A MelanieM Review:Overtime (Scoring Chances #3.5) by Avon Gale

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

This short story (approximately 4000 words) takes place after the events of Power Play and before Empty Net. It features Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie Isaac Drake — as well as a few other familiar faces — and is available as a bonus for Avon’s newsletter subscribers.

You can access the story in three different formats here: http://www.instafreebie.com/free/2jdBs

And! Check out a bonus audio version, also free, here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kn5rwgj93cg…

Overtime is a short story that bridges Power Play and Empty Net. It’s an important one because it features Isaac Drake, the Spitfires goalie. He’s been an important character in this series, especially in his almost father/son dynamic that has evolved with his coach, Misha Samarin. Their stories and backgrounds so similar despite the differences in countries. And the readers have been able to watch his character grow and his personality strengthen under Misha’s tutelage and support.

Here, we get another important step in the Spitfires overal team definition as it evolved towards its goal as a champion team and Isaac’s barriers that they have faced and may face again. It also shows, yet again, another facet to their GM Belsy.

I am so addicted to this series and characters. I just can’t get enough. Well written, explosive ..on and off the ice ..by an author who knows the game and loves the men who plays it.

May this series never end.

Cover art: Aaron Anderson. Perfection. Brands the series, works for the story. Just outstanding.

Sales Links: Free

Book Details:

ebook, 13 pages
Published July 2016
Edition Language English
Series Scoring Chances #3.5

Scoring Chances Series

Belinda McBride on Writing, HFN, and her new release An Uncommon Whore (An Uncommon Whore #1)

An Uncommon Whore (An Uncommon Whore #1) by Belinda McBride

Dreamspinner Press
Published August 27th 2019

Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Buy Link: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Barnes and Noble:

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Belinda McBride here today on tour with her new release An Uncommon Whore. Welcome, Belinda, and thank yo for agreeing to answer our author questions.

✒︎

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with Belinda McBride

How much of yourself goes into a character?

I don’t think a writer can avoid inserting themselves into a character to some point. I mean, we all bring our own feelings, experiences and expectations when we read or write. But I think for me, I write characters I’d like to know…or who I’d like to be. I guess there’s some projection going on there. I wish I were as steadfast as Griffin Hawke or as accepting as Lefi Drahan, or as uninhibited as Belle Oakley.

Does research play a role into choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?

I wind up doing a LOT of research regardless of genre. I am constantly Googling obscure poets or gods or trying to figure out what sort of trees could possibly survive on a specific planet. But it wasn’t until I tried my hand at a Civil War era novel that featured a hero that was half Muscogee and visits London in 1871 that I knew I was in over my head! LOL!

Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?

Since I write romance, I’m committed to a HEA…eventually. LOL! Helios and Griffin from An Uncommon Whore get a HFN in their books. They’ll get their HEA eventually.

Do you read romances, as a teenager and as an adult?

Yes, I stumbled across my first romance when I was in Jr. High. It was Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer and set a high standard for my love of romance. I love historical romance and I particularly love an unapologetic anti-hero. The romances of the ‘70s and

‘80s were really not to my taste and I set them aside for a long while. I plunged back into romance when I picked up a Christine Feehan paranormal romance and started devouring the genre like I’d been starved!

How do you choose your covers? (curious on my part)

I don’t always get to choose them, since most of my work is with publishers. But I had a lot of input into the new Uncommon Whore cover. I wanted it romantic but reflecting the fact that it’s science fiction. And I wanted it to jump out at the viewer, both from thumbnail size and paperback size. I think we succeeded with this one!

What’s next for you as an author?

I’m continuing on the re-release of the Uncommon Universe books and trying to prepare some of my older material to be re-released. For new material, I have a paranormal m/m/f that’s almost ready to go, and an Mpreg (!!) in development for next year. I have several WiPs that are really overdue for some attention as well. And of course, I’ll have another Helios and Griffin book out eventually.

What traits do you find the most interesting in someone? Do you write them into your characters?

Flaws and weaknesses fascinate me. Addictions, self-destructive tendencies, emotional damage and so on. I’ve met people who’ve battled demons and prevailed. Some of my characters have terrible weaknesses. Helios tends to be indolent and vain. Griffin is jealous and overprotective. Afton (the Bacchi) is puritanical and judgmental. Dierdre Dayspring is depressed. Caius is an addict of a different sort. These are all building blocks to develop character and conflict.

Have you ever put a story away, thinking it just didn’t work? Then years/months/whatever later inspiration struck and you loved it? Is there a title we would recognize if that happened?

The Bacchi comes to mind. I set that aside for about 3 years. In fact, when I returned to it, I had to re-write what I’d started because my writing had evolved during that time! When I Fall went through several false starts as well.

Have you ever had an issue in RL and worked it through by writing it out in a story? Maybe how you thought you’d feel in a situation?

Well, my readers will recognize that addiction and human trafficking are recurring topics in several of my books. Addiction is a nasty feature in my family—both on my mother and my father’s side of the family. When I wrote The Bacchi and Prince of Faith, a loved one was battling opioid addition. Human trafficking…a friend of mine vanished into forced labor. We’d track him down and make contact and the people who had him would move him. He’s a legal immigrant and a skilled chef, and in the end, he was high profile enough that they couldn’t keep him because his loyal “fans” followed him from restaurant to restaurant. But it took years and did a lot of damage.

What’s the wildest scene you’ve imagined and did it make it into a story?

Yeah…sex while falling from the sky. I did write it. In fact, I should put it up as a freebie…LOL!

With so much going on in the world today, do you write to explain? To get away? To move past? To widen our knowledge? Why do you write?

The general chaos of the world cripples my writing, and I had to learn to wean myself from TV and social media. I think some real-life seeps into my writing but I try to avoid inserting contemporary events. Or if they’re included, there’s goodness. In An Uncommon Whore, the refugees of a planet-wide destruction are rescued by alien people they didn’t even know existed. And as the story continues, the Vash and the Somian and others continue to ally with them, helping them recover. Maybe I’m modeling how I believe. people should be in real life.

Blurb:

An Uncommon Whore Story

Pasha is a slave, whoring for travelers at the most treacherous bar on Warlan. The day Pasha spots the dangerous pirate in the bar, he knows he mustn’t let the stranger slip away, no matter what he must do to draw his attention.

Captain Griffin Hawke spent the better part of a decade searching for his lost king, only to find Helios Dayspring crouched between his legs, swathed in the robes and shackles of a whore. Though he is appalled by the downfall of his king, Grif falls for the sensual creature who has taken his place. After a brutal invasion stripped his people of nearly everything, they desperately need Helios to lead them. But returning him to throne means smuggling him off the planet, disabling the chip that keeps him submissive and forgetful. They will face old enemies, traitors, and greedy opportunists who’d like to strip their new planet of its wealth.

It might mean Grif losing his lover… and they’ve both lost too much already.

Second Edition
First Edition published by Loose Id LLC, January 2010.

About the Author:

Belinda is an award-winning, top selling author of erotic romance, speculative fiction and LGBTQ romance. She lives in far Northern California with her family and a pack of Siberian Huskies and a few rogue Salukis

A graduate of CSU Chico, she managed to attend the notorious party school without once getting drunk, arrested or appearing in a “Girls Gone Wild” video. Her main focus of study was classical and archival history, cultural anthropology and

theatre arts.

After several years in the workforce. Belinda purchased a laptop computer and from there, never stopped writing.

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Belinda-McBride-49209583129/

Website: www.belindambride.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belinda.mcbride/

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: The Witchstone Amulet by Mason Thomas

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

What helps makes this successful for me is that Hunter is well established as a character, and the reader is immersed in his POV, before anything extraordinary happens. Hunter’s choices, based on who he is as a person, lead him to another realm after he follows a thief stealing his mother’s brooch. This is a typical portal story of moving between worlds, but it’s very well written. Thrown into action in the enemy territory of the Heneran lands, a tense truce is formed between Hunter and the thief Dax as they try to survive. Once they are near out of enemy territory, Hunter meets the Rebellion forces–a ragtag band of people living in a camp in the wilderness and gets thrown into politics against the Crown. As the setting shifts to the capital city of Andreya, he learns more about his new world and how to survive in it. His world crumbles as he starts to question everything he thought he knew, including about his own mother. I felt like I was getting pulled in and figuring things out more quickly than Hunter, which is a clever way of getting the reader invested.

There are really only four main side characters that help the reader to more emotionally connect with the story and move in along in different ways. Glimpses of the rebel leader Quinnar are intriguing. Is he a good man? A good leader? Or does he just want power for himself? Because it’s Hunter’s POV, I was never really sure. It’s always welcome to have a strong, capable female character like Zinnuvial. Uri’s situation is played for sympathy, but I found it frustrating. Corrad at first comes off as a mean bully, but thankfully is a bit more nuanced than that in the end. The most interesting character is always Hunter. Because there isn’t another POV, and the story is focused on developing Hunter and the actual plot, I felt like I didn’t know Dax as well as I would have liked.

Hunter makes a good everyman; but he makes an even better hero. The character is written in such a way that there was always meant to be more for him, for his life. The author works hard at making this believable: that a modern man from Chicago could end up learning to flourish in a more difficult and brutal time without having grown up with the knowledge and skills everyone else would have. Hunter proves himself to be adaptable and able to listen and learn when under duress. The actions scenes are well written, helping to continually build the tension until the satisfying final confrontation. His relationship with Dax is a slow burn from enemies to lovers. Even after the sex, it only clicks into place when Hunter proves how clever, brave, and capable his is–making him a great match for Dax, someone Dax can really respect. It’s only when I thought back about the story that I realized in only takes place within a very short period of time, which lessens the believability. Then, there is the final chapter, which gives the happily ever after, whilst still leaving room for a new adventure as Dax and Hunter look to the future. It is clear there have been atrocities on both sides of this war and it will take time to right wrongs, so the story between the Humans of this world and the Henerans could go in many directions.

Cover Art: Tiferet Design. Rich and interesting, it absolutely works for the story and character.

Sales Links:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 293 pages
Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Dreamspinner Press
Original Title The Witchstone Amulet
ISBN 139781644055311
Edition Language English

Mason Thomas on Plotter vs Pantser and his new release The Witchstone Amulet (author guest blog)

The Witchstone Amulet by Mason Thomas

Dreamspinner Press
Publication: August 27th 2019

Cover Artist: Tiferet Design

Sales Links:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Plotter vs. Pantser: That is (not) the question

Summer is what I like to call “con” season. During these months I go to several different conventions (not least of which is San Diego Comic Con) and my focus, not surprisingly, are the panels with authors and/or about writing. Regardless of who is on the panel or what the intended topic of the conversation is, the discussion invariably centers on process. And every established author has their own distinct, trademarked, approach to writing a novel. Like snowflakes, no two authors tackle the monumental task of novel writing the exact same way.

I love listening to each author discuss their process for that very reason. Every answer is so different. There are commonalities, certainly, but there is clearly not one formulaic approach. Although there are books that provide a structure to novel writing, there really isn’t a one size fits all approach. Every author “eats that elephant” in their own way. And I find great comfort in that.

During these panel discussions, the question “are you a pantser or plotter?” always seems to come from someone in the audience. For those who might not be familiar with these terms, a pantser is the type of writer that flies from the seat of their pants. They let the story unveil itself organically, one scene leading to the next, the author discovering the arc of the story as they write. A plotter is just the opposite. They map out the entire story arc ahead of time and only when they know the beginning middle and end, do they begin to pound out the words.

George R. R. Martin described it similarly as writers come as either gardeners or architects. Perhaps a more artful way of describing the two approaches, but it essentially says the same thing.

The problem with that question is the answer isn’t a binary one. From my experience, it is very rare that an author is either fully one or the other. It is far more likely that an author falls somewhere between the two. The vast majority of authors when pressed will say that they are a hybrid of both. And I fall into that group as well.

Years ago, when asked, I would always hang my hat on the pantser hook. But even then I wasn’t a pure pantser. I had elements of being a plotter as well. Today, the needle is pointing straight up in the middle. I am sitting at the top of the bell curve. I am a panter, or a plotser.

So, I hear you ask, what is my process? What does it look like and how is different from other authors?

It always begins with a nugget of an idea. I can’t tell you where it comes from honestly, but it bubbles up from some corner of my brain and demands my notice, not as a “EUREKA” but a quiet little “huh.” I’ll poke at the idea first, see if it’s worth a closer look, and if it wiggles a bit and giggles back at me, I’ll give it more attention. From there, the idea gets sticky and other ideas start to cling to it, and it expands and expands until I start to envision an arc of a story.

Then, I am compelled to start writing. I let the dog off the leash and let it run. I will pick a scene, something that feels like where the story might start and I’ll just type. Maybe I’ll bite off a chapter, maybe three. But during this time, I’m feeling out who these people are that find themselves on my page, and what the world they inhabit might look like. I allow my subconscious to take over and I’m along for the ride.

Panster.

But as I settle deeper into the story, I need to make some solid decisions before I can continue. I can’t have characters making life choices if I don’t know the circumstances of their past. And to know those circumstances, I need to know all the various facets of the world that shaped them. So, now I go through the process of world-building and shaping my characters. The world they inhabit is a force that drives their decisions in life, so I need to make sure I understand all the political, economic, and social components. I map out all the character traits, both positive and negative (especially the negatives) and I like to find one dark secret that each character harbors that no one else knows.

I start to envision their journey and begin to map out where I see them going and where they will end up at the end of it all.

Plotter.

Now, it’s a game of leapfrog. When I write scenes, furthering the story, their actions and interactions unveil more of the big picture that I didn’t—or couldn’t—predict. There are nuances and happy discoveries that only come to light when you are immersed in a scene. I always say if I’m surprised my readers will be too, so I embrace this part of it. But along with the wild reveal of the plot, it requires going back and adding these unearthed details to the character backstories and to the world, because those new discoveries will affect the further trajectory of the story. This then dictates what future scenes are necessary to continue to propel the story forward. Each of these feeds the other.

Ergo, plotser.

By the end, my first draft, surprisingly, has about the same word count that the final revised version will have. This is after I’ve deleted the chaff and added more scenes that flesh out and round out the plot.

There it is: my process. It’s not pretty, and it’s not refined. It’s a mad, chaotic scramble that often feels more like a frantic excavation than writing a novel. Michelangelo is quoted as saying that he was only revealing the work that was trapped in the stone, and in a strange way I understand that thinking. The true nature of the story reveals itself to me and I am on some level powerless against it.

One important point to add regarding my process, however. I need to know how the story is going to end—at least generally. I may not know the route, but at least I need to know the destination.

In my view, the reason the question of plotter vs. Pantser is so frequently asked is people are looking for guidance as to how to best tackle that monumental task of writing a novel. But the important take-away in all this is there is no singular approach, no right way and no wrong way. Every writer approaches it differently. The only way to know what is right for you is sit down and discover it for yourself.

Blurb for THE WITCHSTONE AMULET

Protect it at all costs.

That’s what rugby player Hunter Best’s mother told him before she died. But when Hunter surprises an intruder in his Chicago apartment, he discovers her amulet stolen. Hunter pursues the thief—all the way through a strange vortex. He wakes in a bizarre and violent world, a benighted realm on the threshold of civil war.

The queen has become a ruthless tyrant, punishing any who oppose her, weakening the kingdom’s defenses against the brutal Henerans. To survive, Hunter must depend on the man who robbed him, a handsome former spy named Dax, now a leader of the resistance that believes the queen is an imposter–a Heneran disguised by magic… who also looks identical to Hunter’s mother.

There’s no love lost between Hunter and Dax, and even if Hunter grudgingly agrees with the resistance, he just wants to reclaim his property and go home. But he might be the only one who can oppose the queen and end her reign of terror.

Mason Thomas Bio

Mason Thomas began his writing journey at the age of thirteen when his personal hero, Isaac Asimov, took the time to respond to a letter he wrote him. He’s been writing stories every since. Today, he is ecstatic and grateful that there is a place at the speculative table for stories with strong gay protagonists. Mason, by all accounts, is still a nerdy teenager, although his hairline and waistline indicate otherwise. When his fingers are not pounding furiously at a keyboard, they can usually be found holding a video game controller, plucking away at an electric guitar, or shaking a twenty-sided die during a role playing game. Mason will take any opportunity to play dress up, whether through cosplay, Halloween or a visit to a Renaissance Faire. He pays the bills by daring middle school students to actually like school and encouraging them to make a mess in his science classroom. He lives in Chicago with his endlessly patient husband, who has tolerated his geeky nonsense for two decades, and their two unruly cats who graciously allow Mason and his husband to share the same space with them.

A MelanieM Review: Power Play (Scoring Chances #3) by Avon Gale

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A freak accident during the Stanley Cup Playoffs put an end to Max Ashford’s hockey career. Despite everything, Max gets back into the game he loves—only this time, behind the bench as an assistant coach of the Spartanburg Spitfires, the worst team in the entire league. But nothing prepares him for the shock when he learns the new head coach is Misha Samarin, the man who caused Max’s accident.

After spending years guilt ridden for his part in Max’s accident, Russian native Misha Samarin has no idea what to do when he’s confronted with Max’s presence. Max’s optimism plays havoc with Misha’s equilibrium—as does the fierce attraction that springs up between them.

Not only must they navigate Misha’s remorse and a past he’s spent a lifetime trying to forget, but also a sleazy GM who is determined to use their history as a marketing hook. But when an unwelcome visitor targets a player, Misha revisits his darkest days, and that might cost him and Max the beginning they’ve worked so hard to build.

With each new novel in the Scoring Chances series I’m finding myself saying “oh, this is now my favorite story and couple”. Because this series just keeps getting better and better.

Power Play (Scoring Chances #3) by Avon Gale switches the focus of the series over to the hapless Spartanburg Spitfires, previously mentioned as the worst team in the ECHL, the one you didn’t want to be traded to. Now it’s undergoing a radical change with a new coach and assistant coach team brought in by it’s owner and GM Max to light a fire and shake things up. What better way then to team two men to coach together that were featured in one of the most notorious hockey injuries in recent memory?

However, under that powderkeg of a idea and storyline, lies a layered duo and a terrific plot. Misha Samarin, the demonized player (unfairly) in this scenario has since then logged many years both as a NHL player and minor league coach. He’s earned this spot and respect. The many dimensions to his personalities that will be plumbed during this story, not only through his interactions with Max and their shared accident and growing romance, but also through a player in the Spitfire team with a shared background. I really connected with Misha and adored this man utterly. He’s complex, intelligent, and amazing. Then Gale pairs him with Max, who’s career as a player was finished by their shared accident on ice while Misha’s continued. Max has had to rebuild and retool, his goals, his life…and the result is unexpectedly optimistic and charming. While others might be bitter, Max is forward thinking and positive in his outlook, something that astonishes the Russian, who doesn’t expect forgiveness.

The dynamics and the chemistry between Max and Misha is electrifying. For that alone, buy this book. Then comes the hockey and this sad sack bunch that becomes a real cohesive hockey team under the guidance and leadership of these two men. It feels real, and authentic, and wow, do you start to cheer for them all. Trust me, you’ll be picturing these games in your head and screaming and cheering them on…go Spitfires go. Even that smarmy Belsy of a GM turns out to have layers….

Then there’s s Isaac Drake, goalie of the Spitfires. He will win your heart too. Just a complex character (ok he’s a goalie) and he is getting his own story too. So worthy of it.

But I can’t help that it’s the Russians that continue to capture my heart. Here it’s Mikhail ‘Misha’ Samarin who takes the honors. With that haunted past, reserved manner, intelligence, and yes, humor, I’m addicted to him. It doesn’t take long, It didn’t for Max. And it won’t for anyone picking up this story.

Love contemporary romance? Whether you love hockey or not, this one is for you. Power Play (Scoring Chances #3) by Avon Gale is well written, beautifully plotted, full of amazing characters and with a sexy, hot romance and great action on ice to boot. Grab this and the entire series up for a reading experience guaranteed to stay with you!

Cover art: Aaron Anderson. What that cover might surprise some people, those who love hockey know that the coaches wear suits as do the players coming into the area. They look sharp and that suit projects the right powerful image i would expect of Misha Samarin. excellent all around.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published May 9th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
Original Title Power Play
ISBN 163477244X (ISBN13: 9781634772440)
Edition Language English
Series Scoring Chances #3
setting South Carolina (United States)

Scoring Chances Series

Heidi Cullinan with a Special Excerpt from her Trilogy finale ‘The Doctor’s Orders (Copper Point Medical #3)’ (author guest blog and excerpt)

The Doctor’s Orders (Copper Point Medical #3) by Heidi Cullinan

Dreamspinner Press
Published August 20th 2019
Cover Art: Kanaxa

Buy Links

Goodreads • Publisher • Audible • Ripped Bodice • Barnes & Noble • Google Play Ebook • Google Play Audio • Apple Books • Kobo (US) • Kobo (Canada) • Amazon (US) • Amazon(Canada) • Amazon (UK) • Powells

Hi, and thanks for having me here today. I’m going to share a little information about my latest release, The Doctor’s Orders, available August 20 from Dreamspinner Press and wherever books are sold.

The Doctor’s Orders is book three in the Copper Point: Medical series, the final book in that trilogy. In this installment, we get to know Jared, an openly gay pediatrician, and Nick, the very closeted CEO of the hospital. Though Nick and Jared secretly dated in high school, it was clear nothing was ever going to happen between them again…until Jared and Nick are trapped in an elevator together, where sparks fly.

Here’s a little snippet from the book, a few sparks flying between Jared and Nick at a welcome reception for a new doctor. I hope you enjoy this excerpt, and I hope you give The Doctor’s Orders a try!

There weren’t many people on the balcony. The temperature had settled into something far more tolerable, but the fish flies were starting to come out. Not enough that the outside lights had to be turned off, but enough to make most people think the bay would be better viewed through a window.

Jared had never cared about the fish flies. When they’d been boys, they’d run off together to watch them swarm, laughing at how gross the insects were. They lived for the weeks when the eggs hatched and the bugs were so thick the city had to shut off streetlights or risk traffic accidents because so many bugs were drawn to the glow.

When they’d been a little older, they’d learned fish fly nights were good cover for other activities they didn’t want discovered.

Nick studied Jared’s profile in the early sunset, bay breeze whipping his blond hair until its baby-fine strands glinted like gossamer spider threads. He had a whisper of a goatee, common for him during the winter. It was nearly summer now, though. Nick wondered why Jared hadn’t shaved it off yet. It looked soft, though Nick suspected it wasn’t.

He wanted to find out.

He didn’t want Matt Engleton to.

Jared leaned on the railing and stared out at the water. “So are you going to date one of those women?”

Nick blinked. What brought this on? He glanced around, ensuring they were alone.

This apparently annoyed Jared. “The only other people out here are Mr. and Mrs. Larson, and they’re both so hard of hearing you’d have to shout into their ears for them to eavesdrop. Are you dating one of them or not?”

“Am I dating Mr. and Mrs. Larson?”

“Oh, don’t get cute.”

“Well, I don’t know who else you’re talking about. Who am I supposed to be dating?”

You. I’ve been thinking about dating you.

There was no way he could say that out loud, though. If he hinted he was thinking about such a thing, Jared would….

Well, he didn’t know what Jared would do anymore. That was the problem.

“I’m talking about your damn harem.” Jared gestured vaguely at the building behind them.

“My harem?”

Jared turned around, patience lost. “The women who’ve been hanging on you all night long.”

The women…? What women? Nick frowned at Jared. “You’ve been drinking too much.”

Jared laughed. “You’re kidding me. You’re so gay you can’t tell when a horde of women are hitting on you? All they’ve done all night is try to climb you like you’re a tree, or unwrap you like a Big Mac.”

Oh. He meant the group of people who had gathered around him inside, complimenting him on his accomplishments, who had clearly been attempting to make contact with him to further the interests of their families’ businesses. He supposed several of them had been women.

And of course Cynthia Ryan was a woman. She certainly wasn’t unwrapping him, though. Had anyone done that? What did that mean?

While it pleased him to hear Jared had kept such tabs on him, he didn’t appreciate being outed, even if there didn’t seem to be anyone around. “Keep your voice down.”

With a hmpf, Jared faced the bay.

Nick leaned against the rail beside him, daring to stand close enough to let their elbows and upper arms touch as he spoke softly. “None of them wanted me. They only wanted connections. St. Ann’s has the most growth in Copper Point right now. For decades the hospital has been hanging on by threads, held together by shady backroom deals. Now it might truly move forward. I’m trying to make sure that’s what actually happens.”

“So what you’re saying is you weren’t looking at these women at all, you were fixated on work, and it was me who was acting a fool, sitting alone in a corner getting jealous.”

Nick’s heart quickened at that confession, and he closed his eyes, taking in a deep, slow breath. A fish fly hit the top of his head, tangling briefly in his curls, and another smashed into his chin, but he didn’t care. It only further served to take him back to his youth, to the times they’d stood together like this, daring to touch each other more and more, until one day… one day….

Maybe this time I can get it right….

Maybe, somehow, this time it’ll all work out….

But the moment broke as Jared moved away, and when Nick opened his eyes, he saw Jared frowning at the bay, heard the iron in his voice when he spoke. “I should just date Matt and get over you. Date anyone and get over you.”

Nick’s breath caught.

Get… over me?

He gripped the rail as his thoughts tangled into each other. Jared wasn’t over him? After all this time? But they’d just been a fling. Youthful indiscretion. Nick’s mistake. His greatest lapse of judgment.

I’m the one who can’t get over you. But if you’ve been thinking of me all this time too….

Nick shut his eyes on a long blink, head spinning.

Jared kept talking. “It’d be a lot easier if I didn’t have to see you every damn day. And if you didn’t look like Idris Elba.”

“I look like Idris Elba?”

Jared waved impatiently at him. “You know you’re hot as hell. Don’t fish for more compliments.”

Nick wanted to whip out a net and collect them all. He wanted to scoop up Jared too.

All this time… have you really thought about me, all this time?

He lifted his hand, tried to speak.

No words came.

The door opened, and Kathryn appeared with a smile and two bottles of water. Jared pushed off the railing, weary and sad. “I’m going inside with Kathryn. Please leave me alone for the rest of the night.”

Nick didn’t want to let Jared go. He wanted to take him into his arms and confess everything, to tell him how he felt, how he’d always felt. Except he didn’t know what came after that confession.

I can’t change everything. Not now.

He watched Jared walking away and felt his heart tug.

I can’t change, but I want to.

Blurb

The elevator at St. Ann’s is out of order…but the chemistry between the doctor and CEO is working just fine.

Once upon a time Nicholas Beckert was the boy who stole kisses from Jared Kumpel beneath the bleachers, but now Jared’s a pediatrician and Nick is the hospital CEO who won’t glance his way. Everything changes, however, when they’re stranded alone in a hospital elevator. Ten years of cold shoulders melt away in five hours of close contact, and old passions rekindle into hot flames.

Once out of the elevator, Jared has no intention of letting Nick get away. It’s clear he’s desperate for someone to give him space to let go of the reins, and Jared is happy to oblige. But Jared wants Nick as a lover in a full, open relationship, which is a step further than Nick is willing to go. They’ve traded kisses under the bleachers for liaisons in the boardroom… and it looks like the same arguments that drove them apart in high school might do the same thing now.

Jared’s determined not to let that happen this time around. He won’t order Nick from his shell—he’ll listento what his friend says he needs to feel safe. Maybe this time he can prescribe his lover a happy ever after.

About the Author

Author of over thirty novels, Midwest-native Heidi Cullinan writes positive-outcome romances for LGBT characters struggling against insurmountable odds because she believes there’s no such thing as too much happy ever after. Heidi is a two-time RITA® finalist and her books have been recommended by Library Journal, USA Today, RT Magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading novels and manga, playing with her cats, and watching too much anime. Find out more at heidicullinan.com.

Awards

Shelter the Sea – Finalist, RITA® Award, Romance Writers of America
Fever Pitch – Finalist, RITA® Award, Romance Writers of America • RT Reviews Top Pick • Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Nomination
Dance With Me – Winner, Rainbow Awards, 3rd Place Contemporary • Nominee, Cupid & Psyche Awards, Contemporary • Golden Blush Award from Literary Nymphs • Best Romance of 2011 from Joyfully Reviewed • To-The-Pain Top Pick
Double Blind – Dear Author, Best of 2010 • DABWAHA Finalist 2011
Family Man – Recommended for libraries by Library Journal • Smart Bitches Trashy Books Sizzling Book Pick for April 2013

Copper Point: Medical Series

The Doctor’s Secret

The Doctor’s Date

The Doctor’s Orders

Evie Drae on Writing, Characters and her new release ‘Beauregard and the Beast (Once Upon a Vegas Night #1)’ ~ author guest blog, excerpt and giveaway

Beauregard and the Beast by Evie Drae

Dreamspinner Press
Publication: August 20th 2019

Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza

Sales Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IGmc0N

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2UCn8oo

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Vv1Q0Q

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2DxeW3s

Dreamspinner Press: https://bit.ly/2VnRb7L

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2Ro3VH6

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Evie Drae here today on tour with her new release Beauregard and the Beast. She’s answering our author questions, has brought a wonderful excerpt and giveaway for all our readers. Welcome, Evie!

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with Evie Drae

How much of yourself goes into a character?

I tend to be one of those writers who projects a great deal of myself into the characters I write. In an effort to maintain distinct voice, I only allow certain aspects of who I am to bleed into each personality, but there is definitely a part of me in every character I’ve ever written.

Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing?

When I was a tween, I used to sneak-read my mom’s romance novels. I didn’t understand the complexity of the emotions the same way I do today, but I devoured those books. Which, of course, set me up for disappointment in my own first experiences with love and lust as I grew older. It’s hard to find a man who stands up against a well-written romance hero, especially when the pool you have to choose from is filled with adolescent boys who haven’t “come into their own” just yet. However, those early reading experiences have affected my own choices for writing, as I only write romance. Granted, that romance does fall in a variety of sub-genres, but there is always a love story with an HEA at the heart of my work.

Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?

I’m a reader who absolutely must have an HFN or HEA. Stories that end on a negative note leave me traumatized for ages—and I’m not being dramatic. There’s enough heartache in the real world, I don’t want my escape into fiction to bring even more to the plate.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m against dark or intense subject matter within the plot of the story, but at the end, those issues have to either be resolved entirely or at least be on the way there. I like to lose myself in stories and my favorite part is seeing the characters overcome hardship and find happiness. It gives me hope and keeps me going through the reality of life.

I definitely prefer HEA over HFN, but if it’s a series and an HEA is on the horizon, I can dig a solid HFN. Just don’t leave me sobbing into my pillow—in a bad, non-happy tears kinda way—and I’m a happy camper.

If you write contemporary romance, is there such a thing as making a main character too “real”? Do you think you can bring too many faults into a character that eventually it becomes too flawed to become a love interest?

This is a very interesting question to me, especially after my recent experience with editing Beauregard and the Beast. I’ll admit, my first round of edits from my senior editor had me focusing on cutting back on a few of Bo’s flaws, as he came across a bit unlikeable. Once I saw him from her POV, I realized she was absolutely right—I’d created a bit of a selfish pain in the butt. When I made the adjustments, even I fell more in love with my own character. I had been trying so hard to draw conflict into the story to keep things interesting that I went a bit overboard. Yes, to err is human, but to be a butthead isn’t necessary. I have my goddess of a senior editor at Dreamspinner Press—Desi Chapman—to thank for her brilliant insight that saved Bo from being a rather disagreeable knucklehead.

Have you ever had an issue in RL and worked it through by writing it out in a story? Maybe how you thought you’d feel in a situation?

This is actually something I do quite frequently. Writing is a form of therapy for me and often a way that I work through issues and events in my life, both the positive and negative. Many of the primary plotlines I’ve written about are based on true life events, one way or another. Perhaps not exactly as they play out in my manuscripts, but often that’s because I make adjustments based on the ways I wished I would’ve responded and the outcomes I imagine might have happened had I reacted in a different way. For me, fiction is used as a way to reimagine events or to work through more positive outcomes that allow me to process and reshape how I view my own experiences.

What’s next for you as a writer?

As we speak, I have a proposal on submission with Dreamspinner Press to do the next book in my Once Upon a Vegas Night series. It’s a Little Mermaid re-imagining with an Olympic swimmer and the man who rescued him from a near-drowning incident eight years prior that I’m hoping to release during the Summer Olympics in 2020 if it gets picked up!

I also have the first book I ever hit “The End” on out on submission with an exciting group of publishers. This particular book—entitled All Your Broken Pieces—is a true passion project of mine. I wrote it for my best friend who experienced a traumatic period in his life and wanted to see his story told, both to raise awareness and to imagine the HEA of his dreams come true. Due to the subject matter, it’s a significantly darker read than Beauregard and the Beast, but it holds a very special place in my heart and I’m hoping to find it a home in the near future.

Blurb

A Once Upon a Vegas Night Tale

His greatest prize can’t be won in the octagon.

Champion MMA fighter Adam Littrell needs no distractions as he prepares for the fight that will determine whether he retires. But when he opens the door of his swanky Las Vegas home to his new personal assistant, Bo Wilkins, staying focused becomes a struggle.

Aware of Adam’s surly reputation, Bo doesn’t expect to like his new employer, let alone fall for him. But Bo is pleasantly surprised when a shared love of books leads them to study for their GEDs together and plan for a life after their current careers. Adam won’t be able to fight forever, and Bo wants a relationship on equal footing.

But just as their relationship is getting off the ground, the sister Bo raised needs his help, and he drops everything. With Adam’s final match looming and Bo in a different city, reuniting will be the real challenge.

TEASER SCENE EXCEPT:

The smell of fresh laundry mixed with strong cleaning chemicals assaulted Adam’s senses the moment he walked through the garage door after his morning training. He scrunched his nose in protest. The clean linen smell was pleasant, but what the hell kind of biochemical warfare was Bo waging on his home? The pungent scent of corrosive bleach and all manner of other caustic solutions burned his nostrils and left his head spinning.

He headed for the laundry room to drop off his gym bag and found Bo on his hands and knees in the hallway, scrubbing at the stone tile flooring.

“Fuckin’ hell, Bo, you’re gonna asphyxiate from all these fumes.” Adam tossed his bag down the hall in the general direction of the laundry room. “Why don’t you take a break? We can grab lunch somewhere and hit the grocery while we’re out.”

Bo sat back on his haunches and swiped a wrist over his brow. “I’m almost done here any—” His eyes bugged, and he scurried to his feet, the sponge dropping from his hand. “Holy crap on a cracker, what the heck happened to you?”

Adam froze when Bo’s soapy fingertips grazed his jaw. A jolt of electricity fired under his skin at the connection. He followed the tingling path of Bo’s touch with his own fingers, marveling at the intensity of the impression that brief contact left behind.

“Did you get jumped?” Bo’s brows pinched, his lips turning down at the corners. “Did you call the police? Are you hurt anywhere else?”

A laugh bubbled up Adam’s throat at the unexpected barrage of questions and the look of genuine concern twisting Bo’s face. When was the last time anyone cared he’d been hurt? Hell, unless they bordered on life-threatening, even he failed to notice his injuries more often than not. So was the life of a mixed martial arts fighter. Sparring was the best way to train, and sparring equaled wounds. Rarely as intense as those suffered at an official fight, but colorful and bloody nonetheless.

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches.” Adam tried to grin, but the act tugged at his already split lip and fresh blood trickled down his chin.

Bo gasped and clamped a hand over Adam’s wrist. “That’s more than a scratch. Where’s your first aid kit?”

“First aid kit?” Adam cocked a brow. He didn’t keep anything like that at home. If his injuries required mending, Eddie, his coach, would tend to him after he hit the showers. Today, the damage was minimal, so he’d left without patching up.

Gaping, Bo shook his head. “Don’t tell me you get beat up for a living and don’t keep basic first aid supplies around the house.”

Adam knuckled the blood off his chin and shrugged. “It’s a split lip. I’ll be fine.”

“A split lip, a black eye, and a gashed eyebrow. That is not fine.” Bo scowled and dropped Adam’s wrist with an adorable little huff. “I’m adding medical supplies to the grocery list. If you’re going to come home looking like roadkill on a regular basis, I’m going to need some necessities. In the meantime, will you at least let me put some ice on that eye?”

About the Author

Evie Drae is a registered nurse by day and an award-winning male/male romance writer by night. She has won first place in seven Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) competitions, including the prestigious title “Best of the Best” in the 2018 Golden Opportunity Contest. She is a double finalist in the 2019 Golden Heart®, in both the Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense categories, and finished as a second-place runner-up in four additional RWA contests. As an added perk, she landed the fabulous literary agent Eva Scalzo from Speilburg Literary following a dual win in two separate categories of the 2018 Heart to Heart contest.

One of Evie’s favorite things to do is encourage her fellow writers. To that end, she started the #writeLGBTQ and #promoLGBTQ hashtags on Twitter to support and promote LGBTQ+ authors and allies while providing a safe space to connect and grow as a community. She is married to the love of her life, is the mother of three wonderful fur babies, and runs almost entirely on coffee and good vibes.

Evie loves to link up with fellow writers and readers. You can reach her directly at EvieDrae@gmail.com or find her on her social media accounts listed below. Twitter is where she’s most active but be sure to check out her blog too. She focuses on reviews for LGBTQ+ authors and allies with the occasional quirky advice/recommendation post just to toss things up.

WHERE TO FIND EVIE:

Website/Blog: https://www.eviedrae.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvieDrae

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eviedraeauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Evie_Drae

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eviedrae/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eviedrae/

RELEASE WEEK GIVE AWAY (ENTER BY AUGUST 26^th, WINNERS ANNOUNCED AUGUST 27^th, 2019):

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive a personalized signed copy of Beauregard and the Beast, a $100 Amazon Gift Card, and an assortment of author swag! The RUNNER-UP will receive a personalized signed copy of Beauregard and the Beast and an assortment of author swag! Your followers can enter by clicking the following link: https://promosimple.com/ps/e886/b

A Stella Review: Nemesis (Alpha Unit One #2) by Chris T. Kat

RATING 4,5 out of 5 stars

Nicky Reed may have won the battle regarding baby shifters working as policemen, but he’s not so sure about the war. His mate and superior officer, Sam Black, is still overprotective with a capital O. As a result, Nicky sometimes finds himself repressing some of Tiny’s—his snow leopard cub other half’s—natural urges. Which leads to frustration on Nicky’s part.

With a new drug called Nemesis killing in record numbers, Alpha Unit One must find out who’s behind this horrible narcotic and get it off the streets—a tall enough order without press accusations that baby shifters are to blame for the team’s lack of success.

Their investigation into Nemesis leads Nicky and Sam and the rest of the team into unexpected waters. Will the stress rip the squad apart? The baby shifters may find themselves unable to perform the job they love: protecting the people of New York City. And Nicky may be in over his head—in more ways than one.

I can’t explain how happy I was when I saw this new release out. I wasn’t waiting for a new installment in the Alpha Unit One series and I was over the moon. I’m a big fan of the author, I often come back to her titles when I seek comfort in my readings. This series is no exception.

This time Nicky and Sam and their whole team are busy trying to catch who is behind a new drug that’s killing people on the streets and they will have to face some dangerous moments. While they are investigating, I was able to follow my adorable couple around and I discovered they are still deep in love: Sam is still too overprotective of his mate, sure he’s making progresses, he’s trying really hard to treat Nicky as one of his teammates, but it’s not easy to ignore their connection. And then there’s Nicky, who is fighting to gain the respect he deserves although some people seems to be too stupid to see beyond his baby shifter.

As in the first book, Nemesis was another great success to me, quick and easy to read, the focus remains on the main couple, but there are some amazing second characters too, I truly hope the author will write their own stories in the future. Alpha Unit One is a light paranormal series, not once shallow, but full of action, friendship and loyalty. Plus be ready for a lot of cuteness, Nicky as a snow leopard cub is hard to resist.

The cover art by Cate Ashwood is well done, I like everything this artist designs, I can easily see Sam in the model on this cover.

Buy links:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

ebook, 1st edition, 164 pages

Expected publication: August 16th 2019 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN13 9781644054246

Edition Language English

Series Alpha Unit One #2

Chris T. Kat on Romance and the new release Nemesis (Alpha Unit One #2) ~ author guest blog

Nemesis (Alpha Unit One #2) by Chris T. Kat

Dreamspinner Press
Published August 16th 2019
Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Buy links:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Chris T. Kat here today talking about Romances and the new release Nemesis (Alpha Unit One #2). Welcome, Chris!

✒︎

Romances

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today! Dreamspinner Press has released my new m/m shapeshifter novella, Nemesis, Alpha Unit One: Book Two, on August 16th. It’s a continuation of Alpha Unit One, New York.

I don’t know about you, but when I was a child, and even as a teenager, I never read romance books. I read suspense and horror stories, and if the author dared to put in a romantic element into “my” books, it would make me really mad. I actually hated those parts when characters professed their love for one another because it took me away from the suspense part. Even as an adult, I read those parts with gritted teeth and was happy when the romantic parts were over.

After my first child was born, my reading interests started to shift slightly, so that I didn’t mind the romance parts so much anymore. I still wasn’t a fan of them, but they didn’t drive me crazy anymore either. After my second child was born, I realized that I had started to enjoy the parts where people found out they loved each other, and books without a romantic element in them began to bore me. When I found my “home” in the m/m world, I needed the story to have a romantic part. It didn’t need to be sexual, simply that these guys found love and happiness. Nowadays, I rarely read books without romance in it. If I do, I’m always waiting for someone to fall in love with someone else and, if that doesn’t happen, I feel let down. I don’t necessarily need the falling in love part in my books, established relationships work just fine for me.

I guess nowadays I need my fill of warmth and joy and I hope that’s comes across in my own writing as well. Nicky is definitely a bundle of happiness, especially when he’s in his cub form, and Sam adores his partner and would do anything for him.

Blurb:

Excerpt from Chapter One:

Nicky

Where did you hide it? I shrieked. I couldn’t help myself. This couldn’t be asked in a normal tone of voice—not anymore. Where the hell did she put it?

You’re obsessed with that freaking ball, you know that? Connor prowled along Annie’s back in his shifted form as a polar fox kit, his white fur a stark contrast to her orange-and-black stripes. He seemed so very small in comparison to Annie, and it didn’t help one bit that a pregnant Annie was an even bigger Annie than normal.

Where is it? If I’d been in my human from, my lower lip probably would’ve wobbled. Although maybe not, because in my human form, I wouldn’t lose it about my most favorite ball—ever.

It has to be here somewhere, Annie replied in a startlingly soothing voice. She only used that tone when she played with Connor and me in our baby-shifter forms. We’d dubbed it her mother-voice, which she hated. Of course we liked to tease her mercilessly with that. But… but not now. Now I needed to find my ball!

You kicked it away, I muttered, you go and find it. I want it back!

“Having trouble with the kids, darling?” Jake, Annie’s human mate, crouched low and petted her head, grinning. Annie gave him a withering stare that would’ve sent anyone else fleeing, but not Jake.

Connor proceeded to walk back and forth on Annie’s back, sometimes jumping and barking. Very funny. Why was no one helping me find my ball? It was bright red and fit perfectly in my mouth. Didn’t they see how important it was to find it?

I plunked my butt dejectedly on the floor and tried to control the urge to cry. Lunch break was supposed to be fun, not the end of the world. Which it was. At least for Tiny—my name for my snow-leopard-baby-shifter form—who very much ran the show at the moment.

A big hand lifted me up in the air, and Roland’s mangled face came into view. While strangers still shied away from him and I still caught the others sometimes throwing pitying looks at him, I had no qualms. When he held me close, I reached out with my paws and pressed them against his cheek. He smiled, and I gave the tip of his nose a swift lick.

“Ugh.”

That certainly wasn’t the reaction I’d hoped for. He liked me doing this. Sometimes. I think. Or not?

My ears drooped and my whiskers trembled as I stared at him. Roland settled me against his chest and repeated, “Ugh.” Not aimed at me, then.

Curious, I turned my head, and sure enough, Annie had shifted back into human form and was now assaulting… uh, kissing… Jake. I mirrored Roland’s “ugh” with a protesting mewl. Jake’s hands were tangled in Annie’s long reddish braid while she held him as closely as possible to her body.

Connor shook himself as he too shifted back to human, causing his white-blond hair to fly around wildly. “Please,” he groaned. “Get a room. We’re supposed to be tough cops, not some lovey-dovey… I don’t know whats.”

Jake freed himself from Annie. “If you can be a tough cop and a baby shifter, I don’t see why I can’t be a tough cop and a lovey-dovey something or other.”

I gazed back at Connor, waiting for a witty reply, but none came.

Turning my attention back to Roland, I wondered why he had picked me up in the first place. Which reminded me—my ball!

A cry escaped my mouth—it was supposed to be a growl, but try growling when you’re a snow leopard cub—and I climbed up on Roland’s shoulder for a better vantage point.

“There’s no need to cry, kiddo. I saw that ball go underneath Sam’s desk.”

I bunched my muscles to jump to the ground, but Roland closed both hands around my middle and stopped my forward momentum. Irritated, I wriggled in his hands. Let me down!

Before Roland had a chance to say anything, the office door banged open, revealing a wild-eyed Sam. My Sam, to be precise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris T. Kat

Chris T. Kat stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between teaching, taking care of her family, reading, and sometimes writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as romance, paranormal, and suspense. She also buys way too many fabrics and spends a ridiculous amount of time behind her sewing machine.

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/christi_kat1

e-mail: christi_kat25@yahoo.com

My Guilty Pleasure ~ Sports Books and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

My Guilty Pleasure ~ Sports Books

I blame and applaud The Washington Post.

Dan Jenkins and his daughter Sally Jenkins who writes now, Jonathan Yardley, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Ken Denlinger,Thomas Boswell, Angus Phillips (omg Angus Phillips), Tracee Hamilton , Tom Wise, …just to name a few of The Washington Post sports columnists I lived and live for each day who helped drive my love for sports reporting and “the name of the game:. Look up some of their columns and prepare for a literary feast.

The incredible sports columnists that have come ….and sadly gone…through the years…at the newspaper I have considered my own for decades. Talk about high standards! These men and women never stuck exactly to the scores at hand but ranged off into topics such as racism, social inequality, injuries, or whatever needed to be spoken about. Or sometimes their articles were just downright humorous, tickling the intellect while informing and keeping score.

They pointed out the quirky, the extraordinary, and those not quite up to snuff with the same passion, in depth love of the games they were reporting on, and yes compassion for the players as well.

They also made me want to know more. More about each sport, each team, and, indeed, each player.

They made me range out and start reading books like the hilarious and informative The Wrong Stuff and Have Glove, Will Travel by Bill “Spaceman” Lee (Lee was also known as The Ace from Space…baseball), and Semi Tough and You Gotta Play Hurt by Dan Jenkins (football) for starters, then Ball Four by Jim Bouton and the great The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America by Joe Posnanski,

Books rec’d and talked about in the sports section of The Post. My list started there.

There were a great many other baseball books, and still are. My shelves groan under the weight of them, but for other sports? Not so much. Hard to say why exactly.Maybe because football players never had the romance or the journey or something about them that the boys of summer did. That always seemed more of a business less a love affair. A launching pad to wealth and something else…but maybe that’s just my perception.

Until I found LGBT romance and hockey love stories. Now don’t get me wrong. I have always loved hockey. But never read the books about them like I did my boys of summer. My bad. Because the comparisons between the two and the way both sports bring up (or don’t) from the minor leagues are astonishing. The players that toil their entire careers playing in small towns for tiny wages, living in hotels, and barely making it for the love of the game…that’s baseball and that’s hockey. You don’t hear about those players and the lives they live. Well, not often.

Unless you read about them in stories like those from Lee and Posnanski for baseball. And as I have been lucky to find out from Avon Gale’s recent recommendations like the Journeyman: The Many Triumphs (and Even More Defeats) Of A Guy Who’s Seen
by Sean Pronger and Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South by Jon C. Stott. I’m working on the first and have the 2nd one lined up. Then on to books about Martin Brodeur (Brodeur: Beyond the Crease by Martin Brodeur) and Bobby Orr. From those that were journeymen to the greats.

Why? Besides my love of these books and these men and the sports of course?

Because it helps me appreciate the research and love the authors themselves bring to their stories and series.

Authors to be found on our LGBT hockey recommendations list like Gale, Piper Vaughn, RJ Scott, VL Locey, Jeff Adams, Amy Aislin, AE Wasp, Samantha Wayland, and Rachel Reid. I know I’m leaving others out.

LGBT romance stories about baseball players are less frequent, usually college players and not professional ones. So my comparisons are left to the wonderful authors above who I’ am continuing my journey with this week.

Can you all think of other sports that compare to these two? Especially in the way the players train and spend time in the lower leagues? Have romance books written about them?

Chime in….and more about this topic next week.

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 18:

My Guilty Pleasure ~ Sports Books
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, August 19:

Retro Review Tour – CID by S. L. Danielson
Release Blitz – Terry O’Reilly – Love Or The NFL
BLITZ Hitting Black Ice by Heloise West
PROMO Chris T. Kat + Giveaway
An Alisa Review: CID by S. L. Danielson
A Vivacious Review: Heel (Working Out the Kinks #2) by K.M. Neuhold
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The Doctor’s Orders (Copper Point Medical #3) by Heidi Cullinan

Tuesday, August 20:

Blog Tour Appeal to You by Jaclyn Quinn
Book Blast – Eighteen Moons by Andi Webb
BLITZ Coffee by Matthew J. Metzger
Blog Tour – Beauregard and the Beast by Evie Drae
A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Heart Strain by Michele Notaro & Sammi Cee
An Alisa Review: Appeal to You (Beyond the Cove #3) by Jaclyn Quinn
A Lila Review: I Dare You to Break Curfew (Inshari Chronicles #1) by Eva Munoz

Wednesday, August 21:

Cover Reveal – Yours, Forever After by Beth Bolden
Release Blitz – Change of Plans by Riley Long
Release Blitz Signal – Annabelle Jacobs – Escape (Rebellion #1)
Blog Tour Guest Post – Heidi Cullinan – Doctor’s Orders
BLOG TOUR Mason’s Run by Mellanie Rourke
An Alisa Review: Mason’s Run by Mellanie Rourke
A MelanieM Review: The Captain and the Theatrical (Captivating Captains #3) by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead

Thursday, August 22:

Cover Reveal – The Marshal’s PI by Este Holland
Review Tour-Sara Dobie Bauer-Broken News
Release Blitz- Last Call in Wonderland by Rob Browatzke
PROMO Eva Muñoz on I Dare You To Break Curfew
An Alisa Review: Forever Nine by Kris T. Bethke
A MelanieM Review: Empty Net(Scoring Chances #4) by Avon Gale
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review : Broken News by Sara Dobie Bauer

Friday, August 23:

Review Tour – RJ Scott & Meredith Russell – Kaden (Boyfriend for Hire #2)
New Release Blitz Kept in the Dark by Charlie Cochet
Blog Tour – Behind the Stick, The Speakeasy #3 by K. Evan Coles and Brigham Vaughn
Release blitz Bike Business: A Holeshot Novel by Lynn Michaels
A MelanieM Review:A Rhythm You Feel (The Rock Gods: East Coast Label #1) by Ann Lister
An Alisa Audio review The Spirit Key (Lock and Key #1) by Parker Williams and Collin Carcy (Narrator)
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:Kaden (Boyfriend for Hire #2) by R.J. Scott and Meredith Russell

Saturday, August 24:

Release Blitz Tour – RJ Scot’s Today (Single Dads #2)
A MelanieM Review: Mainly by Moonlight (Bedknobs and Broomsticks #1) by Josh Lanyon

Scoring Chances Series

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An Uncommon Whore (An Uncommon Whore #1) by Belinda McBride

Dreamspinner Press Published August 27th 2019

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Blurb:

An Uncommon Whore Story

About the Author:

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Sales Links:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

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The Witchstone Amulet by Mason Thomas

Dreamspinner Press Publication: August 27th 2019

Cover Artist: Tiferet Design

Sales Links:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

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Scoring Chances Series

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The Doctor’s Orders (Copper Point Medical #3) by Heidi Cullinan

Buy Links

Blurb

About the Author

Awards

Copper Point: Medical Series

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Beauregard and the Beast by Evie Drae

Dreamspinner Press Publication: August 20th 2019

Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza

Blurb

About the Author

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Nemesis (Alpha Unit One #2) by Chris T. Kat

Dreamspinner Press Published August 16th 2019 Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Buy links:

✒︎

Romances

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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My Guilty Pleasure ~ Sports Books

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 18:

Monday, August 19:

Tuesday, August 20:

Wednesday, August 21:

Thursday, August 22:

Friday, August 23:

Saturday, August 24:

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Dreamspinner Press
Published August 27th 2019

Dreamspinner Press
Publication: August 27th 2019

Dreamspinner Press
Publication: August 20th 2019

Dreamspinner Press
Published August 16th 2019
Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood