Category: Scattered Thoughts Best of 2014

Back Into the Outback with N. R. Walker and her Red Dirt Heart Series! (tour and contest)

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N. R. Walker’s Red Dirt Heart series has turned out to be one of my latest obsessions.  I love every part of this series from the location to the characters and even the animals you meet along the way.  Now N.R. Walker has released the third installment, Red Dirt Heart 3.  Here is your first look at this must read series and book.  And don’t forget to enter the contest too.  Who doesn’t want a stuffed wombat of their own or a copy of this story?

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Nugget toy

I was thrilled to have a chance to “talk” to N.R. Walker, ask  a bunch of questions about the series, LGBTQ rights in Australia, and all things Aussie in general. It was a great interview. Here’s your chance to get to know this fabulous author a little bit better:

My N. R. Walker Interview

Q  I love this series and characters.  Where did the inspiration come from for Charlie and Travis?

N. R. Walker:  Aw, thank you so much! I had seen some pictures from an R.M. Williams clothing catalogue and just knew they were these boys. It fit them perfectly. I love writing these Australian Outback characters. I grew up in regional Australia (not the Outback) so I can relate to the people in these books. Every character is a little slice of someone I’ve known in real life.

Q  Since there is a real “Sutton Station”, have you visited it and experienced the red dirt for yourself?

N. R. Walker:  I did base Sutton Station on a real, working station in the Outback. You can see it here .  Though you’ll need to zoom riiiiiiight in. I based my fictional property on this location, not size.

I have been through the Outback, many years ago. Though it’s not a place that leaves you in a hurry. And I will say, the fine red dirt gets into everything. Every. Thing. Lol

I have climbed Uluru (back when it was known as Ayers Rock and it was climbable) and visited Kings Canyon. Quite a remarkable place.

Q .  The scenes with Matilda and now Nugget are adorable and yet so real.  Did you visit or have any experience with animal rehabilitation facilities for kangaroos and wombats?

 N. R. Walker: Not in the rehab facilities as such, but we had a pet kangaroo when we were kids. Growing up in a small rural Australian town, caring for sick or injured wildlife is common. I did a little research on proper care of joeys (both kangaroo and wombat) but most of what I wrote was just what I knew.

Q  Is there a set number of stories for this series or is it open ended?

N. R. Walker: There will be 4. I’m almost done writing book number four now, and I expect it to be released early 2015. I have no plans for more Charlie and Travis after that, but I do like to never say never. 😉

Q.  The current state of equality in Australia seems to go along the lines of state rights in the US regarding marriage and adoption. There is no gay adoption in the Northern Territory where the Sutton Station resides or gay marriage in Australia. Will that play out in the stories to come?

N. R. Walker:  It is something the boys discuss and encounter in book 4. I haven’t actually written that part yet, so I can’t say for certain exactly what will come of it, but yes, it is in the series.

Q. How do you feel about the status of LGBTQ rights in your country and do you feel stories such as yours help to bring greater acceptance? Australia has one of the biggest gay Pride events in the world.  Have you ever been?

N. R. Walker: I went to Sydney Mardi Gras a LONG time ago, and I’ve only been once. I’d love to get there again.

I hate that Australia is so behind in equality. I think we will need a change of Prime Minister before we see any move forward. Our current PM is a giant setback for a lot equality in this country.

I’d like to think my stories bring greater acceptance, and I’ve had people write to me and tell me they appreciate my ‘voice’ which has been lovely. I figure if I can make acceptance and understanding start in my house and bring my kids up to believe as such, then I’ve done my job.

Q.  Your favorite place you would want tourists to see in Australia?  What would you want them to experience and take away with them?

N. R. Walker: Oh, wow. There really is too much to see in Australia. LOL We have deserts, rainforests, coral reefs, beautiful cities and rolling country sides. I love it all for different reasons. I’ve seen a lot of Australia, and I’d have to suggest that people get off the tourist tracks and meet some genuine Aussies.

Q.  I love that we experience two national views that are so similar in some respects with Charlie and Travis.  It is a wonderful aspect to this story that we get the “insiders” and “outsiders” perspective on life on the farm and the Northern Territory.  Did you plan that from the beginning?

N. R. Walker:  It wasn’t really planned, but I have LOVED writing the differences between Aussies and Americans. I have a good friend in California who I talk to all the time and we quite often joke at the differences between us, even though we both speak English. And being an Aussie who has written mostly American characters for years, it’s been fun having the characters bicker about different word uses. I think it gives them a sense of realism.

I have loved writing in Australian English. And funnily enough, I have found myself having to change words back to “Australian” because I’m so used to writing “American.”

Q.  What would be a Australian comfort food?

N. R. Walker:  Well, that can vary from house to house given we’re such a diverse country. But I’m a seventh or eighth (not sure exactly) generation Aussie. My ancestors came out here from Ireland with the convicts LOL. So a “comfort food” for me would be maybe corned beef and béchamel sauce, or a pot of tea and something sweet like a cake or slice.

Q.  If you have a favorite childhood book, what was it and how did it impact your writing. today.

N. R. Walker:  I loved The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I’m not sure it impacted my writing, just my love of reading

Q.  What’s next for the Red Dirt Heart series and N. R. Walker?

N. R. Walker:  RDH4 is next. I would also like to get a short Christmas story out, and I have my next novel planned/outlined in my head. It’s a sci fi-ish vamp story which is not normally thing but these characters are not letting me get out of writing it. I will look at and aim to have between 6-8 releases next year, but looking at my very blank 2015 yearly planner, it feels a little ambitious.

Thanks for having me here today. Great questions

STRW:  Thanks for the great interview.  It’s been a joy.  Now for all you readers, here is a look at Red Dirt Heart 3!

Charlie Suttontravis craig

Red Dirt Heart 3

 Travis and Charlie

Book Name: Red Dirt Heart 3

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23155382-red-dirt-heart-3
Author Name: N.R. Walker

Author Bio: Who am I?

Good question…

I am many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer.

I have pretty, pretty boys who live in my head, who don’t let me sleep at night unless I give them life with words.
I like it when they do dirty, dirty things… but I like it even more when they fall in love.

I used to think having people in my head talking to me was weird, until one day I happened across other writers who told me it was normal.

I’ve been writing ever since…

Author Contact:

  • Website: nrwalker.wordpress.com.
    Facebook: N.r. Walker
    Facebook Fan Page: N.R. Walker Author
    Twitter: @NR_Walker
    Email: nrwalker2103@gmail.com

Reddirtheart3300Publisher: N.R. Walker
Cover Artist: Sara York

Pre sales Link:  Amazon  All Romance eBook

Red Dirt Heart 3 Blurb:

Life for Charlie Sutton has never been better, or busier. With Travis now a permanent fixture of Sutton Station, a permanent fixture at Charlie’s side, Charlie’s convinced he couldn’t do anything on his ever-growing to-do list without him.

He can run a multimillion dollar cattle business, finish his degree, try and further the local beef industry, deal with staff issues, Ma’s failing health, and an attention-demanding wombat. He can even deal with an unexpected visitor and some shattering news. 

He can deal with it all, as long as he has Travis.

But what happens when he doesn’t?

Red Dirt Heart 3 is the story of Charlie Sutton finally realizing he can be the man Travis Craig deserves, even if he doesn’t have Travis. It’s a story of love, family, holding on, letting go and coming home.

Red Dirt Heart  #3 Excerpt:

We climbed into the ute and Travis drove, only mumbling under his breath once or twice about what side of the road he was on. I thought we were headed to find something to eat, but he pulled up at a pet store.

“What are we doing?”

“You’ll see,” was all he said as he was getting out.

I followed him into the pet shop, past the puppies, fish and birds down to the kennels and produce. When he stopped at cat beds, I shook my head. “Oh, no no no. We’re not getting a cat. We used to have one, it lived in the shed and the bloody thing was feral.”

He didn’t even look at me. “It’s not for a cat, Charlie.” He picked up a cushion-box looking thing with a hole in the front. The label called it a cat igloo. “It’s for your damn wombat.”

“Oh,” I said brightly. “Well, that’s okay then.”

He pushed Nugget’s new bed into my chest. “So he sleeps in his bed, not ours.”

A sales guy, about eighteen years old, walked up and was looking at us funny. He probably just heard what Travis said, and I didn’t care. I just shrugged, guessin’ that I’d come a long way in the last six months. “How did I know he’d think it was playtime?”

Travis sighed and turned to the sales assistant. “Do you have any feed pellets for wombats?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Wombats?”

I nodded. “Yep, you know, ‘bout this big,” I held up my hands to show him, “shape of a brick, cute little thing.”

Travis took a god-fucking-help-me breath. “About a year old, pain in the arse, stubborn as hell, boot-chewin’, gets into everything type of wombat.”


Tour Dates/Stops:

RDHBadgeOctober 17: SA McAuley, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Rainbow Gold Reviews
October 20: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
October 21: Love Bytes, Hearts on Fire
October 22: Nic Starr, Jade Crystal, Wake Up Your Wild Side
October 23: Nephylim, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Emotion in Motion
October 24: Amanda C. Stone, My Fiction Nook, Prism Book Alliance
October 27: Fallen Angel Reviews, Parker Williams
October 28: MM Good Book Reviews, Multitasking Mommas
October 29: Smoocher’s Voice
October 30: BFD Book Blog, Queer Town Abbey

 

 

 

Nugget toyContest: Rafflecopter Prize: One of 3 e-copies of Red Dirt Heart 3 or a stuffed wombat toy! (I want that toy!). So must be 18 years of age or older. Use the Rafflecopter link provided to enter and for all additional contest details. Did I say I wanted that toy? sigh. But only you all can enter…

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A MelanieM Review: A Taste for Poison (Memory of Scorpions #3) by Aleksandr Voinov

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Even a king gets stung when he reaches for a scorpion.

ATasteForPoison_200x300Once the leader of the band of mercenaries known as the Scorpions, Adrastes is now King and a changed man.  Ruler of two countries, along with his sister/wife, King Adrastes has just survived an assassination, just barely.  In poor health and still recovering, Adrastes trusts no one and is determined to find the assassin and make the individual pay.  Wary of everyone now, including allies and friends, King Adrastes prepares his kingdom for war against the only kingdom and ruler outside his control, the Elder of Vededrin.  But not everyone supports Adrastes, including the man who loved and rescued him, Kendras.

Kendras, former lover to Adrastes and leader of the Scorpions, no longer blindly supports his king.  He’s watched Adrastes change and the orders from the King are making him uneasy and reluctant to obey.  And to go to war with Adrastes against Vededrin just might mean the end of the Scorpions for all time.  And replacing Adrastes in Kendras’ bed and heart is Graukar, newly appointed general to the king, an event the King is not happy with.  Kendras must figure out how to balance responsibilities and loyalties in a world gone increasingly complex and grey.  And quickly before someone he loves is injured.

As Kendras tries to work through his thoughts and feelings, a new threat arises to King Adrastes rule.  An anonymous outrider wearing a mask calling himself Death foments rebellion in the mountains, aided by a prophecy that promises he’ll stop the Black King.   Ordered to find and kill the man called Death, Kendras leaves feeling unsettled, uncertain and sure of only one thing…his love for Graukar.

From the moment I read the first book in this series, Scorpion (Memory of Scorpions #1), I knew that Kendras and the Scorpions would lead me on a remarkable journey.    It’s been a brutal, raw, and violent saga and one of the best in its genre.  The life of a mercenary is a hard and savage one, unsparring in the injuries and deaths that come as part of the profession.  Only the loyalty to each other and the tight rules and rich history of the Scorpions, make this band of soldiers a family.  Voinov’s saga begins with Kendras, his entrance into the Scorpions, his scant memories of his childhood, and the heartbreak and pain of finding and then losing Adrastes, not to another lover, but to the kingship itself.  Told from Kendras’ point of view, the character grows from a soldier with a single minded focus and goal to one floundering amongst the political seas at court.   It’s a mesmerizing and arduous scramble as Kendras rises up the social scale, pulled along by Adrastes, whether he wants to go or not.  Kendras must grow as a character and Voinov delivers that mental and emotional growth in spurts that come with despair along with great joy.

A Taste of Poison (Memory of Scorpions #3)  finds Adrastes suffering the effects of an assassination attempt, one that profoundly changes the King’s outlook on those around him and accelerates his goal of expanding his rule to all three kingdoms.  The man who rules is not the man Kendras followed and loved.  That dichotomy is cause for depression, and uncertainty, along troubling thoughts of disloyalty  is adding to unrest among the Scorpions and Kendras.  Voinov has made Kendras a man of honor and depth and to see and feel him floundering and pulled by this faction and that both enriches this story and ups the suspense for the welfare of all involved.

Everything is heightened here in A Taste of Poison.  Goals, loyalties, love, trust…the bar is now so high and the repercussions of any deviation or conflict are swift, exacting, and devastating.  Voinov reveals more of Kendras’ past, unknown even to Kendras  Also revealed are hidden alliances, and schemes to depose one ruler or another.  There are no black and white sides, only grey as Kendras has been slow to learn.  And with every startling exposition and shattering event, we are pulled deeper into the lives of all the Scorpions and their leader, Kendras.

Voinov has delivered a saga rich in character development, alive with action and battle sequences, and complete with the horrors that love and jealousy can and does inflict on all involved.  Aleksandr Voinov has said that the quote from Leo Tolstoy: “The best stories don’t come from “good vs. bad” but “good vs. good.” helped shape not only the characters of  Adrastes and Kendras but the stories themselves.  Only a tilt of the prism or a slight change of perspective will make either character “good” or “evil”.  Is it evil for Adrastes to want to solidify the 3 warring kingdoms into one for the betterment of all?  At what price is that not acceptable?  Is Kendras’s feelings and actions betrayal or loyalty?  Whose goals are the ones that should be honored by personal sacrifice and love?  That Voinov is able to bring all facets to life in each of these strong personalities is not only a marvelous achievement but makes this a series worth reading and remembering.

The Memory of Scorpions series is astonishingly inventive, beautifully crafted and fiercely passionate. From the bloody sands of battle to the lethal layers and complex rituals of court, Alexandr Voinov brings his world and characters to life word by word, page by page using vivid imagery and an attention to detail that leaves no construct of person or kingdom feeling shallow or undone.  Just masterful.

I don’t know if this is the end of the Scorpions.  Voinov is silent about future stories.  I hope not.  There is so much here I still need to know.  The Black King still lives…if the prophecy is correct, who will bring him down?  What is ahead and possible for Kendras and the Scorpions?  This amazing story and series begs the questions.  Hopefully Aleksandr Voinov will answer.  Meanwhile, pick up this wondrous series and get acquainted with some of the most powerful and engaging characters around.  One of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words “must reads” and highly recommended stories of 2014.

Cover art by Reese Dante.  Love that cover, powerful and perfect image that speaks to the story within.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing    All Romance eBooks (ARe)     Amazon      A Taste of Poison

Book Details:

alternative world, gritty fantasy, warrior mercenaries

ebook, 265 pages
Expected publication: October 13th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626491557
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/a-taste-for-poison
seriesMemory of Scorpions #3

Books in the Memory of Scorpions series in the order they were written and should be read:

Scorpion (Memory of Scorpions, #1)
Lying with Scorpions (Memory of Scorpions, #2)
A Taste for Poison (Memory of Scorpions, #3)

Scorpion coverLying with Scorpions coverATasteForPoison_200x300

Enter the Addictive World of the Scorpions! On Tour with Aleksandr Voinov’s A Taste of Poison

ATasteForPoison_TourBanner

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One of my favorite series from Aleksandr Voinov is the addicting and dangerous universe of the Memory of Scorpions series , an ancient mercenary band of brothers (and sister) with a history as rich as the kings they work for.  Now comes the latest installment, and hopefully not the last, A Taste of Poison (Scorpions #3) by Aleksandr Voinov.   You can follow Aleksandr Voinov on tour with all the dates here.  For now, let’s focus in on Aleksandr Voinov on his Scorpions:

 

“Good versus Good”

Hi, I’m Aleksandr Voinov, and I’m happy to talk about my newest release. Thank you for the invitation!

I recently stumbled over this quote from Leo Tolstoy:

“The best stories don’t come from “good vs. bad” but “good vs. good.”

It struck home for me, because while some writing courses tell you that you need a “villain” (in m/m, it’s the “evil ex”), and the more villainous the villain, the more tension we get. I think it’s bollocks, to use a lovely British term. Even if we have an almost cartoonish level of over-simplification, in, say, Star Wars (I love Star Wars), the much more interesting evil guy is Darth Vader. (Palpatine is more “cartoon evil”) Why? Because he used to be “good” and Luke believes passionately that Darth Vader, his father, can be redeemed. And it’s amazing, because that levels the playing field – while Luke is still in training, Darth Vader is seen as “just evil”. Once Luke comes into his power, he gets almost literally hamstrung (arm-strung?) by the revelation that Darth Vader is his father, and the decision to get him back to the good side. It’s very difficult fighting a duel against somebody you want to save/redeem, especially when that somebody seems absolutely set on destroying or breaking you.

What a conflict.

So often we do have the villain with the redeeming feature (“He only wants to bring peace to the galaxy”). But studying real-life evil, I’m usually struck by how some of the evillest men ever fully accepted they were doing “bad things”, but they usually did it not out of lust for destruction, but because they were looking for a higher good. The evil they did was seen as a “price worth paying”. In short, they were twisted idealists. Some stated that the “work” (read: atrocities) wasn’t pleasant, but they sacrificed themselves, their sanity, their peace, their souls, to do it. And that’s really disturbing. “Personal sacrifice” is actually a virtue.

I have zero doubt that Adrastes in the Memory of Scorpions series considers himself the “good guy”, and Kendras is being bothersome, dishonest, disloyal, and also in league with mutinous soldiers. Apart from the obvious jealousy with regards to Kendras and Graukar, Adrastes is driven by the need/desire to rebuild the empire, to end internal wars, to be strong against outside invaders, and to have peace and prosperity. And if he has to kill, torture and wage war for that noble end – well, he’s good at it, and there would be much worse people to do it. Less competent, less decisive, less thorough. He truly believes he’s doing the right thing. And we’ve seen him as the charismatic, self-sacrificing leader who looks after his men. Regardless of what he does later, we know he’s not “evil”. He’s very possibly not “good”, he’s just human. Like they all are. We buy more into Kendras’s version of the story because we never hear the story of the other characters, but chances are, if we did, we’d buy their version and consider Kendras “evil” or “wrong”.

And that’s really where I’m coming from. I can’t do sparkly shiny heroes versus dark and twisted evil guys, because I don’t believe that’s how it happens in real life. I can have characters cross the line (arguably, once Adrastes begins assassinating political enemies and using his father’s intimidation tactics, that’s where he crosses the line), but even in fantasy, which is full of dark gods and demons and tyrants and whatnot, I just don’t believe in that model of the world.

For me, pitting idealists with strong values against each other is far more fun, so I can root for all of them. It keeps me engaged and happy as an author, and I hope it has the same effect on readers.

 Title: A Taste of Poison (Memory of Scorpions #3) by Aleksandr VoinovATasteForPoison_200x300
Publisher:  Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist:  Reese Dante
Page Count:  260 pages

 

A Taste of Poison Blurb:

ATasteForPoison_200x300Even a king gets stung when he reaches for a scorpion.

After barely surviving an assassination attempt, King Adrastes is a changed man—one who mistrusts even his allies and friends. He readies his empire for war against an enigmatic enemy, the Elder of Vededrin, but not everyone approves. While courtiers dare only to whisper dissent, an outrider called Death foments rebellion in the mountains, aided by a prophecy that promises he’ll stop the Black King.

Kendras—former lover to Adrastes and leader of the Scorpions—is sent with his elite mercenary force to bring Death to justice. But when Kendras learns who’s hiding behind the mask, he must choose between his lover Graukar, newly-appointed general to the king—and King Adrastes himself.

With no man to call master, the Scorpions could flee the danger and intrigue. But Kendras cannot abandon the man he once loved—or the man he’s growing to love—without first uncovering the real threat to the Empire.

– See more at: http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/a-taste-for-poison#sthash.n5Pu5nYZ.dpuf

A Taste of Poison Excerpt

(read more at A Taste of Poison Excerpt page at Riptide Publishing)

Chapter 1

“Officer, Lady Nhala wishes to see you.”

Kendras had barely sunk into the hot bathwater to wash the sweat and dirt off when Runner stepped into the room. He groaned and ducked his head underwater, scraping over his scalp with both hands, then emerged again, blowing out a breath.

“How urgent?”

“She looked like it was a pressing matter.” Runner walked over to the stool next to the bath and picked up a linen towel, unfolded it, and offered it to Kendras. Her ironic expression forbade any comment that she wasn’t a bath slave and he could dry himself. Kendras crumpled his washcloth into a ball and ran it over his chest, belly, armpits, and groin. No leisurely soak to loosen up his tired muscles, then. Duty was calling. He tossed the cloth into the water and stood.

She enveloped him in the towel, and he reached for a corner of it to dry his face and head before he stepped out of the bathtub. “Get me my boots and leathers.”

“At once, Officer.” She turned and walked off.

Kendras rubbed his skin dry and was almost finished before Runner returned. He tossed the towel over the rim of the tub and began to dress. “Let her in.”

He was just pulling on his boots when Nhala appeared in the doorway. He felt her gaze linger for a moment on his bare chest, then she straightened almost as if standing at attention. “Officer.”

“My lady.” He closed the top of his leathers and began tightening the straps and laces. “I’m at your service.”

She stepped further into the room and glanced over her shoulder back into the barracks, checking for witnesses, no doubt. “We are all called to war council. Immediately.”

Kendras bit down on a groan. After a long, hot day on the training yard, and before any food, standing for hours in his heavy plate armor while generals bickered over the best strategy to achieve a victory wasn’t a prospect he relished. He much preferred when the plan was set and the only issue left was when to act. “Who’s issued the call?”

“The king.”

“The king’s—”

More dead than alive. Maybe dead.

 

– See more at Riptide Publishing’s A Taste of Poison page.

Memory of Scorpions stories in the order they were written and should be read:

Scorpion (Memory of Scorpions, #1)
Lying with Scorpions (Memory of Scorpions, #2)
A Taste for Poison (Memory of Scorpions, #3)

Lying with Scorpions coverScorpion coverATasteForPoison_200x300

 

A MelanieM Review: Red Dirt Heart 2 (Red Dirt #2) by N.R. Walker

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Red Dirt Heart 2Charlie Sutton had lived a quite, solitary life on his family’s ranch, the Sutton Station, one of Australia’s Northern Territory’s largest farms.  It’s harsh desert landscape and couple million acres of red dirt,  and scorching sun made his self isolation as easy as hiding his sexuality. It was a situation that Charlie had gotten comfortable with, even loved at times.

Then a Texas agronomy grad, Travis Craig appeared in his life by means of an international diversification education program and nothing was ever the same.  Now Charlie’s life is lively, crowded,  upended and confused.  Travis is proudly gay and crazy about Charlie just as Charlie is about him.  Six months of having the one thing he never thought possible is making Charlie happy, and throughly scared.  And all the confusion, self doubts, and questions about their future is starting to make Charlie feel trapped in a way he never felt before.

As problems communicating and issues of exposure rise, one big question looms on the horizon.  Will Travis stay or will he go?

 

The saga of Charlie Sutton, Travis Craig and the Sutton Station continues and happily, it has just grown in dimension and complexity with this new installment.   I fell in love with Charlie, Travis, and all the inhabitants of the  enormous farm called Sutton Station in the first story, Red Dirt Heart 1 where N. R. Walker introduced us to the uncompromising, yet beautiful landscape of the Northern Territory in Australia.  Here the people and animals  inhabit a vast territory, living in some of the harshest conditions found on earth.  Brutal heat, a desolation that stretches for a million acres where nature, not people, make the rules and the cost of  disregarding them is perilous and often deadly.

Through vivid descriptions and a beautiful use of the Australian culture, language and lingo, Walker envelopes the reader once more into the remote world that is Sutton Station and the romance of Charlie Sutton and Travis Craig.  Just as making a living off under such uncompromising conditions takes work and communication, so do relationships.  That that’s where Charlie and Travis are having trouble.

Walker’s Charlie Sutton is a complex, wonderful character.  I almost wrote man because he feels so real and alive to me.  Charlie grew up under the less than benevolent parentage of a father as harsh as the land around them.  That voice that Charlie hears inside his head saying that “no fairy son of mine will ever run the station” is his father’s, a voice and bigoted outlook so ingrained into Charlie’s head and heart that he fears the very openness that Travis represents. The internal struggles that Charlie must work through are mirrored by the battles that must be fought externally in town and the other stations.  And no matter what front the battles are being fought on, internal or otherwise, it always comes across as believable, immediate, and powerful.  Since the story is told from Charlie’s pov, the reader is there for every skirmish, all the mental and emotional arguments and musings running through Charlie’s head and heart as he tries to find a way forward and a future.   Walker had me so involved, so committed to Charlie and Travis that I couldn’t put this story down once I started.

And while its Charlie’s voice and thoughts we hear, we see, learn about and come to love all the others through his eyes.  Travis, of course, comes first.  A man of endless passion, movement, and need to being  doing, something, anything, his big open heart is one the reader finds easy to embrace.  Following quickly on his heels are Ma, George, Bacon, Trudy, Billy and Ernie.  Even those darn animals like Matilda the red kangeroo baby, Texas and Shelby, their horses, everything pours itself into your heart like the red dirt of Sutton Station, inescapable, memorable, and final.

In a funny and welcome addition, N.R. Walker lays out for the reader early on certain vocabulary and colloquialisms non-Australians will find necessary.  I started to correct realise to realize only to find out that no, realise is the Aussie spelling, not ours.  And our Mickey D’s?  Nope, that’s not what it’s called   down under, a funny scene I will let you find on your own. There is no part of this story and series that doesn’t have me seriously enraptured.  I want to go there. Pull on my Akubra and Driza-bone, take a ride in their utes, to experience the country and people I have met through the Red Dirt Heart series.

There are two more books to go, unless we can convince N. R. Walker to extend the series.  Red Dirt Heart 2, in fact the entire Red Dirt Heart saga, is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2014.  And N. R. Walker  is now on my automatic author buy list.  Pick up these stories and start your journey in this remarkable land and it’s equally intrepid and complex characters.  You will laugh, your heart will hurt, and some tears are going to flow in joy and sorrow.  What a saga and series await you in Red Dirt Heart!

 Cover art by Sara York is wonderful in branding the series and showcasing the landscape.

Sales Links:   All Romance eBooks      Amazon         Red Dirt Heart 2

 Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 250 pages
Published August 17th 2014
ASINB00MT7VJZM
edition languageEnglish
seriesRed Dirt #2

Series to include 4 books that should be read in the order they were written and released for character and relationship development:

Red Dirt Heart 1
Red Dirt Heart 2
Red Dirt Heart 3
Red Dirt Heart 4

Find my author interview with N.R. Walker here.

 

 

A MelanieM Review: Red Dirt Heart (Red Dirt #1) by N.R. Walker

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Welcome to Sutton Station: One of the world’s largest working farms in the middle of Australia – where if the animals and heat don’t kill you first, your heart just might.

Red dirt Heart CoverCharlie Sutton runs one of the largest working ranches in middle Australia, Sutton Station.   It is something he was born to do and Charlie can’t picture himself anywhere else even if he feels his sexuality would make him an outcast not only among the people he works among but the other stations and store owners he does business with as well.  The recent death of his powerful, overbearing father has done nothing to still his father’s voice inside his head that threatens his self worth and instills Charlie with a fear about being gay and out. Then a new arrival at the station upends the status quo, including Charlie’s perceptions of himself and the Sutton Station family.

American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives for a work study internship at Sutton Station.  Travis feels that his background as a Texas rancher and college area of study will help him fit in while hoping his studies will be beneficial to both countries.  While Travis expects to research how the Australian farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth, he doesn’t expect to find that he learns to love not only the harsh beauty and red dirt of Sutton Station but Charlie Sutton himself.

Under the intense desert sun of the red dirt of Sutton Station, can two men find love and the ability to have a future together?

Readers, meet my latest obsession and its author, the Red Dirt Heart series by N. R Walker.   All it took was the first paragraph to pull me totally into the life of Charlie Sutton and the Sutton Station set in the Northern Territory (which is about the same size as Lebanon and based on a real working farm).  This author is amazing.  Walker manages to make the people and places in Red Dirt Heart so believable, so vivid, that you will feel the dust and heat enough to feel the need to brush the red dirt off the pages (or Kindle cover) as you read.

The story is told from  Charlie Sutton’s point of view.  That perspective enables Walker to bring all the Aussie terminology, colloquialisms, culture and frame of mind to life.  It also lets us into the heart and soul of this vulnerable, and marvelously complicated young man.  There is so much to Charlie.  From the insidious voice inside his head left by his father that tells him he will never be good enough or “man” enough to run Sutton Station because he is gay to the considerate, smart, and appealing person others find him to be.  What a  great character!

Travis Craig, is his equal in every manner.  A Texas agronomy student who is openly gay, Travis starts to upend Charlie’s life and life at the Sutton Station from the moment he arrives.  Travis not only works himself into Charlie’s heart but the readers as well.  Their dialog together is serious, humorous, and telling in its many meanings and impact.

Every aspect of life at Sutton Station comes across as authentic and real as the red dirt itself.  From Ma in the kitchen to the drovers that work for Charlie, the reader is immersed into the every day experiences of life lived seasonally and the hard work it takes to exist and succeed under some of the harshest conditions known.  It’s not just the romance but all the layers found here in this story and series that makes it work and  resonate deeply with the readers, myself included.   I did say it was my newest obsession, didn’t I?

Red Dirt Heart is that amazing self published story that you want to go telling everyone about.  I couldn’t put it down and then was lucky enough to already have in my possession the sequel to dive into once the first was finished.  And then I wanted more.  I wanted to move to Australia, experience the red dirt and vastness of the Northern Territory and wander until I found a Charlie and Travis of my own.  Trust me, you are going to feel the same.  The third story in the series is almost here.  Pick up the first two and get ready to fall in love with Charlie, Travis, and the Sutton Station itself.

Cover Artist:  Sara York.  I like it.  It works for the story and series branding.

Author’s Note: Please note: This book is set in Australia, using Australian English and lingo

Sales Links:    All Romance eBooks  (ARe)         Amazon                 Red Dirt Heart 1 $1.50 at Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 162 pages
Published February 20th 2014
edition languageEnglish
seriesRed Dirt #1

Books in the series to date in the order they were written and should be read to understand the relationships, events and characters:

Red Dirt Heart 1
Red Dirt Heart 2
Red Dirt Heart 3 to be released early October 2014