interview – Page 6 – A. L. Lester

Fiona Glass: The Strange Case of the Superfluous Sword

Fiona Glass is here today with a post about archaeology and her new release Trench Warfare. It’s a subject particularly close to my heart because in a previous incarnation I was an archaeologist. And I also remember doing work-experience with a County Archaeologist called Steve; and Mick Aston from the Time-Team was very kind to me when I was writing my dissertation. Take it away, Fiona!

Thanks so much to Ally for letting me waffle on about my latest book. I’ll start by saying that one of my favourite TV shows of all time has to be the Channel 4 archaeology series Time Team, which ran for the best part of 20 years from 1994 to 2014. Each episode featured a new site for the team to investigate, and they were always given “just three days” to answer a series of questions, typically ‛how old is it?’, ‛how big was it?’ and ‛is there anything unusual about it?’. The sites ranged from Prehistoric caves to Victorian industrial sites, and pretty much everything in between, and almost all the programmes were both informative and absolutely fascinating.

One episode stood out amongst all the rest for being unique, and even a little odd. I can’t remember every detail now, but I do remember that there was a magnificent discovery (which may well have been the sword referred to in this post’s title). The only trouble was, the team’s experts were thoroughly unconvinced the discovery was genuine: it was the wrong artefact in the wrong stratigraphy at the wrong time. They couldn’t openly say so, though, without accusing the land owners of fraud, so it was left very open-ended – and very intriguing.

Straight away this suggested all sorts of plot bunnies, and I used one of them to write a short story called ‛Trench Warfare’- but substituting a gold cross for the sword. The story also featured a sweet m/m romance between an archaeologist and his assistant, and was published in the gay romance magazine Forbidden Fruit. And then I sort of forgot about it.

Recently I re-discovered it lurking in a file, dug it out, dusted it off, and realised it would work just as well as a book. I’ve added a lot of extra material, including a whole sub-plot about a ghost and lots more back-story about the characters, including County Archaeologist Steve, right-hand-man Jon, and devious businessman Paul. It fought back every inch of the way (I swear I’m never using the word ‛warfare’ in a book title again!) but I finally finished it to my own satisfaction, and published it at the end of May.

The result is an ultra-sweet, no-sex, plot-heavy romance involving a rescue dig to find a town’s missing priory before the local developers build a swanky apartment block. There’s also a set of mysterious stairs, something nasty lurking in the undercroft, and of course, that out-of-place gold cross. You’ll have to read the book to see just how that contributes to the overall story – but I’m hoping you’ll have a riotous time finding out!

Buy Trench Warfare, £2.99 / KU

An Excerpt from Trench Warfare

‛This one?’ Jon tapped it with his trowel.
Before I could reply the stone tapped back. Or at least, that’s what it sounded like. Three more taps, fainter and more muffled, coming from underground. I looked at Jon and Jon looked at me; a kind of unspoken question-and-answer passed between us and with a lift of his eyebrow he tapped again.
One-two-three.
A pause.
Then fainter, more muffled, one-two-three.
‛An echo?’ Jon’s voice was rough; what I could see of his face under all the hair was pale.
‛Must be. It could be a well-shaft. They’d have needed water, and we haven’t found one yet.’
‛True, although there’s the stream…’ He didn’t even finish the sentence. The tapping had sounded again. This time Jon hadn’t tapped first. And there were more than three.
Tap-tap-tap; tap-tap-tap. Tap.
It sounded, weirdly, like Morse code. But that was ridiculous. There could hardly be a transmitter down there, let alone anyone to operate it. It must be the well. We’d probably disturbed some smaller stones, and they were falling down the shaft and echoing. That was all. Except that it wasn’t all. Not by a long way. The tapping started again, and this time it wasn’t Morse, or any kind of code, but a frenzied jag of sound like someone beating, pounding, to be let out. And then the stone began to move.
‛What the fuck?’ Jon leaped back as though someone had poured scalding water on his legs.
I wasn’t far behind. We stared at each other; my heart was pounding and I could feel sweat prickling on my brow. Fight or flight, they call it, and I’d have given a lot to fly right out of that trench. Or to grab Jon and hang on. But my feet seemed locked to the ground. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get out. I couldn’t get out, and the stone was working itself loose. And whatever was underneath it would overwhelm me and drag me back down to—
‛Steve? Steve! Come quickly!’
Concrete feet or not, I jumped at that. But this was no ghostly presence; it was coming from the other side of site. And it sounded hoarse.
Jon took my elbow and hoisted me out of the trench, and then I reached a hand down and hauled him out. We stood for a moment, eyeing each other. I still wanted that hug, but couldn’t ask. It wouldn’t be fair on him when he wasn’t that way inclined. I laughed nervously instead, trying to work out if what I’d seen was a normal, natural force or something else.
‛Steve!’ Ben, the shorter of the Flowerpots, appeared round the corner of the site hut, panting as though he’d been running and waving his arms around. ‛Are you there? You have to come.’
Whatever was under that moving stone would have to wait. My first thought was that there’d been yet another disaster. We’d had burglary, fire, stones that moved by themselves and threats; what was next? And was this what Paul had meant by accidents? I dropped my trowel and ran, aware of Jon at my heels.
Ben had already turned back. By the time I caught up he was standing near the garderobe trench, staring at a heap of soil. Next to him stood Bill, a spade still in one hand. He too was looking down. My heart rate hitched up a notch again. Please God, don’t be a dead body. That would be the worst. The delays, the police involved, the paperwork, even for something that was hundreds of years old. But then I saw Ben’s face. His eyes gleamed with excitement, but it was happy excitement, not dread. I breathed again. ‛What’s with all the shouting? What’s going on?’
‛Oh, you know, just your average chance discovery.’ Bill indicated with one corner of his spade. ‛And it’s only fucking gold.’

You can find ‛Trench Warfare’ on Kindle for only £2.99 (or whatever your local equivalent is) or free on Kindle Unlimited, and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. And if you fancy catching up with Time Team, there are various classic episodes available on YouTube, and some new, online-only programmes on the same platform.

Find Fiona

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Time Team TV programme... Tony Robinson and Professor Mick Aston.

Interview: S. A. Crow

This week debut author S. A. Crow has dropped in to talk about writing, process, and their February release Into the Fire! Please give the a warm welcome!

I’m S. A. Crow a LGBTQ+ indie author. I published my first novel Into the Fire, Book 1 of The Fire Series, a romance suspense novel early this year. This novel was a bucket list item for me and I had the good fortune to take my Grandmother a signed copy on my book tour. I was named for my Grandmother and she is my first and longest role-model. I dedicated the book to her and taking it to her was a dream come true. Everything after that event has been a blessing.

What started you writing?

I grew up in an avid reading family. I was never censored on what I could read because of my age or ability. Growing up with stories made me want to read my own. I often thought of what if’s and how I would’s when reading or watching television. It was natural to include the hobby of writing from an early age. I completed my first novel in my 20’s and then promptly lost the manuscript. When our family went through a traumatic experience I found myself lost in a story again to help me get through the changes. That story became the first novel in The Fire Series.

Where do you write?

I often write on my desktop in the large living area of the house I share with my roommates and family. I recently got a tablet and a bluetooth keyboard so I can go to coffee shops when I feel safe to head out in public again. I think a lot of us feel like it’s a little daunting to be out among people again.

What do you like to read?

This is always the hardest question to answer, isn’t it. My reading choices vary as much as my music. I try to read at least one classic literature piece every year. I love the epic Fantasy Kushiel’s Legacy series. I read a lot of romance novels. True crime fascinates my psychology major mind. Historical novels and nonfiction hold a place in my heart. You can never miss a good mystery or horror novel. I’m a E. A. Poe fan and Jane Austin and I read one of theirs every year. Picking a favorite book or genre is almost impossible.

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

E. A. Poe’s collected works, Jane Austin’s collected works, and the Kuchiel’s Legacy. I can get everything I need from these three collections.

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?

I would have never been able to publish my novel without the invaluable help from some amazing people. My three writing buddies, two of which I live with. The Heart Breathings Writing group and Writers Helping each other FaceBook group.

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

I have two odd dogs. One is a Whippet Black Lab. mix named AJ, the other is a Border Collie Black Lab. mix named Destiny they’re both rescue puppies. They make everyday the best day with their love and happiness. I play Skyrim on the Switch and get creative with my Bullet Journal. I also have a growing collection of washi tape.

Tell me a little bit about your most recent release. What gave you the idea for it? How long did it take to write? What did you enjoy about writing it? What did you hate?

As I said before, my family was going through a traumatic experience that tossed our whole world upside down. I began watching, well, actually the show Leverage. I grew fascinated with the character Elliot (the Hitter) and the actor Christian Kane. I found it amazing that not only was he an actor he is also a singer, songwriter, and lead in his band.

That combination triggered a thought in my mind and I came up with a story with the main character who is an actor, singer, songwriter and lead in a band who falls for a chef looking for a new direction for her career.

I love the element of suspense in romance suspense. I knew right away that this was the sub genre for the book. As I began to write the story I fell in love with my side characters. I love series where you follow a connected group of people and each novel builds on their relationships. I started planning a series based off of the characters in the book. It took me 45 days to draft the novel and 5 years to get it to publication. Part of that time was sadly filled with depression. Another part was that Google held my document hostage.

Yes you heard that right. I sent the novel to a friend for her to do the line editing. She made editing changes and I went to approve them and Google told me that I didn’t own the document. I couldn’t change anything about it. I couldn’t approve any of the edits. It sent me a bit further into my well of depression. Luckily for me my editor found a way around the problem and here we are with it published.

I’m lucky in that I am one of those writers that drafts quickly. Editing is the bane of my existence. I have dyslexia so editing takes forever for me, but I have lovely friends that help me. I came close to throwing my computer out the window when I was doing the formatting and uploading of the novel.

If I have any advice for first time indie authors. Always give yourself way more time than you think you’ll need to format and upload.

Into the Fire

Book 1 of The Fire Series

Raven a chef who longs to get out of the high-pressure environment of Seattle’s high-end restaurants. It might be the career path she chose but it isn’t the right fit. While searching out a new path she happens to meet her favorite actor and gets to cook for him. Confident about her cooking and little else she finds herself falling in love with him. Is her attraction to her famous boss worth the risk of killing everything she has worked for and gained?

Travis is regretting his decision in dating his co-star Jessica and breaks things off. When he runs into Raven at a convention, he is in awe of her talent; he hires her to be his personal chef. Jaded about romance, especially after how toxic the end of his relationship with Jessica has become. Travis finds himself caring more and more for his new personal chef. But, another workplace relationship could blow up in his face again.

Raven’s life becomes endangered by Travis’ stalker, so he pushes her away for her own safety. He discovers with the help of his friends that what he feels for Raven is real for the first time. Can he get her back before it’s too late?

Can Raven and Travis escape the obsession that follows him? Can they find the courage to fight for what could be the best for both of them?

Into the Fire is the first novel in an episodic contemporary romance suspense series, following a group of friends. Set mostly in Seattle, Washington. Each novel focuses on one couple of the group. Into the Fire is the story of Raven and Travis how they meet and fall for each other while an obsession follows Travis and endangers Raven. Can they find the courage to fight for what could be the best thing for both of them?

Buy: Apple : B&N : Kobo Or Add to Goodreads

or read a preview or buy on Amazon:

Find S. A. Crow

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Writing Gay Mysteries Set in the 1880s: Fact or Fiction?

I’m delighted to welcome Jackson Marsh to the blog today to talk about writing his ten book Victorian series, The Clearwater Mysteries. They are complex, engrossing books that dip deep into the history of the period. Take it away, Jackson!

In 1890, when my current work in progress is set, being gay in Britain was punishable by up to two years in prison with hard labour. This came about because the Labouchere Amendment to the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act made ‘gross indecency’ a crime. This law stood in various forms until 1967 (1980 in Scotland), which means being gay was criminal when my romantic historical series is set.

That was one of the reasons I wanted to write The Clearwater Mysteries. Throughout the eleven books, my main characters live under the pressure of being criminals simply because they were born gay. Their love must remain hidden because it is a ‘love that dare not speak its name’, as Lord Alfred Douglass famously wrote in his poem of 1892, ‘Two Loves.’ Forbidden love was one subject I wanted to explore, but there are many others.

Inspired by Jack the Ripper

The idea for the Clearwater Mysteries began as a brain-spark. ‘What if Jack the Ripper killed rent boys?’ That idea set off ‘Deviant Desire’, the story of how, in 1888, one such street-rat renter rises from being a prostitute living in a rope house to living with a viscount. The love theme was ‘insta-love’, and it happens across the classes. The story developed based on actual events of the time (twisted to suit my world), and by the time I reached the end, I realised I hadn’t written a standalone novel as I intended, but the first in what was crying out to be a series. I have been writing the series for over two years now and am just finishing the 10^th mystery, which leaves the way open for another series set in the same world.

There’s More to Romance Novels than Love

I wasn’t only interested in writing a love story where a gay relationship crossed the class divide in Victorian Britain. I’d always wanted to write compelling mysteries, adventures and bromance, and The Clearwater Mysteries contain all those elements. Of my five main characters, four are gay, the other has had a bromance with one, and later, two more young, gay men join the ‘crew.’ The Clearwater world is a gay one for sure, and yet the word ‘gay’ didn’t even exist in that context at the time. The word ‘Homosexuality’ was only just starting to be used in the medical and psychology professions.

I realised that where Lord Clearwater and his friends were restricted by society, laws and expectations, so I was restricted by language, technology and experience. For example, it wasn’t until I’d published ‘Deviant Desire’ that I realised I couldn’t use the word ‘Okay’ because it didn’t come about until the 1930s. (I’ve since edited that, and other words, from the text.) That’s one of the things that irks me about historical fiction; authors not using time-appropriate language. I try not to write in a convoluted Victorian style unless it is how a character speaks, but there is no excuse for using words that people in 1890 would not have known. These days I’ve become adept at stopping myself and asking, ‘Can I use that word?’ The other day, I was working on ‘The Clearwater Inheritance’ when I typed the word ‘Paperwork.’ A quick check, and I discovered that word wasn’t used until 1940.

Fact + Fiction = Friction

Language is one thing; facts are another. Although ‘Deviant Desire’ is not about Jack the Ripper, what takes place is based on events of the time. I love mixing fact with fiction and using the combination to cause friction and drama between characters.

Through the series, we find ourselves backstage at the Royal Opera House, where an assassination is to take place. All the details of the stage, facilities and even the weight of the curtains are accurate. In ‘Fallen Splendour’, I use a Tennyson poem as the clue device, and one of my fictional characters meets the poet. Details about his house, appearance and works, are accurate. Later, we meet Sir Arthur Sullivan, Henry Irving and Bram Stoker and go to the Garrick Club and the Lyceum Theatre. We also break into the National Gallery as accurately as possible. The prequel, ‘Banyak & Fecks’ is the most accurately researched one of the lot, and was a joy to write.

So, there are constraints when writing historical fiction, but there is also a wealth of opportunity. All you have to do is be accurate with your language and research the hell out of everything. And that’s a fact.

The Clearwater Mysteries

The Clearwater Mysteries are an on-going series of Victorian mystery, romance and friendship set in an imaginary London of 1888-1891. The series starts with a non-mystery, historical bromance ‘Banyak & Fecks’ which should be read sometime before book nine. The 10^th mystery, ‘The Clearwater Inheritance’ is due for publication in early June.

The series is best read in order, starting with ‘Deviant Desire.’

The non-mystery prequel, ‘Banyak & Fecks’ should be read before books nine and ten.

Keep up to date with all Jackson’s news at www.jacksonmarsh.com or follow him on Facebook an Instagram

The Clearwater Inheritance

‘No one can take away your name.’

Archer Clearwater will lose his entire fortune unless he cracks a musical code.

If Archer’s insane brother dies, their distant cousin, the evil Count Movileşti, will inherit everything, and with the influenza pandemic threatening the brother’s asylum, the outlook is grave. The only thing that can ensure Archer’s future is a legal document left behind by his grandfather, but the clue to its location is hidden within two pieces of music. Archer has one; the other is in Movileşti’s collection at Castle Rasnov.

Archer dispatches two of his team to the Transylvanian castle, and two to the Clearwater Archives in London, leaving the rest to search every inch of his country house. The men face their pasts and decide their futures as loyalties are tested, and death stalks the corridors of Larkspur Hall. With Movileşti on his way to claim the inheritance, everyone has a vital part to play and everything to lose as they race against time.

Set during the 1890 Russian influenza pandemic, The Clearwater Inheritance is a mystery thriller that takes us from Cornwall to Transylvania, and from the cellars of Larkspur Hall to the Orient Express.

A mashup of romance, mystery and adventure, the tenth book ties up previous threads, answers questions, and sets the scene for the Clearwater future.

You can read an excerpt from The Clearwater Inheritance here on Jackson’s website or here on Amazon. All books available in Paperback, Kindle and KU.

Interview: Kristin Noone

This morning, Kristin Noone is here to chat! Welcome, Kristin! What brought you here this morning?

It’s always fun to hang out with Writer Friends! But, specifically, “Celebrations,” the newest bonus story for my Character Bleed trilogy (trilogy? three novels and two bonus stories so far, and a planned spin-off novel…) just came out earlier this month. So we’re…celebrating!

What started you writing?

I’ve always been a writer – my mother will tell you about me writing a five-page story in kindergarten, all about the Tooth Fairy bringing a tiny unicorn to a little girl instead of money! The stories’ve always been there, to some extent.

I did less fiction writing in college, mostly because I was too busy and also learning to write good academic essays and articles, but in grad school I sort of accidentally fell into fandom (I’ll admit it: Supernatural) and very shyly started writing and sharing fanfic…and then people seemed to like it…and I thought, you know, maybe I’m not bad at this…? And I still had tons of original characters and ideas in my head, and I’d got much better at dialogue and story structure and world-building and romance, so I thought maybe I’d try writing something original, and just see where it went…and now I’m published! Which is still a very neat thing to think about.

Where do you write?

I like to be comfortable, so usually at home on the sofa – or sometimes upstairs in the office if I don’t want interruptions! Often there’s a large black cat sleeping next to me and occasionally yelling for food.

What do you like to read?

All sorts of things! I read for my day job, too – as an English professor – so on any given day it might be an academic study of folklore in the later Middle Ages, or a re-read of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, or Robin Hood ballads from the sixteenth century, or paranormal romance (I love K.J. Charles and Gail Carriger), or historical romance (Cat Sebastian is wonderful, and Eloisa James is always fun) or fantasy in various flavors (everything from Terry Pratchett to V.E. Schwab to Leigh Bardugo to Hope Mirrlees).

I also like reading biographies and histories for fun – especially if they’re outside my usual writing and research eras, so I don’t have to think about them in terms of work! I just finished a biography of Julia Child that was absolutely fascinating.

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

That’s such a hard question! So many choices! I suspect this answer will change on any given day.

Today, let’s go with…first, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (I’m counting this as one!), because it’s so lush and so dense and so vivid, from the countryside world of the Shire to the drums in the deep to the sacrifices of Frodo and Sam, and there’re so many moments to live in; second, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, because it’s heartbreaking and bittersweet and hopeful and beautiful; and, third…oh, this is difficult…at this moment it’s some sort of three-way tie between the first book in K.J. Charles’ Magpie Lord series (because I love Stephen and Lucien as characters, and the world-building and romance are both fantastic), Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice (Persuasion is actually my favorite, but Persuasion is a more melancholy story, I think, and P & P is quicker and more lively, if I can only have one!), and Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch, which is my favorite Discworld novel, such a brilliant character and ethical study, woven with heart and humor and love.

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?

I’m not in any formal writing-specific groups – though I am part of several author groups, especially for LGBTQ+ authors and speculative fiction and romance authors – because I’ve never been good at writing at specific set times, as in collective writing sprints and such! My daily schedule can vary a lot, so flexibility is nice. I do have some author friends that I check in with, and we talk about how things are going and what we’re working on. (Which sometimes turns into collaboration!) And, though I’m less active in fandom circles than I used to be, I’ll still sometimes hop onto those accounts and share ideas or snippets from a work-in-progress, and see what people think – and if there’s a lot of enthusiasm for something, that’s good motivation!

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

Let’s see, if not writing or reading…we do have Miss Merlyn the big black cat, and she requires a lot of attention! Aside from that, the Awesome Husband and I do jigsaw puzzles for fun – there’s such a sense of satisfaction about fitting a piece into place! – and also tabletop board games; we like collaborative games like Forbidden Island, Elder Sign, Pandemic, the Legendary series, and so on, where it’s not about attacking other players but more about working together to solve a problem. And we like good craft beer, so we can often be found at a local craft brewery, especially if they’ve got a new bourbon-barrel aged stout…

Tell me a little bit about your most recent release. What gave you the idea for it? How long did it take to write? What did you enjoy about writing it? What did you hate?

“Celebrations” is the second bonus story for Jason and Colby, the main characters in my Character Bleed trilogy! (Well, really each book in the trilogy has always come with at least one bonus story or short extra…a film review, characters doing a commentary track for their movie, two Grumpy Old Men side characters finding love with each other…but there are two bonus stories that were long enough to be released separately.)

Jason and Colby are some of the most ‘real’ characters I’ve had living in my head, and they’re both such giant nerds – it’s something they bond over, in the trilogy, while on set and being actors in a historical gay Napoleonic Wars drama and slowly falling in love. They both love fantasy, Jason’s a Dungeons & Dragons geek, Colby does fantasy-inspired calligraphy for fun and totally knows how to bake Elvish bread…so I really, really wanted to send them to a Comic-Con. Of course they’re also working – promoting a new movie – and it’s also very hurt/comfort-y because Colby’s still not great with crowds, and I have a terrible weakness for hurt/comfort tropes. So all of that was wonderfully fun. Plus they’re properly married now – jumping ahead just a bit in the timeline – so Jason gets to be all sappy and emotional, at least in his head, about calling Colby his husband. He’s a big soft very muscular romantic at heart, really.

I wrote “Celebrations” pretty quickly – it’s short story length, so around 13k, and the first draft only took a few days. I’ll admit I almost always loathe writing closing lines; I feel like I have a tendency to keep writing words when the ending should be short and clean and memorable. So that part’s usually hard. I think this one came out okay – I mean, I wouldn’t be happy with it if I weren’t…happy with it! – but I do worry about it! Still, any time you can end with elf-inspired fan art…

Celebrations

For two successful actors, the convention circuit’s part of the job, but for Jason and Colby, it’s a challenge.

Jason’s been a convention guest before. But he’s never let himself relax and enjoy it, too busy being an action hero to indulge his dice-rolling, fantasy-loving, science-fiction geek side. And Colby loves the idea of conventions, but has never been to one. He’s not comfortable with crowds and contact and demands, especially not these days.

But they’ve got a very epic, very gay, new fantasy movie to promote. So they’ll navigate panels and photos and excitable fans together. And at the end of the day, Jason can give Colby some much-needed comfort … and together they’ll discover how much fun this new adventure can be.

Buy Celebrations: Amazon : JMS Books

Find Kristin

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Ofelia Grand: Swedish coffee, cake and small town romances

Hello, everyone! Thank you, Ally, for letting me drop by today. I’m in the middle of moving all my books to JMS Books, so I’m re-publishing a bunch of them, and May is turning out to be the month of small-town romances.

I have three releases this month, actually, that’s a lie, I have five, but Dazzle Me, which was published on May 1st, isn’t a small-town romance, and The Empty Egg, which will be published on the 19th, is included in Aiden and Tristan that’ll be published on the 22nd, so it doesn’t really count LOL.

Let’s just say I have three releases, for the sake of simplicity, and they’re all stand-alone, but they take place in the same town.

When I was sixteen, I figured I’d had enough of living at home with my parents, so I moved. I seldom do things halfway, so I moved 1100 kilometres up north. The place I moved to was a tiny little village with about 3500 inhabitants. I lived there for four years and loved it despite the cold, the dark, and the snow.

One thing you need to know about Sweden is that fika is sacred. You might not know what fika is, and that’s okay. It’s not that easy to explain (this guy does a pretty good job of it), but it’s basically a coffee break together with someone where you’re eating something sweet. We do this every day.

Where I lived, there was a cafe called Simon’s. It wasn’t a very cosy cafe, nothing special at all, but it was the only place you could go to buy a coffee and a cinnamon bun, so it was where we went – where everyone went.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, it was packed. Everyone went there to catch up on the week’s gossip. It was part of life.

When I wrote the Up North stories, I made the local cafe the social hub of the area. I think, in the UK you have your pubs, we don’t have that, not in the same way you do. We have fika.

A place without a coffee place has no soul.

Pet Delivery :: Aiden and Tristan :: Once in May

Scroll on down for excerpts!

Excerpt from Pet Delivery:

The first thing he noticed as he neared the door to the café was several people inside. He glanced at his watch: twenty past eight. What the hell was everyone doing here? He hadn’t expected the café to get many customers in a day, but as he opened the door, he was greeted by no less than seven pairs of eyes.

“Erm…good morning.” He pulled self-consciously at his sweater, hoping it didn’t draw too much attention to his wobbly middle.

“Good morning.” A red-haired woman smiled at him before grabbing a coffee pot and topping off the cups of two grey-haired women sitting at the corner table with knitting needles in their hands. Both of them smiled and nodded at him. A man completely dressed in green with a full beard and dark eyes was chatting to a man with honey-coloured hair and a model’s good looks. In the farthest corner, a fine-limbed, blond man did his best to avoid Gabriel’s gaze, and by the counter, a red-haired little boy was picking at a plate of scrambled eggs.

Gabriel breathed in deep and neared the counter.

The offerings were sparse. Gabriel couldn’t see any of the pastries he’d fantasised about.

“What can I get you, love?” The red-haired woman walked past him and stepped in behind the counter.

Gabriel looked around, wondering who she was calling love, but she only kept looking at him. “Oh…erm…I’d like a caramel latte and a cinnamon roll, please.”

The green-clad man stopped talking and glared at him. Gabriel’s cheeks heated, and he started stuttering, “O-or a s-salad and a glass of water, please.” He wanted to run out of there, preferably before he was served a salad.

Contemporary M/M Romance: 30,911 words

JMS Books :: Amazon :: Everywhere else!

Excerpt from Aiden and Tristan:

Tristan’s squinted at him but didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned back to the red-haired woman. “Could we have some breakfast, Jen?”

She gave Aiden a curious glance, and without thinking, he stood up a little straighter.

“Coming right up.” She gave him a quick smile.

Aiden glanced around for a menu. Didn’tplaces like this usually have laminated home-printed sheets on every table? He could almost see the coffee rings decorating misspelled words and Tippexed old prices, but he still would have liked to look at it before he ordered.

Tristan set off for the table from where he’d fetched the cardigan, indicating to Aiden to follow him over. The other customers began talking again as soon as Tristan sat down. Aiden reluctantly took the chair opposite. Weren’t theygoing to order?

Aiden’s stomach growled at the thought of food, but he wasn’t sure he could digest any greasy bacon or sausages or whatever else they served at a place like this.

“Why didn’t you make the call?” Tristan peered at him from under a creased brow.

“I’d rather wait until the ladies have left, to get a little privacy.”

Tristan did his annoying one-eyebrow thing, a smile almost forming on his lips, but then he turned his attention to the TV.

“Coffee?”

Aiden startled as—Jen?—put down a cup in front of him. He scrunched his nose. Ordinary coffee, probably low budget. “A large latte, please.” He pushed away the cup before she could pour any of the rat poison slushing around in the pot in her hand.

Contemporary M/M Romance: 46,142 words

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Excerpt from Once in May:

Zachary crossed the parking lot outside Jen’s café—no cars there yet—and headed for the door. The bell chimed as he stepped inside onto the black-and-white-chequered floor.

Jen looked up from behind the counter and blinked in surprise. “Zachary! It’ll take some getting used to seeing you coming in through the door.” She smiled. Any hostility he might have sensed before was gone, and rightness blossomed in his chest. This was home. Even if he didn’t have a place to stay yet, this was his home.

“Will there be time to get used to it?”

“I hope so, I think so. I’m tired of moving, Jen.”

“Mum?” A red-haired little boy came walking in from the kitchen.

“And who’s this?” Zachary knew who it was, of course, but he hadn’t actually met Luke. Another pang of guilt hit. Shit, he hadn’t even been home to see the kid.

“This is Luke.” Jen looked at Luke with a motherly warmth that Zachary could not recall his own mother ever possessing.

“Hi, little man. What are you doing?”

“Puzzles.” Luke held up the tablet he was carrying, showing off a puzzle of a kitten that was half done.

“Oh, you’re good at puzzles?”

Luke nodded and went to sit at one of the tables.

“He’s screen-obsessed.” Jen huffed. “I gave him several jigsaws for his birthday, he doesn’t touch them. But he can spend hours playing puzzles on the tablet.”

“Kids, eh?” Zachary grinned, remembering what Jen had looked like when she was a little girl. She was a few years younger than him, and he remembered her red pigtails bouncing when she skipped rope outside this very café. It didn’t seem too long ago, and yet it was.

“Were we ever that young?” Her eyes held a touch of sadness as she looked over at Luke.

“We were.”

With a smile, she turned back to him. “What can I get you? Breakfast?”

“Nah, just a coffee.”

Jen poured him a cup and handed it over.

“The blond kid who was in here yesterday…” Zachary raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jen.

“Kid?” She laughed.

“Looked pretty young to me.” He shrugged, hoping for some information, any information.

Contemporary M/M Romance: 47,776 words

JMS Books

About Ofelia:

Ofelia Gränd is Swedish, which often shines through in her stories. She likes to write about everyday people ending up in not-so-everyday situations, and hopefully also getting out of them. She writes romance, contemporary, paranormal, Sci-Fi and whatever else catches her fancy.

Her books are written for readers who want to take a break from their everyday life for an hour or two.

When Ofelia manages to tear herself from the screen and sneak away from her husband and children, she likes to take walks in the woods…if she’s lucky she finds her way back home again.

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