Equality Post, Now with Music!

 The US Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments regarding California's discriminatory Prop 8 and the national embarrassment that is DOMA. (I don't know about you, but my marriage doesn't need "defending", thanksverymuch.) I can only imagine that I am  preaching to the choir here but that's okay. Here are a couple of songs that are all about equality and love. I hope you enjoy them.

More firemen.....

Omg it's been at least a month. So sorry, slashers! My last few weekends have been really exhausting and busy. However, I come bearing good news!

Torquere Press let me know that they wanted to put out my story from an old anthology as a stand alone. It came out this past Wednesday and I'm so excited to see Chance and Tucker out there again! You can take a peek at it here.

Flesh and Blood is a story from the early Tinder days, back before Chris and Morgan told their own story. It shows what happens to my favorite firemen, Chance and Tucker, when they run into obstacles that threaten to destroy the carefully constructed relationship they've built. I feel it's pretty emotional and passionate.

You can read a sample HERE. Thanks for going to check it out!

Finished a new story!

OMG. Yes I did. It's with my second beta and shall soon be off to my editor.

What's it about you ask? Well we have Russ the retired sheriff's deputy and Bishop a supervising probation officer at a juvenile detention camp. December and I'd say July-ish relationship. There's a little mystery plot going on and well, there's ponies. Human Ponies. 

Hey sometimes the kink strikes and you just got to roll with it. 

Here's a little snippit:


"Morning, Bishop." 

In the four weeks since getting transferred back to the camps, Bishop had usually managed to just avoid Russ. He didn't have to have a lot of interaction anyway. Russ was a part time instructor; part of the 4-H program tending some of the sheriff's department's horses and mules. Since Bishop a supervisory probation officer, his time was spent mostly on more administrative duties; not walking the detainees to and from classes or vocational training. 

Still, Bishop wasn't so adverse to the man's company that he wouldn't be polite. "Morning, Mr. Scholtz." In fact, there'd been times where he'd actively sought it out. The last six months hadn't been one of those times.  

Russ gave the mare a few more swipes with the soft brush, before untying her and letting her wander towards the donkey that kept her calm. "You don't have to be so formal." He slapped his hands against his jeans and then ducked between the metal rails.  

Even though Bishop knew Russ was around, it always jangled him a bit seeing him: beat up jeans, broken in cowboy boots and a sun worn smile. "I'm not really comfortable being that familiar."  A few more lines crinkled the corners of his green eyes, maybe a bit of gray had crept into his mustache, but it was so hard to tell with a red-head. Of course, he supposed that the seven years since they first met hadn't done him too many favors either.   

"You talk like you don't use anyone else's first name." Russ added a snort to the barb. "Like you don't know me or something." 

Bishop shrugged but kept walking. "Not where a detainee might overhear." They insisted the detainees all use last names prefaced by either officer or mister/miss for the teachers. "Where people I work with might overhear." Bishop first met the man back when Russ still wore the uniform of the county sheriff and was the guy who was always on Bishop to be more cautious around other officers.  

Russ fell into step with Bishop "Point taken." He knew the drill. "How you doing?"  

He wished Russ would just walk away, leave him alone, but it didn't seem he'd get that lucky. "You know, same shit different day." A little part of him though, one he tried to shove into the out of the way corners of his mind, felt kinda pleased that Russ still wanted to be near him, talk with him. 

"Doesn't tell me much." 

Somehow, he managed to get the niggling thought buried deep enough to respond. "Yep." He agreed in the most non-committal voice he could manage. 

Russ fell silent for a minute the added, "You know, we ought to grab coffee sometime."  
This time Bishop figured he'd be a little more direct on the brush off. "I'll catch up with you about that some other time." His tone indicated that some other time would likely be a cold day in hell. 'Cause if they got coffee then dinner sometime might follow. Enough dinners and sooner or later Bishop would end up with a bit in his mouth and a tail plugging his ass.

Going, going... but coming back!

I'm on top of things for once. This is a heads up to let you know that my novella Compass Hearts is almost out of time at its current publisher. It will be going out of print with Torquere Press within the next few weeks. But there is hope! I'll be rereleasing it myself on our old friends Amazon.com and BN.com as soon after as I can. If you'd like to pick it up now, with the lovely cover provided by the wonderful Alessia Brio, you should pop over to TP's site and pick it up. It's a little something that's bound to keep you warm through these last days of winter. ;-)

Compass Hearts @ Torquere Books

Here's a little reminder what it's all about.

As the fourth son of merchant parents, Matthew Morgan has always been superfluous. The only guidance he ever received was to behave and stay out of the way. Now, at a university half a world away from home, he must discover who he is and what he wants. Too bad he's never made a decision in his life.

When Ash Thearon meets Matthew, the handsome fellow student he's been ogling all quarter, he finds him sweet, sexy, and more than a little puzzling. To solve that puzzle, he must first collect all the pieces, which is easier said than done. The new friends quickly become lovers, but Matthew's sheltered life has taught him only how to follow. Ash wants the give and take of an equal, and Matthew's tendency to try too hard to please others leaves Ash wondering how to teach him independence without losing him.

Free download to celebrate Read an Ebook Week!

This week, March 3-9, is Read an Ebook Week. To help spread the word and get people reading, I'm offering a free digital copy of my book, Inestimable Blessings to anyone who wants it. All you have to do is order it through Smashwords and use the code RW100 at checkout for your free copy.

You can find the book by clicking on the cover

Or you can copy and pasting the link below: 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/19914

The Written Mile

I woke up to snow flurries. Yes, it’s March in New England, so that, in and of itself, it not remarkable. Yet, I remark on it because, for once, I timed the weather well this weekend.

You see, dear Readers, many of my winter weekends this season were spent like this:

Saturday – “It’s cold and I stayed up too late last night. I’ll run tomorrow because if I run today it’ll be a miserable go of it.”

Then, Sunday – “WTF! Since when were they predicting a blizzard of sleet and snow and gusty winds all day?”

This Saturday, it was 45 degrees by mid-morning, and while I did stay up too late Friday night, I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run without my nose freezing and my lips chapping. Woohoo!

Anyway, it was a bit blustery, and I stepped in an icy puddle, but it was still a fabulous run, and not just because it was the first time I’ve run outdoors in probably a month. Ah, sweet endorphins!

I’ve written about it before, my connection between running and writing. Both are cathartic in their own ways, and it seems when one is going well, so is the other. As I ran along the shoulder of a fairly busy road yesterday, I mostly kept my mind focused on stride, cadence, and passing vehicles. However, a small portion of my thoughts played with my next manuscript. Yes, it's official. I'm working on a friends to lovers themed story.

If that 5k run is any indication -- as runs are prone to be -- I have a strong feeling this may be more of a friends to enemies to lovers storyline, but only time - and miles - will tell.