Eli Bell is the only son of a police chief inspector and a forensic scientist. He’s grown up wonky in a world that only deals with the straight and narrow — and his new boyfriend isn’t helping.Rob Hawkes is six feet of muscle, tattoos, and arrest warrants. A career criminal and a former guest of Her Majesty’s Prison Service, he’d rather hit Eli’s parents than sit down to dinner with them. One wrong move, and Rob could destroy Eli — and his family — without a second thought.
But this isn’t what it looks like.
Rob’s not in control here — and Eli’s the one to blame.
Author Bio
Matthew J. Metzger is the front for a British-born author dragged up in the south of England as part of a typical nuclear family with three kids, a mortgage, and no dog because a dog would get hair on the carpet. A brief escape to the north to study focused his writing from daydreaming rambles to his first novel, Our Last Summer. It is unquestionably better than the dissertation he produced at the same time for his university degree, but probably not as inventive as the excuses he provided for missing classes so often.
Matthew has since returned to the London area, and therefore lives mostly on the public transport. He suspects that his next few pieces will probably involve homicidal characters on the London Underground.
We’ve been promising a new look here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words and its arrived. Colors and fonts are still being tweaked, and this look may not even last past this year but a freshening up was needed. A search engine is down at the bottom near the calendar. I hope to get it up near the top of the menu soon but, hey, we are making progress.
Now you can see multiple reviews and tours at one time. The most recent post will be the one in the largest box. I hope this will make finding the days posts easier as will having a search engine back again. Oh the story as to how it disappeared in the first place is one for the books!
We would love to hear your feedback and your comments on the colors and formats will be used in our tweaking in the future.
We’ve added another reviewer but are still looking for a couple of more to add. Please contact us at scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com if you would like to review for us. We would love to hear from you.
And now for our busy agenda this week. Its packed full with a 5 day event of new cover reveals from Aria Grace, release day reviews and author interviews. Plus we love our audiobooks here too, so we have quite a few of those reviews too. Stay tuned all week, we have something for everyone.
This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Sunday, August 21:
This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
So A New Look At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Monday, August 22:
Cover Reveal More Than Friends (More Than Friends #1) by Aria Grace (with giveaway)
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s Drunk In Love (More Than Friends #2) – with Giveaway
The Butch and the Beautiful blog tour with Kris Ripper (Riptide Tour and Giveaway)
Blog Tour – Surfacing by AL Bates (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)
Release Blitz Tour for Matthew J. Metzger’s What It Looks Like (excerpt and giveaway)
A Jeri Release Day Review: The Luckiest Master by Sean Michael
Tuesday, August 23:
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s Just Stay (More Than Friends #4) – Teasers and giveaway
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s Choosing Happy (More Than Friends #3) – with interview (character)
A Lila Review: And the Survey Says by Karma Eastwick
A BJ Release Day Review: Crisped + Sere by TJ Klune
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Betrothed: A Faery Tale by Therese Woodson
Wednesday, August 24:
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s Best Chance (More Than Friends #6) – with Teasers and giveaway
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s Hands On (More Than Friends #5) – with giveaway
In the Spotlight: Julie Lynn Hayes ‘Civil War and Broken Hearts’, Rose & Thorne #2 (excerpt and giveaway)
A Stella Review: Daring the Wolf by Skylar Cates
An Alisa Review: Keeping Karma by Tory Temple
Thursday, August 25:
Cover Reveal for Age Is Just a Number, A Wayward Ink Publishing Anthology
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s Finally Found (More Than Friends #8) – Teasers
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s My Name is Luka (More Than Friends #7) – Excerpt/giveaway
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Out of Nowhere by Roan Parrish
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Signs of Desire by Tempeste O’Reily
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Pre-release Review: Tongue & Groove by Shae Connor
Friday, August 26:
Cover & Blurb Reveal – Montana #4 – RJ Scott
End Street Detectives are Back in End Street Vol 2 by Amber Kell & RJ Scott (Series Recap Tour and Giveaway)
Cover Reveal for Aria Grace’s Looking For Home (More Than Friends #9) with giveaway
Cover Reveal and Recap for Aria Grace’s Choosing Us (More Than Friends #10) interview with Adam or Joey plus recap of all new covers
A Stella Release Day Review: Back Off That’s My Jock by Wade Kelly
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Don’t Twunk with My Heart by Renae Kaye
Saturday, August 27:
A Stella Review: Not a Game by Cardeno C.
A Lila Review: Tracefinder: Changes (Tracefinder #2) by Kaje Harper
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Christian Baines here today to talk about writing, his characters and his latest release, The Orchard of Flesh. Welcome, Christian.
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In The Beast Without…the vampires and werewolves weren’t civilized creatures but more apex predators. What made you go in that direction?
They’re civilized to a point, but they’re not timid or gentle, and they’re not self-loathing about what they are. I went in that direction for two reasons. One, it seemed to me like a lot of stories about vampires or werewolves established their humanity through guilt over their difference. That felt worn, and more than that, I didn’t want to reinforce their difference as being intrinsically evil. They’re all individuals, they all have things they have to do to survive, and they all make their own moral choices. If you look at it as a parallel to say, sexuality, you either learn to embrace that difference, or you go crazy. I wasn’t interested in writing self-loathing monsters.
In the first story you had to lay down the foundation for your world and all the relationships. Here in The Orchard of Flesh (Arcadia Trust, #2) you have to continue the complex story you started and the relationships as well. What was the biggest challenge here?
The biggest challenge is keeping the storylines straight, and not introducing so much that the reader just gets confused and tunes out. There are elements in Beast Without that aren’t completely closed off by the end of that book, and they continue in Orchard of Flesh and beyond. In doing that, I’m keeping track of a bunch of plot threads, characters, and events that, even though they’re not on the page yet, are influencing the story as I’m (or Reylan is) telling it. You need to know what’s coming in the next book and maybe the one after that.
The central relationship between Reylan and Jorgas is easier in some ways because it evolves in the moment, and we see that evolution first hand. It breaks with common romance convention in that the romance isn’t confined to one book in which you know the boys are going to wind up together. I don’t make that promise. Their relationship is difficult, and it’s constantly evolving, just like every other relationship in the book’s world. Reylan’s relationship with Patricia, the head of The Arcadia Trust, which was very combative in Beast, evolves considerably here. His relationship with Brett, the human servant he adopted in Beast, is a big focus as well. His relationship with another character sours a bit. I love watching the relationships deepen gradually as the characters come to either trust or question one another. You can really bring out the details by doing that.
Of the main characters, do you find you have a favorite?
Not particularly. I like characters who are elusive and kind of Machiavellian, but I go through phases and they all have aspects that I love and aspects that frustrate me. I’m always curious to know readers’ favourites though. That tells me a lot. Patricia and Jorgas are always popular, and I’m forever asked if Reylan is me. He isn’t. Or maybe he is. I don’t know. I’m not internalising it.
Which is the hard one to write for you?
Kelvin, the Cloak Walker presents an interesting challenge by being invisible. There’s no image to work with there. But it’s also quite fun in that I get to come up with new and interesting ways for him to interact with people. The fact that he’s such a bad-tempered, explosive personality makes him fun too.
It’s been some time since the first story and the sequel. Why the time span between the stories?
There were a lot of external factors behind that, but in the end, I don’t write quickly and I don’t see that as a bad thing for me. Initially when I got into the MM world, I’d just published Beast Without, and I would see these authors pumping out three, four, five books a year and thinking ‘My god, I can’t compete with this. I have to have something out there.’ So I put out an erotic, paranormal short, mostly because the next novel was a ways off and I felt I needed to release something. As a short, I like it. It still reads well. But it didn’t really reflect the kind of story I enjoyed writing, or reading, for that matter, and I think readers could tell. It was me caving to what I saw as this ‘pressure’ that really wasn’t there. It’s something I won’t be doing again, but it was a valuable experience.
Maybe the future Arcadia Trust books will come out faster, but they do need a lot of planning and thinking ahead. A lot of seeds are planted for payoff down the line, and the line is finite. I don’t want to be writing this series forever. There are other projects I want to do, not all of which are paranormal, or even prose, for that matter. There was Puppet Boy, which surprised a few people who loved Beast Without because it’s such a different book. But I love it. It’s another genre that I’m equally passionate about.
What is your favorite aspect of the series? Or do you have one at the moment?
Besides the deepening relationships, the humour helps, particularly if you want to take readers down a darker path. It’s funny though, people either get dark, off-beat humour or they don’t, and if they don’t, it’s no use trying to convert them. My favourite aspect though is how morally ambiguous the characters are. Most of my characters, actually, Puppet Boy’sincluded. They aren’t ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ They just have goals, needs, and agendas. A desire for love, justice, revenge, or whatever, which may lead them to very selfish or dangerous acts. They decide what works for them as the situation requires it, and some have ethical boundaries they won’t violate, or wrongs they won’t tolerate, while others are more ‘flexible’ or pragmatic.
What would you like your readers to take away from your novels?
A sense that they’ve had fun with the book, and ideally, will be thinking about it for a few days. I love a story that plays with my brain and makes me think, so I try to pay that forward in my own work. Other than that, a sense that LGBTs need not be victims. A lot of the time we talk about portrayals of LGBTs that we like or don’t like in media or stories. We don’t like seeing them get killed, wind up alone, turn out to be a serial killer, etc…the list is long and varies depending on who you ask. I’m fine with any of those things, provided the LGBT character isn’t simply a victim, calculated to get our sympathy or derision.
What’s next for Christian Baines?
I’m currently working on a horror story set in New Orleans, for those who like such things. It was a short story. It’s now a novella…which is probably where it’ll stay. The next Arcadia Trust book is underway as well. It introduces a character who’ll be a bit of a game-changer for the series, so I’m excited about that.
I’m also doing a number of readings/events over the next couple of months, including Flame Con in New York City in August (look for the ‘Genre Junkies’), GRL in Kansas City in October, and the Naked Heart Festival in Toronto in November. So if you’re going to going to any of those, come say hi. I don’t bite unless you buy a book and ask nicely. You can find all the details at http://www.christianbaines.com/#!news-and-events/c1pz.
Blurb
Reylan’s last assignment for The Arcadia Trust brought a rebellious human servant under his roof, and a volatile werewolf lover named Jorgas into his bed, leaving the self-reliant Blood Shade–known to the outside world as vampires–in no hurry to risk his immortality for them again.
But when a new terror starts disappearing humans from a bad part of town, Reylan must do everything in his power to keep Sydney’s supernatural factions from the brink of war. Having an ambitious, meddlesome human in the mix is only going to make things worse…especially when that human is Jorgas’s father.
Reylan will need all his determination and cunning to keep the peace under his roof, between the night’s power brokers, and in his lover’s troubled heart.
About the Author – Christian Baines
Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Christian Baines has since lived in Brisbane, Sydney, and Toronto, earning an MA in creative writing at University of Technology, Sydney along the way. His musings on travel, theatre, and gay life have appeared in numerous publications in both Australia and Canada.
Dual passions for travel and mythology have sent him across the world in search of dark and entertaining stories. His first novel, The Beast Without, was released in 2013, followed by an erotic short story, The Prince and the Practitioner.
‘I have great responsibilities, but my path ahead is as foggy and blurred as the path behind me.’
With forester Taruif freed, Kelnaht has claimed him openly at Solstice before tribe and Maíterra as his partner, but with their third, Ianys, bound by an old promise, their triad is still incomplete. Sneaking around puts the most strain on Ianys. He and Kelnaht must keep their relationship a secret or he will lose his daughter, AtËn.
When several children fall ill with more than a summer bug, truth seeker Kelnaht is assigned once more to investigate. What he finds is deadly and threatens the life of every underage child in the tribe, including AtËn. Then a wounded traveller is found in the forest, left to die after a vicious attack.
With Taruif and his apprentice on the hunt for a cure, Kelnaht focusses on the attacks, but the clues are few and more children are infected. Nothing seems to connect until both the traveller and AtËn dream of the same grey-haired elf. Driven by fear for his daughter, Ianys pulls away from his lovers. Kelnaht can only pray Maíterra will guide him to a solution that brings them all together and keeps AtËn safe from harm.
A Triad In Three Acts (The Complete Trilogy)
“Your Path is muddy, Kelnaht, but don’t think avoiding the puddles will make it easier to travel.”
Kelnaht, a cloud elf, is a truth seeker caught between love and faith, when a murder reveals an illicit affair between two tree elves he desires more than he can admit. Kelnaht’s former lover Ianys once betrayed him, and the shunned forester Taruif is not allowed to talk to anyone but the guide, their spiritual pathfinder.
The guide mentioned puddles, but I envisioned lakes, deep treacherous lakes, and I was drowning.
Then a stripling goes missing from the tribe, and heavy rainfall hides all traces of his whereabouts. With days creeping by without a lead, it’s hard to keep the tribe’s spirits up, more so when Kelnaht’s own future depends on the elders. Taruif has been shunned for almost twenty turns, but now that a possible forester’s apprentice is coming of age, the elders consider reducing his sentence. Taruif could be set free.
ìI have great responsibilities, but my path ahead is as foggy and blurred as the path behind me.î
Later, when several children fall ill with more than a summer bug, truth seeker Kelnaht is assigned to investigate. What he finds is deadly and threatens the life of every underage child in the tribe, including Ianys’ daughter AtËn. Then a wounded traveller is found in the forest, left to die after a vicious attack.
“There is always a way.”
Kelnaht, Taruif, and Ianys are meant to be together, but old promises and the decree of the elders prevent them from claiming each other openly at Solstice. Kelnaht can investigate murder and foul play, but he canít see how he can keep both his lovers without breaking the rules. But if he believes in the guide’s words and trusts his faith in Maíterra, they will find a way to clear the fog and puddles from their paths.
Author Bio
Blaine D. Arden is a purple-haired, forty-something author of queer romance mixed with fantasy, mystery, and magic who sings her way through life in platform boots.
Born and raised in Zutphen, the Netherlands, Blaine spent many hours of her sheltered youth reading, day dreaming, making up stories and acting them out with her Barbies. After seeing the film ‘An Early Frost’ as a teen in the mid-eighties, an idealistic Blaine wanted to do away with the negativity surrounding homosexuality and strove to show the world how beautiful love between men could be. Our difference is our strength, is Blaine’s motto, and her stories are often set in worlds where gender fluidity and sexual diversity are accepted as is.
When not writing or reading, Blaine has singing lessons and hopes to be in a band someday. Supporting Blaine in pursuing her dreams and all matters regarding household, sons, and cairn terrier, is her long-suffering husband for over twenty years.
Blaine is an EPIC Award winning author and has been published by Storm Moon Press, Less Than Three Press, and Wilde City Press. Her scifi romance ‘Aliens, Smith and Jones’ received an Honourable Mention in the Best Gay Sci-Fi/Fantasy category of the Rainbow Awards 2012.
Remyís life was turned upside down when Alpha Trevor, a controlling and sly leader concerned only with power, threatened his mother and a primal strength awakened inside him. He challenged the tyrannical alpha and defeated him. Now he is alpha, but Trevor isnít going away quietly to lick his wounds. Trevor is much more devious than that. Remy and his pack have to navigate through plots and schemes created by such a formidable enemy who is willing to do anything it takes to steal back control and rule not only the Blood Moon Pack but all of the paranormal world.
Lines are drawn, alliances are made, and mates are found, but will it be enough when the lies and treachery go far deeper than they know? Spies infiltrate and enemies circle, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The people closest to Remy are at greatest risk and some suffer more than anyone should at the hands of those seeking power. Vampires and shifters alike in the Blood Moon Pack Alliance must fight to keep each other safe and hope that love and family will be enough to give them the strength to weather the storm ahead.
Hi,
I’m SA Welsh and I write because I love reading and I love letting the characters and stories in my head come to life in a book. I can’t function in the morning without a cup of tea and when I’m not writing, I’m reading. Thank you to all the readers that let me keep writing and to the authors that keep me up at night reading a thrilling chapter and also to the editors that help make my books the best they can be.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is so happy to have BA Tortuga here today with an excerpt from her latest novel, Real World. Welcome, BA.
Hey y’all, it’s BA Tortuga, resident redneck and lover of all things cowboy and redneck.Here’s an excerpt from my new book, Real World, the story of Dan, a soldier who’s just left the service, and Weldon, a central Texas redneck that’s one of Dan’s brother’s husband’s (man, is that convoluted as hell or what?) best friends.
Much love, y’all.
BA
Blurb
A Love is Blind Novel
Dan White is trying to acclimate to civilian life after a long career in the military with multiple combat deployments.
Now he’s home in the Austin area, living with his brother Dixon, Dixon’s husband, Audie, and their two nine-year-olds. During the New Year celebration, Dan meets Abraham Weldon, and the connection is instant.
There’s a kiss. There’s a dance. There’s a proposition.
Then Dan finds out Weldon is bisexual.
And a dad.
With five kids. Five kids, one of whom is a blind fifteen-year-old.
Weldon has been in love twice in his life—with his high school best friend, Blake, and with his wife, Krista, who he met in a Dairy Queen as she was crying over a positive pregnancy test. Love number three hits Weldon like a hammer when he meets Dan.
But since Dan isn’t interested in a guy with kids, they might only get one night together.
.
Excerpt from Real World
“Hey, Emma, stop pulling Kenzie’s hair.” Dan was going to lose his shit. How could this be so hard? All he had to do was keep five kids from killing one another for an hour until Mel got there.
Weldon had blown a tire in Buda and Mel had a doctor’s appointment she couldn’t reschedule, so Dan had said, sure, he could watch the kids. No problem.
“She’s got bugs in there!” Emma teased and Kenzie immediately started to scream, which set Caleb off too.
“There are no bugs.” He couldn’t just bark orders like he did with soldiers. Dan plucked Caleb out of his high chair, patting his back. “Emma, let go. Now.”
“For fuck’s sake! Shut the fuck up. All you do is make everything worse, Emma. MacKenzie, come here right now!” Jakob looked like he was fixin’ to rain hellfire on the girls.
“Jakob!” The name shot out like a high powered rifle shot. “Language.”
Kenzie looked at him, then buried her face in Jakob’s chest. Jakob scowled in his general direction. “Look, you’re not my dad. You’re not even the dude that’s screwing around with my real dad. Back off.”
“Jakob!” Maddie stared at her big brother, blue eyes huge in her face. “That’s mean.”
“It’s true.” Jakob looked so stiff, so defiant.
“Whatever I am, your dad asked me to keep an eye on all of you for a freaking hour.” Dan put all of his officer training in his voice, knowing grown men quailed before it. “You can be civil or you can leave the room.”
Jakob stormed off and the rest of them just stared. It was Maddie who spoke. “He didn’t mean it.”
Caleb hiccupped, and he tried a smile. “I know. Heck, y’all are still getting to know me.” Dan meant it, too. Still, Jakob’s real dad comment bothered him.
It was fairly obvious that Weldon wasn’t Jakob’s biological father, but none of the kids seemed to think it was a thing. As far as Dan knew, the bio dad wasn’t in the picture.
“I’m sorry,” Emma said quietly.
“Maybe better to tell Kenzie that, huh?” That was what he was supposed to say, right? God.
“Sorry, Kenzie. That was mean. You want to color with me? You can use the markers that smell good.”
“For reals?”
“Uh-huh.” Emma offered a tiny smile, and Dan nodded at her, pleased.
Then he glanced at Maddie. “You okay?”
“I don’t like it when it’s mean.”
No, Maddie was a peacemaker, for sure.
“I’m sorry I yelled.” Dan knew he’d been justified, but Maddie deserved a quiet place to do her homework.
He chuckled softly, the little touch unbearably charming. “It is okay, Caleb. Totally.”
“Milk?”
“Has he had milk in the last few hours?” Dan knew Weldon was trying to cut Caleb back a bit.
“Not since we came home from school.”
“Me too, Dan-Dan?” Kenzie asked. “Just a little glass?”
“Yep. You want some, Maddie? Emma?” He could stop on the way back from work tomorrow and get more milk.
“No, thanks. I’m going to have a Diet Coke.” Maddie caught Emma with a glare. “And I’m not sneaking it. I’ll have water with supper. Dan can tell Daddy or I can text him.”
“I’ll let him know,” Dan murmured, heading to the fridge to distribute milk.
Weldon did this all by himself. Weldon had done this with a brand-new baby, grieving for his wife. Dan couldn’t even imagine how much work and how little sleep Weldon had put in.
He had nothing but respect for Weldon.
Well, respect and lust.
Sales Links
About BA Tortuga
Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy’s Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds and her beloved wife, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she’s not doing that, she’s writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. BA’s personal saviors include her wife, Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.
Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but has heard the call of the high desert and lives in the Sandias. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head. Find her on the web at www.batortuga.com
Love is Blind Series with links to our 5 star reviews:
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Lisa Henry here today with her most recent release, Adulting 101. Welcome, Lisa.
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Hi, and welcome to the blog tour to celebrate the release of Adulting 101 by Lisa Henry. I’m visiting some of my favourite blogs around the place to talk about writing Adulting 101, some of my influences and inspiration, and even sharing an excerpt or two! Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a prize!
Blurb
The struggle is real.
Nick Stahlnecker is eighteen and not ready to grow up yet. He has a summer job, a case of existential panic, and a hopeless crush on the unattainable Jai Hazenbrook. Except how do you know that your coworker’s unattainable unless you ask to blow him in the porta-potty?
That’s probably not what Dad meant when he said Nick should act more like an adult.
Twenty-five-year-old Jai is back in his hometown of Franklin, Ohio, just long enough to earn the money to get the hell out again. His long-term goal of seeing more of the world is worth the short-term pain of living in his mother’s basement, but only barely.
Meeting Nick doesn’t fit in with Jai’s plans at all, but, as Jai soon learns, you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to have the adventure of a lifetime.
This is not a summer romance. This is a summer friendship-with-benefits. It’s got pizza with disgusting toppings, Netflix and chill, and accidental exhibitionism. That’s all. There are no feelings here. None. Shut up.
You can find out more about Adulting 101 at Riptide.
About Lisa Henry
Lisa likes to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters.
Lisa lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but she suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.
She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.
She shares her house with too many cats, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.
Each comment on this blog tour enters you for a chance to win a $20 Riptide credit and an ebook of your choice from my back catalogue. You’ll also win a super secret cute little gift that’s very close to my (and Nick’s) heart! Entries close August 20, and contest is not restricted to US residents. Remember to leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win!
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Mann Ramblings here today to talk about writing, influences and the latest release Priest & Pariahs!
Family Influences by Mann Ramblings
I suppose it’s not really a surprise when you start plotting out a story and constructing your characters, you delve deeper than their physical characteristics. (Not that it’s not important, but we’re going beyond the superficial.) It’s not enough to know what they look like. If you want your protagonist to be more complex and genuine to your readers, there has to be more.
I usually start with their backstory. A character’s history is key to how they became the person they are. What influenced them? What motivated them? For Priest & Pariahs, I wanted a common theme between my three main characters, and without contriving some narrative link to tie them together, I found something universal regardless of their backgrounds. I chose family.
Whether we want to or not, our families affect our perception of the world, even if they were missing from it altogether. They shape our interactions with others and direct us. Whether through defiance of their authority, being a product of their values, or reacting to their actions, we rarely escape their influence.
I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate. I was in my twenties when I came out and the thought of losing people close to me was a very real terror. My family accepted me without incident, and even the ones I braced for and rehearsed for harsh opposition were unaffected by the news. (They even asked where my boyfriend was. How awkward!) They’ve accepted my bold and often inappropriate sense of humor, and when writing M/M romance became more than an offline hobby, they still saw nothing shameful about me. One of my aunts, who is quite conservative and religious, found out about my first book, and wanted a copy. Not because she wanted to read it, (the sexual content was WAY outside of her comfort zone) but because she wanted it sitting on her mantle to show how proud she was of me. I can’t say how much I adore her.
It’s this kind of support I’ve received that keeps me writing. Knowing that while my family might not be prepared to read my work, they’ve never stopped seeing my talents and believing in them. I guess that would be my family influence.
Synopsis – Priest and Pariahs
Ship Logs of the Santa Claus, Book Three
Costa McQuillen is a Pariah, a para-human with tech empathic abilities who has escaped from Earth, where being para-human is illegal—and marks him for extermination. Arrogant and standoffish, Costa is unable to trust anyone, but is willing to risk everyone’s safety to reach the planet Omoikane. His best solution: gaining passage on board the Santa Claus.
Arbor Kittering, the crew’s newest coding tech, is a medical oddity. With the technologies available to prevent birth defects, Arbor’s status as a dwarf brings the kind of attention he could happily do without. Having spent a short time in prison for data hacking and falsifying government files doesn’t help. The Santa Claus is his last chance at a new start, if he can decipher the strange malfunctions plaguing the ship.
Priest, the Santa Claus’ Head Pilot, is a bit of a scoundrel. Perpetually single, Priest is attracted to Costa for his exotic looks, and to Arbor for his unique qualities. In truth, he’d like to have both, but it’s clear such a thing isn’t in the cards. Now Priest needs to make a choice, before it’s too late.
Excerpt
“WHAT THE FUCK is this, Priest?” Arbor shouted.
Mac watched as his newest employee scrambled out of his Mess Hall chair and stalked towards the Santa Claus’ head pilot. When they sat down to dinner, Mac noticed an edge of discomfort running through Arbor, but Mac had put it off to being the new guy. Now he knew there was something specific bothering him. The sudden vitriol pouring off Arbor made Mac get up and follow him, if only to avoid another public incident with Priest.
Arbor thrust his personal datapad into Priest’s line of sight. “You want to tell me what this looks like?”
The raised eyebrows and thin smirk on Priest’s face spoke volumes. “It looks like Mr. Wiggles.”
“Mr. Wiggles?” Mac said. Craning his head over Arbor, he reached over and turned the screen by turning Arbor’s wrist. “Oh cute! You have a sock monkey! Is this picture in Engineering? Why…?” Mac’s expression deadpanned as he realized what was happening. “Oh, wait… there’s a ransom note attached. Shit.” Frowning, Mac turned on Priest. “You didn’t.”
Arbor didn’t wait for a response. “The message said, ‘Come to Engineering or you’ll never see Mr. Wiggles alive again.’ Then I went to where the holo showed, but he wasn’t there. Then I got another com that sent me somewhere else.” Arbor jammed a finger into Priest’s chest. “Where is he?”
Priest’s mouth went tight to contain his laughter. “I have no idea.”
Arbor’s jaw tightened and his whole body quaked in rage. “Bullshit! You’re the only one who’s been in my room, so it has to be you!” A few snickers could be heard from other dining crew members. It was clear multiple people were already involved and watching this new scene.
“Arbor, it’s a prank.” Mac placed his hand on Arbor’s shoulder in a vain hope to calm him down. “Every so often the crew snatches a personal effect and they pass it around from one person to the next. They send an encrypted ransom note to make the owner run around. It’s kind of an initiation of sorts.”
“Has it ever happened to you?”
Priest snorted. “He’s the captain’s boy. We like our nuts where they are, thank you very much.”
“Why would you do that to me?”
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Start with Books One and Two of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus!
The Luxorian Fugitive
Sergeant Liam Jacks is the security chief of transport vessel, The Santa Claus. He travels the planetary cluster with Marc Danverse, his best friend and captain, seeking to escape his tortured past and find some peace of mind.
Having been through a civil war together, Danverse and Liam are close. Maybe too close….
All that changes when mysterious stranger, Hadrian Jamison, an escaped Adonirati, books passage to Alpha Centauri. Can he be trusted? Can the stories of his past be believed?
As Liam’s fascination with Hadrian grows, jealousy threatens to tear apart his friendship with Danverse.
When Hadrian’s owner shows up, Liam is forced to go against orders in order to launch a rescue mission to save him.
The ensuing conflict may be more than any of them expected.
The trials and tribulations of the crew and passengers of interplanetary transport vessel, The Santa Claus continues in A Cook’s Tale.
After a horrific breakup, Erron Murfin is bitter, homeless, and friendless. When the cook’s position on the Santa Claus presents itself, Erron decides to escape his current circumstances and join the crew. On board he reconnects with family friend Gamin Wells, whose own secrets and issues begin to surface upon Erron’s arrival. The least of which is the reason the pair haven’t laid eyes on one another in over twelve years.
As Erron settles into his new duties, the men on board take an interest in their newest crew member. Among those intrigued by Erron are polyamorous couple, Barrus and James. Despite Erron’s cautious nature, he’s drawn into a triad relationship with the pair.
But there’s something about Gamin…
Is Erron too damaged to confront his own feelings?
Will his past prevent him from finding what he needs?
Like many gay men, when Mann Ramblings grew up, there weren’t any heroes he could relate to. The world held him back while he tried futilely to hide the real person inside. So much has changed since those hollow days. He finally found his voice, the voice that says it’s all right to revel in the so-called inappropriate joys, laughs, and loves that storm inside a man’s head. It took a long time to find that courage and now that it’s here, he plans to use it well.
While spending years more focused on visual arts, he never let go of his innate passion for storytelling—he wanted to write and draw comic books when he grew up. Once he discovered M/M fiction, a whole new world opened with new possibilities. Why couldn’t you have fantastic and dynamic tales with an M/M cast? He started reading the online tales of authors like, Night Tempest, Rob Colton, and Alicia Nordwell, which only fueled within him the need to create. Eventually he found GayAuthors.org, and with a little coercive nudge from Night Tempest, started sharing his tales with an unexpected level of positive response. That experience and support gave him the courage to cross his fingers and aim for the world of M/M publishing.
Born and raised in Michigan, Mann Ramblings continues to type away, wishing it was practical to use a noisy, old fashioned keyboard that clacks with each strike, if only to annoy his loving partner and spoiled miniature dachshund.
August Heat is the name of a short story by W. F. Harvey, penned in 1910. It tells the tale of two men, previously unknown to each other who find out through slim connections that one will be murdered by the other. It ends with the character Withencroft writing the day’s events as Atkinson sharpens some tools: “It is after eleven now. I shall be gone in less than an hour. But the heat is stifling. It is enough to send a man mad.”
Ah, yes, the wonderful August heat! Whether you are the characters of Harvey’s August Heat, or August Heat (Commissario Montalbano #10)byAndrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli(Translator) or the families, cowboys and ex soldiers in BA Tortuga’s story, Real World, where the Texas heat is as real as the men and situations she writes about in her Love is Blind series, the searing heat of the summer acts like a main character of its own in novels and real life all over the world. This series is rapidly becoming a favorite series of mine. But that no surprise as I include that author as a favorite writer to rec as well.
We have a number of release day reviews this week, as well as audiobook reviews and regular reviews too. If you love fantasy, be sure to check out Blaine D. Arden’s Forester Trilogy which is ending with Full Circle: Forester Triad Act Three (Tales of the Forest, #3) and can be found complete in A Triad in Three Acts which will also be reviewed this week. Plus you won’t want to miss its stunning covers. Ali is reviewing a book that she thinks will be in her top 10, will it be in yours? Check it out. Plus I have Christian Baines back with his long awaited sequel to The Beast Without, The Orchard of Flesh (Arcadia Trust #2) by Christian Baines. I have a author interview and giveaway. Don’t miss that either. What a week we have in store.
Plus this will be our last week for our old look. Next week, a new look, a contest to welcome in something entirely different. Stay inside, away from the heat, unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere where its winter and cold. Grab up some books to read either way. Be here with us all week! Leave your comments, we love hearing from you. Now for this week’s schedule.
This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Sunday, August 14:
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Things Are Heating Up All Around Us
Monday, August 15:
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Marriage of Inconvenience by MJ O’Shea
A VVivacious Release Day Review: Coin of the Realm by Michael Murphy
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Real World by BA Tortuga
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Hell on Wheels by ZA Maxfield
Tuesday, August 16:
In the Spotlight: Adulting 101 by Lisa Henry (Riptide Tour and Giveaway)
Blog Tour, Giveaway and Author Interview – Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings
Dreamspinner Author Guest Post and Book Tour: B.A. Tortuga and the Real World
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Flying Fish by Sedonia Guillone
Wednesday, August 17:
Series Recap Tour – Blood Moon Alliance by SA Welsh
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Relative Best by Pat Henshaw
A Paul B Review: Psychic Says by JJ Black
An Alisa Review: Softpaw by Osiris Brackhaus
Thursday, August 18:
New cover reveal: Jamie Deacon ‘Caught Inside’ (cover reveal and giveaway)
In Our Spotlight: Lilah Suzanne ‘Burning Tracks’ (excerpt and giveaway)
Release Blitz & Review Tour – Blaine D. Arden – Full Circle
A MelanieM Review: A Triad In Three Acts by Blaine D. Arden
A Free Dreamer Review: The Cop and the Drifter by Christiane France
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Moment of Truth by Karen Stivali
Friday, August 19:
In the Spotlight: The Orchard of Flesh (Arcadia Trust #2) by Christian Baines(author interview/giveaway)
In the Review Spotlight: Sarah Madison’s Fool’s Gold
A MelanieM Review: Fool’s Gold by Sarah Madison
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Turning the Page by Andrew Grey
A MelanieM Review: The Orchard of Flesh (Arcadia Trust #2) by Christian Baines
Saturday, August 20:
An Alisa Review:Behind the Uniform Anthology
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk
Ashley Wilkins is an asshole and he knows it.He is the Demon Elite’s interrogator and he’s damn good at his job.However, Ash has used methods in the past which would not pass muster with the Geneva Convention.And Ash feels guilty about this.When a video of teammate Raven’s kidnapped brother Iain shows up, Ash cannot help but feel for the young man being tortured by the underlings of Victoria Mize.The fact that Iain is cute as hell makes him want to take action.While viewing the video, Ash finds a key clue as to the location where Iain is being held.Justin assigns his interrogator to go out in the field and help with the rescue effort.
Iain Liron knows his brother has worked for a government agency.Having just come out of rehab, Iain loves his job at a local coffee shop.One day, his brother’s boss kidnaps him to use as leverage against his brother to make him do her dirty work.He is hanging around in the literal sense with his arms tied above him hooked on a meat rack.The beating he received is meant to serve as a message to the Demon Elite squad but Iain is not sure if his brother’s team will be able to rescue him in time to save his life.When help does arrive, his rescuer is the most gorgeous man he has seen.
While clearly attracted to Iain, Ash believes that he is not good enough for him.His life as an interrogator means he has done thing as bad as or worse than what was done to Iain while he was being held.He feels that Iain could not possibly feel anything but contempt once he knows the full extent of what he has done.Iain meanwhile tells Ash that everybody has something in their past.Iain is a recovering addict and has learned to take things one day at a time.Throw in Iain’s overly protective brother Raven and this relationship definitely has its problems at the beginning.When the threat to the Demon Elite’s partners comes to their lakeside safe house, the men must mobilize to neutralize the situation before one of their loves pays the price.
This fifth book in the Demon Elite series once again goes to the theme of redemption for both the team member and the rescued love.Both men know they are imperfect men and each tries to cope with it in their own ways.Ash will do some sort of good deed without his team’s knowledge.Iain just wants to get his life back on track after getting involved with drugs.By the end of the book, Ash realizes that Iain means that he does not care what he does for a living and begin to move forward with their relationship.I cannot wait for the next book.
The cover art by Latrisha Waters follows the pattern of the series.Ashley is on the cover, shirtless, with the Demon Elite crest in the corner.The model looks like what I would think Ashely the “farm boy” would look like.
Sergeant Liam Jacks is the security chief of transport vessel, The Santa Claus. He travels the planetary cluster with Marc Danverse, his best friend and captain, seeking to escape his tortured past and find some peace of mind.
The trials and tribulations of the crew and passengers of interplanetary transport vessel, The Santa Claus continues in A Cook’s Tale.
Things Are Heating Up All Around Us
Ashley Wilkins is an asshole and he knows it.
