Contemporary – Page 2

#SampleSunday: Sleeping Dogs

I finally got Sleeping Dogs out in time for Halloween! Here’s an excerpt so you can see whether you fancy a slightly spooky low-heat short sapphic short story. It’s $1.99 on Amazon and also in KU.

Sleeping Dogs

Alice doesn’t think she’s ready to start dating again. Or even to make new friends in the village where she’s come to live with her sister’s family. Will a rainy autumn day and an encounter with a mysterious black dog, a beautiful woman, and a fox cub change her mind?

A 10 500-word Halloween short story in the Celtic Myths Collection. With dogs, bats, a camper van with a woodburning stove, and a fox cub.

Available at Amazon and in KU

Excerpt from Sleeping Dogs

As she picked her way down the steep, stony path toward the stream, she was pulled out of her thoughts by a dog barking in the distance. And, perhaps… someone shouting? She stopped and cocked her head as she listened. Where was it coming from? Difficult to say but she thought it was in front of her, down in the valley. It could be echoing around though, bouncing off the hills. She pulled a face and hurried down the path. As she moved forward, both the barking and the shouting got louder and as she rounded the corner that finally took her to the stream, the culprits came in to view.
It was a woman, and the barking was coming from a black Labrador. The woman wasn’t shouting any longer, but she was holding the dog’s collar apparently to prevent it from lunging into the water. On the other bank stood a fox, with three fat cubs ranged behind her, snarling back. Between them in the water was a fox cub, struggling against a rock in the middle of the stream, trying to scramble out of the current. It was having problems and was getting weaker as she watched.
“Can you help?” the woman gasped, struggling with the dog. “I think it’s hurt. I can’t let the dog go because she’ll go for the vixen.”
Alice was already stripping. She didn’t bother to say anything. She ripped off her coat and boots and plunged in up to her hips, gasping at the cold. She could just… just… reach it. She overbalanced and nearly lost her footing as she grasped the struggling cub, but she recovered her balance and backed out as carefully as she could. The fox was limp in her hands.
She passed it up to the woman before scrambling out. “I think it’s dead,” she said. The woman had to let go of the dog before she could take the cub and instead of running off after the vixen, it lay down and crossed its paws. Oh! Her memory tumbled into place like a key in a lock. The dog was the one from yesterday.
And the woman was Morwenna.

Available at Amazon and in KU

#SampleSunday: Out of Focus

The second Theatr Fach story, Blown Away, is coming out in November. But in the meantime for #SampleSunday, here’s a snippet from Out of Focus for you.

Welcome to the fictional town of Llanbaroc, on the north Welsh coast between the sea and the mountains! There’s a decent tourist trade, but there’s also a very close-knit local community, including resident hoteliers, the theatre/community centre, the hospital, the college, the hospital and the donkey sanctuary. There’s a livestock and produce market every Saturday and it’s a centre for the surrounding farming community.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS, A BROKEN WRIST, HURT-COMFORT AND PINING. A SHORT CONTEMPORARY GAY ROMANCE SET IN A LITTLE WELSH THEATRE.

Luke was furious. Bloody furious. His theatre. His crew. Alex.
He’d got back after a leisurely look round a potential new supplier of scissor-lifts and harnesses followed by a pub lunch with the business owner to find the theatre in uproar. Alex had tipped over on the zargees…which was bloody ironic given it was the approaching new height restrictions about using ladders to rig that had sent Luke on his errand.
He’d gone straight to the hospital and found Alex about to check himself out against the doctor’s advice. Bloody Alex, as well.
Alex had been a thorn in his side since he’d started in post two years ago. It was a tiny theatre and the chief technician was responsible for anything with a plug on it as well as showing the film programme and doing the lighting and sound for shows. They’d done a panel interview and Luke, a couple of members of the board and Lacey the theatre manager had seen half a dozen people. Alex had come out head and shoulders above the rest.
He’d walked in on his first proper day on the job and looked at Luke from underneath his ridiculously long eyelashes and smiled and said something perfectly professional that Luke hadn’t heard, because he was gone. Gone, gone, gone. His heart had given a big thump, he’d flushed from his chest to his hairline and he’d taken an actual physical step back because otherwise he’d have done something stupid.
Everyone on the circuit knew about Alex Tilsom by reputation. Not his professional reputation, although that was solid. His unprofessional reputation, as Luke privately thought of it.
It was a small industry.
Luke had seen whole companies explode because people fell into bed with each other and the detonation when they fell out of bed again meant they couldn’t work together. He’d been at Theatr Fach for a long time now and although there were no actual rules against it, his personal tenet was to keep his professional relationships professional.
So he let Alex’s good natured flirting roll over him, he didn’t respond like he wanted to and he never, ever commented or ribbed him like the others did about his latest conquest. It was worse because strictly speaking he was Alex’s boss. He tried very hard not to be the older creep who letched on his staff.
Newsflash. In this case he did not always succeed.
It made him feel uncomfortable and itchy inside his own skin. Alex was a funny guy. He worked hard, he was good at his job. He charmed passing crew and volunteers into bed and out again with no drama before or after. He’d be gone in two or three years…he was the sort of person who saw Theatr Fach as a stepping stone to something bigger and more challenging.
All Luke had to do was hold on to that thought and not smile back.
He’d thoroughly fucked that up in the last twenty-four hours, hadn’t he? It was his job to go and see what was going on at the hospital. And he supposed he could argue it was his job to stay with Alex overnight if no-one else could, if the stupid arse wouldn't stay in hospital like he should have.
It wasn’t his job to mostly fail to sleep in the armchair in the corner of the man’s bedroom and creepily watch over him all night. Or was it? Was that on the right side of the line? Fuck it, who knew any more.

Out of Focus

Alex has never quite believed he’s good enough. Not as a person and not as a lighting technician. He hates that however hard he tries he can’t get his boss, Luke, to like him. In the two years he’s been in the job it’s become a Thing with him and he’s got a huge crush on the man. He needs to move on for his own sanity and his career and he’s just about to accept a job at a bigger theatre when one of the volunteers he’s bedded and dumped pushes him off a ladder.

Luke likes Alex a lot and has done since the day he walked through the door of Theatre Fawr two years ago. He doesn’t date his staff though, or do casual—and Alex is the epitome of casual. So Luke keeps his distance despite Alex’s constant flirting.

Will Alex’s injury give Alex and Luke the push they need to open up to each other? Or will Luke’s inadvertent discovery that Alex has a secret job offer push them further apart?

A 17,500 word short story in the Theatr Fach universe.

Amazon US : Amazon UK : Everywhere Else: Goodreads

Out of Focus. Gay romance, Welsh theatre, hurt-comfort, enemies-to-lovers.

Guest Post by K. L. Noone: The Naming of Weather

Hi there, and thanks again to Ally for letting me drop by to share a new release! (You’re very welcome!)

“The Naming of Weather” came out from JMS Books a couple of days ago—it’s about 8k, m/m, the latest (perhaps penultimate) bonus story for Jason and Colby, my Character Bleed main characters! In this one, they’re doing some wedding-planning, and Colby’s got a question about names and name-changing…

There also might be some poolside comfort sex. And calligraphy.

This story came about because of conversations with friends, honestly: a while ago—back when I was writing the first draft of the whole Character Bleed trilogy!—we ended up having discussions about whether Colby and Jason would take each other’s names, or if they’d combine or hyphenate. And, well—if you want to know the answer, there definitely is one in the story, and it suits them, I suspect…

A small bit of trivia: I have more songs on the playlist—some Fratellis, a bit of The Doors, and Bright Eyes—but the overall theme song for this one, which is a very Colby song, is “Aside” by The Weakerthans, which I’ve always loved: circumnavigate this body of wonder and uncertainty / armed with every precious failure and amateur cartography…

Thanks for reading!

The Naming of Weather

Colby Kent and Jason Mirelli are getting married. Colby’s trying to balance wedding planning, writing the next award-winning screenplay, and a new life in his new home with Jason. He’s happier than he ever thought he’d be. But he’s got a question or two. He could use Jason’s help, but he doesn’t want Jason to worry.

Jason likes making Colby happy. He’s happy too: right where he belongs, at Colby’s side, together on movie sets and at home. But he can’t help worrying. Colby still forgets to eat, and to put on sunblock when swimming, and now Colby has a question. About their wedding.

Fortunately, it’s a question they agree on…

Amazon

JMS Books

Everywhere else

Excerpt

“Thinking about that…the wedding plans, and such…”

“Picking a calligraphy style?”

Jason had noticed the pen and notebook, then; Colby, entertained and in love, drew a J across his fiancé’s bicep, fingertip a writing implement for an instant. “No, that was only random. Keeping my fingers busy, while thinking about all the emails and production questions and answers for Jillian. Purely meditative, I’m afraid, this time.”

“I like it when you’re happy. So if not that, then what?”

“Ah…it might be an odd question. Or perhaps not. I don’t know.”

Jason moved a hand, stroked hair out of Colby’s face, gently defied the tugging breeze on his behalf. “Ask me whatever you want, cream puff.”

“Well…yes. All right. About the wedding plans…this was on a checklist I saw, and I hadn’t thought, but then I thought, well, if that might be perhaps a question, and then I thought about the question…” He’d begun now. No going back. “Do you want me to take your name?”

“Do I want you to—” Jason stopped. The afternoon skipped a beat, suspended in gold.

Even the breeze got expectant. Hushed. Paying attention.

“Colby,” Jason said, sitting back more. His hands were solid on Colby’s shoulders, one moving to touch Colby’s chin, to ensure their eyes met. He did not move much other than that, as if afraid to shatter a crystal moment.

“It was only a question?” Colby said, and then realized that that’d come out as a question, and cringed internally at himself.

Jason swallowed. “I know. Um…before I say anything…can you do something for me?”

“Of course, anything—”

“Think about how you just asked me that. What you said.”

“Whether you want me to…oh.” He heard it, then. About what Jason wanted: not about what he, Colby, wanted, nor about them deciding together. “Oh. I didn’t mean…I don’t know what I meant. I’m sorry.”

This time Jason flinched, visibly. Grief in those deep earth-rich wells, windows right down into a giant heart that opened up and bled for everyone.

Colby bit his lip, and then, because he meant it and because he had a decent guess about the reaction he’d provoke, grumbled, “Oh, damn.”

Jason blinked. Eyebrows going up. “You swear now?”

“Learning from the best. I could’ve said fuck.”

“I can count on maybe four fingers the number of times you’ve said fuck.”

“Only if you’re allowed to count multiple times as one, because I’m very sure I was begging you to, er, do that, that time. And I said it more than once. About now, and the question…all right, yes, I can hear it now. I didn’t even think about it. About how I…thought about it. Except I’m not sure I do. Or I didn’t mean to. Like George and the flowers.”

Jason clearly spent a couple of seconds working this out, and then said, “Because he doesn’t actually mean the complaining? Oh. Okay. Because the way he says it isn’t what he actually means. It’s what he’s used to.”

“Yes. And…it’s even fun for him, I think.”

“Got it. But you don’t need to apologize.”

“That one’s more of a work in progress, I’m afraid.” He leaned in, leaned weight against Jason; felt those massive protective arms go around him. Head on Jason’s shoulder, he added, “Let me try that first question again, then. Would you like it, and that’s me honestly asking because I want to know, so, would you like it if I took your name?”

Jason made a small considering rumbling sound, a shift of earth under sun and shade. Colby snuck a hand up under the clinging shirt just to touch heated skin and fabulous muscle.

Jason said, slowly, not as if hesitant but as if he’d not thought much about it, “It doesn’t really matter to me, I think?”

Colby, surprised, realized his fingers had stopped exploring Jason’s abs, at the first words.

“I don’t mean it doesn’t matter!” Jason had plainly also noticed the cessation of motion. “You can touch me, baby, touch me anywhere you want. Go on. I mean…I don’t know. I guess I feel like…it’s not up to me. It’s your name. And I don’t need you to do that. It really doesn’t…I think what I’m trying to say is, I know you love me. And I love you. And we’ll be married. No matter what our names are.”

“I know,” Colby agreed. “All of that.”

“So I guess it doesn’t matter to me, but…not in a bad way?” Jason let out a breath, wry about himself or his next thought or both. “Hell, I’ll change mine if you want. You’ve already got four names, and one of them’s Algernon.”

Meet Kristin

K.L. Noone teaches college students about superheroes and Shakespeare by day, and writes romance – frequently paranormal or with fantasy elements, usually LGBTQ, and always with happy endings – when not grading papers or researching medieval outlaw life. She lives with the Awesome Husband and a large black cat named Merlyn, who demands treats on a regular basis.

Twitter : Instagram : Blog (I’ve utterly failed at actually updating the book list on here, but the blog gets updated!) : Facebook : Amazon author page : JMS Books author page

#RAtR: What were your characters like as teenagers?

This month’s topic for Read Around the Rainbow is another brainchild of Addison Albright! As some of you already know, #RAtR is a blogging project I am doing with a few friends who also write LGBTQIA romance. You can find everyone by clicking here or on the image to the right, and I will link to everyone’s post on this month’s topic at the bottom of this page.

This month, we have chosen to pick a character and write about what they were like as teenagers. I’ve chosen to write about Kevin from As the Crows Fly.

Kevin is a veterinarian–I keep having to remember to write the word out in full as in the UK we usually shorten it to vet and I think in the US that’s more commonly used for a military veteran!–and he’s also an artist. He lives on the edge of the sea in Wales and he has befriended a murder of crows, one of which lives in the house with him.

That’s pretty eccentric, right?

When I was writing the story I didn’t work up a back-story for him, he more or less sprang fully formed from my pen/keyboard/fingers. I very rarely do a lot more than an an initial sketch for my characters anyway; any back-story usually develops as I go along. For longer length stories I usually have quite a good feel for where they’ve come from by the time I’ve finished writing. It’s not so usual for me to have that relationship with the characters in my shorter stories and it’s only now I’ve sat down and thought about it hard that I’ve worked out what Kevin might have been like in his last few years at school.

I think Kevin probably wasn’t out at school. But he wasn’t closeted either if that makes sense. He was one of the nerdy kids who concentrated on his results and getting into uni so he could follow the career path he was set on. He was very conscious that if he tanked his grades it would be much more complicated for him to get where he wanted to go.

He was also working really hard at the weekends and in the school holidays, helping at the local veterinarian so he built up relevant experience. And when he wasn’t working he spent time drawing. It was a kind of chill-out thing for him and it began when he started sketching the animals at work.

He had friends; but he didn’t have much time to hang out with them because he had so much else going on. He’s always been a bit of a loner. Not a lonely person, but just as happy with his own company and those of his animals as with people he likes.

Apologies that this is a really short post from me this month…I only got back from holiday on Monday and so far, today being Thursday, I have had two zoom meetings, one in person meeting and…erm…about eight sizeable phone-calls from various professionals about one or other of the children. I’m finding it very hard to get in back in to a post-holiday routine, let alone a blogging routine, but I’m hoping next week will be a bit less mad!

As always, to catch up with the character sketches of my Read Around the Rainbow colleagues check out their blogs here: K. L. Noone, Addison Albright, Nell Iris, Ofelia Grand, Holly Day, Fiona Glass, Ellie Thomas, Lillian Francis, Amy Spector.

Read Around the Rainbow. Writers and bloggers of LGBTQIA+ Romance.

Interview: Jax Stuart

Today Jax drops in to answer intrusive questions and tell us all about their new release!

Morning, Jax! First of all, why are you doing this interview?

A little of both? I’m taking part in the Class of 21/22 project so I’ve got a novella written and ready to go for June. I’m also nearly 30k into an omegaverse book which I hope to have out by the end of July.

What started you writing?

I started writing a book when I was 11 and when I went to high school (we start around 12 in Scotland) my English teacher would read chapters and give me tips. I dedicated my first book to him. Writing is just something that I’ve done on and off throughout my life but I finally felt in the place to make my publishing dreams a reality last year.

Where do you write? (Office, bed, garden, mountain, coffee shop, in a pool, at the dining table?)

I started out at the kitchen table and then bought a desk for a corner of the sitting room. I was studying at the same time and my laptop was struggling. For my 40th my husband bought me a desktop pc and put up a couple of shelves for it. Now I’ve got a little office space between 2 huge fish tanks!

What do you like to read?

I’ll read a bit of everything MM related these days. It’s funny that I’m writing omegaverse with mpreg now, since a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure about mpreg – now I love it. For me it’s more about engaging characters and a good plot than genre.

What are the three books you’d take to a desert island? Why would you choose them?

Ah! Don’t make me choose! Can I have the Hitman’s Guide series by Alice Winters as one choice? If I can have a whole series as one I’d have that one, the Soulbound series by Hailey Turner and the Percy Jackson books.

I love so many books that it’s really difficult to narrow it down. Different books suit different moods too.

Writing is an intrinsically solo occupation. Do you belong to any groups or associations, either online or in the ‘real’ world? How does that work for you?

Mostly I write solo. I’m a member of a few Discord writing channels but we all often write at different times because of where we live. I’m also in a FB chat with a few great authors and that’s handy for advice and encouragement.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I work part time and was studying but am taking a break from that. I’m not sure I’ll go back to my degree because it’s changed since I started and is focusing on areas that I’m not as interested in.

Hobbies wise – I read a lot and love colouring though I haven’t done much in a while.

My house is pretty full. I have 2 kids, 2 cats, a tortoise, and 3 tanks of fish!

My writing has slowed a little since I’m having health issues. Seems I likely have gallstones so I’m really restricted to what I can eat just now without ending up in pain. I think risotto is allowed – it better be since it’s my favourite food.

Tell me a little bit about your most recent release.

For All It’s Worth came out Feb 28th and is the 2nd book in the Second Chances series and is a best friends to lovers story with the redemption of a bad guy. Charlie, MC1 has really hurt his family, in particular his brother Will, MC2 of my first book, So Worth More.

To be honest the whole series came out of nowhere. I’d been writing a PNR but I saw that gorgeous cover for So Worth More and had to have it. I started book 1 in April last year and took what was going to be an office rivals romance and turned it into a second chance romance just based on the guy on the cover. Then suddenly I had 3 other books in the series to write!

I knew that I wanted to write Charlie’s story about finding love with his best friend, Max, but I had another character in mind first. Again, the cover inspired me to get Charlie his redemption. I started it in October and finished it in January. I loved writing For All It’s Worth when the characters were behaving, they were just so sweet and I have such a soft spot for Charlie. I wrote a little flash fiction in between when I got blocked in December. I had a lot going on with work, uni and writing, not to mention preparing for Christmas, so that affected productivity. Having the break helped though.

MC2, Max wasa bit of a nightmare for changing tense mid page!

So Worth More

An M/M second chance romance

Andy ends his friends with benefits relationship with his co-worker, Will, when he realizes that while it has plenty of benefits, it’s light on the friends. He’s sick of Will’s rules and poor treatment but agrees to be friends, minus the benefits because he’s still hung up on the guy.

Will gets the wake-up call he so desperately needed when Andy ends things and discovers that maybe Andy’s feelings aren’t one-sided but he’s got a lot of healing to do before he can be the man that Andy needs.

So Worth More has some allusions to domestic abuse, mentions of former partners cheating, and a whole heap of family drama. While Andy does deserve better, Will does get there in the end. Told in dual pov with HEA.

Buy So Worth More

For All It’s Worth

Charlie needs a second chance at life

Mugged, beaten, and left for dead. Charlie gets the wake-up call that he so desperately needed.

Rehab, a new path, and second chances. As Charlie works to reset his life.

Max has missed Charlie like a piece of himself was lost but hated the destructive path Charlie was on. He cut his best friend out of his life until Charlie changed his ways.

This new Charlie? This one, he wants to take a second chance on. To finally confess what’s in his heart.

Friends to lovers, second chances, and family healing. For All It’s Worth is the second book in the Second Chances series and features Will’s brother Charlie and his best friend Max whom you met in So Worth More. This book can be read as a standalone but may be best enjoyed as part of the series and is told in dual pov.

Content warning for discussions about alcohol dependency and a brief violent scene. The couple also kiss someone outside of their relationship while the other partner is present

Buy For All It’s Worth

Find Jax!

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