Andrew Q. Gordon

Tag: New Release

  • Into The Team; by Rob Damon—Blog Tour

    Into The Team; by Rob Damon—Blog Tour

    A Different Kind of Love Story.

    Todd, the main character in the novel, has a lot of drive, is optimistic, and chases his dream of becoming a professional footballer with complete focus. Those are admirable qualities, and everyone is inspired by stories of personal achievement.

    Into The Team blurs the lines between gay/straight, romance/bromance. And so the idea of a football team, where players must bond with each other, is perfect. Into The Team shows that when men hang up their aggression and turn on their affections, great things can be achieved.

    Of course, achieving a dream cannot come without a price, and within the story there are tests the main character must face. How far would he go to not just achieve his dream, but also to maintain it?

    The novel takes male bonding to an extreme, and the idea of bromance is pushed further to create something more like romance.

    Are the characters in this story gay? Should any of us really care? Love can grow between any two people, male or female, gay or straight.

    Blurb:

    INTO THE TEAM FRONT COVER-FINNEW1To honor his father, young footballer Todd Mackerson commits to his goal of playing for a professional team. When, at the age of 20, he is offered a place to train with one of England’s biggest clubs, he leaves home convinced his dream is within reach.

    Being warned by his new team mates of the tough rules and hard training routines, Todd is undeterred. But when he discovers that the player’s way of bonding borders on the sexual, and that he must learn to accept the erotic affections that connect the team together, he wonders how far he can go for his dream.

    But, after experiencing the care and attention men can give to each other, Todd feels awakened. Learning that each player has a special “partner” on the team, who they play and bond with as intimately as lovers, Todd becomes fascinated with the idea.

    And when he develops feelings for one player in particular, he discovers how a stronger kind of romance – that between two men – can be pure and powerful enough to bring magic and success on the pitch.

    Publisher: CoolDudes Publishing

    Releases Date: September 15, 2015

    Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris

    Excerpt:

     

    … The locker room was quiet. It was nearly four PM and the rest of the first team had left after lunch. It felt good to be alone with Kieran, and Todd grew more confident about the guy becoming his partner.

    But he was uncertain about what to do. Although he’d suggested the sauna, he wondered if Kieran took that to mean they were going to have some hand contact with each other. Perhaps he’d been through a similar experience with Jason or one of the other players when he first came to the club, and was now taking it for granted they were going to get intimate.

    While they stripped out of their gear, they talked about Todd’s parents. He mentioned his father had passed away.

    “I’m sorry to hear that.” Kieran stopped half way through taking off his running pants.

    “It happened years ago.” Todd smiled, hoping to ease Kieran.

    Although it was a moment of sorrow for him, and he detected a pensive slant in Kieran’s voice, he felt positive about the knowledge he’d shared.

    Once out of their underwear Todd placed a hand on Kieran’s neck and gave a delicate rub. “Let’s shower before the sauna.”

    “You always need a shower after the session.” Kieran laughed. “Get all that sweat off you before you sweat some more.” He rubbed Todd’s back as they walked into the shower room.

    Would he need to soap Kieran like he saw Josh doing for Leo? Todd headed to the wall and decided to just wash himself. He needed to get this right, and making a move too soon could blow it.

    Kieran showered next to him and they talked some more about what music they liked. Kieran liked the Irish bands like Coldplay and U2. Todd agreed, and added Ash to the list.

    “What about American rock?” Kieran asked.

    Todd soaped up his legs and tried to remember if he’d heard any recently. Music wasn’t his main interest but he tried to keep up to date. “I like that song which has a bloke screaming about money or something.” He frowned. “The video has him ransacking his bedroom, looking under floorboards and shit.”

    Kieran stopped washing and glanced at him with a lost expression.

    “You mean ‘No Cash No Hash’?” he asked. “Yeah, the video has him running around his bedroom searching through draws and coat pockets.”

    Todd laughed. That was it. The bloke loses it at the end of the video and leaps from his tenth floor flat. “NO CASH NO HASH!” he screamed.

    “GONNA SPLASH MY MASH!” Kieran continued. “I AIN’T SEEN NO GREEN! NO HASH NO CASH!” Kieran beamed while Todd laughed.

    Seeing Kieran’s eyes, bright and adoring, Todd felt suddenly out of place. Kieran was four years older and yet he seemed like a younger guy. He was the same height as Todd, but his body was slimmer, more athletic than Todd’s tougher frame. He wondered if this meant he had to take the lead in this budding pair process.

    “I think we should spend more time training.” Kieran smiled. “We’ll both get each other hot for the game in two weeks and show the boss we’ve got something going.”

    The positive tone in his voice lifted Todd’s stomach.

    “Yeah, we should.”

    His head filled with the two of them on the pitch for the charity game, passing the ball to each other as they ran to the opposite end, dodging every challenge. It could be just like that time when he’d gone to the tournament with his father and met that kid with whom he’d played so well.

    “Tomorrow, yeah?” Kieran said. “We can work on our defense. If you can show the boss you’ve got good tackling skills, he’ll probably play you for longer.”

    Todd liked that. It sounded like Kieran had been thinking about where his skills needed work.

    As Kieran stuck his head under the jet, Todd took a deep breath. Looking down, he noticed his cock had swollen a touch. Although still limp, it had reached the pre stimulation stage, where it felt heavier and appeared bigger than usual. Casting his eyes to Kieran’s, he could see a slight increase in his cock too.

    Heading to the sauna they grabbed a towel each. The sauna was a long room with the door at one end. Todd went in first and headed to the far corner. Even though the locker room was empty, and he had no worries about being disturbed, he felt it best to go to the furthest point away from the glass door.

    He spread the towel on the bench and sat down. Kieran sat at an angle to him.

    “Everyone’s glad you’re on the team,” he said. “We’ve been in need of a new pair of feet for years.”

    Todd wondered if that piece of small talk was a sign of Kieran’s uncertainty. “Thanks.”

    “I’m glad we talked at Sean’s party,” Kieran went on. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you last week or the week before.” Looking over Todd’s body his face grew serious. “You should try to lose some weight.” His eyes widened. “Not that you’ve got any fat on you, I just mean that you should try to lose some of the muscle.”

    “This is my natural shape. I’ve trained for years on the pitch, done loads of sprinting, and I’ve always been this weight.”

    “Try to eat less protein and more carbs…I mean, I think you look good as you are but most players have an athletic build.” He shook his head and looked downcast. “Sorry man, I’m not having a go.”

    Todd cast his eyes over Kieran’s body. “You’ve got a good build,” he said. “Do you lift weights?”

    “I keep that to a minimum. I think the less weight you carry around the field, the more stamina you have and the better you are at using your body.”

    Buy Link:

    Amazon:

    About the Author:

    A bachelor of science (Computing), Rob worked as a software developer for over 15 years before turning his full time attention to learning the craft of writing. His love of science drew him into science fiction, but his love of man drew him to the MM genre. With his strategy of thinking differently, he aims to bring something to the market that pushes the boundaries.

    Rob was born and raised in Manchester, England. Spent seven years living in London, but now lives back in his home city. Interests include: reading, film, weight training, and learning all he can about people – what makes them tick, what motivates them.

    Into the Team is his first published novel.

    Where to find Rob:

    Facebook:

    Facebook Book Page:

    Twitter:

    Pintrest:

    Email: [email protected]

     

     

  • Hostage Blog Tour—An Interview With Cheryl Headford & Giveaway

    Hostage Blog Tour—An Interview With Cheryl Headford & Giveaway

    When I heard that Cheryl had rewritten Hostage and it was being published by Harmony Ink, I was doing a great big happy dance. If you’ve never read any of her books, you really should. I’ve been a fan since I read the original Hostage on the Gay Author’s website. (That version is long gone.) But I was thrilled to be able to host Cheryl for the start of her blog tour.

    An Interview with Cheryl Headford

    Welcome back Cheryl! Since it’s has been a while since you’ve been here, remind people about who you are and what your write.

    I’m a seriously crazy vampire goddess, doing her best to bring up her disabled son on her own while subjected to the pitiless rule of three cats and a dopey dog.

    I’m also a writer of gay books. My alter ego Nephy Hart writes books for grown ups while I write for not quite grown ups.

    We first met on the Gay Authors website. How has GA affected your writing career?

    GA is directly responsible for my writing career. Without GA and the wonderful people I met there, including you, I would never have had the confidence to submit a work for publication. Therefore everything that’s happened since GA was your fault.

    I’ve read most of your books, before we talk Hostage, tell us about some of your other works.

    Where do I start? Everyone knows my favourite is Enigma, because I’m so totally in love with the MC Silver. Unfortunately that one’s down at the moment for polishing although it will be back on sale with a brand new cover very soon.

    After Enigma, though, I think my favourites are The Runaway, which is a Nephylim adult book, The Face in the Window, which is my Young Adult, and Ari which is my most recent release, which is NA.

    The three books couldn’t be more different.

    The Runaway is about a young man called Jack, who is living with his aunt in a cabin by the wood recovering from a car accident in which he lost his memory and his parents. He meets the enigmatic Cierrai on the banks of the lake. Cierrai confuses Jack. He’s so androgynous that Jack has trouble remembering he’s a man sometimes. That’s why he’s so attracted to him, especially when he’s wearing those suspenders and that little leather skirt.

    As they grow closer Jack’s memories return and he realized it’s not Ciarrai’s feminine side that attracts him and they embark on a passionate affair. But Ciarria’s hiding a secret and when his past catches up with him Jack has to fight through an overwhelming sense of betrayal to find Ciarrai and hold on to him.

    Sales links

    Smashwords

    All Romance

    Amazon

    The Face in the Window is a YA about a young man called Haze who is struggling with a terrible thing that happened in his past. He thinks he’s put it all behind him, but then he meets Ace, a stunning blind, albino boy whose family vary from over protective to downright abusive.

    As they grow closer and Haze comes to realize what a truly remarkable boy Ace really is, the abuse he suffers at the hands of his brother enrages Haze and brings the irrational, uncontrollable rage he experienced after the trauma of his past to the surface and when he accidentally hurts Ace he runs away from everything.

    Fortunately, he can’t run away from Ace, who might be blind but is certainly not stupid or un–resourceful. With Ace at his side, Haze faces up to what happening in the past and is able to move on with a better insight and a beautiful new boyfriend to remind him every day of how precious life is and how much someone can achieve be with the right person at his side

    Amazon

    Featherweight

    As for Ari, I’ll speak more about him later.

    Some of your work is YA/NA, other stories are very much adult. How do you keep the voices of the characters age appropriate?

    That’s why I have two personas. Nephy Hart lets it all out and her characters do whatever the hell they want.

    Cheryl has to rein hers in a lot more. As any parent will know, teenagers are horny little bastards. All they think about is sex and I have to keep diverting them. Having a fourteen year old son doesn’t really help because he wants sex as much as the characters do. He tells everyone I write gay porn and wants all the gory details. Even when my characters stop he fills in the details to the point I have to hit him with a cushion to shut him up.

    He is useful with ‘voice’ though. He corrects dialogue with, ‘no way would a kid say that’, or ‘Mam, that’s really lame’, and gives me his unique perspective – when he can be arsed.

    One of your most recent releases – Ari ­­– has a transgendered main character. Talk about that character and the book itself.

    Ari is NA. It begins at a writers meet where two young men, Ari and Benji meet and experience an immediate attraction. All is not quite as it seems though. Although Benji makes no secret of the fact he’s transgender, Ari is not quite as forthcoming about the fact he’s intersex.

    Right from the start, they experience bumps in the road, and they only get worse when they go home.

    Benji meets Ari’s family, two strong and determined pagan women and is introduced to Ari’s wonderfully supportive home environment, being included in their celebration at the tiny stone circle and experiencing the beginnings of the healing that repairs his own family relationships.

    When Ari is seriously injured in an accident that might not have been an accident, Benji rushes to his side and both families struggle with the possibility of a future without Ari, or with an Ari so changed he might as well be a different person.

    The story is about labels, about two young men fighting to be recognized as who and what they are, and about a love that can transcend everything and keep you going even when the odds seem hopeless

    Amazon

    Wayward Ink

    Let’s talk Hostage. What is this about?

    Hostage is about two princes who go on a grand adventure. At the beginning Astrin Raphael is the hostage of House Gabriel, at a time when the two Houses of Raphael and Gabriel have been at war for almost 20 years. His freedom is the price of peace.

    Rowan Gabriel hates him for the death of his parents in a Raphael raid fifteen years ago. The hatred makes him treat Astrin very badly to begin with.

    When Astrin’s father and Rowan’s uncle are kidnapped they work together on a reckless, insane adventure into the heart of enemy territory to rescue them. Along the way Rowan’s hatred gives way to an altogether different feeling that it takes him some time to recognize. It takes Astrin a lot longer and by the time he realizes how he feels for Rowan it’s almost too late.

    I love that the “Great Houses” are all named after archangels even though this is not set on Earth. Where did you get the inspiration for this story?

    I have absolutely no idea! I set out wanting to write something a bit different. It was to be an adventure for teenagers, and that’s all I knew. The spark of inspiration came from a dream, pretty much the same one Rowan was plagued with, although it was nothing like as traumatic for me. It was vivid though. The editor commented that the description was a little too clear; too graphic, but I wrote what I saw, and fortunately she kept it in as it was.

    Is the setting somewhere other than Earth? Maybe. It could also be Earth sometime in the future. It was definitely grounded very much in Earthlike landscapes and peoples. In some ways the things the boys get up to are very ordinary; camping out in the back of a car, riding a crowded, dirty train, getting drunk in a dive and staggering back to the pub where they’re staying and waking the landlady.

    The descriptions of scenery and settings are all based on photographs or personal knowledge of real places, so I don’t know. Maybe it was Earth, maybe just somewhere which evolved a little different. Angels get everywhere, you know.

    Introduce us to your main characters, Rowan and Astrin.

    Rowan and Astrin are crown princes of Houses Gabriel and Raphael, two of the four ruling Houses of the world in which the story is set. House Gabriel is in the north and House Raphael in the West. The other two Houses are House Michael in the South and House Uriel in the East.

    Rowan is nineteen years old. He’s tall, dark and brooding with an impulsive streak and a fiery temper and an inability to let go of anger. He hates Astrin for the death of his parents in a House Raphael raid gone wrong, even though Astrin was a baby at the time.

    Astrin is seventeen and couldn’t be more different. He’s slender and fair with pale blonde hair and green eyes. He seems fragile but most certainly isn’t and proves to be by far the most resourceful of the two on their journey. He’s stable, level headed and worldly wise, and he gets them out of trouble over and over again.

    I read the original version (and this one too now). What’s different about this version?

    It’s much better edited and has been made safer for younger audiences (ie I’ve nixed the sex) It was probably more interesting before, but it’s much smoother and cleaner (in many senses of the word) now.

    Will there be more adventures in this world and/or with these characters?

    Nope. I very rarely write sequels and this story is complete. I have too many other things going on to come back to this one. Although, I have learned never to say never.

    Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?

    Astrin and Rowan can communicate telepathically. Rowan’s mind looks like a blazing sun while Astrin’s is a spun silver web dusted with diamond–like stars.

    Also, a journey across the desert on a camel does not end well for Astrin.

    Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?

    As usual, I’m working on a few at the same time. I’ve just finished the first of a two–parter about a boy who starts off with no memories of his life before age ten, when he ran away and ended up on the streets. Now aged seventeen and finally in a settled foster home he is struggling to come to terms with horrendous panic attacks which stem from what happened to him during the period of time he doesn’t remember.

    He meets another young man with a dark past and become more and more drawn to each other. When his memories finally return the true horror of what he witnessed so many years ago hits him like a sledgehammer and has rebounding effects on everyone around him

    I’ve started on the second book where the two boys fight social services and the law to go back to the place where the events took place and confront a murderer who sees them as loose ends.

    At the same time I’m working on a story about a man who has a severe speech impediment and a father who considers him to be essentially worthless. Unable to speak, the only way he can manage his frustration and desperation is by visiting a BDSM club where he actively craves pain and humiliation.

    Enter the new bouncer, who also happens to be a new employee at Daddy’s firm and we get an interesting pairing indeed. I’ve only just started and already sparks are flying all over the place.

    I’m also well into a story about shifters that is taking some strange twists and turns. A rat who turns out to be an angel, a snake who’s actually a flying serpent and a dragon who may have been responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs and knows a dark secret about Saint George and a whole family of vampires including Dracula and Elizabeth Bathory.

    I have a new YA book out with Wayward Ink soon which has one of the most adorable characters I’ve ever written. Watch out for Dory!!

    If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

    Terry Pratchett. He had the most amazing mind. The Discworld books are absolute treasures, with so many layers you could read the same book ten times and find new things. The breadth of his knowledge and wisdom is truly astonishing, from quantum physics, to herbalism and witchcraft, to literature and the true nature of stories.

    I would love to sit down with him over a pint and talk about Granny Weatherwax, wizards, elves and orangutans.

    Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?

    Is there anything besides reading and writing? I like playing computer games and watching films. I don’t paint as often as I used to and probably should. At the moment. I’m obsessed with hidden object and puzzle games.

    Over the summer I was reminded how much I enjoy visiting museums and taking boat trips on rivers. I think we might be doing a lot more of that.

    The last question is all yours. Tell the readers anything you like about you, your works, things you like. Anything at all.

    This is the most difficult question of all. How do I write anything at all? I’m a total procrastinator and can’t make a decision to save my life. What to say? What to say?

    Okay, maybe I’ll talk about something that’s important to me. I write quite a bit about disabilities that aren’t immediately obvious, and in many ways these are the most difficult disabilities to have.

    My son is autistic. He’s high functioning and very intelligent but his autism and its accompanying depression and anxiety are disabilities nevertheless.

    My son is ‘strange’. He’s ‘different’. Many people might see him as rude, or cold, or antagonistic, but it’s just his way. He’ll always tell the literal truth, and has difficulties in distinguishing when this is appropriate and when it isn’t. He can’t bear it when people are wrong and is compelled to point out their errors no matter what, even when they’re strangers. He’ll get up and walk away from a conversation, or take out his tablet in the middle of dinner, but it’s not because he’s being rude, it’s because he can’t handle the stimuli and needs to shut it out for a while.

    My sweet, gentle son can’t handle aggression or violence of any kind. Arguments confuse and upset him, and raised voices send him into almost a fugue state of panic. He finds it very difficult to cope with the world, although he’s getting better as he gets older.

    People like my son are invisible. They’re the people who take forever getting things absolutely right. They’re the ones who hold up the queue because they’re challenging the cashier with something that is objectively totally unimportant. They’re the ones who mumble to themselves in the street and count the paving stones, because that helps them focus on something to stop the overwhelming rush of stimli from the number of people and level of noise.

    The moral of this tale is that we all make assumptions, and sometimes we don’t have all the information to make correct ones. The next time you see a child acting out, they might not be naughty, they might be autistic. The next time you see a teenager at the dinner table ignoring everyone to play a video game, they might not be rude, they might just need to shut it all out for a while. The next time you’re talking to someone and they laugh at inappropriate moments, or just walk away in the middle of an argument, they might not be rude or stupid or any of the other negative stereotyping we apply, they might just need space.

    Treat everyone with respect even if you don’t understand why they do the things they do. It might be because they’re struggling just to live in the world we take for granted. Also be aware that many people, especially autistic people don’t like to be touched or directly challenged, and they can’t make decisions easily.

    Okay I’ll shut up now, before you really regret you asked that question.

    Thank you for having me on your blog. All the best with your new release, which is out soon right?

    Thanks so much, Cheryl for being my guest today!

    AboutTheBook

    HostageLGTitle: Hostage

    Author: Cheryl Headford

    Publisher: Harmony Ink Press

    Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh

    Length: 328 Pages

    Release Date: September 17, 2015

    Blurb: Astrin Raphael wakes up in a strange place, frightened and confused. He is told to trust someone who seems to hate him, and he tries—he really tries. However, things change rapidly when he discovers his friend is actually his archenemy, Rowan Gabriel, whose abusive behavior stems from a deeply ingrained, if unwarranted, hatred over something that happened many years before, and simply wasn’t Astrin’s fault.

    When Rowan’s uncle and Astrin’s father are kidnapped by Strebo Michael, the two crown princes are catapulted into an adventure that forces them to work together, and along the way their feelings for each other grow. Rowan is quick to let his hate go, but Astrin can’t release his inhibitions. It takes Astrin almost dying from a poisoned dagger before he finally accepts Rowan’s love.

    When they return home, their problems continue as their Houses try to negotiate a way for the young men to be together. It soon becomes clear at least one of them will need to relinquish his throne.

    Excerpt

    ROWAN WASN’T smiling. He was simmering gently and muttering to himself under his breath. He’d understood and fully appreciated everything his uncle said to him, but it changed nothing. He hated Astrin Raphael, hated him with a vengeance—vengeance for his parents, to be exact. When Astrin’s father had given the order to attack the armored convoy carrying Rowan’s parents back to the capital, he had shattered Rowan’s world. At four years old, the young prince had hardly known his parents, but he could remember the soft touch of his mother’s lips on his hair, the strong arms of his father cradling him and making him feel safer than he ever had since.

    That was all gone now, wiped out in one round of intensive fire and a couple of old-fashioned rocket grenades. Gritting his teeth, Rowan pressed his thumb against a panel that checked his DNA. As Crown Prince, there was no security level for which he was not cleared, and almost instantly the panel changed from red to green, letting out a soft hiss as the seal around the door released.

    Quite apart from his feelings for Astrin, Rowan hated coming to the infirmary wing. It was thankfully small, as it catered only for those who lived and worked in the Palace Complex. The door opened into a central lobby from which other doors led in three different directions. One led to the administrative center, another to the main body of the hospital, which was more often accessed through the main entrance at the other side of the building, and the third to the private royal apartment. This was used and accessed only by members of the royal family, their personal physicians, and retainers.

    As usual a senior administrator sat behind the desk, working before a bank of computers. Because of the unusual circumstances, soldiers stood on either side of the door into the royal suite. They were elite bodyguards, eternally alert and ready to act in a heartbeat should the need arise.

    Nodding to the soldiers but ignoring the administrator, Rowan again pressed his thumb against a panel and was admitted to a dimly lit corridor.

    At the end of the corridor was an administration chamber similar to the one he’d just left. This was manned predominantly by nurses, as it dealt with only a fraction of the information handled by the mainframe.

    Today there were three nurses at the station. One was working hard on a keyboard in front of the monitor screens, apparently updating paperwork.

    The other two nurses were lounging. They snapped to attention as Rowan entered. He ignored them.

    Crossing the floor, he activated another thumb pad and pushed the door open when it hissed.

    His first thoughts when he passed through the door were of utter contempt and disgust. If he hadn’t retained some sense of honor and decency, he would have spat on the sleeping prince. Fortunately, despite his complaints to his uncle, he realized it was necessary to treat the other prince with a degree of respect. It was vital the negotiations with his father were a success. Rowan therefore swallowed his feelings and went to work.

    The boy was unconscious and completely helpless. As a Class One Prisoner, it was too dangerous to allow him any kind of freedom, even the freedom of consciousness.

    For normal Class One Prisoners the overcrowded prisons had, over the years, developed containment chambers. Here, many men and women could be economically housed in pods, kept in a comatose state for however long their sentence might be, constantly played audio messages designed to precipitate rehabilitation. They were roused from their coma only during the last months of their sentence, when they had regular consultations with clinical therapists who assessed whether their minds had developed sufficient conscience to allow them to be released back into society.

    Some prisoners had committed crimes so severe it was unlikely they would ever be roused. Their pods occupied a room all of their own, which was entered only to install a new pod or to remove that of a prisoner who had died.

    However, no one was going to put Astrin, Crown Prince of House Raphael and The Western Kingdoms, in a stasis pod. Although he was a prisoner, he was still a member of the royal family of a major ruling House, and therefore deserving of special treatment.

    Instead of a pod, he was reclining on a state-of-the-art bed, his head and shoulders propped up on white pillows. Although it was not possible to see from casual examination, his body was suspended from the shoulders down within an electrically generated field. No part of it was touching either the bed or the covering sheets, thereby preventing bed sores. In addition the field provided constant deep stimulation to his muscles, preventing atrophy and circulation issues.

    Tubes inserted into the veins in his arms fed him a regular mixture of drugs, which maintained his perpetual coma, and another tube inserted into his stomach through his abdomen was used to feed him daily with a concentrated, thick liquid that contained all the nutrients needed to keep him alive.

    It was Rowan’s duty to feed the sleeping prince, then disengage the force field and wash his body, making sure he stayed clean and there was no infection or irritation of the skin. Rowan hated it. He hated Astrin, and touching him repulsed him. Also the mixture of sedative drugs and the soupy liquid diet produced an absolutely foul waste that made him ponder at times whether it was deliberately engineered by his uncle as a rather basic lesson in humility.

    It never occurred to Rowan that, if he found the whole thing demeaning and sickening, had Astrin been conscious enough to be aware of what was happening to his body, he would, no doubt, have found it even more so.

    BuyLinks

    Harmony Ink Press (ebook)

    Harmony Ink Press (Paperback)

    Amazon US

    Amazon UK

    All Romance eBooks

    AboutTheAuthor

    Cheryl Headford was born into a poor mining family in the South Wales Valleys. Until she was sixteen, the toilet was at the bottom of the garden and the bath hung on the wall. Her refrigerator was a stone slab in the pantry, and there was a black lead fireplace in the kitchen. They look lovely in a museum but aren’t so much fun to clean.

    Cheryl has always been a storyteller. As a child, she’d make up stories for her nieces, nephews, and cousin, and they’d explore the imaginary worlds she created, in play.

    Later in life, Cheryl became the storyteller for a reenactment group who traveled widely, giving a taste of life in the Iron Age. As well as having an opportunity to run around hitting people with a sword, she had an opportunity to tell stories of all kinds, sometimes of her own making, to all kinds of people. The criticism was sometimes harsh, especially from the children, but the reward enormous.

    It was there she began to appreciate the power of stories and the primal need to hear them. In ancient times, the wandering bard was the only source of news and the storyteller the heart of the village, keeping the lore and the magic alive. Although much of the magic has been lost, the stories still provide a link to the part of us that wants to believe that it’s still there, somewhere.

    In present times, Cheryl lives in a terraced house in the Valleys with her son, dog, hamster, and two cats. Her daughter has deserted her for the big city, but they’re still close. She’s never been happier since she was made redundant and is able to devote herself entirely to her twin loves of writing and art.

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    Winner’s Prize: Signed Paperback of Hostage.

    Runners Up Prize: 2 E-copies of Hostage.

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    TourSchedule

    September 21:

    Gay.Guy.Reading And Friends

    The Land of Make Believe

    September 22:

    Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

    The Purple Rose Tea House

    September 23:

    Queer Sci-Fi

    Diverse Reader

    September 24:

    The Novel Approach

    Wicked Faeries Tales And Reviews

    September 25:

    MM Good Book Reviews

    Drops of Ink

    September 26:

    Cia’s Stories

    Author Cody Kennedy

    September 27:

    Bayou Book Junkie

    Louise Lyons

    September 28:

    Prism Book Alliance

    Boys on the Brink

    September 29:

    World of Diversity Fiction

    Love Bytes Reviews

    September 30:

    Eyes on Books

  • Bent Arrow; by Posey Roberts—Book Blast and Giveaway

    Bent Arrow; by Posey Roberts—Book Blast and Giveaway

    Blurb:

    Bent Arrow MediumSometimes curves in the road take you right where you belong.

    Luther Almond’s life working the Bakken oil field is perfect—short-lived jobs, temporary housing, and easy hookups. That’s one reason he won’t move home when he inherits the lake house. When Erik Heat bends over to fix Luther’s pipes, his tattoos hint he might be up for more than working on the drain. The last thing Luther expects is to want more from this guy than one night.

    Every time they’re together, Luther is more grounded and Erik more confident. When the lake house demands attention, Luther asks for Erik’s help. There he imagines a more permanent life, one where he stops running. But he wants Erik by his side. Can he find the courage—and the words—to ask?

     

    Publisher: Labyrinth Bound Books

    Cover Artist: DJ Mack

    Release Date: September 3, 2015

    Excerpt:

    Erik had the quintessential plumber’s crack, but holy… it was not at all repulsive. And on his left ass cheek was a tattoo. From where Luther sat, it looked like an elaborate arrow, or at least the tip of an arrow pointing toward his ass. The rest disappeared under his clothes. Luther assumed it wrapped around his side, and he wondered what sort of fletching was at the other end. Did it end right above his cock, obscured by a dark thatch of pubic hair, or nestle in his V, just skirting his hipbone?

    Luther stood up, grabbed a can of pop from the fridge, and stepped closer to study the tattoo. He spied a dark smudge right above the beautiful arrow tip and barely kept himself from bursting into laughter when he realized what it said.

    Insert here was inked in faded letters, nothing at all like the professional thin lines of the quality arrow. This looked like the shit tattoos his high school friends gave themselves with a sewing needle and India ink before they were old enough to get a professional one. Or a prison tattoo.

    Yet it was like an invitation just waiting to be noticed.

    “Is that true?” Luther asked.

    “Is what true?” Erik’s voice was muffled.

    “‘Insert here.’”

    Erik immediately sat back and tugged both his underwear and his jeans up to cover his left hip as he cursed under his breath. “Shit. Stupid tool belt.” He flushed bright red and then muttered words that were hard to understand, but Luther thought he made out undershirt and aerator. Erik scrambled to toss his tools in his bucket, taking no time to organize them in the same way they’d been when he’d arrived, and he tripped over an area rug as he bolted toward the door.

    “Hey! Stop,” Luther said. “Just—stop!”

    Erik did, but he faced the door, refusing to turn around.

    “I’m gay, so you’re safe here, if that’s what that tattoo’s truly about.”

    Erik turned his head slightly, only enough that Luther could see his dark eyelashes as he blinked in double time.

    “It’s not an easy place to be out. I know. But then… why have that tattooed on your ass?”

    “Long story,” Erik said.

    “You were going out to your truck to get more tools?” Luther offered, to help the guy save face.

    “No.” He hiked his pants up and tightened his tool belt a notch or two. “I’m gonna keep working.”

    “All right.” Luther sat down on his couch again, tugging his iPad back into his lap and pretending to no longer care about those smudged words that obviously meant a hell of a lot to Erik. At least keeping them hidden did.

    Buy Links:

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    About the author:

    Real life. Genuine men. True love.

    Posy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

    Posy is married to a man who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep. Her daughter, a budding author and dedicated Whovian, helps her come up with character names. When Posy’s not writing, she enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make normal seem more interesting.

    Website * Twitter * Facebook * Newsletter

    Where to find the author:

    Facebook Author Page: Facebook

    Twitter: Twitter

    Pinterest: Pinterest

    Other: Website

    Other: Newsletter

    Other: Tumblr (NSFW)

    Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26060654-bent-arrow

    Tour Stops:

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  • Fret; by Sandrine Gasq-Dion—Blog Tour Interview and Giveaway

    Fret; by Sandrine Gasq-Dion—Blog Tour Interview and Giveaway

     

    Today please welcome Sandrine Gasq-Dion to the blog. She’s here to talk about herself, her writing, and her new release, Fret.

    An Interview with Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    Welcome Sandrine! Since Since this is your first time on the blog, please tell us a bit about yourself.

    Hi!! I’m a mother of four and expecting two grandchildren within the next few months! I’ve been married to the military since the age of nineteen and grew up with Old scholl French parents. I’ve got a wonderful support system as my entire family is very supportive of my career. I guess I am extremely lucky to have such an open-minded family!

    You’re quite the profilic author, when did you publish your first book?

    A Marked Man was published in 2012 and I haven’t looked back!

    You’ve written in multilple sub genres; Greek Gods, shifters, military men. How much research do you put into each new situation?

    Tons. Luckily, I have a huge amount of military guys as friends, so they always weigh in on the stuff I write. The shifters and Olympians I spend countless hours researching Greek Gods and watching old werewolf movies.

    Do you have any plans to branch off into a new direction any time soon?

    I do! I am now writing a rock series and I also have 5 books in the Men of Manhattan that I write for Wilde City!

    Your latest book, Fret. Tell us about that.

    Fret came about when another author was thinking of writing an anthology that revolved around Actors/ Rock stars. Needless to say, my mind began an outline almost instantly and Axel and Gareth were born!

    Is this part of a series or will it become one?

    Fret is book one in the rock series, there will be four more after is. (There is a sneak peek at book 2 at the end of book one!)

    What inspired Fret?

    As I said, another author mentioned an anthology and my mind went off and running.

    Tell us a bit about your main characters, Alex and Gareth.

    Axel is your typical no-bullshit rough alpha male. As a former Navy SEAL now hired merecenary, he doesn’t have time for touchy feely. Gareth is the shy-quiet type that prefers to linger in the background. He’s extremely talented and also very sweet. He can also hold is own and can be quite fierce!

    What part of the book was the most fun to write and why?

    I think the best part and most fun was hanging out with the guys of “No Other Option”, A band I met and friended when I moved to Flagstaff, Az to write the books. I got to spend time with them and sit in on a few of their sets. They are awesome guys!

    What part made you struggle the most?

    I think trying to figure out how to end it. I know there are more books in the series, so there reallybisn’t an end to Gareth and Axel, you’ll see them throughout the next four books!

    Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?

    The guys go on tour in Europe, so the reader is treated to parts of Italy, Greece and Germany.

    Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?

    Book two in the Rock Series, ‘Jinxed’!

    What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?

    Any of the Rock God series from Ann Lister!

    If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

    Stephen King. I love his work!

    Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?

    Spending times with my family. They are crazy…

    Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.

    Thanks to the military and my parents, I was able to see much of the world. When I write a book, I’ve either spent time in that state/city/town/country or actually lived there. I’ve taken much of what the military guys tell me and put it in the book. I do, however, embellish. It is fiction ya know… J

    AboutTheBookFret_Sandrine_FSTitle: Fret

    Author: Sandrine Gasq Dion

    Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis

    Length: 48,000 words

    Release Date: September 01, 2015

    Blurb: Former Navy SEAL Axel Blaze lives a solitary life. He doesn’t do emotions, and he doesn’t do babysitting. Used to being on his own, his job consists of Wetwork (a charming term coined by the KGB) for his former Master Chief, Mac. When an out-of-the-ordinary job lands on his doorstep, Axel heads down a path that includes a famous heavy metal rock band and one quiet, vulnerable, guitar-shredding virtuoso named Gareth Wolf.

    Gareth Wolf’s life changed in an instant when a car he was a passenger in crashed, hurting his brother’s best friend and the band’s lead guitarist. They created the band, Skull Blasters, as kids. Gareth had always been happy in the background, playing roadie. With the lead guitarist’s injury, Gareth is suddenly thrust into the limelight and into a frenzied life he never imagined for himself. Finally fed up with living a lie, Gareth comes out as gay in a newspaper interview and finds himself in the bulls-eye of a crazed stalker. Somebody wants Gareth hurt – or worse – and Mac has been hired to be sure that doesn’t happen. Babysitting duty is NOT Axel’s strong suit, but Mac won’t be budged.

    Enter Axel Blaze. Against his better judgment, the big man takes the job to protect the shy musician. The more time he spends with Gareth Wolf, the more he admires the man. Where’s a simple assassination when you need one? The situation becomes more volatile for each man as the attempts on Gareth escalate just as Axel finds himself falling for the quiet lead guitarist.

    Strong, funny, smart-ass — and kinda sweet Axel is everything Gareth has ever wanted in a man. Too bad he’s off limits. As the stalker grows bolder, Gareth and Axel move closer emotionally – but is it too late? All Axel knows is that they don’t stand a chance if he can’t find the maniac trying to kill the man he’s come to care about. A lot.

    Everyone knows that relationships that begin in pressured or volatile situations eventually fizzle out.

    Or do they?

    Excerpt

    Thumping music was shaking the walls of the Dome as I headed for my designated spot. I guess I’m meeting Paul, the band’s manager.

    I took mental notes as I passed through the crowd of screaming, jumping people. The band was rocking it out and I sought out Gareth Wolf. There were two guitarists, but I found him right away. Black hair touched his shoulders and his lean body moved with his guitar.

    He was in his element.

    The song was wrapping up and the floor was shaking from the bass drum. The floor-to-ceiling speakers pumped out the last notes of the song. The crowd immediately went wild as Ransom Fox leaned over the stage.

    “Let’s hear it for the best lead guitarist on the planet!” he shouted.

    Gareth shook his hair back and bowed with one hand out. Again, the crowd screamed, shouted and whistled. Ransom went on to give some love to the other members of the group.

    I rolled my eyes and pushed my way through the crowd toward the side of the stage. A large man eyed me and then nodded as I walked by. Again, I could have been wearing a ‘Hello, I’m God’ tag and security wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. As it was, my tag faced backwards; he couldn’t even see my name or credentials.

    Security for the Skull Blaster band was sorely lacking.

    I sat through another hour of bone-jarring hardcore metal before the band finally left the stage. I scanned the area for their manager, but no luck.

    I walked right behind the curtain and fell into step with the band members as they trudged toward their dressing rooms. They didn’t even notice me — and I’m really hard to miss.

    They stepped into the dressing room; I followed and slammed the door shut behind me. Ransom turned and his eyes widened.

    “Who the fuck are you?!”

    “Nice of you to finally notice me,” I pointed out.

    “Paul!” Ransom thundered. He immediately moved in front of Gareth, shielding him.

    “Oh for fucks sake.” I arched a brow.

    The door behind me opened and a startled man looked me over from head to toe. He flipped my name badge over and sighed audibly, clearly relieved.

    “It’s cool, Ransom. This is the guy I was telling you about.”

    “You could have mentioned he was a semi-truck.” Ransom’s eyes narrowed.

    “I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you,” Paul apologized to me. “I ran into some media and couldn’t get away.”

    “Not that this isn’t fun — because, oh so much fun — but I’m here to do a job. So I need to speak to whoever is in charge of ‘security.’ Now.” I leaned very slightly — but effectively — in to Paul’s face.

    “Why?”

    I turned to see Gareth peeking out from behind his brother’s broad shoulders. His eyes were a shade of green I’d never seen before, and with his pale complexion and dark hair? The guy was a looker and then some.

    “Because band security royally sucks. I walked right on back here with them and not one person noticed or stopped me. That is not acceptable.”

    “Who are you?” Gareth gaped.

    I pinned him with a hard look. “I’m your bodyguard.”

    Ransom chuckled.

    “What the actual fuck?” Gareth stepped in front of his brother. “Is this a joke?”

    “Nope.” Ransom shook his head.

    “Jinx, Harley, Rebel. Give us a few, eh?” Paul opened the door and tilted his head toward the hallway.

    “Sure thing, boss.” Rebel tipped his hat and winked at me.

    I leaned against the wall as the members walked out. I overheard one of them, not sure which, talking to another.

    “Did you see the size of that guy?”

    “How could you miss him?” another one answered.

    Paul shut the door and turned to Gareth with an apologetic smile.

    “I knew what you’d say if we told you beforehand,” he admitted.

    “Oh, did you now? You had to get me Conan the Destroyer? Jesus Christ!”

    “Gareth,” Ransom warned.

    “What? This is stupid! I don’t need a human shield!”

    “You’re going to play nice and allow this man to watch your back, Gareth!” Ransom shouted. “You’re getting threats since you came out! I insist you be kept safe!”

    “Gareth, why don’t you go clean up? Then you and Mr. Blaze can get acquainted.”

    “Seriously? Blaze?” Gareth snorted.

    I narrowed my eyes at the kid. Well, to me he was a kid, after everything I’d seen in my life. Gareth was almost twenty-three and I was pushing thirty. We locked eyes for a few seconds before he turned away.

    AboutTheAuthor

    AuthorPicBest-selling author, Sandrine (Sandy) was born in Inglewood, California. Raised by “Old School” French parents, she later moved to Tucson, AZ. It was there that writing became a hobby. Always told she had a great imagination, Sandy wrote short stories for her friends in High School. In college, she took more writing classes while working on her Criminal Justice degree, but it wasn’t until a soap opera caught her eye that she got involved in male on male romances. On the advice of a friend, Sandy dipped her toes into the world of M/M Romance. Sandy takes the writing seriously and has had countless conversations with gay men as well as hours of research. She’s been involved with the military in one way or another for over twenty years, and has a great deal of respect for our men in uniform. She’s traveled the world, but has finally returned to Arizona.

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