Happy December!

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season so far. Yes, I know. The official holidays aren't all month long, but there are several of them in December, so why confine oneself to a single day of celebration this month, amiright? In that vein, here is my December playlist. What's yours?

Sleigh Ride - Glenn Miller
Trad: So Treiben Wir Den Winter Aus - The Mediaeval Baebes
Through Your Eyes On Christmas Eve - Abney Park
My Song for You (From "Good Luck Charlie") - Bridgit Mendler & Shane Harper
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
St. Stephen's Day Murders - The Chieftains feat. Elvis Costello
On Grafton Street - Nanci Griffith
Winter Winds - Mumford & Sons
Winter's Solace - Doug Wood
Trad: Salva Nos - The Mediaeval Baebes
Golden Apples Of The Sun - Paul Winter
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Glenn Miller
'zat You, Santa Claus? - Abney Park
On Christmas Time - The Coats
Dawnwalker -  Paul Winter
White Wine In the Sun - Tim Minchin

New release date!

Hello again, Slashers. My Sunday here seems to come around really fast. I suppose maybe if I put it on my calendar, I wouldn't be surprised every other week. But who's to say? I'm always surprised when Christmas comes around, and that's the same day every year.

It finally turned into winter here in southern California. And by "winter", I mean rain and temperatures below 70F. For us, it's a nice change. At least when I go run my errands today, I can wear a hoodie. (I love hoodies. Just FYI.) Also on my Sunday to-do list is writing with my beloved Chris Owen. We're nearing the end of the second novel in the Never Too Early series and we have a release date, which also means a deadline. Ready? Mark your calendars..........

March 25!

The book is due to the publisher by the end of this month, and in between the holidays and family and present-wrapping, we have to find time to finish it. We wrote yesterday, we'll write today, and hopefully meet our deadline.

Just to keep you interested, here's a little snippet from it. Have a good week, everyone!

Jake snorted out a laugh and immediately regretted it. "Ow. Okay, welcome to our house. The maid hasn’t been in a while. Something about a roof."  Honestly, he thought it said something about the level of drugs in his system if he was worried about the state of the housekeeping with his head and ribs aching the way they were. He went in and headed directly to the couch, following Tor and knowing Chance was right there if he got wobbly.

He figured he had three minutes before people started arriving at the door.  Elias would be first, he could feel it in his bones.

Well, the bones that were capable of feeling anything other than intense pain.

"Easy, easy!" Tucker put a hand on his arm. "Hang on a second." He reached down and arranged the couch cushions so Jake wouldn't have to do it after he was already sitting. "Go slow. I mean it."

Jake had to sigh, then promised himself that was the last one. "Let me -- "  He grabbed Tucker’s arms and lowered himself down with a grunt he couldn’t quite stifle. "Oh, man." He was a little breathless, and had to resist the urge to rub his ribs where they ached.

This sucked, and for a brief moment he wondered if he really should have left the hospital. He wasn’t in so much pain he was ill from it, but he was far from relaxed. "Thanks," he managed to say, though.

"You need to turn so you're lying down," Chance said, sounding a little apologetic. "It will be less painful, I promise. Tor, can you get his drugs? They're in a pharmacy bag in my duffel. And he needs something to eat with them."

"Yeah, sure."  Tor hurried off, yelling over his shoulder. "Eggs, Taggart. And actual toast. Real bread."

Jake rolled his eyes. He couldn’t really care less what the food was. "Are these pills addictive? ‘Cause I don’t really care at this point."  Trying to lie down was way harder than it had ever been before in his life.

"Yes." Chance leaned over and helped Jake get his legs in the right position, and suddenly Jake could breathe again without stabbing pain. "But I promise not to let you turn into a Vicodin junkie."

Rival skaters keep their relationship secret and end up on thin ice

When I first told people I was writing Cold War about two gay figure skaters, many of them pictured something like Blades of Glory. Er, not quite!  

Meet Dev and Misha 

After an explosive locker room confrontation with his Russian rival ends in the most surprising and intense sex of his life, American pairs skater Dev Avira needs to refocus. He’s worked for years to win Olympic gold, and he can’t let himself—or his partner—down. Distraction in the form of steely and smoldering Mikhail Reznikov is the last thing he needs as he prepares for the biggest competition of his life.

But with the Games only days away, they can’t keep their hands off each other. Dev soon learns that beneath Mikhail’s arrogant and aloof exterior is Misha, a passionate man who warms Dev’s heart and scorches his bed. They're both determined to win, but for Misha his freedom could be on the line. Can Dev put his deepening feelings on ice as he goes for gold?

Buy now: Loose Id | All Romance eBooks | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Can Misha and Dev keep their romance under wraps this holiday?

Writing this sequel from Misha's POV was really fun. I learned a lot about Russian holiday traditions (huge thanks to Tatiana, my Russian translator and answer-er of my many, many questions), which was fascinating. They go all out for New Year's and have Orthodox Christmas in January. I love learning about other cultures, and I hope you'll enjoy reading as Misha and Dev spend their first holiday together. Here's a bit more about Holding the Edge:

Misha Reznikov has an Olympic gold—and a secret lover who just happens to be the silver medalist. Now that their competitive days are over, Misha and former rival Dev Avira are setting up house in LA and giving their relationship a shot in the real world. They agree that keeping their romance strictly under wraps is best for their pro careers and Misha's family back in Russia. So what if Dev hasn't told his parents, and they never eat out for fear of being spotted? It's not perfect, but they're together.

But as they prepare for a special holiday skating show on Christmas Eve in Dev's hometown, tension builds. How long can Misha and Dev keep their love secret—and what happens if one of them wants to stop hiding?

Buy now: Loose Id | All Romance eBooks | Amazon | iTunes

Excerpt: Fallen

Wow! I almost forgot it was my turn to post here today. I write these things in my calendar, so after I get this done, I'll have to dig out that little green book and see what else I've missed this weekend.

Last month I promised you an excerpt. Without further ado, here is a snippet from Fallen.

Blurb:

Man has free will, and guardian angels have an eternal place in the holy host.

When unexpected feelings interfere with Malchediel’s guidance of a mortal being, he must decide if his love for one man is true, or the work of the devil. Charged with the soul of handsome but suicidal Bran Weller, Malchediel faces a second challenge: Bran's steadfast belief that homosexuality is not wrong despite the Church’s view of his lifestyle.

In the course of his angelic duties, Mal is tempted to turn a blind eye to long-standing rules of guardianship as he falls in love with his charge. Torn between faith in God and belief that every man deserves love, Malchediel must find a way to balance heart and soul or risk a Fall to Hell.

Note:This book was previously released but has been substantially revised and re-edited in this version.

Excerpt from chapter one:

Angels can, and do, fall from Heaven. Most of the time it is willingly, like today, but other times, they are cast down for their sins, and that fall is much, much harder. I would rather not discuss such topics. It breaks my heart to consider the rare brethren who fail so completely that they fall into the innermost circles of Hell.

A fall is not gentle or graceful, but being as immortal as a sentient creature can get, I am not harmed when I land on Earth. I can be disoriented, which has yet to get any easier with experience, but I accept this and plan my landing accordingly.

Except today.

I land in a crouch, taking the impact through my legs and up my body. A large object looms in my unfocused vision to the left. It hits me, and I sprawl across pavement.

This hurts much more than falling.

Yes, I am an angel, and yes, it is true I cannot die a mortal death. I can, however, feel pain when ensconced in a human body. I close my eyes and take a silent inventory of myself. My injuries are not severe. I will bruise, but nothing is broken. Human body, but not a human mind; I am confident of my diagnosis.

“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry.”

I open my eyes to see from where the voice emanates. A blur moves toward me from that direction.

The voice asks, “Are you okay?” The face is still fuzzy, but I am settling slowly into my human senses. “Can you move? I’ll call an ambulance.”

His words help me snap through the fog of my fall. I grab his arm as he pulls his portable phone from his pocket. “No,” I say, “I do not need an ambulance.”

I hurt, yes, but doctors would slow me down and do very little otherwise. I heal quicker than a true human, and an angel’s physical form can sometimes cause the little hairs on the back of a doctor’s neck to quiver. They know, but they do not. Professional instinct is strong, though we often appear the same as our mortal charges.

I blink, my eyes focusing on the face hovering over me. I cannot go to the hospital because I have found him. I cannot explain how I know he is the one; I am a guardian angel, and he is my charge. I know.

He is beautiful in his concern, but I recognize sorrow veiled in his deep brown eyes. “So brown,” I whisper. I blink. I had not intended to say a word.

“You’re hurt,” he says, blushing.

“I will be fine.” I sit up, and he turns his hand to take mine and assist me. I am surprised to find I need his strength to steady me. Closing my eyes, I again seek out broken bones or internal injuries. I find nothing, but I am still shaken.

“Are you sure? Look, I’m really sorry. I didn’t see you.”

When I attempt to stand, his hand is there, helping me. With his arm around my waist, I ease myself to my feet. I look up into his eyes. He did not look tall while I sat on the pavement, but now, both of us on our feet, he looks down at me. My heart pounds, and the adrenaline makes me sway on my feet.

“Shit. I really think we should get you to the hospital.” He catches me, though I am not falling. Not any longer anyway.

I pat his arm. “Really, I will be fine. I need a moment to orient myself.”

“Did you hit your head?” His eyes widen. “You might have a concussion.”

“Please, I am sincere.”

I look around me, around us. We have not drawn any attention. Good. No witnesses to my sudden appearance. It is bad enough I have mistimed my fall. I have only fallen twice before, and neither resulted in my charge hovering over me like a protector. Neither resulted in me talking to my charge at all.

It does not matter. Now I must focus on my duty. We are in a parking lot. It would seem that I fell behind his vehicle as he backed out of a space. I do not understand how I could make such a mistake, but even angels are fallible. Only God is not.

“But—”

When I look at him again, he ceases his objection and says, “I want to do something.” He looks me over. “I’ll have that coat cleaned. It’s my fault that it’s so filthy.” He reaches for his wallet, but I wave a hand, declining. I have no need for money or the services of a dry cleaner. I only need to will the coat clean. As soon as it is not likely to cause him to question.

“If you wish to do something for me, I have one request.”

He nods, eager to make things right. “Sure. What?”

“I am new in town.” I pause; a tickle of tissue repairing itself in one leg distracts me, but only momentarily. “I am craving a cheeseburger. Could you point me in the direction of a restaurant that makes a good…burger?” I hesitate to use any slang at all because I have doubts about my understanding of such words. Their use can be tricky. I have been warned that without slang, I stand out just as much as if I use it improperly, so I try. He does not react as if I said anything wrong, but he does hesitate before answering.

“That’s it? A burger? Well, the least I can do is drive you to the restaurant.”

“I would enjoy the company,” I say. My work would be easier over a meal.

“Company? Oh, um…”

“Did you already eat?” Perhaps I misunderstood his offer.

“Well, no, but I was about to…” The sorrow I saw before flashes behind his eyes again, reminding me I must be careful and caring with this beautiful man in my charge. “I should go to the grocery store.” He shrugged once, and I do not understand the gesture, only the words.

“I do not want to keep you from your responsibilities. A ride to a suitable place would be more than sufficient.” I cannot push him even if he does need my help, which he most definitely does. Man has free will, and I cannot interfere; I can only guide.

He shifts from foot to foot and rubs the back of his neck. When he looks at me, he smiles, but the sadness never leaves his eyes. This hurts me in a way I do not fully understand. I know and recognize pain, not unlike an empathic person, but his burrows into me in a way with which I am unfamiliar. Angels do feel, but we must keep ourselves distanced from it. Mortals refer to this as professional detachment. A guardian without the ability to care for his charge would be just as dangerous as one who cares too much and loses sight of his goals.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to a doctor?” he asks. “I’ll cover it if you don’t have insurance.”

I put my hand on his shoulder, intending to reassure him. Medical insurance has been a common concern for mankind lately, so now I understand why he suspects I may be avoiding the hospital. “I am better already,” I say, not needing to hedge the truth. We cannot lie, but we can come close. This is neither; I have already healed what little injury I suffered.

A vehicle—a car—rolls by. The driver shouts out his window about blocking traffic. I reply that he has room to drive by even as he does. He continues with the answer of a gesture I have learned is meant to be an insult. I am not insulted, but instead curious that he should be offended by me.

My charge forgets his concern for my health and laughs, shaking his head. “It’s not the best parking job,” he says, waving at his car parked halfway out of the straight white lines. Then he adds, “Come on. I’ll buy you dinner.”

Copyright © Pia Veleno

Interested?? You can download your favorite format from Loose Id directly by clicking here:

http://www.loose-id.com/fallen-2.html, where it's on sale for only $2.39!

And, of course, Fallen is also available at your favorite third-party retailer. If you must download your ebooks directly from Amazon, or need every purchase to count toward your buy ten freebie at ARe, Fallen can be found at those other sites too. Just not on sale.... 

Happy reading! Have a wonderful December, and holiday of your choice.

~Pia Veleno

Review Round Up

Happy Sunday, readers! Just a quick post today with some links to a few reviews that Chris and I have gotten for Never Too Early: The Beginning. Response to the first part of the boys' story has been amazing. Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to email us about it!

Michelle at Joyfully Jay said nice things HERE.

Very positive reviews at Goodreads.

The Blogger Girls reviewed Heat in preparation for the NTE review, which I have been assured is coming soon.

Again, THANK YOU for the emails and DMs! I can't tell you how happy we are that this project is being received so well.

It's still early in California. I'm off to get my coffee.

Can two Marines make a life together after WWII?

I decided to release my new novel Semper Fi on Remembrance Day/Veteran's Day as my small way of paying tribute to the veterans who have served so bravely in too many wars over the years. The idea for this gay romance came about when my dad lent me a book on the Guadalcanal Campaign, and I started wondering about the Marines who fought there. Were any of them gay? What were their lives like after the war? Did they find happiness even after the horrors of battle? From these musings Cal and Jim were born, and I knew I had to tell their story. I hope you'll take their journey with them!

The war is over. The battle for love has just begun. As Marines, Cal and Jim depended on each other to survive bloodshed and despair in the Pacific. Relieved to put the horrors of war behind him, Jim went home to his apple orchard and a quiet life with his wife and children. Knowing Jim could never return his forbidden feelings, Cal hoped time and an ocean between them would dull the yearning for his best friend. But when Jim’s wife dies, Cal returns to help. He doesn’t know a thing about apple farming—or children—but he’s determined to be there for Jim, even as the painful torch he carries blazes back to life. Jim is grateful for his friend’s support as he struggles with buried emotions and dark wartime memories. Then Jim begins to see Cal in a new light, and their relationship deepens in ways neither expected. Can they build a life together as a family and find happiness in a world that would condemn them?

Buy now:
Amazon | All Romance | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

Available now!

FINALLY. Chris and I have been waiting months for our release date! Never Too Early: The Beginning is available for your reading pleasure at the following places:

Torquere Books

All Romance ebooks

Amazon

And if you're on Goodreads, consider leaving us a review HERE.

Thank you so much for all of your positive feedback over the past several months!

Steam(punk)ing Right Along

I literally just finished my first edit pass through my steampunk novel. I finished the manuscript about two months or so ago and I've been letting it sit, getting some distance from it be before doing my own beta-read. As far as the last 25K words or so go, it was the first time I'd read them at all. I can't tell you how excited I am to find that I really like this book! I honestly didn't know if the story would hold up, if it made sense, if it was loaded with contradictions and inconsistencies that would have to be corrected, etc., etc. I can confidently say it does, it does, and it wasn't. Yay! I haven't felt this good about a project in a long time. I still have to go through all my tracked changes before sending it to my beta readers, of course, but wheeeeeee! That clearly hasn't dampened my enthusiasm. ;-)

I hope everyone who has chosen to participate in NaNoWriMo this year is steaming merrily along on their own works! I might have to start a new novel this month myself just because I can. Hee-hee!

Mackenzie Twins series gets a new look and buy link!

Hi all! My Mackenzie Twins stories have been updated with brand new covers and are finally available for purchase at a new retailer - Payhip. I'm also in the process of lowering the prices to $2.50 and updating these stories at Smashwords and Barnes and Noble, which are the only two retailers who've been willing to list my kinky little twin stories until now.

Here are the new covers:

 

And here are the new buy links:

Tempestuous Relations https://payhip.com/b/ZI0w

Tempestuous Revelation https://payhip.com/b/WE5o

By the time you’re reading this I’ll be on a beach on St. Lucia. The bars open at 10 am, and this trip, my husband and I are bringing a couple that tends to enable us to stay constantly buzzed. It’s not hard at an all-inclusive resort, and it’ll be even easier with these friends.

The fun part – oh, sure, there will be a lot of fun parts on this trip – is that this couple has yet to try an all-inclusive vacation. There will be a contest between us breaking them to enjoying their hedonistic sides, and them, encouraging us to drink just to razz me if I pass out.  I have the experience with all the drinks I can get, and they don’t, while they have the experience subtly getting friends drunk.

During all of this, I still think I’ll make time to write.

I’ll wait while you finish laughing…

In all seriousness, I do hope to do a little work on the sequel to Fallen. I’ve enjoyed the prep for the rerelease of this story more than I would’ve expected. The work renewed my desire to write Bran’s story. With ten days of no internet – even with a steady supply of drinks, food, and sun – I should be able to get a good start on this story.

For next month’s visit, I may or may not have more news to share on that front, but even if I don’t, I promise an excerpt and buy links for Fallen. If you’d rather not wait, it should go live on the Loose Id website mid-November. Otherwise, I’ll see you next month.

Have a great November!

Pia

Contest coming soon...

Hello, slashers. The weeks are moving by pretty quickly, aren't they? Halloween next week already. What? No, don't be ridiculous. Of course I haven't bought my candy yet and started eating it. Who does that? (Okay, me.)

I just wanted to give y'all a heads up about a contest coming this week from Chris Owen and me! On Wednesday, October 29, you'll want to head over to the Torquere Press Livejournal page. We'll be hosting that day. That will be your chance to read some more about Jake and Tor and Chance and Tucker, as well as answer a few easy trivia questions to win a gift certificate for their book!

We were going to wait until Wednesday to drop a couple of snippets from the book, but I can be persuaded to leave some here. *grin* Leave a comment or email me at ragingpixie@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do.

Happy Football Da-- wait, that's just in the U.S. Happy Sunday!

Sexy gay military men now available for only $0.99!

Strong. Sexy. Sizzling. 

There’s nothing like a man in uniform, and 13 of today’s hottest gay romance authors are celebrating military heroes and the men brave enough to love them. These brand-new novellas feature all branches of the service and offer something for every reader. Almost 300,000 never-before-published words — all for a dollar for a limited time.

I’m so thrilled to be a part of this M/M military men bundle with amazing authors including Cat Grant, LA Witt, Cassandra Carr, Brit Blaise, Annabeth Albert and more! Check out these teasers:

Kerry Adrienne – Cruise Control
One Maserati brings Parker and Blake together, but will Blake slow down and discover the important things aren’t in the fast lane?

Annabeth Albert – Resilient Heart
When a wounded soldier is forced to accept help from his former best friend, both men discover the true strength of their entwined hearts.

Keira Andrews – Arctic Fire
Can an army captain who can’t forget Afghanistan make new memories with a ranger in the Arctic?

Brit Blaise – Storm Out
An Army Ranger suffering from PTSD finds coming out the biggest storm he's ever faced.

Cassandra Carr – Civilian Master
Clay's home for some R&R after a Special Ops mission goes terribly wrong. Can Flynn help him find his true self?

Lia Davis – His Guarded Heart
Being Senator Beckett’s bodyguard while staying out of his bed becomes Judd’s biggest challenge as passion ignites between the men.

Sasha Devlin – Hometown Hero
Sparks fly when injured Marine Colin returns home ...and ends up in the arms of the man he left behind.

Rhi Etzweiler – Blood & Peyote
“I almost did it, Api. I had the Glock in my mouth and my finger on the trigger.”

Lucy Felthouse – Desert Heat
Their love is forbidden by rules, religion and risk. Yet they still can’t resist.

Amelia C. Gormley – The Houseboy: Initiation
Being Fowler Vale’s houseboy may open more doors than Bryce ever dreamed possible.

Cat Grant – The Only One Who Cares
Committed couple David and Josh have overcome years of struggle to arrive at their happily-ever-after. But what happens when fate has one last killer right hook in store?

EM Lynley – Irresistible Forces
DADT kept them apart, but old flames reignite as Logan and Brody succumb to irresistible forces.

L.A. Witt – Flight Risk
Sex with a co-worker is all fun and games until your friendship crashes and burns…

You're in luck, Stephen! Today is release day for Unconditional Surrender! Go forth and grab this bundle before the price goes up next week.

Buy 13 novellas now for only $0.99:
All Romance eBooks | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
iTunes | Kobo

It's autumn, right?

California does not know what season it is. Well, that's pretty much true all the time, but right now my state REALLY does not have itself together. We're in the middle of a serious drought and there is no rain in sight. Rain is the only way we know it's fall or winter. Here's hoping the end of the month brings cooler temps and wet weather. I have a lot of hoodies I didn't get to wear last year.

Now that that bit of scintillating information is out of the way, let me tell you what you probably came here for.... no new snippets today from Never Too Early. I know, I'm sorry. But the good news is that release day is only 24 days from now! And if you're really hankering for some more good stuff about Jake and Tor and Chance and Tucker, my good friend Keira Andrews was nice enough to host a character interview.

Go HERE for that, and while you're there, take a look around her site. She's an excellent author and one of my favorites.

As always, you can click the covers below to buy Bareback and Heat so you're all caught up on the boys' backstories before November 5. See you in a week or two with more goodies and a contest!!

Long and Short

Long:
After nine months of on-again, off-again writing, I finished my steampunk m/m novel a week ago today! A couple of author buddies came over for a write-in and I knew I was in the homestretch, and... It's done! Now it sits and gels for a little while before I read it start to finish and tweak/edit it a bit before sending it to my beta readers. Whee! Oh, and it topped 100K words. WTF? That makes it the longest book I've ever written, beating my menage, Rose & Thorn, by about 10K.

Short:
I wrote a smutty f/m short story yesterday. Just under 5K words once I'd trimmed, tidied, and tightened it. I think that calls for another WTF?, don't you? I sent it to my critique partner (who actually writes het erotic romance) for a beta. I'm almost scared to see what she has to say since neither het nor short story is my usual format. Cross your fingers for me.

Halloween Sale!

 For the month of October, My Ghost  is on sale at Smashwords.com. Click HERE, and enter this code: HE39Z to download My Ghost for only 99 cents!

 

Who doesn't like a good -- and cheap! --  ghost story in October??

Gay romance review in USA Today

I was delighted last week when USA Today raved about A Forbidden Rumspringa, the first book in my gay Amish romance series:   

There is great chemistry between David and Isaac, and once they admit to each other their true feelings, we get a lot of romance scenes. Their affection is intense and warm and made me smile. While there is a happy ever after at the end of this book, their story will continue in a second book coming out early next year. I can't wait.

Visual approximation of me upon seeing my book was reviewed in USA Today

It's exciting to be featured on a major news site, and exciting that M/M romance is getting more and more mainstream. A Forbidden Rumspringa has been received so warmly, and I'm hard at work on the sequel coming in February 2015. In the meantime, check out book #1:

Buy now: All Romance eBooks | Amazon | Barnes and Noble iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

Just over a month away...

Good morning, readers! If you've been playing the home game, you know that I've been EXTREMELY excited about an upcoming release. You also know that I've been posting about it incessantly, ha. Well, I was going to take a break from that for a couple of weeks, but then I got some emails asking for more of Jake and Tor and Chance and Tucker. Who am I to refuse? Here's another little snip.

***

"Come see us," Tor invited. "Jake and me already talked about it, and I think Jake and Chance did, too. July is a sucky month, but come anytime you want. Seriously."

Jake nodded. "For sure. We’d love to show you around. Nothing cool like Disneyland, but we have fishing and horses and a drive-in theater. Sometimes, anyway."

"Disneyland’s only cool the first time. All that other stuff is way better." Tucker scooped up his pennies and brought them back to the jar. "I wanna see your spread. Then I can tell you which part of your land is good for growing tobacco."

Jake and Tor both snorted. It was an indelicate sound that spoke volumes. "There’s none of the right soil," Tor said.

"And the cows don’t need the nicotine," Jake put in.

"Half of Tucker’s blood is nicotine," Chance said wryly. "He tells me it’s good for you."

"Shoot, just look at me!" Tucker spread his arms and looked down at himself. "Don’t see no stunted growth here, do ya? Not in any area." He leered at Chance a little.

"And that’s our cue!" Jake laughed and reached for Tor’s hand. "Come on. Time to get moving."

A small thread of disappointment wove its way through Chance’s head. It had been nice, the past few days. Really nice. Jake and Tor were good company. "All right," he nodded. "We’ll walk you out."

Tucker made a face. "Man. Too bad y’all have to go."

Jake nodded and dropped Tor’s hand. "We’ve had a great time," he agreed, offering his hand to Tucker. "Thanks."

Tucker took Jake’s hand and pulled him in for a quick bro-hug. "Was good to see you," he said warmly. "We’ll keep in touch, yeah?" He looked over at Tor. "But not with you. I’m sick of you."

"Yeah, I think we’re on a friendship timeout." Tor nodded and turned to Chance. "Any time you want to get off the beach, come see our crick."

"River," Jake corrected. "A crick is way more narrow."

"I don’t know the difference," Chance admitted. "But I’ll come and see it." He offered his hand to Jake. "Thanks for dinner last night."

"Hey, no problem." Jake’s hand was warm in his. "I’ll do you a great barbecue next time."

"I look forward to it." Chance followed Tucker and Tor through the living room to the front door. "Text me when you get home. Have a safe flight."

"Will do." Jake tipped his hat at them both and followed Tor out. "Thanks again!"

"Bye!" Tucker called.

Chance watched out the window until he couldn’t see the truck taillights any longer. Just when he was about to move away, Tucker slipped an arm around his waist and peered out the window too. "Miss your little friend?" he teased gently.

"They just left," Chance laughed, avoiding the question.

"Seems to me you and Jake got along pretty good."

"Yeah." Chance couldn’t really deny that. "He’s got a lot going on behind that calm front."

Tucker rested his forehead on Chance’s shoulder. "Stands to reason that there’s more to Jake than what you first see. How else would him and Tor have ended up together?"

It hadn’t occurred to Chance to look at it that way. Tor had seen the hidden side of Jake the same way Tucker had seen much more than what Chance first presented to people.

A thought that had been at the edges of Chance’s mind for days made its way into a question. "Do you wish I was more like Tor?"

The answer came back instantly. "No, baby. I don’t want you to be like anyone. I want you to be serious and bossy and beach-lovin’ and a good medic. You be all those things. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if you woke up one day bein’ more like Tor."

The words were reassuring. Chance kissed Tucker’s head and nuzzled at the silky strands of hair. "I’m ready for bed."

"Me too. But not to sleep."

***

If you're not familiar with Chance and Tucker OR Jake and Tor, it's probably advisable that you read their separate stories first. You can find them at the links below. A little backstory goes a long way!

Jake and Tor are HERE.

Chance and Tucker are HERE.

Both books have sequels and short stories, so if you need help finding them, let me know. And thank you for those emails! Chris and I are so excited to know that people are looking forward to this as much as we are. 

  

Finding Balance

A few weeks back, someone said, "Write down a goal and then write down how you will feel when you achieve that goal." That seemed like a good idea so I did it, only I goofed. What I'd written down was really two goals in one...and I didn't achieve it. Them. Whatever. That's not to say I'm not a great deal closer to the half of the goal that is still achievable. I am. Something like 20,000 words closer, in fact. I'm not usually a big goal-setter, you see. Sure, the arbitrary, meaningless, self-imposed deadline has had its uses in my life (NaNoWriMo, anyone?), but this time I let life take precedence over such a deadline. And you know what? I'm okay with that. My mom and my bro needed help with some stuff, and I didn't get any writing done those days. That's fine. A dear friend was in town from San Diego and I didn't get a word written while she was here. That's fine, too. Because living in the moment, enjoying time with people I love, is more important than a daily word count or even an arbitrary, meaningless, self-imposed deadline. No editor or publisher is breathing down my neck for this novel. (Which is good and bad and a whole other post in itself.) I have beta readers tapping their toes impatiently, but they'll forgive the wait. The manuscript in question is winding down. It has surpassed my previous word count record by about 6,000 words (so far). It will be done when it is done with however many words it takes, and when it's done it'll go to the beta readers, and then I hope it will eventually find a home with a publisher and make it out to you.

On another subject completely (and yet not entirely unrelated), it's Bisexuality Day today. Here's an old favourite to help you celebrate. :-)

Getting closer...

November 5 is fast approaching! If you don't know why that matters, let me tell you. (I know I've told you before, but I personally need ten reminders about things before I can vaguely recall them.)

Chris Owen and I decided a while back that it would be an interesting experiment to see what happened if two of our most popular couples happened to meet each other. Jake and Tor from Bareback and Chance and Tucker from Heat might be able to make friends, despite their obvious differences and the fact that they don't live even remotely near each other, ha.

So we experimented. And our experiment grew into something neither of us expected. Namely, a really good book. A really good book that was too long to fit into just one novel, so we wrote three. And when we finished, we realized that this was a story that people needed to read.

Unexpected love stories are the best kind.

So that's why November 5 is a date you should remember. Don't worry, Chris and I will be reminding you. If you aren't familiar with Bareback or Heat, this is your chance to pick up those stories before November 5!

Leaving you on this gorgeous Sunday with a little excerpt. Have a great one, Slashers!

***

Tucker piped up again. "So then how come y’all wouldn’t hang with us last night? I mean, I know I said I’d buy you a drink, but dang. The bar serves Coke, you know." He smiled at Jake, flashing a hint of dimple.

Jake looked at Tor and then at Tucker. "Well, honestly, we had to have a talk to make sure we were on the same page about a couple of things. It's something we've learned to do, no matter what, even if we have to give up a pleasant evening with people."

"He means we had to be all responsible and shit, to keep from making a mess of our holiday."

Tucker’s eyebrows drew together. "Same page. About what?"

Since Chance also wanted to know the answer, he let Tucker do the asking, even though it was bordering on none of their business.

This time it was Tor with the shrug. "About spending time with attractive men, of course. What else?"

Chance could feel his own jaw drop. That was not the answer he’d expected. He blinked at Jake, looking for confirmation.

Jake, damn him, just gave him a slow grin. "They don't have mirrors in California?"

Chance could feel Tucker’s smirk without even looking in his direction. "I, well. We, you know. That’s cool. You know. Okay, whatever." Chance groaned inwardly. Tongue-tied wasn’t a good look on him. He cleared his throat and tried again. "It was only a drink. That’s all. Not a proposition."

"Good." Both Jake and Tor suddenly seemed serious. "We'd have to say no and excuse ourselves if it was," Jake said. "We're not looking for that at all. A nice conversation, though, is always welcome."

"We were not looking for that either," Chance said. It came out a little forcefully.

"Simmer down, Cap." Tucker slid closer to him and smiled at Jake and Tor. "What Chancellor is tryin’ to say is that he noticed you, he thought you looked pretty, and that’s as far as it’s gonna go. We don’t play that game. But we do make friends. Well, I do. Chance just yells at people." Tucker squeezed Chance’s hand to soften his teasing. "All good, right?"

"All's good here," Tor said with a nod. "Our talk had very little to do with y'all, honestly, and everything to do with us."

"That's true." Jake nudged his empty plate. "You'll have to take our word for it, I guess. But seems like all four of us are on the same page, now, so how about dessert?"

"Not for me," Chance said quietly. He was still mulling over the idea that someone might have thought he and Tucker were looking for another couple to play with. The thought hadn’t even crossed Chance’s mind.