Lee Benoit has collected all the Paulo and Preston stories into one volume. Love a little kink with your romance? Check out Songbook: Paulo and Preston Shorts by Lee Benoit below and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end.
Cue the music! SONGBOOK collects, for the first time ever, all of the stories in the Paulo and Preston series!
PRESTON is a lifestyle Dominant, recently retired from a career on stage at an exclusive BDSM club. When the series begins, he’s single and looking forward to a quieter life. All that changes on the night of Preston’s last performance when PAULO, a complete novice, takes the place of Preston’s usual stage submissive. By day Paulo does odd jobs and sings in the Sister City Gay Men’s Chorus. After that first night with Preston, however, he wants more. He wants everything. Can a newbie sub and a gracefully aging Dom learn to harmonize?
Each story chronicles a new phase in Paulo and Preston’s relationship and features song lyrics mangled in deliciously naughty ways by Paulo.
Pages or Words: 59,300 words
He was flying from my flogger, and I knew I could break him with the whip. I shouldn’t — he was too new — he’d imprint on me like an orphan nestling. I decided once more on this mad, unexpected night, to trust myself. I would whip Paulo, not break him, and let him down gently once our performance ended.
I examined my control for a split second as I drew back my arm. No uncertainty, no sense of wrongness intruded. I was flying, too, and as much I trusted myself, I found I trusted my surprise sub too. This was right.
He screamed around the gag at the whip’s kisses anyway, though mine were not blows that would shatter him unless I’d read him very, very wrong.
I dropped the whip and removed the obscene gag, kissed the swollen lips, swallowed the last notes of his strange, wild song just as our finale music burgeoned around us. A choir of boys sang John the Beloved’s hymn “Shine on Me,” the perfect song for my last Epiphany on this stage and, I knew now, my first on a new path.
Before dawn and after dark, Lee Benoit is a writer of queer fiction, some contemporary, some speculative, some historical. During the daylight hours she is a professor of sociology & anthropology. In the old days, Lee traveled the world doing field research. Now she lives in the middle of a New England hayfield where being a single parent provides more than enough excitement. Proudly pansexual, whenever she gets itchy feet and misses the world of research and advocacy, Lee invents a new world in her head and takes notes on what happens there.
Tour Dates & Stops: May 19, 2015
Parker Williams, Molly Lolly, Bayou Book Junkie, Inked Rainbow Reads, Charley Descoteaux, Happily Ever Chapter, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Chris McHart, MM Good Book Reviews, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, 3 Chicks After Dark, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic, Up All Night, Read All Day,
My Fiction Nook, Rainbow Gold Reviews
Contest: Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book of Songbook: Paulo and Preston Shorts.
Mythologically Torqued, Volume 1 (anthology)
Published by Torquere Books
Release Date: May 13, 2015
Author Names: Leigh Ellwood, L.J. Hamlin, Eva Lefoy, V.L. Locey, Jacey Mills, Alisha Monroe, Shiloh Sadler, Alyx Shaw, Delilah Storm, T. Strange, Carol Tierney, Angelique Voison, Max Wilde, Salome Wilde, Logan Zachary
Love a legend, or myth or more? Check out this latest anthology from Torquere Books. It’s huge and has something for everyone.
Blurb(s):
Torquere’s largest anthology to date features a total of 15 authors please to bring you 15 unique tales from when gods and goddesses ruled the world. This collection features both m/m and f/f content for your reading pleasure. Dare you enter this realm of Mythologically Torqued fantasy? Be on the lookout for Volume 2 summer 2015.
Mythologies from around the globe receive a happy little twist in this first volume of Mythologically Torqued. A Scottish kelpie, Greek gods and goddesses, a Japanese princess, and demons delight and intrigue in these stories, each containing LGBT elements.
OR…
Whether it’s Greco-Roman gods and goddesses or heroes from tales around the globe, Mythologically Torqued, volume 1 brings together not-so-classic lovers with a Torquere twist.
OR…
Eros finds his soul mate in the arms of a demigod friend in L.J. Hamlin’s In Love with Zeus’ Son.
In Shiloh Sadler’s Clipped Wings, two men on a plantation find love under the most unusual circumstances in 1842 Missouri.
V.L. Locey’s Back to the Garden, Pan hits up Woodstock with the sun god Apollo—sex, drugs, and rock and roll take on a whole new meaning.
In Brísingamen, Carol Tierney offers us the story of a magical necklace, and the payment goddess Freyja delivered to four dwarven sisters for it’s creation.
Delphinos, by T. Strange, is a modern-age retelling of Dionysus’ creation of dolphins.
In Angelique Voison’s version of the Japanese Moon Princess myth, Reiko is tasked with bringing the Emperor’s future bride, the fabled Moon Princess to court, and complications arise when Reiko falls head over heels for Kaguya.
Charged with ensuring Sisyphus fails, Hercules is conflicted by his feelings for the former ruler in Angelique Voison’s How Hercules Got His Bruise.
In Leah Ellwood’s Styx and Stone, Ferrying souls across the Styx is a lonely business, but Charon doesn’t mind—newly arrived Stone is more than willing to keep him company.
No one believes in the Greek gods anymore, and Apollo is in a rut, Ganymede—cupbearer to the gods— tries to get Apollo to see what’s in front of him in Jacey Mills’ Another Night at the End of the World.
Salome Wilde’s Eternal Grind offers a corporate take on Christian Hell, populated with horned and hoofed demons inspired by medieval monks’ fertile imaginations, which follows a pair of lesbian demon baristas, determined to find their own happily-ever-after.
In the distant past, Ero was the god of desire, but in present day, he looks for love with Psy—a peerlessly gorgeous mortal man—and needs to keep a secret, in Alisha Monroe’s The Myth of Ero and Psy.
Bound by chains and defenseless, Thor is being held captive by Garrick, a young man also forced to service until demands are met in Logan Zachary’s Bound by Desire. Together, attraction ignites between Thor and Garrick—can love grow if it is bound by desire?
In Delilah Storm’s The Golden Balls, true love’s kiss is powerful, and Jasper’s sexuality awakens—will Anur be able to keep Jasper in this sleepy little kingdom?
A spurned lover, mythical horse, and a public official walk into a pub—murder, mayhem, and everlasting love result in Alyx Shaw’s The Kelpie.
Tour Dates & Stops: May 6, 2015
Parker Williams, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Inked Rainbow Reads, BFD Book Blog, The Hat Party, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Andrew Q. Gordon, MM Good Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, Mikky’s World of Books, Full Moon Dreaming, Carly’s Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Divine Magazine, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Velvet Panic, Michael Mandrake
Contest:
Contest: Enter to a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Mythologically Torqued’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by Torquere and Pride Promotions.
Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway
New author T. Strange is here with her first book, My Zombie Boyfriend. Check out the blurb and excerpt below and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end!
About My Zombie Boyfriend…
Edward Grey is a medical student by day, necromancer by night. He lives alone with the first zombie he ever raised, his childhood cat, Boo. Edward’s life is simple: studying medicine, training his necromantic powers with his mentor, Mariel, and having weekly dinners with his parents. When he finds a very attractive corpse in a park and brings it home to reanimate, he accidentally creates a sassy, free-willed zombie who believes Edward is the one who murdered him.
With no memory of his former life, Edward names the zombie Kit and tries to win his trust. Kit slowly adjusts to his new un-life with Edward’s help, though he’s still suspicious of Edward’s role in his death and is convinced that Edward is hiding his former identity. Edward is very attracted to Kit, but understands why Kit doesn’t trust him. As they become closer to one another, Kit turns to Edward for comfort and love. The fragile trust they’ve built together will be tested when Kit unexpectedly regains his memory and seeks revenge on his murderers.
My Zombie Boyfriend is T. Strange’s first full-length novel, though she has published several shorter works with Torquere Press. When not writing, T. enjoys gardening, spending time with her horse, and, of course, reading. T. lives in Canada with her wife, surrounded by pets.
Parker Williams, Bayou Book Junkie, Tara Lain, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Molly Lolly,
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Love Bytes, Charley Descoteaux, Decadent Delights, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Cate Ashwood, Divine Magazine, MM Good Book Reviews, TTC Books and More, Andrew Q. Gordon, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, 3 Chicks After Dark
Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘My Zombie Boyfriend’ by T. Strange. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Rafflecopter link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
The Thief (Marine Bodyguards #2) by Patricia Logan Release Date: February 28, 2015
Ready for a book that has mystery? Suspense? Romance? Humor and Hot Too?
Let’s take a closer look at The Thief by Patricia Logan!
Author Patricia Logan Bio:
Patricia Logan resides in Los Angeles, California along with her husband, four children, her grandchild and ever increasing number of cats. When not being stage mom, baking cookies, or scooping kitty litter, she writes steamy, award winning, gay erotic romance and tries to lead her readers on a journey of discovery with more than a little angst.
A Little Q and A with Patricia Logan…
1. Your story contains many elements, humor , suspense, mystery…how do you balance it all?
By having a clear vision of who my characters are, first of all. Secondly, I like to have a great story planned when writing it. All of my books have strong male characters who know who they are or who find themselves and come into their own as the story progresses. The fun thing when writing their story, is finding a great setting and plot to go along with them on their journey. I always have bad guys and they are usually very evil. This makes for ease in storytelling because the plot nearly writes itself. Comedy comes naturally for me because I have a great sense of humor and I love to laugh.
2. A note says that the story can be read as a stand alone yet it’s part of a series. Are the books in this series very loosely connected or do you make sure that each story has enough background that reading them in order isn’t necessary?
All of my series have a central theme whether that be a place (Texas), a BDSM club, or a profession. In the case of the Marine Bodyguards series, the books all have a bodyguard who is a former Marine, but all the stories are completely stand alone. In all my books in every series, there are crossover characters who appear in book one as minor characters, and then they get their own story in book two and so on. Various series tie together by the inclusion of crossover characters from series to series as well.
3. Which character in your book came first?
My bodyguard, Ranger came first. In his case, he first appears in “The Superstar” but I liked him so I decided early on, he needed his own story.
4. Plot or character? Which came first?
The plot came first with this story. I knew exactly what I wanted the book to be about and I plugged my wisecracking Ranger into it. The big burly Marine was a perfect match for my nerdy Landry.
5. Why choose the professions you did for these characters?
Landry’s profession is clearly defined by the plot of the book and Ranger defines the series.
6. If I said you had to choose an element to eliminate from your story, what would it be and why?
As fun as they are to read, sex scenes have become tedious for me to write and I have to work very hard to make them sexy, fun, and fresh. In this case, I have a virgin and an experienced man of the world so they were very cute as well as unbelievably sexy in bed together.
7. What favorite childhood story had the greatest impact on you and why?
I was a voracious reader from the time I could read so it is very hard to choose. I’d say, I loved mysteries like the Nancy Drew books. I can still remember my mother and I shopping for the very first book when I was about 10 years old. It was #2 in the series, “The Hidden Staircase”, and I was hooked from that very first book. Stories like “Stewart Little” gave me my love for sweet and unusual characters and I loved the way E.B. White brought his world to life in my young imagination.
8. What’s next for Patricia Logan?
I am in the process of turning all of my books into audio books and that is a time consuming project but hopefully it will be very rewarding as I gain new readers/listeners. I just finished writing a story with my friend, Rain Carrington, and that will be released in the fall. I am writing a BDSM for a new series, and of course, the Marine Bodyguards series will continue since there are a lot of stories and let’s face it, my mind is filled with an endless supply of hot Marines who need their stories told.
Former Marine and bona fide hero, Ranger Corrigan, is one paycheck away from joining his brethren among the ranks of Los Angeles’s homeless Veterans. When he is offered a great paying job in a palatial mansion, Ranger jumps at the chance for a roof over his head and a hot meal in his belly.
Handsome and cultured Landry Metzel lives too well to be the insurance appraiser he claims to be, and Ranger can’t help but want to know why he’s been hired to protect an innocuous man with no enemies. Metzel certainly won’t be sorry to see him go.
As famous masterpieces suddenly begin disappearing from private collections, Ranger begins putting two and two together. When an LAPD detective starts asking questions about murders tied to the thefts, Ranger suddenly wants to learn more about the man he’s hopelessly attracted to.
A wisecracking former Marine, a man with a desperate secret to hide, and a murderous villain come together in a tale of murder, danger, intrigue, and the crime of the century. Categories: Contemporary, Crime Fiction, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Mystery, Thriller
The Thief Excerpt:
“I know it’s silly… please don’t laugh at me but, I just imagine you came in and swept me off my feet, picked me right up and set me on the back of your white horse and made me… well… you made me feel complete Ranger.” Landry chuckled.
“Ranger… you complete me… I love you.” Ranger lay there quietly listening, probably stunned by Landry’s revelation. “You don’t have to say anything back to me, baby, but I just wanted you to know… I love you.”
Landry quieted, listening to Ranger’s breathing as something suddenly dawned on him. He frowned.
“Ranger?” he whispered. “Baby?” Landry let go of the gorgeous hair he loved so dearly and reached around, pushing gently at Ranger’s shoulders. Ranger breathed deeply, his chest rising and falling. “Ranger…” Landry said a little louder. He frowned and pushed at Ranger as he felt his flaccid cock slide out of his ass. “Ranger!” Landry squirmed out from under him as he finally pushed hard on Ranger’s pecs.
Ranger groaned and rolled to his back and Landry rolled with him, propping himself up on one elbow as he looked down into Ranger’s relaxed face. His long black eyelashes lay against his cheeks. When his mouth fell open, he let out a loud snore.
“Khhaaaaa!”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Landry asked. “Are you ASLEEP?”
Pages or Words: 73,000 words
Tour Dates & Stops:
23-Feb
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
Prism Book Alliance
Love Bytes
24-Feb
Bayou Book Junkie
My Fiction Nook
25-Feb
Hearts on Fire
BFD Book Blog
26-Feb
Kristy’s Brain Food
Lee Brazil
27-Feb
Inked Rainbow Reads
Molly Lolly
MM Good Book Reviews
Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: The Thief E-Book. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
Tom and Frank are both not only shy, they both suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder, so when they meet it seems like a match made in heaven and then they discover that they have so much more than their disorder in common. Their meeting had been set up by Jerry, Tom’s former boyfriend, and Stanley, Frank’s brother. Jerry had cheated on Tom with Stanley and later moved in with him so Tom wasn’t a big fan of either man, but he felt he could be helpful to the shy stranger coming from Indiana since he knew what it was like to suffer from SAD.
Frank came to California to “see the world” rather than remain on the farm where his dad, Joe, still lives. When he and Tom hit it off so well, and Frank even seemed to like Tom’s dog, Pedro (an incontinent Chihuahua), Tom invites Frank to stay with him. Frank’s dad checks in via phone from time to time, and he notices that his dad sounds ill, then he seems to get worse as a few weeks go by. When it’s evident that his dad needs help, the two decide to go out to Indiana to help him, a trip expedited by the fact that Jerry has called his boss with false information about Tom, resulting in him being fired from his job at the bank. It seems Jerry is not so enamored of drug-user Stanley anymore and wants to get back with Tom so this is his way of getting even for Tom’s rejection of his offer to return.
Life on the farm is much more difficult than Tom expects. First, there’s the cows, pigs, and chickens. Tom really hates chickens! And then there’s other farm animals and all the poop they all make. (There’s a lot of poop in this story!) Then there’s Samson, a huge boar who is absolutely vicious but remains the apple of Joe’s eye. Someday Joe’s going to sell him to a sideshow or circus so that he can be seen and appreciated as the fine specimen he is. In the meantime, he scares Tom so badly that Tom avoids him at all costs.
As Tom and Frank acclimate to farm life, Joe’s health deteriorates. Tom and Frank become more deeply committed to each other and Stanley shows up sniffing around to see what his dad will leave him in his will. From this point on, the story takes an interesting turn as Stanley forges ahead with his plans to get in on the inheritance.
I enjoyed this story with its subtle humor and outrageous view of life on a farm. The author’s quick wit is evident, but to be honest, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it rather than listen to the audiobook version. I did not care for the “voice” of the narrator, especially since there was little to distinguish the MC voices, words were mispronounced, stress was sometimes placed on the wrong syllables in a word or words in a sentence, thereby changing the meaning or tone, and the delivery of many of the lines which I believe were intended to be humorous felt flat.
The romance developed along anticipated lines, and Joe’s illness progressed at the pace foreseen, but the author gives us a whammy of a surprise conclusion when Stanley discovers a map to the will and pursues it with all his despicable zest for leaving Tom and Frank out of it. I’m not usually caught off guard or shocked by where an author takes us, but in this case, I was, and it was truly a unique ending in a sweet romance.
I would recommend this book to those who love a sweet and simple romance between two very shy MCs, humor in their stories—sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, a little bit of angst, and a completely unexpected ending. However, I would not necessarily recommend it as an audiobook—as I said, I didn’t care for the narration on this one.
Cover art by Paul Richmond is highly detailed, beautifully drawn, and is perfect for the story, depicting Tom’s antics on the farm with his animal charges as Frank watches with a smile on his face.
Book Name: Chestnuts Roasting Anthology Goodreads Link Authors Names: Toni Griffin, Angel Martinez, Silvia Violet, Freddy MacKay
Four authors, four different perspective on the holidays. Now for something a little different. Instead of a full author interview, I asked each of the authors one question. Where did your inspiration come from? Here are their answers…
Angel Martinez:
Yes. Everywhere. Everything. A conversation, a painting, a moment on the street, Freddy daring me to try something – there are no limits or predictable patterns for inspiration. I use a lot of science news and folktale as starting points, but those are certainly not my only inspirations.
Silvia Violet:
My story is set in Baton Rouge. I lived there for six years so all the celebrating Christmas when it still feely summery outside comes from personal experience. A scene with a barista asking out a guy who considered himself straight just popped into my head one day. I wrote it down, knowing I’d use it eventually and when I started thinking about Christmas stories, there it was.
Freddy MacKay:
I decided I wanted to write a fantasy, so I went shopping for mythical creatures. I like to go for the more obscure, lesser used/known creatures. When I found my “demon” I was hooked because I knew I hit something different and fun for me to write.
Toni Griffin:
My story, Wreath of Fire, is book two in my Smokey Mountain Bears series. It’s my only series set outside of Australia and the reason for that is in 2012 I visited Gatlinburg TN and the surrounding areas. I met some amazing people, had the time of my life in one of the most relaxing, picturesque settings I could have ever imagined. This place needed to be put down on paper. When the idea for the Cabin for Two anthology was being thrown around I knew exactly what I wanted to write. A Bear in the Woods was born. It’s taken me a little while to get back to the characters and write book two, but I can guarantee you won’t have to wait as long for book three.
Author Group Bio:
Mischief Corner Books is an organization of superheroes… no, it’s a platinum-album techno-fusion group…no, hold on a sec here… Ah, yes. Mischief Corner is a diverse group of authors who met on a mountain in Tennessee and decided since we probably were too easily distracted to rule the world that we’d settle for causing a bit of mayhem instead. In addition to making mayhem, we publish books with a diverse range of genres and topics… we live to break molds. MCB. Giving voice to LGBTQ fiction.
Christmas means different things to everyone, but most often it’s all about pulling loved ones close and brightening the gloom. The fire’s crackling. The snow is piling up outside, even if it’s only in your dreams. Time to snuggle up with some cocoa and some stories carefully crafted by the Mischief Corner Crew to warm hearts and cockles.
Wreath of Fire: Smokey Mountains Bears 2 – Toni Griffin:
Michael’s trying to start a new life away from his abusive father, but he’s drifting and not sure what he wants. When he accidentally starts a kitchen fire, the hot new fireman who comes to the rescue is not only another bear shifter. He’s Michael’s mate. Michael desperately needs to get his act together and figure out what he wants if he has any hope of claiming the bear fated to be his.
A Christmas Cactus for the General – Angel Martinez
Exiled to Earth for perhaps the worst failure in Irasolan history, General Teer must assimilate or die. Earth is too warm, too wet, too foreign, but he does the best he can even though human males are loud, childish louts whom he can’t imitate successfully. When a grieving seaplane pilot strikes up a strange and uneasy friendship with him, he finds he may have been too quick to judge human males. They are strange to look at, but perhaps not as unbearable as he thought.
Holly Jolly – Silvia Violet
I’m not gay. I just notice men sometimes. Everybody does, right? I notice Dane a lot, like every time I’m near him, but just because I think he’s an attractive man that doesn’t mean I like him, does it? I’m also not a fan of Christmas. Too many years “celebrating” with my Bible-thumping family ruined the holiday for me. So what if I envy all these cheerful souls dashing about with smiles on their faces? I don’t have to like Christmas, do I? If anyone could get me in the Christmas spirit, it would be Dane with his easy, relaxed manner and his gorgeous smile. If that were going to happen, though, I’d have to find the courage to talk to him and to admit that maybe I don’t know myself all that well after all.
Snow on Spirit Bridge – Freddy MacKay
Alone in Japan, Finni is struggling against the constant distrust, avoidance, and xenophobia he experiences every day. He misses home. He misses his family. Nightmares come all too frequently because of the stress, and well, Christmas is just not Christmas in Japan. Not how he understands it. Distressed by how miserable Finni is, his roommate, Mamoru, offers to be Finni’s family for Christmas. Little does he know how much one agreement would change everything between them, because both of them kept secrets neither ever dreamed were true.
Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy (Please note: Not all tags refer to the collection of stories.)
Excerpt From Snow on Spirit Bridge by Freddy MacKay
Chapter One
There should be snow. Lots of it. Moreover, it should be below freezing with clouds, not this sunny and fifties crap. People should be huddled together and hurrying to get inside. It didn’t feel like Christmas otherwise.
With a sigh, Finni glanced around the train platform.
If he’d been home in Chicago, snow would blanket the streets and salt would crunch under his feet. Shop windows with mannequins would line the Magnificent Mile with Christmas winter scenes. The tree would be up at his parents’, decorated with bright lights and homemade ornaments he and his siblings made over the years. One or two presents would lie under the tree as a teaser for the younger cousins. Warm drinks would be waiting for him as he stepped through the door and brushed the snow off his coat. His family would smile at him and voices would call out to him.
If he’d been home in Chicago.
Tokyo wasn’t home.
A big, bustling city, yes, but not home.
As people hurried from one shop to the next, got on and off the trains, and ran about in their jackets and sweaters, Tokyo couldn’t have been farther from home. Yes, decorations were up at cake shops and at the department stores, but they weren’t the same. The plastic Christmas trees seemed more likely to come alive and hunt people down than give off a relaxing pine scent. They didn’t give off the same cozy family feeling Finni connected with. Everything was geared toward couples.
Since when was Christmas about couples?
A pang of loneliness ate at Finni’s gut. All he wanted was his parents, his brothers and sisters, and his cousins, aunts, uncles, and some snow. He needed to see everyone was happy and okay. Was that too much to ask for?
A chilled wind blasted Finni, and he looked up, expecting the train, but nothing rattled down the tracks. Other people grabbed their coats and hunched. Some young girls squealed and huddled closer to each other. Finally, a shiver wracked Finni, clueing him in to the unusual temperature drop.
Temperatures had plummeted from the fifties to almost thirty since he’d arrived on the platform, not normal weather. In only a T-shirt, even Finni felt the cold.
Finni sighed, closed his eyes, and concentrated on sunshine and warm thoughts. He almost laughed under the circumstances. The people would think he was odd and leave an even bigger circle around him. One more oddity to make Finni miss home even more.
The swoosh and rattle of a train making its way down the tracks caused Finni to open his eyes, watching expectantly with the others.
About damn time. Usually the trains didn’t run late unless something untoward happened. Like a jumper, which occurred more often than Finni comprehended. He risked a glance around and saw the people more relaxed, the extreme temperature flux now gone, just an oddity to discuss among themselves.
The train hissed to a stop, the doors popped open, and everyone hurried on, ready to leave the unusual drop in temperature behind them. While the men and women bumped into each other, the girls giggling as they passed Finni, he still got a wide berth as he ducked through. The crowd moved and swayed in a loose circle around him until Finni got to his spot by the doors and faced the window.
Once again, the seat next to him remained empty, no one sitting down even though the train was packed. Not every foreigner got quite the same treatment he did, but his size—not to mention the blond hair and blue eyes—made people’s reaction to him more extreme. Finni ignored the slight, though it stung more than it had the past couple of months. He’d learned not to notice when people stared or jumped in surprised when they looked up at him or moved away as soon as they noticed him after they sat down. Better to stay quiet and pretend nothing happened than draw attention to the behavior. It only made things worse.
Except today, the unfounded fears of the people he’d rode the train with since his move mid-October dug into him like claws. He sighed, leaned against the windows, and closed his eyes, exhausted.
Sleep wasn’t easy lately. Nightmares waited for him, ones that made it harder to be away from his family. He yawned, fighting off the weariness, but the rocking of the train called to him like a siren to a sailor.
No matter the direction he looked in, Finni only saw white. The snow beat down on him as he cried out. Torrents of wind spiraled all around him, the weather mimicking his heart.
Why hadn’t anyone come? The sky was dark. Someone should have found them by now. He trembled in the cold and felt so tired. He just wanted to sleep.
But he couldn’t. Not yet.
Finni tried to call out, but his voice had given out long before the sun went down.
He clutched Gunder to him. Realization had finally sunk in, but as he sniffed, Finni knew he’d never let Gunder go. No matter what.
He should’ve kept up with him. Kept Gunder in his sights, but his brother ran so much faster than he did. His legs were so long and big compared to Finni’s scrawny ones. Someday, he’d be bigger than Gunder, though, he just knew it. Then he’d be able to outrun his brother.
When they were grown up, three years wouldn’t be that big of a difference in age.
“Hear that, Gunder?” Finni asked in a whisper, pressing his face against his brother’s. “I’m going to be bigger than you someday. Be able to run faster. So…so…so…”
He broke down, sobs torn from his chest. How did they get home? Finni just wanted Mom and Dad. He just wanted to go home with Gunder.
“Mom!” His voice barely made it out, but he had to try. “Dad! Somebody!”
Nothing. He was alone. All alone.
Mom. Dad. I don’t want to be alone.
He screamed and the wind picked up, whipped around him in a cyclone. The temperature dropped farther.
“Finni! Gunder!”
Who was that?
“Finni! Where are you boys?”
“Gr-gr-grandpa?” Guilt warred with hope. He should hide. Everyone was gonna be mad. So, so mad. They’d never like him again.
The wind’s moaning stopped. The snowflakes stirred no more. Grandpa’s huge, hulking figure appeared.
“Grandpa,” Finni cried out. The hiccups came as he tried to get it all out. “G-G-Gunder fell through the ice… I-I-couldn’t reach him. Gunder…he… I-I-tried to g-g-get us home.”
“Oh, oh. Oh, Finni,” his grandpa said quietly. Tears ran down his cheeks.
Oh no. Grandpa was mad.
“My little boy.” Grandpa wrapped his big arms around them and kissed his forehead. “My poor boys.”
Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: First prize: $25.00 GC (choice of Amazon or ARe) and a choice of Tote or Mug from the MCB Redbubble store (choice of graphic). Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for the entry form and for all additional contest details.
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It’s Barry Groom’s forty-fifth birthday and he’s wondering why his partner of twenty-five years isn’t answering his cell phone. Andy should have been back home by now. So when Barry’s cell rings, he doesn’t even look at the caller id until an unfamiliar voices asks for him and his world explodes. Andy and their two beloved pugs, Gertie and Noel, all dead, crushed by a falling crane downtown. Barry doesn’t even know what they were doing there. From there on out, Barry’s world consists of pain, and loss,and grief and lack of direction. His, no make that their friends and even his mother try to console him but he finds himself to be unconsolable, watching the tv video of the accident over and over again.
Faced with his business he can’t force himself to go to or phone calls he can’t accept, Barry heads off to his and Andy’s home in Key West hoping to find some answers and much needed space. Time spent in Key West only emphasizes his status as the one left behind as he works on chores Andy would have done at their house and runs into friends who haven’t yet heard the news. Another change is needed, this time to New York City where Barry is hoping that old memories are overrun by the crowds, the frantic pace and noise of the City. Trying to embrace change in his life, Barry tries everything from online dating to nudercise in his efforts to recover from grief and move his life forward. But an unexpected event brings him home to where it all started, “back to the town where he grew up for one more ironic twist that teaches him how to say good-bye with grace.”
What an amazing story and one of the hardest reviews I have had to write. For the longest time, I would come to the keyboard to write the review and come up with nothing. Or come up with far too much. And I find that fitting because those are the emotions this book left me with. The first part of the story had me as inconsolable as Barry, my empathy so strongly engaged that I sobbed at his loss and raged at life’s unfairness along with him. At other times, I felt empty, hating to move forward with the book, so indelible is the imprint that Barry, Andy, and his memories leave upon you. Grief is a tough topic and an even tougher thing to get through. Who of us has not lost either a person or a pet and been overwhelmed by the vacancy they left and grief stricken at the thought of not seeing or hearing them ever again? Rodney Ross takes us back to those events in our lives through Barry Grooms and makes us relive it all over again through him. And he does so beautifully, the stages of grief rendered so realistically that I felt I was reading an autobiography instead of a fictional account.
Ross takes one of life’s great unfairnesses “why the one I loved” and gives us Barry’s recovery from the worst horror to happen to him, the loss of his soul mate. In doing so, Rodney Ross gives us a character so real I was convinced he bleeds when cut, gifts Barry with a voice so unforgettable, so persistent in its need to be heard that I would recognize it on the other end of the phone or isolate it in a crowd of New Yorkers. It is one of intelligence, humor, deprecation, and sadness. Barry’s outlook is dry witted, reflective and full of loss, less so once he reaches New York. Here is Barry in his NYC condo, responding to his online dating emails.
“During this I received my first dick pic. I primly respond that I prefer a face pic. I get a second dick pic with a face drawn on it. The lips were especially upsetting.”
A perfect Barryism. I will admit to roaring with laughter through Barry’s dating travails whether it was Hugo who Barry thought was “furry as in bear” turns out to be a Furry complete with Cousin Itt’s slippers. There’s Olaf the fire eater, Bryce the actor who thinks Madonna was the first Evita and can’t place the name Patti LuPone, and Boaz the beer bully. And then there is Barry attempting to meet other and exercise during an hysterical session of Nudercise! Yes, it is exactly what one thinks it is. This includes a hard look at his body and a Nudercise participant who uses the time to masturbate instead of centering himself, directly on the mat in front of Barry. Through every humiliating episode and outrageous encounter, I felt myself nodding in sympathy and acknowledgement of the pitfalls and ego deflating scenes that dating after 40 brings with it. Then Barry hooks up with the store Theatrilicious, a theater district shop that sells or rather stores bits of everything Broadway. Its owner is Marjorie Lewis-Kohl, in her sixties, painfully thin with capes that vary with her moods. Soon Barry is working there, accumulating employees that start to look like friends and his life starts to fill up.
There are so many remarkable characters in this story, none of whom ever feel anything less than real as well. From Mr Floor 14 whose daily personal grooming habits in the elevator signal the way Barry’s day is going to turn out to Barry’s mother, Aunt Sarajane, Artie from the store, Marjorie herself and Jarod Pugh, the young limousine driver Barry starts to date. Each is so fiercely unique, so strongly authentic that I kept going back to the bio to make sure this was fiction. And both Key West and New York City acquit themselves beautifully as main characters as well. I love Key West and Ross gets the tone exactly right, no small wonder as he lives there. But Rodney Ross must also spend an equal amount of time in NYC, as his love affair with the city comes across as strongly as the people inhabiting his pages.
Life is full of surprises, some bad, some not so good and some wonderful. Ross recognizes this and brings it into Barry’s tale in full measure. Everytime I think someone or something is solidly known, Ross upends it and gives us a different perspective on that person or that event. We start off that way and we end there as well. In the beginning, Barry is standing in front of a counter as the store clerk says “You change.” At the end of his story, we find ourselves with Barry standing there again, waiting patiently as “Bunwoman” taps the register again. “You change”. And by then, Barry has and so have we by meeting him and living through his journey with him. When I picked up this story and the tears started falling, I never thought that I would find myself missing Barry. And now 340 pages later, I do. I miss him terribly and wish him well in his new life. I know I will be skipping back to The Cool Part of His Pillow for small visits, something I could never have imagined when I started. Some might ask if this is a love story and I will say that it is but not in exactly the way you might think. It is a love sonnet, it is an elegy, it is a love affair with new beginnings while never losing sight of the loves of the past. Pick this book up. Don’t let the fear of loss and the pain of grief in the beginning pass by this remarkable story of recovery and perseverance done with love and humor. It is one of my top books of the year. I think it will be yours too. Bravo, Mr. Ross, bravo.
Cover: Art by Anne Cain. Simple, elegant and haunting.
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 