Category: Fantasy

Its A M/M Fairy Tale! “The Rules of Ever After” by Killian B. Brewer (interview and giveaway)

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The Rules of Ever After by  Killian B. Brewer
Release Date: June 9, 2015

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Sales Links: Amazon, Duet Website,
Interlude Web store: store.interludepress.com

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Goodreads Link: Goodreads.com/KillianBBrewer
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: BuckeyeGrrl Designs

What Happens when A Prince Chooses A Prince? A M/M Fairy Tale with its Own HEA!  Killian B. Brewer is here for an interview on fairy tales gone LGBTQIA and the inspiration behind The Rules of Ever After.

Our Killian B. Brewer Interview…

• Do you consider “The Rules of Ever After” a M/M fairy tale?
I wrote “The Rules” to be a m/m fairy tale but with an eye toward the original intent of fairy tales—to offer life lessons. I also wanted to include elements of adventure. The adventure the princes go on is inspired by things as varied as the travels in The Odyssey to the old “Road Movies” of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Though a m/m story was my original intent, I discovered that the female characters in the story had just as much story to tell as well. After all, if a prince is not pursuing the princess, she has to change the rules for her life as well. So the story is not limited to just the m/m aspect and grew to incorporate more than that as I wrote.

• From the blurb it does seem to include many fairy tale basic elements, the stepmother, the fairies, royalty, castles….are we thinking along the lines of Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella gone M/M? 
For the specific tale of these two princes, I was inspired by the old tale of the princess and the pea. But there are other fairy tales represented in the book, including Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and even a nod to Snow White. By changing the gender of a princess to a prince, I had to explore how that would change the actions of the characters in the story.

• What do you consider the most romantic fairy tale?
The original Grimm’s tales are often not incredibly romantic. I do love the tale of Sleeping Beauty and it is my favorite of the Disney versions of the tales. I think as a young gay man, I was drawn to the idea of a dashing prince risking his life to find his true love. After all, half the fun of a fairy tale is imagining yourself in the plot.

• What do you consider the most important elements of a fairy tale and did you include them in your story?
All fairy tales should have a quest, a romance and a touch of magic. Also, the characters should learn a lesson while on the journey. I tried to incorporate all of this in The Rules. One of the most enjoyable parts of plotting out the novel was figuring out how to inject magic into the story and building the world in which my characters live. I knew I wanted fairies in the story, but wanted to make sure their influence on the characters was minimal. I wanted the characters to be active in their own tale and growth, not just subject to the whims of the fairies. I also knew I needed a villain, and the “wicked stepmother” is such a common theme in the original tales that I had to create one.

• What was the inspiration behind The Rules of Ever After, including the title?
Years ago while studying the Brothers Grimm’s tales for a college class, I had the thought, “What if the prince climbed the tower and found another prince?” Rules grew out of that thought. Fairy tales and royal life both have very definite “rules” for how the characters should behave. But when you have a prince who would prefer his happily ever after to be with another prince, the usual fairy tale and royal “rules” won’t necessarily work. As I began to play with that idea, I realized that it would apply to the LGBTQ community, who have had to create our own new rules for life. I wanted to write a tale where a young gay man could imagine himself in the stories we all grew up with but that never included all of us. The idea of rewriting the rules is what inspired the title.

• Which do you prefer Disney fairy tales or Grimm’s?
I love the Disney versions, but I really prefer the tales of the Brothers Grimm. The stories are darker and don’t try to hide the scary and unpleasant parts of life from a reader. The tales the brothers collected weren’t necessarily told for children. They were folk tales that were told by and to adults as well.

• What’s next for Killian B. Brewer?
I originally thought Rules would be a stand-alone novel, but I am currently working on further adventures for the characters. I realized that there is more story to tell about what happens for fairy tale characters after the “ever after.” Also, I am in the early stages of plotting out a book that is more reality based and set in the south. Many of my favorite authors are Southerners and I would like to explore the weird world of the South that I live in.

STRW Author BookSynopsis

The rules of royal life have governed the kingdoms of Clarameer for thousands of years, but Prince Phillip and Prince Daniel know that these rules don’t provide for the happily ever after they seek.

A fateful, sleepless night brings the two young men together and sends them on a quest out into the kingdoms. On their travels, they encounter meddlesome fairies, an ambitious stepmother, disgruntled princesses and vengeful kings as they learn about life, love, friendship and family.  Most of all, the two young men must learn how to write their own rules of ever after.
Pages or Words: 256 pages

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance, Young Adult

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

“Phillip, don’t believe all those stories your scribe told you. Magic is not defeated by waiting for someone to come rescue you from it. You have to fight it.” Daniel paused and took a breath before reaching out to take Phillip’s hand again. “I sat around for two years waiting for someone to come along and fix my problems. No one came, and nothing changed. Then I realized that maybe the person I was waiting for was me. So I went out to find my own answers.”
“I’m not you. I don’t even know where to begin.” Phillip sat back on the edge of the bed.
“You begin the way everyone does,” Daniel explained, “one foot in front of the other.”
“I’ve barely been out of this castle. I don’t know what’s out there.”
“Well, you’re in luck. You know someone who does.”
“What? Who?” Phillip cocked his head and stared at Daniel in confusion.
“Me!” Daniel winked and pointed to his chest. “I know what’s out there. I’ve been wandering all over the kingdoms for months now. I’ve studied the maps and the histories. I know how to fight and how to survive.” Daniel stood up. “I’ll come with you,” he continued. “I’ll help you find her, and we’ll bring her down together. We will fix this.”
Daniel could almost see the wheels turn in Phillip’s head as he considered Daniel’s offer. He looked over at his father, then back down at his feet before glancing up to Daniel with a look of tentative hope. “Why would you do that?”
Daniel pondered the question for a moment, unsure of the answer himself. The pain in Phillip’s face touched Daniel’s heart and made him want to bring back the mischievous, laughing man he had met just two nights before. This was not his problem, and he had his own concerns to deal with, but looking at Phillip’s terrified face, he knew he wanted to help. He knew he had to.
“I’m not being completely selfless. I’m still going to be looking for my own answers. But I can help you look, too.” Daniel held his hand out to Phillip. “Come with me. Let’s go get you some food and make a plan.”
“You’re just saying this to get me to eat.”
“No. As I said, I feel responsible. If I hadn’t gotten in that bed—”
“But you did.” Phillip mumbled before turning to look at Daniel with his eyes wide. “And you passed the test. I thought for sure you were the answer—”
“The test? I still don’t understand about this test.”
“Yes. You were the first to spend the night in the bed and be kept awake by the pea under the mattresses. Okay, maybe some of the others could have passed if I hadn’t—”
“Phillip? You think a pea kept me awake?” Daniel stepped back and knitted his brows; he had clearly missed some element of that awful night’s events. Though he was glad to see some sign of activity from Phillip, Daniel was thoroughly confused. “Why was there a pea under—”
“Yes. You passed the test. Maybe it is a sign!” Phillip stood and turned to Daniel; excitement spread across his face. “Maybe you are here to help me.”

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Killian B. Brewer grew up in a family where the best way to be heard was to tell a good story, therefore he developed an early love of storytelling, puns and wordplay.  He began writing poetry and short fiction at 15 and continued in college where he earned a BA in English. He does not use this degree in his job in the banking industry.

He currently lives in Georgia with his partner of ten years and their dog. Growing up in the South gave him a funny accent and a love of grits. The Rules of Ever After is his first novel.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: Facebook.com/KillianBBewer
Twitter: @KillianBBrewer
Pinterest: Pinterest.com/KillianBBrewer
Home Page: killianbbrewer.com

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Interlude Press Gift Card. 5 e-copies of ‘The Rules of Ever After’ by Killian B. Brewer. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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  • Tour Dates & Stops: June 9 – 22, 2015
    9-Jun
    Amanda C. Stone
    Up All Night, Read All Day
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  • 10-Jun
    Divine Magazine
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  • 11-Jun
    Happily Ever Chapter
    Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
  • 12-Jun
    Molly Lolly
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    MM Good Book Reviews
    Hearts on Fire
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    Mikky’s World of Books
    Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
  • 17-Jun
    My Fiction Nook
    BFD Book Blog
  • 18-Jun
    Rainbow Gold Reviews
    Bayou Book Junkie
  • 19-Jun
    Prism Book Alliance
  • 22-Jun
    Love Bytes
    Nephylim

 

Author Spotlight: BJ on Author Jaye McKenna

Need a New Author? Check out our Reviewer

Author Recs!

 A BJ Author Rec: Author Jaye McKenna

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The first time I picked up a book by Jaye McKenna was during the 2014 Don’t Read in the Closet event put on by the Goodreads M/M Romance group. It was a free story, and it was awesome. Then I found out it was the second of a series, so I went back and read the first freebie book, Human Frailties from the previous year’s event. Then another freebie, Facing the Mirror. I enjoyed all three. I requested a review copy of her newest book, Burn the Sky, and promptly fell in love with the broken ice dragon, Ilya. But it was when I went back and read the expanded version of Human Frailties, Human Strengths that I completely fell in love, irrevocably and head over heels. Ashnavayarian has stolen my heart and its for so many reasons but really, really its just like that quote by Michel de Montaigne, “because he was he.” There is just something magical and unique about him—so strong, yet he has his vulnerable moments. He’s imperfect, starts out self-centered and snarky but he’s growing and changing. And its so fun to see.

This author pushes some of my buttons big time, because I love angst and broken boys. Especially ones with long hair (ok, it’s a fetish of mine!). This author’s boys never have an easy time of it, they go through the wringer a few times over for their HEA. I eat that right up. The heat and sexual tension buildup that I love is always there. There’s snarky characters and witty dialogue.

Then there is her world. Most of McKenna’s stories are set in the same well-developed and nuanced fantasy world. The fantasy stories are separated from the more sci-fi ones by thousands of years, but it all ties in and builds… it sucked me in.

Jaye McKenna serves up magic meets science. Its lovely, nuanced broken boys getting slowly put back together and finding love. With a hefty dose of hot and sexy on top.

                                                                       ~  BJ

 

About author Jaye McKenna –

Jaye McKenna was born a Brit and was dragged, kicking and screaming, across the Pond at an age when such vehement protest was doomed to be misinterpreted as a “paddy”. She grew up near a sumac forest in Minnesota and spent most of her teen years torturing her parents with her electric guitar and her dark poetry. She was punk before it was cool and a grown-up long before she was ready. Jaye writes fantasy and science fiction stories about hot guys who have the hots for each other. She enjoys making them work darn hard for their happy endings, which might explain why she never gets invited to their parties.

You can find Jaye McKenna at the following:

Website , Twitter,  Goodreads Author Page

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Books You May Have Missed from Jaye McKenna (with links to BJ’s Reviews):

And look for the following books and their reviews from BJ in the upcoming weeks…

  • Psi Hunter (Guardians of the Pattern, #1)
  • Gremlin’s Last Run (Guardians of the Pattern, #2)
  • Ghost in the Mythe (Guardians of the Pattern, #3.0)

Author Belinda Burke on Sweet Dreams, Mythology and “Undone” (tour and guest post)

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Undone by Belinda Burke
Publisher:  Totally Bound Books

Sales Link:  Totally Bound Books

 

Love M/M Romance?  Dying to delve into fantasy?  Combine the two and read Belinda Burke’s latest novel, Undone!

Check out the blurb and excerpt below after Belinda Burke’s guest post and don’t forget to enter the contest too! 

 

Sweet Dreams by Belinda Burke…

One of the things I enjoy the most about being an author is being able to play with the mythology I grew up with. I can give it a new shape, even while the heart remains the same. My grandmother used to put me to sleep with stories about sidhe and their hidden kingdoms, about Arthur and Merlin, and about how the first Irish won their home from dangerous immortals. So, when I first started writing I really, really wanted to share my own versions of those stories. I wanted to share of the twists my grandmother told, many that I invented myself, and some that appeared like magic (I occasionally suspect my brain isn’t entirely under my own control, but that might be a delusion of fiction.)

When I started reading in the wider world, I found out that the tales that were familiar to me were well known all over – and the more I read, the more I began to notice the similarities, as well as the differences. They come in many retellings, but some things are always the same. There’s a huge boom in fairy tale stories, while the writers of our generation (including me) try to build a new mythology out of the old. It’s important to give these stories meaning that fits the world as it is now, instead of how it was a thousand years ago.

Part of this means that the stories need to reflect new problems and struggles, and part of this means that it needs to reflect new values, too. It’s for that reason that my retelling of these stories and Arthurian saga focuses on LGBT characters – and on the sidhe. There has always been romance in the legends and in tales of Camelot, but every single one of those stories has two things in common – firstly, they’re all straight romances, and secondly, they take place in the “human” world.

Despite the occasional presence of an otherworldly interloper, we never find out what’s happening on the other side of the veil. We never get to see why Merlin is doing what he does, why the courts of fae and other immortals interact with Arthur and his predecessors. And, whether it’s an oversight in the mythology, or something lost in intervening generations, all the protagonists are straight. My characters decided to take care of both problems for me by appearing as gay and bisexual sidhe, intent on telling the old stories in their own way.

But of course, that doesn’t exempt them from the usual trauma and drama that accompanies the search for love!

 

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Blurb for Undone

The first step on the road to addiction is desire…

Tighe is Summer’s prince, the second son of the Summer Queen. The blindness of his mortal father cursed him with eyes that see too much, and now he wanders the woods of immortal Summer alone. He is an outsider in his own country or at best a curiosity—never someone anyone truly wants.

Faelan is gancanagh, one of dark Summer’s most treacherous beings. Beguiling as he is beautiful, he, like all of his kind, was made to incite lust and longing, even as he seeks true love. For anything mortal, anything unprepared, even to be in his presence is dangerous.

When the two meet by chance, Faelan can’t help but be curious about this half-mortal prince—and the prince is more interested in a companion than questioning what kind.

Tighe has never seen anything but the lie behind love. Faelan is love’s lie and knows it. Is the beginning and end of everything between them inevitable? Which is stronger, need—or nature?

Publisher’s Note: This book is associated with the Eight Kingdoms series by Belinda Burke.

Excerpt from  “Undone” by Belinda Burke

Faelan kissed him, silenced him, dared to look deep into Tighe’s eyes. “I want you.”
The truth of those words, all their wanton promises and the pure intention to keep them was in Faelan’s voice. Tighe couldn’t see it now anymore than before, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe it was a lie, either. He looked away, then back, shrugged and gave in to the smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “So? I already said the same thing. I already asked what you’re going to do.”
There was more than just heat behind the flicker of eyes that met the challenge of Tighe’s gaze.
“You did. And I said anything you’ll let me, so does this mean you’ll let me do anything?”
“No. But you know better than not to stop when you’re told, don’t you?”
There was a flash of something hurt-angry-dangerous in the bright green eyes. It dissipated in understanding humor a moment later and when Faelan leaned forward again, the curve of his lips was all but roguish. “I do. And if you can tell me to stop, I will.”
“If I can?” Fire on Tighe’s skin flared outward, brought steam off the surface of the water. Half mortal he might be. He was also the son of the Summer Queen, and his power unleashed was more than enough to singe the luster from the air. “I don’t think that’s something you should be worried about. Who do you think I am, anyway? Maybe it’s you who should think about if you can tell me to stop.”
The solemn expression Faelan had tried dissolved at Tighe’s last words. “Prince, my prince, I would never tell you to stop. Never.”
Something low and dark was in his tone, and that, like his wanting, Tighe couldn’t bring himself to doubt or deny. This time he was the one to initiate their kiss, to take Faelan’s soft lips for his own just like he’d wanted. Faelan ran his fingers under Tighe’s tunic and hummed his delight when Tighe leaned back just long enough to pull it off and toss it over his shoulders, onto the grass.

 Eight Kingdoms series blurb:

Strange alliances are forged among the fae as Macsen Cadoc and his fae allies attempt to defeat the Milesians, Irish huntresses who bear a grudge against the sidhe.

Failure will bring Macsen to his knees; success may do the same, unless he and Bran Fionnan, once a captive of the huntresses, can succeed in sowing seeds of peace. Yet even while some attempt to find a middle ground and forge a place where tolerance can flower, a new power rises, a threat to them all.

The Church of Rome aims to win the earth from its immortal rivals, even if doing so comes at the price of magic itself. It will be up to Macsen to make a choice that might save the fae and all that sustains them…but only Bran has the power to convince him to do what is right.

Can mortal and immortal overcome the conflicts that divide them when some must hunt others to survive? Is love stronger than anything—even a Fae King’s pride?

Like the sound of Undone? Buy it here.

About Author Belinda Burke

Belinda Burke
Belinda currently lives on the New England coast with her fiancée, their room mate and her cat. When she’s not writing, she’s working toward degrees in Philosophy and English, embroidering or reading.
Belinda writes in several genres, but a little lust and love always work their way into her stories.

Website: http://www.belindaburke.com

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Giveaway

Enter Totally Bound’s June blog tour competition for the chance to win an eBook of your choice, not including boxsets or anthologies.  Must be 18 years of age or older.  Competition open worldwide.  Prizes and links provided by Totally Bound Books.

Direct link: https://www.totallybound.com/june-blog-tour-giveaway

 

A BJ Review: Human Choices (Guardians of the Leythe #2.0) by Jaye McKenna

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Human Choices coverKhy has been held prisoner for years, drugged, bound with a collar around his neck that keeps him from using his leythe energy, and forced to serve Master Rikard. Treated like a slave during the day and enduring agony at night as his power is ripped from him for Rikard’s nefarious use, Khy has little memory of any other life. Until one day his master is called away on urgent business, and Khy is left alone. When the drugs wear off, he makes a break for freedom while he can.

He meets Jaedin, a former ranger who is still mourning the loss of his beloved Talon five years after his death, in the town of Rosefire. When Jaedin steps in to help Khy, he finds himself haunted by voices and in an attempt to rid himself of them, sets off in search of Khy thinking he has cursed him.

This was written from a photo and prompt for the Love’s Landscapes series of DRitC. The author did an absolutely amazing job with incorporating the prompt and the photo so truly perfectly into the story that was written. I initially read this story (which is second in a series) before having read the first book. I enjoyed it then, but this past week I went back and read it after reading book one, and it came to life much fuller and more completely since I now had a background on Varien and Tor.

The world building in this series is excellent, and all of the characters are well drawn. I cared about them and what would happen to them immediately. Plenty of angst (this author’s guys tend to go through the wringer a bit, which I love!) Totally rooting for Khy to have a HEA although the whole thing with Jaedin near the start did piss me off while at the same time I found it interesting. This story is tagged as non-con, but its a different take on the non-con trope. Almost a reversal. I won’t spoil that by explaining, but give it a read and see.

So back to the world building. There are so many elements of this series that I find pretty damn cool about its world, well, I mean in addition to the magic and the hot long-haired guys, of course.

* The Fireskye, made me think of the Northern Lights (which have always fascinated me)! Only even more cool. 

* The Black? Is it death? Hell? Both? Something else. 

* The leythe itself and how it runs through what is turning into quite a complex history.

I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Tor and Ash from book one. And while I loved the new guys (especially Jaedin), I am still most drawn to Ashnavayarian, I hope he continues to appear in this series as I find him quite fascinating as he grows and changes—which he’s done a lot of from book one to this story! And I loved the little bits of him and Tor’s continuing relationship that peek through in this near the end.

An engrossing fantasy with magic, angst, and a fascinating world. I highly recommend this, but must say I think you might enjoy it even more if you read Human Frailties, Human Strengths first. I know I did.

The cover by Cinchbug is nicely representative of the story.

Sales Links:  Free here at Goodreads M/M Romance Group

Book Details:

ebook, 141 pages
Published June 7th 2014 by M/M Romance Group @ Goodreads
edition languageEnglish
series: Guardians of the Leythe #2.0, Love’s Landscapes, Don’t Read in the Closet Events , more
characters: Jaedin (Human Choices), Khy (Human Choices), Ashnavayarian “Ash/Varian”, Tor MacAran

Head Into the Woods For Fantasy and Romance with Stephen del Mar’s The Live Oak Tales (author interview and giveaway)

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The Live Oak Series by Stephen del Mar:

Books in the series include…

Dark Love; The Bear, the Witch, and the Web; and Hunter Moon and the Red Wolf
Should be read in order

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Release Date: Book 1: Spring 2015, Books 2 & 3: May, 2015

In love with paranormal romance?  Want new tales with dragons, and shifters, and wolves, and love?  Check out the books that make up The Live Oak Tales by Stephen del Mar.  Blurbs and excerpts below.

My Interview with Stephen del Mar…

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Stephen del Mar author of The Live Oak Tales series. Hi Stephen, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Thanks, I’m very excited to be here. This is my first blog tour. Basic stuff about me: I’m a 54 year old gay man living in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I have a background in media production and attended seminary for a while.

I’ve just finished and released “Hunter Moon & the Red Wolf,” which is the last book in “The Live Oak Tales.” This series is a fun and, at times, a quirky take on contemporary/paranormal fantasy. We have witches, faeries and a number of shifter folk all trying to do the right thing and live together. All of this is set in the Bennett Bay area on the Gulf Coast of Florida. A fun little place I’ve made up. I wanted a place where I could condense all of Florida into one county with a tourist town and backwater villages. I’ve been very influenced by the southern literary traditions and setting is always one of my main characters. A strong sense of place is a must for southern fiction, as is a bit of spirit, in whatever form that may take.

What book do you wish you could have written?

I honestly have no idea how to answer this. I’m in the process of writing everything I want to write. I’ve read a lot of very good books over the years, but if I’d written them they’d be different. Each writer has their own voice. Maybe I’m over thinking this and need more tea!

How important are names to you (in your books)? Do you choose names based on liking the way it sounds or meaning? How do you choose your names?

Names are really important to me. The sound of a name is really important as is the meaning. Sometimes characters come to me with their names in place. This is usually true of main characters. For minor ones, I search baby name sites for names that catch my eye. I also collect cool names for later use.

I move to my current location about a year ago and one of the streets I take to get home is Krycul. I just loved the harsh sound of that name. I knew I’d use it somewhere. In “Hunter Moon & the Red Wolf” I needed an evil guy that owned a meat packing plant. Krycul was it!

Were you already a great writer? Have you always enjoyed writing? How long have you been writing?

Okay, I’m not touching the “great” thing. 😉 I’ve wanted to write probably since high school, but two things stood in my way. One is I have dyslexia which makes writing a real bitch. I had to wait for computer technology to come around to assist me. The second is I’m a real pantser. That’s a writer who writes by the seat of their pants, without an outline, and discovers the story as it unfolds, much like the reader. Not one of my writing teachers in high school or college ever mentioned that this was a thing. Not one of those how to write book I bought over the years ever said you could just sit down and start writing. I imagine you can’t sell a lot of books that say, just write.

Outlines freeze me up for some reason. For thirty years, I was in this stuck state, then a writer friend of mine visited and took me to task for not writing. So I told her what I mentioned above and she looked at me like the fool I was. First she said, well there are these people called editors and proof readers that can help me clean up the spelling issues. Then she told me to just sit down and write. You don’t need an outline. Lots of writers don’t use them. Everyone writes different. Really? They couldn’t put that in a book?

So the best writing advice I can give: Just do it. Early drafts are supposed to be messy. There are people to help with that, if you need it. And most importantly, find what works for you. Go back to the first part, butt in chair and write. Finish what you write. Get it edited and beta read, publish the sucker and move on. Seems so easy now.

Which character, from any of your books, do you consider your greatest work?

There’s that word again. I really like Dieter in “Dark Love.” It’s a first person story so we get into his head. He’s gone through a lot and he’s become somewhat of a jerk. I think it’s fun to see him realize that and wrestle with it. He really doesn’t want to be a jerk, especially to his closest friends and his new boyfriend, but bless his heart, sometimes he just can’t help himself.

What hobbies do you enjoy?

Hobbies? Oh, yeah, those things I did before I started writing. I used to really be into aquariums. I had fish tanks everywhere and I also really enjoyed photography, it was my minor in college. But writing has taken over all of my free time. If I’m not at the Evil Day Job, I’m doing something writing related. And I really like hanging with my imaginary friends.

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Goodreads Link
Publisher: LMW Books

Sales Links:

“Slay me,” said the dragon.  Buy At Amazon
Dark Love   Buy At Amazon
The Bear, the Witch and the Web   Buy At Amazon
Hunter Moon and the Red Wolf  Buy At Amazon

STRW Author BookSynopsis

About The Live Oak Tales

The Live Oak Tales is a paranormal/contemporary fantasy series set in the wider Stories from Bennett Bay collection by Stephen del Mar. The series consists of one short story (“Slay me,” said the dragon.), which serves as a standalone prequel and three novels, Dark Love, The Bear, the Witch and the Web, and Hunter Moon and the Red Wolf.

  • “Slay me,” said the dragon. is a tongue-in-cheek look at a romantic encounter between a dragon and a slayer. It sets up the mythology of dragon shifters that runs through the rest of the series.
  • Dark Love, a metaphor for gay love, takes us from the ordinary world of the Bennett Bay, a Gulf-side tourist town in Florida, to the tiny, backwater village of Live Oak. Dieter Reinhold, the proprietor of a trendy café in Bennett Bay’s Spanish Quarter travels back to Live Oak to deal with the death of his great uncle, the man that raised him as a father. While there, he learns there are more interesting creatures in the woods than he ever imagined. He discovers that magic, witches, and undying love are real.
  • In The Bear, the Witch and the Web, Innes Callahan and the circle of witches we met in Dark Love are facing a number of crises. The greatest of which is that the faeries are missing. In fact, all the enchantment seems to be gone from the Jumble, the wild woods adjacent to the farm. They need to find the faeries and discover who the new Witch of the Wood will be.
  • The final book in the series, Hunter Moon and the Red Wolf, finds the Circle still in disarray as Janos Pac tries to come into his own as the new Witch of the Woods. This is complicated by a plot by the dragons and wolves returning to Florida after nearly a hundred years, but are they really wolves?

These books are on the lighter side of the paranormal spectrum with a fair bit of humor. However, they do touch on deeper issues. Dark Love explores loss, grief, and what it means to hide one’s love. The stories also explore what it means to make hard choices about our path in life; and, an overarching theme is the changing nature of family as we move through life. How we move from our family of birth to the family we create with friends and lovers.
Pages or Words:
“Slay me,” said the dragon: 45 pages
Dark Love: 398 pages
The Bear, the Witch, & the Web: 153 pages
Hunter Moon & Red Wolf: 249 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy. (Book two also includes an older main character.)

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Excerpt from Dark Love: Book 1 in the Live Oak Tales
Setup: Dieter is alone at the family’s old farmhouse after the death of his uncle. His ex-lover and still good friend Innes comes over to comfort him. Innes finds the mysterious silver box Dieter found out in the barn, which seems to have human ash in it. Innes warns him that it might be dangerous. Innes is a witch and Dieter thinks magic is bull. Innes calls in his mentor, Flora May Crawford, to help him convince Dieter there is danger afoot. It doesn’t work. Later, Innes calls back with another warning for Dieter. It doesn’t make him think Innes is any less crazy.

*****
Of course that was the moment my phone made the little nose-twitch tinkle-tinkle. I sighed, go with the flow and remember you love him.
I picked up the phone. “Hello, Innes.”
“Didn’t you get my text?” He sounded flustered.
“No. I haven’t looked at my phone. I’ve had other things on my mind.”
“Oh. Right. Well, what are you doing?”
“Sitting naked in the kitchen having soup and a sandwich.”
“Why?”
“Because I was hungry. What do you want?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. I heard the creak of a screen door and the chirping of frogs. He must have moved outside onto Flora May’s front porch. “Look,” he said, “Flora May just got back from the faeries.” He paused like he expected me to comment. I had nothing.
“She’s not telling me a lot. Said they’re pretty agitated about the whole thing.”
Again the pause. Again I was silent; although I was worrying my grip on the phone would reach its crush point.
“Dieter, you gotta promise me to take this seriously.”
Actually, I didn’t have to promise him anything.
“Dieter?”
“Yes?”
I heard him swallow. “Tonight is a full moon.”
“So? It happens every twenty-eight days from what I understand.”
“Fuck.” He was agitated. “Listen, whatever you do, don’t jack-off in that box under the full moon.”
My mind kicked into neutral and spun its gears as it tried to make sense of the string of words it just received. Because they didn’t make any sense and they kept coming.
He continued. “I mean it. Whatever you do, do not mix your semen with that ash in the full moonlight.”
Some emergency back-up system took over. My thumb slid over my phone and ended the call. I stood up, opened the fridge and pulled a beer out. I twisted the top off and dropped it on the table. I pushed my way through the swinging door into the living room. As I fell back onto the couch, I tried to imagine a world where the idea of masturbating into a box of human ash existed, let alone the need to warn someone not to do that. Ohhh, I’m gonna cum, make sure the drapes are pulled and the lids are on all the urns, ‘cause we don’t want our spunk and ash and moonlight to mix! ‘Cause that will start the zombie apocalypse or something.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About the author:
Stephen del Mar is a fresh voice in Southern Gay Fiction. His Bennett Bay collection of books and stories explore life in that unique corner of the American South known as Florida. He also writes fantasy and science-fiction. Del Mar lives in the Tampa Bay region of Florida and enjoys Key Lime Pie and mango margaritas, but not at the same time.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.delmar.5
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephendelMar
Website: http://www.stephendelmar.com

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: Ebook copy of Dark Love, Book 1 in the Live Oak Tales. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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