Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Honored and Thrilled! 2 of my Titles EPIC eBook Award Finalists

Just got word yesterday that two of my titles have been honored with the distinction of being EPIC eBook Award finalists. Caregiver is up for the award in the Contemporary Romance category; and Penance finaled in Horror.

The award will take place this coming March at EPICon in Vancouver, WA. Wish me luck! And best of luck to all the finalists. Complete list of finalists here.





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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Voting for Romney? Please Read THIS.

I don't usually get into politics on this blog, but I thought the letter below, written by actor Max Von Essen (who currently stars in the Broadway revival of EVITA) and posted on Facebook was too important not to share.

Von Essen succinctly says what I think and hope the letter below makes YOU think...


Today, I wrote this letter to an old friend who expressed his support for Romney on my Facebook page. I felt the need to share.

Hey ( ),
Listen, I know you didn't mean any harm commenting on this post and I like you, we had some great times growing up. But Romney and Ryan believe that I am less than you. They believe I am a second class citizen and don't deserve the same rights that you had the privilege of being born into simply by being straight. They want to add a constitutional amendment that will ban gay marriage forever. It will set us back decades and ensure that I never legally have the opportunity to have a family or a partner in my lifetime.

They also believe that being at your partner's side when he/she is dying is a benefit, not a civil right. They could keep me from my partner dying in a hospital. Could you even imagine something like that in your own life? Being separated from your wife on her death bed? Could you imagine your marriage never being recognized and being told that your family is not a family and you do not deserve any federal rights that comes with marriage. Over 1100 rights. Did you know that? 1100.
Ryan doesn't believe in the hate crimes act fought unwaveringly for by Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, murdered for being gay in Wyoming. Murdered for being gay. Could you imagine if I was murdered for being gay? Could you really look my mom in the eye and say 'oh well, we can not prosecute this crime as a hate crime'?

I know there are important issues involved in this campaign. I know people are suffering and the economy has not improved at a rate we all wish it would. Yes, people are suffering but the gay and lesbian community has been suffering for hundreds of years and I am so tired of it. So tired of feeling that I am less than. So tired of knowing I have friends on here who will vote for someone who will keep me a second class citizen for my entire lifetime. I have already spent half a lifetime hiding, half a lifetime conforming. It is exhausting, demeaning and I am worn out. I want to love myself full out. I want a president who can look me in the eye and say 'You are equal!' 'You are equal to everyone else in this country and I will fight for your rights. The time is now and it is long overdue.' Romney and Ryan could not look me in the eye and say that and I feel sorry for every gay and questioning child who might have to listen to a president who believes that he/she is not equal. Children will take their lives. It is the WORST form of trickle down bullying and it absolutely splits my heart in half. When the president says you are less than, it gives permission to every authority figure, every politician, every teacher, every bully on the playground to push you around and bully you and treat you less than. It is dangerous and lives will be lost.

If this is not important to you, please remove me from your friends list. I need people in my life who love me and consider me 100% equal.

Max

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Friday, October 26, 2012

New Cover Alert: BEAU AND THE BEAST

It's always exciting when a cover designer delivers his or her take on a story you wrote. Today, Amber Allure's cover designer, Trace Edward Zaber, delivered the cover for my modern-day, gay twist on a classic fairy tale, Beau and the Beast.

I think it's pretty cool. What do you think? Beau and the Beast releases on November 18. Here's what it's about:

COVER BLURB
Inspired by the timeless tale, “Beauty and the Beast”, by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, Rick R. Reed has crafted a new fairy tale for our times that manages to be ethereal, romantic and ripped-from-the-headlines realistic.

Beau is a down-on-his-luck street artist living on the streets of Seattle, drawing portraits of tourists to make enough money to live hand-to-mouth. He has a knack for capturing his subjects’ “very souls” on paper. One rainy night, he is accosted by a group of fag-bashing thugs, intent on robbing him of his art supplies and humiliating Beau for who he is. Beau is beaten into unconsciousness…

…and awakens in a beautiful bedroom, his head bandaged and with no memory of how he got there. Outside his window pine trees and mountain vistas beckon.

Beau’s tale grows even more mysterious when a large, muscular man begins bringing the injured Beau his food. The man says nothing—and wears a wolf mask. When he finally does speak, it’s only to tell Beau to call him “Beast.”

What secrets does the wolf mask hide? What do these two outsiders have in common? And will their odd circumstances bring them to the brink of love—or tear them apart? The answers lie in Rick R. Reed’s haunting love story that reveals that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

New RAVE Review for CHASER From TwoLips Reviews!

Just wanted to let everyone know that my chubby chaser love story, CHASER, just got five lips from Two Lips Reviews, their highest rating. In part, the reviewer, Tina, said:

"This is one book I will have on my keeper shelf. When I want a heart touching story with sweet but hot sex and a message I really love, I will pull out Chaser..."

Read the rest of the review here.

I am just thrilled and wanted to share the good news with you all.

If you want a copy of the book, check out the links below.

Buy CHASER
ebook
paperback
Kindle
Nook




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Monday, October 8, 2012

Dreamspinner Press Celebrates Halloween!

Dreamspinner Press celebrates Halloween in style!

During the month of October, we will be offering the following special discounts.

October 1-4: All eBooks in the Angels and Demons category will be 25% off.

October 5-7: All eBooks in the Shifters and Vampires categories will be 25% off.

October 8-11: All eBooks in the Fantasy, Fairytales and Other Paranormal categories will be 25% off.

October 12-14: All Yaoi eBooks and eBooks by our authors who are attending YaoiCon in Los Angeles will be 25% off.

Amy Lane, Mary Calmes, Nessa L. Warin, Shira Anthony, Lori Hawkins, Rhys Ford, Augusta Li, Eon de Beaumont, EM Lynley, Venona Keyes

October 15 - 18: The 2008 Advent set will be available for 44.99 through October 31. It will go out of print on November 1, so don't miss your last chance to get it! All Christmas eBooks will also be 25% off.

October 19-21: All eBooks by authors attending GayRomLit will be 25% off.

Abigail Roux, Aleksandr Voinov, Allison Cassatta, Amy Lane, Ana Bosch, Andrew Gray, Anel Viz, Anne Tenino, Ariel Tachna, Belinda McBride, Brita Addams, Charlie Cochet, Christopher Koehler, Clancy Nacht, Clare London, Damon Suede, Devon Rhodes, Eden Winter, Edmond Manning, Ellis Carrington, EM Lynley, Eric Arvin, Ethan Stone, Felicitas Ivey, Hayley B. James, Heidi Cullinan, Isabelle Rowan, Jacob Z. FloresJamie Fessenden, Jana Downs, Jeff Erno, Jackson CorddJonathan Treadway, J.P. Barnaby, Karenna Colcroft, Kate McMurray, KC Burn, Kiernan Kelly, Kim Fielding, Lara Brukz, Lissa Kasey, Lori Toland, Lorraine Ulrich, Marguerite Labbe, Marie Sexton, Michael Murphy, MJ O'Shea, PD Singer, Piper Vaughn, Poppy Dennison, Rhys Ford, Rick R. Reed, Rowan Speedwell, S.A. Garcia, Scotty Cade, Shae Connor, Shira Anthony, SJD Peterson, Sue Brown, T.A. Webb, T.C. Blue, Thursday Euclid, Trina Lane, Venona Keyes, Xara X. Xanakas, Zahra Owens.

October 22-25: All Foreign Language titles and audiobooks will be 25% off.

October 26-31: All eBooks in the Ghosts and Spirits category will be 25% off.

In addition, watch our Twitter and Facebook for special flash sales and other fun opportunities to win prizes from Dreamspinner Press!
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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Horror Month at Untreed Reads! Get 3 of My Scariest Books at 40% Off!

With Halloween rapidly approaching, Untreed Reads thought the best way to celebrate would be to offer 40% off all horror novels, novellas and short stories throughout the entire month in the Untreed Reads Store. As an extra treat, they're also offering the same discount at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Apple's US iBookstore.

Be sure to check out our Better Together promos, which allow you to get significant discounts (and sometimes freebies) by adding two books to your cart.

No tricks...only treats!

HORROR NOVELS 40% Off (at the Untreed Reads Store, Amazon, Apple iBookstore/US only, and Barnes and Noble)

Blood Sacrifice by Rick R. Reed
Dante's Awakening by Devon Marshall
Goodbye Lucifer by John Harold McCoy
Lady in Flames by Ian Lewis
Obsessed by Rick R. Reed
Orlin Wood by Jeremy K. Tyler
Penance by Rick R. Reed
Stolen by Catherine Stovall
Strange People, Scary People by Tally Harbour
The Kingdom of Fear by Robert De Graauw
Where the Dead Fear to Tread by M. R. Gott

Here's your chance to check out some of my best horror titles! Happy early Halloween!

Browse the Untreed Reads store.

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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

RENT is Due!


And we have a winner! Drumroll please... Through a random selection process involving my Boston Terrier, Lily, the following winner of a signed, print copy of RENT has been chosen. Congratulations, Sherry S. I'll be in touch, Sherry, via e-mail, about your copy.

Rent is now officially on sale at MLR Press, Amazon, All Romance Ebooks, and everywhere good books are sold. Rent successfully combines my passion for love stories and tales with dark underpinnings. Ultimately, it's a slice-of-life that demonstrates how true love can triumph over even the worst adversity, including murder.

Readers of Tricks will find the world of Rent very familiar. Watch for cameo appearances of Sean and Arliss!

The novel is available in both paperback and ebook editions. Read on to see how you can win a FREE, signed copy delivered to your door by me--wearing a gas mask and a ribbon of green tulle and wielding my big sword. Well, maybe that last part was a bit of harmless kidding. Maybe not (see photo below--and yes, that's really me). I will send the winner's copy out first-class mail, though. Details on how to enter are below.

SYNOPSIS
On the worst day of his life, Wren Gallagher wants oblivion when he steps into Tricks for a drink. He's lost not only his job, but his wallet as well. When a mysterious stranger steps up to pay his tab, he also offers Wren the key to fulfilling his dreams of prosperity and true love. But appearances are not always what they seem....

His savior is the owner of the escort agency, A Louer---and he wants the young and handsome Wren to work for him. So down on his luck, Wren figures---why not? He can use the money. When he joins, though, he hadn't counted on meeting Rufus, another escort with whom he quickly falls hopelessly in love.

Photo by St. Sukie de la Croix. All rights reserved
But their love story will have to overcome the obstacles of not only trading love for money, but A Louer's dark---and deadly---secrets.

EXCERPT

It always amazed Wren that Tricks could be so busy, no matter what time of day he stopped in. Today, for example, it was three in the afternoon, a Friday, yes, but still, three in the afternoon. And yet the stripper bar was crowded, mostly with older guys, but some like Wren, too. Younger—wearing snarky ‘what am I doing here?’ expressions on their faces even as they cast furtive glances up at the two buff guys dancing in G-strings to the latest Lady Gaga anthem.
Outside, Chicago in summer was in full swing, but once you entered Tricks, you forgot all about the city and the season. The traffic sounds at the intersection of Belmont and Broadway, the rumble of the el a few blocks west, and the voices of many pedestrians mingling on the street, disappeared. Tricks was a world unto itself, a universe where nearly naked men, alcohol fumes, colored lights, dirty floors, the clinking of ice in glasses, the husky music of men propositioning men, and mirrored walls all conspired together, creating something that was one part sleaze, one part gay, and one part home (at least for many of the men who frequented Tricks).
Tricks was all about escapism. Its dancers allowed you to free yourself from the shackles of your own body issues. Too skinny? Too fat? In-between but nowhere near remarkably ripped? It was okay at Tricks because the dancers were beautiful and one could imagine they got their ripped and muscular physiques effortlessly, from hanging out in bars, consuming copious amounts of alcohol, and tricking athletically with a parade of handsome strangers. The magic might work for you one day, too.
Or at least that was the fantasy they were selling at Tricks.
And…if your self-esteem tank was running a little low, a wink or a smile from one of the dancers was enough to kick it up a notch. The hunky bartender calling you ‘Gorgeous’ or ‘Stud’ didn’t hurt either when he asked what he could get you. This kind of behavior from those who worked at Tricks was hard to swallow, yet easy to cling to, making you believe, if only for a second, you were hot. You were wanted.
It was all part of the make-believe. And sometimes, it was enough.
Wren Gallagher, all of twenty-three years old, today needed some of the escapism Tricks offered. Yes, he required it even at three in the afternoon. As the crowd jostled him, Wren kept his eye on the one open stool at the bar in front of him. It was like some sort of prize, an alcoholic holy grail, a place where he could park his skinny ass and maybe, just maybe, forget for a few hours what a crappy day he’d had.
Just as he elbowed his way through the laughing and chattering crowd of mostly middle-aged men and had managed to get within inches of the vacant stool, a heavy-set guy with a bottle of beer in one thick paw materialized out of nowhere to claim it. He was focused intently on the blond Adonis gyrating on the bar, so he did not see that there was a competition for the stool.
Wren stopped and regarded the man with his brown eyes, hoping his telepathy was in good enough working order that the man would feel the force of his gaze. At least one thing would go right on this shitty day, Wren thought, and that one thing—all I ask—is that this character makes eye contact with me.
Lo and behold, he did. Wren smiled prettily, trying to buoy up the older, balding man’s ego with the combined force of his slightly gap-toothed, turned-up-at-one-corner grin and his shock of red hair, his slender hips encased in denim, and the geek allure vibe he knew he gave off. He knew because he had been told he was a sexy nerd on more than one occasion.
The guy did a bit of a double take when he saw Wren trying to make eye contact, smiling. He looked up at the dancer and back at Wren, as if he had to decide between one or the other. As if he had a choice…
Wren winked.
That was all it took. The older man stepped back, away from the stool, and gestured with his hands, the perfect gentleman, that Wren should take it.

Win a free, signed copy (sorry, prizewinners must live in the US) by leaving your name, comment, and e-mail below. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 8. Good luck! And if you don't want to wait to see if you're a winner, purchase details are below.

BUY from MLR Press
In ebook
In paperback
All Romance Ebooks
Amazon Kindle version

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Victor J. Banis and Some Very Kind Words

I was humbled and honored by these words from the introduction to Spine Intact, Some Increases, the memoir by gay icon and literature trailblazer, Victor J. Banis.

"Likewise, during this same period of time, I have had the opportunity to read a great deal of new gay and lesbian fiction.

If, as I assert in the original edition, we have yet to see the Great Gay Novel or the Great Gay Novelist, I must say that, with writers of the caliber of Dorien Grey, Rick Reed, Lori Lake, Ruth Sims, Anthony Bidulka, Allen Hollinghurst, Gregg Herren, E. M. Kahn, Adam Berlin, Dean James, and Gregory Hinton plying their craft—and I am sure I have forgotten one or two others—and with old pros like James Purdy, William Maltese, and Ann Bannon still at it, I think that the future of gay and lesbian fiction is in very good hands indeed; and since I have not yet read everything by any of them, it may even be that one of them has already penned that great novel, and the more fool I."



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Monday, October 1, 2012

Win BIG at Amber Quill Press's 10th Anniversary Celebration!

Amber Quill Press just announced:

 The owners, staff, and authors of Amber Quill Press, Amber Heat, and Amber Allure wish to thank all of you for making our 10th anniversary possible. And as a way of showing our appreciation, we are holding a contest throughout the month of October.

How does the contest work?

Simply send an email to customer_service@amberquill.com with the following information...

-- Enter the word "CONTEST" in the Subject line -- And in the body of the email, enter your NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS, along with the phrase "I LOVE AMBER QUILL PRESS BECAUSE ______" and fill in the blank.

What can you win?
  • Each day, Monday through Saturday, one of the contest entries will be selected at random and the winner will receive a free download of their choice!
  • Each Sunday in October, one of the entries will be selected at random and the winner will receive 10 free downloads of their choice!
That's 31 separate chances to win throughout the month of October, and all you have to do is send us a single email stating why you love Amber Quill Press. What could be simpler?

Check out some of my Amber Quill titles here.

Once again, we at Amber Quill Press thank you for shopping with us and helping us to celebrate our 10th year in business. Good luck to those who enter the contest, and to all, happy reading!

(Please note: Only one email entry per customer. No purchase necessary to enter the contest. Void where prohibited by law.)


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