A Stella Release Day Review: Jackass Flats (Riding Cowboy Flats #1) by Julia Talbot

RATING 2,5 out of 5 stars

Can a traveling military man and a set-in-his-ways cowboy find a way to make things work?

Tate feels like the best part of life has probably passed him by, which is why the thirtysomething cowboy hits the bars every night. When he meets Dave, a young soldier from a nearby Army base, though, Tate figures things might be looking up. He and Dave get off to a rocky start, but Tate soon finds that he and the kid have enough in common to make things interesting.

Dave isn’t really into the whole don’t ask, don’t tell thing, and he doesn’t bother to hide his relationship with Tate from his friends. Once he realizes he should have been more careful, it might be too late. But Dave is willing to fight for Tate, even if it means taking on the military.

First Edition published by Torquere Press, 2008.

Julia Talbot is one of my comfort authors, some of her shorts are among my fave stories to read when my mind needs time off from RL. That’s one of the reasons why I was enthusiastic to have Jackass Flats in my hands. Plus the match between a cowboy and a military man intrigued me very much.

That said as soon as I started it, I knew it wasn’t going to be a success to me. I struggled a lot with the reading, I spent days on it (unusual to me) and I often forced myself to reread some parts I missed simple cause the story didn’t caught my attention. I’ll be honest and say if it wasn’t for the blog, I wouldn’t have finished it at all.

I didn’t give it a lower rating just cause I liked the characters, Dave and Tate were sweet, the relationship flew easily and at slow pace, they took their times and enjoyed real life moments together.

Problem is I found everything so shallow it was annoying. The dialogues, their thoughts, were frustating at hell. And the plot, what was going on with Dave military carrer, left me a little dubious. Then there is one more thing I couldn’t understand, how old is Tate? There is no mention of his age but the author told me he is old a neverending times. And this was another particular that annoyed me. Is he old? Is he feeling old? Can’t I just know it clearly?

It seems I have two words to describe Jackass Flats, annoying and frustating.

The cover art by Bree Archer is the only thing I liked and from it, it seems Tate isn’t so old at the end.

Sales Links

BOOK DETAILS

ebook, 2nd Edition, 100 pages

Publication date December 28th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press (first published 2008)

ISBN 163477762X (ISBN13: 9781634777629)

Edition Language English

Riding Cowboy Flats series #1

An Ali Release Day Review: Whiskey Business (States of Love) by Avon Gale

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ryder Waites will do anything to keep the tiny town of Gallows Grove, Kentucky, from vanishing off the map—even sell his family’s whiskey recipe to Bluegrass Bourbon in Lexington. Hopeful that the larger company can provide necessary improvements to the distillery, Ryder’s ultimate goal is to get Gallows Grove on the Bourbon Trail… and bring in much-needed tourism revenue. But to keep producing Hanged Man Bourbon in Gallows Grove, he’ll have to convince company liaison, unbearably stuffy and seriously hot Adam Keller, that he’s worth the investment.

Adam comes from an old-money family, but he’s determined to make his own way in the world. When he’s sent to Gallows Grove, he questions the life choices that led him to a rented room in a funeral home, in a town full of macabre-themed businesses. And he doesn’t know what to make of Ryder, the descendant of bootleggers who’s on a mission to save his strange town from extinction. When Adam and Ryder put aside their initial mistrust, the results are as smooth as good whiskey. But after Adam’s assignment ends, he’ll have to decide if small-town life and a future with Ryder is to his tastes.

What a fun and entertaining story this was. I was hooked from the moment these two met. They immediately dislike each other but are immediately physically attracted to each other and that’s a plotline that I love. They go back and forth making each other crazy. One minute they can’t stand each other and are bickering non-stop and then the next they’re struggling to keep from acting on their fantasies. The sexual tension and chemistry between the two jumps off of the pages. Once they give in to each other, it alternates between sweet scenes of them falling for each other, with steamy scenes that burn up the pages.

As a back drop there is this very quirky town and it’s very quirky inhabitants. It is so well done I could picture it all in mind. Complete with pun filled store names. I could also picture the creepy doll filled room and while I hate dolls, it did lead to some very entertaining scenes.

I really enjoyed this and don’t have any complaints about this book. I thought it was really well done and a fun, low angst read. Something I would definitely recommend.

Cover by Aaron Anderson: I like the cover a lot. It’s unique and it fits the plot perfectly.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 104 pages
Expected publication: December 28th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634778995 (ISBN13: 9781634778992)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesStates of Love settingKentucky (United States)

In the Spotlight: Truth, Pride, Victory, Love by David Connor and E.F. Mulder

Truth, Pride, Victory, Love by David Connor, E.F. Mulder
Dreamspinner Press

Available for Purchase at

Hi all! We are happy to be here to answer some questions about writing, in conjunction with the release of our new novel, Truth, Pride, Victory, Love, a story about three boys who discover a love of swimming as they discover themselves and feelings for one another.

Where do you normally draw your inspiration for a book from? A memory, a myth, a place or journey, or something far more personal?

E. F.: It depends. Sometimes we like answering a call, like in the recent Dreamspinner Advent “Bah Humbug” where the theme is presented and we work up a story that fits. That can be a lot of fun. “Why would someone not like Christmas? Hmm….” Other times, David will say, “I had this weird dream last night,” and one of us will say, “You know….” When it came to “Truth, Pride, Victory, Love,” well, The Olympics are always a great event to build a story around. It was sort of like we had our theme. What came next was “What sport?” “What’s are the issues that cause the drama?” “What draws Reed toward a certain guy?” “What comes between them?”

Are you a planner or a pantzer when writing a story? And why?

F. F.: Okay, so once we have the idea as mentioned above, I try to plan the beginning, the middle, and the end. David is definitely a pantzer. I kind of envy him. He is one of those people for whom the story just seems to write itself. Mostly, when we write together, it’s more bouncing ideas than bouncing the actual file back and forth. “Guess what just happened,” he’ll say. “That’s good,” I’ll respond, “but what happens next?” “I have no idea.” Then the story writes itself and sometimes something we actually planned doesn’t seem to fit naturally anymore. We originally had Reed and Mathias first meet in a different way, but the David sat down and wrote that amazing opening scene and I was hooked.

David: That was fun. Hopefully, within an instant, people get who Reed is. Also, when you get to work with a great editor, they will say, “How does so and so react?” and then you can go off and add another couple of pages of stuff you never even thought about. I LOVE that. The best editors really spark creativity! The relationship between editor and writer is very important.

Contemporary, supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction narratives or something else? Does any genre draw you more than another when writing it or reading it and why does it do so?

E. F.: We stick mostly with contemporary. We go historical once in a while and we like to play with paranormal stuff.

David: I always like to get into a character’s head, no matter the subgenre, to find out why he shuns love, falls for a guy at the drop of a hat, hates Christmas, or wants to constantly compete and always win, like Reed.

E. F.: David says he always wanted to be an FBI profiler. He’s really good, I think, at knowing why people act/say/and do things, especially when they act contrary to how they say they are.

If you had a character you’ve written you would write differently now at this time in your writing career, who would it be and why?

David: How about a whole book? “Double Flip”! Haha

E. F.: We’re on a roll lately where we are revisiting characters to find out what “happily ever after” really means. It surely isn’t wine and roses every day. We’ve recently been editing a book with Tom Alan, Milo, and Erika in it and just “finished” the first draft of a new story for Eli and TJ from “Orange You Glad I Said Kiss”.

Can an author have favorites among their characters and do you have them?

E. F.: Hmm. We both seem to fall in love with all of them. Secondary characters can be such a hoot! It’s like with children or fur babies. You try not to have a favorite cat, but the one who sits on your lap a lot feels like it quite often. However, sometimes the one who never comes near you gives squinty eyes from across the room and you say, “She likes me. She really likes me.” Then she’s your favorite for a while.

David: There’s an analogy for you, ☺

E. F.: What’s hard is—and maybe this should go unsaid—when someone doesn’t like a character we love so much, it feels like we’ve failed him or her. If the reader isn’t cheering for our main guys, or doesn’t get why they fell in love, or doesn’t like one of them, we didn’t do the story justice. It’s like introducing your new boyfriend to your best friend and your best friend is like, “No.” ☹ So, yeah, they’re all like people we know and love.

How early in your life did you begin writing?

E. F.: I think we both starting writing as soon as we knew how to write. I found an old report card a while back where my first grade teacher said I was very creative.

David: My middle school English teacher told me I should write for soap operas. Romance novels and soaps are very similar.

E. F.: We hope everyone enjoys “Truth, Pride, Victory, Love”. Like a soap opera—like life—there is humor, heartbreak, romance, adventure, family drama, a few surprises, and a lot of sexiness.

David: And water. Lots of water. ☺

Blurb

Beneath the surface, they share more than dreams of Olympic gold.

Since elementary school, the question of Reed Watson’s race has needled him. But the one thing he’s always known is that he is destined to become an Olympic star—he felt it the moment he first hit the water. Chosen by a former Olympic swimmer to train for the 2016 Olympics, Reed determinedly works toward his dream.

Along the way, Reed develops feelings for two men he’s known since childhood: Cal, his next-door neighbor, and Mathias, his rival since the fourth grade. Cal’s struggle with his sexual identity and a tragedy complicate Reed’s feelings, while Mathias’s wealth quickly makes it obvious they are from vastly different worlds.

As Rio approaches, Mathias becomes a gay sports icon, while Reed is told to hide his sexuality for a lucrative endorsement deal that will offer his family a financial boost and help him with mounting debt. Reed’s unresolved desires for both men remain and so too do all the things that have kept them apart. Has he grown enough to navigate rougher waters, to find truth, pride, victory, and love?

BA Tortuga on Writing and her release, Catch and Release (The Release #3) (author guest blog)

Catch and Release (The Release #3) by B.A. Tortuga
Dreamspinner Press
Cover art by Bree Archer

Available for Purchase at

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have BA Tortuga here talking writing and her latest release, Catch and Release, one of our highly recommended novels. Welcome, BA!

Hey y’all!

BA Tortuga here, the resident redneck and Andrew Grey’s favorite lesbian, and I’m blogging about my new release, Catch and Release, which is the third book in the Release series.

Lord, my editor would be all over me about repetition there! Sometimes it really is deliberate.

Just like picking the next book in a series.

When I was trying to come up with the third book in the Release series, I decided I wanted to use Adam Winchester’s security firm. Win is in book one with his ex-con lover Sage, and I was like, I need to explore Win’s friends some.

Yeah. So I plotted it out on cards. I do that. Each scene gets a card. There’s an author with agoraphobia. A security guard. A big adventure. I tried to write it.

It didn’t fit, y’all. Not at all. See, the Release series is all about re-entering society. In book one, The Terms of Release, Sage gets out of jail and re-joins the world. In book 2, The Articles of Release, Eric comes back from the military injured, and has a tough time getting into the swing of civilian life.

So I was all, sure, the writer will get back out there. Except he didn’t want to, and the security guard didn’t want to work for Win, and it was just a mess. I despaired. I ranted and my wife. I railed against fate.

Then I took some time off to go to the Coastal Magic convention in Daytona Beach. I was standing outside the coffee shop with Andrew Grey, bemoaning the lack of words on Catch and Release. He looked at me and rolled his eyes. “That’s because you’re writing the wrong book,” he said. “You need to write something more like Sage and Win. I loved them.”

I blinked. I nodded. I asked a bunch of questions.

By the time the wife came over with coffee I had the book all planned out in my head. Dakota was there, talking in his quiet, unassuming way.

Andrew was totally right. With a series, you have to pick the right book.

I sure hope y’all love Catch and Release as much as I do.

Much love, y’all,

Catch and Release

The Release Series: Book Three

Dakota Landry just got out of prison after twelve years. If anyone can understand how that feels, it’s his new friend, Sage, who is determined to help him get used to life on the outside—and believes Dakota didn’t commit the crime he was in for.

Jayden Wilson is a former prosecutor who agrees to look into the case at the request of Sage’s lover, Adam. He sets out to prove Dakota is just another “innocent” ex-con, but once they meet, Jayden is more and more convinced Dakota just didn’t do what everyone thinks he did.

Trouble follows Dakota, and nothing is easy as he struggles to figure out how to live, now that he has choices. And Jayden isn’t sure how Dakota, or any lover for that matter, fits into his life. Their path from friendship to romance is a slow one, but Dakota begins to believe he deserves a chance at life, and Jayden falls a little more for Dakota every day. Now they just need to tell each other how they feel.

Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/catch-and-release-by-ba-tortuga-7903-b

You can find BA at:

Website: http://www.batortuga.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/batortuga
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/batortuga
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/batortuga/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/batortuga
Blogger: http://batortuga.blogspot.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/batortuga/
Tumblr: http://batortuga.tumblr.com/

BA Tortuga bio:

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.

An Ali Review: The Road To Frosty Hollow by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Nick and Cameron face old demons, and find new love, on a Christmas road trip.

Former Marine Nick Sheridan is at a crossroads. With his entire life ahead of him he struggles to find direction and his place in the world. Car sharing to get home for his sister’s Christmas wedding seems like a good idea at first. Spending the time with the man he kissed and left years before, maybe not so much.

Cameron Bennett lost most of his teenage years to cancer and he now lives every day to the fullest. He decides to drive from Seattle to Vermont for his best friend’s wedding and capture moments of it on film. He hadn’t planned on car sharing with the man who kissed him ten years ago, but somehow he ends up with a brooding Nick by his side.

Along the way, the men learn that sometimes life plans mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Love can be found in the most unexpected of ways, and facing your demons head on is sometimes the only way to live.

This was a wonderful story. Nick has steadfastly avoided Cam since the kiss that Cam ran away from, but sees updates visa his sister’s facebook account. They both go along with Nick’s sister’s plan for the road trip across the country.

Nick is stuck in a rut and hopes this road trip will give him time to put some perspective on his life and decide what he wants to do anymore. Cam is running away from his past, afraid that his cancer could be coming back. These two seem to have an underlying connection that they have been denying for years.

We get to see both characters’ points of view which is a big help as they both have a lot going on in their heads. It’s nice to see them both willing to work through their own problems so that they can work on a life together. It’s funny how they both knowingly played into the sister’s plan, but this trip seemed to give them the opportunity to be themselves in years.

Cover art by Meredith Russell is nice and gives us some good visuals for the characters.

Sales Link: Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 137 pages

Published: December 21, 2016 by Love Lane Books

ISBN: 9781785640605

Edition Language: English

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Advent Calendar Review Day Review Day 27: Santa for Hire (2016 Advent Calendar – Bah Humbug) by Asta Idonea

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Department manager Richard Barratt is less than happy when his department is selected to house the log cabin in which Santa will reside during the holiday season, starting in mid-November, at the large retailer where he works. His thinking about the holiday runs along the lines of bah humbug ever since his boyfriend/fiancé walked out on him on Christmas Eve two years before. It didn’t matter that the man was a cheat—he simply ruined Richard’s holiday celebration forever.

Even after Blaine Ryder, a really cute actor, is hired to play Santa, Richard still wants nothing to do with that section of his department, and when Santa flirts with him, he’s even more uneasy. When Blaine takes it a step further and lures Richard into the cabin for a little after-hours fun, Richard’s reaction is not what Blaine is hoping for.

This is a cute holiday romance, somewhat predictable in its formula, but sweet nevertheless. For those of you who, like me, can’t get enough of holiday romances, this one will definitely fill your sweet tooth and provide some holiday cheer.

Cover art by Paul Richmond is the brand cover for the series.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 31 pages
Published December 1st 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1635331897 (ISBN13: 9781635331899)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series2016 Advent Calendar – Bah Humbug

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: A Home for the Holidays by Joe Cosentino and Joel Leslie (narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

As the son of an Italian mama, Bobby knows what it is to bow from pressure from said mama, so when she suggests he spend Christmas with his Italian cousins on the isle of Capri and goes so far as to buy his ticket, he has no choice but to capitulate. Once there, he meets his extended family, which includes his gorgeous, friendly third cousin, Paolo. Over the course of the holiday, the sparks ignite and then flare between these two men, despite the fact that Paolo’s family, and his family obligations, keep his sexuality under wraps and allow him no choice but to remain behind when Bobby flies home.

I don’t know what I enjoyed more in this story: the author’s sense of humor or Joel Leslie’s delivery of it. Maybe it’s a tie? But in any event, this short holiday story is packed full of goodness. Joel’s voice for Bobby’s mama was hysterical. Perfect, in both accent and tone, the words and the way they were spoken had me laughing out loud within a few minutes of starting this story. So buyer beware: don’t listen to this in any “quiet” space, such as a library. You’ll be kicked out, for sure!

Looking back on how long (or short) this audiobook was (less than two hours) I find it hard to believe that so much occurred. The characters, including a host of secondary characters, were well-developed by the author and given unique and interesting voices by the narrator. The romance progressed quickly, but then it would have to in a short story so no points off for that, for sure. And I was tearful at the ending but suddenly surprised at the last minute by the author’s gift: a highly possible HEA.

Definitely recommended for a healthy dose of holiday cheer.

The cover by Paul Richmond is attractive, depicting two handsome young men who fit the description of the MCs.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, Audiobook
Published November 18th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press (first published December 2nd 2015)
ASINB01N0DV3FT
Edition LanguageEnglish

In Our Pre-Release Day Spotlight: Love’s Opening Night by Jeff Adams (author interview and giveaway)

Love’s Opening Night by Jeff Adams
Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: AngstyG

Available for Purchase at

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Jeff Adams here today answering questions and talking about his latest release, Love’s Opening Night. Welcome, Jeff.

Hi! I’m Jeff Adams and I’m trilled to be here on Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words to talk about my latest novella, Love’s Opening Night, which comes from Dreamspinner Press on December 28.

Where do you normally draw your inspiration for a book from? A memory, a myth, a place or journey, or something far more personal?

Not surprisingly, I suppose, it varies from story to story. For Love’s Opening Night, I wanted to set something on Broadway and the idea of taking a ensemble cast member, Jeremy Steele, with a long-standing crush on the lead, Ty Beaumont, and turning it into something more sounded fun. I love theater as much as I do hockey and I enjoyed leaving hockey behind for at least this one story (this is one of the few stories I’ve written that has no mention of the sport in it). You’ll see my love of musicals all over the story as I make reference to several favorites.

It mirrored real life a bit too. My husband and I met while we were doing a play for a local community theatre. Over the course of rehearsals and performances we starting dating. More than twenty years later we’re still enjoying our happily ever after.

Are you a planner or a pantser when writing a story? And why?

This has changed over the course of my writing career. When I began I pantsed all the way. Over time, however, I moved more towards planning. These days I know the course of the book and what needs to happen in each scene. However there’s plenty of room for the story to grow organically as well. For example, there’s a scene where Jeremy gets a little jealous about a reporter from a local TV station. I’d planned for the jealously, but who the reporter actually turns out to be was a lot of fun to write and something I hadn’t planned up front.

Contemporary, supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction narratives or something else? Does any genre draw you more than another when writing it or reading it and why does it do so?

For the most part I’m drawn to contemporary stories as I like to read about romanticized real life and that’s what I tend to write. But I try to read broadly too, so I’ll give sci-fi and paranormal a go every now and then, especially if a book comes highly recommended or it’s blurb catches my eye.

I’d like to try to write something sci-fi someday if I can wrap my brain around how to do the world building correctly.

Can a author have favorites among their characters and do you have them?

Oh, yes an author can do this. It may not be nice, but I do it. For me, it’s Simon from my Hat Trick series (see, there’s hockey rearing its head). He grew so much from a closeted, but in love, high school senior in to a caring, lovingly committed adult graduating college across the three book/three short story series, that I think he’ll be my favorite character forever.

If you were to be stranded on an island or snowbound somewhere, what books/authors would you take to read?

A must would be Z.A. Maxfield’s St. Nachos books as well as Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (which is my favorite book ever) plus books from David Levithan and Geoff Knight’s Fathom’s Five series. Those, I think, could get me through anything.

How early in your life did you begin writing?

I was published in my middle school’s literary journal in seventh grade and I poked around with creative writing through high school and college. After few years after college, a friend and I co-founded a literary magazine (The First Line, which still exists today). I left the magazine after a few years to focus on my own writing and here I am today. I love that I spend a few hours every day crafting stories.

Were you an early reader or were you read to and what childhood books had an impact on you as a child that you remember to this day and why?

My mom read to be a lot as a child. All the Winnie The Pooh books were wonderful (a prized possession is a first edition from the 1920s of one of the Pooh books. Charlotte’s Web was powerful and I was crushed when Charlotte dies at the end. There were a lot of Harold and the Purple Crayon stories too. He reading to me turned me into a reader. I’ve been reading ever since. Sometimes not as much as I want, but there’s always a book in progress.

Thanks so much for hanging out with me for a few minutes. If you have any questions for me, please leave them in the comments and I’ll stop back to answer over the next few days.

I hope everyone enjoys Love’s Opening Night as much as I did writing it. Please check out the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win an ebook copy.

About LOVE’S OPENING NIGHT

Can an onstage love story lead to a real-life romance?

Jeremy Steele is a veteran Broadway performer. For his latest role, he’s dancing alongside a man he’s fantasized about for years, TV star Ty Beaumont. Jeremy knows better than to get involved with a castmate, but when Ty has trouble learning the complicated choreography, Jeremy offers to lend a hand. When a rehearsal kiss turns into something more, Jeremy can’t help but wonder what a celebrity like Ty could ever see in a Broadway chorus boy like him. Will a relationship with his crush make it past previews, or can it become a long-running hit?

Release date: December 28, 2016

About the Author

Jeff’s written stories since he was in middle school and became a gay romance writer in 2009 when his first short stories were published. Since then he’s written several more shorts and novels, including some in the young adult genre, and he plans to keep writing as long as wonderful readers keeping picking up his books.

Jeff lives in rural Northern California with his husband of twenty years, Will. Some of his favorite things include the musicals Rent and [title of show], the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition So You Think You Can Dance. If forced to pick his favorite book it would be a tie between Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and David Levithan’s Every Day.

Jeff is also the co-host of Jeff & Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast.

Website: http://jeffadamswrites.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJeffAdams
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hockeyguynyc

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Raine O’Tierney on Writing and her release, The 12 Days of Hipster (The Avona Tales #2) (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

The 12 Days of Hipster (The Avona Tales #2) by Raine O’Tierney
Dreamspinner Press
Cover art by Paul Richmond

Available for Purchase at

~

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Raine O’Tierney here today answering questions about writing and her latest release in the Avona Tales series, The 12 Days of Hipster. Welcome, Raine.

~

-Our Raine O’Tierney Interview-

Where do you normally draw your inspiration for a book from? A memory, a myth, a place or journey, or something far more personal?

A lot of times, I choose my plot to soothe some internal hurt. Either a regret of mine, or a story I heard in real life that didn’t quite have that HEA. I like to turn to the world of writing to “make it right.” Writing has healed a lot of wounds.

Are you a planner or a pantzer when writing a story? And why?

Such a pantzer. I write organically and only at the very, very end do I think, “All right, let’s wrap this up — how?” Then I might do a mini plot.

Contemporary, supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction narratives or something else? Does any genre draw you more than another when writing it or reading it and why does it do so?

I’m a genre-jumper! Characters are my passion, so whatever genre fits those characters, that’s where you’ll find me.

If you had a character you’ve written you would write differently now at this time in your writing career, who would it be and why?

Shane Devereaux from Sweet Giordan— It’s not that I would write him differently, but I would show more of him and his hurts. I don’t think I conveyed him as well as I could have.

Can a author have favorites among their characters and do you have them?

Absolutely! My very favorite character is Isa Zaman from I’ll Always Miss You.

If you were writing your life as a romance novel, what would the title be?

Crazy Gal Gets Married Straight Out of High School… Because… I married my high school sweetheart a week after graduation! 😉

-Blurb-

The 12 Days of Hipster

(Sequel to Bowl Full of Cherries)

Last Christmas, Tyler Lang accidentally accepted David Griffith’s invitation for dinner. Yes, it was an accident. See, hipster (don’t call him that!) Tyler doesn’t date guys, and even if he did, he certainly doesn’t date jocks. A rude and hasty exit right when the date was getting good left things awkward between them.

David Griffith isn’t really a jock. Well, he’s a former athlete who loves sports, but “jock” has a certain connotation that doesn’t quite fit the intelligent, hardworking store owner. A jock wouldn’t have given Tyler Lang the time of day. But even after that little, ahem, stunt with the fire escape, David can’t stop thinking about the hipster a year later. Which would be fine if fate didn’t keep butting her nose into their business, making it impossible for the jock and the hipster to avoid each other this Christmas.

A hilarious holiday romp, set to the music of the Winter Sounds.

–Excerpt-

Okay, fine. If he couldn’t get out of this with direct and sound logic, he would try the irrational. The completely, totally—did he say completely?—irrational. Tyler tightened his grip on David’s hand, leaned forward, and kissed him. But before a full second had passed, David burst out laughing against Tyler’s lips.

Tyler yanked back, heat suffusing his face.

“What?”

“That was the sourest prekiss expression I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s it, I’m leaving.”

“Tyler, you don’t have to go.”

“No sparks. Only laughter. Must leave.”

“No sparks because you looked like you were in physical pain and made me laugh. Why don’t you be a little more romantic about it?”

“Because I….” Don’t know what in the hell I’m doing. It was probably the first time in his life he really could say that. He’d learned things before. There had been a time when he hadn’t known how to knit, when he hadn’t known how to make gourmet chocolates, when he hadn’t known how to use a soldering iron—but those were just learning opportunities. But with this? He felt like he was standing out naked on the corner with only mistletoe to cover his bits.

“More like this.”

The second kiss was what Tyler would have called sweet if the word had been in his vocabulary. David’s lips were warm, soft, giving, and for a moment the kiss lingered on that edge of innocent, like a snowflake dancing through the sky. Then the world tipped and Tyler’s hands were in David’s hair and David was drawing him closer and, motherfuckinggod, they were kissing. Hard, searching lips, taking and giving, and it took him way too long to realize what he was doing. In fact, he might not have ever realized it if they hadn’t needed to breathe like humans do. It took a long moment for rational thought to come back to Tyler.

-About the Author-

Called “Queen of the Sweetness” (well, two or three people said it anyway!) Raine O’Tierney loves writing sweet stories about first loves, first times, fidelity, forever-endings and…friskiness?

Raine in Kansas City with her husband, fellow Dreamspinner Press author, Siôn O’Tierney. When she’s not writing, she’s either asleep, or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job. Raine believes the best thing we can do in life is be kind to one another, and she enjoys encouraging fellow writers!

Raine changes sub-genres to suit her mood and believes all good stories end sweetly. Contact her if you’re interested in talking about point-and-click adventure games or about which dachshunds are the best kinds of dachshunds!

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Website: http://raineotierney.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raineotierney
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/RaineOTierneyAuthor/
Twitter: @raineotierney
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7770350.Raine_O_Tierney

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady audiobook Review: My Christmas Present by Toni Griffin

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

After four years away, when Lucas finishes uni, he arrives just in time for the Christmas holiday season. All he wants is to work on his dad’s best friend’s cattle station and to capture that man’s heart for Christmas. He’s had a crush on Mitchell since he was a young teen, and though he had a few experiences with guys while in college, it’s the “almost forty” man who captures his attention and won’t let go.

Not knowing that the feeling is mutual, he decides he only has a few days to make his intentions known. But Mitchell is an expert at evading the sexy young man who captured his attention around the time he turned eighteen, so he doesn’t give Lucas many chances to try. Enter Lucas’s father Ben, who happens to be a lawman. What he does to help the ill-fated pair along makes a great Christmas present for both. After all, a father wants what’s best for his son, and if he happens to help his best friend along the way, it’s win-win.

This was a very short, very sweet, very fluffy, sexy story. Well narrated by Ryder Watkins, it would make a great stocking stuffer, birthday gift, or just a short, fun afternoon of listening. If you like cowboys, Aussies, or age gap, this one fits the bill.

The drawn cover is of a sexy cowboy sitting at a kitchen chair out by the corral. It makes sense after you read the story, but it is indeed colorful and attractive.

Sales Links

Mischief Corner Books

Amazon

Audiobooks Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition
Published December 18th 2013 by Mischief Corner Books, LLC (first published December 2nd 2011)
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersLucas Winters, Mitchell Morgan settingAustralia

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Truth, Pride, Victory, Love by David Connor, E.F. Mulder Dreamspinner Press

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Catch and Release (The Release #3) by B.A. Tortuga Dreamspinner Press Cover art by Bree Archer

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Love’s Opening Night by Jeff Adams Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: AngstyG

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The 12 Days of Hipster (The Avona Tales #2) by Raine O’Tierney Dreamspinner Press Cover art by Paul Richmond

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Truth, Pride, Victory, Love by David Connor, E.F. Mulder
Dreamspinner Press

Catch and Release (The Release #3) by B.A. Tortuga
Dreamspinner Press
Cover art by Bree Archer

Love’s Opening Night by Jeff Adams
Dreamspinner Press

The 12 Days of Hipster (The Avona Tales #2) by Raine O’Tierney
Dreamspinner Press
Cover art by Paul Richmond