Amy Spector's Blog, page 4

The Death of Digby Catch Cover Reveal ❤️

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. My children are finally in bed, and I just finished making their Easter baskets and trying not to eat too much candy in the process. I should have tried harder! LOL

It’s late here, but as my newest book is now in the publisher’s online store, I wanted to attempt a proper cover reveal. So, take a look at my little pretty! :D

Mysteries were really my first love. So, it’s odd that this is only the second true mystery I’ve written. It was fun to write, so hopefully, there will be more mysteries in my future. Though you need to follow where your writing muse leads, and currently, for me, that is 1960s Hollywood.

Blurb

It had been more than eighteen years since August Catch’s uncle Digby had disappeared to the Cape to mourn the death of his sister. So, when August arrives at Arachne’s Loom to collect his late uncle’s things, he wasn’t expecting to find stories of a man larger than life. Or the very real possibility that Digby’s death may not have been from natural causes.

Theo Webb has had few people in his life that he loved, and fewer still he could trust. But the estate groundskeeper, Digby Catch, had been one of them. Returning home for his funeral, he’s thrown together with Digby’s nephew, and the attraction is instant. But so is Theo’s certainty that things surrounding Digby’s death don’t add up and that at least one person isn’t telling the truth.

Discovering a killer is difficult when someone is desperate to keep more than just their identity a secret. And when all the clues point in one direction, even Theo isn’t sure what to think. The two of them must work together if they’re going to solve a murder, and not let the thing growing between them be a distraction.

But then, maybe a distraction is exactly what they need.

The Death of Digby Catch is up for pre-order from JMS Books, and releases on May 7th.

Book Sale

Also, for anyone looking for a new read—who isn’t?!!—check out the Easter sale at JMS Books. All eBooks are 40% off, so it’s a good time to grab a few of those titles you’ve been thinking about.

You can find my titles HERE.

Or check out some of JMS Books’ other great authors!

The Death of Digby Catch Cover Reveal ❤️

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. My children are finally in bed, and I just finished making their Easter baskets and trying not to eat too much candy in the process. I should have tried harder! LOL

It’s late here, but as my newest book is now in the publisher’s online store, I wanted to attempt a proper cover reveal. So, take a look at my little pretty! :D

Mysteries were really my first love. So, it’s odd that this is only the second true mystery I’ve written. It was fun to...

Read Around the Rainbow: The perfect writing shack? Coming Soon & Book Anniversary!

When I was a kid—I don’t even remember how old now but I’d guess nine or ten—my family went in with four other families and rented a manor house on Cape Cod. It was an old, rambling place, with hand-painted silk wallpaper, a narrow servants’ staircase leading to a cramped, eight or ten person servants’ quarters, a terrifying—at least to a young me—attic with a hidden door, and its own private beach right on the Atlantic.

It also had weird, cast iron doorknockers on every bedroom door. Some were spiders or webs, others were bats. I’m sure they were not original to the house, but they did add a certain something. A certain atmosphere.

I’ve thought about that place a lot over the years. It has influence my writing—one of the very first story I ever worked on (unpublished) was about a haunted manor completely based on that house—and out of curiosity, I did discover the house was is still available to rent, though with a heart-attack-inducing weekly rate. So, no memory-lane family vacation for me! LOL

A few weeks back, I was invited to join the Read Around the Rainbow WebRing (Web-Ring? Webring?) which is, for those who don’t know—I didn’t—where a group of authors write on the same topic and share their posts together. The first topic was your perfect writing shack, but I knew right away that my perfect writing shack wouldn’t be a shack at all. If I could, I’d write in that old manor house, with its giant kitchen, and bedroom size butler’s pantry, clawfoot tubs, rolling lawn, and view of the sea.

That there wasn’t a television—heart-breaking to all the kids there at the time—would just make it all that much better. LOL

You can check out the other Read Around the Rainbow authors by clicking their names below!

Addison Albright • Lilian Francis • Fiona Glass • Ofelia Gränd • Nell Iris

A.L. Lester • K.L. Noone • Ellie Thomas

I hadn’t planned to talk about my up coming release so soon, but the story just so happens to be very much influenced by that Cape Cod trip from my childhood.

Back in July—I can’t believe it was that long ago!—I was invited to join author Holly Day (Ofelia Gränd), Nell Iris, A.L. Lester and K.L. Noone in writing stories involving Naked Gardening Day. I had never heard of Naked Gardening Day, and other than forced labor as a child helping in my grandmother’s big-ass vegetable garden, and my own failed attempts to grow things as an adult, I know little about gardening. But I liked the idea of a group project. The key was to make the story my own.

And thus The Death of Digby Catch was born. LOL

COMING SOON

Blurb:

It had been more than eighteen years since August Catch’s uncle Digby had disappeared to the Cape to mourn the death of his sister. So, when August arrives at Arachne’s Loom to collect his late uncle’s things, he wasn’t expecting to find stories of a man larger than life. Or the very real possibility that Digby’s death may not have been from natural causes.

Theo Webb has had few people in his life that he loved, and fewer still he could trust. But the estate groundskeeper, Digby Catch, had been one of them. Returning home for his funeral, he’s thrown together with Digby’s nephew, and the attraction is instant. But so is Theo’s certainty that things surrounding Digby’s death don’t add up and that at least one person isn’t telling the truth.

Discovering a killer is difficult when someone is desperate to keep more than just their identity a secret. And when all the clues point in one direction, even Theo isn’t sure what to think. The two of them must work together if they’re going to solve a murder, and not let the thing growing between them be a distraction.

But then, maybe a distraction is exactly what they need.

This was a joy to write!

Make sure to keep an eye out in late April for my cover reveal, an ebook giveaway, and if I can figure out how to do it myself—Booksprout no longer handles distributing author ARCs for free and I don’t publish enough to justify paying for a subscription—or find another service, maybe even an ARC.

The Death of Digby Catch releases May 7th from JMS Books .

CLUB 669 IS TURNING ONE!

Last but not least, tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of Club 669! It is mind-blowing that it has already been a year.

Club 669 was my first truly self-published book. Meaning, I found myself a lovely editor, begged friends and strangers to beta and proofread, and made my dearest Al and Ofelia spill all their secrets about book formatting and such.

It was scary and exciting, and luckily, paid off in a big way! Which allowed me to release book two in the series, The Whiskey Den, six months later.

I have books three and four planned for this year—I took off a little time to write The Death of Digby Catch and I’m currently wrapping up a standalone supernatural story for release from JMS Books later this year—but I’m hoping summer releases for book three.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped make Club 669 happen, including all those that took the time to read, review and recommend. Your part in the success of the House of Witches series cannot be overstated!

If you haven’t had a chance, and otherworldly dystopian paranormal gay romance is just your kind of thing, check out the blurb and buy links below.

Blurb:

Witch’s corpse. Witch’s ticket. Witch’s party.

As a counter-boy at a high-end men’s boutique, Charlie Jessup’s life consists of little more than work and sleep. That, and enough flirting to help guarantee his commission on sales will pay his rent. So when a twist of fate, and some behavior unbecoming that of a Ganymede employee, leaves him in possession of a dead man’s pass to a mysterious Club 669, Charlie has no desire to waste it.

Every seventeen years, the House of Witches throws a party like no other. It’s invitation-only, and for centuries it has helped ensure peace between the covens. It’s the last place Caspian wants to be, but with the death of Queen Avel, and his own imminent rise to the throne, it’s more important than ever that he attends. The stability of the House depends on it.

In four days a new king will be crowned, but when Charlie unintentionally crashes a gathering of the most secretive of all the Great Houses, he sets in motion a series of events that could disrupt the transition of power, and threaten the future of the House of Witches forever.

Universal Buy Link Publishing Partner See you next month!

Holiday Book Cover Reveal!

The holiday season is almost here! Personally, I’ve already started Christmas shopping—it takes a long time to ship overseas so starting early really is a must—but with Thanksgiving here in the US a week from today, the season is truly going to kick off.

I adore a Christmas story and have a few I make sure to read every year. The second book I ever wrote was a Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday story called Shiny Things about a man who runs into his high school sweetheart a few weeks before Thanksgiv...

Dirty Santa Release Day! • Advent Calendar Book Freebie • Upcoming Events • and a Big Thank You!

Happy December!

2021 is nearly over, and 2022 is barrelling our way. If you’d asked me a year ago where I thought we’d all be today, I would have guessed a hell of a lot closer to back to normal. I’d have predicted we’d have all seen the inside of more restaurants, and even a movie theater or two. But I’ve been lucky during the pandemic. Or luckier than many. And being an introvert, I’ve coped well with so much time at home. And when nothing else could, writing has kept me sane.

Including today’s new release, I will have published three novellas and two short stories. I’ve tried my hand at my first truly self-published series—House of Witches—and have been lucky enough to hook up with JMS Books, who I adore, and they’ve given me the structure and support I crave when working with a publisher.

In all these ways, it’s been a good year. And I am someone who needs to focus on the positives!

So today is the big release day for How to Cheat at Dirty Santa! It’s available on most online retailers, though as of the time I’m writing this, there might be a few still dragging their feet. *cough Google Play cough* but even those will be up, eventually. My first true Christmas book includes a hopeful romantic, a lot of insanity, and a frightful number of tidbits pulled from my real life. LOL

You can check out the buy links below—you can even still grab it at the pre-order 20% discount price directly from JMS Books—and the blurb. If you’d like to read an excerpt, you can check out my website HERE! And for another, longer excerpt, check out my guest post on Ofelia Gränd’s blog—which I believe posts today around 8 AM EST—by clicking HERE!

How to Cheat at Dirty Santa

Some things are worth risking the naughty list.

Jonah Newfeld is not someone men fall for at a glance. They have to get to know him first. So when he meets the perfect man, he knows he needs to play the long game.

Nathan Sharp is the newest guy on the customer service floor. He’s clever, kind, blessedly single, and volunteers weekends at a local animal shelter. Jonah wants to raise babies with him. But when Nathan’s sister starts trying to fix him up with her veterinarian, Jonah’s dream is put into jeopardy.

Jonah needs the perfect plan if he wants to win over the man of his dreams. But a terrible plan will have to do, and more than a little help from his friends. If Jonah can pull it off and manage to get the boy, it’ll be more than worth being put on Santa’s naughty list for good.

UNIVERSAL BUY JMS BOOKS ADVENT CALENDAR FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

As part of JMS Books’ Advent Calendar 24 Days of Free Books, I’m giving away Big Flames and Small. This was my first title published through JMS Books, and it is part of my Short North series. A series of contemporary, trope-y standalone romances that are all connected by location.

It’s FREE for December 15th—midnight to midnight EST—only! So, if you don’t already have a copy, you can click on the cover image below and grab it for free.

Big Flames and Small

Oliver Stoll’s life has gone up in smoke. Literally. Escaping an apartment fire, he’s made it out with little more than the clothes on his back and his best friend and downstairs neighbor, Mia. With few other options, he agrees to stay with David Elliston, Mia’s older brother. David was Oliver’s first crush, first kiss, first everything. That is, until the day they broke up five years before. It hadn’t been pretty.

David Elliston is back in town. Offered the chance to oversee the Kellmen Group’s newest magazine acquisition, he isn’t going to let a years old heartbreak stop him. But being thrown together with Oliver is harder than expected. And the flicker of hope he’s long tried to bury becomes even more difficult to contain.

Ex-lovers, best friends, and angry parents don’t make the best backdrop for rekindling a romance. But it’s the lies from the past that might just extinguish any chance they have of starting over.

Holly Day • Celebrating 12 Releases in 12 Months!

Looking for some book fun this weekend? Join me on Facebook this Saturday—December 18th—in celebrating Holly Day’s twelfth book in twelve months.

Holly Day writes stories celebrating the weird and obscure of the holiday world. From Kiss a Ginger Day to … Alien Abduction Day (???) and a lot of authors are showing up to help celebrate the true feat of publishing a story every month for this entire year.

There will be games and giveaways. And lots of book fun. So make sure to swing by the Ofelia and Holly group and check it out!

Not a member? You can join HERE!

THANK YOU!

And last, but not least, I wanted to thank everyone for their support over the last seven years. Seven years and hundreds of thousands of words. It’s hard to believe.

As much as I love to write, there are enough highs and lows that I know that without the support of my readers—your messages, your reviews, even just opening this email to see what I’m going on about *this* time—I doubt I’d still be sharing the weird stories and quirky characters that take up real estate in my mind.

This coming year, I have a lot more things to share and stories to write, and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

And however you celebrate, have a wonderful and safe holiday and a happy and healthy new year.

Holiday Book Cover Reveal!

The holiday season is almost here! Personally, I’ve already started Christmas shopping—it takes a long time to ship overseas so starting early really is a must—but with Thanksgiving here in the US a week from today, the season is truly going to kick off.

I adore a Christmas story and have a few I make sure to read every year. The second book I ever wrote was a Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday story called Shiny Things about a man who runs into his high school sweetheart a few weeks before Thanksgiving. There have also been a few Halloween stories in there too—do those count?—and today I have a new Christmas book up for pre-order! 

This one was a long time coming, as I first jotted notes about the idea nearly three years ago. 

I finally decided to write it for JMS Books’ Naughty or Nice author call, and it’s now up for pre-order on their website. It will start to appear in other online retail shops in the coming weeks, and will release on December 15th.

Which means…today is cover reveal day! Yay!

With no further delay—because I know you didn’t peek—here’s How to Cheat at Dirty Santa!

Blurb

Some things are worth risking the naughty list.

Jonah Newfeld is not someone men fall for at a glance. They have to get to know him first. So when he meets the perfect man, he knows he needs to play the long game.

Nathan Sharp is the newest guy on the customer service floor. He’s clever, kind, blessedly single, and volunteers weekends at a local animal shelter. Jonah wants to raise babies with him. But when Nathan’s sister starts trying to fix him up with her veterinarian, Jonah’s dream is put into jeopardy.

Jonah needs the perfect plan if he wants to win over the man of his dreams. But a terrible plan will have to do, and more than a little help from his friends. If Jonah can pull it off and manage to get the boy, it’ll be more than worth being put on Santa’s naughty list for good.

You can save 20% now when you pre-order How to Cheat at Dirty Santa directly from the publisher website. Just click the link below.

20% OFF At jms books

Excerpt

As promised, I ordered pizza for lunch. I made it a large -- enough for Reed, Lydia, and myself -- and we agreed to meet at our normal table. Lydia brought the drinks, and, as it turned out, Reed brought Kim and Becca.

“Hi?” I said when the three of them arrived.

"Don't worry," Reed assured me as they took chairs across from Lydia and me. "The girls want to help."

Kim and Becca were also on our team. They dressed alike, spoke alike, and spent their lunch hours hiding in one or the other’s car reading yaoi comics featuring incredibly slender men in dress shirts, ties, and wire-rimmed glasses.

“Of course we want to help.”

They spoke in unison. Their voices a hotel twins echo of one another as if they practiced being unnerving on the weekends.

"That means we only have fifteen people to worry about." Lydia had pulled out a notebook and was busy crossing their names off the list. "That’s only three people a piece if we split them up.”

She said it like it was a good thing. While I, on the other hand, was horrified that two more people knew about my infatuation.

As if she could read my mind, Lydia patted my leg. “It takes a village, hon.”

I squinted at her. It was one thing to say it took a village to raise a kid, it was something else completely to say it took a village to get me a boyfriend. Different, and sad.

“Thanks for the assist, ladies.” Lydia gave them a conspiratorial smile, and the girls clapped, each mirroring the other’s excitement at being brought in on the mission, and I swear to God I could feel the hair on my neck stand up on end.

“Firstly, is it best to have Nathan pick his gift first? Or last?” Team leads always ran the games, and since Lydia was ours, we could give ourselves the advantage from the start. “Or does it even matter?”

“First. Definitely first.” That way, if he didn’t pick my gift, it gave the five of us a chance to take his present, and force him to pick another.

“Next, any suggestion that might keep the others away from Jonah’s gift.

“Sal is allergic to peanuts.” This came from Kim and Becca, and I instantly rethought my hesitation at bringing them on board.

“Perfect.” Lydia pointed at Becca with a pen. “It will be your job to tell Sal the purple polka dot wrapped present is a box of ... peanut clusters?”

“Got it.” The girls clapped again.

In the end, everyone had their jobs. Spreading rumors, and telling flat-out lies, and just as important, listening. But not, despite Reed's insistence that it was fail-proof, no bribery. Paying out cash would take the whole thing from a possibly cute story we’d tell our kids, to a cautionary tale he’d tell his.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Halloween Release Day for The Whiskey Den (House of Witches Book 2)!

Happy Halloween!

Not only is it Halloween—my favorite day of the year—it’s also released day for the Whiskey Den (House of Witches Book 2).

I wanted to thank everyone who picked up an ARC copy of The Whiskey Den last week. I got a late start, so I don’t expect to see reviews for probably another week, but I hope everyone enjoys it.

If you like witches, and shifters and vampires, and sad, lowly humans—LOL—The House of Witches series might just be up your alley.

When I originally started writing Club 669 (House of Witches Book 1), I didn’t expect it to be more than a little one-off. I'd started it as a Tattooed Corpse Story, a series I have worked on with the amazingly talented author Ofelia Gränd where the two of us could play with genres and have a little fun. But by the time I’d made it through the first draft I knew I wanted to write more. So, yeah, sorry about that Ofelia. It just keeps happening!

With The Whiskey Den, we spend time with the witch Sebastian—the handsy one from Club 669— and he was a hell of a lot of fun to write. And, while I’m told it works as a standalone—I can never tell because I remember everything I’ve written far too well—it is still closely connected to the events of the first book.

Check out the blurb and an excerpt below…

Blurb

Bad things happen for a reason.

Adam Neive’s expiration date is closer than he would like, and it’s only a matter of time before he loses his position as a Ganymede counter-boy. When a friend helps him secure a part-time job at a whiskey bar, his only thought is to escape the looming shadow of the brothels. He never expected another run-in with the witch Sebastian.

Fourteen months after being booted from his coven, Sebastian has become convinced his brother’s death is connected to the wolves of The Whiskey Den. He just needs Adam’s help to discover how. But things are not always as they seem, and justice is more elusive than expected.

When an announcement from the House of Witches changes everything, Adam will need to choose between life within the safety of the king's Monastery and the uncertainty of the city. While Sebastian will have to decide if his family's honor and the life he thought he had lost forever is worth more than the life he's only begun to realize he wants.

Excerpt

After the doors were locked at two-thirty, and most of the staff had gone home, M had introduced himself, and he and Sebastian had shared a few drinks together at the bar.

M made small talk about the business and his family, and if it hadn’t been obvious to Sebastian that it was all a ploy to get him naked, he would have thought he had the wrong guy. Hugo would have found the conversation tiresome. Too tiresome to wade through for that first quickie.

His brother had never been good at feigning interest in other people’s lives. He’d barely been able to feign interest in the lives of his own siblings. Unless, of course, they crossed some invisible line he’d drawn.

“But enough talk.” M pulled the glass from Sebastian’s hand and smiled. “I have a better idea.”

“Finally. I was beginning to wonder whether you even liked men.”

Sebastian allowed himself to be manhandled—nudged and nipped—and expertly herded down the long, dim hall. They pushed through a door and into a dark room, and M flipped on the lights. The walls were lined with nearly empty racks, a few stray coats, left-behinds from who knew when, and a long counter with a set of drawers marked ‘Lost and Found.’

The moment he pushed the door closed, M began unbuttoning his shirt, and in moments had discarded it and pulled his T over his head.

Sebastian had to admire his speed, and the expanse of his chest, even if he had no interest at all in the wolf.

“You don’t mind if I smoke, right?” Sebastian pulled out his lighter, as he pretended to search for a cigarette with his other hand.

“No, you don’t.” M swiped it from his fingers and tossed it into the pile of discarded clothes. “No smoking in my place. Ever.”

Well, fuck. That had been his father’s lighter.

“Now take that off. I want to see you.”

Sebastian smiled, taking his time removing his coat and dropping it to the floor as he murmured a few simple words of an incantation, and then reached to splay his fingers over M’s breastbone.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, my little witch.” M grabbed his wrist, stopping him, and spun Sebastian around, pushing him hard against the wall. Empty metal hangers scattered across the floor, and M tugged at the waistband of Sebastian’s pants. “You’re right that we’ve wasted too much time already.”

In other circumstances, Sebastian might have found it a great start to a night. But not like this. Before he’d even thought about it, orange flames sparked from his fingers—his instinct for survival kicking in—overriding years of discipline to not reveal himself in public.

Conjured fire was far more powerful than any lighter, so it took only a thought to send M tumbling backward. He slammed hard against the floor, and Sebastian moved fast to press his hand, now wreathed in flames, against the wolf’s muscled chest.

“Tell me what—”

“Shit, shit, M.” A man stood at the door, eyes squeezed shut, mortified. He began backing out of the room but bumped into the doorframe. Sebastian had been so distracted that he hadn’t heard anyone walk in. “I’m so sorry.”

“Adam?” Even after all these months, just seeing him again made Sebastian’s heart pound in his chest.

Adam opened his eyes, this time truly taking in the scene, his gaze landing on where Sebastian’s hand flickered against M’s chest.

“Sebastian? What in the fuck is going on?”

“It’s not what it looks like.” The wolf stirred underneath his hand, and Sebastian focused harder on his spell.

“Really? M wasn’t trying to fuck you in the coatroom?”

“Okay, well maybe it does.”

“Did you drug him?”

“What? No, of course not.” Sebastian knew that for all Adam knew about him, there was no of course about it. “Now hush, so I can concentrate.”

He looked back down at the man under him. Shifters weren’t like humans. Humans were easy to manipulate through magic, but shifters took far more effort.

“I’m calling for help.”

“No, you’re not.” Sebastian didn’t want to have to cast on Adam as well. Not because he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to control both him and the shifter, but because of a whole slew of other reasons he didn’t want to examine. “Tell me about Hugo.”

The wolf’s eyes blinked open, but he didn’t answer.

“My brother came here the night he died. Was it to see you?”

“No.” The wolf shook his head slowly, his eyes vacant as if he was looking right through him. “Hugo.”

“What happened to him?” Sebastian was aware that Adam had moved to his side and knelt to get a closer look. “Who would want him dead?”

“M? Adam? Everything okay?” The call came from somewhere in the bar, and Sebastian and Adam looked at one another.

“Fuck.” They said the word in unison, and Adam pushed up.

“Just grab your coat and go home. If I can buy you time, I will.”

You can pick up The Whiskey Den by clicking the universal buy link below.

Universal buy link

Not sure? You can check out another excerpt on my website.

Excerpt

Release Day • Findley Black and the Ghosts of Printer's Devil!

It’s release day! 🎉 Findley Black and the Ghosts of Printer's Devil is finally available in stores. This is a short story about Owen Key, a man who inherits a bookstore from his biological father. A store that, as it turns out, is said to be haunted.

I wanted to thank everyone who pick up an ARC of the book. The reviews are starting to pop up, and I am thrill at Findley and Owen’s reception. I quite like them too. This one is a little bit of humor, and little bit of sweet, and a little bit spooky. I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one that thinks it’s a nice little Halloween romance. 🖤🖤🖤

Excerpt:

“So, any chance this whole ghost hunting thing was just a ploy to get me alone?” He was starting to sober up, and the idea of ghosts, even on Halloween night, was losing its appeal. “Just maybe?”

“Since I’m being honest?” Findley straightened, stepping close. “Maybe a little, at first, but I’m afraid now I’ve got my heart set on it.”

“Oh.”

Findley pulled the towel out of his hand, tossing it aside, and Owen’s heart began to pound. “Well, that’s disappointing.”

Findley smiled and then leaned in to kiss him, his hand on either side of the counter, pinning him there.

His mouth was warm, the kiss slow and deliberate, and Owen wrapped his arms around his neck, and allowed himself to be pressed back against the sink.

It felt good being kissed like this. To be touched and explored by another man’s tongue. Since moving back, Owen hadn’t so much as spent time in another man’s company. Not one that wasn’t way too young, and on his payroll. And they were strangers, yes, but it didn’t feel like all the times he’d kissed other strangers, in other places. Maybe that was because of what alcohol was still coursing through his system, or maybe it was because that, in some way, they’d lived on the periphery of each other’s worlds.

Whatever it was, when Findley pulled away, Owen fought the urge to pull him back.

They looked at each other a long moment, both breathless, and Owen hoped, both considering giving up on any thoughts to ghost spotting, in favor of getting each other off right there in the kitchen, or in the living room on the couch. Or maybe in the bed upstairs.

Owen would have voted for the bed upstairs. That way they could easily fall asleep and wake up a few hours later to do it again.

But finally, when Owen had been certain Findley was about to give in, instead, he stepped back and smiled. “Besides, haven’t you always wanted to see a ghost?”

“The thought had never occurred to me.”

Blurb:

Findley Black and the Ghost's of Printer’s Devil

Starting over at thirty-four is harder than Owen Key expected. Lonelier too. There’s Bella, and the odd assortment of kids he’d inherited when a father he barely knew left him Printer’s Devil. But his bookstore employees and his cat aren’t much good when it comes to getting laid.

Findley Black says a lot of things. At least according to everyone at the store. When Owen runs into him for the first time during one of his ghost tours, with his leather jacket and flirtatious looks, Owen finds himself more than interested in what he has to say.

Owen may have been hoping for a one-night-stand, but when Findley asks to stay the remainder of Halloween night in the Printer’s Devil in hopes of seeing the ghost of a serial killer, he finds it hard to say no.

Halloween is a time for ghost stories and trick or treat. But running out of candy is a bad omen, and it’s hard to get lucky when something otherworldly seems determined to ruin your night.

You can pick it up from most online retailers by clicking the universal buy link below.

BUY HERE

Or pick it up from JMS Books for 20% now through Tuesday, November 2nd.

JMS BookLooking for more Halloween fun?

Check out Ghost Dater from Ofelia Gränd

This is a short, Halloween follow-up with Sandy and Thad from the Rockshade PID series. But, as my TBR pile is in danger of an avalanche, this was my first introduction to the pair. I LOVE it. Werewolf ghost…say no more!

It is a ton fun, sweet, and being a Gränd book, a little dirty! LOL

Thaddeus Esax has a grumpy werewolf problem. For a year, he’s been mated to Sandulf Hunter, a ghost werewolf he brought back from the dead without meaning to. It’s been great. Thad’s been happy, and he believed Sandy was too. But Sandy has been sulking for more than a week, and Thad fears their relationship isn’t going as well as he believed.

The problem with being mated to a ghost is that said ghost never can leave your side, and therefore it’s extremely hard to keep secrets. Thaddeus wants to surprise Sandy, to cheer him up, but to do that, he has to trick him into believing they’re doing something they’re not.

Telling Sandy they’re having a Halloween party doesn’t go over well, but how do you trick a ghost? By making him believe he’ll be dressed up as a pirate for an evening, of course.

Universal Buy Link JMS BooksCOMING SOON
Coming October 31st
Coming in December

October is here! And so is Findley Black!

Happy October!

I’m a firm believer that Halloween isn’t a single day, but an entire month. And more than that, it’s a state of mind! Much like Ebenezer Scrooge, I try to keep Halloween in my heart all year long!

This year that worked out even better than normal when JMS Books sent out a call to its authors for short trick OR treat themed stories. They didn’t necessarily have to be Halloween stories, but… yeah, Halloween! It was totally happening, even though it was July.

A story about a bookstore that might just be haunted by more than the remnants of a father Owen Key never really knew, Findley Black and the Ghosts of Printer’s Devil is up for pre-order on the JMS Books website. I don’t think it’s materialized on any of the other retail sites yet, but you can pick it up from the publisher's website for 20% off now through November 2nd.

Check out the blurb and an excerpt below.

Findley Black and the Ghosts of Printer’s Devil

Starting over at thirty-four is harder than Owen Key expected. Lonelier too. There’s Bella, and the odd assortment of kids he’d inherited when a father he barely knew left him Printer’s Devil. But his bookstore employees and his cat aren’t much good when it comes to getting laid.

Findley Black says a lot of things. At least according to everyone at the store. When Owen runs into him for the first time during one of his ghost tours, with his leather jacket and flirtatious looks, Owen finds himself more than interested in what he has to say.

Owen may have been hoping for a one-night-stand, but when Findley asks to stay the remainder of Halloween night in the Printer’s Devil in hopes of seeing the ghost of a serial killer, he finds it hard to say no.

Halloween is a time for ghost stories and trick or treat. But running out of candy is a bad omen, and it’s hard to get lucky when something otherworldly seems determined to ruin your night.

Excerpt

The truth was Owen and Alexander’s relationship had been…complicated. Worse than that. They hadn’t spoken but a handful of times in more than seventeen years. He’d run off at seventeen and he’d never thought he’d come back. Yet, here he was, surrounded by the weird, makeshift-family Alexander had created for himself in Owen’s absence.

Through two doorways, around a small table of cookbooks, and up two steps, Owen was back in the main entry.

He reclaimed his place behind the counter, and Kayla pretended to straighten up the long entry wall of local author books to spy on Micah.

He was still on the porch, the clear vinyl curtain panels that helped protect the books from wind and rain and been dropped, and he perched on the wood railing talking to a guy with a bright, blue jacket and headful of chestnut curls. If Micah’s smile hadn’t been enough proof, any doubt that it was his date come early disappeared when they shared a lingering kiss.

In the light from the porch’s overhead fixture, Owen thought Micah looked like he must have at the same age—young, heart-on-your-sleeve naïve, and just begging to have his heart broken. It was depressing to watch.

Owen blew out a breath, looked away, and tried to pick up where he’d left off with bagging orders.

It wasn’t that he regretted anything from his own past. Not exactly. Not running away, not coming home again. There had been no one in New York to keep him there, and every enticement to leave. It was just that starting over again at thirty-four was harder than he had anticipated. Lonelier too.

He needed to get laid.

“What you need is a boyfriend.”

“You think?” Owen was pretty sure Kayla could read minds, and not only because she’d announced she could the first day they’d met. The girl was tall, with poker straight dark hair that she kept pulled back in a painful-looking ponytail, and atrocious taste in shoes. But she had excellent taste in books. He liked her. And because he liked her, and because she was young like Micah and still a romantic, he didn’t have the heart to disagree. “You find me one, I’ll give you a raise.”

“No, you won’t.” Yep. She could definitely read minds. “Besides, Findley always says bookstores are the best place to meet men ‘cause you’ll know they can read.”

From what he’d gathered over the last few months, Findley, whoever he was, said a lot of things.

“Literate is a plus.” Though, at the moment, Owen would have settled for clever enough to undo his pants. “But I’m not really looking.”

“Liar. No one spends that much time on their hair unless they’re looking.”

Yeah, he really did miss the days when the employees didn’t talk to him.

Want to read another excerpt? Or take advantage of JMS Books 20% off pre-order and new releases? Just click the button below.

JMS Books

In other news, The Whiskey Den (House of Witches Book 2) will be up for pre-order in the next couple of weeks—I’ve been busy writing or it would have been up already—and out later in the month.

And you can expect a Christmas release from me this year—also through JMS Books—as well as a freebie short story just for my mailing list members!

Make sure to keep an eye on your email!

Ghost Stories, Giveaways and a Re-Release Book Sale

First off, WELCOME to all my new Reading Group members that found me through the Queer Sci Fi Mailing List Sign-Up Promo for July. It is great to have you here, and I hope you’ve had a chance to read Cold Fingers (Cold Fingers Book 1) and enjoyed it.

A few weeks ago, when I should have been finishing up a second draft for The Whiskey Den, the second book in my House of Witches series, I instead took a week and a half break to write an October Halloween release for JMS Books.

It hadn’t been in my plans. I hadn’t really been entertaining a Halloween release at all, but sometimes unexpected things happen. And now Findley Black and the Ghosts of Printer’s Devil has been born! And I can’t be any happier!

Think bookstores and ghost tours, and instant attraction. ♥ ♥ ♥

I’ll be reaching out to my beta readers next week—or the one after—for this one—as well as The Whiskey Den—and will let everyone know the details on the release dates as soon as I have them.

I also wanted to let everyone know that today I’ll be taking part in a book release party for the first book in A.L. Lester’s new Bradfield series!

Make sure to stop by and see me—and all the other authors—for games and ebook giveaways!

I’m be stopping by at 2:15 PM EST.

Just click HERE to check it out.

And last, but not least! Pretty Plastic (Cold Fingers Book 3) is now available on the JMS Books website, and you can pick it up for 20% off now through August 21st.

Click HERE to check out the title on JMS Books.

Click HERE to check out the series.

I think that’s it for now! But I’ll be back in September with an ARC giveaway for The Whiskey Den, and some release dates for you. Until then, stay safe!