Category: Fantasy

In Our Book Spotlight: Two Sides of the Same Coin by Thianna Durston (excerpt and giveaway)

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Two Sides of the Same Coin by Thianna Durston
Release Date: May 17, 2015

A Kindle Exclusive: Amazon Buy Link

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Publisher: Thianna Durston

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STRW Author BookSynopsis

Blake Loughton was pretty sure life was over at the age of forty. All he did was work, work, work, except for the few hours a week he spent online with a dominant who seemed to get him. When he met his dom in person quite by accident, it changed everything, especially when he fell in love with the man behind the online persona.

At thirty-four Dusty Brandon had been involved in his alternative lifestyle for ages, but hadn’t had a sub in years until he met Blake online. The more he knew him, the more he wanted to take things further. Getting through Blake’s barriers used all the knowledge he had, but getting his boy to move to Texas took even more.

Join Blake and Dusty on their journey from meeting online to the moment Sir collars his boy. A BDSM erotic romance sure to make everything worth it. Two men. Dominance, submission, kink, and love. The Blake/Dusty Chronicles: Two Sides of the Same Coin – an erotic romance you won’t want to miss.

Pages or Words: 90,000 words

Categories: BDSM, Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

PG Excerpt:
December 10th ~ Texas

Walking through the doorway Dusty Brandon held back the sigh that wanted to leave his lips as the conversation in the room stalled slightly. It had been that way ever since he came out years ago. His whole damned family never knew what to say when he was around. Except for his Uncle Larry who winked at him across the room.

“‘Bout time you got here!” Larry bellowed.

Grinning, he strode through the throngs of uncles, aunts, and cousins over to a man he loved. “Happy Holidays, Uncle,” he said, giving him a hug.

“Same to you. How’s business?” Larry asked as the conversations in the room began to pick up again.

“Good. Have several new deals in the works. Found out about a company in Seattle that might be worth lookin’ into. They would add a lot. And life’s good.”

It was just the quirk of an eyebrow that told him his uncle was not in the least convinced. “Sure it is. Any new man on the horizon?”

Grimacing, Dusty shook his head. “Naw. Last one was too taxing. Needed a break.”

With one of his smiles, the kind that let you know he was up to something, Larry picked up a couple glasses of champagne and handed him one. “Sell that to someone who’ll buy it,
Nephew. Now let’s celebrate the season. I hear Carilee has somethin’ to announce.”

Snorting, Dusty took a swig of the expensive champagne. “Probably that her daughter is expectin’. She loves rubbin’ that in Mama’s nose every chance she can get.”

Even worse, four pregnancies in the family were announced, meaning four of his cousins, all younger than he was, were expecting a child. “It could be worse,” Larry mused as they watched Dusty’s mother have to smile and congratulate another of her sisters on a new grandchild.

“How?” Dusty was gay. He had known it for years and when he came out, it was because he needed to do it. It never occurred to him how hard it would be on his own mother. As her only child, he had not understood just how important being a grandmother was to her and hearing her only son was gay had been hard enough. Having the other women in the family gloat over it every time their daughter or son announced a new baby downright pissed him off.

“You could have tried to hide who you are and got someone pregnant before you came out.”

Musing on that, Dusty nodded. “Don’t think that woulda’ worked. No girl would get me that excited.”

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STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Thianna loves to write strong stories with even stronger heroes. While all of her books have an erotic overtone, it is the story that is the most important to her. “The story should be able to stand on its own. The erotic elements are an add-on.”

She enjoys writing about couples with kink, paranormal couples, and straight out strangeness. But more on that later… You can find her at mm.thiannad.com.

She also writes m/f under the name Thianna D.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thiannaDismyname?fref=ts
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/ThiannaDurstonAuthor?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_weremouse
Website: http://www.mm.thiannad.com

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Tour Dates & Stops: June 2, 2015
Parker Williams, The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie, Molly Lolly, My Fiction Nook, BFD Book Blog, Inked Rainbow Reads, Divine Magazine, MM Good Book Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Havan Fellows, 3 Chicks After Dark, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Michael Mandrake, It’s Raining Men, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Happily Ever Chapter, Up All Night, Read All Day, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Mikky’s World of Books, Hearts on Fire

 

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 Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of ‘Two Sides of the Same Coin’.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A MelanieM Review: Two Hearts One Voice (Mending the Rift #3) by Valentina Heart

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Two Hearts One Voice coverThey are at war, fearing for each other, both carrying the upbringing of their children and the survival of their country. They are kings.

With the future of the throne secured, Rin and Merin still have little time to rejoice for their children or the unity of their kingdoms. Stuck in the middle of a battlefield, their lives prove to be once again at risk, Rin heads out on a long journey home with his heirs, leaving Merin to lead their army.

Rin receives his rightful title of a king from the Kari council and for once feels as if he belongs on the throne without Merin there to guide him. Missing his husband, he raises their children the best he can, but there’s no end to the war in sight and, after months of futile conflicts, Rin sees Merin cut down in battle.

Distraught and with no patience for his council, Rin threatens the Riki, making even his own men fear him.

Can Rin cope alone and still win the war, or will his sorrow mark the end of his reign?

I fell in love with Valentina Heart’s Merin and Rin in the first two stories in the Mending the Rift series.  Two kingdoms, torn by constant warfare, turn to royal marriage to stop the conflict and losses from battle.   Prince Rinin, heir to the throne of Kari Kingdom, has been demanded as a war conquest by King Merinej of Jede.  Rinin is an innocent, sheltered and lovely.  King Merin, a warrior,experienced and bold.  As part of their marriage contract, Rinin demands that Merin be faithful and in return Rinin will  provide the heir Merin needs.  And yes, this is a male pregnancy series.

The first two stories had an interesting format that brought y0u intimately into the thoughts of the main characters.  The first book is narrated by Rinin, the second by Merin and I loved that.  It was even more powerful when the traumatic events of the second story came close to shattering the characters and our hearts.  So I was thrilled to see that the last story in the trilogy was out.  How would it all end?  Who would be the narrator of this final story?

Two Hearts, One Voice by Valentina Heart brings the trilogy to a close with a tale that, while it supplies a satisfactory happy ending, is missing the impact and drama of the first two stories.  And that has to do to the manner in which it is told.  We lose the powerful single person narration to a narrative of multiple points of view and a time frame that goes from immediate events unfolding to years down the line.  Unfortunately, this change up in style brings about a loss of energy and power to the story.  Two Hearts, One Voice fluctuates between powerful scenes of battle to the intrigue of the court, and then back again.  These transitions don’t feel as smooth as they should and the momentum of Merin and Rin’s story gets lost along the way.

Another element that lessens the impact of the finale is that the power of Owner of My Heart (Mending the Rift #2) was so strong and that story so full of pain and loss, that any finale would be hard put to equal its effect upon the reader.  Plus the children grow at such a speed here that its hard to connect with any of them emotionally as we do their parents.  For those readers not fond of mpreg, other than the mention of the children and Rin’s after-childbirth body, this element takes a back-burner to the battles still going on and the mechanisms found at court.

So, while I was not completely satisfied with the story, I still found many wonderful scenes to throw my heart into.  Merin’s segments at the front, Rin’s anger and pain….that made this story sing with life and energy.  That and their love for each other that Valentina Heart made so real and gripping.  I loved their love story most of all and here they get the ending they both deserved and wanted.  I will have to be content with that.

Two Hearts, Once Voice is not a standalone story. As part of a series, the books must be read in the order they were written.  None are long and that works if you want to read them together in one sitting as I did the first two.  I recommend this series. The love story is moving, the mpreg aspect well done, and you get a HEA you want for them both.

Cover art is ok but nothing that really captures your imagination like it should.

Sales Links:  Totally Bound Books – Amazon   Buy It Here

Book Details:

Note: This book and series contains scenes of and references to Mpreg.

book, 95 pages
Expected publication: June 2nd 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing
original titleTwo Hearts One Voice
ISBN 1784305731 (ISBN13: 9781784305734)
edition languageEnglish
seriesMending the Rift #3

Books in the Mending the Rift series:

  • King’s Conquest (Mending the Rift, #1)
  • Owner of My Heart (Mending the Rift, #2)
  • Two Hearts One Voice (Mending the Rift #3)

 

A BJ Review: Manbot by Scarlet Blackwell

Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

If a robot is programmed to obey your every need, wouldn’t you take advantage? 



Manbot cover 2In a future where most families can afford to own their own robot (either a manbot or fembot), that question would definitely come up for those who live a lonely, solitary lifestyle. Especially since the robots are quite lovely and designed to obey their owner’s every command. So if you had one, what would you do? Really?

Gray Benedict is lonely teacher who owns Kavan, a six-foot-three gorgeous manbot just ready to do his bidding. When his friend Mitchell mentions that he’s been getting it on with his own manbot, George, Gray can’t help but begin to look at Kavin in a different light. Unlike his friend, Mitchell the letch, Gray has scruples and a heart. He’s concerned about taking advantage and maybe even damaging Kavan. It becomes clear that Kavan is eager to serve, but Gray is a nice guy and rather than order his robot around, he finds himself falling for his ever more humanlike manbot.

This is an enjoyable and well-written novella. Kavan is equipped with software that allows him to learn from his experiences as well as his manuals. As Gray gets closer and opens up to him emotionally as well as physically, Kavan becomes more and more human. He blossoms and its so fun to follow along this process. The way Kavan so much wanted to be a real man for Gray made me think of Pinnochio wanting to be a real boy. I loved it. And Gray was so sweet in his concerns that he’d damage Kavan. He was considerate of him at all times, never treating him as an object or something he owned except when his scumwad friend Mitchel gets him to agree to loan Kavan to him for an hour.

The bond between Gray and Kavan grows on both sides, because despite being a robot, it soon becomes obvious from Kavan’s actions that he is not just obeying his owner anymore. Its interesting to see the relationship of Mitchell and George juxtaposed to that of Gray and Kavan because it shows so vividly the two sides of a coin. How some humans treat anything or anyone they believe to be lesser than them (animals, other races, religions, etc.) with cruelty. The story explores a little of what makes someone human and worthy of love and respect.

The sex scenes are hot and so fun, the way Kavan’s operating system fritzes out when he’s overcome with pleasure/orgasm is just adorable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the main reasons I didn’t give it five stars is not what was there, but what I wish had been! I’d have loved it if this were longer with more in-depth world building, because I think it had so much more that could have been explored such as the friendship of the two manbots and the relationship of George/Mitchell. The process of Kavan’s developing emotions would have come across much more if we could have been given more than the small snippets of his POV snippets near the end. I’d have loved to get a peek into the doors of the Tuesday programmer meetings and explore more on how and why the bots were able to develop feelings. And finally, I totally wanted to follow along with the couple a bit on their journey. A sweet HFN ending that left me hopeful but nervous for them and definitely wanting more. I would LOVE it if this book had a sequel.

Cover art bu Unknown. Beautiful cover! Love how it gives the feel of what’s inside Kavan, the little city at the bottom marking it as urban, and the warm vs cool colors.

Sales Links: Totally Bound Publishing –  All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

CONTENT ADVISORY: This titles has a HFN ending. (less)
ebook, 82 pages
Published November 21st 2014 by Totally Bound (first published August 3rd 2012)
ISBN139781784302931
edition languageEnglish

A BJ Review: Human Frailties, Human Strengths (Guardians of the Leythe #1.0) by Jaye McKenna

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Human Frailties Human Strengths coverAshnavayarian was a powerful, god-like being of the leythe, the place from which magical energies emanate. But Ash has been a bad boy. His thoughtless, selfish meddling and manipulating has led to a war and disturbances within the leythe. Ash needs to be taken down a peg or two, so the goddess Jhara punishes him by forcing him to live in human form with most of his power stripped from him. She hopes he’ll learn that using other creatures for his own amusement isn’t right and that some of the things he considers human frailties (like compassion and love) are just what he needs to learn. Of course, that doesn’t go over well with Ash, and he’s determined to thwart Jhara by any means necessary and break his exile. Jhara throws Ash another curveball when she leythe-bonds him to Toryn MacAran, a human!

Tor has never fit in and always harbored a painful emptiness inside, like something is missing. When a strange encounter at a bookstore one night ends up landing him at the feet of the handsome Ash, he may have found the answer. Ash’s touch takes his emptiness and pain away and makes him feel compete.

Both main characters are well developed and interesting in their own right, but when they come together, oh boy! The chemistry goes off the charts. I adored the interaction between these two. An emotional rollercoaster.

Ash is a self-centered, full of himself ass at the beginning of this story, but he’s so damn fun. Tor is the broken boy that I always adore. And I do adore him… except that by the end, I’m so in love with Ash that even Tor’s delicious brokenness cannot compare. These guys go through hell and back in this story, but the growth of the characters throughout is such a treat to read.

This is a complex fantasy that takes place on another world separate from the earth (from which Tor came). The world building is quite intricate and yet so smoothly woven that it never felt cumbersome as some fantasies do for me. Fast-paced, lots of wit, smoking hot sex, angst, sexy long-haired men (my fav!), and some freaky bad guys to hate from Lucano in the first section on to some of his horrible creations in the second.

And then there’s Carrik Tarn, a very interesting and pivotal secondary character. I won’t say much about him for fear of it being a spoiler, but I’d really like to know more of his background. Maybe that will come out in a sequel. Oh, and there’s this one scene where I just wanted to kick him in the nuts so bad I could taste it. Except, well, that would have been impossible even if I were there at the time.

So much happens in this book, much more than I’d expect for the number of pages. It has the depth of a much longer read–almost like an epic. I read the first half, Human Frailties, about a year ago as a freebie. Since I’d enjoyed the first half of the story quite a lot, I really have no idea why I waited so long to read the full story. But very glad I finally did because the second half took the tale into awesome territory. The second half made me fall in love.

So if you’ve read Human Frailties and never went on to read the rest, don’t wait! It only gets better.

Ash and Tor need a sequel, and actually, I’m pretty sure there is one currently in the works. I can’t wait. And one last thing–I have to mention how much I love the name Ashnavayarian and all its interesting variants!

The cover by Cinchbug depicts both characters just as I’d pictured them along with the other important elements of the story. The dark, mysterious mood is perfect.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) – Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, Smashwords, 272 pages
Published September 30th 2013 by Jaye McKenna, via Smashwords
ISBN139781301308873
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/363010
seriesGuardians of the Leythe #1.0

A Sammy Review: Where There’s Smoke (Panopolis #1) by Cari Z.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

I mean, it was one thing to date the guy who’d keyed the principal’s car in high school, but another entirely to get together with someone who was rapidly climbing Panopolis’s Most Wanted list.

Where There's Smoke coverEdward Dinges has always been attracted to the super way of life in Panopolis. It’s a place where the Heroes and Villains meet on a regular basis and the society is as much based on presence as it is the economy. He’d always hoped to meet a hero, but he never dreamed of falling in love with a villain, and one day changes those expectations.

He’s just a guy working at a bank. Except that his boyfriend is a Villain with a thing for bombs and he’s got a Hero who seems to not think that having a boyfriend is a valid reason for the answer “no”. It’s just a matter of time until the world of good, evil, and just plain normal collide.

His eyes were fixed on me, glittering points of light within the matte-gray shadows on his skin. “I’m a bad man.”

“You’re a Villain,” I said. “But that doesn’t make you a bad person.”

So here’s the thing… I loved this! Plain and simple, it was just so much fun that I could hardly sit still from all the giddiness it brought me.

From the very first page (or, well, the dedication actually), I was sucked into this amazing and funky world that Cari Z. created. She took bits of reality and bits of all those fun comic books and movies we’ve all seen and then twisted it into this really fabulous story. In doing so, she was able to both reach deep into this theme and hit some of the topics we all wonder about (like who is the man behind the mask who ever fears) and add in some undeniable humor that again, we all think about (like how completely ridiculous some of the stories behind our favorite heroes and villains are).

She does a beautiful job of mixing characters that we traditionally shrug off as villains and making them real and human. They’re no longer these beings so far off that we can pretend are monsters (well, some of them, because I still think Pinball has some issues), but now they’re people like your brother or sister, your parents, your neighbors.

Maybe it’s not that our Heroes are perfect, maybe it’s that our legal system is broken in the same way they are.

The world felt so tangible to me, especially with the blog posts at the beginning of each chapter, which featured a really sincere and blunt look at the underpinnings of society in Panopolis. They were some of my favorite parts, as they really put things into perspective. I kind of want to know who is behind the blog posts, because I feel like they have an interesting story to tell.

I would’ve loved to see more of the relationship building between Raul and Edward in the beginning, but I was so enthralled by the general plot and world that it didn’t bother me too much. I just wanted to see more of the build up for them. We heard about it in passing, but only got a small glimpse, and I hungered for more. I also think the author could’ve pushed it more at times when it came to how conflicting feelings of love are with knowing what your lover does when he leaves, but that’s just me being picky.

I really hope there’s more than just one sequel, because I could get seriously into this world… like, I could bury myself in it and dance with glee. I’m seriously looking forward to the next one. Great read!

The cover art by L.C. Chase is quite nice. It definitely fits the identity of the Mad Bombardier and helps make it easier to picture him as a villain. My only complaint is the high contrast around the pants, but that’s more of a designers nitpicking than anything else. In general, it’s a lovely cover to pair with a kick-ass story.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing    All Romance (ARe)   Amazon     Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 88 pages
Published April 27th 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 25th 2015)
ISBN139781626492967
edition languageEnglish
seriesPanopolis #1

 

 

In the Book Spotlight: The Altered 2 by Annabelle Jacobs (excerpt and giveaway)

 

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 The Altered 2 by Annabelle Jacobs
Release Date: May 28, 2015

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Publisher: Annabelle Jacobs
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

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Sales Links: Amazon UK – Amazon US – All Romance (ARe)

STRW Author BookSynopsis

A remote farmhouse in Cornwall seems the perfect place for Ash to settle into his recently altered status. Starting a new life there with Sam—the shifter he can’t stay away from—should be easy this far from London where they faced so much danger. So why does adjusting seem impossible?

Sam has issues of his own. He has to get used to his human form again after living the last eight years as a wolf. It’s hard when human worries weigh so heavily on his shoulders. Life is much more straightforward from a wolf’s perspective, until Ash needs his human support.

Ash’s problem is simple: he’s fearful of shifting fully. How can he believe he won’t hurt Sam when his genes were altered to create a killer? Despite repeated reassurance, his anger and resentment increase. Only one thing is certain: if Ash can’t learn to trust himself soon, he’s in danger of proving himself right.

Pages or Words: 37,000 words (approximate)

Categories: Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Ash knocked twice, only pushing the door open a little when Sam howled softly for him to come in.

“Oh, hey.” Ash stuck his head around the door, frowning when he saw Sam. “Um… Keira said today was a human day. But… er….” He came fully inside and closed the door behind him. “Don’t you fancy it?”

Ash walked over to Sam’s bed and sat down on the bottom corner, propping his elbows on his knees.

Sam sighed and padded over to sit next to him, placing his head in Ash’s lap. As soon as Ash’s fingers were in his fur—stroking back and forth—Sam felt a hundred times better. The soothing touch spread warmth throughout his body and Sam closed his eyes, letting it chase away whatever had been bothering him earlier.

Ash’s touch always had this effect on him. Sam had known what that meant from the very first time they’d met.

Ash was meant for him.

Everything about Ash: the way he looked, his scent—which drove Sam crazy sometimes—and even his voice, made something in Sam settle. Something he’d been missing for years. It was that feeling that had helped Sam to shift back in front of other people for the first time in eight years. That, and the fact that some fucking guard had a gun pointed at Ash’s head.

Sales Links:

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her husband, three rowdy children, and two cats.

An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction
Website: http://www.annabellejacobs.com

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Tour Dates & Stops: May 28, 2015
Parker Williams, Kristy’s Brain Food, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Molly Lolly, BFD Book Blog, Chris McHart, Inked Rainbow Reads, Divine Magazine, Bayou Book Junkie, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Multitasking Mommas, Carly’s Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, Mikky’s World of Books,
Kimi-Chan, Velvet Panic

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Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: A book from Annabelle’s backlist

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Queue Up The Fiction Fun with Mischief Corner Books, The MCB Quarterly Vol. I(excerpts and giveaway)

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LGBTQ Press: Mischief Corner Books
Book Name: The MCB Quarterly, Volume 1

Release Date: April 30, 2015

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books
Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay

A Character Interview by J. Scott Coatsworth…

My name’s Tony, and I got this questionaire in the mail from The Center – I guess they want me to “move on” Like it’s just that easy to let someone go – the man who was a part of you, heart and soul.

But what the hell. Here it goes…

1. Now that you’ve gotten together, what comes next?

Well, I wouldn’t exactly say together. OK, so after Jake died, I did have this sort of weird thing happen. You know that thing where some guy tells you he met your soulmate in the afterlife, and … what, no? Well anyhow, it was one of those sort of things.

So next? I guess I pack up his things and figure out what to do now that Jake’s no longer here for me to take care of. He’d want me to move on. But still… it’s hard.

2. What was the hardest thing for you to overcome that you didn’t expect to be an issue?

Letting go. For a few unexpected days it was summer again. We were young together. Alive. But then it was snatched away. It’s hard to let it go.

3. Who or what makes you laugh out loud?

Jake. He had a wicked sense of humor… sometimes he’d wait until I took a drink, and then say something so funny I’d snort coke out of my nose. And oh my god, his Michelle Bachmann impression. Those eyes…

4. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Daiquiri Ice. It’s one of the lesser-known of the 31 flavors. I don’t even drink. But I’m addicted to the stuff. Jake… well, Jake liked chocolate chip. But he used the Italian name – stracciatella.

5. What movie will you watch over and over again?

Strictly Ballroom. Hands-down the best movie ever made, and the only other thing that makes me snort. Of course, Jake disagreed with me about that one too.

He swore up and down that Romy and Michelle was better. Turns out I’m the Mary, after all.

I hope I get to see him again in Avalon so he can fight me on that one.

Blurb:

The Quarterly is an eMagazine of LGBTQ fiction – of all kinds. This volume features four short stories: Facsimile by Mina MacLeod, Leash on Love by Beany Sparks, Man of the House by Brigid Collins, and Avalon by J. Scott Coatsworth. It also includes an Author Interview with Lexi Ander, talking about writing gay science fiction, and a Featured Artist section about the multitalented Catherine Dair. And our very own Angel Martinez offers an Op-Ed on “When is an Author not an Author?”

Pages or Words: 33,200 words

Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Gay fiction, Horror, Lesbian romance, M/M romance, Romance, Transexual

(Please remember that not all stories will contain all elements listed.)

RC

Excerpts:

Avalon by J. Scott Coatsworth

Tony wheeled the chair down the long ramp to the beach, hoping it wasn’t too hot or too cold for Jake’s skin.

The day itself was wonderful, the clearest in weeks, and the Pacific Ocean waves pounded the beach in a steady, soothing rhythm that he hoped even Jake could hear.

Soon they were on level ground, negotiating the boardwalk that ran up and down this part of the beach. Jake had a sloppy smile on his face.

Tony smiled to himself. There were so few pleasures he could give Jake anymore. The man deserved so much more than this.

He reached forward to wipe the drool from the side of Jake’s cheek. “It’s a lovely day out, isn’t it, Jake?”

His lover didn’t respond, but only stared ahead, smiling.

There were still periods of lucidity, to be sure, but they were farther and farther apart. Sometimes Tony wished that Jake would finally succumb to the growth in his head and be at peace. But only sometimes.

More often, he treasured the time they still had together and remembered the strong, vital man Jake had been when they’d first met.

For just a moment, the rest of the world faded away, and they were alone together on a quiet, windswept beach. Tony breathed in deeply, savoring the pure sweetness of the salty ocean air, the wash of clean colors that assaulted his vision.

He glanced up at the road above, only to find it was gone. There were no other people on the bluff, no buildings, nothing. They were alone, really alone, in this little corner of the world.

Tony shook his head to dispel the vision. It was the late nights, he thought, the lack of sleep that led to these strange imaginations.

A hand came down on his shoulder. Hard. And suddenly they were back among the bustle of a thousand other people.

Leash on Love by Beany Sparks

There he is again.

Matty noticed the man exit the gym as he’d done numerous times over the past few months. The gym was only a few doors down from the veterinary practice where Matty came to help out his cousin Robert when he wasn’t at uni.

Every day after his classes finished, he’d pop down to the practice and walk the dogs that were in doggy day care. Some days he’d finish earlier than others, so he didn’t always walk the dogs at the same time, but on the days that he walked the dogs later, he’d leave around the same time as the guy left the gym.

He’d noticed gym-guy after the first few visits to his cousin’s vet practice. There was nothing outrageous about the man. He had light brown hair and muscles that were obviously from his time spent at the gym, but not that of a hard-core body builder. Something about him had caught Matty’s eye, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. He looked forward to seeing him, but he hadn’t gotten up the courage to say anything to him, let alone get caught watching him. Even now he was practically hiding behind his car, pretending to be looking for his keys.

“Hey, Matty!”

Matty turned to see Ronnie, or Veronica as her name badge indicated, coming towards him. Ronnie had been his best friend for years, which worked out well when she married his cousin. While Robert was a vet, Ronnie was a dentist who conveniently worked in the building opposite the vet practice. The only thing separating the buildings was the numerous parking spaces in between.

“Hey, Ronnie. What’s been happening?” Matty asked as he walked up to her and gave her a hug, which she happily returned.

“Oh you know, same old, same old.” She moved back a step and leaned against his car. “How are things with you?”

Man of the House by Brigid Collins

Some inconsiderate ass-dick had hit a skunk on the road out front of our house.

The God-awful stench woke me before my alarm, which I suppose I could have chosen to see as a blessing. For some reason, all I could focus on was the way skunk scent stuck in the back of my throat. Lucky I wasn’t much of a breakfaster.

God, it was bad. I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, but the darkness of pre-six o-fuckin’-clock in the morning pressed against my lids. That and the soft warmth of my bed whispered to me, urging me to roll over, press my face into the pillow, and pretend the dead critter out there was a squirrel. Those little bastard thieves deserved to get hit, and they didn’t stink up the neighborhood when they died.

But rolling over and pretending wasn’t what the man of the fucking house would do. I didn’t even have to go through my usual cycle of “what would Dad do” to know that. A man did what needed to be done, and that was that. No use bitching about it now, either. Dad was gone, and there was no getting him back. Someone still had to do the stuff that needed done, and I figured out months back that it wasn’t going to be Derrik.

I flopped my arm out from the blankets and around my nightstand until I managed to get my finger on the alarm switch. That taken care of, I sat up and cracked my eyes open. A red 5:23 burned out of the shadows of my room, and I groaned.

Look on the bright side, this gives you time to deal with the skunk without making you late for school.

Facsimile by Mina MacLeod

The night President Carnot is assassinated, Monique Chambly is nestled in a chair in her sitting room with a blanket wrapped around her legs. The fire is crackling, and her tea is hot. It smells of cinnamon and spice; the scent brings familiarity and comfort, but Monique cannot remember why. She remembers very little these days.

She’s staring at the amber softgel capsules, debating whether the pain is bad enough to warrant them. The phonograph is warbling Mozart. She has always adored Mozart. At least, she’s fairly certain she has.

Outside their Montmartre estate, the rain comes down upon the city, heavy and unforgiving. Thunder rolls across the sky and lightning rips through the clouds, illuminating the streets. It is a cold, terrible night to be outside.

Her joints ache. Monique winces and reaches for the capsules. Her muscles feel like they are being pulled from her bones. She manages to swallow the medication, wincing as it slides down her dry throat. Monique grabs the tea and takes a generous gulp, though her tongue protests the sting of heat. She lolls her head until her chin sits upon her chest. Dark ringlets of hair shift to hide her face. Her head feels heavy, so heavy—as though her neck isn’t strong enough to hold it up.

The next clap of thunder startles her; it cracks the sky in twain with its severity. The arc lamps in their home flicker. Monique is huddled there, curled in on herself, when Elvire finds her.

“Monique, my darling,” she says, kneeling before the chair. “Whatever are you doing awake?” She reaches out, brushing aside the curtain of Monique’s hair.

Dr. Elvire Mazet is a tall, wiry creature. Yet here she is, folded up neatly at Monique’s feet. Her dark eyes are wide with concern behind her wire-rimmed spectacles. She is still wearing her lab coat. Its immaculate whiteness has long since been stained with evidence of various experiments. A pair of safety goggles is holding her short red hair out of her face. Monique wonders idly what Elvire has been up to down in her lab. Normally, Elvire leaves all of her clothing and equipment downstairs.

Thunder rumbles through the sky yet again, and Monique shudders. “Am I—am I afraid of storms? I don’t…remember.”

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About the Press:

Mischief Corner Books is an organization of superheroes… no, it’s a platinum-album techno-fusion group…no, hold on a sec here…

Ah, yes. Mischief Corner is a diverse group of authors who met on a mountain in Tennessee and decided since we probably were too easily distracted to rule the world that we’d settle for causing a bit of mayhem instead.

In addition to making mayhem, we publish books with a diverse range of genres and topics… we live to break molds.

MCB. Giving voice to LGBTQ fiction.

Where to find MCB:

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Tour Dates & Stops:

  • 11-May Angel Martinez
  • 12-May Bayou Book Junkie
  • 13-May Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance
  • 14-May Cate Ashwood
  • 15-May Cathy Brockman Romances, Full Moon Dreaming
  • 18-May  Divine Magazine, Molly Lolly
  • 19-May MM Good Book Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews
  • 20-May  Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
  • 21-May  Inked Rainbow Reads
  • 22-May  BFD Book Blog
  • 28-May  Prism Book Alliance