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Author Spotlight: BJ on Author Jaye McKenna

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 A BJ Author Rec: Author Jaye McKenna

Burn The Sky cover

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

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

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

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

                                                                       ~  BJ

 

About author Jaye McKenna –

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

You can find Jaye McKenna at the following:

Website , Twitter,  Goodreads Author Page

Human Choices coverHuman Frailties Human Strengths coverBurn The Sky coverPsi Hunter cover

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

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

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

An LGBTQIA Non-fiction Book Spotlight: Denial, Deceit, Discovery by J. James (excerpt and giveaway)

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Denial, Deceit, Discovery by J. James
Release Date: May, 2013

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Goodreads Link
Publisher: Inkslingers Publishing

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Sales Links:  Amazon US –  Amazon UK – Barnes and Noble

 

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Denial, Deceit, Discovery is the heart-rending story based on true events in the life of Jack Ellis; a young Catholic man deep in denial of his own homosexuality. It tells the story of how his own denial and the denial of his loved ones forced him to conform to the straight world, resulting in his marriage to his high school sweetheart. After years of cruising gay porn sites, chatting online with endless guys and intimate encounters with close friends, Jack was pulled into a life of deceit with a string of sexual partners.

The story explains the pain and suffering of those around him as his secrets unfold and honesty rises up. The torture endured as Jack struggles to piece together the complex story of his own sexuality is truly moving. Escaping the shame, Jack flees to Bangkok with his gay lover where a much greater world of deceit and discovery awaits them both.

Denial, deceit, discovery will make you laugh, cry, cringe and blush as Jack’s story unfolds from a life of shame to one of hope and acceptance for homosexual men.

Pages or Words: 364 pages

Categories: Non-fiction

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

PROLOGUE

‘Did you ever think of men when you masturbated?’

Sometimes I cannot believe I have arrived at this point. This is one of many direct and personal questions from the Catholic priest dealing with my annulment. I cannot help but sense his judgement of me. From his failure to hide his disgust to the way his sunken, weathered eyes glare at me as he waits for my sordid responses. I am sitting in a room that reminds me of a nursing home. It is bitterly cold; though I’m not sure if I am shivering from the cold or the depth of questioning. Excessively floral wallpaper with clashing printed soft furnishings was never a good look. The mahogany 70’s style furniture pieces marked the perimeter of the room and the over-sized portrait of God’s beloved son hanging above the chimneybreast was particularly distracting. I did not feel comfortable discussing my love of cock with a priest, let alone with Jesus in the room!

Two years after our thirteen year relationship ended, I have been instructed by my now ex-wife to visit the priest to support her annulment application – a Catholic loophole that allows two Catholics to declare that their marriage never truly existed. We have to prove that I was incapable of willingly entering into the marriage due to my underlying, yet undiscovered, homosexuality. Personally I do not have the patience for this, but it is a small gift for my ex-wife that will enable her to one day remarry in the eyes of God.

In 2001 we married after seven happy years and we stayed married for another six, although maybe these were not as happy as the first seven. And why did I do it? Why did I marry a girl when the answer to the opening question was YES! Quite simply, because I loved her. When I stood there on the day of our wedding it never entered my mind that I was lying, or trying to cover up or trick anyone. I simply loved her and wanted to spend my entire life with her. On reflection, I guess I knew I was gay but I certainly did not want to live my life as a gay man. At that point I had never admitted to myself that I was indeed gay; something I have come to regret. It was not out of malice or false intentions, rather just total confusion and denial; born out of an upbringing in a straight, Catholic world. The signs were all there, but no one ever asked me the question and, therefore, I had no reason to even question it myself.

I have spent many a sleepless night trying to piece together the complex story of my sexuality and can now define three distinct periods in my life: one of denial, one of deceit and a final time of discovery. To some extent they are chronological but there are many overlaps whilst in each phase of my life. When I finally declared my sexuality at the age of thirty-one, I ended the thirty-one years of denial – a pretty hefty sentence for anyone! To some extent I am still there now. But there have been many exciting and somewhat dangerous discoveries along the way; from early childhood fumbles with girls, mutual masturbation sessions with male friends as teenagers first discovering porn, to naive visits to male prostitutes as a young man and random hook ups with strangers off the internet as a married man. With some of these discoveries came webs of deceit shrouded in guilt, lies and more confusion. But it was these very experiences that have shaped the gay man I am today – one who has found true monogamous love.

Since accepting my homosexuality, many people have used the line, ‘You had a choice…’ but to me it was anything but a choice. In fact, I would say I did everything possible to choose not to be gay and despite my greatest efforts to suppress who I really was; eventually it came and bit me on the arse anyway.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About J. James:

Denial, Deceit, Discovery is a new work of fiction by J. James. Written in the style of a personal memoir, James tells the complex, engaging and moving coming out story of the book’s main character, Jack Ellis. Jack is a young Catholic man living in the UK who struggles mightily on the road to self-awareness. Jack’s life is inspired by many events experienced by the author, but the universal themes of honesty, personal growth and acceptance transcend one person’s story. Denial, Deceit, Discovery will make you laugh, cry, cringe and blush as Jack’s life evolves from shame and embarrassment, to hope and acceptance. It’s a wholly relatable tale that will speak to anyone who has struggled to understand an aspect of his or her identity.

After over a decade of teaching, educational management and administration, James needed to find an outlet to share his personal story. As a lifelong lover of literature and writing, James has dedicated his career to educating students, helping them develop the tools they’ll need to share their stories in the future.

His first manuscript was inspired by the response James received from the Catholic priest who officiated his marriage annulment. As part of the process, James was asked to submit a small document outlining his feelings about the events that culminated in the failure of his marriage. The priest commented that the piece was the most moving and impactful account he had ever read. He called it an “inspiration” to other men and women struggling with similar situations. After exploring many options, James realized that his story could help people to understand the complex issues facing gay men in denial – hopefully, helping to spare others from the heartache he and his loved ones experienced.

James currently lives and works in Southeast Asia. He enjoys the tropical climate, and the relaxed pace, which has provided him with the opportunity to continue developing ideas for his second novel.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Denial-Deceit-Discovery/579655628715059
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/jack.ellis.5220
Twitter: https://twitter.com/je1author
Other: http://www.jjamesauthor.com/

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: One of five e-copies of ‘Denial, Deceit, Discovery’ by J. James.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A Mika Review: Northland (The North Novels #2) by Cara Dee

Rating: 3.75 star out of 5 stars

A handsome young man in a knitted sweater in dramatic lighting.

Two years ago, Logan Ward got the surprise of his life when he discovered he was the father of a two-year-old boy. Professionally and romantically adrift, he devoted all his time and energy to caring for his son. But now he’s searching for something more, and he and Justin head north to Alaska to try out the life his best friend Quinn has been raving about.

Kyle Shaw has been living off the land his whole life, comfortable with nature and the challenges of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness. He enjoys his seasonal work at the O’Connor Adventure Retreat and is looking forward to this year’s stint. He’s not in the market for anything more than hard work, good friends, and reasonably priced milk.

The work brought Logan to Alaska. But a late-night encounter with Kyle opens his mind to the possibilities of a future richer than any paycheck.

I think that Northland by Cara Dee might be more of an instant love romance then the first story in the series. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it. Kyle was like a flirty fiend in book one, and I wanted to know more about him and that happened here.

I liked Kyle a lot in this book. He was totally different this time. This story showed that he had all of these responsibilities that he wasn’t slacking on. Mmmm, I’m still thinking on Logan from the first half. I thought his treatment of Kyle in the beginning was really bad. To put someone in that position was so utterly selfish. What really sold me was the children. I love kids in my books. It brings this realistic tone into the story, add in the location for me and I found it enjoyable. 

I felt Kyle was true to himself in alot of ways. He was serious about his job, his family, and his friends. I liked that he was always on the move, and always willing to help someone first. Logan redeemed himself big time. He turned out to have the most patience with Lani.

Of course we got a glimpse of Quinn & Declan. As for Kyle & Logan together,  I think they mesh well together. They’re opposites with children, but were both looking for a family together. Let’s not forgot about the steamy scene which was bonuses in itself. I enjoyed them. This read like the ending of the series, with only two so far. Wonderful epilogue at the end.

Cover Art by ?: As simple as the cover art is and I do like it. I thought since the theme was children as well, that it would have been nicer with a little girl.

Sales Link:   Amazon     Buy It Here

Book Details:

Published May 26th 2015
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe North Novels #2

A BJ Review: In Sunshine or in Shadow (Short Stories, Volume 1) by Josh Lanyon

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

In Sunshine or in Shadow coverHere we have thirteen juicy short stories from Josh Lanyon written between 2007 and 2013. These may be short, but most of them pack a decent punch of sexy, sweet emotion and even scary! This is available as a paperback from Amazon or as an audiobook from Amazon/Audible.

In Plain Sight – 5 stars

Oh my, this one had the feels. Very emotional and had me on the edge of my seat. FBI agent Nash met police officer Glen during a training. They have an instant attraction and spend some times together. But Nash lives in another state and he doesn’t believe in love. Then Glen goes missing the day Nash flies home, right after he walked out of the airport from seeing him off. This is a very short little mystery that absolutely touched my heart as Nash goes back to join the hunt and refuses to give up even with Glen’s fellow officers want to. His faith in Glen, his tenacious hope and determination… oh, how I wish for more of this story.

Perfect Day – 5 stars

On a camping trip, Wyatt lets the L word slip big time during a hot and heavy session. Unfortunately, he’s well aware that his lover, Graham, is far from over his last boyfriend, Jase, and thus his declaration isn’t going to sit well. What ensues is a short, sweet and perfect little story that had me teary eyed nearly from page one. In only twenty-eight pages, this ran the gamut from breaking my heart to making it soar and came complete with all the tentative stages of hope in between! Josh Lanyon writes beautifully. Darn it all, I wish I could use words like this for just one day… now that would be my perfect day.

In a Dark Wood – 5 stars

Holy hell in a handbasket! I was not expecting this one. Do NOT read reviews and spoilers until after you’ve read this story! This starts off like a typical contemporary, good but tame and low key. I totally didn’t see what was coming until it smacked me upside the head. Because this is some scary stuff! Tim is such a messed up, broken character… I love him and totally must have more. Which is why I have already purchased book two to read on. Who knew Josh Lanyon can write horror just as good as Stephen King?

Until We Meet Once More – 5 stars

I don’t usually like war stories, but I’ve come to think that Lanyon could write just about anything and manage to pull me into it. This is a second chance love story set right in the trenches of a military conflict. Army Ranger Captain Vic Black and his team are tasked with the rescue of a Navy SEAL. The man turns out to be none other than his former, and never forgotten, lover Lt. Commander Sean Kennedy. This is an edge-of-the-seat, high tension, life or death, emotional read. I completely adored this short and really wish it had been longer.

In Sunshine or In Shadow – 5 stars

This was one of the sweetest, most romantic little shorts I’ve read in a long time! Two cops—one admittedly a bit of the asshat variety at the beginning—but he manages to pull it out in the nick of time. Rick and Kier are partners that had been lovers for a short time, but when one is nearly injured on the job, the other pulls away and refuses to face his emotions. Unable to go on like that anymore, Kier makes the decision to quit the force and take a vacation before moving on with his life. A lovely little read set in Los Angeles and then Ireland. I love Josh Lanyon. Now I’m gonna go listen to Danny Boy. Again.

Just Desserts – 4 stars

I’m a sucker for broken guys, so this one drew me in despite being quite strange at some points. Starts out with Ridge as a very bitter man bound to a wheelchair and enduring constant pain after an accident caused by his drunkenly cousin. Ridge had me fascinated while at the same time quite chilled as he plots murdering his cousin. It’s all dark and dire. Then here comes Tug, his new physical therapist, like a bright ray of sunshine into his dark world. Tug manages to help him with the pain… inside and out. Loved the ending. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Heart Trouble – 3.5 stars

A young man with a family history of heart trouble goes to the doctor sure he’s suffering a heart attack. Ford is low on funds, has few friends, suffers writer’s block and isn’t even out of the closet. He’s a naïve and struggling young man when he meets Jacob. But the emergency room doctor who helps him, is calm, assured and compassionate and maybe the perfect prescription. This one is very short and sweet.

The French Have a Word for It – 3.5 stars

Set in Paris, well-written, well-paced and sweet, but a bit predictable. It’s a second chance story in which Colin and Thomas meet again after ten years apart. Colin, now an artist in Paris, was kidnapped at 14 and Thomas was the man who saved him. Thomas was Colin’s first crush. I think what I liked most about this was how Colin as an artist was woven into it—excellent use of sensory an color sprinkled in that made me feel his descriptions ringing as uniquely him.

Other People’s Weddings – 3.5 stars

A fun story about a very out of the closet wedding planner living in a small town. I enjoyed Griffin, he was a fun character with quirky clients. Lots of potential, but the ending was really very abrupt, even for a short story. Also there isn’t too much of a romance in this story, just a hint that something might come of it. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Sort of Stranger Than Fiction – 3.5 stars

Ethan and his sister own a bookstore, a family legacy. Ethan is one of only a few gay men in his small town, and when a mysterious scarred man opens a dojo next door to his shop, Ethan quickly develops a crush. But he suffers from foot in mouth disease and gets off on a bad foot. The things he said in Michael hearing seriously made me cringe for him even knowing he didn’t mean them. Then a serial killer surfaces in their small town. Overall, felt this had a lot of potential. But then the ending was super abrupt, leaving me scratching my head and wondering what just happened. Loved Michael and would have liked more about him. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Slings and Arrows – 3 stars

Carey has a secret admirer. He receives a mysterious box of chocolates a couple days before Valentine’s Day, something which begins to seriously trouble him when friends tell him about a serial killer that uses that exact MO and has been stalking their campus. The mystery didn’t work well for me and parts read very slow, unusual for a short. But I did find the ending satisfying and enjoyable. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Critic’s Choice – 3 stars

Cris is a movie critic hired to work on a commentary on a classic horror film alongside the cheating ex that he broke up with six months prior. It’s clear pretty quickly that Cris is also not over Rey. The process of the job they were doing was quite interesting, and I enjoyed the old horror movie feel of the parts where the car breaks down on the dark road and the creepy gothic mansion. The romance was sweet, but having the sweet shop appear where it did was a bit weird. Overall an enjoyable read. Part of the Petit Morts series.

A Limited Engagement – 2.5 stars

This one was by far my least favorite in this anthology. Still excellent writing, as always from this author, but the beginning confused me—because one main character strangling the other? Excuse me! Then blackmail as a means to win love/attention? Despite all that and it did have a sweet ending. Go figure.

Amazon eBook Sales Link for A Limited Engagement.

The cover was sexy, although in general black and white covers aren’t my favorite. I like a bit of color to make it pop.

Paperback Sales Link:  Amazon     Buy It Here

Paperback, 348 pages, also available as a audiobook
Published June 6th 2013 by Just Joshin
ISBN 1937909476 (ISBN13: 9781937909475)
edition languageEnglish

In Our Book Spotlight: Drama Queen ( A Nicky and Noah Mystery) by Joe Cosentino (author interview and giveaway)

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Drama Queen: A Nicky and Noah Mystery by Joe Cosentino
Publisher:  Lethe Press Books
Cover Art: Ben Baldwin

Release Date: June 6, 2015

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Sales Link: Lethe Press Books  – Amazon

Love a mystery?  Need a new m/m romance novel to read?  Why not combine them both with Joe Cosentino’s latest novel, Drama Queen (A Nicky and Noah Mystery) out June 6th?  We have all the information for you below.  Check it out!  Happy Reading.

And now onto my interview with Joe Cosentino!

 

Hello, Joe. Thank you for stopping by to chat with us today.

My pleasure. I love answering your questions!

Great. Here’s the first. When did you start writing?

As a kid I was the star of the plays in my friend’s garage. We forced our poor, unsuspecting parents to watch every one—including the lavish musicals! After college I became a professional actor, working in film, television, and theatre opposite stars like Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Bruce Willis, Charles Keating, Jason Robards, and Holland Taylor. Moving on to playwriting and ultimately writing novels seemed like an obvious next step.

Is Drama Queen your first novel?

I wrote a straight (with gay supporting characters) mystery/romance series about an ex-child star, the Jana Lane mysteries. Paper Doll is out now. Porcelain Doll and Satin Doll should follow soon. I also wrote the well-received An Infatuation, an MM romance novella published by Dreamspinner Press.

How did Lethe Press come to publish Drama Queen?

I noticed Lethe Press publishes many humorous, theatrically-styled gay books, and the company has been successful for fourteen years. After I submitted the manuscript, Steve Berman offered to publish it, saying he had great fun reading it.

Why did you write a gay mystery/comedy/romance series?

Can’t we all use a good laugh, a challenging brain twister, and a bit of romance? Drama Queen is the kind of book I like reading. It is funny, theatrical, sexy, wild, and wacky with a solid mystery full of plot twists and turns at its center.

How do you think up all the clues, red herrings, and surprises in the novel?

I’ve read every Agatha Christie novel and play many times. She is a genius at outlining when and where to give the reader what information. I love the inversion in her books, where she uses sleight of hand to lay out all the information, but not in a straight forward manner. The reader becomes the sleuth to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I tried to do the same in this series.

Since you are a college theatre professor, is the series based on you, your colleagues, and students?

Do you mean if anybody at my college ticks me off, I kill him/her in the series? Hah. To be honest, I like my colleagues and students too much to murder them in my books. Martin Anderson, Nicky and Noah’s department head, is based on me. He’s a loyal, hardworking department head and professor who fully supports his faculty colleagues, office assistant, and the students in his department. Like me, he is also a little bit, well quite a bit, of a gossip. My knowledge of theatre is also very evident in the series. The other characters and the location came from my head. As my mother says, “How do you think up all these crazy things? Well, you always were a bit crazy as a kid.”

Nicky is described as being well endowed. Does that help him solve the murders?

It doesn’t hurt. Hah. Nicky has to flirt his way into some places to get certain information, so his handsome face, muscular body, and huge penis are definitely assets. Even more, however, Nicky and Noah use their theatre skills, including playing other people, to get clues. Most of all, Nicky uses his smarts, always a fine asset in an amateur detective.

Nicky is of Italian-American decent, like you. Is that a coincidence?

Not at all. I come from a very funny Italian family. I use that in a great deal of my writing. In later books, we get to meet Nicky and Noah’s parents, and they are a riot!

How many books have your written so far in this series?

Three: Drama Queen, Drama Muscle, and Drama Cruise. In Drama Queen, Nicky and Noah have to uncover why college theatre professors are dropping like stage curtains. In Drama Muscle, Nicky and Noah have to find out why musclemen are dropping like weights in the Physical Education department while Nicky directs the Student Bodybuilding Competition. In Drama Cruise, Nicky and Noah go on a cruise to Alaska, and discover why college theatre professors are going overboard like lifeboats while Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship.

Is Drama Queen available as an ebook and paperbook?

Yes! I am thrilled about that. This gives the reader an option to read it on a Kindle, Nook, computer, or with book in hand on the beach or in bed.

Will there be an audiobook coming down the line?

I sure hope so. It’s all up to God—and to Steve Berman!

STRW Author BookSynopsis

It could be curtains for college theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza. With dead bodies popping up all over campus, Nicky must use his drama skills to figure out who is playing the role of murderer before it is lights out for Nicky and his colleagues. Complicating matters is Nicky’s huge crush on Noah Oliver, a gorgeous assistant professor in his department, who may or may not be involved with a cocky graduate assistant…and is also the top suspect for the murders! You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat, delightfully entertaining novel. Curtain up!

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

An Excerpt from Drama Queen:

“Thirty-five! Professor, you are well preserved for someone so old.”
“I hope I’m still working at thirty-five.”
To Paul and Ricky, and to all of my students, thirty-five is older than Methuselah.
“The first one back with a piece can feed me,” said Paul with a bad boy grin.
“No food in the theatre.” After laying down the law, SuCho yanked open the theatre doors and the students filed out into the lobby.
Ariella, our Professor of Costuming and the costume designer for the play (with costumes hanging over both arms) carefully made her way off the stage and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Happy birthday, Nicky.”
“So you’ve heard I’m ancient…and incompetent.”
Flicking back her long, black hair, Ariella said in her usual monotone, “Don’t let the kids get to you, Nicky. And don’t let David get to you either. The show is terrific.”
I unleashed a half smile. “Tell David that.”
“I already did. Right after his tirade about the ‘pedestrian and mundane’ costumes. Nicky, David doesn’t like anything, except David.” Are there tears brimming in her dark eyes? “Nobody knows that better than me.”
“Ariella, I hope this isn’t too personal, but with all of your complaints about David, why do you stay married to him?”
She offered a bitter smile. “That my friend is a very good question.”
Ariella went to the Costume Shop adjacent to the stage. I joined the students who were scattered throughout the theatre lobby licking their plastic forks clean of cheesecake while texting each other in dismay over the rising tuition at the college.
Paul, Ricky, Kayla, and Jan sat on the flared stairway leading to the balcony. Kayla, a beautiful dark-skinned African American, and Jan, a gorgeous pale-skinned Albino, were on either side of olive-skinned Ricky as if forming a three-layer cake. Paul faced them and appeared to be presenting some type of proposal. Since they are the officers of the Theatre Club on campus, I assumed they were discussing club business. As I am the club’s faculty advisor I walked over, leaned on a gold marble column, and overheard their conversation.
Jan whispered, “I don’t know if I can um go through with this, guys.”
Paul arched his massive back and slipped his muscular arm around her quivering shoulder, “Sure you can, Jan. Trust me. I’ll take care of everything.”
As Jan melted, Kayla combed her hair and giggled. “It could be like fun.”
With eyes only for Paul, Ricky said, “If you um want me to do it, Paul, I’m in.”
I made my way to the gold staircase railing, and asked if they needed my help.
“No thanks, professor, we’re cool,” said Paul with a contraction and release of his pectoral muscles to the delight of his cohorts.
“Cool cake, professor.” Kayla and Jan giggled as they each fed a piece to Paul.
Ricky added with a smirk, “Paul and I can like drive you home if you are too old to drive, professor.”
I grimaced. “Very funny.”

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Joe Cosentino is the author of An Infatuation (Dreamspinner Press), Paper Doll the first Jana Lane mystery (Whiskey Creek Press), and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Eldridge Plays and Musicals). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. His one-act plays, Infatuation and Neighbor, were performed in New York City. He wrote The Perils of Pauline educational film (Prentice Hall Publishers). Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. His upcoming novels are Drama Muscle the second Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press), A Shooting Star (Dreamspinner Press novella), A Home for the Holidays (Dreamspinner Press holiday novella), and Porcelain Doll the second Jana Lane mystery.

Contact/follow Joe Cosentino at the following sites:

Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_Cosentino
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00KRPXJP6

STRW Spotlight Contest Header

Giveaway:  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.   Prizes provided by the author.  Enter to win an ebook (any format) of Joe Cosentino’s previous release AN INFATUATION (a Bittersweet Dreams novella published by Dreamspinner Press in February) to whomever you deem posts the best comment about their thoughts on the blurb of DRAMA QUEEN (my current release).

Drama Queen CoverBook Details:

Paperback: 194 pages
Publisher: Lethe Press (June 6, 2015)
Language: English
Cover Design: Ben Baldwin
ISBN-10: 1590214676
ISBN-13: 978-1590214671
Release date: June 6, 2015

YA Books with Kink? James Comins on Writing Kink for YA age Readers and “Fool School” (guest post and contest)

FoolSchool_FinalCover

Title: Fool School by  James Comins
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Its a pleasure to have James Comins here today.  The author will be letting us into writing YA stories and its challenges with sex.  On to our guest post by James Comins.

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On Writing Kink for Kids  by James Comins

I think I’ve only read one book in my whole life that features kinksters. It was, oddly, a kids book: Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher. It’s only a small glimpse, and the sequence and the world don’t reflect modern consensual kink in any way. Other than that and a few internet fiskings of that awful Fifty Shades book, I’ve never read any kink-based books.

I remember, as a kid, wanting to. I’d watch and re-watch scenes in Ninja Turtles where someone got captured. I’d thrill to sequences in movies where people got tied up by evil villains. Or books in which the bad guys faced their comeuppance and had to be thrown into cramped prisons forever, and I’d think, how exciting! Why couldn’t that be me? I’d play-act getting captured by Shredder, or Dr. Claw, and my best friend would ask when it would be our turn to get the bad guys.

Never. It was much more fun to be got.

But all of the stories I watched and read as a kid were stories of bad guys capturing the good guy’s girl against her will, then getting punished for it–also against their will. There was never any question of consent; the mere notion that anybody would want to be punished, or want to be held captive, was so crazy that nobody–with the possible exception of Patricia Wrede’s Princess Cimorene, who was quite happy to get captured by a dragon, thank you–ever imagined it. Nowhere could be found stories of trustworthy romantic partners you could trust to make your life more exciting (and scary!), or stories of princesses who sought out evil sorcerers in order to punish them because they’d been bad, or even just two adults who had a slightly peculiar power dynamic (with the exception of innumerable picture books featuring gargantuan women married to feeble little milquetoasts).

But no kink.

And the thing is, kinksters like me are as alienated and different from vanilla straight people as gay people are. I don’t “get” vanilla. It’s a world I don’t fit into at all. Lacking positive role models in movies and books, we wind up pining for a world in which the ethoses (ethi?) of slavery, cults, or God forbid, Goreans are the backdrop to human life. This freedom business is simply alien to us. A lot of kinksters have wound up skulking as inverts in the kink closet out of shame about their identity. Our society just doesn’t have many places for people to be out and kinky.

So I tend to feature kinksters of various sorts in my kids books. I want readers to have role models–both positive ones to aspire to become, and negative counterexamples. In Casey Jones is Still a Virgin  I show the good and bad of a newbie entering a kinky relationship. In My Dad is a Secret Agent, I lay out a world of strict discipline and no choices. In Fool School , the protagonists see various sides of authority in a medieval world where authority may never be questioned. I hope kids get to see what a healthy kink-based corner of society could look like.

This is the world I live in. Power vs learned helplessness, cruelty vs noblesse oblige, bossy girls and demonic kings and sassy slaves and snuggly loving relationships that happen to feature Hello Kitty nipple clamps. Having dwelt in the internet for much of my life, I know I’m not alone. I hope my stories can provide kids with a sense that, as gay kids have rapidly been learning, it does get better. Grownups get a huge advantage in life, which is that we get to surround ourselves with a reality of our own invention, one that bends and distorts through whatever lens we bring to it. My lens happens to be kinky, and those are the stories I most often tend to write about. Kids might have to dwell in consensus vanilla straight cis white male culture, but they can escape through books.

And that’s what books are for. They give you a window into a world slightly different from your own. A new lens, a new garden of possibilities. Sometimes an escape, but always a place to go where the bad things in society can’t follow.

Synopsis

In the year of our Lord 1040, fourteen-year-old aspiring jester Tom is en route to Bath to begin his studies in the art of being a Fool, following in the footsteps of his father, and his father before him.

Along the way he meets Malcolm, a fire-haired boy with eyes green as forest glass. A Scotsman whoís escaped from the ravages of the usurper Macbeth, Malcolm elects to join Tom at school. Though the journey to Bath is hazardous, it pales in comparison to what they face at the austere and vicious Fool School, where all is not as it seems. A court jester must aim to be the lowest rung on the ladder of life, and the headmaster will not abide pride.

As they journey through lifeís hardships together, Tom and Malcolm find they only have each other to depend upon.

Genre: Young Adult, gay romance, historical

Excerpt

Fool School Excerpt 2
by James Comins

It’s strangely gratifying when one of your audience finds joy, actual joy, in the music you make. Reassuring. The ealdorman conducts with his fat fingers, a genuine stupid smile on his lips.
There’s danger, too, in overplaying to the one man in the audience who’s happy with your performance. I overplay to this man.
“Enough,” sighs the ealdorman’s wife before long, and my tune dies away. I feel a pit of danger inside my chest. A warning. I see that the ealdorman himself is not the most powerful person in the room.
“But… eh… darling,” he murmurs, “don’t you think… couldn’t we… he’s but a boy-”
“Enough,” she repeats.
“Madame,” I find myself saying, “how may I entertain you?”
The room fills with a terrifying void, borne from her cold Welsh blood. A mist of icicles forms over the longtable draped by the red tablecloth, and people find their hands halfway to their mouths, food raised but uneaten. I fear for my life. I will be hanged now, taken to a gallowbraid and thrown off the side of the platform by this dark-eyed woman and her timid, complying husband. I will be kept in the wine cellar until dawn, swatting drunken mice, and in that moist-eyed fresh breath of day I will see the whole of creation pass before me as I take fugue steps up from the damp to the sunlight and the dew of summer’s toil, my feet drawn by the woman’s harsh words toward a fate of breathless… and… but here the ealdorman’s wife is speaking to me.
“Play a love song,” she whispers, and this is somehow worse than being executed on the gallows.
I don’t understand love. I say so. She dismisses it.
“Madame,” I repeat, “I’ll play for you, but I know nothing of love.”
“Yes,” her lips say, “that’s what I want to hear again.”
I’m frightened of her passion.
There is an old song, some say it comes from Master Boethius himself, that speaks of the devotion that the constant Penelope felt toward her husband, the warrior errant, Odysseus. It speaks of long years alone, sequestered in a house surrounded by enemy lovers like flies buzzing. They’re trying to convince her that her husband is not coming back, that she is alone, but she is strong, a fire buffeted by the wind, and she maintains, year after solitary year, tending her flame.
I cannot sing it-there’s a thousand thousand verses, well, not really, maybe five, but they’re long. However, the melody is familiar. I can play it on the recorder.
There is a very different world inside your head and in the shape of your mouth, playing a love song.
It begins in the first note.

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Buy Links

Don’t miss the 30% discount of the Mammoth May Sale on Wayward Ink Publishingís website!

Book trailer

Giveaway

Prizes: $20 WIP Gift Card and 1 ebook copy of Fool School.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter  Link and prizes provided by Eyes On Books Promotions and the author.

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About the author

JAMES COMINS is incapable of writing about himself in the third person. His future autobiography will probably be titled, ìThe Man Who Groaned His Way Toward Death.î He writes stories for children and adults.

Born down the street from Stephen King, he now divides his time between Denver and Seattle.

JAMES COMINS can be found at:

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In the Spotlight: Bound with Love (Regency Reimagined) by Megan Mulry (excerpt and giveaway)

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Bound with Love (Regency Reimagined) by Megan Mulry
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

STRW In The Spotlight Header

Release Date:  June 8, 2015
Sales Link:   Riptide Publishing

STRW Author BookSynopsis

A perfect life—until one letter threatens to unravel it all…

Lady Vanessa Cambury, Marchioness of Camburton, adores her life of bucolic contentment with her partner, acclaimed portrait painter Nora White. Together, they have raised two children from Vanessa’s first marriage and built a home filled with purpose, ease, happiness, and passion—always passion.

But when Nora receives word that the child she lost twenty years ago is alive and in England, ancient heartache threatens to destroy their idyll.

To salvage their love, they must come to a deeper understanding of who they are—in the world, and to one another.  Nora must learn to overcome the dark shadows of her past. Vanessa must learn to put others’ needs before her own. And Nora’s stubborn daughter must find it in her heart to forgive the mother she thought abandoned her. This unconventional family must rely on the powerful links of love and mercy to bind them back together.

To read an excerpt, visit Riptide Publishing’s Bound With Love page

Book Details:

ebook, 136 pages
Published June 8th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492639
edition languageEnglish
series Regency Reimagined

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Megan Mulry writes sexy, stylish, romantic fiction. Her first book, A Royal Pain, was an NPR Best Book of 2012 and USA Today bestseller. Before discovering her passion for romance novels, she worked in magazine publishing and finance. After many years in New York, Boston, London, and Chicago, she now lives with her family in Florida.

Connect with Megan:

Website:  http://meganmulry.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4123439.Megan_Mulry
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/meganmulry
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/meganmulrybooks/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MeganMulry
Email:mailto:megan@meganmulry.com

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Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $15 Riptide store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on June 13. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win! Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Prizes provided by Riptide Publishing and the author.

Regency Reimagined invites you to enter a sensual realm that defies the rules of polite society, where convent girls are more than curious, and dukes and earls are eager to oblige them—and each other. Pull back the curtain . . . and step into a passionate world that knows no traditional bounds. – See more at Riptide Publishing’s Regency Reimagined Page.

Books in the Regency Reimagined Universe are:

  • Bound to Be A Groom): female/female, female/male, male/male, menage, multiple partners –
  • Bound with Love (A Regency Reimagined Story) female/female, female/male, male/male, menage, multiple partners
  • Bound with Passion (A Regency Reimagined Novel) – same pairing as above
  • Bound with Honor (A Regency Reimagined Novel)- same pairings as above