A Lila Audiobook Review: Whiskey Business (States of Love) by Avon Gale and Kirt Graves (Narrator)

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Ryder Waites will do anything to keep the tiny town of Gallows Grove, Kentucky, from vanishing off the map—even sell his family’s whiskey recipe to Bluegrass Bourbon in Lexington. Hopeful that the larger company can provide necessary improvements to the distillery, Ryder’s ultimate goal is to get Gallows Grove on the Bourbon Trail… and bring in much-needed tourism revenue. But to keep producing Hanged Man Bourbon in Gallows Grove, he’ll have to convince company liaison, unbearably stuffy and seriously hot Adam Keller, that he’s worth the investment.

Adam comes from an old-money family, but he’s determined to make his own way in the world. When he’s sent to Gallows Grove, he questions the life choices that led him to a rented room in a funeral home, in a town full of macabre-themed businesses. And he doesn’t know what to make of Ryder, the descendant of bootleggers who’s on a mission to save his strange town from extinction. When Adam and Ryder put aside their initial mistrust, the results are as smooth as good whiskey. But after Adam’s assignment ends, he’ll have to decide if small-town life and a future with Ryder is to his tastes.

Whiskey Business is a sweet, simple story of two men searching for their place within their families’ legacies. It has a bit of a supernatural feel, closer to magical realism than any paranormal tint. But overall, it only enhances the reading experience and adds to the town’s legend and unusual inhabitants. All the puns based on the Gallows Grove’s name and history give the story a comedic relief and sense of home.

Most times, I prefer one MC over the other, but in this case, Adam and Ryder are equally loving and interesting. There aren’t the traditional men portrait in most romances and perhaps that adds to their charms. Yes, their story follows a traditional trope, but they add their own spin.

All the secondary characters and the town itself play an important part in this story. It’s a novella with all the components of a well-written novel. There’s no angst or deep sadness, but the MCs longing for a legacy of their own without erasing their families’ achievements is a constant they both dealt with. And to make it all better, we get a very sweet HEA.

This is my first audiobook by Kirt Graves and I enjoyed the distinction he created between the main characters. The play of words he used to highlight the author’s words in this matter and how important the accents were to understand the differences between those living in different part of the state was excellent. The secondary characters were as well developed.

I’m not familiar with Aaron Anderson’s work, but this cover goes perfectly with the story and its simplicity.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner | iTunes | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Kirt Graves
Length: 6 hours 14 minutes
Published: April 18, 2017 (Audio Edition) by Dreamspinner Press
ASIN: B06ZYDB6ZV
Edition Language: English

An Alisa Release Day Review: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (States of Love) by L.A. Merrill

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

David Marks is looking for the perfect place to film his new web series and recover from his latest failed relationship. When reclusive writer Michael Sharp opens his Montana ranch to paying guests, David knows he’s found the right place—but he doesn’t expect to find Mr. Right too.

Forty years ago Michael Sharp’s father was murdered in front of him. No one believed a six-year-old boy’s testimony against the powerful Carver brothers. For years Michael has lived in self-imposed exile, the only living witness who can bring down the Carver criminal empire. But now the money is running out, and he’s forced to play host to a troupe of temperamental web actors and their energetically attractive director in order to stay alive.

The Carvers aren’t about to stand for rebellion. Michael has outlived his usefulness. Now Michael and David have to find a way to end this fight once and for all, finding justice for Michael’s father and meeting David’s funding deadline—all before one or both of them ends up dead.

This was a nice story that was able to give me the warm fuzzes at the end. David has spent his adult life trying to make a career out of film making and other than a few short films made with his best friend Ronni he hasn’t gotten very far. They finally get the funding for a new miniseries and quickly find Michael’s ranch to stay and shoot at.

Michael is way less than welcoming at the beginning but once he learns a bit more about David his icy exterior starts to melt. Most of David and Michael’s feelings for each other develop off page when they are working together late at night. We see David’s point of view but he seems readily able to read Michael when needed. I love how David’s stubbornness to succeed and do what he loves flows over to protecting Michael even when he is fighting against it. Though I enjoyed this story and it ended well I didn’t feel a deep connection to these characters. I loved the premise but they just seemed a bit forced together in the end.

Cover art by Brooke Albrecht is a great and gives a wonderful visual the characters and the background of the story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 74 pages

Published: May 31, 2017 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 9781635335699

Edition Language: English

Series: A States of Love Story

L.A. Merrill on Books, Writing, and her latest release ‘Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (States of Love)’ (guest post)

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (States of Love) by L.A. Merrill
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Available for Purchase at Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have L.A. Merrill here today talking about books, writing, and her latest story, Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch, a States of Love tale!

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How much of yourself goes into a character? A little bit (or sometimes a lot) of me goes into almost every character. Sometimes I don’t realize I’m doing it. I have to find a way to connect with my character’s emotions in order to write about them as truthfully and realistically as possible. Like acting, you find an experience or emotion of your own to use as a touchstone when writing or portraying the character. Often it’s only one trait, emotional quirk, or experience of mine that goes into a character, combined with things I’ve stolen from people I’ve met, and all the wonderful, gritty bits of character that my made-up people seem to generate all on their own. It creates (I hope) characters that read as real, and that the reader gets emotionally invested in.

Do you feel there’s a tight line between Mary Sue or should I say Gary Stu and using your own experiences to create a character? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with writing a thinly disguised autobiographical novel. (I’m working on one now, so of course I’d say that!) As long as you are telling a good story, use whatever tools are at your disposal to write it—including pulling from your own life for details. As they say, write what you know!

Does research play a role into choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures? RESEARCH SCARES ME. Mostly because I am lazy and fear failure. (Combine those with a serious procrastination problem and it’s a wonder I get anything done at all.) I am in awe of people who spend years on research alone, a couple more years writing, and then show up with these amazing historical novels you can just disappear into. I want to be that person, but for now at least, I know I’m not. So I keep writing about what I know or can easily find out (and failing that, just make up).

Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing? Growing up, I read pretty much anything I could get my hands on. Even better if it was fantasy/adventure and had female main characters. I still read across almost all the genres, but fantasy and adventure still have a strong place in my heart. Every time I write I try to tell a different kind of story, and someday I hope I’ll be a good enough writer to tell the kind of magical, escape-into-and-come-back-changed stories I remember reading when I was younger. Probably the one thing that remains constant across everything I read, and hopefully it comes through in what I write now, is humor. Using humor to tell even the darkest stories is fundamentally important to me. Sir Terry Pratchett wrote some of the funniest novels I’ve ever read—and I read almost all of them as a teenager—but his stories carry an emotional gut-punch of angrily optimistic humanism that walks hand in hand with his satire and screwball dialogue.

Have you ever had to put an ‘in progress’ story aside because of the emotional ties with it? You were hurting with the characters or didn’t know how to proceed? No. Usually if I set a story aside it’s because I flat-out don’t know the story well enough. If I’ve made it interesting enough, if I love the characters, I’m in it for the long haul, no matter what dark and twisty corridors we’re heading down.

Do you like HFN or HEA? And why? HECK YEAH, I LIKE HAPPY ENDINGS. Life is hard enough, and we almost never get a happily ever after. I don’t want everyone’s problems to be magically solved, everything tied in a too-neat bow, but if there’s going to be romance, it needs to end with the happy. Don’t throw me off this ship, I just got on board!

Do you read romances, as a teenager and as an adult? I really never did read straight-up “romance” when I was a teenager, barring some Sophie Kinsella (and I was mostly there for the dialogue and character voice in those). I sometimes read LGBT+ romance now, but they’re hard to come by where I live. I like books that have romance in them, but a good story is the most important thing for me. Let’s ride off into worlds unknown—and if we fall in love along the way, so much the better.

Who do you think is your major influence as a writer? Now and growing up? DO YOU WANT A LIST? Norton Juster, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Patricia Wrede, L.M. Montgomery, Robert Louis Stevenson, Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters, Maureen Johnson, Flannery O’Connor, John Green, Willa Cather, Sir Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, Charles Dickens, Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor, Chris Carter, Jennifer Crusie, Georgette Heyer, E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, Maud Hart Lovelace…SRSLY, HOW MUCH SPACE DO WE HAVE? That list was in no particular order. Everything I read then shaped who I was—and consequently, who I was as a writer—and taught me how to be a person. I love them for that, and for the memories they gave me and the stories they shared. It’s no different today, except maybe now, as a working writer, I can see some of the tricks behind the illusions, and I take notes. It doesn’t diminish the magic at all—in fact, it makes me even more impressed. (Especially if you can pull something off without my realizing how!)

How do you feel about the ebook format and where do you see it going? When ebooks first came out, everyone was all panic-shouty about “the death of the printed word!” and I naturally got a bit freaked out because BOOKS WERE GOING TO BE EXTINCT, Y’ALL. And then that didn’t happen. I never bought an ereader, so I was late to the party, but when I discovered LGBT romance ebooks from the library, I was all over that like ants at a picnic. I will always be a physical book kinda girl, but ebooks and I are pals now. They are definitely great for our genre, where we might not be able to read gay and lesbian stories out in the open. I will be interested to see where ebooks go in the future—who knows, maybe we can download directly to our brains! (That sounds like a sci-fi plot right there…)

How do you choose your covers? (curious on my part) I’ve only gotten to work on one of my covers so far—the cover for my upcoming novella, Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch! (Which you are totally going to buy, so you can enjoy the cover as much as you want, EVERY DAY.) The fabulous art department people took my sketchy cover ideas and turned them into an awesome rendition with cool details I didn’t even think of. (Those stars in the background? TOTALLY THEM. Aren’t they pretty?) There were a few iterations, and then we settled on the one that worked best for the story. That is my one experience with cover selection: artistic beings do cool photoshoppy things on my behalf. It was great.

Do you have a favorite among your own stories? And why? I love my stories when I get them, to my mind, right. Sometimes it’s only after I come back to them and reread them months later that I go—hey, that turned out pretty good. Of what I’ve published with Dreamspinner Press, I’m particularly fond of Don’t Let the Light Go Out for what I managed to achieve as far as realism and emotional depth. I wrote a highly stylized microfic called Standby that was published in a literary magazine. It will always be one of my favorite things I’ve done just because I achieved what I set out to do and it was funny and almost perfect in tone. It was also the first thing I ever sold. Somewhere at home I have a screwball Regency romance, written on two yellow legal pads when I was a teenager, that was the first thing I wrote—and finished—that made me realize I was actually pretty good at this writing racket. It was a blast to write, and I think it’s one of my favorites not because of any particular virtue in the plot itself (best friends switch places! the Prince has an insane sister! spies in London!), but because of how much fun I had writing it. Always try and have fun with your writing. If you’re not having at least a little bit of fun, no one else will either.

What’s next for you as an author? TOP SECRET SECRET-ISH THINGS. Nah, I’ll give you a hint. I just started leading a LGBT+ writers group, so I’ve decided to be brave and write A NOVEL while working with the group. I haven’t written a novel in ages. This one is set to feature a Kansas City heat wave, a quirky M/M romance, and the fabulous and scary world of theater camp.

Stay kind, stay classy, y’all.

L.A. Merrill

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch By L.A. Merrill

Forty years ago, Michael Sharp’s father was murdered in front of him. No one believed a six-year-old boy’s testimony against the powerful Carver brothers. For years Michael has lived in self-imposed exile, the only living witness who can bring down the Carver criminal empire. But now the money is running out, and he’s forced to play host to a troupe of temperamental web actors and their energetically attractive director in order to stay alive.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch comes out with Dreamspinner Press on Monday, May 29!

About The Author

L.A. Merrill is a tiny blonde woman who loves a good story. She has worked as a tour guide and an assistant stage director, and spent one memorable summer as a camp counselor. After five years in vocal performance, production work, and arts education, she now writes full-time. Her work has appeared in Kansas City Voices magazine, on the YouTube series The Blank Scene, and online. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch is L.A.’s fourth story with Dreamspinner Press, and her first published novella. (There’s an unpublished novella, about murderous husbands and Scottish ghosts, written when she was thirteen, that is sitting in a file at home. It will likely never see the light of day.)

An avid knitter, she has yet to follow a pattern and has made some interestingly shaped hats as a result. L.A. makes handknit and crocheted blankets and hats for local charities, as well as leading a LGBT+ writers group in her hometown. She lives with her family in the Midwest, where she can usually be found reading, writing, and making things up as she goes along. Follow her on Twitter for feminism and fangirling at @la_mer92

C. J. Anthony on Roller Coasters, Road Trips and her latest novel ‘Runaway Rock Star’ (guest post)

Runaway Rock Star (States of Love) by C.J. Anthony
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

Available for Purchase at

Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host C.J. Anthony today on her Runaway Road Trip Blog Tour! Welcome, C.J.!

Thank you Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for having me on the blog today! Today is my fifth stop on my Runaway Rock Star Road Blog Tour! Join me as I hit the road—I’m going to be visiting some great blogs, sharing background about the book, about Ohio, and there may also be a fun interview with Lucas and Brandon along the way. The stops are listed below and any posts you comment on during the tour will enter you for a fun prize pack at the end that includes a $20 GC to the eBook retailer of your choice.

Runaway Rock Star is a part of the States of Love series from Dreamspinner Press. A little background on the series for those who may not know what it is, the States of Love series is a series with one book about each state in the United States, all written by different authors.

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So in Runaway Rock Star, the first stop on Lucas and Brandon’s road trip (after they leave Cleveland) is Cedar Point. If you live in Ohio or even in a surrounding state—or if you’re a roller coaster fan—you probably know what Cedar Point is. But for those of you who have never heard of it, Cedar Point is an amusement park. They make the claim to be the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World, “ and that just might be true.

Cedar Point is located on a peninsula off of Lake Erie on the northern border of Ohio. According to ohiohistorycentral.org, the park officially began in 1870 when bath houses and other attractions were built to draw tourists. The first coaster was built in 1892 and the rest is history!

Today there are miles and miles of roller coasters, tons of places to eat, fun musical shows and entertainment and even a water park too.

I have to say, I have only been to Cedar Point once, many, many years ago, because I’m not a roller coaster fan. When I went, I made myself ride several coasters, and I survived in one piece, LOL. But that was enough for me. Cedar Point, though, is a popular place for Ohio families to visit and tourists come from all over for the roller coasters.

In the book, Lucas begins navigating and directs Brandon on the highway toward Cedar Point, already having made hotel reservations and plan without him knowing it. Here’s an excerpt of the beginning of their day at the park:

By the time Brandon caught up with him, Lucas was rubbing his hands together in delight. “All right, Harris. It’s on! What should we ride first?”

“What kind of thrill do you like? Riding upside down? Death drops? Wooden coasters? Or speed?”

“Well, considering I’ve never ridden any roller coaster before, I would say… all of them!”

Brandon stopped walking. “Wait a minute, you’ve never…? How…?” After what Lucas had told him so far of his life, he guessed it shouldn’t be a surprise that Lucas had never ridden a roller coaster. And he didn’t want to make the guy feel bad about it. But it did give him an idea.

“Okay,” Brandon said, striding ahead of Lucas. “I know exactly where to start.”

A few minutes later they arrived at their destination, Brandon smiling broadly.

Lucas glared at him. “The Woodstock Express? Are you fucking kidding me?”

A mother with two children in tow gave Lucas a dirty look as she tried to cover her little girl’s ears. Too late for the little boy though. “Mommy, he just said fuck-king!”

Brandon leaned over to Lucas. “Watch your language… there are little children present!”

“Of course there are, because you brought me to a kiddie ride!”

Brandon held up his hands. “Now, now… adults are allowed to ride too.” He smirked. “As your copilot on this roller-coaster adventure, I need to make sure you’re going to be able to handle the big-league coasters. After all you did say you were a roller-coaster virgin.”

Lucas scowled. “You are a devious arsehole, Harris. I am shocked!” Defiantly he stalked over to the line, towering a good two to three feet over his fellow riders.

Brandon laughed out loud. He stood on the sidelines and took pictures and video of Lucas riding on the train ride, like a proud parent. He also watched as Lucas’s car-mate, a little dark-haired boy, conversed with Lucas and pulled him out of his indignant mood. Lucas was chatting and laughing with a look of pure joy on his face.

When the ride was over, Lucas brought the little boy over to Brandon. “This is my new best bud, Martin.” Looking down at Martin, he motioned toward Brandon. “Marty, go ahead.”

Martin looked up at Brandon with a seriously bored expression on his face. “Dude, he rocked the ride, didn’t scream or puke once. He’s good to go.”

Martin and Lucas did some kind of hand-slap fist-bump, and then Martin ran off to find his family. Lucas looked smugly at Brandon.

“See, I was just coaster-approved. Now, can we please ride a big-boy ride? Please, Daddy?”

Brandon just rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine.”

Lucas threw his fist in the air.

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If you enjoyed the excerpt, pick up the book, there are more shenanigans to be had. And the itinerary for my blog trip is listed below; I hope you’ll visit each blog along with me! Don’t forget to leave comments to be entered for the prize giveaway. Also be sure to check out the blurb and info about the book.

May 3 MM Good Book Reviews

May 10 My Fiction Nook

May 11 Love Bytes Reviews

May 12 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

May 15 Open Skye Book Reviews

May 17 The Novel Approach

May 18 Boy Meets Boy Reviews

Blurb:

Just hours before Brandon Harris is supposed to head home to Cincinnati for a Labor Day family picnic, his boss at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame forces him into giving a private tour to bratty British pop rock star Lucas Black. Before he knows it, he finds himself swept up in a whirlwind road trip through Ohio with Lucas riding shotgun.

Lucas grabs hold of this wild opportunity to run away—even for a few precious days—from the gilded cage that is his carefully managed life. He’s just looking for a little fun and freedom as a normal person. From roller coasters to a college football game, Brandon begins to see the real Lucas Black buried under the famous persona. But by the time he and Lucas discover their mutual attraction, they only have one night left before both of them have to go back to their real lives. The fun is over…unless Lucas can run away for real this time and keep their adventure going.

About the Author

C. J. Anthony grew up watching soap operas and reading piles of books. She attributes her love of reading and romance to her mother, who not only taught her to read but also made countless trips to the library lugging piles of books home for her. It wasn’t a far jump to start writing her own stories, early childhood tales about flower families and traveling to the moon with her best friend.

C. J.’s favorite stories to read and write include “opposites attract” pairings—couples who appear to be an odd couple to the rest of the world, but fit together perfectly, finding their own happily-ever-after with a little hard work and a whole lot of love.

Not surprisingly, C. J. is a big lover of rom coms—she’ll gladly take Julia Roberts standing in front of Hugh Grant asking him to love her over car crashes and shoot-em-up movies any day. She also watches way too much TV and every singing reality show there is. She loves music of all genres and attending live concerts.

She spends most of her time juggling a day job and a commute and freelance and falling asleep on her couch, dreaming of a day when she can write all day in her pajamas while living in a house by the beach.

E-mail: cjanthony70@gmail.com

Blog: https://cjanthony.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cjanthony.writer

Twitter: @C_J_Anthony

A Kai Release Day Review: Runaway Rock Star (States of Love) by C.J. Anthony

Rating: 3,75 stars out of 5

Just hours before Brandon Harris is supposed to head home to Cincinnati for a Labor Day family picnic, his boss at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame forces him into giving a private tour to bratty British pop-rock star Lucas Black. Before he knows it, he finds himself swept up on a whirlwind road trip through Ohio with Lucas.

Lucas was a celebrity since he was a teen, and his life was always controlled by his father and manager. He wanted a break. He needed it. So, when he met Brandon and found out the guy was heading to Cincinnati, he decided to hold of this opportunity to run away—even for a few precious days.

When Lucas asked Brandon to give him a lift to Cincinnati, Brandon didn’t suspect the guy was running away without anyone to know. So, of course, he was a little mad when he found out. He could lose his job for it, oh crap. But after Lucas explained how was his life and how he needed just a few days of freedom, Brandon agreed to take the pop-rock star with him. The fact Lucas was hot, it was just a bonus. So bad the guy was straight, right? Well, at least it was what the media had said.

I really enjoyed reading it. Ok, It was a little frustrating as well, but I’ll explain it in a second. Let’s talk about the good things first.

This book is part of States of Love series. In this series, each author selects one state and surround their story around that area. Ohio is where Runaway Rock Star’s story took place and I really liked to know more about this state: some of its sights and culture.

I also loved the writing. It was easy and fluid.

The characters were great, really great. How can you not love Lucas Black and his energy? He was like a kid in a candy shop since that was the first time he had a little freedom in years. And Brandon was a sweetheart for following Lucas and giving him something good and simple in his life for a few days. Loved them both. I connected with them. And I cheered for them to be together. I also felt empathy for Lucas and his story and was crossing my fingers for him to break free from his father.

There wasn’t insta-love or insta-lust and it just earn the book extra points with me. I liked how their friendship was developed and how the characters evolved. Their chats were so nice to read. I especially loved it when they had good conversations, discovering what each other liked and the things they had in common.

The frustrating thing about this book was the length. It was too short and the story felt rushed in some parts, where it could be more elaborated.

Also, the end was a little abrupt. I was like “What? Already finished? NOO! I want more!”.

This book really needs a sequel.

Besides these negative points, It was a good story, light, sweet and low angst. I really liked to read it.

The cover art by Anna Sikorska is pretty and suits the book.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 87 pages

Publication: May 10th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press

Séries: States of love

Main Characters

Lucas Black, Bradon Harris

An Alisa Release Day Review: Breaking the Ice by Tali Spencer

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

For Matt Wasko, February in Wisconsin is the best time of the year, and ice fishing on Lake Winnebago is his idea of heaven. With shanty villages cropping up, barbeques on the ice, monster sturgeon to spear, and plenty of booze to keep everybody warm, things couldn’t be better—until a surprise storm hits and an uninvited guest shows up at his frozen doorstep.

Matt’s not happy to see John Lutz, a coworker who cracks lame gay jokes at Matt’s expense. But John’s flimsy new ice shelter got blown across the lake, and it wouldn’t be right to leave even a jerk outside to freeze. Would it?

In the close quarters of Matt’s fabulous ice shanty, between stripping off wet clothes, misadventures with bait, and a fighting trophy-sized walleye, the two men discover creative ways to keep the cold at bay. And when John confesses his long-running attraction, Matt must decide if he can believe in John’s change of heart—and crack the ice for a chance at finding love.

This was an interesting story. Matt has been looking forward to his vacation during sturgeon season and is highly disappointed when his coworker, John, shows up on the lake. When he gives John shelter he gets the opportunity to see a different side of the man than the one he has been working with for months.

So….basically John has been acting like an idiot trying to blend in and hiding himself. We see how much his actions have been hurting Matt and his presence at Matt’s refuge puts an immediate damper on things. John has really been hurting himself too but once he has a chance to admit his feelings to Matt he doesn’t want to hide anymore. These two jump pretty quickly into their relationship and it’s a little hard to believe that Matt is able to let go of John’s past actions, but they seem to build a pretty solid relationship. The community of people who gather to spear sturgeons and everything along with it are quite interesting.

Cover art by Anne Cain is a great background for this story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 86 pages

Published: April 19, 2017 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 9781635334142

Edition Language: English

Series: A States of Love Story

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Joy (States of Love) by C.S. Poe

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Down on his luck is Gideon Joy’s default state. He doesn’t know why he expected anything different on his cross-country trip, but not surprisingly, the hits keep coming—literally this time. Gideon strikes a moose with his car in New Hampshire, not only totaling his own vehicle, but damaging one belonging to local construction worker Silas Bright. He has no choice but to stay in Lancaster and take a job that’ll pay for the repairs. And in a town so small, Gideon’s always running into Silas. What starts as annoyance between them soon blooms into something much more romantic. But when Gideon’s notorious bad luck rears its head yet again, how many disastrous dates will Silas be willing to weather before realizing Gideon’s not worth it?

Despite Gideon’s desire to remain in the quaint community that has accepted him as one of their own, past fears of inadequacy threaten the very joy he left Los Angeles to discover. If he’s to find a happily ever after with Silas, Gideon must learn that sometimes it’s okay to not be the best. And true happiness might be waiting in a small town nestled among the great White Mountains.

Do you know what I wanted to see in Joy (States of Love) by C.S. Poe that I didn’t get? More length! More of this wonderful story! I felt as though I was just settling down into the town and couple when it stopped. Not abruptly, no that irritates me to no end but just too early.

You see, by the time, the author brings this story to a close, I was emotionally invested in Gideon Joy’s emotional journey, his growth as a person and the happiness he had found in this small town and with the shy wonderful man, Silas Bright. I had just gotten to know the town regulars, some of their habits and gotten glimpses of the promising future ahead for Gideon and those people coming to care for him. And ending at 76 pages? It just wasn’t enough!

Poe had done way too good a job with the characterizations and the location. I felt as though I knew these people and that town. While I wasn’t ready to move in (way too cold up there for me), it was close thing. The author did a beautiful job of connecting me to all these people, not just the MC’s and then set me loose. From the opening sequence ~ that darn moose ~ through all the amazing small town feel that Poe brings alive so vividly right up to looking at the Milky Way spread across the night sky, I felt I was walking, working and, yes, sometimes, wondering with Gideon as he worked things through in his mind and heart.

Sigh.

Is it any wonder I would love to see this couple and town revisited? Nope, 76 pages wasn’t anywhere near enough.

But while I’m hoping for that to happen, I’m recommending you all pick this up and see for yourself why I love it so.

Cover Artist: Reese Dante. I love this cover. It captures the character and attitude perfectly.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 76 pages
Expected publication: April 5th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781635333503
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesStates of Love setting New Hampshire (United States)

Ken Bachtold on Writing, Stories and his latest ‘A Company of Players’ (guest blog)

A Company of Players (States of Love) by Ken Bachtold
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Available for Purchase at

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Ken Bachtold here today answering our questions and talking about his release A Company of Players, the latest in Dreamspinner Press’ States of Love series. Welcome, Ken, tell us about yourself, writing and your story!

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Ken Bachtold: First of all, being a great fan of the whimsical, I love the title of your blog! Makes me smile! Also, I think your question and answer approach is the very best way to understand an author, and I’m delighted to answer all your questions.

I do put a lot of my own thoughts and actions into my characters, particularly the protagonist, also the other characters often say things I think are important. A few of my own experiences do come into play, i.e., more in this story than any of the others, since I did come to New York (not with a Barb) and I did start my own theater company called, surprisingly, A Company Of Players, the origin of which is explained in the book. The trip to the used theater seating company is right out of my experience. (I can still see those beautiful light blue seats that were too impractical to be used). However, most of the rest is made up. The local color (New York) is almost all authentic (i.e. the little square, so important in the story, actually exists), as I do live in New York (and I did come from San Francisco, where my knowledge, with research, remembers affectionately, The Fairmont Hotel.) I have a BA & MA in Theater with a minor in Art from San Francisco State University, so all of the theater references are spot on.

Yes! Research is vitally important, because someone, somewhere will have exact knowledge concerning what you’re writing about. Heaven help the author who disregards this reader! One of my stories had the main character going out of state. I ordered a great book titled Writers Guide to Places by Dan Prues and Jack Heffron, and settled on Montana. I found that, besides being the home of the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park, it’s rumored that they have a potluck dinner every 2.3 seconds and they favor pickled eggs and bull’s testicles! After reading all that, and putting most of it into the story, I would never try to describe a different locale without research!

When younger, I read (and often re-read) the Dobbie Gillis stories by Max Schulman (who else would name a female character something so delicious as Poppy Herring!)? I’ve since always been attracted to that kind of humor (Paper Moon, Auntie Mame, etc. For instance, I loved the movie Deadpool.) My main characters in this story, Nick and Barb are constantly (with good humor) teasing each other and trying for one-upmanship. I feel it keeps the dialogue bright and interesting. Although, I do have moments of very serious conversations. Also, when I found her, I read all the Regency romances by Georgette Heyer (the very best in the genre) for their authentic period descriptions as well as the wonderful stories, and, when desperate, I must confess I even read Barbara Cartland (one of her heroines was named Panthia – which I thought rather pretentious.) My favorite main stream authors are Lee Child’s Streacher stories, and anything by Jonathan Kellerman and Dick Francis. As for MM stories, my most favorite novelist is Pat Henshaw, a fellow Dreamspinner author.

I’ve never had to put an “in progress” story aside because of emotional angst, because I never let my characters get to that absolute desperation point. Worry, insecurity etc., but never any truly painful stress. Their hearts may ache, or even shatter a bit, but they never bleed to death! I’ve always hated sad endings and with movies I won’t even go to one, because the depression stays with me for days. So, too, with books. I’ve literally thrown an MM book on the floor when at the very end, the characters look sadly at each other as the sun sets over the beach, and then they walk in different directions. Grrrr!

I have had to put a story aside when I get two ideas going at the same time. I write just enough to get my ideas down and then put one away. I’m very linear, not a multitasker! At the moment, I’ve had to put aside one titled Looking Back For Tomorrow and concentrate on another titled Something Happened In Paris (I was lucky once, being able to go there (had never been out of the U.S.) with a stage production – as a friend – and I remember it vividly – but research, I will faithfully do)!

I have mixed feelings about the e-book phenomenon. As a reader, I feel like a traitor when I read my Kindle (and its most likely storage of 400 or so MM books, as well as detective stories) but they’re so convenient and handy. Books tend to get dropped and lost. (I once dropped an almost-finished paperback onto the subway tracks and, stupidly, looked both ways and dropped down and then back up to retrieve it. Well . . . I had to find out how it ended!) As an author, I’d much rather be published in paperback and have the actual book in hand, as there’s something too ephemeral about e-books! I plan, for the first time, to exhibit at the Rainbow Book Fair, and it would be great to have all of my books in paperback form instead of only two!

Re: Covers! With my second book published by Dreamspinner, All By Myself, I discovered cover artist Reese Dante, who in my opinion is the greatest! I was so delighted that I requested her expertise on my next book, Mood Indigo as well as this current one. She is outstanding, as she always has faint depictions of the scenes of the book in the background behind the figures and/or faces. And her color palette and font choice are always exquisite, and perfectly fitting to the mood of the book!

Do I have a favorite among my stories? OMG, that’s like asking a mother if she has a favorite child. I love all my books equally, and you would never hear me even murmur otherwise! After all, I wouldn’t want to hurt any feelings, and I would if any one of them thought they weren’t number one!!

I came to my writing in kind of a roundabout way. I had a terrible time finding MM books that I liked to read. I found most of them (but not all) rather weak on character and plot and heavy on minutely described sex scenes every two or three pages. To my mind, they bordered from kind of sleazy to absolute porn. I discovered (in an Advocate article that most of the writers were women and most of the readers were youngish girls). But . . . what about guys like me? So, I decided that instead of just moaning, I would try to write the kind of book I favored. Writing was not so foreign to me, as I’d written four musicals, book, music and lyrics and a very successful play (Starting Over) produced at the Ninth Annual Fresh Fruit Festival). So, figuratively, pen in hand, I forged ahead. When I finished my first one (Seeing The Same Blue) I figured, why not go for it? So, I sent it to the firm I believed to be the Cadillac of publishing houses, Dreamspinner Press. I nearly fell off my chair when I was fortunate enough that they accepted it! And, I was off and running. I write books heavy on plot and character, with, I hope scintillating dialogue and some titillation along the way. Luckily, I’ve found an audience that likes my kind of book and I’ve had some very nice comments on Amazon. (Also, a few real stinkers – but that’s to be expected.)

Well, I hope I haven’t gone on too long, and that the last paragraph is not off-putting. It’s been a real kick to be able to detail all these things about me and my books, and I thank you for the structure you provide!

Yours in whimsy,

Ken Bachtold

Friendlykenn@aol.com

About A Company Of Players

Leaving romantic wreckage behind him, Nick Charles and his best friend Barb Anderson use Nick’s sizable inheritance to fly to one of the most exciting places in the world—New York City—with plans to open their own theater. In doing so, they meet Ross Taylor, the handsome real estate man and actor, and Rudy his construction-worker cousin. Ross is determined to heal Nick’s fragile heart, while shy Rudy and oblivious Barb stumble toward their own connection. Will Rosie Dupree, a rigid method actress, and talented but devious Gordon Holmes destroy their theater dreams? Was choosing the original piece, Starting Over, by an unpublished young playwright the best move for opening night? Will the invited critic show up? Amid the frantic and colorful world of the New York City theater scene, Nick and Barb must open their hearts and risk everything for their endeavors to succeed—both on the stage and behind the scenes.

About the Author

Ken Bachtold

BA & MA from San Francisco State University in Theatre (Acting and Directing) with a minor in Art.

When I constantly had trouble finding the type of book I liked to read, I finally said to myself, “Why don’t you stop moaning and write one yourself?” So I did. I was thrilled to the marrow (literally) when Dreamspinner accepted Seeing the Same Blue. Then followed acceptance of Blue Valentine Blues, part of their Valentine anthology. Next, came acceptance of All By Myself, Mood Indigo and now A Company Of Players is being released on March 22, 2017. My cup runeth over! All books can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Before that, Outskirts Press published Love Like Lightning – Ten Stories of Love at First Sight, also on Amazon.

My original play, Starting Over (which I also directed), was just staged as part of the Ninth Annual Fresh Fruit Festival here in New York. Audience reaction was terrific. It was one of nine plays accepted out of 60 submitted. It was an MM romance. The blurb in the brochure for the festival read, “A play about love and loss. Griff has recently lost his longtime partner. Can he find happiness with Ben, the new neighbor down the hall? He’s supported by his sister and opposed by his widowed mother, now remarried to a homophobic preacher.”

I’ve also written 4 musicals, book, music and lyrics.

Saloon (loosely suggested by the old melodrama The Drunkard) which opened The Gatetway Dinner Theatre in New Jersey to great reviews (I can forward them if you wish). It was subsequently optioned by Broadway producer Jerry Schloschberg (who, at the time was, producing the revival of On The Town with Bernadette Peters), but a show sluggishly following the old material opened and closed the same night, and he backed off thinking there was now a “stigma” on the material.

The Facts of Life (a musical about War, Prejudice and Aging, circa the ‘60s) was written at the BMI Music Workshop, taught by Broadway legend, Lyman Engle, and only after several auditions before acceptance in the class. It was deemed worthy of a staged reading there.

Boo! based on the old gothic novel The Castle Spectre was done by several regional theatres.

I was hired to doctor a musical based on Iphigenia At Aulis, called The Winds Of Aulis. I changed the name to Dilemma! and wrote a subplot and mostly new lyrics. Although the play was fully backed, it never reached production and I never found out why.

I’ve written and staged numerous night club and cabaret acts and taught singing for the musical stage for 15 years.

Contact Ken at:

Website: www.kenbachtold
Twitter Ken Bachtold
Facebook Ken Bachtold
Tumblr Ken Bachtold

In Our New Release Spotlight: Love in the Time of Hurricanes (States of Love) by C.C. Bridges (guest post, interview and excerpt)

Love in the Time of Hurricanes (States of Love)

by C.C. Bridges
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Buy Links:

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have C.C. Bridges here today talking about Dreamspinner Press’ latest story in their States of Love series, Love in the Time of Hurricanes. Welcome, C.C.!

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Today is the release day for Love in the Time of Hurricanes! In a lot of ways, this story was a very personal one for me to write. But today, I’m going to talk about my main characters: Lou and Nick.

I don’t typically put a lot of myself in my characters. They often show up in my head, fully-formed, with personalities of their own (See: Hank Abraham in Exodus, for example!) https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/exodus-by-cc-bridges-4242-b

But this book is different. There’s so much more of me in here. There’s a little bit of me in each of the main characters.

Nick has my anxiety. He can’t stand up to his father, and he’s unsure of what he even wants. All of that spirals together into a knot of anxiety inside him, and the hurricane only makes things worse.

Lou, like me, comes from a big Italian family. He loves to cook his family recipes, and play with some non-traditional recipes too. He pulls Nick into his world of pizza, marinara, and skeeball, and changes his life.

Just how does he do it? You’ll have to read and see.

Blurb

The night Nick Henderson storms into Martelli’s Pizzeria, he’s just looking for something to eat. Along with dinner, he finds Lou Martelli—pizza cook extraordinaire and Jersey Shore native. Nick is renting a Shore house for the winter while taking classes at the local community college as he devises a way to escape the accounting major his father chose for him.

When Lou offers to show Nick around, heat flares between them as they realize they have more in common than domineering families. But it’s not all fun and games on the boardwalk. Hurricane Sandy blows ashore, changing the place Nick was starting to think of as home. His peace is shattered, and it will take everything he has to keep his relationship with Lou from being torn apart by the storm brewing around them.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Excerpt

When I spotted a pizza place with the lights still on, I took a chance and pulled into the empty parking lot. That should have been a clue.

I pushed open the door, the sudden warm air a relief from the cooler September night. A bell jangled loudly and cut into the music playing from a stereo propped on the counter. I blinked at the sudden brightness after the darkness outside. Springsteen sang to an empty room, not a single person filling the booths with polished red leather seats that lined the wall. I noted the black-and-white checkered floors, a mural of the leaning tower of Pisa on the wall—yeah, like a million pizza joints I knew.

And then he walked into the room, wielding a broom and dustpan and looking good enough to eat.

“Sorry, man, I’m about to close up.”

It took me a minute to find my voice. He had dark hair that curled around his ears, sleepy bedroom eyes, and a wicked grin beneath a noble-looking nose. His shoulders filled out a green T-shirt that had Martelli’s written across it in golden letters. Apparently he got a workout from rolling pizza, because those arms were solid muscle.

But I couldn’t draw my eyes away from the bit of scruff on his cheeks. More than a five-o’clock shadow, it was the kind of almost beard that begged to be licked.

“Um, sorry. Do you have anything left over?” To make me sound even more pathetic, right then my stomach chose to gurgle. It wasn’t anything like a manly growl—it was a tiny twisted gurgle.

The guy with the broom laughed. Fuck, were those dimples? I thought he was lickable before.

“Tell you what. Take a seat at the counter.”

I’d missed the barstools lined up along the counter during my first glance. Instead of display containers with stale pizza, there were napkin holders and glass shakers of pepper flakes and garlic powder. I sat carefully, and I say carefully, because the guy turned his back in order to flip the sign on the door to Closed, and I got a really nice view. Those tight jeans framed that ass spectacularly.

He turned, and I swear he caught me staring. Shit.

About the Author

CC Bridges is a mild-mannered librarian by day, but by night she writes about worlds of adventure and romance. When she’s not busy solving puzzles in an escape room, she can be found diving into comics or binge-watching superhero movies. She writes surrounded by books, spare computing equipment, a fluffy dog, and a long-suffering husband in the state of New Jersey. In 2011, she won a Rainbow Award for best gay sci-fi/futuristic novel.

Social Media Links

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccbridgeswriter

Blog: http://blog.ccbridges.net/

Website: http://www.ccbridges.net

Need a New Romance in Your Life? Check out Rushing Love (States of Love) by Meg Bawden (author interview, guest post and giveaway)

Rushing Love (States of Love) by Meg Bawden
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Meg Bawden here today talking about her latest release in the States of Love series from Dreamspinner Press, Rushing Love. Welcome, Meg!

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Hello, hello! My name is Meg Bawden and I’m on Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words to celebrate the release of my new book, Rushing Love, which comes out today! Woot!

Rushing Love is a M/M romance story set in South Dakota, USA. I wrote it for the States of Love line from Dreamspinner Press and I can’t wait for its release. I had so much fun writing it and I can’t wait to share it with you. Please allow me to share the blurb with you:

After a devastating break-up with the man he thought he’d spend his life with, Flynn Webb takes a holiday to a South Dakota dude ranch. It’s something completely different from anything he’s done before, and it helps that it’s as far away from his ex as possible. Trapped in his own depressive thoughts, Flynn is surprised to meet Grayson Harland. Not only is Grayson a sexy cowboy—one fifteen years younger—but he’s the most charming man Flynn has ever met.

Flynn doesn’t have much experience with being seduced, and he has even less with guys like Grayson taking an interest in him—and Grayson is definitely interested. What begins as a fling while visiting iconic South Dakota sights soon develops the potential for much more. But Flynn is afraid that falling in love again so soon—and with a man so much younger—will lead only to another catastrophic heartbreak. Luckily for them both, Grayson isn’t giving up without a fight.

If you’re interested you can find the story here:

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/rushing-love-by-meg-bawden-8176-b

https://www.amazon.com/Rushing-Love-States-Book-ebook/dp/B01N17O3X6

To celebrate the release, I’m going to be answer some interview questions! 😀

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview Questions

How much of yourself goes into a character?

I think each character has a part of the author within them. Whether it be an actual trait, the way they speak, the way they dress, or even a personality trait that the author wishes they had. For me, I’d love to be as confident as Grayson. While I am not, I made him that way because it’s something I don’t have and would love to. Whereas, my character Flynn, has my shyness and my lack of confidence. While I don’t share a similar history to Flynn, I did give him these traits because I wanted them to be a result from his past. I think all characters, like humans in real life, are who they are because of what they’ve been through to get to that point in their life.

Do you feel there’s a tight line between Mary Sue or should I say Gary Stu and using your own experiences to create a character?

I definitely think there is a fine line between a Gary Stu and a character that’s real. It’s very difficult, as a writer, when you create a character because it is only natural to want everything to be perfect for them. When I write, I’m dreaming of a world where everything works out just fine. I’m dreaming of a world that I would love to be a part of. And because these characters are an extension of me, I’d love them to be perfect and happy. But let’s be honest, everyone wants perfection, right? You want to be that right weight or have perfect skin or beautiful hair. You want to be charitable, but rich, and very intelligent.

As an author, we have to remember that if we want readers to relate to our characters, they can’t be perfect. Perfect is boring. Readers want to see a happy-ever-after for characters that are like them. So, I give my boys and girls a quirk to make them not perfect. For Flynn, he’s shy and has a lack of confidence. He has type 1 diabetes and he’s a bit awkward at times. He’s always must thoroughly think about things before he does it and he hates that about himself.

And for Grayson, while he’s handsome and muscular, with the looks of a perfect specimen, he’s not perfect either. He has no filter and that annoys himself sometimes. He says things without thinking, the opposite of Flynn. He doesn’t watch TV (*Gasp* No TV? What kind of human being is he??? How can he and Flynn Netflix and chill??) and doesn’t understand some references that Flynn mentions.

So yes, they both have negatives and these realistic traits come from understanding people around you. As I began to write this story, these characters told me their negatives. They shared what they hated about themselves and I revelled in it. Putting certain aspects about a character into the story makes it more interesting. And I had fun with them! 🙂

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

Yes and No. I write in many different genres and I usually like writing science fiction or paranormal because I can make up worlds and I already know a lot about the beings that are in that world. However, I do occasionally stick with contemporary, wherein depending on where the story is set, I do have to do some research. For Rushing Love, I definitely did research. I’ve never been to South Dakota, so I used friends’ knowledge, as well as watched youtube videos and researched on google.

Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?

I prefer a happy ever after, mostly because I’m a big old romantic and I like knowing that they spend the rest of their lives together. I’ve had plenty of good relationship role models in my life, from my nan and pop, to my mum and dad, and all I ever see in my stories is the love that lasts a lifetime.

How do you feel about the ebook format and where do you see it going?

I think there are positives and negatives to eBook format. While it’s inexpensive, thus allowing readers to buy and store more books, it also enables pirates to steal and share an author’s work. As it is, authors don’t get very much money and these pirates threaten their livelihood. But saying that, pirates would probably have never bought the book in paperback anyway. I think paperback still has buyers though, because there is something magical about holding a book in your hands, especially one of your favourites. So I believe eBooks and paperbacks can co-exist.

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

As a cover artist myself, I usually have an idea of what I want in my head. But at the same time, I don’t want to impede on an artist’s work, so I usually give the cover designer general pictures that I’m interested in, like characters and locations, and I let them run with their creative flow. And quite often, they’re right on the money. 🙂

Do you have a favorite among your own stories? And why?

I think it’s hard for me to choose a favourite. I don’t have very many published works yet and I think they are all a favourite to me. Each story is a part of the author, so each one is special to them. And there is always something I wished I could change after the story is published. Lol. But they are perfect the way they are because that is what you wrote—what you wanted to say.

What’s next for you as an author?

So many things! Lol. I have so many works I want to finish, but at the moment, my priority is my Zombieville #2. I’m having enough zombie dreams to encourage me to finish it. I want to finish the series by the end of this year. As well as that, I’m working on a M/F story that I’m also hoping to finish soon, as well as plenty of others. As for attending events, I will be at Riveting Reads, which is held in Brisbane, Australia in October 😀

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About the Author

If you’d like to follow me and find out more about upcoming releases, you can find me here:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/authormegbawden/

Twitter: @megbawden

MEG BAWDEN was born and raised in North Queensland, Australia. She’s loved stories since before she can remember and has always enjoyed creating characters of her own, even if it did begin with drawing faces on toilet rolls and giving them names. Writing has always been a passion of hers and she’s loved the M/M genre since 2004, the first book she read being Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez.

Writing M/M since 2007, Meg has never had the confidence to attempt publishing her own stories, but in 2015, she decided that it was all about to change thanks to the amazing friends she’s made in the M/M genre and their support and encouragement. So watch out world, Meg Bawden is coming out to have some fun!

Giveaway

Are you interested in winning some signed paperbacks from me? Then now is your chance:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (States of Love) by L.A. Merrill Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Available for Purchase at Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

About The Author

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Runaway Rock Star (States of Love) by C.J. Anthony Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

Available for Purchase at

Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Blurb:

About the Author

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A Company of Players (States of Love) by Ken Bachtold Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Reese Dante

About A Company Of Players

About the Author

Ken Bachtold

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Love in the Time of Hurricanes (States of Love)

by C.C. Bridges Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Blurb

Excerpt

About the Author

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Rushing Love (States of Love) by Meg Bawden Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

About the Author

Giveaway

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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (States of Love) by L.A. Merrill
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Runaway Rock Star (States of Love) by C.J. Anthony
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

A Company of Players (States of Love) by Ken Bachtold
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Reese Dante

by C.C. Bridges
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht

Rushing Love (States of Love) by Meg Bawden
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht