C.W. Stevens's Blog

New Release from E. S. Skipper

NOW AVAILABLEfrom E. S. Skipper!  
Theo was everything Hoani wanted in a husband - his best friend, lover and a great papa for Hoani's son Dion. Only, Theo died, leaving an ache in Hoani's heart and a gap that could never be filled. And that was just the way Hoani wanted it. 

Except Theo wasn't done yet. So when Hoani starts to hear his husband's voice, encouraging him to move on, Hoani doesn't want to listen. As if anyone could replace his Theo...

But Theo proves as stubborn as Hoani, and he isn't going to let this go. Not when Hoani's future happiness is at stake. Maybe Hoani needs to start listening to those quiet whispers...

Get your copy here! 

Available NOW! E. S. Skipper's Flight of the Ki...

Available NOW!
 E. S. Skipper's
 Flight of the Kiwi (book 1)London Calling
 



Tamati Kumeroa leaves his friends and family in New Zealand to embark upon his GAP year adventure in London. Along the way, you will meet a few of the passengers on his flight; one in particular, who is especially taken with Tamati, makes him an offer not easily turned down. Enter Muhammad, the rich Arab who is wealthy enough to easily provide Tamati with anything he could ever want - but this is not who Tamati is. He accepts the Arab's offer, but has a few rules of his own.
As the story unfolds, E. S. is brilliant in his writing, giving descriptive accounts of all that ensues while provoking a host of emotions in the reader. As you reach the end of the book you will definitely be left wanting more.





Excerpt:
“What exactly happens at these charity events?” 

“Well, sir, I mean Tamati, there will be speeches and I do believe an auction at this one. But best of all there will be dancing.” 

“Great! I love dancing. What kind of music are we talking about?” 

“Ballroom.” Alfred grinned. 

“Old fart’s music. Ugh,” I moaned. 

“Less of the old, thank you. It happens to be fun. Don’t knock it till you try it, young man.” He wagged his finger at me. 

“Well that leaves me out. I only boogie.” I winked. 

“No, you thrust your hips around as though having sex.” Alfred chuckled. 

He had a point. When I danced it was normally to catch a guy’s attention. Somehow I didn’t think that would go down so well at the black tie event. 

Alfred went to a radio and turned it up. There was some classical tune playing. I had gone to my school ball in my final year at college. I sucked then, and no doubt I sucked at that sort of dancing now. My partner at the time gave up after two dances, as I stood on her toes more often than not. 

Alfred held his hand out flat and bowed. Taking his hand, I stood and bowed back. Pulling me towards him, he put his hand on my back and lifted my hand. We moved around the small kitchen area. The man could dance. I felt like I was being guided, and not once did I stand on his toes. I actually started enjoying myself until Aaron walked in and wolf-whistled. Blushing, I stepped out of Alfred’s hold and sat back down. 

“There. That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Alfred asked. 

“Yes, but you were leading him,” Aaron said as he poured himself a coffee.

“Well, of course I lead. I’m the man,” Alfred said. 

Aaron looked at me and burst out laughing. Alfred picked up a tea towel and flicked Aaron’s ass with it. After giving a yelp, Aaron grabbed some toast and left the two of us alone once more.



  This book is a refreshing read, different from the hearts and flowers that make up so many M/M books nowadays. Tamati will draw you in from the very beginning and take you with him on his adventures abroad. The characters are fun and real, giving you the sense you are right there with them, experiencing everything as they do. The emotions are real, the sex is hot - everything about the book is fantastic. I can't say enough about it here, so pick up a copy of this brilliant read for yourself.



Get your copy here
 Visit E. S. Skipper's Facebook page here

New M/M Author

Good morning, everyone!

A dear friend of mine has recently been accepted by Wayward Ink Publishing and will showcase her first book entitled Sweetness and Strength, in their Stranded anthology, scheduled for release 10th October, 2014.

Please drop by JN Olsen's Facebook author page here.
Give her a 'like' and a warm welcome!

PLEASE VISIT!

A dear friend of mine has just published his first story titled  "No Worries, Mate"  in a new anthology . . .



brought to you by
W.I.P.
Excerpt Jake Bullock stared in embarrassed horror at the sign BOLLOCKS being held aloft by a tall man with skin the color of a good café latte—something Jake felt in dire need of. People sniggered as they walked past the placard held so high and so proudly in the air it looked positively jaunty. After traveling for God knows how many hours, the last thing Jake had was a sense of humor.
Walking over to the man, Jake looked up. “Are you from the Department of Conservation?”

“Yep, Kia ora, mate. Welcome to Aotearoa—land of the long white cloud.” The guy grinned, showing perfectly straight white teeth.

“I thought I was in New Zealand.” Jake looked around. He saw flags and silver ferns, just as he’d expected.

“This is New Zealand—but it’s also known as Aotearoa. My name is Rangi Hapakuku. You must be Jake Bollock.” He finally put the sign down and held his large hand out.

Accepting the hand, Jake jerked back when the guy drew close to his face. Rangi tapped his nose to Jake’s once, then paused for a split second before he went in again. Jake could feel heat rising on his cheeks. He should have remembered this was a customary greeting. Holding his breath, he rubbed noses with the man. It only lasted a few seconds, and Jake had to admit it wasn’t as intrusive as he thought it would be. Rangi peered behind Jake, as though looking for something.

“Oh, my travel partner couldn’t make it. She contracted chicken pox from her granddaughter,” Jake said, thinking it was the reason why the sign had an ‘s’ tagged on the end. “I’m Jake Bullock. That’s Bull…ock. Not Bollock!”

“Well, no worries, mate. It’s better there’s only the two of us. You have been given a great honor to visit our island.” He started to take the camera off Jake’s shoulder.

“Please, I’ll carry it.” Jake grabbed hold of the straps and held tightly onto his camera, his livelihood. Hell, truth be told, it was like an extension of his arm. Rangi might as well have asked him to detach his hand.

“No worries, mate! We best get a move on if we want to make it to the island before dark.”


 He has a beautiful new blog which you can find HERE. Please take a few minutes and have a look at E. S. Skipper's new site. If you're a fan of M/M romance, you won't be sorry.

"No Worries, Mate" along with seven other short stories included in the anthology will be released
5 June 2014
Visit E. S. Skipper's Facebook page HERE Watch the beautiful video HERE 

Congratulations, E.S.

Nat Wood Promo

Nat WoodWoodshed Wishes




Ben, a young gay romance author, loses his way in the forest one stormy evening and is found by a ranger. When Ben pitches in to help his new friend Peter in the woodshed, he discovers that he may have met his match. Will Peter make Ben's woodshed wishes come true?




Here's a snippet of what's inside:
 “Come on, Petey,” I whined, teasing him with my personal rendition of his name. I only used it when I was desperate to get my own way. The slight narrowing of his eyes betrayed how little he thought of my chosen pet name for him, but I took the opportunity to argue my point with a pout. “It’s still summer. We won’t need a fire for months with this heat. There's plenty of time to do the work.” On any other day, my brown puppy eyes could make him crumble and agree to whatever I suggested, but on that day in particular, he appeared to somehow have the strength to refuse. “You should take a leaf out of your own book — literally,” he jested back, adding a little more pressure to my breast bone to deter my attempt to edge nearer to him. “What was it that Blake said to Trent in Ballboys? ‘Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today’?” I rolled my eyes when he quoted one of my many characters. Trust him to know my stories word for word, not that I could complain. Some scenes from my books gained their inspiration from things Peter and I had experienced together. “Yes, but you forget that Blake was encouraging Trent to get down on his knees and suck his cock today instead of putting it off until tomorrow,” I corrected him. “So how about we re-enact that scene?” My hinting words distracted him long enough that I was able to take the last step towards him. Reaching down, I snagged my fingers under the belt that was looped through the waistband of his jeans and started to unbuckle it. Though his eyes contained a slight glaze of lust from the thoughts I’d instilled in him, he snapped out of his distraction and caught a hold of my wrists, prying my hands away from him and holding them there. “Tut tut, naughty boy,” he scolded with a teasing tone. “I have plans for tonight once all this work is done, but you want to jump the gun and get the party started early? You can’t disrupt my plans like that. You ought to be punished.”





Ms. Wood is a budding young author living in Cornwall, United Kingdom. She developed an interest in writing when her poetry was first published at the age of nine. Since then, she has moved onto writing both short stories and novels focusing on gay romantic themes.
Also by N. Wood:
La Cala Waves Of Healing
Coming Soon from Renaissance Romance Publishing: Take A Gamble, Second Edition, on November 12, 2013.
Ms. Wood's Blog Tour Schedule
 
10/22:S.A. Jones – Promo/excerpts 10/23:Elizabeth M. Lawrence – Guest Post 10/24:10/25:Lorenz – Promo/Excerpt10/26:Layne Faire – Guest Post10/27:10/28:Lily G. Blunt – Guest Post10/29:Jennifer Garcia – Promo/Excerpt10/30:Jude Ouvrard – Promo/Excerpt10/31:R.E. Hargrave – Guest Post11/1: K.L. Pratt – Promo/ExcerptSam – Promo/Excerpt11/2:The Hive Book Reviews – Review/Promo/Excerpt11/3:C.W. Stevens – Promo/Excerpt 11/4:Mich's Book Reviews – Guest PostM.C. Rayne -- Review



Blog: http://nwoodstories.blogspot.co.uk/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NWoodstoriesTwitter: https://twitter.com/WhitlockWoodAmazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/N.-Wood/e/B00B3HBE8G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6897888.N_Wood

M. C. Rayne Promo & Guest Post

M. C. RayneOur Walk to Remember    Our Walk to Remember

For the Robinson-Shae family, an annual charity walk means more to them than any expensive holiday abroad. After all, it’s where Elisha’s fathers met, and this year it’s even more important to her. Sammy couldn't make it this time, so she asks Charlie to share memories of how they met, and fell in love.

 Excerpt
Elisha looks back at me and pulls on our adjoined arms, giggling happily to herself while dancing her knee-length, yellow summer dress around her body so it moves with the warm breeze. I forget how much she loves this annual event. We’ve always done it together. She gets excited to see all the people she’s grown up around. I hope she never grows tired of this venture, never loses herself to the world of television and computer games when she could make a difference doing something small, yet huge.
Such thoughts make me shudder, thinking someone as delicate as little Elisha could ever be a slave to the mediocre. Not our baby, no way!
“Tell me again, Dad,” she interjects, turning towards me and smiling with joy. “Tell me about when you met Daddy?”
Her brown eyes sparkle when she looks up at me, lighting her porcelain face. Can a father ever refuse his daughter? How do you say ‘no’ to the product of your love, the person who found a home in your heart without trying and looks to you to lead them along the right paths?
“Again?” I tease. “You know this story so well, you can probably tell it better than me.”
Warmth fills my cheeks, bringing colour back into this aging man’s face while he toys with the light of his life, the only other person he loves without question. So many times Sammy and I have sat before a roaring fire while Elisha recounted our history like she’s reading a book. Her voice is always filled with such passion that we hang on her every word. One would be forgiven for thinking it’s her past she is detailing, but I guess my husband and I never get bored with sharing how we came to be the lovers we are today.
“I like it better when you tell it, Dad. Don’t worry; I will fill in any parts you miss,” she chimes in an assertive manner, and I know without a doubt she will.
“Okay, baby,” I commence, drawing her in close so I don’t have to shout too loud.
I don’t need unwanted ears to hear something that will forever remain unwritten, a story that’s stamped into my heart and is ours alone. Sammy has his own version of the life we share, but this is all from the very soul of Charlie Shae — this is how I found my love.
This shouldn’t be so hard to recollect, but I’ve never had to share our story without my counterpart sitting next to me, relishing my retelling. While the warm breeze runs through my free fingers again, I try to grab onto the emptiness and envision that Sammy isn’t very far away. Sadly, my mind isn’t that creative.
Swallowing the pain, I lose myself to the words flowing from me and find myself on auto pilot.
“It was the summer of 1996. I had just finished college. . .”



As I was posting this promo, Mr. Rayne popped in for a hazelnut latte, and graciously allowed me a quick Q & A session:

Can you tell me how the emotional process of your writing works?  What type of resources do you use to tap into your feelings, to reach down deep inside, to pen the pure, perfect words your characters experience?
Many of the people who read my work know to expect some underlying angst somewhere in the story, be it at the start, middle or end, but there it is - waiting for the reader. It's strange, but writing stories with sad themes are easier than writing your typical love story, and I think this is because I have never been in love. I don't think the big L is out there for me, and I'm much happier playing with emotions. 

People say I write love well. I'm not sure, but with the relationships I pen, these are things I would want if love ever came to me. I live inside my head a lot, plan out a future I may never have, and a lot of the time I am building Mr Right in my mind, with our home in the woods, filled with cherished pets. I'm a dreamer. 

As an author, if I can call myself that, I like to delve into a little darkness, show love and life in its truest form - it isn't all sunshine and roses. I think if I wrote a happy, happy love story I would be fooling myself and the small handful of readers I have. If my boys are going to have a happily ever after then they will need to go down a few broken road first. Such is life.
Do your characters “talk” to you, as so many other authors describe happens to them?
I used to think people were crazy when they said their characters talked to them, but I didn't realise until I started writing this is true. All my life I have lived inside my mind, playing out unwritten stories, but now as I'm trying to become an author, the boys NEVER shut up. They talk to me at the worst times too, so I email myself a lot with things to add to stories. This kind of works for me. Most of my chapters are dreamed up while I walk to work, long before taking form on my computer.
How did you get on with the whole publishing experience? Did you enjoy it?
I wouldn't say I loved it, I was a nervous wreck, but the ladies at Renaissance Romance Publishing managed to calm me down and guide me through this daunting time. With them, and other authors who have gone through it, I managed to get through. As a self confessed impatient person, I did hate the slowness of the process and wanted my book in my hands two seconds after getting accepted by the publisher. You don't see the work involved in releasing a book until you go through it. 
Where do you hope to be with your writing career ten years from now?
I'm not in this to make money, this isn't why I write. Yes, I could carry on giving my work away for free, but I want to hold my books, see them on websites, and this costs;  I can't do this for free. As long as I make back what I put into my work and touch at least one person with what I pen, then I'm happy. In ten years I just hope I'm still writing and getting better with each release.
Some readers are familiar with Bean. Would you like to tell us about him?

Awww, Bean is my baby! Okay, well I live with two best friends and we all wanted a pet. We can't have a dog as we are all a slave to the 9-5 and didn't feel this was fair to a living creature, so my best friend Dae suggested a Guinea Pig. I was dubious at first, I really wanted a dog, something I could cuddle and play with, but as normal, Dae got his way - he always does, haha. As a child he grew up with these animals, so I went with it.
ANYWAY, he came home with the small, sweet black and white animal who is a dog in the form of a guinea pig. Seriously, Bean comes when called, talks to me, licks me, and purrs like a cat, which is kinda odd, but normal - so I'm told.
It sounds strange, but Bean is my mini muse and is featured (under the alias Fred) in my upcoming novel, Flavours Of Our Life, due out early next year.

 

M. C. Rayne got into writing after the passing of his mother, and used it as an outlet to get through the difficult time. He never really thought about becoming an author, but since putting pen to paper he has never looked back.

Currently he lives in Leeds with his two best friends Dae and Pete, and his guinea pig, Bean. He spends a lot of time reading and writing, and far too much time procrastinating online.


M. C.'s Blog Tour Schedule:



10/22:Lorenz – Promo/Excerpt 10/23: Jude Ouvrard – Guest Post10/24:Lily G. Blunt – Guest Post 10/25: N. Wood -- Interview10/26:S.A. Jones – Promo/excerpts10/27:Jennifer Garcia – Promo/Excerpt10/28:Elizabeth M. Lawrence – Guest Post10/29:R.E. Hargrave – Guest Post10/30:Layne Faire – Guest Post10/31:C.W. Stevens – Promo/Excerpt11/1: K.L. Pratt – Promo/ExcerptSam – Promo/Excerpt11/2:Mich's Book Reviews – Guest PostThe Hive Book Reviews – Review/Promo/Excerpt11/3:11/4:    Wordpress http://mcrayneauthor.wordpress.com/FB https://www.facebook.com/pages/MC-Rayne-Author-Page/534108516611284?ref=hlGoodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7255637.M_C_RayneTwitter https://twitter.com/SimplyMatt2Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/M.C.-Rayne/e/B00G281I5K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_4

K. L. Platt

K. L. PlattIf This is Wrong 


If This Is Wrong
As children, Thomas and Caleb formed an unlikely friendship, which has continued through tragedies and celebrations and into manhood. They have grown together over the years, but now their relationship is changing into something more. Can their bond survive the challenges that life will bring them? Is it wrong to risk everything for the chance of something more?
Excerpt
“Why would you say that? I’m here ‘cause you’re my friend. It’s not like you did  it on purpose.” Thomas couldn’t look at his friend. What would he think if he knew he had kind of done it on purpose? All he had wanted to do was get muddy so he could change his stupid clothes; now he had spoiled everything.
“Tommy?” Caleb enquired.
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault; I just didn’t want you to see me like this.” He winced, pulling on his now dusty clothes.
Caleb didn’t understand what Thomas was saying. See him like what? 
“Tommy?”
“Look at me, Caleb, I’m dressed like I’m going to church, not a picnic. I want to be in jean shorts, like you, and baseball shirts,” he whispered, so his father couldn’t hear him. “I don’t want this stupid Brylcreem in my hair...I want it messy.” Thomas slammed his good hand onto the car seat, sending a shockwave through his injured one.
“Tommy, I don’t care what you wear. I’m not your friend for your dress sense; I’m your friend because you're funny and smart.” Caleb looked towards Benjamin and he swore he saw his mouth turn up at the corner.
Two hours later, they arrived at the park, with Thomas sporting a very smart blue cast on his arm. His father hadn’t argued when he was asked whether he wanted a plain one or a coloured one. Polly fussed over her son, saying she wished they had indeed used a plain one. Benjamin winked at his son and they laughed.



K. L. Platt lives with her family in the Devonshire countryside in the UK. She is a nanny, but her dream is to be a full time author. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t have a pencil, pen, or book in her hand. It was, however, the likes of J K Rowling and Stephenie Meyer that gave her the fire to drive herself to where she is today.
Always encouraged to follow her dream as a child by her own parents and grandparents, her grandma told her, “If you believe you can do it, then you can.” Her uncle was also a writer but sadly never got to have any of his stories published.


Karen's Tour Schedule:
10/23: Lorenz – Promo/Excerpt10/24: N. Wood -- Interview10/25: Jude Ouvrard – Guest Post10/26: Jennifer Garcia – Promo/Excerpt 10/27: R.E. Hargrave – Guest Post 10/28: C.W. Stevens – Promo/Excerpt10/29: Mich's Book Reviews – Guest Post10/30: Elizabeth M. Lawrence – Guest Post10/31: Lily G. Blunt – Guest Post 11/1:  Layne Faire – Guest Post          Sam – Promo/Excerpt11/2: The Hive Book Reviews – Review/Promo/Excerpt11/3: S.A. Jones – Promo/excerpts 11/4: M.C. Rayne -- Review
webpage: http://ow.ly/oXOC8 Fb page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/K-L-Platt/144866772345643?ref=hl

giveaway

*** UPDATE *** The winner of the ebook giveaway is Jennifer Richards Talbear! Congratulations! In honor of the release of Fall Fires, I'm giving away a copy of my ebook, Love, Unexpected. Sign up today for your free copy! 
Summary:
As Michael and Chuck's loving union comes to pass, two, gay members of the wedding party discover the sweet bonds of a comfortable companionship. Attraction becomes more as they recognize their true soul mate in each other, which fills the romantic void in their solitary lives. It seems only one, small obstacle stands in their way.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jude Ouvrard

Jude OuvrardWonderland


























Wonderland


Lucas Colton is far too young to go through all this pain but meeting poetry teacher, Preston Davidson, changed everything. His life went from heartbreak to joyful and then, from friendship to love. The impact Preston had on Lucas’ life was mesmerising.  What would you do if you knew you may not have a tomorrow?

Excerpt


When I arrived at Central Park, Preston was sitting by the statue of Alice in Wonderland with two steaming cups of coffee in hand. He wore a canary yellow sweatshirt with a pair of dark blue jeans and black leather converse.
“You’re on time,” I teased, taking one of the cups from him.
“I figure I shouldn’t waste any more time.” Preston took a sip of his coffee. “Life is too important right now. I don’t want to miss anything.”
“I can see that you’ve thought about my situation thoroughly.” I couldn’t help but be flattered. It was obvious now that he cared about me, even if just as a friend.
“I have a few questions for you. If you don’t mind, of course.”
Curious, I wanted to know what was going on inside his brain. Looking through his glasses, I saw how tired his eyes were, how the rims were red. He hadn’t slept all night, I would bet. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to answer all of them, but I’m willing to try.”
Preston made me nervous, and I hoped he wasn’t going to ask for a medical explanation. I had asked to be told what was necessary. The details weren’t important to me. All I knew was that I had kidney cancer, and that it had started to spread to my other organs. My lungs were affected, but they were giving me enough medication to keep me out of pain.
“I want you to name three things you can’t live without,” he said. That seemed pretty simple, nothing to be worried about.
“Coffee, a good movie, and cheesecake.” I laughed. “You took me off guard. I don’t know, but those are things that I enjoy, I guess.”
“It’s perfect. Now tell me: what would you do if bacteria were killing all the coffee beans in the world, and you foresaw that thirty days from now, you wouldn’t be able to find a single coffee bean in the world?”
Was Preston serious? What kind of question was that? I shook my head and smiled. “I’d drink as much as I could, and I’d try to freeze some to keep for special occasions.”
“Good answer. Now tell me: what would you do if the film industry decided that it was no longer profit-earning to produce movies and that thirty days from now, there wouldn’t be any movies anywhere for sale or rent?”
“I would buy as many movies as I could afford, and go to the movie theater one last time.”
“Another great answer. Last, but not least: what would you do if the Cheesecake Factory was going bankrupt, and thirty days from now, you couldn’t find a single piece of cheesecake in the entire world?”
“I would eat cheesecake for every meal, gain weight, and die of heart failure,” I joked.
Preston laughed. “I’m asking you all these questions because I’ve come up with a plan. You said you might have weeks to live. Let’s hope you have a month. You have to make the most out of it. You have to enjoy and do everything you’ve ever dreamed of doing. Are you ready to have the best time of your life?”
A smile spread over my lips. “Okay, I see where you’re going with this.”
“I’ll spend that month with you. I want to be with you every time you smile or cry, when you feel good, or when you’re in pain. You can’t do this alone, Lucas. So tell me: what is it that you’ve always dreamed of doing?”
“I’m a pretty simple guy; don’t need much to be happy, so forgive me if we aren’t going to Australia. I think we’ll stay here in New York.”
“Sounds good to me — and my wallet.” Preston looked at me, waiting for me to tell him everything I wanted to do before the end came.
 ~~~~~~~~

 


Jude was born and raised in a small village named Lacolle. She now lives in Montreal, Canada. She is the proud mother of a beautiful four year old son, and has spent the last twelve years with her partner, Cedric.


French is her native language, but she prefers to write in her second language, English.
Besides working full time for a Title Insurance Company and being a mother, Jude has a passion for books, both reading and writing them.


She is currently working on a novel called Body, Ink, and Soul. Coming soon!



Also by Jude Ouvrard:
Under the Sun, Heat Wave: Volume Two

website/blog: www.judeouvrard.com Twitter; www.twitter.com/judeouvrard www.twitter.com/authorjude_o
Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jude-Ouvrard/217369475054540?ref=hl
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7055526.Jude_Ouvrard
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/judeouvrard

About me: http://about.me/judeouvrard
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jude-Ouvrard/e/B00E3OGKUS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1379095938&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/jude-ouvrard 

N. L. Leeks

N. L. LeeksWinter's Love
 

Winter’s Love
A past relationship has left Jared Winter broken. When Eric Healey runs into him, Jared finds a reason to learn to trust again. The two men begin to fall for one another, but the prejudice around them threatens to tear them apart.Can their love survive in the real world?

Excerpt
“Hey! Jared! Yoo-hoo!”I cringed once more and turned to my sister, forcing a smile. “Hey, Rose-Anne.”“What are you doing here?” She giggled.“Well, Rose-Anne, in general one attends Asda, or any other supermarket, when they’re doing their food shopping,” I sniggered.Rose-Anne rolled her eyes and glowered at me. I knew what she meant and was trying to be subtle while avoiding her questions.“Jared, stop playing dumb with me. You know what I mean. Curry powder, two types of meat, and prawns? You only cook this fancy when . . . Oh! You have a date tonight, don’t you?” she squealed.Behind me, the cashier told me the check came to twenty-three pounds and some change. I handed her a twenty and a five and waited for her to hand me the difference. As she placed it in my hand, I took it and grabbed my already bagged shopping, thankful that it had been done while Rose-Anne had been interrogating me. Trouble was, she was still at it while I made my way back to the car.“Rose-Anne! For the love of all alive, will you please drop the subject? I love you to pieces, but for just once, can I enjoy something without having to be interrogated by you?” I yelled.I saw tears pool in her eyes and felt the guilt in an instant. Finding my car, I placed the shopping in the back and pulled her into a hug. I sighed. “I’m sorry, sissy, but sometimes you are just too much.” “Sorry, Jed.” I cringed at the nickname, “I know I’m too nosy for my own good. But it’s been so long since we’ve seen you with someone. We were beginning to think you had taken a life of celibacy, all because of . . .”“No! I don’t want to hear his name, sissy! Yes, I’m having someone over for dinner tonight. It’ll only be the second time I have seen him, so yeah I’m playing my cards close to my chest. And yes, I’m a little dubious about where this will go, but I won’t allow . . . him . . .to ruin everything good in my life, okay? My friend’s name is Eric, seeing as you’re dancing around I’m sure that’s what you wanted to ask me. Now that you’ve achieved your mission, you may return to our beloved parents and tell them anything you want, but no phone calls tonight!”






N.L. Leeks lives in England with her fiancé, whom she has been with since the age of eighteen. She first began writing when she was a child. Her friends, Matt and Lou, helped her reignite that passion as an adult, and her journey into writing began once more.

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