Snack Regimen While Writing by Andrew Grey – Guest Blog

January 14, 2020 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Andrew Grey who is celebrating today’s release of Fire and Oxyx, the fifth book in his Carlisle Deputies series.

When I’m working I have a really strange snack regimen. First thing, I usually have a bottle or a can of caffeine free Diet Coke. Lately I’ve really tried to cut back on the stuff and drink more water. Mainly because my husband brings up glasses of water when I’m working. Its his subtle reminder. For my snacks, I love white cheddar cheesy crackers. See I’m lactose intolerant and can’t eat most dairy products. I’ve developed this craving for cheese and, for a party a while back, he brought some of these crackers and I ate all of the leftovers. Bless his heart, he bought some more. Now I have a bowl of them near where I’m working and I pop a few crackers every now and then. It gives me the taste of cheese without any of the bad after effects that I’m not going to talk about.

Another writing snack that I really like is caramel corn. It’s a real favorite too. Chocolate is also at the top of the list of snacks that I will eat until I can’t see straight. Come to think of it, there are lots of snacks that I really love, and it’s a miracle that I’m not as big as a house because I have no will power at all. I hope you have a great day. I’m about to get to work and need to go get some crackers.

Undercover sheriff’s deputy Evan Whittaker is close to infiltrating a vicious local gang. He just needs to find an opening. Instead, he finds Wes Douglas, a web designer who is raising his irresponsible brother’s son. Wes agrees to help with a stakeout, but he pays the price when his home is destroyed in a shootout.

Evan’s always been a loner, but when he invites Wes into his home, living together feels right, and the two men only grow closer as they adapt to each other’s lives and rhythms. A future as a family looks brighter by the day, but all of that could collapse when Wes’s brother—and his connection to the drug dealers—crashes into the life they’re carefully building.

Enjoy an Except

“Blocking a public sidewalk, causing an obstruction. You most certainly did. Littering, creating a public disturbance—do I need to go on? I will, and the more I talk, the deeper the trouble you ‘brain surgeons’ are going to be in.” The deputy looked past the four guys. “Are you and the baby okay?”

“Yes.” Wes’s voice seemed so small in comparison to the deputy’s. “We’re fine. Thank you.”

The deputy took all the guys’ names from their IDs and put the pad back in his pocket. “I suggest you call the department tomorrow to see what charges are going to be filed. Now move along and be courteous to other people.”

Wes suppressed a smile as the guys lost their swagger and their shoulders slumped. It was a beautiful thing to see them taken down a peg.

“We were just walking,” Mark, the leader and the only one with any guts, said.

“Well, I have your names and addresses. I’ll check you all out and if you so much as step out of line again, I’ll be there to make you wish you had never been born. What kind of person forces someone walking a baby off the sidewalk?”

This course does not allow geographical distance cialis generika find out to find out more to act as a detox cleansing agent. The hard on attained will reverse back after the sexual activity just as it generally happens in common normal conditions. http://ronaldgreenwaldmd.com/item-1826 viagra prescription On top cialis price of that, erectile dysfunction occurs at a higher rate among obese men. 5. Dosage pattern needs to be taken care of viagra for sale mastercard because that is the only way it will be dealt with. “Jackasses,” a man mumbled as he walked by, and clearly the guys heard it. Normal behavior would be to bluster and threaten, but the one tool in their arsenal had been pulled away.

“It seems you aren’t very popular.” The deputy pulled out his phone and made a call to request a background check on each of them. It was funny to see them sweat, and Wes half expected them to make a run for it. “Go on home and explain to your parents what you’ve done and to expect a call.” He tilted his head, and the guys hurried away, turning back and then walking faster out of there. “Are you really okay?” This time he broke into a smile, and dang, it was electric.

“Yes. They’re jerks but largely harmless.” Greyson was getting fussy and wanted to go. Wes rolled the stroller back and forth to generate some movement.

“What’s his name?” the deputy asked.

“Greyson,” Wes answered, and the deputy leaned over the stroller.

“You’re going to be a handsome boy, aren’t you?” he said in a baby voice, and Greyson grinned, actually reaching for the deputy’s hand. “Wow, now that’s a smile.” He straightened back up. “I’ll let you get back to your walk, but you have a nice evening.” The deputy smiled at him again and then continued down the sidewalk.

Wes stood, watching him go, and told himself not to stare at the way the deputy’s jeans clung to his perfect backside. He actually groaned and then turned away. The last thing he needed was to be caught ogling.

About the Author: Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.

Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

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Accuracy by Jordan Gillespie – Spotlight

January 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Jordan Gillespie who is celebrating the recent release of Accuracy.

Young officer-in-training Lailani Harris is just trying to survive in a violent world, and survival means following orders… until her conscience will no longer allow it.

After the old government collapsed, the American Republic formed. Prisoners are used as live target practice for trainees such as Lai, and her world is shattered when her cousin ends up at her firing station. Rather than kill her, Lai and her best friend break her cousin out, and all three go on the run as fugitives. Hunted by the government she once served, Lai will learn just how corrupt the country has become. She might have a part to play in changing it, if she can find the courage to grow into the leader she’s meant to be.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Take me hostage,” Jaime whispered.

Lai frowned and kept her eyes on the officers in the room. They all had their guns pulled but were unsure if they were to advance.

“Take me hostage, now!” he whispered with more urgency.

In a rush Lai understood his intent. She spun and flung an arm around her friend’s neck. She shoved her gun into the side of his head and faced the room. She allowed her fury to show on her face.

“I am taking my cousin and I am leaving!” she shouted. “If we are not allowed to leave, I am going to shoot Jaime in the head.”

“Please, don’t hurt me,” Jaime pleaded.

Lai could have kissed him for his cleverness. “Shut up.” She pushed the gun harder into his head and hoped he would forgive her for the bruise he would have the next day.

“You don’t have any bullets left,” Kieran called from the other side of the room. The other students nodded their agreement. This caused the four officers standing guard to all come forward. Lai took her gun from Jaime’s head for the moment and aimed it at the ceiling. She fired once and quickly returned it to her friend’s head. Everyone flinched at the shot.

“I have plenty of bullets left, and I will use them all to get out of here,” Lai warned. She fixed her glare on the sergeant, who sat on the ground in a small pool of her own blood. She pressed her hands firmly against the wound as she met Lai’s death stare.

“Tell an officer to unchain her,” Lai ordered.

The sergeant did nothing.
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“Do it now or I’ll shoot both of you!” Lai screamed.

After a long moment, the sergeant nodded to an officer. “Give her what she wants.”

The officer in question frowned in confusion. “Sergeant Washington, are you sure—”

She cut him off. “That’s an order, officer.”

The officer nodded once and found the keys on his belt. He stopped next to Mel and undid her ankle shackles, followed by her handcuffs. She pulled the gag out of her mouth and walked quickly over to Lai. She was shaking wildly, and she was still crying.

“The three of us are going to walk out that door,” Lai said quietly. She nodded to the door in the corner of the room that led outside. “If anyone tries to stop us, I will shoot the sergeant again, and this time I will shoot to kill.”

No one moved. The four officers had their guns lowered. The sergeant met Lai’s eyes with a cold glare of her own.
“You don’t want to do this, Lailani,” she said coolly.

“It’s too late for that now,” Lai hissed through clenched teeth. Without saying anything further, she began carefully walking herself and Jaime toward the door. Mel followed them with a hand on Lai’s shoulder. A distant part of Lai’s mind told her to stop this, to lower the gun and apologize and accept her punishment. The adrenaline pushed those thoughts aside and left her with only her objective.

She had to keep her cousin alive.

About the Author: Jordan Gillespie is a young author living in British Columbia, Canada. She is enrolled at the University of Victoria with the hopes of eventually becoming a librarian. She has been writing since she was too young to hold a pencil and had to dictate stories to her mother. When she isn’t writing, Jordan enjoys rock climbing, baking, playing with her pets, spending time with her girlfriend, and losing to her girlfriend’s little brother at Mario Kart. She is a lover of tea, coffee, and any local café where she can buy a good vegan muffin.
Including LGBT characters in her writing is hugely important to her. Young people especially deserve to see themselves represented in a diverse range of genres, and Jordan hopes to add to this body of work with her own writing. She has published three short stories with Harmony Ink Press in their Harmonious Hearts collections, and won the pride month short story contest in June 2019 at the locally owned bookstore Bolen Books. Her favorite genres to read are science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction, and her favorite authors are Ursula K. Le Guin, Madeline Miller, and Neal Shusterman. Accuracy is her first published novel.

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What is Preston by Amy Lane – Guest Blog

January 7, 2020 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Amy Lane who is celebrating today’s release of Silent Heart, the second book in her Search and Rescue series.

What is Preston?

I know we live in an era in which we love for everything—disability, sexuality, neuro-atypicality, etc.—to have a label, but speaking from experience, that doesn’t always happen.

When my son was a toddler, he went through test after test to diagnose what had gone awry in his noggin—why was speech so hard for him? Why were his nerve endings not connecting for his motor abilities? Why was too much motion in his day too hard to comprehend? They never made a diagnosis—seventy-five years ago, they would have told us, “He’s retarded, ma’am—he should go in a home.” Which would have been a shame because he’s about ready to graduate from college, and he’s been working and living on his own for three years. But I remember, in the thick of the testing, when his father and I were exhausted and trying so hard to figure out how to deal with a kid with a big heart and not many words, we got a big batch of test results that we pored over for an evening before my Mate lost his patience.

“They keep trying to tell us what’s wrong with him. Don’t they see he’s perfect?”

And that’s where we left it. As the years went by, the doctors who fixated on diagnosis for what was wrong as opposed to modifications to help him achieve what he could do tended to be our least favorite people.

And it’s not that I think all labels are bad—after living with my own ADHD for years without being diagnosed, learning that all of my quirks had a name and that all of my coping methods were valid certainly gave me some much-needed confidence in the “I swear I’m not crazy,” department.

It’s that limiting a person to their label, and forcing them to live by that label because it makes parents, teachers, or doctors happier is the kind of thinking that would have crippled my son’s future. Just dealing with his limitations and focusing on what he could do was so much more helpful than a label ever could be.

So when I decided to write Preston as neuro-atypical, I didn’t want him to be labeled. Following the example of the character of Newt Scamander (and Creedence, the Obscurial) I didn’t want anybody to say, “Oh, he’s autistic,” and simply categorize him in that little box. Newt Scamander is never labeled—he’s identified as a very specific, very unusual person to work with, but nobody ever says “autism” or “spectrum” in his movies. He is simply Newt, and he is, as a result, so much more than his diagnosis. Like a teacher in a playground, or a parent at a back-to-school night, I knew Preston’s diagnosis—but I wanted readers to interact with Preston as he was, not as his diagnosis said he should be.
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That’s how Glen and Damien treated him—as a valuable friend, and someone they cared for, who needed certain things in order to function in an extraordinary situation. For his part, Preston’s uniqueness made him one of the few people who could crack past Damien’s self-protectiveness and fear, so he could remember the hero he was capable of being.

People don’t wear labels as they go through life. Not a lot of people want that T-shirt that says “bi-polar”, “ADHD”, or “Autism Spectrum” across the chest. If we wore those shirts, everybody would be staring at our chests, and nobody would be listening to the things we say, or see the things we do or give us credit for the workings of our hearts.

So while sometimes the labels can be helpful, I wanted us to deal with Preston without the label—so we could see that he was a person, and one very, very capable of loving Damien and being loved in return.

Dog wrangler Preston Echo has been in love with his brother’s best friend, copilot, and business partner since high school—and Damien Ward knew it. As Preston grew into a stunning, hard-willed man, Damien began to dream of Preston too.

Then Damien almost died in a helicopter crash. While his physical wounds are slowly healing, the blows to his self-confidence and goodwill are almost worse. His body is broken and he’s afraid to fly—how can Preston love him now?

When Preston’s brother goes on a search-and-rescue mission and disappears in an earthquake zone in Mexico, Preston and Damien are thrown together in an effort to find him and bring him back. Preston’s merciless honesty—and relentless passion—may leverage Damien into his bed, but can Damien overcome his fears to allow himself to stay there?

About the Author: Amy Lane lives in a crumbling crapmansion with a couple of growing children, a passel of furbabies, and a bemused spouse. Two of her books have received a RITA nomination, she’s won honorable mention for an Indiefab, and has a couple of Rainbow Awards to her name. She also has too damned much yarn, a penchant for action-adventure movies, and a need to know that somewhere in all the pain is a story of Wuv, Twu Wuv, which she continues to believe in to this day! She writes fantasy, urban fantasy, and gay romance–and if you accidentally make eye contact, she’ll bore you to tears with why those three genres go together. She’ll also tell you that sacrifices, large and small, are worth the urge to write.

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Five of my Favorite Audiobooks by Sue Brown – Guest Blog

January 6, 2020 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Sue Brown who is visiting with us to celebrate the recent release of Last Place at the Chalet.

*****

Happy New Year from me.

I hope you had a wonderful festive period, however you celebrate.

I’ve been reading a storm this year, but I’ve also become a huge fan of audiobooks. I love being able to listen while I work or walk the dog. I’ve even got more chance of cleaning if I’m listening to a story. My five things are books in my genre, but audiobooks.

You’ll see a common theme in these books. I’m a crime/FBI/feds stories addict. My first genre I loved as a teenager and nothing has changed except now it’s two guys instead of a hero cop and a bit-part girlfriend, and a romance that doesn’t stop at the bedroom door. It’s really hard to pick just five, so I just picked five at random from my favourites.

I think the series I listen to most is the Marshals series by Mary Calmes. Tristan James is one of my favourite narrators as you will see. I adore reading the series, but somehow listening to it brings all the characters to life and I’m a sucker for an Irish-American accent. I love all the characters in this series and although I could probably quote most of it by heart, this series keeps me company on many a dog walk.

I love all of Josh Lanyon’s books, but Snowball in Hell is a one-off. Narrated by Alexander Masters, it’s a gritty tale from the 1940s, a favourite period of mine. It has a tension that doesn’t always come with contemporary books. The first time I listened to it, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even now after many listens, I ache for the characters.

Pretty Pretty Boys by Gregory Ashe and narrated by Tristan James is a new one for me. My office-buddy, Clare London, has been trying to get me to read the Hazard and SomersetNothing Special by A.E. Via, narrated by Aiden Snow. I’ve only listened to the first book but I definitely want to get the rest in the series. It’s good to have a new cop partnership to fall in love with. I do love my guys to have complex backgrounds.

Finally, I picked Bone to Pick by TA Moore and narrated by Michael Fell, because it has my favourite combo, K9/Cop/FBI agent. OMG, great story and a dog too. This makes me so happy. The only thing that frustrates me is waiting for the next one to come out on audiobook.

As I ought to mention my own new release, Last Place in the Chalet, I leave you with a cocktail recipe, courtesy of Charlie, the host of the Last Pine chalet.

Noel Garrett leaves for his Christmas vacation with an engagement ring in his pocket. But he boards the plane alone and with a broken heart when his boyfriend dumps him in the airport.

His seatmate, Angel Marinelli, takes care of him with gentle determination… whether Noel wants it or not, and Noel doesn’t expect to see Angel again. But when an overbooking leaves Angel without a room and Noel is asked to host him, one night turns into the whole vacation and they settle into the chalet and mix with an eclectic group of guests, including the Wise Guys and a pregnant woman. As they ski and spend every moment together, Noel finds himself falling for Angel, and though his feelings are returned, Noel worries it’s just a rebound romance. It’ll mean taking a leap of faith, but Noel has to make a decision before he hurts Angel, and Christmas is fast approaching.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Noel received another nudge when the refreshment trolley arrived. He shook his head. He was tempted to ask for a whiskey, but it was eight in the morning and drinking on an empty stomach was just going to make him sick. His companion asked for a coffee and a bottle of water.

“Which would you like?” the man said, disturbing Noel’s thoughts again.

He hoped it wasn’t going to be like this throughout the flight. He just wanted to be left alone to wallow in his misery. The guy obviously expected an answer, but Noel had forgotten the question.

“What did you say?”

“Coffee or water?”

“I don’t—”

“You need to drink. Which one?” For a man who was twenty if he was a day, he was very insistent.

“I’d rather have a whiskey,” Noel muttered.

“You don’t need any more alcohol.”

Noel stared at him. “Any more?”

“Your hands are shaking already,” the man said.

Noel stared at his hands. They were trembling, and he resisted the temptation to hide them away from the too-knowing eyes.

“I’m not drunk.” Noel gave a harsh laugh. “I wish I were.” He received a skeptical look and then another question.

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Noel wished the guy would just leave him alone. He didn’t have the patience for twenty questions. “Not ill. Not drunk.”

“Then—?”

“Dumped, okay? My boyfriend dumped me at the airport.” His throat closed around the painful words and he looked away to avoid the pity in the wide green eyes.

The man squeezed Noel’s forearm. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too.”

“Here.”

He handed Noel the takeout cup of coffee. “I don’t want—”

“Drink it.” The man almost growled at him.

Noel sipped at it. It was black and bitter and disgusting. Noel liked his coffee half full of creamer and sugar. But the shock of the bitter taste grounded him in a way he hadn’t expected.

The man watched him shrewdly. “Feeling better?”

“Yes.” Noel sighed. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. My name’s Angelo Marinelli. Everyone calls me Angel.”

It was kind of appropriate. With his blond curls and sweet face, he looked angelic.

“Noel Garrett.”

They shook hands awkwardly around the cup of coffee.

“Do you want another one or the water?” Angel proffered the bottle.

Noel shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, but you will be.”

“How can you know that?” Noel asked bitterly.

“Because you’re hurting now, but it won’t last.”

Angel’s gentle smile eased the hurt in Noel just a fraction.

“You think so?”

“I know so,” Angel said, his tone so confident it drew an involuntary smile from Noel.

“You seem too young to know about broken hearts.”

Angel’s smile turned wry. “It’s the blond curls and the altar-boy appearance, isn’t it?”

About the Author Cranky middle-aged author with an addiction for coffee, and a passion for romancing two guys. She loves her dog, she loves kids, and she loves coffee; in which order very much depends on the time of day.

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Top Five Embarrassing Situations by Bru Baker – Guest Blog

December 19, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Long and Short Reviews welcomes Bru Baker who is visiting with us as she celebrates the recent release of her newest book Downward Facing Dreamboat.

Top Five Embarrassing Situations
I am at heart a very awkward individual, so I have so many to choose from. I mean, my formative years were like the before footage of all the “geeky” girls who got a makeover or some jock dated on a bet and then they became popular.
I knocked the prom queen down the stairs once, for god’s sake. Accidentally, but still.

5. Last week I went to Noodles & Co with the kids and got excited about the new cauliflower noodles. (I’m diabetic, so pasta is generally a no-go for me.) Their zucchini noodles are called Zoodles, so I somehow got it in my head the cauliflower noodles were called Caulifloodles. I ordered them for myself and for Thing 1, so I probably said Caulifloodle no less than six times.

Turns out they’re just called cauliflower noodles. The cashier didn’t say a word, but honestly I’ll probably never go to that location again…

4. When I was 17 my family vacationed in Las Vegas. My parents spent the days in the casino leaving me to entertain my younger sister, which wasn’t that much of a challenge because our hotel had several pools and an arcade.

We were playing around in the pool and I dove in and came up…without my swimsuit top. A group of Japanese tourists were on the deck and they took considerable interest in my predicament but were respectful and didn’t catcall or anything. Later that night we were in the arcade and the same group of tourists were there. They gave me all of the tickets they’d won playing games. I nearly died of embarrassment.

Even worse: Being dragged back down to the arcade by my father who wanted to find those (adult) tourists after my sister and I came back to the room with the gigantic stuffed bear we’d bought with the tickets. (Because sure, I’d been embarrassed, but I’m not a fool. I spent those tickets!) >.<

3. A few years ago Hubs and I took the kids to visit my mother for Thanksgiving. We stayed in a hotel and the kids had a great time. They were getting along so well that I took a picture of their cute little heads bent together as they watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and posted it to Facebook. A few hours later a friend messaged me and asked me if I had zoomed in on the photo, so I of course pulled it up and zoomed in and realized there was a mirror next to the television, and my reflection was clearly visible as I took the photo.

Clad only in a bra and a pair of tights.

2. When I was 19 I accidentally boarded the wrong plane. This was a year or two before Sept. 11 and I’d been speaking at a conference in New York with my college newspaper advisor and some friends. A friend had managed to buy us a huge bottle of vodka and we didn’t want it to go to waste so we filled our water bottles with it and carried it through security still drunk from the night before. Somehow a friend and I managed to board the wrong plane (they even took our tickets at the gate!). The flight must not have been sold out because no one noticed we were in their seats. The doors were closed and the flight attendant started the safety spiel, welcoming us on the flight to Pittsburgh.

We were supposed to be flying to Indianapolis.
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Needless to say they were NOT amused to have to open the plane back up and escort us down the jetway, where we ran into my advisor having a hysterical breakdown at the gate because he thought we’d already taken off for Pittsburgh….

1. I’ve shared this story on some blogs before but it’s too good not to share again. When I was working as a librarian I was in the reference department at the library in a very conservative and wealthy community. I had spearheaded a program to teach computer skills to senior citizens, and given that it was a well-off community the classes were always full because the older people in the town had the money to buy all kinds of devices and then didn’t know how to use them.

I was teaching a class on Goodreads at the time, guiding people in real-time through account settings and features. I was using my own Goodreads account, a personal one I kept just for the library because I certainly didn’t want to link them to my Bru Baker account. One of the features we were using was the “import books from Amazon” and I had my screen projected on a big screen so they could follow along. My Goodreads shelf started populating with all the books I’d bought, which was all well and good until I looked up and saw the book “How To Bottom Like a Porn Star” very prominently featured right in the middle of the screen.

I didn’t want to call too much attention to it in case they hadn’t seen it, so I just casually kept talking as I navigated away from that page. Unfortunately several of these senior citizens HAD seen, and I was pretty lucky no one reported it because I doubt I’d have had that job much longer if they did…

Love is trying to catch up to two lonely men. Can they stop long enough to let it?

Running defines Kincaid’s life. It’s not until he loses it that he realizes how isolated he’s become. But even if an injury hadn’t forced him to slow down, the hottie in the yoga studio would have given him pause. In fact, admiring the man each morning is the only thing keeping the spring in his step when it feels like he’s lost everything.

Owen’s busy life as a yoga instructor doesn’t leave him much time to meet guys, let alone date. He’s convinced his passion for helping people is worth the sacrifice, but he’s willing to spare a few moments for the cutie who walks past the studio every morning.

When their lives intersect and romance is set in motion, they stumble off the starting block. But no matter the obstacles in their path, this race won’t be over until they reach the finish… together.

About the Author:Bru Baker writes sophisticated gay romantic fiction with strong characters, real-world problems, and plenty of humor.

Bru spent fifteen years writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story. She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.

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My Favorite Writing Spaces by Parker Foye – Guest Blog

December 16, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Long and Short Reviews welcomes Parker Foye who is joining us to celebrate tomorrow’s release of Hart of Winter.

We spend too much time indoors, according to Science. But this makes sense, right? It’s where the chairs are! And the internet! And hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows! All the important things in life.

But, as a writer, sometimes I get the sudden feeling that if I spend one more second in my regular chair, I’ll do something that no amount of tiny marshmallows can ever make right. This particularly strikes during editing season, when I can feel my brain slowly turning to mush from looking at the same scenes over… and over… and over again. So for my post today, I want to introduce you to some of my favourite writing spaces.

5. Coffee Shops

An obvious choice, perhaps, but for good reason i.e. they sell hot beverages there. And cake! And power outlets, though sometimes they’re just elaborate fibs and they don’t work, which is wonderful to discover during a writing flow. The biggest downside here, though, is that other people visit coffee shops, too, and if you’re easily distracted by noise, movement, smells—well. It’s not a forever home.

4. Public Libraries

No coffee or cake served here (usually), and there’s still people, but there’s less noise. A winner, you might think, as you set up your writing station in a cosy corner—but, what’s this? All those books. Everywhere you look! Sweet, precious books, just waiting for someone to come along and sweep them off their shelves into loving arms. Oh no.

3. A Museum

This very much depends on the kind of museum, in my experience. Big and state-run with lots of tourists passing through? Sure, find a bench in a corner somewhere and type away. Small and local? The staff will definitely notice that you’ve been sitting in front of that display for the past three hours, and Questions Will Be Asked. Power outlets are limited in museums, too, but an hour or so with a notebook might rejuvenate you between scenes.

Also, a lot of museums have cafés. Just putting that out there.

2. University Libraries

Okay, I’m biased by geography, here; I live in Oxford, UK, and I have access to the libraries attached to the University of Oxford. Sure, there’s… Quite a few books… oh no… But the best part is having access to study spaces designed for students to park their laptops and their butts down for hours upon hours.

Downside: students definitely have right of way, so don’t be an ass and seat-hog during exam season! However, if that coincides with your deadline, it can be unfortunate.

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If there’s a university in your town, you can often get access to their library for a small fee. I’d recommend investigating.

1. Home Sweet Home

Well, it has to be the top option, doesn’t it? I mean, everywhere else looks at you sideways if you turn up in your pyjamas.

Magic-using winter sports enthusiasts find love on the slopes.

Luc Marling is cursed to transform into a stag from sunset to sunrise, making him vulnerable to black-hearted collectors. Thanks to a family heirloom, Luc can contain the change—but the magic is starting to fade. Luc intends to live fast while he can and doesn’t care who he hurts along the way… until he meets Rob.

Rob Lentowicz accidentally broke the curse on a famous singer and became a magical reality-TV star. Tired of having to lie to protect his bank balance, and unwilling to destroy his family reputation with the truth, Rob runs away to France—and straight into Luc.

They navigate slopes, secrets, and each other. But are the feelings between them real—or just magic?

About the Author: Parker Foye writes speculative-flavoured romance under the QUILTBAG umbrella and believes in happily ever after, although sometimes their characters make achieving this difficult.

An education in Classics nurtured a love of heroes, swords, monsters, and beautiful people doing stupid things while wearing only scraps of leather. You’ll find those things in various guises in Parker’s stories, along with kissing (very important) and explosions (very messy). And more shifters than you can shake a stick at.

Parker lives in the UK but travels regularly via planes, trains, and an ever-growing library.

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Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press, Amazon.ca, Amazon, Amazon UK, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Books2Read.

 

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: ,

Top Five Books by Sandine Tomas – Guest Blog and Giveaway

December 11, 2019 By 2 Comments

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Sandine Tomas who is celebrating the recent release of Santa’s Last Gift. See the giveaway information at the end of the post.

*****

Hello, I’m Sandine Tomas and I appreciate the chance to introduce my new holiday novel, Santa’s Last Gift, and share a little about myself. Because lists are always fun I thought I’d tackle a ‘Top Five’. Keep reading for a giveaway offer at the end!

Top Five Books

I’m going to have to admit to cheating up front, because, of course, it’s nearly impossible to narrow down favorite books to just five. But these were among the first to pop to mind.

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

There’s been buzz for Jane Austen’s work almost as long as literary buzz has existed. But her storytelling is timeless. Wrong first impressions, exasperating parents and relationships with sizzle – it’s as modern today as in her day.

2. Dune by Frank Herbert

I was in my twenties when I first read Dune and its subsequent sequels. I remember being in awe at the world building. Planets, societies, secret organizations and ancient religions, all tied into a space opera with gothic tones and sweeping scope.

3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The cleverness of the title character being a dead woman and the main character being nameless is a study in how to bring characters to life (even the dead ones).

4. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Yes, all of them! I was like a kid reading these (although decidedly not kid-age) and devoured them year-after-year like a favorite bowl of ice cream. Rowling’s wit, plotting, and ability to create the best character names is second to none.

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This book is lesser known but, nonetheless, a real gem. It’s the story of a young man on the autism spectrum who has to navigate his first taste of freedom, blossoming sexuality, and what it means to navigate the ‘real world.’

Giveaway Offer: What’s your favorite book? Tell me in the comments and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a free e-book copy of Santa’s Last Gift! Please provide contact information.

The greatest gift might be what they already have.

After years away building his career, event planner Sebastian Chesnut returns to his small hometown of Fir Falls to reconnect with his mother, sister, and young nieces before his job takes him to London.

He doesn’t expect to find his high school boyfriend, Matty, has become a virtual member of Seb’s family. Back then, Matty only offered a casual relationship, but Seb fell hard, and history is soon repeating itself. Seb’s afraid to hope for a second chance, no matter how much they’ve grown and despite the family they share. Instead, he focuses on creating a last perfect holiday, which won’t be easy with his sister’s ex planning to take the girls over Christmas.
Seb and Matty might not know what to do about their feelings for each other, but one thing’s for sure—it won’t be Christmas without the kids. Can these star-crossed lovers pull off a holiday miracle?

About the Author: Sandine Tomas grew up an unapologetic bookworm, making friends with characters from the ancient past to the farthest reaches of the universe. Her career as a marketing writer has given her insight into the divergence between what a person thinks they want and what they truly need. Relationships are at the heart of her writing, and she enjoys creating characters who become so real that their stories beg to be told. Writing allows her to explore people and ideas from all sides, spinning a notion around like a gem until its facets glisten.

Twisting the old adage about writing what you know into writing what you feel, Sandine doesn’t shy away from raw emotions, turbulent circumstances, and above all, deep passions, fueled by humor, honesty, and trust. She enjoys instilling her characters with the flaws, courage, and idiosyncrasies that brings them to life.

Sandine lives in New York with her husband, daughters and a Golden Retriever puppy named Noodle. An unabashed TV and film enthusiast, she happily binge watches her favorites until her eyes glaze over. Her other guilty pleasures include attending fandom conventions, sleeping in on weekends, and recharging solo by holing up with a caramel macchiato and an amazing book.

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Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: ,

My Favorite Characters by Parker Williams – Guest Blog and Giveaway

December 10, 2019 By 2 Comments

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Parker Williams who is celebrating today’s release of On the Same Page, which he co-authored with KC Wells. Leave a comment or ask Parker a question for a chance to win a copy of the book.

My Favorite Characters
Okay, there are SO many characters whom I have come to love over the years. There are a few who stand out strong in my mind. Please note, this is NOT a full list, just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I know there are a lot of others that would like to weigh in, but we have to keep the list short.

1) Olly from LM Somerton’s ‘Edge’ series.

What can I say about the brat that is Olly? When we first meet him, Olly is shy and scared. He’s been through something traumatic, and he doesn’t know how to move forward. Enter the new constant in his life, his Dom Joe. Through the love of Joe, Olly is able to let bits of his true self peek through to find what lies beneath the surface. What is it? An irredeemable brat! How so? Let’s take a peek, shall we?

Olly giggled and snapped another picture with his new camera. It was the best present he’d ever had, especially as Joe had given it to him. The zoom was good enough that he could get great shots without getting too close to his targets, which was very useful because he was determined to catch as many people as possible in compromising positions. He didn’t feel in the least bit guilty. If his friends did things in public that inspired Olly’s creative imagination that was their look out. Okay, maybe some of them weren’t exactly in public but it was hardly Olly’s fault if they left doors unlocked or windows open, was it?

He held his breath and crept backwards away from the greenhouse where he’d just managed to get a picture of Jacob, the gardener, snoozing with his feet up on an upturned bucket, his old stripy deckchair wedged into a corner between stacks of terracotta pots. Jacob gave an enormous snore and Olly couldn’t stop himself laughing. Jacob blinked awake and gave Olly a baleful look, then redirected his gaze to a nearby hosepipe. Olly yelped then fell backwards over a wheelbarrow. He scrambled to his feet and ran, just missing a drenching as Jacob set the hose on him.

Excerpt From: LM Somerton. “A Birthday at The Edge.”

2) Wes from Silvia Violet’s Wild R series.

OMG, what can I say about Wes? He’s a lanky cowboy with a horse shifter lover. And Wes DOES love Tristan with his whole heart. The two of them together on page is hot, but there is such tenderness there. Wes, like Olly above, has no problem being a bit of a brat (or a lot of a brat), but his love and dedication can never be questioned. How good are the two men together? Here’s a little snippet for you featuring the two men at Christmas.

“Wes! Come help me!” Tristan shouted.

Wes pushed himself up from the couch where he’d been doing research for his latest case. “Just a sec.”

When he stepped into the hall, he froze in disbelief. Tristan was stuck in the doorway with at least three shopping bags in each hand. “What did you do?”

Tristan looked at him like he was a simpleton. “I went shopping.”

Wes sighed as he held the door open so Tristan could push through. Then he followed his lover to the living room where Tristan dropped the bags in the middle of the floor and plopped down beside them.

“I thought you went for a run. What the hell were you doing shopping on the day after Thanksgiving?”

Tristan again stared at Wes like maybe he’d been replaced by an alien, one without much brainpower. “Buying Christmas decorations, of course.”

“Christmas decorations?” Wes did not want to consider the possibility that all those bags were full of Santas, reindeer, and glittery balls. Tristan’s balls were all Wes required this Christmas.

“Sure. I thought we could put them up this afternoon.” Wes’s horror grew as Tristan pulled out a red and green sweater. “Look what I got for Cole.” Tristan held up the offensive garment and Wes fought the urge to shrink backward. On the front was a wolf in a Santa suit surrounded by sheep wearing elf hats. It said “A Wolf in Santa’s Clothing.”

“That is… hideous.”

Tristan laughed. “I know. Isn’t it fantastic?”

“Tris, look… I don’t—”

“Check these out.” He held up lights shaped like reindeer. “They even blink.”

Wes knew arguing with Tristan was useless but he felt compelled to make a small effort anyway. “I usually just put a wreath on the door.”

Tristan gave him an innocent look, the little bastard. “Really?”

“Tristan.”

“Oh, it’s just a few little things,” Tristan said, clearly unconcerned about Wes’s frustration.

“Tell me you don’t have an album of cats meowing Christmas songs in there.”

Tristan put his hands on his hips, which looked ridiculous with him sitting on the floor surrounded by Christmas decor. “How insulting! Do you really not know I prefer the barking dogs? I find cats too… slinky.”

Wes groaned. “You’re going to be even more impossible than usual from now until Christmas, aren’t you?”

“I’m going to be festive.”

“A tree, stockings, maybe a few other small items. That’s festive enough. I can’t live in the middle of North Pole Central.”

Tristan rolled his eyes. “Stop being such a scrooge.”

“Tristan, I will not—”

Tristan’s sly, sexy grin derailed Wes’s train of thought. “I’m sure I can change your mind.”

“You’re always so damn sure you can get your way.” And all too often he was right.

Excerpt From: Silvia Violet. “Wild R Christmas.”

3) Bo from Eden Winters’s Diversion series

Oh, Bo. See, in this series, most people seem to love Lucky. I do too, but Bo? He’s something else entirely. There are so many layers to Bo, an onion is positively green with envy. He can be suave and sophisticated one moment, a total badass the next, or a wide-eyed innocent. Bo sheds personas like a normal person sloughs off clothes. The only person who knows the true Bo is Lucky.

With descending darkness and declining temperatures chasing away any possible witnesses, Bo and Lucky strolled hand in hand to their vehicles, although Lucky did keep their joined digits low and close to his body to minimize undue attention. Wasn’t anybody’s business if a fine man like Bo took leave of his senses enough to want to hold hands with Lucky. No fire, no brimstone, no falling sky resulted from the public display of affection, and no coworker popped out from behind a tree, pointing and yelling, “Aha! I knew it! Wait until I tell Walter!”

Bo’s heartwarming smile and a quick squeeze of his fingers conveyed his approval, though Lucky kept a watchful eye on the trees and shrubs.

They made their way to Bo’s truck and climbed inside. “Are you cold? Want me to turn on the heat?” Bo asked.

“Fuck the cold,” Lucky replied. Their eyes met, and they moved as one, mouths meshing over the console. Bo’s insistent tongue forced its way into Lucky’s mouth at the same instant Lucky aimed for Bo’s. Lucky wrestled Bo into the backseat amidst groping hands scrabbling for purchase, and his lover’s mouth latched onto his neck on that precise spot.

Bo sprawled on his back, one leg on the backseat, one on the floor. Lucky knelt on the seat between Bo’s spread legs, bracing his weight on his knees and one arm.

“Oh, God!” Bo exclaimed, plunging his hand into Lucky’s pants and wrapping chilly fingers around his full erection. He threw his head back against the side window, arching his neck and giving Lucky room to explore.

Excerpt From: Eden Winters. “Corruption.”

4) Dante from Again by Mary Calmes
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Okay, let me say right out of the gate this was a hard choice. Mary has so many characters I absolutely adore, including Rand from the Timing series. But my favorite, the one who holds my heart, is Dante Cerreto. In this book, he’s working hard to get his family back together, including his daughter. He seems all nice and sweet and pure, but Dante shows up in another book, and we find out he’s got quite the dark side to him. But in Again, he’s a man who wants to get back what he’s lost, and he’s never going to let it go again. Here’s my favorite snippet with Dante. Now, Noah (Dante’s former husband), is in Las Vegas for the wedding of a friend. He brought his current boyfriend with him, and when Noah goes to talk to the boyfriend, all hell breaks loose as they find the man in flagrante delecto.

I had no idea that the blender that my life was had been switched to puree.

“Shit!” Keith yelled.

It took a minute for me to see what I thought I was seeing.

“Outstanding,” Dante announced loudly, happily.

What?

Who?

I stopped, rewound, and replayed it in my head.

When I opened the door, Keith was on the bed, naked, and an equally naked man was on his knees in front of him with Keith’s dick buried in his throat. Now, Keith was scrambling around the room gathering pants, shoes, socks, lube, and condoms. The other man—Wes, I thought, pretty sure it was Wes—one of his buddies, was frantically doing the same thing.

“Oh my God!” I shouted, finally finding my voice.

“This is so awesome!”

I turned and looked at Dante.

“What?”

Excerpt From: Mary Calmes. “Again.”

5) Thomas and Peter from K.C. Wells’s ‘Trusting Thomas’

This book broke all my feels. We have Peter, a young man who wanted to belong to someone, and was beaten down by the person he (wrongly) chose. It left him with scars, both physical and emotional. When we first meet Peter, he’s being kept in a cage. He’s rescued and taken to Thomas Williams, co-owner of Collars & Cuffs, who agrees to care for him.
Only…

See, Peter doesn’t know what is expected of him. He doesn’t understand things like safewords, or the sub having the power. He only knows the pain that comes with agreeing to belong to someone.

One of the most powerful scenes in the book, is when Peter meets Leo Hart, the other owner of C & C. Peter figures that every Dom must be like Curtis, the abuser who hurt him so badly. When Leo introduces himself to Peter, things go to hell.

“Good morning. I’m Leo Hart, Thomas’s partner. Thomas invited me round.” A look crossed the boy’s face. Leo could swear the boy looked disappointed—and saddened. He sighed dejectedly and his shoulders slumped. With shuffling footsteps, he crossed the room and slowly lowered himself to his knees before Leo. He reached with trembling hands to grasp the buckle of Leo’s belt and began to open it. What the fuck?

“SO ARE you going to tell me why you’re looking so happy this morning?” Thomas teased as he peered into the oven, where cooked bacon and sausages were warming. Alex let out another delighted giggle. Thomas had to smile. Alex had changed so much since their first meeting back in June. Mind you, so had Leo. The two men were obviously good for each other. He hadn’t seen Leo this happy in a long while. In fact, in the two and a half years since the death of Leo’s former lover and submissive, Gabe, Thomas had often thought never to see his business partner happy again. He glanced toward Alex, who was pouring out the coffee into large mugs and smiling to himself. “Not going to tell me, huh?” He chuckled.

Alex met his eyes for the briefest moment before lowering them hastily, smirking. Thomas shook his head. The lad did not like making eye contact, which was probably just as well, seeing as he was now Leo’s submissive. Thomas was glad things seemed to be settling down between the pair, even if he’d had to step in—twice—to sort out Leo’s messes.

“Thomas? Could you get in here, please?” Leo’s call reached him from the lounge. It held a note of agitation that made both Thomas and Alex look up in surprise. Thomas put down the oven cloth he held and walked into the lounge, with Alex close behind him. Thomas came to a dead stop. Peter was on his knees before Leo, who held him firmly around the wrists. Leo’s belt was unfastened. Peter simply knelt there with his head bowed, but Thomas could see the boy was shaking.

“I see you’ve met my houseguest, Peter,” Thomas said dryly.

Leo’s face was a picture of embarrassment. “Your ‘houseguest’ was apparently all set to give me a blow job,” he muttered. Thomas quirked his eyebrows. The lad hid his face against Leo’s belly. As Leo gazed down at him, his expression changed. He let go of Peter’s wrists and gently helped him to his feet.

Thomas addressed the lad. “Peter, why would you do this?”

Peter blinked. “Isn’t that why you brought your friend round here? So I could service him?” His voice quavered.

Thomas was horrified. For a moment he was too shocked to speak. What had this poor boy been subjected to?

“No, Peter. That’s not what’s going to happen. I would never ask that of you. Ever.” He spoke quietly but forcefully. He wanted there to be no misunderstanding. “Why would you think I expected you to do that?”

Peter lowered his chin. “That’s how I was taught, Sir,” he murmured.”

Excerpt From: K.C. Wells. “Trusting Thomas.”

K.C. puts you through the emotional ringer with this book, and it’s painful to see Peter being drawn out of his shell, even though you know it’ll have a happy ending. There are so many things that happen (wait until you see the shaving scene) that you want to take Peter and put him in wool batting to keep him safe and loved forever.

So there you have it. Five of my favorite characters from M/M Romance. If you haven’t checked out these books, I hope you’ll consider it, because they all are amazing, and you’ll probably enjoy them as much as I did.

When a Dom invites a shy bookstore owner to live out his fantasies, more than one life will be transformed.

Words are Heath Snow’s life. He can’t remember a time when he didn’t have his nose buried in a book. He couldn’t make a living as a writer, so he did the next best thing—he bought a bookstore. But when he’s not selling books, he’s living vicariously through the characters he encounters. Real men can’t hold a candle to the hot men in his favorite genre.

The Pride display in the bookstore window may be what captured Xavier James’s attention, but the man enthusing about books interests him more. The BDSM book lying next to the cash register is a pleasant surprise, and when he draws attention to it, Heath’s flushed cheeks and bright eyes pique Xavier’s curiosity even further.

Xavier is about to learn that some things are more important than work, and Heath is about to step out of his comfort zone, into a place where fantasy and real life coexist.

About the AuthorsParker Williams loves the written word. The discovery of MM romance, as well as a chance encounter with an amazing author, changed the course of his life as he began to write the stories his men were whispering to him. With the help of some amazing friends and a community of writers he’s proud to be part of, Parker continues telling stories of love, hurt, comfort, and sometimes tosses in a little angst for fun.

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K.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing.

The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words ‘Love is Love’ and ‘Love Wins’ is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love – be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky – for a long while to come.

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Top Five Craft Books by TJ Nichols – Guest Blog

December 9, 2019 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes TJ Nichols who is celebrating the recent release of Greed and Other Dangers, the second book in the Mytho series.

Top 5 craft books

I’m a plotter—I like to know what my main turning points are and who my characters are before I start writing. Depending on the story I plot a little deeper (the Mytho books were more intensively plotted because I had to create the crime and then solve it while progressing the relationship between Edra and Jordan).

Some of my favorite craft books are:

How to Write a Damn Good Thriller by James N Frey

This goes though the ways thrillers keep things pacey as well as some of the genre’s conventions—like ticking clocks and the villain getting the upper hand. It’s an easy read with everything laid out clearly.

Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland

I love because to breaks down the three different types of character arcs into to little steps that the character has to go through. Very useful when figuring out what happens where in the story, or if creating an arc that cover multiple books.

The Virgin’s Promise

While the hero’s journey is all about the external plot, The Virgin’s Promise in the internal journey that a character must take. This internal journey is really important in a romance novel. If a character hasn’t changed by the end, have they learned to let go of the blocks that were stopping them from loving?

The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne

I find this method of analyzing story interesting, and very useful if a story just doesn’t seem to be working. I love the Story Grid round table podcast where the editors analyze a movie—I did film studies at school instead of English Lit.
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The Plot Whisperer book of Writing Prompts by Martha Alderson

Stuck? Don’t know what to write but need to write something? This little book is broken up into three acts and offers writing prompts and exercises to get you going making it very useful to on hand for those days when the hot chocolate has been drunk, the floors have been mopped and really, the procrastination has to stop.

These are just the ones I dip into the most frequently, but like most writers I have a collection of books that I’ve read and worked my way through all to better my understanding of story structure, and what makes a good read.

Dragon shifter Edra has always lived to serve and protect—in ages past, as a knight, and in the modern world as a mytho liaison to the San Francisco PD. Behind the scenes he safeguards the mythos community from scandal—and further human hatred. When the eggs of a rare greater dragon are stolen, Edra must find and return them before the mother razes the city.

Edra’s partner, Jordan, has just been promoted, and he’s on the trail of several stolen mythos artifacts. Together, they track the eggs to a colony of mermaids living in the bay near Alcatraz Island.

But trying to separate a mermaid from her treasure is asking for trouble.

As Edra and Jordan grow closer, they test the bounds of human-mythos relationships. But Jordan isn’t ready to mate for life, and Edra won’t pretend to be human for Jordan’s friends. With the hills on fire and a storm brewing in the bay—and in their bed—something’s got to give.

About the Author: TJ Nichols is an avid runner and martial arts enthusiast who first started writing as child. Many years later while working as a civil designer, TJ decided to pick up a pen and start writing again. Having grown up reading thrillers and fantasy novels, it’s no surprise that mixing danger and magic comes so easily. Writing urban fantasy allows TJ to bring magic to the every day. TJ is the author of the Studies in Demonology series and the Mytho urban fantasy series.

With one cat acting as a supervisor, TJ has gone from designing roads to building worlds and wouldn’t have it any other way. After traveling all over the world TJ now lives in Perth, Western Australia.

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Clay by Amy Lane – Guest Blog

December 4, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Long and Short Reviews welcomes Amy Lane, who is celebrating yesterday’s release of Fall Through Spring.

Clay
Clay makes his first appearance in this series as Skip’s best friend. He’s a good friend—a little insensitive, chubby but doesn’t like to complain about it, and dedicated to Skip. Clay is the one who drives Skipper home from work when he gets sick and who worries about his care, and he’s the one who invites Skip to stay with his family for Christmas when Richie can’t make it.

And it’s when Skip sees Clay’s family that he really sort of gets his friend.

Clay’s been raised in a very privileged environment—but a restrictive one as well. Bringing the wrong bread is a patronized sin for Clay’s parents, and philanthropy is a perfectly acceptable substitute for family affection, and Clay gets a pat on the head for having a job that pays the bills.

When Skip takes Clay home afterwards—Skip’s low rent house and not Clay’s average apartment—Skip buys them both a pie and ice cream, because he gets it. Living with so much restriction that you’re afraid you’ll say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, think the wrong thing—that can make someone need to eat a pie.

When we see Clay’s upbringing from his own perspective, the view is even rougher. Clay’s smart—he gets that he’s had privileges he should be grateful for, but all these privileges have formed a wall between who Clay is and who his parents want to be.

He’s not a bad guy, really. He’s kind to everybody, makes people laugh when he can, and follows Skipper through hell and onto the soccer field when his self-consciousness about his weight and being a burden is an anchor on his soul.

His parents want him to be a microbiologist with a business degree who saves the world.

Clay needs more personal connection than that—and for a little while, his platonic love for Skipper does the trick. He’s pretty sure he’s bisexual but has never given that a test drive, and he’s just so afraid of rocking the boat as it is.
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And then he meets Dane. And they just click.

Clay doesn’t even try to explain it—not at first. Dane just gets him. Manic, gleeful, sort of an ass, Dane is just like Clay, except more high maintenance. Both of them are like most of us—a mix of good and bad, industriousness and laziness, ambition and ennui.

And wanting to do better—to be better.
Clay’s struggles with weight are everybody’s struggles with the things that weigh them down. The broken thing inside him that makes food his fallback defense will never be fixed—but it can be overridden, tricked, and cajoled into submission, and Clay wants desperately to do that. He wants his body to be able to keep up with the best things his heart wants, for both himself and the world around him.

Nobody’s going to want to make a superhero doll that looks like Clay Carpenter—but hopefully, when reading him, we can see the hero in us all.

As far as Clay Carpenter is concerned, his abusive relationship with food is the best thing he’s got going. When a good friend starts kicking his ass into gear, Clay is forced to reexamine everything he learned about food and love—and that’s right when he meets troubled graduate student, Dane Hayes.

Dane Hayes doesn’t do the whole monogamy thing, but the minute he meets Clay Carpenter, he’s doing the friend thing in spades. The snarky, scruffy bastard not only gets Dane’s wacky sense of humor, he also accepts the things Dane can’t control—like the bipolar disorder Dane has been trying to manage for the past six years.

Dane is hoping for more than friendship, and Clay is looking at him with longing that isn’t platonic. They’re both positive they’re bad at relationships, but with the help of forbidden desserts and new medication regimens, they prove outstanding at being with each other. But can they turn their friendship into the love neither of them has dared to hope for?

About the Author: Amy Lane lives in a crumbling crapmansion with a couple of growing children, a passel of furbabies, and a bemused spouse. Two of her books have received a RITA nomination, she’s won honorable mention for an Indiefab, and has a couple of Rainbow Awards to her name. She also has too damned much yarn, a penchant for action-adventure movies, and a need to know that somewhere in all the pain is a story of Wuv, Twu Wuv, which she continues to believe in to this day! She writes fantasy, urban fantasy, and gay romance–and if you accidentally make eye contact, she’ll bore you to tears with why those three genres go together. She’ll also tell you that sacrifices, large and small, are worth the urge to write.

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Buy the book at Amazon, Dreamspinner Press, iBooks, Kobo, or Barnes and Noble.

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