Roger Kean and his Books

[Preston, Moderator]

This section is for discussion of books by Roger Kean and Zack because Roger has been an active participant in the Complaint Department from the beginning and has stayed active and available in our group. He posts complaints regularly and he is a good friend to the Complaint Department. So as co-moderators Boyd and I decided that if he would continue to honor us with his presence we would create his own section of Authors and other Self Promotion.

Also, he's really fun as a player here in our Games Section and we want to keep him playing the games.

[Preston, Moderator]

Roger's most recent novel, the 145,000 word Gregory's Story was published as an ebook today on Smashwords and is also available on Amazon in Kindle format and momentarily in paperback.

This is a good place to discuss it, make comments and perhaps ask Roger questions.

[Roger]

As of 08:14 GMT+1 "momentarily" is, according to CreateSpace 5–7 working days, but past experience suggests the paperback edition should appear sooner, maybe just two days. I approved the proof even thug, I'm editorially ashamed to say, there are still 5 widow-orphans which escaped me (one is impossible to correct), but I thought they're not worth holding up things for another two days, and many mainstream publishers don't seem to care about them any more.

[Roger]

Ah, and thank you Preston, thank you Boyd…

[Roger]

The paperback at exorbitant price is now available at AMZ.

[Preston, Moderator]

Roger wrote: "The paperback at exorbitant price is now available at AMZ."

That was close to momentarily. Almost as fast as Zaki and Gregory lost their carefree childhood and ended up in the military.

[Roger]

How true! CreateSpace-Amazon enjoy lying, or it's called CYA.

[Preston, Moderator]

The Complaint Department is holding a contest to win a free ebook of Roger Kean's most recent novel Gregory's Story. It is a stand alone story so it is not required that you read A Life Apart first but it is highly recommended to increase your enjoyment of [book:Gregory's Story|18169210 which also takes place during the British Mahdist Wars in the Sudan.

The contest is being held from July 15th through July 26th 2013. If you are like me you cannot wait to read it so buy a copy now (I did!) and if you win the book give it to a deserving person to read.

As is our custom here the winner will be selected from a random drawing.

As of July 18th at 7:13 pm GMT people have a 25 percent chance of winning. Go to this link to enter:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

[Boyd, Hunk of hunky burning passion]

It's a one in six chance of winning as of this moment.

[Roger]

Yay! Just received the paperback edition of and it feels like weighty humdinger! And how much better the maps come out in print rather than on an e-reader screen.

[Tj]

Just found out Roger has posted as a guest post on Thorny, Not Prickly. Also contains another chance to win a copy of Gregory's Story! Here is the link: http://thornysterling.com/2013/07/19/...

[Preston, Moderator]

Tj wrote: "Just found out Roger has posted as a guest post on Thorny, Not Prickly. Also contains another chance to win a copy of Gregory's Story! Here is the link: http://thornysterling.com/2013/07/19/......"

Winning a book is good but reading what Roger Kean has to say about Gregory's Story is worth a trip to the Thorny Not Prickly blog at:
http://thornysterling.com/2013/07/19/...

[Roger]

And there's more at Summer's Point…

http://summermichaels.blogspot.co.uk/...

[Preston, Moderator]

I am greatly dismayed that there are only two days left to enter the contest to wing an copy of Roger Kean's amazing new 145,000 word novel Gregory's Story.

Right now contestants have a 1 in 7 chance of winning. Change the odds. Enter the contest at:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

[Tj]

Alright. I wasn't going to post this since I tend to be kinda private on my reading but I do review for a blog. I reviewed Felixitations. You can see it here http://reviewroses.wordpress.com/2013...

Wonderful book:)

[Roger]

Hey, thanks so much, Tj. I really appreciate it, and that you speak your mind. I always knew Felix couldn't appeal to everyone, or even be an easy read. So I am glad it came out all right in the end. However, I promise the other novels are much more straightforward! :)

A few people have asked me which segment I'm most proud of—always a difficult answer, but in fact I think "Two Little Boys" does it for me.

[Rick]

Yes, "Two Little Boys" was quite well done - you should be proud of that one. I don't know if it was my favorite, but it was certainly memorable, powerful and poignant.

[Tj]

Oh, that was such a good one! Those two boys really were sweet during such a troublesome era for biracial couples, won't even mention the danger of being a gay couple. Since I married outside my race it reminds me how, what I take for granted, couldn't always be.

[Preston, Moderator]

"Knowing Felix" is my favorite Felixitations story because it has a sense of realism I liked. Very real indeed. Felix is a snot but things work out for the best which is my favorite kind of felicitous outcome . Also it's Ludlovian.

[Roger]

I still remember exiting that Cottage Hospital in front of St. Laurence's like it was 1am yesterday…

"Two Little Boys" came about because Oliver chided me for not including something set in America and wanting something based on Two Little Boys (Rolf Harris version…) and so it pleases me because I sat down and wrote it and the follow-up "Dust-off Vung Tau" in four days after two days immersing myself in Stift's Station and Little Rock, and then reading hundreds of Vietnam accounts. My editor friend Charles Edward admitted being of little use in the Arkansaw vernacular, as he lives in Tennessee, but he had an aunt, or some relative, from the area, so that helped with a couple of tricky phonetics (particularly "Ant-eat-’em, a place no Englishman knows how to say properly, let alone how a 5-year-old might).

[Preston, Moderator]

What no Auntie Em in the UK? Is the Wizard of Oz unknown there? Or is this referring to the Civil War Battle of Antietam where 22,000 soldiers died in one day?

[Roger]

Antietam – An Englishman would naturally say: Anti-Tam

[Really, writing now…] :-))

[Rick]

Finished Thunderbolt:Torn Enemy of Rome the other day. Fantastic! I was balling like a baby during the last couple of chapters. Absolutely heart-wrenching. Loved every page of it!

[Boyd, Hunk of hunky burning passion]

Rick wrote: "Finished Thunderbolt:Torn Enemy of Rome the other day. Fantastic! I was balling like a baby during the last couple of chapters. Absolutely heart-wrenching. Loved every page of it!
[bookcover:Thunde..."

Malco longs for a place where "it's free and independent, where courage, manliness, and honor still count." That sums up Malco well, independent, courageous, manly, and honorable. He is also generous with his steadfast love. It's a magnificent book and its impact has stayed with me for over a year without any signs of diminishing.

Malco is also Oliver Frey's most beautiful cover for Roger's historical novels. He is so beautiful, as I have said before, even his scar is beautiful. The red and gold fire and purity that Oliver put in his eyes are perfection. They deserved to be seen at a larger size so we can remember our hero and how Oliver captured all of his courage, nobility and love in that face. So here it is again:

[Rick]

Yep, gorgeous cover to a gorgeous book.

[Roger]

Thanks, Rick. I am pleased you enjoyed it. And to think, Malco came to within a score miles of where I sit now. They covered great distances on foot then we might balk at in a car.

[Rick]

I can see it now:

Hiking Tour! Follow Malco's travels! :)

[Preston, Moderator]

Rick wrote: "I can see it now:

Hiking Tour! Follow Malco's travels! :)"

If the bears don't kill you the lions will.

[Mike]

Rick wrote: "I can see it now:

Hiking Tour! Follow Malco's travels! :)"

Intriguing!

I started reading

Gregory's Story this week, and like Malco's tale, I am completely wrapped up in the story. Impressive story telling, Roger.

[Preston, Moderator]

Gregory's Story this week, and like Malco's tale, I am completely wrapped up in the story."

What about A Life Apart?

[Roger]

Still time to get back to A Life Apart!

And thank you, Mike :-))

[Rick]

Preston wrote: "Gregory's Story this week, and like Malco's tale, I am completely wrapped up in the story."

What about A Life Apart?"

That's coming up: I have to finish

We and Night Shadows: Queer Horror first then there's all my textbooks for this semester. And then I have to decide if I want to read Boys of Disco City or A Life Apart next. Decisions, decisions ....

[Preston, Moderator]

Rick wrote: "Preston wrote: "Gregory's Story this week, and like Malco's tale, I am completely wrapped up in the story."

What about A Life Apart?"

That's coming up: I have to finish

We and Night Shadows: Qu..."

As stated in the blurb for A Life Apart "...Gregory’s Story is the companion to A Life Apart. While Gregory’s Story stands alone as a novel, the events are greatly enriched by having first read A Life Apart."

I was just surprised that you are reading the second book first because it means not knowing some of the ancillary characters well and Gregory's Story takes place in the 1890s while the first book A Life Apart is during the 1880's so your reading of the history of the Mahdist Wars will be going in reverse.

No big deal since as the blurb says Gregory's Story is a stand alone novel.

[Mike]

Roger wrote: "Still time to get back to A Life Apart!

And thank you, Mike :-))"

You are more than welcome Roger.

[Roger]

I'm all turned-up inside that someone has gone and nominated Gregory's Story as a candidate for Book of the Month for October in M/M Romance Group.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

[Roger]

Gregory's Story is up as October BOM at M/M Romance.

[Roger]

Hello lovely complainers! Don't forget to go and make a nuisance of yourselves in the M/M Romance Group Book of the Month for Gregory's Story at: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Roger]

Hi all Complainers,

Just to let you know that I will be Stacey Jo’s guest for an Author Chat this coming Saturday 26 October between 3–5pm U.K. time, 10am–Noon EST, 7–9am PST.

(U.K. clocks change at 2am Sunday 27, U.S. clocks change – where they do – November 3)

We’ll be chatting about Gregory’s Story, as well as a A Life Apart, Thunderbolt – Torn Enemy of Rome and anything else anyone would like to raise.



Perhaps the differences between those and the ones I write under my partner Oliver Frey's pen name of Zack, the Adventures of Gil Graham and Mike Smith in the Boys of… series.



If you haven’t visited the chat room before go to: http://webchat.xs4all.nl/index.php

You should see three boxes: orange, green; yellow. In the yellow under Irc network select “IRC net” (should be the default). Enter a nickname (I will be using my name). Under Chatchannel select “Other”. The box will change to a blank with #. Enter “grmmr” (Goodreads M/M Romance) so you get “#grmmr”, then hit GO!



All those online appear in the column window to the right. The type entry line is at the bottom. Usual suspects apply : ☺ ☹ :p :D etc.

I would be delighted for you to join in, so please keep the spot free:

Saturday 26 October, 3–5pm (15:00–17:00) U.K. / 10:00–Noon EST

Cheers!

Roger

[Rick]

Roger, I must bow my head in shame. I was just far too busy.

You may spank me at your leisure.

[Roger]

You will have to present yourself at the headmaster's door for chastisement at the first opportunity.

[Rick]

Hmm. Funny how those lockers look a bit like a TARDIS... Doesn't seem to make me fearful in the slightest. ;)

As soon as I'm in England I'll do just that.

[Eric]

Uh, what's a TARDIS?

I suspect it's a Whoville thingie, but haven't the foggiest, really.

>g<

Eric

[Roger]

Bur Rick, the lockers are the same size inside as outside

Eric: Time and Relative Dimension in Space

[Rick]

Eric wrote: "Uh, what's a TARDIS?

I suspect it's a Whoville thingie, but haven't the foggiest, really.

>g<

Eric"

It's a sad day in Whoville when someone doesn't know that the TARDIS is a blue police call box. Clearly you're not a Whovian. ;)

[Preston, Moderator]

Roger wrote: "Eric: Time and Relative Dimension in Space"

TARDIS outside:



TARDIS inside:


(Note: has gone through a number of remodeling/redecorating jobs over though the years.)

[Boyd, Hunk of hunky burning passion]

The time and space I'm interested in is 1880-90s in the Afghan/Pakistan borderlands so I can find out what (and who) Harry is into. I want to read about the world's longest happy trail and whose belly it leads to!

[Roger]

I'm deep in research. Simply saying, "oh, he's a wily Pathan," or "Ah, here comes a Pashtun speaking Pashto" doesn't cut it. There are Tajiks, subdivided into Badakhshi, Panjshiri, Shomali, and Salangi; the Hazars; Uzbeks and Turkmen, then the Aimaq, who are sub-divided into the Jamshidi, Firozkohi, Taimani, and Taimuri…

It's all very complicated, but worry not, Harry will find one of them sympathetic :)

[Roger]

Yay! Both A Life Apart and Gregorys Story have been nominated in the Best Historical category of the 2013 M/M Romance Member Choice Awards.

[Lori S.]

Congratulations Roger!

[Roger]

Thanks, Lori! There are a fair few in the category, so we'll see how the voting goes once it starts.