L.E. Franks's Blog, page 9
January 25, 2014
January 24, 2014
#Coke Gets Real with Russia – No Same-Love for #Sochi
Coca Cola wants you to forget that there is blood in streets of Russia. Just keep smiling, keep singing, and have a Coke. God knows after a long day persecuting Gays, you deserve one. So, cheers!
January 23, 2014
Guest Z. A. Maxfield: Blog Tours, Christmas Gifts and the St. Nachos Zombie Attack
(scroll to the bottom for excerpt of My Heartache Cowboy & Rafflecopter contest) ,
I didn’t realize I’d learn so much about writing, the perfect gift to give a vampire, or the best place on the Central Coast of California to survive a zombie attack.
Check out my interview with ZAM where she shares some writing techniques and answers the questions keeping me up at night:
Serious:
LE: I’m always fascinated by authors writing routines. Do you have a set routine that you can share, or are you more of the “wing it & bring it” school of thought?
ZAM: I started out in the “wing it and bring it” school. I think a lot of authors do that In the beginning. I was all like, where do I want to go today? That’s when I didn’t have outlines, but it’s also when I didn’t have deadlines. Of course, when you’re writing to deadlines, you have to have some sort of road map, I use a timeline printed onto an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper in landscape, and I mark all the major story goals. That way, I know if I’ve missed something, or when I’ve jumped the rails.
LE: As a writer of gay romantic fiction, how are female characters utilized in your stories?
ZAM: I find that I use female characters in stories almost like they seem to be in real life. They dot the landscape doing meaningful things: being friends, raising children, working at difficult jobs. I write them as intelligent and not so much, intuitive and ditzy, simple and complex, happy and unhappy, and good and bad. (Almost as if women were real people and made up half the human race.)
LE: Have you noticed any recurring themes as you look back over your writing career?
ZAM: I always write about family, faith, loyalty, and love. I like a happy ending. I often take wholly flawed people and redeem them. In fact, if there is one major theme, I’d say it’s redemption. Often my books have an inspirational message. I get a lot of smile mileage at writer’s groups when I say I write Inspirational Erotica.
LE: Do you prefer writing short stories, novellas, or novel length works?
ZAM: I like to work between 60 and 90 K. I find that any less doesn’t let me tell the whole story, but any more and people start checking their watches.
Not-so-serious:
LE: Zam, these are three of my favorite characters from your books. I’m assuming they’re all still together (you never know, real life does happen even in fantasy), but can you tell me what these fine men got their significant others for Christmas this year?
Yamane (Drawn Together)
ZAM: Rory is taking Yamane on a month long tour of Japan this year in the spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom. Lots of Onsen adventures.
Adin (Nottorno/Vigil)
ZAM: Adin has hired a gardener to create a fragrant moon garden. He’ll fill it with flowers that bloom at night and they’ll make a patio room out there with a giant chaise for making love. It will be a beautiful place for the two of them to sit and enjoy their evenings together. It’s not going to be ready until summer, but plans are going forward.
Ari (Rhapsody for Piano) Bonus question: If Julian & Serge could…what would they be exchanging in 2014?
ZAM: Ari wrote a song for Fitz, called My One Thing True . He recorded it in his home studio and it’s become something of a YouTube sensation. Of course, Julian and Serge would be exchanging wedding vows. They might go back to Paris where it all began, as same sex-marriage is now legal in France, but they’re going to have a hard time getting a license.
LE: If there were a zombie attack on St. Nachos, how would the town fare? (This is an open book question, extra points if you utilize sources from the entire series).
ZAM: Izzy, from Physical Therapy is the one I’d put my money on to survive and save the day. First of all, she could tell you if someone was turning Zombie by their aura, and second, she’s tough. From Book of Daniel — Cam would be in the thick of things on the side of right while Daniel would be the first guy on the highway out of town. From St. Nacho’s — you know Cooper and Shawn would just bar the door and stay in bed. From Jacob’s Ladder — Jacob would be manning a soup kitchen for the survivors with Mary Catehrine and the gang, while JT would be rendering first aid.
I hope Zombies don’t attack St. Nacho’s but if they do, I think St. Nacho’s will be ready.
LE: If you could live in one of your books, (the setting, the people, the plot)…
…which book would it be?
ZAM: I’d live in St. Nacho’s, Physical Therapy.
…would you still be you?
ZAM: You bet. I’d be one of the Red Hat ladies puttering around at the gym.
Thanks for coming to play ZAM – I can’t wait to see what plans you have in store for me! - LE Franks
My Heartache Cowboy
(Cowboy Series, Bk #2)
By Z.A. Maxfield
Blurb:
Can love conquer all?
Jimmy Rafferty and Eddie Molina go way back at the J-Bar ranch. They’ve worked together, bunked together, camped out, and drank together. So how has Jimmy failed to notice that Eddie is gay? Eddie has not failed to notice that his friend has a serious drinking problem, and he’s determined to help Jimmy kick the booze cold turkey.
Taking him up to a snowbound cabin to detox, Eddie is confronted with Jimmy’s fierce denial. But the pains of withdrawal are nothing for Jimmy compared with the heartache of denying his true feelings and his deep longing…for the one man who cares for him more than anyone else on earth.
Available for purchase at
Excerpt
When I woke, I was alone and the truck wasn’t moving.
Who the hell did Eddie think he was, leaving me asleep by myself in a truck outside in the freezing cold? My pa and my older brother, Jonas, used to do that. We’d be on the road, and when I fell asleep, they’d leave me in the parking lot of some dive bar or motel—just leave me asleep outside in the dark. I’d wake up with no clue where I was, no idea if they were coming back or if I should go in and try to find them.
My first useful thought was to look for the keys, because I hadn’t forgotten what Eddie said. I hadn’t forgotten the plans him and boss Malloy made for me behind my back. It would serve them right if I up and hightailed it back to the J-Bar with Eddie’s truck and no Eddie.
No keys.
Not like that was going to stop me. Where the hell did Eddie get the idea I’d go quietly? I slid over and tore the wiring out from under the dash. Found what I needed without hardly even looking.
I hated waking up alone like that. Unwanted. Abandoned.
One twist. Two. Touch the wires together and the engine should . . .
Fuck.
Nothing.
What the hell? I checked I got the proper color-coated strands and tried again. I was frowning down at the mess of tangled wire when someone tapped on the window behind me.
I glanced up and saw Eddie frowning down, no doubt pissed at what I’d done to his truck. Serves you right for leaving me like that, you prick.
“You need a working engine for that,” he told me as he opened the door. “One that has a battery.”
“Fuck you.” I spilled out of the car ready for a fistfight.
“What?” Eddie jumped back.
“Why did you have to leave me like that? What did I ever do to you?”
Eddie shook his head at me. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. You were sound asleep and I thought maybe you needed it.”
I took a swing at him. “I hate waking up alone in a car like that.”
Ed plucked my fist from the air and peered at me like he was trying to see through my skin. “I didn’t know.”
“I hate that. Left behind in the car like a damn dog. Like a fucking duffel bag. You can’t be bothered to even wake me up and take me in out of the fucking snow.”
Now Eddie frowned like he was thinking about it. Now, after the fact. “I’m sorry, Jimmy. I didn’t think how you’d feel waking up alone like that. I won’t do it again.”
“Would have served you right if I took your truck and left you up here to walk back to civilization, wherever the hell that is. Would have served you right if I’d died out here.”
“All right, all right. Simmer down now.”
I glared at him. “Fuck you.”
“It’s pretty civilized inside. How about you come in with me.”
“How about you suck my fucking—”
“That’s enough.” He turned and headed toward the cabin’s welcoming front door. “I almost didn’t bother to disable the damn thing, but I thought on the off chance you knew what you were doing and could—”
“Which I did,” I pointed out.
“Come inside.” He jerked his chin toward the cabin like I was a dog and I was supposed to just follow along and yip around at his heels.
I debated making a run at him, but frankly, Eddie was a tough buzzard. He wasn’t too much older than me, just forty-two compared to my thirty-eight. But I was a lover, not a fighter, or at least that’s how I thought of myself. Back there on the road, Eddie had proved he wasn’t above using violence to get his way in this, so I went along.
You’re going to have to sleep sometime.
Eddie led me into a rustic-looking cabin that seemed awful nice for the middle of nowhere. There was a place for us to hang our hats just inside the door, over a table with a passel of pictures on it. There were old time black-and-whites of families and framed pictures of a good-looking man, a pretty woman, and some kids. There were some of the kids alone, and holy cow, there were probably a dozen pictures of Ed. He looked so young in a couple of them, they must have been from before we met.
One of Ed and the unknown man caught my eye. Something about the difference in height, the casual way they leaned together, the way they looked at each other, made me think this was Ed’s friend from the road, Don. Even though they’d both aged some since it was taken, I was almost sure of it.
No knobby hands, no weathered angel, this Don was good looking, without a doubt. He was lanky and chiseled. He had an intelligent face and a smile that drew the eye. He seemed sure of himself and charming. Whatever I’d seen in the darkness outside the car had to be a trick of the light.
Ed looked so young and earnest next to him it took my breath away. Brawny and tan, he wore a yoked Western shirt with the sleeves rolled up past well-muscled forearms and he eyed Don like he would follow him anywhere.
And that Don, he looked like he could appreciate a guy like Ed, as well.
Hadn’t I seen firsthand how much he did appreciate him?
About the Author
Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories: Unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”
You can find ZA Maxfield at
Giveaway
January 17, 2014
6 Days to Valentine – Excerpt
New bouncer FatBoy Newman thinks he has just the right man to change Nick’s mind and sweep the bartender off his feet.
It turns out they’re both wrong.
An Excerpt: 6 Days to Valentine by LE Franks
FatBoy was the newest addition to our little Frisson bar family. He’d been working the door for a couple of months, doing his job by lurking in the background monitoring the crowds stirring each other up on weekends. One minute he would be wallpaper and the next he’d be hanging out at my end of the bar playing a nightly game of twenty questions.
Last night it was a string of questions like “Marie Claire™ or Vogue™ ?” and “Barbeque Beans ™ or Pork & Beans™ ” or, more disturbing, “Brad Pitt or Yoda™ ?”
Normally I would have blown FatBoy off as I do with every other asshole annoying me while I’m working; even the bouncers who like to lean on the bar and steal olives and fruit don’t linger if I’m there. FatBoy was different. He might look like a giant hick with the brains the size of a pea and a case of ’roid rage, but for all I knew, he had balls the size of an elephant. He’d need them. He’d been pressuring me for months to date his cousin, ever since he figured out that I’m gay, and I’d been equally absolute in my refusal. I don’t date, no matter how smoky blue your eyes are when you ask.
Not that I tried to hide my orientation—it’s just none of your damn business and not a topic of conversation I usually led with. At six two with dark hair, green eyes, and a naturally muscled build, bar patrons just assumed I was straight; keeping things pleasant and light with our mixed crowd of tourists and local party boys and girls kept the mood fun and—most importantly—the tips pouring in.
I also wasn’t such a megalomaniac that I thought everyone wanted to sleep with me—though working the bar I get plenty of come-ons and come-hithers. Despite the occasional tumble with Juan, I hadn’t met anyone who inspired me to make the effort. If you want to know the truth, in my heart of hearts, I was a romantic; I dreamed of being swept off my feet by the “one”. In the meantime I kept my head down, mixing my drinks and keeping my dreams and hands mostly to myself.
Despite the nightly grilling, FatBoy wouldn’t have known any different if he hadn’t walked in on my attempt to bareback Juan, our bar-back, during a very slow Saturday afternoon. I’m kidding about the barebacking. Juan is a good kid, and I’d never risk him or myself that way, but FatBoy did walk into the cold storage room just seconds after a collision had wrapped me around Juan’s wiry body, forcing our lips together. Fortunately our tongues took the brunt of the accident, ensuring no lasting damage to our libidos.
No, Mr. Newman can take the blame for that particular ‘failure to launch’ sequence. Instead of backing out like a normal person, he stayed—leaning against the frame of the door and watching us quietly until I pulled away from Juan.
“Why the fuck are you still here? Can’t you see we’re busy?” I snapped in frustration.
FatBoy didn’t respond beyond a twitch at the corner of his mouth—though he did lean slightly out of the way as Juan slipped past him, buttoning his jeans as he went. I reached down and readjusted my cock, sighing deeply.
“Soooo, Nick. Boys, huh?” he drawled, settling back into his lean.
“Not boys, men. I’m not a pedophile, asshole.” As I stomped back to the bar, I was running through a list of unpleasant scenarios I could subject the prick to before I had to see him again. I was contemplating his fall into an active volcano when I felt his eyes on my back, the same silent force field I’d felt ever since he started working here.
I whirled around. “What? What! What? Did you need something or did your horoscope say it was ‘Be a dick at work day?’ ’Cuz I have to tell you, I’ve got a serious case of blue balls going here, and unless you plan on dropping and giving me head right here and now, I’m pretty sure there is nothing you can say or do that I’m interested in.”
I might have caught a slight glimmer in his eyes when I said that—but really, who cared? It was going to be weeks of skittish looks before Juan settled down enough to let me that close again. Something about losing his job and making his disabled mother homeless if he got caught screwing around at work—like that would ever happen…
“Blake was asking for you. I figured you’d rather I tracked you down myself instead of sending him into the icebox after you.” He smirked and pivoted, leaving me alone with the unhappy thought that I owed him one. With a silent apology to Juan’s fears, I wound my way back to the office to check on the latest from the boss.
So, best efforts of ignoring the new bouncer aside, we were now out to the six five former linebacker from Tennessee—a Vol who’d majored in French poets of the seventeenth century. You haven’t lived until you’ve listened to FatBoy recite Molière in the original French, drunk off his ass, at four in the morning, in a thick southern drawl. Despite all of that, or maybe because of it, FatBoy was a bit of a prick—a trait I usually find entertaining when directed toward someone else, but after my fobbing off all the gentle nudges and hints about his cousin, he must have decided it was time to bring out the heavy artillery and press the issue, once and for all.
In this case he used his prickdom to force me into the drinking contest. He was, after all, a gentleman of the South and therefore felt obliged to offer me a game of chance rather than the outright blackmail he originally had in mind—not that I believed he’d actually risk anyone’s job. But it did make me curious.
I still wasn’t sure what was so important about finding his cousin a date. I’d said no enough times that any other musclehead would have gotten a clue and dropped it long ago. FatBoy’s cousin must have been horribly disfigured, or suffering from some social disease, or on parole for unspeakable acts as a minor for him to be this relentlessly annoying.
More likely, his Aunt was nagging him to death—afraid her baby was going to meet a big bad leather daddy now that he liked cock; I’d heard stories. I was just lucky to be the first gay he’d met. Not that I ever had that problem with my own family—I’m not sure they noticed the last time the door hit me on my way out.
All in all, I wasn’t surprised when he finally cornered me.
Terms of the bet were simple. We would each drink at the same time until we stopped. First one to pass out or throw up lost. Winner named his prize.
The reason I thought FatBoy might have been juicing—beyond the imposing build and lack of neck—was he’d overlooked the fact that I had total control over the very medium that would determine the outcome of the bet…
Copyright © January 2014 by LE Franks
Coming Soon: January 22, 2014 – Wilde City Press
January 16, 2014
6 DAYS TO VALENTINE or…Happy New Years Late!
Sorry I’ve been so quiet. The year turned the corner and all the projects I had cooking suddenly boiled over within days of each other. Here’s a quick peek at my next book–coming out either January 22nd or 29th TBD.
It’s a little quirky, not exactly the traditional hearts & flowers fare. Happy New Years to you all – LE
6 DAYS TO VALENTINE
In Nick’s perfect world, Valentine’s Day would be struck from the calendar.
Nick’s dreams of a Happily Ever After were shredded long ago and the last thing he and his customers need is a bunch of happy loving couples rubbing it in their faces.
Bouncer Fat Boy Newman is willing to bet he knows Nick’s heart better than Nick does. He has just six days to change Nick’s mind about romance and the holiday and the perfect man to do it.
Too bad it’s not him.
Too bad Nick’s not going down without a fight.
Too bad Nick cheats.
COMING SOON FROM WILDE CITY PRESS: 6 DAYS TO VALENTINE BY LE FRANKS
December 27, 2013
Such great news!
While it’s still early in his recovery, I’m taking a moment to celebrate with expressions of love. LE
Better than any plot we’ve ever conceived…Eric & TJ’s own story is Epic.
TJ & Eric newly engaged. October 2013
Eric & TJ still have a long road ahead. If you care to support Eric’s recovery here’s a link: http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-eric-arvin/116877 Every dollar helps. Happy New Year my friends. – LE
December 26, 2013
Thinking of Eric and TJ … and the epic quality of Love.
Eric Arvin is currently undergoing brain surgery that will be transformative in every possible sense of the word.
Change is a constant. To pull another breath into your lungs is a manifestation of the fluid nature of life. You are breathing new molecules, the variables have reordered themselves. In the wisdom of creation, the human animal lets go of the conscious act of breathing and so we forget how complicated and fragile it is–how fragile life is.
Stumbling along we make clumsy stabs at growing up, being productive, being social, finding love — but the gains we make, and the losses we suffer seem to spring upon us like mystic Jack-In-The-Boxes, separate from ourselves and our actions/inactions. We walk oblivious through the magic of sun rises and sun sets, of touching and being touched, of pain, and joy, and the profound power of true love.
Eric has been gifted with that consciousness. And an epic love of his own with fiancé TJ Klune. So when faced with a choice that would crush most of us, his warrior’s heart only had one cry “Let’s Go! Let’s Go! Let’s Go!”
For those who haven’t had the honor of meeting Eric in person, this excerpt from Salvatore Sapienza’s lovely foreword to the 2010 edition of Eric’s novel The Rest is Illusion may help:
“As his car pulled into the parking lot, Eric smiled and waved at me, looking every bit the handsome Adonis of his photos. I stood watching from the sidewalk as Eric opened the car door to exit. Though I knew he had brain surgery a few years back, I was still surprised and somewhat startled to see how slowly and feebly Eric exited the car. Walking with a limp and supporting himself with a cane, Eric gingerly made his way over to me. His gait may have been unsteady, but his warmth and charisma were magnetic, and, before the writers’ weekend was over, I came to realize that I was, indeed, truly in the presence of a real–life superhero…”
“Of his condition (cavernous hemangioma), Arvin told Web Digest Weekly, ’It’s taught me to value the smaller things, to love more deeply the people in my life. I don‟t obsess over things like the perfect body anymore. I was spending way too much time in the gym and forgetting to live.’ “
…Arvin does the same here with The Rest is Illusion, reminding us that the world is ‘still full of magic, light, and beauty, even when things seem too caustic and fitful.’ This may be a lesson Arvin has had to learn the hard way, through his years of illness and its subsequent trials and tribulations; Yet in sharing this wisdom with us, he has become a lighthouse over the waters, a beacon of illumination, an Angel–boy.”
– Salvatore Sapienza, author of Seventy Times Seven and Gay is a Gift
In the face of such love and determination, who are we to doubt? Let’s Go! -LE
To help defray cost associated with Eric’s surgery and extended hospital stay, friends of the couple have established a fund. To donate please click here.
December 17, 2013
Holiday Story Post, Contest Winner! The SNOW GLOBE goes to Jan!
(fyi: for those of you who checked out Josh Lanyon’s work – he’s started his free Christmas Codas again, which are wonderful. Click Here for the link to his blog to get you started.)
Thank you JAN from the UK – Winner of a Copy of Snow Globe courtesy of Dreamspinner Press. I’ve sent you an email with instructions to your yahoo account. LE
I’m craving snow.
It’s an elusive, magic thing… when you live in California, by the sea…
What do you crave during winter, or the holidays?
December 3, 2013
My Favorite Holiday Stories…from some of my favorite Gay Romance Authors
Each year so many of my favorite authors either release a new Christmas or Hanukkah story of their own, or gift us with Christmas Codas – little holiday vignettes featuring some of our favorite couples from books past. It’s a chance to catch up with their HEAs and epilogue lives for a few minutes. They’re never enough, but oh, so delicious and we covet them like a six chocolate truffle box in a family of five.
But unlike a truffle, these holiday selections will still be here next year and they’re just as satisfying the second, third, or even fourth time around. Each year starting in November, I pull them back to the top of my kindle app and savor them anew.
(I did some guerrilla marketing for them, pulling book covers and adding links on their behalf…hope they’ll forgive me. Click on a link and check these titles out for yourselves. Oh, and I have a new Christmas release myself. You can check out Snow Globe here.)
Here are some of my favorite holiday authors and their stories:
At the top of my list is Astrid Amara who is a fantastic writer, and who gets a whole category to herself: the Hanukkah story. No one does them better.
There is something about Amara’s stories that always pull me right into the heart of the season so completely that I inevitably look to her first. They are funny and wry and the characters have foibles that could be considered clichéd in less deft hands.
Carol of the Bellskis was the first one I read. I was absolutely hooked by the story of a heartbroken nephew stumbling into the role of cook and innkeeper for a Kosher Bed & Breakfast during a fully-booked Hanukkah week after his Aunt & Uncle’s disappearance. (Seth & Lars are revisited in the equally delightful Miracle of the Bellskis.) Holiday Outing, the story of a man reluctantly returning home to come out to his family, has such a depth of heart that I’m tempted to say it’s my favorite, except when I think about Love Ahead. And then I’m torn because it’s one of the best road trip-with-beleaguered-boyfriend stories around. I love them all. I even read them in July.
When I finally met Ms. Amara last September at the Gay Romance Northwest Meet-up in Seattle I guachely demanded a new Hanukkah story as soon as possible. She looked pained as I babbled, but was very kind, I don’t know if it helped, but in the end she didn’t hold it against me–her latest story Sweet and Sour hits the spot once more. Thank you Astrid and Happy Hanukkah!
Next up, Josh Lanyon. He’s my favorite storyteller in this genre–writing mysteries, crime, and well…moods. Beautifully, hauntingly, heartbreakingly.
His Christmas stories contain all that, yet still embrace the spirit of the season with themes of redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation. They are lovely jewels. They are the Christmases of dark snowy nights, where the only illumination is the glow from a single candle.
My first offering is Lone Star the tale of a man returning to his home in Texas after twelve years and the death of his father, coming face to face with the best friend he left behind. The themes should resonate in anyone who is human, who’s been young, who’s had to live with the consequences of hasty decisions. It’s a beautiful story.
A more established relationship is tested in I Spy Something Christmas. The holidays are hard enough to handle without being shot, and it’s made more difficult when Mark’s partner, Stephen, doesn’t trust that a man who once made lying his profession can ever really be retired. And in Icecapade another kind of relationship is taken to the next level when FBI agent Robert Cuffe appears on the doorstep of retired jewel thief Noel on Christmas Eve.
Christmas also features in some of his longer works–The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks and The Hell You Say are mysteries that use the season to great effect. But it’s The Dickens With Love that makes my heart skip a beat when we’re talking holiday reads. Lanyon crafts this work brilliantly–playing with the Dickensian Christmas memes we’ve all grown up with, without losing any of the tension and drama of the story.
And for the Fanyon, nothing’s better than the Christmas Codas he writes–short snippets that refresh our affection for some of his most memorable couples. Can we just say Adrien and Jake? This Christmas, our present from Josh is a compilation edition of these Codas entitled Merry Christmas, Darling due out mid-December. So from all of us, thank you Josh for another great year of storytelling! Happy Holidays!
Author l.b. gregg has some choice offerings for under our tree…
I loved Mistletoe at Midnight - The hot ex, the interfering family, a Vermont Inn buried in snow…Owen MacKenzie never stood a chance against Caleb Black. Yum. She does it again in Simple Gifts - painting a slow exquisite dance between two damaged but beautiful souls. Gregg can write quiet introspective men like nobody’s business, (her Men of Smithfield books are filled with them). And this year she’s adding her considerable talents to the Home for the Holidays anthology with How I met Your Father, sending us to the Caribbean for a Christmas Wedding where once-teen boy-bander Justin Hayes finally meets the father of his dreams.
Z.A. Maxfield has her own way of making the season bright.
From two men finding each other despite religious bigotry and homophobia in 1955′s Los Angeles in Secret Light, to a high school photographer trying to woo the boy of his dreams using only his camera in A Picture Perfect Holiday, to the random stranger who’s a dead ringer for Santa Claus, pulling off the save of the century when he rescues brokenhearted traveler Chandler Tracey and Chandler’s orphaned niece Poppy from the side of the road in I Heard Him Exclaim, to the the search for missing teens who have a secret they’re afraid to share, in What Child is This, (the heartfelt sequel to Crossing Borders,)…in each of these stories, ZAM captures our attention and has us rooting for the happily ever after that her characters so richly deserve.
And if they’re patient–they’ll get it, too.
Especially in the case of Ringo, the love lorn security guard with PTSD, whose object of affection is afraid to trust anything, or anyone except his dog, Bird, this year’s holiday selection Lost and Found–part of the Home for the Holidays anthology. This is a great story filled with the scenery and interesting characters that all her books are known for. As I read this story I kept pulling for Gavin to get his act together just for Ringo’s sake. I keep telling ZAM that she needs to write a sequel for Ringo–he has such heart. I should start a letter writing campaign. Ringo in 2014! Merry Christmas ZAM!
Mary Calmes is another author I go back to again and again for her novels…and this time when I poked around her backlist for Christmas stories I was rewarded with a new-to-me Holiday treat.
Ice Around The Edges was published as part of Dreamspinner Press’ 2010 Advent Calendar (currently set to retire – so scurry over there soon if you’re a fan of their annual holiday releases). It’s the story of lost love recovered, and if you’re a fan of Calmes’ voice, you’ll enjoy this lesser known short. Fans of her Warder series will be happy to revisit Malic and Dylan as they struggle to survive Christmas with the family in Cherish Your Name, but it’s Mary’s next offering that showcases the power of her writing and the size of her heart.
What Can Be is probably one of my favorite stories of any length, by any author. And it’s tough. Calmes walks us through a mine field of loss, where good people with the best of intentions sometimes fall down, and children are left to pick up the pieces and grow up too fast. It’s about reunion, and recovery, and love that won’t die. It’s mostly about hope. If you read anything this holiday season, you should read this story. Then go hug your kids.
Mary Calmes has a new story coming out Christmas Day: Where You Lead. It looks promising and I’m excited to read it, but then again, I’d follow her anywhere. Merry Christmas Mary!
Amy Lane, the self proclaimed purveyor of angst and agony, lets us see her sweeter side come the chill air of December, with a wealth of holiday reading options.
Now, in fairness and full disclosure–I knit with Amy, and I’m happy I can call her my friend. She’s one of a handful of gay romance authors that lives in the area and I adore her. But I adored her books first–long before I met her at my first gay romance literary retreat in Albuquerque. She too is a phenomenal storyteller and she understands the deep pain that so many of the LGBTQ community have suffered due solely to their sexual orientation. I think her work has the power to heal and educate and I admire her so much.
One of the first stories I ever read (and honestly I forgot this one was one of Amy’s when I was first compiling this list) is Christmas With Danny Fit. Talk about relatable. Who hasn’t thought they needed to change themselves before they were worth (insert hangup here). It’s a fun story that makes me happy. Go. Read.
The inside baseball of Amy is that she loves, loves, loves, the cute and furry. She has a dog permanently attached to her, and after getting my own kitten over Thanksgiving, I’m wondering how she manages to write. But she does, and so it’s no wonder that they play important roles in her stories. In If I Must, it’s a half-feral cat named Manky Bastard that’s the catalyst for love, and in Puppy, Car, and Snow it’s a dog named Blitzkrieg that gets into the act rescuing a snowed-in Christmas with the relatives.
But it’s The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur Bearing Critters that really shines with Christmas Magic. The tale of alpaca farmer and fiber mill owner Rance Crawford’s slow courtship of newcomer Ben McCutcheon through the language of yarn. This is such a tender, lovely story that it’s no wonder that it’s spun out sequels Knitter in his Natural Habitat, and How to Raise an Honest Rabbit.
I don
‘t know how I missed reading Turkey in the Snow, part of Dreamspinners 2012 Advent Calendar, but you can be sure that as soon as I’m done posting this monster of a blog, I’m heading over to Dreamspinner to buy a copy. It will look great next to Amy’s Christmas day release Going Up! (details to come…check out her website).
Also releasing in a few days is Amy’s contribution to the Home for the Holidays anthology benefiting the Ali Forney Center in New York. Her story Christmas Kitsch is profiled below, along with links to ways you can participate during this season of giving with your own gift of support.
Thank you Amy for your wonderful story. Merry Christmas!
Not only do these holiday treats delight and entertain, but they can also make you think, and in some cases act as a catalyst for positive change. Here are some works that fall into this category:
RJ Scott – The Christmas Throwaway
The story of a teen thrown out of his home for being gay, and the cop who finds him one Christmas Eve night huddled on a park bench. RJ Scott is a terrific writer and her story is at once both heartbreaking and uplifting.
Sadly, this isn’t just a work of fiction for many teens in the LGBTQ community. And for that reason, authors, publishers, and readers alike are stepping up to help these teens get the support they so desperately need. Two of these projects are happening now. The first is a collection of stories by some great authors called Home for the Holidays. Riptide Publishing is donating 20% of all proceeds from this collection to the Ali Forney Center in New York. In their own words:
“Our mission is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.”
These stories all touch on themes of isolation, homelessness, rejection, loss and but most importantly–acceptance and love. Buying this collection is a great way to celebrate the season and support a wonderful organization. Here they are in detail:
I’ve read all but Amy Lane’s story here, which releases on December 9, and they’re great. Ally Blue, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, and Amy Lane are masters of their craft. These are stories about transitions. About survival. About redemption. Amy’s story is right on point–Christmas Kitsch is about a young man rejected by his family after coming out to them. In all these stories, these men find love when they need it, though not without struggle and a lot of introspection.
The second program that’s getting a helping hand from our community right now is Lost n Found, a LGBTQ Youth shelter in Atlanta, GA.
Due to the efforts of author J.P. Barnaby and Editor Elizabeth North, Dreamspinner Press and Harmony Ink imprints are helping to build Lost n Found a library. This is an exciting project and an easy one to support. Every $5 in donations buys another book for the center. Follow this link to Elizabeth North’s blog post: lost-n-found-spirit-of-christmas for more information, and proper credit for everyone involved.
I hope you’ve found a story or two (or many) to try this holiday season. I’d love to hear about your favorite Christmas Reads. Please leave me a comment along with your email address and I’ll enter you into a give away for an e-book copy of my Christmas short story Snow Globe. In the mean time I wish you Peace, Love, and Happiness for you and yours. -LE Franks
