Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Good Karma, Good Books: Starling By Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae

 

Good Karma, Good Books: Starling by Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (I favor feathered hats and zebra prints
with a little crushed velvet) and help promote the new or old work of some of my favorite fellow authors. Be sure to stop by every week and see what’s new. 

This week, I’m all about Starling by Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae.

Here’s what the authors say about "Starling:"

Starling was inspired by a question, and then by our own fascination with the unglamourous parts of fairy tale of fame.

Racheline and I started writing together more or less by accident. We met through mutual friends and share loves of television, backstage stories, and romances that are a little dark and a little messy.

But loving backstage stories when one of you is a SAG-AFTRA actor and the other has a long history of working crew in school shows can be hard.  There’s so much to fantasize about, people don’t always get the reality right.

But what if? We asked each other. What if a guy who never wanted to be famous, became famous? And then, email by email, we started telling each other a story. And once we started, we didn’t stop.  A year later, we’ve sold two novels -- including Starling -- a short story, and a novellete, have a half-dozen projects currently in progress, and several currently out with publishers for submission.

For Starling and its sequels - Doves, Book 2, and Phoenix, Book 3, are now also available from Torquere Press -- we wanted to tell a story about the wonder and the terror that is fame. Starling may be a fairy tale -- that discovered in a diner narrative always is. But it’s not a the Disney fairy tale. Rather, it’s much more Hans Christian Andersen or Brothers Grimm.

Since Starling is a contemporary romance, it’s not that there are monsters lurking under the bed, but we are huge fans of magical realism and wanted to see how we could bring those ideas to a story, both magic and real, set in Hollywood.

As Alex, our guy who becomes famous, and Paul, the guy he falls for, navigate their way to their happy ending, things are hard and occasionally dark. Because life, after all, isn’t easy, and fame and success don’t make figuring out how to get, and keep, what -- and who -- you want any easier.

BLURB
Be careful what you wish for...

When J. Alex Cook, a production assistant on The Fourth Estate (one of network TV’s hottest shows), is accidentally catapulted to stardom, he finds himself struggling to navigate both fame and a relationship with Paul, one of Fourth’s key writers. Despite their incendiary chemistry, Alex’s inexperience and the baggage they’re both carrying quickly lead to an ugly break-up.

...Because the stars aren’t benign.

Reeling from their broken hearts, Alex has an affair with a polyamorous co-star and Paul has an ill-advised reunion with an old flame. Meanwhile, the meddling of their colleagues, friends -- and even the paparazzi! -- quickly make Alex and Paul’s real life romance troubles the soap opera of the television season.

But while the entertainment value may be high, no one knows better than Alex and Paul that there are no guarantees when it comes to love in Los Angeles.
BUY
Amazon
All Romance
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo
Publisher 

AUTHOR BIOS
Erin McRae is a queer writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. She has a master’s degree in International Affairs from American University, and delights in applying her knowledge of international relations theory to her fiction and screen-based projects, because conflict drives narrative.

Racheline Maltese lives a big life from a small space. She flies planes, sails boats, and rides horses, but as a native New Yorker, has no idea how to drive a car. A long-time entertainment and media industry professional, she lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.

Together, they are co-authors of the gay romance series Love in Los Angeles, set in the film and television industry -- Starling (September 10, 2014), Doves (January 21, 2015), and Phoenix (June 10, 2015) -- from Torquere Press. Their gay romance novella series Love’s Labours, set in the theater world -- Midsummer (May 2015), and Twelfth Night (Fall 2015), is from Dreamspinner Press. They also have a story in Best Gay Romance 2015 from Cleis Press and edited by Felice Picano. You can find them on the web at http://www.Avian30.com.

Monday, September 28, 2015

DREAMBOAT A Fevered Erotic Dream


Sexy. Surreal. Short.

BLURB
Do you ever wonder where the dream people come from? Those people who appear in our dreams yet we’ve never seen elsewhere? So begins the story of a young man visited in recurring dreams by his personal vision of a dreamboat. His exotic, Latin ideal man is swarthy, sexy, and ripped and knows exactly the right ways to please our hero. The dreams are surreal and sexy...but what happens when our hero encounters his dream man in real life? A short story by Rick R. Reed, a writer praised by the Lambda Literary Review as a "writer who doesn't disappoint."

EXCERPT
I turned and looked toward the mattress on the hardwood floor. A man lay amid the cream-colored sheets, his dark skin a contrast to the color and texture of the linens. His eyelids were at half-mast, looking both sleepy and lustful at the same time. The lids shadowed the palest green eyes I had ever seen, all the more brilliant in contrast to his dark (Latin?) skin. He smiled and his perfect white teeth and full lips lit up his stubbled face.

He patted the bed, inviting me to join him. I hesitated, the window at my back, feeling a strange sense of foreboding. He certainly looked inviting: his hard, muscular body sculpted from tawny granite and dusted with coarse, curly black hair. He cocked his head. “Come on, sweetheart.” His voice was deep as he sang a lyric from an old reggae song, “The bed’s too big without you.” He reached beneath the sheets and that’s when I froze.

ONTOPDOWNUNDER REVIEWS
Go in expecting the unexpected and I have no doubt you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Highly recommended.

BUY
Amazon Kindle

Friday, September 25, 2015

New & Notable: Audiobook of CASA RODRIGO by Johnny Miles

The thrilling and breathtaking audiobook of CASA RODRIGO (by my pal Johnny Miles) is now available and I want to share it with you.

BLURB
On a lush, tropical island inhabited by rogues, thieves and villains, where men take the law into their own hands, a father and son are thrust into tumultuous events that will change their lives forever.

Bernardo de Rodrigo is proud of his son. Alonso is handsome and winning, and everyone he meets is instantly drawn to the tall, warm Spaniard. But how could either of them have known that a forbidden love is about to claim Alonso's heart?

Arbol, the charismatic male slave who was saved from the clutches of Raul Ignacio Martín, feels an instant connection with Alonso, the moment he looks into Arbol's eyes, the moment they touch.

Bernardo has other things to worry about, however. He's trying to exorcise himself of an intensely gratifying yet shame-filled sexual affair with Raul, who secretly adores Bernardo but doesn't know how to show it.

When Raul blackmails Bernardo, their dark and sordid relationship not only threatens the bond between father and son, it places Arbol's life in danger. Now Bernardo must make a difficult choice that could further alienate his son while Alonso must find a way to keep the man he loves.

LISTEN TO THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS
Get a taste of this thrilling adventure here.

BUY
Audible 
Amazon 

iTunes 

MORE ABOUT AUTHOR JOHNNY MILES
Johnny Miles began his writing career in 1985, when his first erotic short story was published by Numbers magazine. His work has since then appeared in various adult magazines, including Blueboy, First Hand, andHoncho.

After working in varied careers - from typesetting and graphic design to massage therapy, from customer service to copywriting - Johnny re-entered the world of erotica in 2008 with the release of his first full-length novel,Casa Rodrigo. The controversial story was followed by Lauderdale Hearts,Learning To Samba, The Rosas of Spanish Harlem, Yuletide Knights andYuletide Knights 2: A Spring Frost, all available from Loose Id, as well as The Last Stop: USA, released by MLR Press. Non-erotic titles include Christmas Baby and My ABCs. 

In 2015, Casa Rodrigo With four and a half hours of pure aural entertainment and 12 outstanding actors, the story is richly layered and textured with sounds effects that will stimulate your senses. It's an immersive experience not to be missed!

Johnny is currently at work on Book Three of the Yuletide Knights series. He lives in Fort Lauderdale with his husband of 19 years and a grumble of pugs.


Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Good Karma, Good Books: In from the Cold by Carolina Valdez


Good Karma, Good Books: In from the Cold by Carolina Valdez

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (I favor feathered hats and zebra prints
with a little crushed velvet) and help promote the new or old work of some of my favorite fellow authors. Be sure to stop by every week and see what’s new. 

This week, I’m all about "In From the Cold" by Carolina Valdez.

Here’s what Carolina says about "In From the Cold:"

I selected this title because when young love fades and is reignited later in life to become something real, to me that is like coming in from the cold to warmth and acceptance.

BLURB
East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet…

Jon and Wendell were fourteen when they first experimented on each other and discovered they were gay. Lovers and in love, they drifted apart after graduation when Jon left to follow his dream to rock ʼn roll stardom. A heartbroken Wendell recovered by earning an animal husbandry degree at a California university. He returned to the small Oregon town where they’d grown up to raise sheep with his father.

Ten years later, Wendell’s contentment is shattered when Jon and his band arrive to play for their high school reunion. Love surprises them by flaring immediately into liquid heat. Jon asks Wendell to give up his life in Oregon and live with him in New York City. Wendell refuses, however, asking Jon to move in with him instead. But Jon refuses to give up his career and returns to Manhattan.

Will Wendell and Jon remain star-crossed lovers, or will they discover a way to bridge the distance and discover the true meaning of home?         .

BUY
Amazon

Thursday, September 17, 2015

TWO SIDES OF A COIN: The Horror Me and the Romance Me



Note: This post originally appeared at OnTopDownUnder Reviews.


The public sometimes sees two of me—one is the “Stephen King of gay horror” and that me writes books like A Demon Inside, Blood Sacrifice, and Third Eye. This Stephen King character is grizzled, bearded, and grumpy. You don’t want to meet up with him in a dark alley.

The other me is much lighter, in terms of psyche. That me is a gay romance writer. This guy, who is clean-shaven, has a smile for everyone, and is generally in a good mood, writes love stories like Chaser, Legally Wed, Caregiver and Dinner at Home.

These two me’s have seldom been left alone in a room together and when they have they have managed to produce books that are a hybrid of the two, books like The Blue Moon Café and Bashed. Those two combine the sometimes-at-odds with the other combination of horror and romance.

For the first time ever, the two me’s sat down in a café in Seattle’s free-spirited Fremont neighborhood (neutral territory because the horror me likes the big troll statue living under one end of the Aurora Bridge—see picture). In order to keep things, um, straight, the following interview uses HM to indicate Horror Me and RM to indicate Romance Me. And yes, you can romance me, anytime….

HM: So what are you doing here? Must you show up everywhere I want to be? Christ, I can’t get a moment by myself.
RM: Sorry, but it’s a free country. I can be anywhere I want. What’s that? A cappuccino?
HM (rolls eyes): It’s a black coffee. Drip.
RM: Well, I’m having the crème brulee latte.
HM: You would (snorts).
RM: I detect a note of disdain here.
HM: Well, there’s more than a note, Miss. Why are you sitting down at my table? Did I invite you?
RM: No, but I belong here as much as you do.
HM: Getting back to the disdain, I have disdain for you because you are taking over my personality and stealing my reputation. Before you happened along with your little love stories, I was doing quite well for myself writing about blood, gore, and things that go bump in the night. You know, mapping out nightmare territory. I had my author photos taken in cemeteries. People knew me for throwing a good scare into them.
RM: And they still know you for that, which is something you’d realize if you took a good, hard look at yourself. But I am here to tell you there is room for more than one writer under this rapidly-thinning head of hair.
HM: But why? Why romance? It’s the antithesis of everything I stood for.
RM: Not really. Romance, like horror, is ultimately about strong emotion. Fear, like love, is universal. So, we are not as different as you’d like to think.
HM: I’m not so sure about that. I write about people being killed, people being haunted, monsters, ghouls. I don’t see how that’s much like your la-di-da romance tales.
RM: Think of the emotions involved. The rising sense of excitement, the increased heart rate and perspiration, the breathlessness. All of those are present with both fear and passion.
HM: Okay, I get it. I get it. But does that mean you still have to step on my toes? You’re ruining my reputation.
RM: Just like with love, sweetheart, there’s room for variety, for harmony. I think we can coexist.
HM: But you seem so much more powerful lately. Just look at the books that have come from you over the past year.
RM: You’re right.
HM: Why is that?
RM (pausing to consider and take a sip of his latte): Maybe it’s because I’ve reached a different place in my life. I’ve reached a place where the stories I want to tell are about something other than the terror that life can bring, but the joy that life can bring, too.

See, for years, when you were really my dominant force, I was consumed with finding love in my own life. And I came close many times, for one reason or another, it never worked out. That is, until I met Bruce. He was the one. The perfect fit. The soul mate. The one with whom I can’t imagine not spending the rest of my days.

Once I was secure in my own personal romance, only then was I free to write about others’. Does that make sense? I needed to confront my fears (not just the ghastly, curl-your-hair ones), but the ones about being alone, about maybe never making that connection that was more than just passion, but family.

HM doesn’t say anything for a long while. He sips his coffee and eyes me, like I’m some sort of alien—not the illegal kind, but an invader from another planet. The kind he might write about. For a moment, I am afraid, he will fling the coffee into my face, but then a strange thing happens—he begins to fade away, just like the ghosts in the stories he used to pen.

Just as he’s about to disappear completely, he stops in mid-transformation and eyes me.
HM: I get you. You were who I always wanted to be. But, although I am fading away before your very eyes, I am not disappearing.

I am merging with you.

Bashed Blurb
It should have been a perfect night out. Instead, Mark and Donald collide with tragedy when they leave their favorite night spot. That dark October night, three gay-bashers emerge from the gloom, armed with slurs, fists, and an aluminum baseball bat.

The hate crime leaves Donald lost and alone, clinging to the memory of the only man he ever loved. He is haunted, both literally and figuratively, by Mark and what might have been. Trapped in a limbo offering no closure, Donald can’t immediately accept the salvation his new neighbor, Walter, offers. Walter’s kindness and patience are qualities his sixteen-year-old nephew, Justin, understands well. Walter provides the only sense of family the boy’s ever known. But Justin holds a dark secret that threatens to tear Donald and Walter apart before their love even has a chance to blossom.

Buy Links
Dreamspinner Ebook.
Dreamspinner Paperback.
Amazon Kindle.
Amazon Paperback.
AllRomance eBooks.


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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Good Karma, Good Books: Remembrance by Ravon Silvius


Good Karma, Good Books: Remembrance by Ravon Silvius

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (I favor feathered hats and zebra prints
with a little crushed velvet) and help promote the new or old work of some of my favorite fellow authors. Be sure to stop by every week and see what’s new. 

This week, I’m all about "Remembrance" by Ravon Silvius.

Here’s what Ravon says about "Remembrance:"

Remembrance is the most unique book I've worked on, and one that reflects my ongoing attempt to explore cyborgs in fiction and what it means to be human. Its also part of a larger universe of books I've written that all explore this same theme.

BLURB
The war is over. The majority of humanity has fled the dying planet to live in space, leaving behind a chemical called Overgrowth that will speed up the restoration of the war torn world.

Some were left behind, and not all by choice. As one chapter of humanity comes to a close, a soldier who thought he had nothing left and a historian who sees potential even in destruction will make a life out of what remains.

BUY
From the publisher, Extasy Books


Monday, September 14, 2015

COVER REVEAL: TRICKS (Now Available for Pre-order!)




I'm totally stoked to reveal the cover for my upcoming gay romance set in Chicago's Boystown, TRICKS from Dreamspinner Press. The cover, I think you'll agree, is gorgeous: the super-talented Reese Dante designed it and I bow down to the amazing magic she works (and thank my lucky stars she's been in my corner for several books now!).

The book, an opposites-attract love story about a nice but nerdy hunk and the stripper he falls for, will officially release on October 12, but you can pre-order it now at Dreamspinner Press.

PRE-ORDER
Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6949 
ebook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6948 

BLURB
Tricks can mean many things: sex partners, deceptions, even magic—or maybe all three. 



Arliss is a gorgeous young dancer at Tricks, the hottest club in Chicago's Boystown. Sean is the classic nerd, out of place in Tricks, but nursing his wounds from a recent breakup. When the two spy each other, magic blooms.

But this opposites-attract tale does not run smooth. What happens when Arliss is approached by one of the biggest porn producers in the business? Can he make his dreams of stardom come true without throwing away the only real love he’s ever known? This question might not even matter if the mysterious producers realize their dark intentions.

1st Edition published by MLR Press, 2010.

PRE-ORDER
Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6949 
ebook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6948 

NOTE: Pre-order the paperback today or tomorrow, Sept 15 and get it for 30% off! Going to GRL 2015? Price includes free shipping to the event in San Diego, where I can autograph it for you! 

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REPOST THIS BLOG! 

Thursday, September 10, 2015

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Homecoming

And we have a winner! Congrats to Cristina Manole! I'll be in touch to get you your copy. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Every Thursday, I use this blog to highlight a title from my list of books and stories already out there that you might have missed. This week, I'm throwing back to HOMECOMING, a story that shows there can be love after loss. One Amazon reviewer said:

"This is absolutely my favorite kind of story. The kind that takes me on a roller coaster ride and can make me cry, turn me on, and cause me to grip my e-reader more tightly before the uncertainty passes and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. And it's a hard combo to come by, because not many books actually make me cry. Get emotional? A little misty? Sure. But out and out sobbing like a child? Not likely, but this book did."

WIN A FREE COPY!
Leave a comment below to win a free copy of HOMECOMING. Winner will be announced next Wednesday, September 16.

BLURB
After losing his partner Toby, Chase faces a long, painful road back to life and love. At first, he doesn’t see how he can go on, but then Chase and Toby’s old friend Mike cajoles him into returning to Chicago for the annual International Mr. Leather Competition. There Chase revisits a world of hot, casual sex that he had forgotten existed, meets a friend who cares more for him than he ever realized, and discovers the possibility that he might yet find his way home.

BUY

Read an excerpt from HOMECOMING here.


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Good Karma, Good Books: More than a Suit: John by J.D. Walker

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (I favor feathered hats and zebra prints with a little crushed velvet) and help promote the new or old work of some of my favorite fellow authors. Be sure to stop by every week and see what’s new. 

This week, I’m all about "More than a Suit: John" by J.D. Walker.

Here’s what J.D. says about "More than a Suit:"

In the first book of the More Than A Suit series, John DeWitt came across as someone who's main interest in life was sex, with work a close second.

 I felt there was more to his character, so I explored that in the second story of the series. It was important that John tell the world who he really was, and our assumptions about him be damned!

BLURB

John DeWitt loves men and sex, as well as his job as a junior analyst with EnerGen International. Wei Pearce, club owner and judgmental jerk extraordinaire, thinks John’s just a loose, brainless twit who’ll do anything to take more men into his bed, and treats him like a pariah.

John has to prove to Wei that he’s wrong about him, and when he does, sparks fly in the best way possible. But will those sparks burn through the barriers between John and Wei to forge something new and lasting?

BUY
Amber Quill
All Romance Ebooks
Amazon

Thursday, September 3, 2015

THROWBACK THURSDAY: A quirky little HIV Love Story: NEG UB2


Every Thursday, I use this blog to highlight a title from my list of books and stories already out there that you might have missed. This week, I'm throwing back to one of a sequel to one of my very first happily-ever-after M/M love stories, VGL MALE SEEKS SAME. NEG UB2, the continuation of this story, brings in a complication that many real-life m/m couples face: a relationship where one partner is HIV+ and the other is not. For those of you who don't know, the acronym NEG UB2 stands for: negative, you be too; a common (and, I think, kind of cruel) shorthand in personals ads for weeding out the HIV+. Shawn Decker, HIV activist and author of the amazing book, My Pet Virus, had this to say about NEG UB2: 

"There's no protection from Reed's quick wit and ability to craft a winning and thoroughly enthralling love story."

BLURB
Poor Ethan Schwartz. It seems like he will never find that special someone. At age 42, he's still alone, his bed still empty, and his 42-inch HDTV overworked. He's tried the bars and other places where gay men are supposed to find one another, but for Ethan, it never works out. He wonders if it ever will. Should he get a cat? 


But all of that is about to change. At work, Ethan hears about a website that promises to deliver more than just the tawdry hook-ups associated with so many other sites. Ethan wants romance, and although he's always been a little shy about the whole cyber-dating scene, he figures he has nothing to lose. 



Well, maybe he does have something to lose: his self-esteem. After he posts his profile, he gets zero responses. But Ethan realizes one thing about the cyberworld that isn't true in the real one: Online, Ethan can be anyone he wants to be. 



And a new persona is born. The new Ethan is handsome (with someone else's pic) and the sudden recipient of dozens of online come-ons. What Ethan doesn't count on, however, is finding--among the propositions and the flattery--his one true love. Not just a gorgeous man, but one who suits him in almost every way. 



How does Ethan turn his budding cyber love into a real one? And can he hang on to his mystery suitor without turning him off with his deception? 

BUY
Amber Allure (on sale now for 25% off!)

Read VGL MALE SEEKS SAME First
Amber Allure (on sale now for 25% off!)

EXCERPT
...A few words, bald and to the point, could start things. Ethan propelled himself forward, in both senses: he walked so he was standing closer to Brian, and willed himself to say the words gathered on the tip of his tongue.

“I forgot your birthday yesterday because I had bad news.”

Brian’s brow furrowed in concern and he began to reach out for Ethan. “What? What was it?” He was about to wrap his arms around Ethan, but Ethan stepped back just out of his grasp.

Ethan almost relented, seriously considering the prospect of procrastinating, just putting the whole mess off for another day when he saw the hurt expression darkening Brian’s feature as he stepped away from him, obviously not wanting to be touched. It was a first for the couple.

But Ethan knew what he must say next and almost without thinking, let the words trip off his tongue. “I went to the doctor yesterday.”

Brian’s face, if possible, became even more touched by pity and concern. It was breaking Ethan’s heart. “Are you okay?”

Ethan looked over Brian’s shoulder, toward the kitchen, steeling himself for the words that would come next. “It was a follow-up to my last check-up and—” Ethan bit his lower lip. Say it. Just say it. He let out a rush of air, on the tail end of which was the sentence: “And I found out, much to my surprise, I am HIV positive.” He returned his gaze to Brian, who stood stunned, mouth open and staring at him. Now that the words were out, it was a little easier and he continued. “My T-cells are at 380 and my viral load is around 12,000, whatever the hell those numbers mean. I just know they’re not good.”

Brian shook his head. “Babe, I’m so sorry.”

Ethan’s anger and hurt kicked in, suddenly, and with the force of a fire bursting into a conflagration. He had never experienced going from confusion and despair to rage so quickly. It was all he could do not to strike Brian, to punch the silly expression of concern stamping his features right off his face. How could you? How could you?

“Yeah,” Ethan said, a smile born of ire pulling up the corners of his mouth. “Yeah. You should be sorry. Did you just not tell me for a reason? Did you think maybe those few times we dispensed with a condom we’d just be lucky? Did you just get infected too? Maybe while you were with me?” Ethan spat the last words out, glaring at Brian, his breath quickened.

Brian shook his head. “Ethan, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, please. Don’t.”

“Can we just sit down and discuss this? Sweetheart, I’m so sorry you’ve had this news, but it’ll be okay. There are treatments—”

“Oh, don’t patronize me. Don’t try to placate me. And no, I don’t want to sit down. I don’t want to discuss this.” As rapidly as the rage had come, so did the tears. Ethan angrily batted them away, not wanting Brian to see. “I was hoping you’d at least be enough of a human being to tell me the truth. I was hoping you’d at least be a man and own up to the truth.”

“What truth?”

“Oh, come on, Brian. There’s no one else who could have infected me. As the song goes: it had to be you.” Ethan almost laughed as he imagined doing his best Harry Connick, Jr. impersonation and singing a few lines from the old standard. But he was afraid if he started laughing, it would turn giddy and breathless, hysterical, and would never end.

Brian shook his head and Ethan noticed his ruddy complexion had faded to ash. “I don’t think I am.”

“What? What don’t you think you are?”

“Positive. If I didn’t believe that, I never would have made love to you without protection.”

Ethan didn’t know what to say. A new, and even more sickening possibility dawned on him: maybe Brian was telling the truth. Maybe he was just as newly infected as Ethan…and that would mean there was someone else. That the fidelity he had counted on and prized was nothing more than a sham, another self-deluding lie he had told himself in his pathetic quest for connection...

BUY
Amber Allure (on sale now for 50% off through September 8)

Read VGL MALE SEEKS SAME First
Amber Allure (on sale now for 50% off through September 8)

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Good Karma, Good Books: When One Door Opens by JD Ruskin

Every Wednesday, I put on my pimp clothes (I favor feathered hats and zebra prints with a little crushed velvet) and help promote the new or old work of some of my favorite fellow authors. Be sure to stop by every week and see what’s new. 

This week, I’m recommending you try When One Door Opens, by the amazingly talented JD Ruskin.

Here’s what JD says about When One Door Opens:

"My central characters have very different backgrounds and very different life struggles. I liked the idea of them realizing they have more in common than they thought. My particular style of writing is an odd combination of humor, romance, and angst. I need all three to make me happy. Caleb and Logan have serious problems, but that doesn't mean there aren't moments for love and laughter.

"I have a personal connection to the character of Caleb, because I've experienced social anxiety and panic attacks, though not as severely as Caleb. It was really important to me to portray agoraphobia as accurately as I could. Love can't cure agoraphobia or alcoholism, but love can be the support people need to reach recovery. When I was researching agoraphobia, I read an article about a woman who died in a fire in Chicago because she refused to leave the building. The woman was agoraphobic. I remember being so shocked and saddened by this article. Imagine a fear so great that it can override your instinct for self-preservation. I'd never considered agoraphobia could be life threatening. Or how it can control people’s lives.

"I don't drink alcohol, which might seem strange considering Logan is an alcoholic. I made the decision not to drink when I was a teenager, because alcohol abuse runs in my family. I have no moral objection to adults imbibing, but you'd likely be shocked by the number of people who try to convince me to drink alcohol to this day. Many of them actually get offended when I turn them down. Logan has to resist the urge to drink while being surrounded by temptation. Ultimately, I believe we get our greatest strengths from those we love. Our will to fight for the life we deserve.

BLURB
Logan Sellers's parole officer has issued three commandments: stay sober, stay employed, and stay out of trouble. At first Logan thought those three simple rules would be easy to follow. But that was before he accepted a side job assisting his boss’s housebound agoraphobic nephew, Caleb. 
 
Caleb is deceptively normal for a guy who hasn't left his apartment in three years, and his friendly, caring personality tugs on heartstrings Logan didn’t know he had. But hitting on his boss’s nephew is asking to be unemployed. Logan has enough problems with booze on every corner and a supervisor trying to jump into his bed. He doesn’t need to work out how to free Caleb from the anxiety that keeps him in his apartment; he needs to keep his nose clean, attend his AA meetings, and make a fresh start--alone. 
 
If only his heart would get with the program.

BUY