New Release

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Bollocks!

Posted in New Release, tagged new release on May 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

No, that’s not me being gratuitously rude!! That’s the title of the forthcoming anthology of stories that will be published by Wayward Ink Publishing, a brand new initiative that will be accepting Gay Fiction as well as romance titles!! Links to their website as soon as it’s available but you can follow them on Facebook right now.

Bollocks! is a collection of British themed stories that plumbs the depths of our very broad and earthy sense of humour. I’ve chipped in with a story of angst, passion and Mars Bars. Here’s the official blurb and stuff!

Bollocks as a word is a little naughty. It’s a little cheeky. It’s a little rude.
And it’s the tongue-in-cheek theme for this collection of short stories celebrating all things English.
You’ll discover a bonk is not a typo for somewhere to keep your money.
A shag isn’t something thick and plush under your feet to keep them warm, though it is guaranteed to heat you up!
And as for a snog, the boys of Bollocks! can assure you it’s worth finding out what that Brit term means.
The stories will make you laugh.
They’ll make you snort.
They’ll make you blush.
Sigh—they’ll probably make you shake your head.
They may even make you want to catch the next flight to England to find something a little British of your own!
It’s not just cricket, or jolly hockey sticks, it’s more… it’s the very British, Bollocks!

More information to follow when available.

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Today in the Comfy Chair – John Goode

Posted in Guests, New Release, Uncategorized, tagged comfy chair, contemporary romance, excerpt, YA on March 20, 2014| 2 Comments »

My guest today is John Goode. Now resident in Texas, he was once in the Navy, but currently spends a lot of his time writing. He has been a professional author for about a year and is best known for his beloved stories about the students and staff of Foster High and his Lords of Arcadia series.

John is with us today to celebrate the release of his new Foster High book, 151 Days, which is OUT TODAY.

###

Elin: Can you tell me a little about yourself? For instance, do you have to have a day job as well as being a writer?

John : Yes I work graveyards at a security company so it gives me all night to write which is nice. I’m a night owl so writing at night is natural.

Elin: When you aren’t writing, is there any other creative activity you enjoy? Have you ever written about it?

John : I love music though I can’t sing. I just really love listening to it, the way a song can be crafted to invoke emotions fascinates me

Elin: What are you reading? Can you recommend something that you wished you’d written yourself?

John : I am reading a book that is about the first season of Star Trek TOS that is incredibly detailed. That is the nerd in me showing. I think everyone should read Jasper Fforde’s Next Thursday series. If you are a reader those books are made for you.

Elin: In that crucial inspiration stage of a new story which comes first? Plot, situation or character?

John : Usually for me character though most of the time it is actually theme that does it. I like writing in themes or what is the book for? What message does it have when all is said and done. I start there and then begin tolling together a story from that meta message.

Elin: Do your characters arrive fully fledged and ready to fly or do they develop as you work with them? Do you have a crisp mental picture of them or are they more a thought and a feeling than an image?

John : They are far more real than I care for that’s for sure. I think fully developed characters are the only kind that should make it to page so I spend a lot of time getting to know them as well as I can.

Elin: Is there any genre you would love to write, ditto one you would avoid like a rattlesnake? What inspired you to write about teenagers in high school?

John : I have a couple of Sci fi stories that I need to get to quickly. I would say just straight up erotics, porn with no plot would send me running into the hills. I wrote Foster High because I wanted to write the books I wish I had when I was a teenager. I don’t think there are enough positive role models for gay teens so I wanted to see if I could make some.

Elin: Villains are incredibly important in fiction since they challenge the main protagonists and give them something to contend with beyond the tension of a developing relationship. The cruel sea. The serial killer. The society itself. Your hero’s inner demons. What sort of villains do you prize?

John : Well there are no villains in Foster High. There are people who seem to have sinister intentions but honestly they have their own reasons for what they are doing. I don’t think there are people out there who wake up and say I am going to be the bad guy today or I am going to do evil. I think they have their own reasons and think them as valid as any one else’s.

Elin: What are you working on at the moment? Can you discuss it or do you prefer to keep it a secret until it’s finished.

John : Well I finished the new Lords of Arcadia book, and now I am about halfway through a story about a gay teen that has to decide between being out or being a basketball player. It’s called Fadeaway and is a character that is in the new Foster book 151 Days,

Elin: Could we please have an excerpt of something?

John : Here’s an excerpt from 151 Days

Change is a bitch.

I am using the term here to mean a difficult task and not a derogatory name for women or the scientific term for a female dog, just in case there are any who might take offense to the word. Change is a bitch, and that’s because it isn’t always easy to know it when it happens. I mean, sure, sometimes it’s obvious. I go over to Brad’s and end up kissing him, and my whole world turns upside down. Hard to miss that change. I decide to tell the world I like guys. Colossal change that is still affecting crap today. Kelly shoots himself. A change that brings the town to a standstill like an earthquake, and the aftershocks of it keep coming and coming.

Take race discrimination. After being considered property for far too long, African Americans were finally considered free people in the United States. That was a big change. But what went unnoticed, or at least unspoken, was the way people changed because of that decision. Some people thought the fight was done. The slaves wanted to be free—they were free, so that’s taken care of. Other people resented the fact that these people who were always second-class citizens to them were now supposed to be treated as equals, and they got angry. And their anger motivated a lot of ugly things, and the country changed while no one was looking.

Now, over a hundred years later, we elected a black president, and some people say, “Well that’s done.” What’s next? Other people reacted to that event in a rather unpopular way. They said the country was being taken over, they said he wasn’t an American, and some even said he wasn’t their president. And the world changed again.

Big change, little changes.

When Kelly killed himself, Foster, as a whole, reacted. Since no one thinks a teenage boy putting a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger is a good thing, the majority of the reactions were sympathetic, with a desire to make sure it could never happen again. People spoke out, said that the way kids were being treated was wrong, and that things had to get better. That was the bulk of the reaction, but there were others.

Some wanted to place blame on someone for why Kelly did what he did. Some blamed his parents, others blamed the kids on Facebook, and some blamed me. They said none of this stuff happened in Foster before I came out. There were arguments made that things were fine the way they had always been and that by rocking the boat, I had caused this to happen.

I’ll be honest, a lot of other things were said about me as well, but they were mostly hateful things, so you’ll excuse me if I don’t repeat them.

Things were changing in Foster, big and small, and most of it seemed to be centered on me.
Some for the better, some for the worse. The problem was, there was no way for any of us to know which was which until it was far too late. It is impossible for anyone to know what effect our plans will have until they already happen, and by then, there is no going back. I swore the day they put Kelly in the ground that I would change Foster before I left for college. It was a change, and none of us knew what would come of it.

There are 151 days until graduation. Roughly five months before I plan on running out of this town as fast as I can and never looking back. A lot of things can happen in 151 days. A lot of things that people might not be ready for.

So I’m telling you now, hold on. This might get a little bumpy.

###

Many thanks to John for answering my questions so kindly. If you would like to follow John and the students of Foster High his links are below.

The Foster High Facebook

The @fosterhigh Twitter account

email: fosterhigh88@gmail.com

Cover art by Paul Richmond

151 Days by John Goode

Sequel to End of the Innocence
Tales from Foster High: Book Three

With just 151 days left until the school year ends, Kyle Stilleno is running out of time to fulfill the promise he made and change Foster, Texas, for the better. But Kyle and his boyfriend, Brad Graymark, have more than just intolerance to deal with. Life, college, love, and sex have a way of distracting them, and they’re realizing Foster is a bigger place than they thought. When someone from their past returns at the worst possible moment, graduation becomes the least of their worries.

Order here.

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New Release – The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick

Posted in New Release, tagged excerpt, gay romance, YA on February 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Description:
One October morning, high school junior Bryan Dennison wakes up a different person—helpful, generous, and chivalrous—a person whose new admirable qualities he doesn’t recognize. Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his neck like a cape.
Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more unusual behavior. He can’t hold back from retrieving kittens from tall trees, helping little old ladies cross busy streets, and defending innocence anywhere he finds it.
Shockingly, at school, he realizes he used to be a bully. He’s attracted to the former victim of his bullying, Scott Beckett, though he has no memory of Scott from before “the change.” Where he’d been lazy in academics, overly aggressive in sports, and socially insecure, he’s a new person. And although he can recall behaving egotistically, he cannot remember his motivations.
Everyone, from his mother to his teachers to his “superjock” former pals, is shocked by his dramatic transformation. However, Scott Beckett is not impressed by Bryan’s newfound virtue. And convincing Scott he’s genuinely changed and improved, hopefully gaining Scott’s trust and maybe even his love, becomes Bryan’s obsession.

With a foreword by C. Kennedy

Book Links:
Dreamspinner ~ Goodreads

Excerpt:

I’D NEVER hidden in the high school boys’ bathroom, or any other bathroom, come to think of it, before. Not even once—from anybody or anything. I guess already being six foot two, and sharing no resemblance to a rack of bones, in my freshman year had kind of relieved me of the burden most ninth graders suffered of needing to hide from the terrible seniors—I’d already towered over most of them. But in more general terms, I didn’t hide because: A) I was too big to find any sort of a decent hiding spot in a men’s room, and B) everybody else was too busy hiding from me so all possible hiding spots were occupied. Nonetheless, here I was, cowering in a bathroom stall.
I needed to be alone for a few minutes. I needed to figure out what the fuck was happening in my life. I’ll put it this way: I was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that this weird personality change that had come over me went well beyond a desire for a red cape. Yeah, this was something far more complicated.
Inside the stall, the toilet had no lid to sit on, so sitting down on the toilet seat in a dignified manner, with my pants up, did not seem to be an option. On TV, I’d seen plenty of crafty characters hide in bathroom stalls by standing on top of the toilet seat so that if anyone looked under the stall to see if somebody was in there, no feet would be dangling down. But if I was to try that tack, I’d put my head right through the ceiling, as I’d grown at least two inches since freshman year. I guess six foot four wasn’t always an advantage. So I went with sitting cross-legged in front of the toilet. Unsanitary? Yes. Pathetic? Quite possibly. But it was the best I could come up with in the heat of the moment.
Strangely, when I finally got my long body folded into that bent-up position on the floor in front of the toilet, I could see that there was already someone curled up on the floor in the stall next to mine. So much for my solitary thinking time.
I directed my question to the lifeless body. “Excuse me… um… are you feeling okay?” I had no choice. I was called to respond to an insatiable drive within me to help those in need. And this guy had to be in major need or he wouldn’t be crumpled up into a fetal ball on the filthy bathroom floor. “Like… dude, want me to go get the nurse or something?”
I couldn’t see his face, as it was covered up by his arms. He didn’t make a sound.
“Is it your stomach? There’s a lot going around right now, I’d say. My mom is a nurse at County General Hospital and she told me that….” I let my words trail off, suspecting the guy wasn’t listening to me anyways.
“Just leave me alone.”
Well, that was a start, wasn’t it? I mean, we were communicating now.
Positive thinking, Bry.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” I was afraid too. I was afraid the new chivalrous part of me wasn’t gonna let me leave the bathroom until I had gotten this guy onto his feet and smiling up at me. And class started in ten minutes, which didn’t leave me a hell of a lot of time to accomplish my lofty goal. “At least tell me what’s wrong.”
“Like you don’t already know.” His response was both muffled and pissed-off sounding, but, again, it was communication, so I felt thankful.
Thankful to whom? I had no idea. I was just thankful, period. (Try to hold off on the fucking analysis at this point, okay, reader?)
“Call me clueless, but I have no idea what is troubling you.”
He slid to the edge of my stall and stuck his head in. I saw a flash of blond hair and wire-rimmed glasses perched on an adorable nose—it was Scott Beckett, the kid from the cafeteria.
“It’s you.”
“Yeah, asshole, it’s me. So, go ahead, do what you came here to do. You going to give me a swirly? Make me lick the urinals…. What’s it going to be this time, Dennison?”
I had no idea how to respond. I’d never so much as laid eyes on this kid before, and he was acting like I’d been in on some kind of a bullying brigade directed solely at him. Either I had missed something major, or he had a very vivid imagination. “Refresh my memory, Beckett. Tell me what I did… uh, the last time.”
Still sprawled out flat on the floor beside me, directly underneath the stall divider, his pretty face screwed up into a tight knot, he squealed, “Fuck you, Dennison! Acting like you forgot is even more insulting than what you did to me in the first place. Like, I can believe that you and your buddy torture any kid who looks like an easy target, so you can’t remember all the evil details of each individual case, but what you did to me? Saturday night? Just… just fuck you!”
I nodded and then shook my head. I was clueless and confused… and starting to feel guilty. For what, I didn’t know.
Plus, Scott Beckett was just so… so interesting. So appealing.
Why would I ever try to hurt him?
“God, you’re an even bigger asshole than I thought you were… and that’s sure saying something.” Scott dragged himself up off the floor. Once he was standing in the stall beside mine, he asked me, “So, other than last Saturday night, you usually play the role of the evil sidekick when you’re out in public. Where’s your buddy Wilson—the instigator?”
“Brandon Wilson?”
“Ya think? Let me guess… five, four, three, two, one… looks like he’s late, isn’t he? But I know he’s going to burst in here, conveniently, at any second now, right? Or maybe he’s waiting outside the door for an audio cue or something?”
I stood up too. What this dude was implying about my personal character was highly disturbing.
“Should I scream? Is that the signal—or are you going for the tears again, you fuckwad-asswipe?”
Signal?
Tears? Again?
Fuckwad-asswipe? Me?
“No, Brandon’s back in the cafeteria. Now listen, buddy, just do me a favor—”
“Did you just call me ‘buddy’?” He asked me so loudly that his voice echoed in the tiny stall.
“Just tell me what I did to you.”
His stall door slammed, indicating he was now out in the main part of the bathroom. So I came out of my stall as well. And Scott Beckett was just standing there in front of the sink, glasses in hand, looking up at me with round bright eyes, his pretty pink-skinned face saturated with the purest fury I’d ever seen, and it was all directed my way. I mean, this kid fucking hated me… and I didn’t know him from Adam. “I’m not about to do you any favors, Dennison.” His thin top lip curled up in disgust, and then he added in a low voice, “Besides, we both know what went down.”
With one last scathing look, he fled the bathroom. And I was even more flabbergasted than I had been five minutes before when I’d come into the men’s room to think.
That kid is completely full of bull.
Yeah, that had to be it: Scott Beckett was messing with my head. Right? But… but back in the caf, hadn’t Brandon suggested that we had done something to this kid… and that he seemed to be looking forward to the two of us finishing the job we’d started on him? And, for that matter, Jack had referred to the fact that Brandon and me had made more than one trip to the principal’s office in regard to bullying this kid.
I grabbed a hold on the sink, because the entire bathroom was suddenly spinning all around me. I was dizzy, but I was sure it wasn’t because of the shocking realization that I may have done something seriously nasty to Scott Beckett (that I somehow couldn’t remember) to make him hate me this way. No, it wasn’t that at all… convenient memory lapses don’t just happen. Most probably, I was dizzy because I was exhausted. I guessed that maybe I’d drunk more than my fair share on Saturday night, because, in truth, Sunday was mostly a blur too. Or maybe somebody had slipped me a roofie, which could definitely be the reason I was sick and dizzy and I couldn’t remember shit. All I had to do was just make it through the rest of the day, and then serve my detention, go home, and get a good night’s sleep. I’d tell Mom I was sick… that I wasn’t up for a big dinner. That was the truth too—I really wasn’t up for food or conversation.
Rest was all I needed… and tomorrow when I woke up, things would be crystal clear again.
But, shit, I hope Mom brings home those sheets.

Book Links:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4726

About the Author:
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
My themes I always write about:
Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.

Author Links:

Home

https://www.facebook.com/mia.kerick

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New Release – The Bridge on the River Wye by Adam Fitzroy

Posted in New Release, tagged contemporary romance, gay romance, manifold press, new release on February 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Bridge on the River Wye
by Adam Fitzroy

Blurb:

Chef Rupert’s picking up the pieces after a catastrophe; he’s lost his love, his business, his home and even his dog, and he’s trying to make a fresh start. Linking up with Jake almost on a whim he soon finds himself involved in a strange tale of organic farming, migrant workers, greed and even possibly murder – in the midst of which the attraction is still there, but Rupert’s not sure whether the feeling’s mutual or if he’s ready to try for a proper relationship again just yet …

70,000 words/256 pages
£3.75

Go here for an excerpt.

Available from Manifold Press.

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New Release – Beloved Pilgrim by Kit Moss

Posted in New Release, tagged historical romance, LGTBQ, new release, trans on January 27, 2014| 1 Comment »

Beloved Pilgrim
by Kit Moss

A Harmony Ink Press Young Adult Title

2nd Edition

At the time of the earliest Crusades, young noblewoman Elisabeth longs to be the person she’s always known is hidden inside. When her twin brother perishes from a fever, Elisabeth takes his identity to live as a man, a knight. As Elias, he travels to the Holy Land, to adventure, passion, death, and a lesson that honor is sometimes found in unexpected places.

Elias must pass among knights and soldiers, survive furious battle, deadly privations, moral uncertainty, and treachery if he’ll have any chance of returning to his newfound love in the magnificent city of Constantinople.

Available now from Dreamspinner’s Harmony Ink range and from the usual ebook retailers.

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Posted in New Release on January 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Hound Dog and Bean
by B. G. Thomas

Description:

There’s been little love in H.D. “Hound Dog” Fisher’s life since the death of his beloved mom when he was a boy. Bounced around the foster care system, he ran away as soon as he could… and took the foster dog with him. As far as he’s concerned, only dogs have no ulterior motive, never hold a grudge, and offer unconditional love. Now he helps run a no-kill shelter and leaves relationships where they belong: in the back room.

“Bean” Alexander settled in Kansas City to open his coffee shop after years of traveling. He never expected to open his heart too. When a man with a grudge takes a swing at H.D. while in line at Bean’s shop, Bean jumps to intervene.

So taking a hit for H.D. gets Bean noticed, and H.D. feels obligated to pay a debt. But then the unexpected happens. A series of misadventures causes H.D. to open up—but falling in love makes him turn tail and run. Trust is a tough road to travel. Will good friends, a dog named Sarah Jane, and a bit of folk magic be enough to bring Hound Dog and Bean a happy ending?

Available from Dreamspinner from Monday 20th January.

Follow the Blog Tour – first stop is with the talented Mary Calmes.

(more…)

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New Release

Posted in New Release on November 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Tunnelling for Revenge
Travis Sharpe
http://www.facebook.com/travisksharpe
http://www.travisksharpe.webstarts.com

Blurb:

Fueled by revenge, guided by an intense hatred for any type of elected or appointed authority, and driven by an inherent need to worship a strong male leader, Alex sets out on a killing spree that will satisfy all three of his psychological crutches. Alex seeks to avenge and free his captured leader. He planned to do this on his own, but prior to embarking on his journey he is approached by a mysterious organization that offers to finance his entire operation. The specialized weapon system that they offer him for the job proves too much to pass up.

The CIA agents who caused the downfall of his beloved anarchist cult become aware of his murderous plot, and they engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse with Alex’s ability to defy physics as a wild card. Thanks to his newfound weapon, Alex avoids capture while paralyzing his enemies with fear. Alex’s mysterious helpers employ the assistance of a local gang whose mission is to assist Alex in finding one of his targets. In so doing, the local gang, Alex, the CIA agents, and the local police find themselves mixed up in an international gang war for control of the illegal drugs and firearms market in the United States. A colossal betrayal finds Alex working on the side of law enforcement with him as a tool to help thwart the influx of foreign gangsters, and them as a tool to help Alex exact revenge on the very man he would have stopped at nothing to protect.

Excerpt:

The man pulled his pistol and pointed it at Alex.
He eased up the stairway toward Alex while Alex shuffled toward the wall. When the banister shielded the two men from each other’s view, Alex reached down and pushed the button in his right pants pocket. Making sure to keep his feet perpendicular to the wall, Alex edged closer and closer. He was ready. He could’ve simply disappeared, but he wanted the government pig to know what he was dealing with.
The big man moved back into view. Alex was staring down the barrel of a large caliber pistol. Still, he knew the agent was unlikely to shoot him right here, especially when Alex wasn’t brandishing a weapon.
Through a smirk, Alex said, “I see you want another shot at me big man. Maybe you should find another hobby. I’d hate to humiliate you again.”
His adversary replied, “Sadly enough, I don’t have time for a fight. You’re under arrest. Put your hands above your head and turn to face the wall.”
“Fair enough.”
Alex did as instructed. He was barely able to refrain from laughing out loud. He faced the wall. The agent approached him. As he did so, he lowered his weapon, holstered it, and pulled out his handcuffs. He reached for Alex.
The instant before the man made contact with his body Alex stepped forward into the wall and disappeared. He moved through the wall on the fifth floor and into an empty hotel room. For a few seconds, he gave in to the urge to stand there and laugh at what the big agent must be thinking.

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New Release – Unbreak My Heart

Posted in New Release, tagged author interview, gay romance, guest, lbgt fiction, new release on August 25, 2013| 1 Comment »

Unbreak My Heart
by K-lee Klein

Brett Taylor has been doing just fine living in his own little world for the past three years, thank you very much. Losing someone special is life changing, and Brett doesn’t understand why everyone and their damn dog thinks they can get all up in his business about him needing to move on. He managed to make the transition from musician to rancher without relying on anyone else’s opinion or help, and he certainly doesn’t need some city kid coming into his life to disrupt his routine—one that involves grief, isolation, and a whole lot of Jack Daniels.

Moving from one meaningless job to the next, JT Campbell is on a quest to escape his old life and figure out who he is and where he belongs. He’s not looking to save anyone, let alone a secretive, hotter-than-hell rancher who wears his heart on his sleeve. JT likes working for Brett, but Brett’s made it perfectly clear that any relationship between them other than a professional one will never see the light of day.

But when JT’s lust turns to love, and he gives in to his desire to find out what makes Brett tick, will his interest push Brett away? Or will he, through his patience and support, be the one who can finally unbreak Brett’s heart?

Available now from Amber Allure

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Guest Blog – Kay Berrisford

Posted in Guests, New Release, Uncategorized on April 5, 2013| 30 Comments »

Today it’s my privilege to hand over my blog to Kay Berrisiford, whose erotic historical fantasies interweaving of Saxon and Celtic legend with a thread of BDSM have been wowing her readers.

And there’s a new one out SOON!

Writing the Greenwood through history – why it’s so much more fun backward!

This month sees the release of Lord of the Forest, the third installation in my “Greenwood” stories, a series of m/m romances set in a mythical English forest, vaguely based on the New Forest, near where I live in Hampshire. Lord of the Forest is set in 1217, so I’m getting medieval, with a good sprinkling of myth-based magic and fantasy thrown in. As any of you who’ve followed the previous two books will realize, I’m also traveling backward in time—again. The first published book in the series, Bound for the Forest, was set in 1817. The events of the second, Bound to the Beast, took place in 1588, with its prologue located in 43 CE.

Although I didn’t plan things this way from the start, I decided early on— when writing Bound for the Forest— that I wanted to explore backward through time. The premise of the first book was that pre-Christian pagan religion had its roots in real magic and spirits, and that belief in these survived as late as the nineteenth century in the depths of the English Greenwood. Many of the ideas were derived from archaeological evidence of Iron Age religion (the Iron Age was roughly the first thousand years BCE.) For example, the method of sacrifice that one of the heroes, Scarlet, fears—death three times of by poisoning, cutting, and suffocation—was inspired by evidence from real human sacrifices. I also intended to integrate Romano-British and Celtic Gods. The water goddess Sulis, who plays a prominent role in Bound to the Beast and Lord of the Forest, was originally in Bound for the Forest too, but her scene was quite rightly cut for pace.

The statue of Robin Hood that stands in Nottingham, sculpted by James Woodford in 1952. Photo by Ian Britton.

The truth was, if I had been allowed to unleash everything I wanted to create, explain, and explore about my Greenwood world in Bound for the Forest, no m/m romance publisher would have touched me with the proverbial bargepole. I kept in all the world-building I could, while still keeping the focus on romance and plot, and realized that if I was going to do justice to the Greenwood universe, I would have to write the backstory some other way. Fortunately, it’s always been my instinct to write/make up histories. I’ve studied history for a period approaching the length of an ice age, and many years ago wrote a set of books and timelines for my Sylvanian Families that traced their history back to Muddy the Great, the, er, mole equivalent of Alfred the Great. I was a strange child.

The decision to make Herne the Hunter the hero of the second novel also naturally pushed me back in time. (Herne’s cameo in Bound for the Forest, unlike Sulis, survived the cutting room). Though I chose an Elizabethan setting for Bound to the Beast, Herne would have had his origins in a much earlier period, and I chose to make him a leader of one of the southern English tribes around the time of Roman colonization. The plot of Bound to the Beast also gave me an excuse to paint more of the religious backdrop: Herne is gifted his crown of antlers and immortality by the spirits, including Sulis and Taranis the Thunder God.

Herne, of course, brought his own baggage of myth and legend, which I had fun integrating. Robin Hood, the hero of Lord of the Forest, brought with him even more (which I will be blogging extensively about elsewhere on my release tour.) Robin’s presence pinned the third book nicely backward in time into the medieval period. I chose 1217, because this was the year of the Charter of the Forest (Carta de Foresta), a kind of Magna Carta of the forest, which on the surface undid some of the more extreme abuses of the strict laws against hunting and foraging introduced after the Norman Conquest. In my parallel Greenwood world, Robin joins forces with Herne and the fairies to fight the evil barons, who’re hoping to turn the Charter to their own ends—and setting the book then also gave me an excuse to expand yet more on my worldbuilding. The hero of Bound for the Forest was Melmoth Brien, who is the last in a long line of “protectors” of the Greenwood, and who has magic powers gifted to him by the sky gods. In Lord of the Forest, I am able to explain exactly how this magic came about, who his ancestors were, and how they fit in with the rest of the Greenwood crew (Herne, Robin et al.) But I better not say any more about that, because I’ll give away the plot!

I’m undecided as to whether there’ll be another full-length Greenwood novel (There will definitely be another novella. Locking Horns, a sequel to Bound to the Beast and a prequel to Bound for the Forest, is set in 1804 and featured characters from both—Herne and his lover Tam are conveniently immortal! Locking Horns is due out later this spring.) However, if there is a fourth novel, I’m going to be plunging back ever further into the mists, setting it in the early Iron Age, and explaining how the spirits bound to the Greenwood came to be there in the first place (yes, all that stuff about Holgaerst and Niogaerst.) That said, I also have an idea for a novella set in the Greenwood during World War Two. I can go forward in time as well, honest.

So there it is. I just love writing the history too much to not keep going backward. It also means, conveniently, that the books can be read in any order. However, from another perspective, the books are moving forward in publication order. Bound for the Forest, Bound to the Beast, and Lord of the Forest, are set in spring, summer, and autumn respectively. The fourth installation, if it ever exists, will be the winter book. To be brutally honest, I’m not sure what the symbolism of this progress through the nature and the seasons is. Nevertheless, I’m sure the Mother Goddess of the Earth, who presides over my Greenwood universe, would thoroughly approve.

Thanks so much to Elin for letting my blog here today!

Lord of the Forest

Blurb:
England, 1217. Dark forces are rising. In the Greenwood, foul spirits grow powerful, and greedy barons plunder the lands. Only one man dares fight back—Robin Hood.

Robin’s band of brothers is broken. Now a lone warrior, he denies his famous name and laments the friends and lovers he’s lost. When the fair folk capture Cal, a beautiful young forester descended from the Greenwood’s ancient protectors, Robin rescues him and forges a new alliance.

Despite a sizzling attraction, Robin senses Cal isn’t like his old comrades, and he’s right. Cal’s been raised as a royal spy. He plans to seduce and betray Robin, but can’t harm the man he’s falling hard for. Mistrust and arguments spill into passionate lovemaking, as Cal learns the meaning of loyalty, fighting beside Robin, the only friend he’s ever known. Even the enchanted forest seeks to bind Robin and the returned protector ever tighter.

Their connection will be tested by nature’s wildest forces, Robin’s past, Cal’s lies, and in a baron’s darkest dungeon. To survive, Robin and Cal must admit their love and embrace their true destinies. Only then can they save England and each other—and win their happiness ever after.

Lord of the Forest (The Greenwood) will be published by Loose Id in early April. The first two Greenwood novels (Bound for the Forest and Bound to the Beast) are out now, and the series can be read in any order.

All titles available from Loose Id, Amazon and All Romance eBooks.

THE LORD OF THE FOREST BLOG TOUR DRAW!
If you’d like a chance to WIN your choice any of the current Greenwood novels, Bound for the Forest or Bound to the Beast, in your choice of paperback or ebook—PLUS a $20 Loose Id or All Romance voucher—all you need to do is leave a comment here, including your email (please spell this out e.g. katy@yahoo.com would be katy at yahoo dot com.) You can enter the draw as many times as you like at the different blogs I visit on my Lord of the Forest blog tour (for schedule visit http://kayberrisford.com). Two runners up prizes will be a choice of any of my back catalogue titles, excluding Lord of the Forest.

Comp closes midnight EST, 12th April.

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Another new release!! Welcome Charley Descoteaux

Posted in Guests, New Release on December 22, 2012| 9 Comments »

I’m very pleased today to hand my blog over to Charley Descoteaux whose novella, Comfort and Joy, is releaed today from Etopia Press.

Charley has provided musical links for your listening pleasure so just click on the pictures to be taken to the videos.

~~~

Thanks for having me, Elin. I love your historical hunks so visiting your blog is a special thrill.

A lot of writers listen to music while they write, to get into the right mood. I love music so I’ve tried this too—many times—but it just doesn’t work for me. I get in touch with my characters through music, but if I listen while writing then I end up typing the lyrics!

Some of my characters are into jazz or classical, but listening to music without lyrics isn’t much better. I’ll get caught up in the rhythm section interplay or a brilliant phrase I hadn’t noticed until right then. So I try to listen to one or two pieces of music and then turn it off and write. Once I can force myself to do that (which isn’t always easy!), I’m off to the races.

Vince Guaraldi – Christmas Tree

One of the characters in Comfort and Joy even started a new musical obsession for me: jazz. Before I got to know Charlie Price all I really knew about jazz was from watching the Charlie Brown holiday specials or by listening to people who say things like “it’s the notes they don’t play” (which I still don’t get!). But Charlie insisted it was cool and since he has a much better handle on that kind of thing than I ever will, I kept an open mind. Now, West Coast jazz is the style of music you’re most likely to hear at my home or in my car. There’s something for every mood under that label, but my favorite is still Vince Guaraldi. It’s impossible to listen to his work and not smile—it makes the kid in me happy even if the piece isn’t one Snoopy’s ever danced to. Plus, it cuts down on my road rage.

I’ve been exploring other styles of jazz as well, and found an amazing album by Duke Ellington that’s his take on The Nutcracker Suite. My favorite cut is “Sugar Rum Cherry”, his arrangement of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. This is the jazzy piano piece featured in Comfort and Joy, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Duke Ellington – Sugar, Rum, Cherry

Charlie started as a classical pianist, and though he still loves Beethoven he considers himself a jazz musician. He played his first club at sixteen, after he ran off to Europe to search for fame and love and sex (not necessarily in that order!)—he was born into the fortune so that helped!

Before he met Sam, he would’ve said one of the highlights of his life was the time he was seduced after a gig in Paris. Not a word of English was spoken for a good 48 hours. If asked about his musical goals, Charlie would probably say he wants to find a bass player to round out their trio and become the next Guaraldi or Brubeck. I’m sure Sam would be perfectly happy as drummer in The Charlie Price Trio.

Right now, I’m working on a new story, and that main character is a young guy who grew up on Reggae, so I’m listening to a lot of Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley, and peeking in on the Music Choice Reggae station regularly to find new-to-me music to fall in love with.

Jimmy Cliff – I Can See Clearly Now

Thanks again Elin!

Comfort and Joy

How much love does it take to heal the wounds of hate?

Sam and Charlie have been together over a decade, and their commitment to each other has only grown stronger through the years. But love isn’t always easy, and eighteen months after a violent assault, their fairy-tale relationship is still struggling. Charlie can’t shake the lingering fear of attracting more violence by displaying affection, and he’s angry at himself for not getting past it. Sam would do anything to help Charlie feel better—if only he knew what that was.

The century-old farmhouse in Northwest Oregon is the perfect place to spend the holidays with Sam’s family, but it was their refuge after the attack, and it still holds painful memories of those difficult first months. Christmas should be a joyful time, but even being surrounded by people who love him isn’t enough to make Charlie feel safe. He could try to keep to himself, but even if Sam agreed to give him the space he needs, Sam’s warm and loving family might not. And even though they agreed not to exchange gifts, Sam has a surprise up his sleeve that he hopes will make everything merry and bright. But he may end up more surprised than Charlie before the week is out…

Excerpt:

Sam continued up the stairs, considering how to go about putting Charlie’s perfect ass on a piano bench became entangled with the unfortunate fact that as long as they slept upstairs they would be showering separately. He gave Charlie first chance at the hot water and then sped through his shower as fast as he could. Sam stopped just inside the bedroom door and closed it quietly. He towelled his hair and let his gaze linger on Charlie, lying still on top of the quilt, bare feet on the floor, partially covered with a green towel. A slice of moonlight filtered through the curtain on the opposite wall and across Charlie’s body, which was a work of art even when not bathed in romantic mood-lighting. After a few moments Sam realized Charlie was also watching him.

Charlie flipped the towel up and away from his body and Sam felt as though someone had just grabbed him by the throat. After barely a heartbeat’s hesitation he strode to the foot of the bed and leaned over Charlie to kiss him. Sam’s free hand caressed his slender chest and shoulders. When he felt goose bumps Sam lowered himself over Charlie but kept all his weight on both knees and one hand.

Sam moaned softly and moved his dark hand over the fair skin on Charlie’s abs. He hadn’t regained any of the bulk he’d lost but made up for it with dizzying definition and a solidity he hadn’t had before.

“Vanilla ice cream.” Sam began to kiss his way down Charlie’s chest and felt a cool hand on his head exerting a gentle pressure, urging him lower.

“You’re lactose intolerant.”

Sam looked up and grinned for a short moment, then slipped down even farther. “I’ll just have to lick you instead.”

BIO:

Charley Descoteaux has always loved stories and began writing them down to appease the

characters in her head who insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. Home is Portland,

Oregon, where the weather is like your favorite hard-case writing buddy who won’t let you get

away with taking too many days off, and in some places you can be as weird as you are without

fear.

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Comfort-and-Joy-ebook/dp/B00APRADZ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-

text&ie=UTF8&qid=1355808008&sr=1-1&keywords=etopia+press