contemporary – A. L. Lester

#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

Liz Faraim: Stitches and Sepsis

Liz Faraim is here today as part of her OWL blogtour for Stitches and Sepsis, the second in her brilliant Vivian Chastain series. Welcome back, Liz!

You can read her visit to talk about Canopy, the first in series here!

Howdy. My name is Liz Faraim. I am the author of the Vivian Chastain series. I thought I’d take a moment to answer some questions that I get asked a lot. Enjoy!

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

While researching Stitches and Sepsis I had to do extensive research on how sepsis impacts the body and what types of medical intervention might happen while hospitalized with it. I spent many hours watching videos on how to insert and remove foley catheters, nasogastric feeding tubes, and IVs. Also, don’t do an internet search for images of septic wounds (or do?).

Have you ever taken a trip to research a story? Tell me about it.

Yes! I have hiked every single one of the trails that I write about, I have ridden my motorcycle on every one of the routes described in the series, and I have run every jogging route too. I like to write about places I can describe in detail, which is why Vivian stays mostly in northern California.

What do you do when you get writer’s block?

Writer’s block hits me every time I reach the midpoint and end of each manuscript. Breaking the writer’s block sometimes means taking a writing break for a few weeks to re-read familiar novels or just wallow in self-loathing before getting back to the keyboard.

Do you use a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, I use a pseudonym. I chose to do this because I work in a very conservative and heavily scrutinized field for my day job, and for me to feel truly free to write what I want to write, I need to do it under a different name.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Liz, just as you assumed, not everybody is going to like your work (including family). But do it anyway. You don’t have to please everyone. Write what you want, because someone out there will connect with it.

Do you ever base your characters on real people? If so, what are the pitfalls you’ve run into doing so?

Yes, I have based a few characters on people I have come into contact with over the years. The only pitfall I have run in to so far is that the person I based the character Bear on (who plays a much larger role in book three) passed away before my books were published. Bear was my best friend, and we used to do writing exercises where we’d each write an excerpt and pass the story back and forth, continually adding to it. I know she would be so proud of me for finally getting published. I just wish she had lived long enough to read about herself in my books.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It depends! Whatever project I happen to be working on during National Novel Writing Month gets wrapped up in about six to eight weeks. If I am writing any other time of the year it takes about six months. I balance a demanding day job and solo parenting, so I don’t have much time to dedicate solely to writing.

What do you do if you get a brilliant idea at a bad time?

This happens all the time! I have random notes stored in my phone, on sticky notes on my desk, and scribbled on note pads. One thing I have to get better about is giving more context when I make a note for myself, because the current sticky note on my desk just says “gloves,” “daffodils” and “foghorn.” I think I know what I was trying to say, but who knows!

Liz has a prize draw as part of the Stitches and Sepsis launch! Win a $20 giftcard!

Stitches and Sepsis

Contemporary, thriller, ff, lesbian, polyamory, poly, Dom/sub relationship, multiple partners, ex-military, bartender, LGBTQ, queer, thriller, new release, announcement

Adrenaline addicted veteran, Vivian Chastain, confronts the man who has been following her for days, only to find he has a message of dire consequence for her. Spurred into action by his news, she barrels head on into a tumultuous and violent series of events. Stoic and stubborn, Vivian lands in the hospital, fighting for her life.

During Vivian’s lengthy recovery, her partner is released from jail and the two reconnect, stoking up the flames of their toxic union all while Vivian dives into a blossoming relationship with a new love interest who offers fulfillment and love, if only Vivian can figure out how to allow it all in.

Still on the mend, she learns that the coast is not clear as former threats return and continue to endanger her. While she cannot rest easy; friends, her work crew, and customers at the night club where she tends bar provide her with much needed fun, comradery, and support.

Vivian wrestles with her temper, her penchant for physical violence, and her overwhelming emotional baggage. Struggles from within and without threaten her existence, and in the moment when death is just a breath away, Vivian’s brother shows up and changes everything.

Warnings: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers, graphic violence, self-harm, references to PTSD, domestic abuse, animal abuse, homophobic slurs, sexual assault (reference to past), death of a secondary character

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Meet Liz

Liz has a full plate between balancing a day job, parenting, writing, and finding some semblance of a social life. In past lives she has been a soldier, a bartender, a shoe salesperson, an assistant museum curator, and even a driving instructor. She focuses her writing on strong, queer, female leads who don’t back down.

Liz transplanted to California from New York over thirty years ago, and now lives in the East Bay. She enjoys exploring nature with her wife and son.

Website : Facebook : Twitter : Goodreads : QueeRomance Ink

Banner. Stitches and Sepsis by Liz Faraim

An interview with Holly Day

Thank you for having me here today, Ally! I wanted to pop in and introduce myself and tell you about a story I’ve written.

Cover of Hip Hop Carrot Top by Holly Day

My name is Holly Day, and just a few days ago my first story, Hop Hop, Carrot Top was published by JMS Books, and I’m super excited about it.

Do you want to tell us what it’s about?

It’s about Kiss a Ginger Day – you’ve missed it now, so no running around kissing random redheads! January 12th was Kiss a Ginger Day. It was back in the autumn; I was scrolling through one of those online holiday calendars and saw it there. I figured someone should write a story to celebrate the day. We have so many Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine stories, but have you ever read a Kiss a Ginger story?

Flynn hasn’t set foot in his hometown in twenty years. Growing up wasn’t easy, he was this swishy, redheaded kid in a less than accepting small town, but now his mother has passed away and he’s back to clear out her house.

I made him have a rough time in school because while Kiss a Ginger Day sounds like a fun, quirky holiday; it was created as a reaction to Kick a Ginger Day (!) that’s in November. Often, there are anti-bullying campaigns connected to Kiss a Ginger Day, since red-haired children often are made fun of in school. So, I figured, dear Flynn had been one of those children.

What was your biggest struggle with the story?

What came to me first was the title, I thought Hop Hop, Carrot Top, and pictured a fun, light-hearted story. But how do you make a story where the main character is grieving his mother on top of having to face his greatest fears from his childhood light-hearted? So, I’d say the tone was my greatest struggle.

I knew what I wanted for my characters – I wanted Flynn to confront his fears and find his HEA – but I had to give up the idea of it being light. It’s not super angsty, but Flynn isn’t a happy-go-lucky guy.

Do you have many unpublished and half-finished books, and do you plan to finish them?

I have a few. I have a story coming for Valentine, and then in March there is Extraterrestrial Abductions Day, and in April we have Big Wind Day. All days deserve a story, don’t you think? I think they do. And yes, I plan to finish them. Hopefully.

Are you friends with any other authors and do they help you become a better writer?

You know they do, Ally. I have some awesome author buddies – Al Stewart, Amy Spector, Nell Iris, J.M. Snyder, and the lovely Ally Lester. I never could’ve done this without them. Having someone who not only understands the struggles of being a writer but also wants to help me is important to me.

Being a writer is solitary, and I like that. I’m not sure I’d be a good co-writer. I want to be alone with my characters, but sometimes I need to discuss things with someone who understands. And writing is so much more than just chatting with the voices in your head, not to mention things like this – popping up at someone’s blog to say hi. You, my dear reader, might never have known I existed if it hadn’t been for Ally allowing me to drop by.

I think community is important. We’re a team, not competitors. A reader can read a book a day, but a writer can’t produce a book in a day, so we have nothing to lose by helping each other.

What is the best part of your day?

The best part of my day is when I, on the days I don’t have to go to my day job, get up early in the morning, put on the coffee maker and fire up my computer. I sit in the quiet for a few minutes, then I open my browser and say good morning to Nell Iris, who often is the first person appearing in our virtual morning office.

Hop Hop, Carrot Top

Contemporary M/M Romance / 19,129 words

Flynn Thomas is back in Hartley. His plan is to be out of there before anyone notices he’s back. He left twenty years ago and promised himself he’d never have to face his childhood bullies or set foot in his bigoted hometown ever again. But it’s been six months since his mother passed away, and someone has to clear out the house.

Caspian Cook is out on a walk with his three dogs when he sees Flynn Thomas, at least he thinks it’s Flynn Thomas. He never forgot the red-haired boy his brother used to harass, and he never forgot how he used to wonder if there were freckles underneath his clothes as well as on his face.

Flynn mistakes Caspian for his childhood tormenter and flees. Caspian can guess why he’s in such a hurry to get away, but he hasn’t seen Flynn in twenty years, and if he allows him to run off, he fears he’ll never see him again. Will spending time with Flynn be enough for him to forget who Caspian’s brother is? Flynn needs help. He underestimated how much work it would be to move his mother’s things. Caspian offers to give him a hand, but can he trust someone who looks like his worst nightmare?

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About Holly

According to Holly Day, no day should go by uncelebrated and all of them deserves a story. If she’ll have the time to write them remains to be seen. She lives in rural Sweden with a husband, four children, more pets than most, and wouldn’t last a day without coffee.

Holly gets up at the crack of dawn most days of the week to write gay romance stories. She believes in equality in fiction and in real life. Diversity matters. Representation matters. Visibility matters. We can change the world one story at the time.

Connect with Holly