but that’s far too quick. Kit likes pleasuring John. He likes to savour it.

He goes back to the long, lazy licks up John’s cock, root to tip again. Like licking an ice cream cone on Brighton beach. Start slow and deep down, and move up, purposefully, varying the intensity of contact. Sometimes his tongue is hard up against it; sometimes gentle, barely touching, little butterfly touches that have John squirming and laughing. Once or twice when he reaches the tip, he encloses it in his mouth, sliding it in, and moves his head around in a circle to let the tip slide around his mouth. Clockwise. Anticlockwise. Never tightening his lips too much, but letting John’s cock find its own route around his mouth. It’s more fun that way. Lasts longer.

Mine.

He can keep this up for hours. Lick the shaft. Let it slide in. Flick his tongue over the tip. Apply a tiny amount of suction. Flutter his tongue over the tip. Lick again. Let it slide again. More suction. More butterfly touches of tongue and fingers. Lick around the ridge below the head. Suck on the join underneath. Vary pace and pressure. Fast and hard. Slow and soft. Slow and hard. Fast and gentle. Slow and gentle. Fast and hard… over and over, while massaging John’s balls with one hand and sliding a finger up and down the shaft with the other or slipping it under him to play with his opening.

Over and over.

Until John’s panting, thrusting with his hips, the head of his cock swelling a little in Kit’s mouth and the taste of pre-cum is bitter on Kit’s tongue. And John’s in spasms, hips jerking now, legs stiff, hands lifting out of Kit’s hair to curl into fists. Quick as a flash, Kit presses his thumb against the base of John’s cock, stopping him, sucking hard on the head until John’s squirming and moaning, his hands reaching out and falling back helplessly, his lips drawn back and his jaw hard and set.

Mine.

Until Kit releases the pressure and lets him go and he comes and comes while Kit sucks him down, thrashing and yelling loud enough to frighten the cat.

Until Kit sits back on his heels again and watches him, smiling, licking his lips. “That’s all your bruises kissed better, then,” he says.

John breathes hard. He reaches out a hand. Kit takes it, laces their fingers together.

All mine.

“Mine,” he says.

“Oh, I suppose so,” John says, and smiles.

 

 

Hope you enjoy it!

Louise Lyons’ “What’s Up, Pussycat” released – FREE!

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I’m very please to have Louise Lyons popping in here today to share news of her latest release, the novella “What’s Up, Pussycat”, which is available free at all retailers.

 

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Release date: July 7, 2017

Length: 24,300 words

Cover Design: Simon Searle

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Finley Harrington despairs of ever being able to move on after the death of Andrew, the love of his life. When he spots an advertisement for auditions for Cats, the last musical Andrew performed in, Finley acts on the spur of the moment and calls for an appointment to audition.

Much to Fin’s surprise, he gets the part he hopes for, but during his struggles with stage-fright, and the teasing of a fellow actor, Karl Rogers, he wonders if he’s made a huge mistake. But Karl’s irritating persona hides a different person inside, and when Fin gets to know him, he develops a surprising attraction to him.

Could Karl be the person to help Fin move on from the past, or is he destined to remain alone?

 

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Amazon UK  |  Amazon US  |    Smashwords   |    Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

 

The members of the cast began arriving half an hour later when the three of us were warming up, and my impression of the first man through the door was one of shock. I’d seen Karl Rogers who played Rum Tum Tugger from a distance a few times when I attended the shows in Leicester, but never without his cat costume. He was tall—at least six feet—and his shock of peroxide hair and startling green eyes drew everyone’s attention. His lycra leggings emphasized a large package, and a bright orange cropped T-shirt and matching ballet shoes completed his outfit. He charged into the room like a whirlwind.

“So! Who do we have here?” he shouted, looming over Annette and me, where we stood stretching our hamstrings. “You look weirdly familiar.” He jabbed a finger in my direction, before turning his attention to Annette. “What a pretty kitty. What’s your name, then, darling?” He pronounced the endearment “dahling” and I cringed. I hoped the rest of the cast weren’t like Karl. I’d met a couple of them, but I preferred to keep my distance and monopolize Andrew when the shows were over.

“Annette,” the girl said. “And that’s Finley. The other guy is James.”

Karl spun around to look at James, gave him a cursory nod, then turned back to me. He took a step closer, forcing me to look up.

“Cute!” Karl exclaimed. “Cat got your tongue?” He proceeded to shriek with laughter at his lame joke, and my face heated under the scrutiny.

“I’ve not had the chance to get a word in,” I blurted, and immediately cringed. My voice tended to sound more refined when I was irritated. I couldn’t help my parents or the school I’d gone to, but for the past few years I’d done my best to shake off the accent and sound more like everyone else. I knew Karl would say something, even before he opened his mouth again.

“Ooh, someone swallowed a silver spoon, didn’t they? Wait. Finley? Finley Harrington? Golly, I’m surprised Mummy and Daddy let their little boy do something as lower class as performing on the stage. Shouldn’t you be a lawyer or a doctor or something?” Karl spoke in an exaggerated tone, and my face burned.

“Wow, someone loves himself.” James moved to my side and cocked an eyebrow at Karl.

“I have a sense of humor. You should try it some time.” Karl laughed, and James scowled at him. The boisterous dancer ignored him, and draped an arm around Annette’s shoulders. “You never told me your name, Kitty.”

“Yes, I did. It’s Annette.”

 

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[image error]Louise Lyons comes from a family of writers. Her mother has a number of poems published in poetry anthologies, her aunt wrote poems for the church, and her grandmother sparked her inspiration with tales of fantasy.

Louise first ventured into writing short stories at the grand old age of eight, mostly about little girls and ponies. She branched into romance in her teens, and MM romance a few years later, but none of her work saw the light of day until she discovered FanFiction in her late twenties. Posting stories based on some of her favourite movies, provoked a surprisingly positive response from readers. This gave Louise the confidence to submit some of her work to publishers, and made her take her writing “hobby” more seriously.

Louise lives in the UK, about an hour north of London, with a mad dog called Casper, and a collection of tropical fish and tarantulas. She works in the insurance industry by day, and spends every spare minute writing. She is a keen horse-rider, and loves to run long-distance. Some of her best writing inspiration comes to her, when her feet are pounding the open road. She often races home afterward, and grabs pen and paper to make notes.

Louise has always been a bit of a tomboy, and one of her other great loves is cars and motorcycles. Her car and bike are her pride and job, and she loves to exhibit the car at shows, and take off for long days out on the bike, with no one for company but herself.

Social Media

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

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/louiselyons013

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/louiselyons013

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/louiselyons013

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Email: louiselyons013@gmail.com

 

 

51 Sleepless Nights with Tobias Wade

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I think this may be the first time I’ve hosted a horror writer here on the blog, and I’m delighted to welcome Tobias Wade, along with some info about his latest release of 51 marvellously diverse short stories. With such a range, there’ll be something here for everyone, and isn’t that a gorgeously evocative cover? I love it!

A diverse collection of horror stories including the grizzly confessions of a serial killer, parallel dimensions, becoming trapped in a virtual world, and encountering ancient aliens buried beneath the Earth’s crust. Demons, monsters, psychopaths, undead, mad experiments and paranormal – no matter what makes your heart race, you’re guaranteed to face your fear with these terrifying stories.

Publication: anthology of short stories (51 of them!)

Wordcount: 102,000

Release Date: 19 June 2017

Goodreads Page

 

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51 Sleepless Nights is available for sale at Amazon in ebook and paperback formats:

Amazon.com |  Amazon.co.uk

 

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I felt her arms around me, but she wasn’t trying to choke me or restrain me. She was… hugging me. It was such an alien sensation that I immediately opened my eyes. That’s when I saw them. Hundreds – no thousands of gossamer spider webs holding up her body like a marionette doll. I recoiled immediately, and she let me without the slightest resistance. 



The spiders were everywhere. Crawling across her face, through her hair. When she opened her mouth, I saw more of them inside her, pulling the threads to work her jaw. Her throat pulsed, and I knew more must be further down to vibrate her vocal chords. 



“But he’s never going to hurt you again. You have our word.” 



I was too shocked to fully understand what was happening. The alarm in my mind wouldn’t stop, and I still felt like I was about to pay for my rebellion. I didn’t want to stare, but couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to go and see, but my feet carried me there anyway. 



I opened Jeff’s room and found him on his bed. His hands and feet were bound with countless loops of spiderweb. More of it was across his face, tying his tongue securely to the roof of his mouth. His skin was perforated with a thousand holes, and spiders were crawling in and out of them as they carefully partitioned and wrapped each piece for consumption. His eyes blinked at me, although I don’t know if that was a sign of life or simply the successful attachment of yet another internal strand. I quietly closed the door and let them finish their work.

-My Mother the Spider Queen

 

 

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Former neuroscience researcher, born again horror writer. During my studies, it struck me as odd that I could learn so much about why humans behave without understanding the intricacies of human nature. It occurred to me that I learned more about the depths of human experience from reading Dostoyevsky than I ever had from my text books, and I was inspired to write.

 

Find me at:

Website – My books, info, and horror blog. New stories every Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Facebook – Public fanpage where I share my writing and latest updates.Books:


51 Sleepless Nights – Collection of my horror stories.
The Last Man – Fantasy series. First two books free for new email subscribers.
Wings of Renewal – Dragon stories for a new world.

 

Burning Boundaries with Bellora Quinn and Sadie Rose Bermingham

 

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Mari Gale’s life has been a whirlwind since meeting Jake Chivis. A new job prospect and his mother’s health preoccupy him, so when Jake invites him on a date he’s ready to cut loose. Their night out turns into a nightmare when a fire breaks out in the basement of the bar and they barely escape.

Soon Jake learns that the horrific accident is being investigated as a possible homicide, and it’s not the only case. Detective Inspector Cordiline of the London Met hints at spontaneous human combustion, but as far as Jake knows, SHC doesn’t exist.

When Mari looks into a group called Birthright, he finds a connection to the victims of the fires and Jake risks himself to go undercover at the shadowy organization. The race is on to determine the truth before Jake becomes the next target.

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Authors: Bellora Quinn and Sadie Rose Bermingham

Cover Artist: Emmy Ellis

Length: 103,000 Words

Format: eBook

General Release: TODAY 4th July

Pairing: MM

Heat Level: 4 out of 5

Genre(s): Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Fantasy – Urban & Magical Beings, Mystery & Thriller, Paranormal, Paranormal – Psychic Talents

Goodreads

Price: $5.99

 

Elemental Evidence Series: Former Detective Jake Chivis is a Fire Elemental who uses psychometry to see the past. Doctor Ilmarinen Gale is an Air Elemental, a human/cybernetic interface, able to infiltrate even the toughest information systems. Together they find out just how potent a combination Fire and Air can be when it comes to solving crimes.

Amid murder, conspiracy and a world that views them with suspicion, and sometimes contempt, Jake and Mari circumvent the conventional. While the police aren’t always appreciative of their methods they can’t deny the results.

When they aren’t busy consulting for the police, figuring one another out is their next big mystery. One that proves as frustrating as it is passionate. Between hunting killers and avoiding competing government agencies that want the two of them working on their side, they just might have enough time for love.

Facebook page for Elemental Evidence

 

Was that flirting? Was he flirting with the guy? Jake tried to rein those thoughts in but he couldn’t help it. Mari had a habit of flirting, but it had never bugged Jake before. Jesus, they’d managed to go to one bar for an hour and already he was devolving into Neanderthal territory. He realized something else. It had never really bothered him when he and Alex had gone out and his ex had spent all night coming on to strangers. Then again, he’d known Alex was doing it to get a rise out of him. That was not Mari’s way, at all.

“You want another drink?” Jake asked, by way of keeping himself from hauling Mari out of there and grilling him about whether he wanted to sleep with Mr. Whips and Tattoos. They had to step to one side as a sweating, agitated-looking guy pushed by them on the stairs in an obvious hurry to get down to the basement for some chastisement. Though he looked chastised enough already, in Jake’s opinion.

“If you do,” Mari said, then exhaled a huff that might have been regret and might have been relief. “Unless, of course, you just want to put me over your shoulder and carry me out, Mr. Caveman. I wasn’t giving him the come-on. So you can stop looking daggers. And don’t deny it.” He pointed a slender finger at Jake as he opened his mouth. “I could see you thinking it. Yes, he’s very cute, but he’s not really my type. I do like his toy box though.”

Jake snapped his mouth closed then pushed a hand through his hair and let out a sigh of his own. He had always pitied guys that acted like possessive jerks and here he was being as transparent as glass, all but snarling at anyone who got too close to Mari. “I’m sorry. I was aiming not to be obvious. I’ll try and refrain from clubbing you over the head and dragging you out by the hair.” He managed a sheepish grin.

“In that case, it would be my pleasure to have another drink with you, Chivis.” Mari chuckled, slipping a hand around the nape of his neck and towing him in for a brief, firm kiss.

They made their way back up into the bar and as they were weaving their way through the crowd, Jake heard someone shout, then screaming coming from the direction of the basement.

The red and gold lighting seemed to be flickering and Mari yelled, “Can you smell something burning?”

Jake noticed the smell just as Mari was saying it, and turned his head. A curl of pale smoke was winding up from the basement stairway, not thick but noticeable.

“Shit!” He grabbed Mari’s arm. “Get out of here. Hurry.”

Jake gave him a push toward the front exit then shoved through the crowd, trying to get to the stairs.

 

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Pride Publishing  |  Amazon  |  Apple  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Smashwords

 

 

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Bellora Quinn:  Originally hailing from Detroit Michigan, Bellora now resides on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida where a herd of Dachshunds keeps her entertained. She got her start in writing at the dawn of the internet when she discovered PbEMs (Play by email) and found a passion for collaborative writing and steamy hot erotica. Soap Opera like blogs soon followed and eventually full novels. The majority of her stories are in the M/M genre with urban fantasy or paranormal settings.

Website  |  Twitter 

Sadie Rose Bermingham: A storyteller since before she started school, Sadie also enjoys reading, photography, live music and long walks on the beach. Sadie has worked as a bookseller, a pedigree editor for the racing industry and a local and family history researcher. Originally from the north of England, she has been working her way across the UK ever since. She currently resides on the south east coast with her long term partner, where she hopes to buy a mobile home and establish a whippet farm.

Website  |  Twitter

 

Facebook page for Elemental Evidence

Personal Relations: Coming 20 July

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I don’t write contemporary m/m romance. I write science fiction, with a side order of steampunk. So a collection of romantic, frothy, contemporary short stories, Personal Relations? As much of a surprise to me as to you.

It started with the second story I ever had published: a short story called Happy Holidays in an anthology from Dreamspinner Press. I took a story that had lurked on my hard drive for years, changed some of the details (I relocated my two heroes, Kit Lewis and John Hogarth and their PR business to New York, thinking that would resonate best with the huge m/m readership, which is predominantly American) and DSP ran with it. When the rights reverted to me earlier this year, I took the opportunity to bring Kit and John back to their London roots and revise Happy Holidays a little, dig out a few more short stories from the hard drive, and suddenly I had a small collection of light-hearted, frothy and romantic stories charting their love affair across four or five years from the London Olympics onwards.

The stories will be published on 20 July and

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By SpiderWeb-MarketingSystems (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

It will be free on Kobo, Nook and Smashwords immediately, and free on Amazon as soon as I can persuade them to pricematch. [image error]

Kit Lewis and John Hogarth are two thirds of one of the best PR outfits in the business. Kit has loved John for years now, but John’s wary and skittish. He’s seen far too many of Kit’s loves fall by the wayside, wings burned, to risk it.

One day, though, Kit’s sober when he makes the offer and John is particularly open-minded to the possibilities of accepting Kit’s heart and hand. The rest is history.

This collection of six inter-related short stories charts their relationship from the London Olympics to the celebration of every public holiday known to humankind.

A light and frothy read for the summer.

Personal Relations: Coming 20 June

[image error]

I don’t write contemporary m/m romance. I write science fiction, with a side order of steampunk. So a collection of romantic, frothy, contemporary short stories, Personal Relations? As much of a surprise to me as to you.

It started with the second story I ever had published: a short story called Happy Holidays in an anthology from Dreamspinner Press. I took a story that had lurked on my hard drive for years, changed some of the details (I relocated my two heroes, Kit Lewis and John Hogarth and their PR business to New York, thinking that would resonate best with the huge m/m readership, which is predominantly American) and DSP ran with it. When the rights reverted to me earlier this year, I took the opportunity to bring Kit and John back to their London roots and revise Happy Holidays a little, dig out a few more short stories from the hard drive, and suddenly I had a small collection of light-hearted, frothy and romantic stories charting their love affair across four or five years from the London Olympics onwards.

The stories will be published on 20 July and

[image error]

By SpiderWeb-MarketingSystems (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

It will be free on Kobo, Nook and Smashwords immediately, and free on Amazon as soon as I can persuade them to pricematch. [image error]

Kit Lewis and John Hogarth are two thirds of one of the best PR outfits in the business. Kit has loved John for years now, but John’s wary and skittish. He’s seen far too many of Kit’s loves fall by the wayside, wings burned, to risk it.

One day, though, Kit’s sober when he makes the offer and John is particularly open-minded to the possibilities of accepting Kit’s heart and hand. The rest is history.

This collection of six inter-related short stories charts their relationship from the London Olympics to the celebration of every public holiday known to humankind.

A light and frothy read for the summer.