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Here is a little bit from one of my current WIPs. It's a romantic suspense and first in a series called Gang of Thieves. This book is titled Objective Danger.
This is part of the opening scene where the two main characters have just met. Once they were out of sight of the building and on a crowded walkway Bohai took the cuffs off and handed them back to Mateo. “Let’s try not to do this again.” Mateo pulled Bohai closer and put his lips near Bohai’s ear, his breath was warm as it wafted across Bohai’s skin. “Stay away from my jobs.” A commotion across the street made Bohai turn and look in that direction for a few seconds. When he turned back to Mateo he was staring at an empty space. Bohai spun around, but Mateo was gone, nowhere to be seen. Now as long as Bohai’s client who wasn’t getting his expected delivery would stay away, Bohai’s life could continue peacefully. 
When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it?
I had a friend named Suzy Perkins in grade school who wanted to be a writer and artist. She and I created our own newspaper with articles about our friends and classes. We never showed the papers to anyone, and I have no idea if she kept any of them, but our passion for writing spurred me on to write an essay for a church contest, which to my surprise I won. The prize was a few dollars and a rosary. I felt like I was on my way as a writer then. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Either a writer or an artist. When I went to bed at night, I would either make up a story as I drifted off to sleep or I would imagine painting a picture. I also wanted to be a teacher and would end up being the one in my group of friends who came up with an activity and guided us through it. As it turns out, I’ve ended up being all three: I was a staff writer at a number of newspapers, I taught English composition at a community college, and I participated in a mail art group making artist trading cards (ATCs) and art booklets (decos) which were traded around the world. If I were a Hollywood producer about to put your book on the big screen, who would you want me to cast as the leads? Why? And can we have pictures to drool over? Well, since Foothills Pride Stories, Volume 2 is the print version of four eBooks, let me give you casting ideas for one of the books, Relative Best. Dye a young Harry Connick, Jr.’s hair red, and he’d make a wonderful Zeke Bandy, the viewpoint character of the book. Zeke runs the Bandy Hotel in Stone Acres, California, but his real passion is playing music for the patrons of Stonewall Saloon. Connick would be great at singing the gayified country songs that Zeke adapts for his playlists. I loved Adam Beach in the movie Smoke Signals, and when I wrote Relative Best, I more or less saw his face when I thought of Vic Longbow, Zeke’s love interest. Again, it would have to be the younger version of Beach.
If you could create a new holiday, what would it be?
How about Fiction Day? People could dress up as their favorite authors or characters. Meals could be planned around recipes found in stories. And the highlight of the day would be readings from favorite books as well as the sharing of volumes among participants. It would be like Bloomsday on June 16, but would be held on May 27, my birthday, because, well, I came up with the idea! If you could sit down with one other writer, living or dead, who would you choose, and what would you ask them? I would choose either Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre, or Emily Dickinson, the Belle of Amherst. With both women, I’d ask how she got through her days, what biographers got right and what they got wrong about her life, and what she thought about her continued popularity and her place in the academic literary canon since they both abhorred the male-centric canon. I’d take them both to Dantorels café and have lunch where we’d talk about the changes between the nineteenth century and today. I wouldn’t so much interview either of them, but chat with them about writing, craft, and women’s role in society. I’d ask my daughter Becca to join us because I think she’d enjoy meeting both women too. 
The second half of Pat Henshaw's Foothills Pride series is finally coming out in print - four of her stories in one volume: During the recession at the beginning of the 21st century, many gays and lesbians moved from the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento to the Sierra Foothills. FLAG (Foothills Lesbians and Gays) was formed. This series was written for them. The influx of San Francisco Bay Area gays is now commonplace in Stone Acres, California. But that means big city problems—much to the dismay of long-time residents of the small community. In Relative Best, Zeke Bandy’s hotel becomes a haven for a battered youth. Native American Vic Longbow, who escaped a similarly brutal upbringing, comes face-to-face with it at Zeke’s place. With trouble surrounding them, can Zeke and Vic find their own peace and love? On the outside, hardware store owner Frank McCord is the town’s bachelor handyman in Frank at Heart. Inside, he’s pining for true love, particularly the regard of software designer Christopher Darling. But recently divorced Christopher isn’t looking for another husband. Country contractor Ben in Waking the Behr has always believed he’s heterosexual…until he meets city entrepreneur Mitch O’Shea. Mitch never thought he’d settle down with a guy from the country. Can a gay city mouse and a sexually confused country mouse find love? When UC Davis horticulture grad Fen Miller agrees to help out in his cousin’s nursery over Christmas, he rents a room in sous chef John Barton’s Victorian house. John, another shorter than average man, catches Fen’s interest. But John’s past comes back to threaten them both in Short Order. 
Excerpt “I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. You’ve been a great audience.” The couple at the center table looked up at me with almost identical grins. Despite this being an extra gig in a very busy week, I’d enjoyed playing for their bachelor party—even if it made me feel my loneliness more sharply. “I’ll leave the happy couple with these words from an old Native American chief who, if he was smart, said them to his other half: ‘I will fight no more forever.’” I raised my glass of water and shouted over the noisy crowd, “To Sammy and Ned—may they have a long, happy, peaceful life together!” The raucous audience at Stonewall Saloon whooped and hollered through my words and got even louder after my last sentence. Rising from their seats, Sammy and Ned raised their clasped hands like boxers who’d won a particularly hard bout but now were on their way to a great wedding. As they gushed about how happy they were that everybody could make it to their wedding, I started to pack up my banjo and guitars. Tonight I’d left the fiddle backstage because I was so tired. I’d been burning too many candles from both ends. After locking away the instruments in the storeroom and breaking down the mic and the amps, I caught the end of Sammy’s speech. “If you enjoyed Zeke Bandy’s guitar and banjo playing, remember he’s here at Stonewall Thursday and Friday nights. We’re honored to have him play at our wedding.” When the crowd cheered, I stood, turned, and waved to the fifty or sixty bobbing heads on the other side of the stage. Whistles and catcalls joined the shouts and cheers. I had my fans and a lot of regulars in the audience. “See ya tomorrow, Red! I love you!” some drunk yelled, and the crowd cheered louder. “Oh, cut it out, guys! You’re making me blush.” And they were, with all their yells and waves and hoots and hollers. A cry went up about more beer from one side of the room, and the night proceeded like all the others when I played. Attention spans flew out the window as the beer and hard drinks flowed. Completely sober, I put away the rest of the equipment and shut off the power on the platform that bar owner Guy Stone had designated as a stage. Jimmy Patterson, Stone’s significant other and owner of Penny’s coffee shops here in Stone Acres, California, waved at me as I returned to the barroom from the storage area in the back. “I got a table!” He was trying to shout over the noise. As I limped toward him, men slapped me on the back and told me how much they enjoyed my playing. I kept moving, even though guys tried to stop me and give me requests for Thursday night. One guy even grabbed my face and kissed me, which would have been really flattering, even hot, if he hadn’t stopped, stared at me, and said, “You’re not Tom.” I turned to walk away, only to hear him shout, “Red, you’re cuter than Tom.” I didn’t turn back but heard him yelp like he’d been hit. I ended up sitting at a big table in the corner of the drinking area with a decent view of the tiny new dance floor. At the table with Jimmy sat four guys—flamboyant designer Fredi Zimmer and his husband, staid, reliable Max Greene, both of whom I knew fairly well, and two guys I didn’t know. My eyes were drawn to the one who had strong cheekbones, long blue-black hair, and vibrant adobe-colored skin. He could easily have been a poster boy for the California Native American Heritage Commission. If I could pick a guy to kiss me unexpectedly, he’d be my choice. The libido I thought dead from overwork rose from its grave. While the guys wrangled over who was paying for the next round, I took in the other man to the left of my preferred eye candy. This guy flaunted nearly white-blond hair, startling blue eyes, and a California tan, like the ultimate surfer dude. He did nothing for me, but I appreciated the effect he’d probably have on a lot of other guys here tonight. I could easily see the humor in the three of us sitting at the same table, though. Considering I’ve got bright red hair, porcelain white skin with a thick spattering of freckles, and cornflower blue eyes, this table covered a large portion of the rainbow. Jimmy introduced us while he partially stood to get Stone’s attention. “Zeke, these are two of the groomsmen, Vic Longbow and Hayden Weller. Zeke Bandy.” Both of them nodded, a nod I returned. “Hey, man. Nice pickin’ up there.” Hayden, the beach god, waved his nearly empty glass of beer at me. “Thanks.” I never knew what to say when someone complimented me after a performance. While part of me was floating on the post-performance high, the rest of me was critiquing what I’d done and what I’d like to do over. “Are you recorded?” Vic’s voice was low and soothing, the kind of sound that oddly created a center of calm in the middle of the barroom noise. I gladly stepped into the peace and took a deep breath. I looked down, fleetingly taking in the scarred tabletop, and balanced momentarily on the pinpoint of serenity Vic had presented me. “No, no recordings. I haven’t ever had the time or energy.” I shrugged. I owned and ran the historical hotel in downtown Stone Acres. When was there time to record? “Where do you get the songs? Are they yours?” Vic was focused on me so much that the rest of the table dimmed. “No. God, no. They’re all old tunes that have been knocking around forever, mostly by bluegrass and folk groups. I take it you don’t listen to this kind of sound?” He smiled. “You’ve opened up a whole new door for me, and I can’t wait to explore what’s inside this new music room.” His look caressed me enough that my dick perked, and suddenly I dared to believe my dream of finding a boyfriend and possibly a husband wasn’t as nebulous as I’d always thought. If someone this fine could look at my skinny ginger self and respond even half as much as he was, I was on the right path. I grinned at him and he at me. Yeah, he was too hot for me with his high cheekbones and exotic hair, but I could practice on him and dream, right? Author Bio Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, has spent her life surrounded by words: Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs. Pat was born and raised in Nebraska where she promptly left the cold and snow after college, living at various times in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California. Pat enjoys travel, having visited Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and Europe, including a cruise down the Danube. Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion. Fortunately, her incredibly supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away while writing fiction. Author Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10 Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/foothillspride/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenshaw Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6998437.Pat_Henshaw Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/pat-henshaw/ Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pat-Henshaw/e/B00BPDEDEA/ Purchase Links
Dangerous Holidays by Tray Ellis
The holidays are fraught with a lot of danger.
This is true for just about every family that tries (or sometimes tries to avoid) coming together for yearly meals and traditions. The stakes for managing logistics and hurt feelings are perilously high. A quick trip through any social media outlet will net stories that run the spectrum from bold aunts who aren't afraid to speak their mind on polities over pie to surly grandfathers who serve their pets the choicest bits on the good dinnerware to the aghast displeasure of the host. Our family members are familiar with us and have our long history at their fingertips, which also means they feel less compelled to play by social niceties. Advice columns are filled to the brim with poignant letters asking how to deal with family dynamics. In "A Piece of Ourselves", I explore one aspect of these dangerous holiday fractions -- the one where a couple is torn between spending time at two different families, who both very much want their attendance. It's not the worst problem to have, but it is certainly challenging. Thanksgiving only has so many hours in the afternoon and evening. How many servings can a single person actually eat? Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have the same drawback. I've spent more than a few holidays eating early with one group only to rush off to the second where I am faced with another complete dinner spread. Sharing a meal and feeding ones' family is an act of love, but is it good if at the end of the day your clothes don't fit and you waddle so much you feel like quacking? Pleasing your family by falling in step can be overwhelming! This double dinner solution was the best work-around for a time and a lot of couples do this. Others choose to eat one day with one family and the next day with another, if travel distances aren't an obstacle. And there are plenty of variations on these types of logistics. My characters, Tynan and Carson, struggle with these options as they try to find their way through high emotional expectations. Carson's mom puts stress on them and during the holidays it is very easy to get stressed out. It takes quite a bit for Tynan and Carson to avoid the pitfalls and find a way to survive the gauntlet of festivities. There are no ideal solutions--except maybe one comes a little close: let your family off the hook. Spend time with them when it isn't the holiday and don't let the pressure of one perfect day or meal put you in a cage. If you can, start with not letting your own feelings be hurt and you'll be doing yourself an enormous favor. Relax as much as you can. And, like Tynan and Carson, take the time to figure out how to preserve a piece of yourself so you can safely navigate the dangers of the holidays. 
For the first time, Mischief Corner Books is releasing a month-long collection of holiday-themed tales: Traditional Winter Holidays can be tough for a variety of reasons—family pressures, finding the right gift, homesick longing, and haunting memories to name a few. This collection showcases eleven queer short stories, from tender contemporaries to sweet paranormal to far-flung space tales, all designed to make you want to reach for your hot cocoa and your favorite snuggly spot. Come join us for A Holiday To Remember. 
Giveaway: 
For this tour, Mischief Corner Books is giving away two $25 gift certificates to their eBook store, and two rainbow beanies. To enter, just use the rafflecopter here, or below: Story Blurbs & Info
Life hasn't been easy for Amir since he fled Iran after a brutal imprisonment. The trauma experienced at the hands of the guards left a dark spot on his soul. The one constant in his life since relocating to Chicago has been his lover—now husband—Esmail, whose steadfast love and support has soothed his wounded heart. But this Shab-e Yalda, Amir wants to be the one giving his husband something special, because even after the darkest nights, the sun will rise again. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/watermelon-kisses.html Freddy grew up in the Midwest, playing sports and running around outside. And honestly, that much has not changed since Freddy was small and throwing worms at other kids, except worm throwing has been replaced with a healthy geocaching addiction. Freddy enjoys traveling and holds the view a person should continually to learn about new things and people whenever possible. Freddy's contemporary LGBTQ book, Incubation: Finding Peace 2, won 3rd Place - Best Gay Erotic Fiction in the 2012 Rainbow Awards. In 2013, Freddy's story, Internment, tied for 3rd Place - Best Gay Fantasy in the Rainbow Awards. Freddy's steampunk/SF story, Feel Me, was a Finalist and honorable mention in the 2014 Rainbow Awards for SF. And in 2015, Freddy's urban fantasy Snow on Spirit Bridge was also a Finalist and honorable mention. For more information on Freddy's work, please visit or email: Website: Freddy's Stereograph
Mel finally gets to go home for Christmas. In his absence, his hometown has changed, and Carlos, his best friend’s little brother, is all grown up and interested in a relationship. But Carlos has his work cut out for him since Mel's having trouble seeing past the little brother part and his big brother, Aldo's determined to keep them apart. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/but-to-love-more.html Foster Bridget Cassidy is a rare, native Phoenician who enjoys hot desert air and likes to wear jackets in summer. She has wanted to be a fiction writer since becoming addicted to epic fantasy during high school. Since then, she’s studied the craft academically—at Arizona State University—and as a hobby—attending conventions and workshops around the country. A million ideas float in her head, but it seems like there’s never enough time to get them all down on paper. Website: https://fosterbridgetcassidy.wordpress.com/
Being pregnant is not all it’s cracked up to be, especially when you’re male and a shifter. Even though the world now knows about wolf shifters, their male’s ability to bare young is still a closely guarded secret. Since Corey's pregnancy is now visible, he's been stuck at home working on code and waiting for company to drop by. Problem is, though, the human government wants to know where Corey is. As Christmas and Corey’s due date draw ever nearer, Ben devises a plan that will not only get Corey out of the house, but allows the wolves of Atherton Pack to give the community some Christmas cheer. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/coreys-christmas-bundle.html Toni Griffin lives in Darwin, the smallest of Australia’s capital cities. Born and raised in the state she’s a Territorian through and through. Growing up Toni hated English with a passion (as her editors can probably attest to) and found her strength lies with numbers. Now, though, she loves escaping to the worlds she creates and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come. She’s a single mother of one and works full time. When she’s not writing you can just about guarantee that she will be reading one of the many MM authors she loves. Feel free to drop her a line at [email protected] anytime. For more information about Toni's work, please visit: Website: http://tonigriffin.net
As a security officer on an interspecies ship, Growlan Raskli's experienced in heading off species-specific aberrant behaviors in order to keep the peace. But when her captain asks her to find out what's bothering their sole human crew member, Raskli's out of her depths. She hardly knows anything about humans and she's not a psych doctor. Something's definitely upset Human Jen, something to do with human holidays. The more time Raskli spends studying humans and interacting with the intriguing Human Jen, the more personal the assignment becomes. Determined to lift the dark cloud from Human Jen, Raskli will do whatever it takes—within safe parameters, of course. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/saftey-protocols-for-human-holidays.html While Angel Martinez is the erotic fiction pen name of a writer of several genres, she writes both kinds of queer fiction – Science Fiction and Fantasy. Currently living part time in the hectic sprawl of northern Delaware, (and full time inside the author's head) Angel has one husband, one son, two cats, a changing variety of other furred and scaled companions, a love of all things beautiful and a terrible addiction to the consumption of both knowledge and chocolate. For more information on Angel’s work, please visit: Website: Erotic Fiction for the Hungry Mind
Quiet, strait-laced David Appleton thinks he’s going to have a problem at work. A new co-worker discovered his secret in the locker room. Unable to confront someone, David let him walk away. Now he worries everyone will know his deepest held secret. A secret hidden under his signature vest, tie, and trousers. Since walking in on his co-worker, CJ O’Connell tries to get a moment to speak with the shy David, but nothing works. His last hope—the Secret Santa Gift Exchange party. Perhaps a special gift can peel away the secrets. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/secrets--silk.html A quiet one, Nicole Dennis curled up with the latest book of a favorite author. Since the beginning, there were these characters in her head, worlds wanting to be built on paper, and stories wanting to be told. She began writing during class and continues to this day. Now she can let others into her imagination and worlds that always celebrate the love between two or more people within LGBT, paranormal, and fantasy. During the day, she works in a quiet office in Central Florida, where she also makes her home, and enjoys the down time to slip into her imagination. She is owned by a semi-demonic tortie calico, affectionately known as Fat Cat. For more information on Nicole, please visit: Facebook: www.facebook.com/NicoleDennis.Author
It's Christmastime and the snow is falling. Restoring an old Victorian manor has been keeping contractor Brett Hawkins busy. The project's meant to be complete by Christmas, but there's no way he can get it done in time, especially with the big day right around the corner. Meanwhile, his beloved Manuel Aguilar is grappling with depression, and he's consumed by guilt that it's kept him from putting up the decorations. But his biggest concern is that he may be ruining the holiday for Brett. As Manny struggles, unable to recognize his own courage in every small gain, Brett has a surprise that may help break depression's hold. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/winter-home.html I have my mom to thank for so much. First of all, she fostered a love of reading. According to her I've been reading since I could hold a book and I got my first library card at age 3. Growing up I used to read 100 books a year, but of course, that doesn't happen as often since there's writing to do and a day job. Secondly, I have to thank her for always pushing me to keep chasing my dream of being an author. Who else am I going to bounce ideas off of, and she helps me when I get stuck. Suppose you could say she's my biggest fan. When I'm not writing I enjoy time with my dog, tending my garden, baking sweet treats, walking through crunchy fall leaves and blankets of cold snow, playing video games, and reading! I've a fondness for horses and blankets (is it possible to own too many?) And yes, some days I still wish I was Batman. For more information about Kassandra and her work, please visit: Twitter: https://twitter.com/cheddarsgal
The public library's computer geek, aka Travis, is content skirting the edges of social interaction. He's fully committed to being a boring, twenty-something IT guy who likes his office more than people, a guy someone like Connor would never fall for. Connor, who works on the library floor as a page, is outgoing, social, and charming and everything else that stands for "fun." An interaction between the two at the library on Christmas Eve has Travis accidentally mentioning that he failed to find this year's hottest toy for his nephew. Immediately, Connor goes on a quick hunt online, and finds one. The only problem is that the Craigslist seller is hours away and Travis is sure spending hours in a car with quirky, handsome Connor can only end badly. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/the-christmas-eve-craigslist-killer.html Jill started writing back in the day of notebook paper and erasable pens (blue ink is best), when her mom’s typewriter was out of ribbon. Then she graduated to a word processing program in MS-DOS, then WordPerfect. Her computer sadly caught the Blue Screen of Death and all was lost. She stopped writing for an extremely long time, because “life.” She lives in the upper Bible Belt, rolls her eyes a lot and drinks enough wine to consider it a sacrifice to the gods that her kids won’t need too much therapy down the road. A while back, Jill picked up writing again with a woman’s site and the writing fever spiked. But she’s actually new to publishing, so there may or may not have been more wine involved recently (only one glass was harmed in the making of this story and it was a mason jar so…bygones). Articles: http://suburbanmisfitmom.com/writer/jill-wexler/
Nick is not looking forward to his second Christmas without Sammi, his gorgeous ex-fiancee. She left him on New Year’s Eve, a week after their engagement, and he still doesn’t know why. A chance meeting whilst out Christmas shopping reveals that Sammi is now Sam, a transgender man. As the reasons behind their break-up become clearer, Nick cannot make sense of his new feelings. He is shocked by the deep attraction he still has to Sam, and what that says about himself. It will take Nick's straight-talking family, and Sam’s guiding hand, to help him discover that gender is no barrier to love. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/new-beginnings.html Jayne Lockwood has been writing for most of her life, starting with really bad poetry as a teenager, usually railing against nuclear war (it was the 1970's.) There followed a couple of novels, long since consigned to flames (probably just as well, TBH,) and the hazy idea that maybe one day, she would get something published. Her first successful writing assignment was for the college newspaper of the County College of Morris, in Randolph, New Jersey, where she studied Journalism. Since then, Jayne has been involved in projects closer to home, working closely with other authors to continue to develop their writing. Two pieces of her prose can be found in Chalk Road, a collaborative anthology from local writers, sponsored by Wycombe District Council, and she has invariably been involved in a writing group, as well as running a local book group. She has also had five Black Lace titles published by Virgin Books, under the pseudonym, Savannah Smythe, and has collaborated with glamour celebrity, Abi Titmuss, to produce 10 Fantasies, Abi's collection of short stories. Jayne has also published three M/M erotica stories, Lexington Black, Docklands Diamond and My Boyfriend Is A Dog, under S A Smythe. In addition to that, she writes book reviews for WROTE Podcast, a forum for LGBTQ readers and writers. She helped set up the podcast in 2015 with fellow writers, S A Collins (sacollins.com) and Vance Bastian (vancebastian.com) and is proud to say the podcast is going from strength to strength. The Cloud Seeker is Jayne's first mainstream novel, and draws upon her background as a Chilterns woman and her affection for the US, where she lived for two years. Soon after, she rediscovered the very first manuscript she started back in 1996. After many hours of updating, it was finally published on Amazon. Closer Than Blood is a tale of hit men, blackmail and forbidden passion, set in Manhattan. Both novels are currently available as ebook and paperback, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and many on-line book retailers. She always has at least one novel in the background, and at the present time she is working on her first science fiction novel, working title Euphoria, based on the nuclear bunker near where she lives. For more information about Jayne and her work, please visit: Website: https://hollowhillspublishing.blogspot.com/
Balancing holidays between two families can make cheerful celebrations into chores. Carson Benedetti's mom has overscheduled the Christmas holidays and she's more than insistent that boyfriend Tynan Harris come into the family fold. There's so much to do Tynan can't find time to bring Carson over to his own family and he feels like they are being left in the dust. After dating for nine months, and with their relationship becoming more serious, Tynan's patience is sorely tested by the multitude of Benedetti family traditions keeping them busy. Tynan needs to figure out how to find some breathing room, split their time more fairly, and make Christmas more than just tradition by rote. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/a-piece-of-ourselves.html Tray Ellis grew up across from an empty field, where she spun a lot of imaginary adventures, helping to prepare her for a lifetime of writing. When she isn’t writing, she stays active by hiking, cooking, stacking the odd cord of wood in the shed, baking, and being too busy to keep her home in any semblance of order. Currently she tries to find a balance between the logical way she thinks and the flights of fancy she often daydreams about. Mostly, the daydreams are winning. For more information about Tray, please visit: Website: https://trayellis.dreamwidth.org
Derrek is dealing with the recent, unexpected death of his mother. He’s been alone for five year since his husband Will died, and he’s ready to find someone new and to start living again. Ryan lost his partner, David, in an auto accident, and is dating Alex, who doesn’t treat him right. Derrek can’t figure out why Ryan won’t see what’s right in front of his face. Why does Ryan come to him to talk about all his hopes, dreams, and fears, then go home to Alex? If Derrek can figure that out, they might just have a shot. Buy Links: https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/i-only-want-to-be-with-you.html Scott is the admin for the Queer Sci Fi site. He has been writing since elementary school, when he and won a University of Arizona writing contest in 4th grade for his first sci fi story (with illustrations!). He finished his first novel in his mid twenties, but after seeing it rejected by ten publishers, he gave up on writing for a while. Over the ensuing years, he came back to it periodically, but it never stuck. Then one day, he was complaining to Mark, his husband, early last year about how he had been derailed yet again by the death of a family member, and Mark said to him "the only one stopping you from writing is you." Since then, Scott has gone back to writing in a big way, finishing more than a dozen short stories – some new, some that he had started years before – and seeing his first sale. He's embarking on a new trilogy, and also runs a support group for writers of gay sci fi, fantasy, and supernatural fiction. Website: http://www.jscottcoatsworth.com/
On the colony planet Vega III, everyone knows Beck—outgoing, fabulous, and genderqueer—and nobody notices Anil, the quiet plant biologist. But when Anil finds Beck hiding in his greenhouse, lonely and missing Earth, it's Anil who is able to comfort Beck by letting them talk about what they miss most—the feeling that comes with celebrating the holidays with loved ones, especially New Year's Eve. The two of them are drawn to one another, but both of them are hiding secrets about their sexuality. With trust between them already on shaky ground, Anil's elaborate plans to cheer Beck may well backfire. https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/a-new-year-on-vega-iii.html I write all over the fantasy and science fiction spectrum, including (so far) secondary-world fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk, Gothic, historical paranormal, spaceships, and various unholy mashups of these. I grew up in Alberta, Canada, but now live in an old house in Toronto. My other current passion is contra dance, a social/folk dance done to live Celtic and roots music. My favourite places in the world are the Canadian Rocky Mountains and a little valley in Norway. In my other life, I edit non-fiction for the government. For more information, please visit or email: Website: https://siripaulson.wordpress.com/
A big, hearty welcome to Angel Martinez and her newest book!
Angel Martinez has a new MM paranormal book out in her Offbeat Crimes Series: Carrington Loveless III, skim-blood vampire and senior officer of Philly's paranormal police department, has long suspected that someone's targeting his squad. The increasingly bizarre and dangerous entities invading their city can't be a coincidence. So when a walking corpse spouting Oscar Wilde attacks one of his officers, Carrington's determined to uncover the evil mind behind it all. As a rare books librarian, Erasmus Graham thought he understood some of the stranger things in life. Sharing a life with Carrington's shown him he didn't know the half of it. They've survived attack books and deadly dust bunnies together and got through mostly unscathed. Now his world and his vampire's appear ready to collide again. Books are missing from the rare books' collection—old tomes of magic containing dangerous summonings and necromancy. He's certain whoever's been stalking the Seventy-Seventh is composing their end game. It's going to take a consolidated effort from paranormal police, librarians, and some not-quite-authorized civilians to head off the impending catastrophe. Offbeat Crimes Book Six
About Offbeat Crimes Every region has them, but no police department talks about them—the weird crimes, the encounters with creatures out of nightmares. The 77th Precincts exist in certain cities to handle paranormal crime and containment, usually staffed with experienced officers exhibiting psychic abilities. In Philadelphia, through an odd mix of budget issues and circumstance, the 77th is manned entirely by officers with bizarre or severely limited psychic talents. The firestarter who can’t get a spark when it’s humid. The vampire who can’t drink whole blood. These are the stories of the misfits, the outcasts from even the strangeness of the paranormal community. Call them freaks, but they’re police officers first, serving and protecting, even if their methods aren’t always normal procedure. 
Excerpt "Hunter? It's all right. I promise." On his knees in the room LJ and Hunter shared, Carrington peered under the bed where Hunter huddled in the far corner. "No one here will hurt you." To Carrington's relief, his mom had taken care of nearly all of the arrangements for this open house luncheon on and left him out of it. He would've preferred something with less fuss and fewer caterers but it was only for a few hours. The squad room would survive. His only task now was to try to coax an obviously spooked Hunter out from under the furniture. "I have a theory," Jeff said from where he leaned in the doorway. Carrington smacked his head on the bedframe trying to reach far ther underneath, so his next words were sharper than necessary. "Oh, yes? I don't suppose you'd care to share this brilliant bit of enlightened thinking." Jeff let out a little huff. "Not if you're going to take my head off." "My apologies. I'm not in the best position to be civil at the moment." "I can wait until I’m not talking to your butt." "Fine." Carrington eased out from under the bed and sat back on his heels. "What's your thinking here?" "When Hunter was living on her own, she was pretty careful and particular, wasn't she?" Living on her own translated as when she was homeless, and careful and particular into skilled and cautious thief but Carrington appreciated his colleague's care with Hunter in the room. "So one is given to understand." "I'm thinking maybe someone or several someone's invited today might have been a target. Maybe Hunter's afraid of someone recognizing her and making the connection." Carrington leaned down far enough to peer under the bed again. "Is that it, Hunter? Are you concerned that someone will recognize you from your previous life?" Even with Hunter scrunched in the corner, she still managed a collar nod. "Very well, then." Carrington patted the mattress. "We'll close the door, Ms. Hunter. You don't have to see anyone if you don't wish to." A sleeve poked out from under the mattress to pat Carrington's hip. He took the hint and got to his feet to give Hunter room to wriggle out. She floated up and settled carefully on the blankets with her sleeves crossed. "My word of honor." Carrington held up both hands. "You can lock the door behind us." She slumped as if in relief and nodded. Then she twitched up straight, holding up a sleeve to ask them to wait. Jeff peered over Carrington's shoulder as Hunter pulled a box out from the steamer trunk she shared with LJ. She handed the box to Carrington with a sleeve motion that appeared to mime pulling up a zipper. "This is for LJ?" He waited for her nod. "I'll bring it right out to him." As he'd promised, he shut the door behind them to give Hunter her privacy and found LJ in the squad room with Audacity under one arm. Their kitten wore a scaled-down version of a black K-9 vest. "Don't you look official?" Jeff let her catch one of his fingers to gnaw on. Carrington gave her an approving nod. "It suits you. Do you like your new uniform?" Mew. Miii-iiw. Audacity pedaled with all four paws until LJ set her down. She turned in an obvious modeling pose to show Carrington one side of the vest with POLICE stenciled in white block letters, then turned to display the other side with CADET FAMILIAR. If that wasn't Jason's idea, Carrington would eat his police hat and Amanda's. "Outstanding, Cadet Audacity. Very sharp." Carrington carefully kept the laughter from his voice since she was taking it all so seriously. But it was difficult in the face of such monumental cuteness. "LJ, Hunter refuses to come out but she sent you this." He handed over the box and stayed to watch LJ ease it open by pinching the top with his sleeve. The long slender shape of the box made guessing the contents easy and Carrington wasn't disappointed when LJ held up a regulation police uniform tie. LJ stared at it a moment, his version of staring at any rate, then gave a sharp nod before he handed tie and box to Carrington to hold. "You don't—" Carrington nearly asked if he didn't want it but LJ's intentions became obvious when he zipped up his front and straightened his collar. "Ah. Would you like me to do the honors?" LJ gave another nod as he held himself straight and still. Strange to see him that way. He almost never zipped himself closed and never floated completely still. Carrington stood behind him to get the tie on just right, easier than trying to think about tying one backward, and finished it off with the silver tie clip Hunter had provided. "There, sir." Carrington clapped him on both shoulders. "Almost as sharp as Audacity." LJ had no way to blush, but his front puffed out just enough to be noticeable and who would ever have predicted that? A jacket entity, former street thug and informant proud to wear police issue anything. Author Bio
Published since 2006, Angel's cynical heart cloaks a desperate romantic. You'll find drama and humor given equal weight in her writing and don't expect sad endings. Life is sad enough. She currently lives in Delaware in a drinking town with a college problem and writes Science Fiction and Fantasy centered around gay heroes. You can take a look at Angel's Website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/angelmartinez/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelMartinezrr Website: http://angelmartinezauthor.weebly.com 
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 Welcome to My World
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Watermelon Kisses
But To Love More
Corey's Christmas Bundle (Atherton Pack 5)
Safety Protocols For Human Holidays
Secrets & Silk
Winter Home
Christmas Eve Craigslist Killer
New Beginnings
A Piece Of Ourselves
I Only Want to Be With You
A New Year On Vega III
The unlikely black sheep of an ivory tower intellectual family, Angel Martinez has managed to make her way through life reasonably unscathed. Despite a wildly misspent youth, she snagged a degree in English Lit, married once and did it right the first time, (same husband for almost twenty-four years) gave birth to one amazing son, (now in college) and realized at some point that she could get paid for writing.
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