Love Wins

I hope everyone has had a wonderful time this Pride Month! Festivities here were extensive. Even the crosswalks got into the celebration.


And then there was this:

Supreme Court Declares Same-Sex Marriage Legal In All 50 States

There's still work to do and battles to fight, but for now we celebrate, we dance, we cheer. Love is love! Love wins! Happy Pride, everyone!

Aaaaand another one for you...

I got two of the nicest comments recently, both asking for another excerpt of Never Too Early: Full Circle. Since Chris and I reached 50k on it yesterday and still have at least another 10k to go, there is no shortage of good snippets to choose from. Here's a little piece for you, and happy Sunday.

***

"Where's the paper targets?" Tucker crouched down to the blanket and searched around. "These can go on the trees." Three or four tall oaks were a good bit of distance away.

Chance jogged to the trees and fastened the targets, then returned and squinted at them. "Good enough?"

"Yep. Tucker, go for it. Make Kentucky proud."  Tor leaned against the truck to watch, liking the sun on his shoulders. "Chance, are you good with handguns?"

He nodded. "Better than with a shotgun, actually. I never shot a rifle until a few years ago. The ones you have are nicer than anything I've used."

Tor stage whispered, "Jake can be a little tight, but he invests in good guns."  He ignored the dirty look he got for that. "You're doing fine. Shoulder it again for me, let me see your stance. Just don't try Jake's. It won't work for anyone but him."

Chance did as requested. He brought the gun to his shoulder, and Tor was amused to note that Chance had a stance that, if not identical to Jake's, was strangely similar. Then he realized why.

"Okay, surfer boy. I'm going to get up close and personal." He smiled and slotted himself behind Chance, hands on Chance's hips. "No wonder Jake didn't suck on a surfboard. Okay, move your hips back, like this, and let your lead foot come on back." He used his hands to square Chance's hips a bit and pulled him back tight to his own body. "Oh, hello there. Jake's right -- you smell good."

Chance turned his head to the right and looked over his shoulder at Tor. Their eyes were just about level, although Chance may have been slightly taller. Jake had also been right about Chance's eyes changing color, Tor noted. They'd been a soft hazel this morning, but now they matched the bright green of the patchy grass around them. "Jake put some stuff in our shower. It says it smells like ocean, but I don't think whoever made the soap has actually been to the beach."

"Well, whatever it is, it smells good on you." Tor winked at him and went on. "Now, hips back here, feet firm on the ground. Rifle to shoulder. How does that feel?"  He didn't step back. The sun was warm on his back, and Chance was warm on his front.

Chance cleared his throat. "Good. It feels… good." He didn't move either. "But I feel like I could step off balance as soon as the gun kicks. Should I try a shot?"

"Go for it, I've got you." Tor was braced, mirrored like Chance, hands still on Chance's hips. "Just aim and squeeze."

Tor felt Chance tense a moment before pulling the trigger. The blast was loud in his ears. The back kick of the barrel rocked both of them, and Chance nearly took a step to the side. He managed to keep his balance at the last second, but in doing so, pressed himself even more firmly against Tor's chest. He lowered the rifle and stared straight ahead at the target. "Like that?" he asked, his voice low.

"Mmhmm. More or less.  Want to try again? Find your balance?" Tor was feeling more than a little off balance himself. He took a breath and tightened his grip on Chance's hips. "Careful now." He might have been talking to himself.

Excerpt: Never Too Early: Full Circle

Wow, June. How is it halfway over? Every time I blink, another month has passed. The curse of getting older, I suppose.

Chris Owen and I have been hard at work for the past few weeks on the third novel in the Never Too Early series. We have a deadline, so we're hoping to have it finished by the end of June. This novel is different from the others for various reasons; not the least of which is that Tor and Tucker get their turn to speak. The other differences will just have to be a surprise, ha.

Here's an excerpt for those who have been waiting so patiently.... happy Sunday!

***

It hadn't occurred to Tucker that Tor thought he and Jake were alike at all. "Different, sure. And we both like horses." He shrugged. "Other than that, me and Jake don't really match up the same."

Tor laughed. "You're both thoughtful, can cook, listen really well, pay attention to what people feel as well as what they say, wake up happy, don't whine unless it's actually worth it, and are tough as nails. Trust me, you're alike in a bunch of ways. But you laugh easier, play easier, and see the point of games. You don't stress, and you don't take on everyone's problems as your own to worry about."

"Jake carries other people's weight, huh? A guy can break his back that way." Tucker smiled and tried another taste of his hot chocolate. There, perfect. "Well, him and Chance sure get each other." It still made Tucker wonder a little. Did it mean Chance and Jake were better suited?

"Same thing there," Tor said after a mouthful of hot chocolate. "There's, like, some kind of balance of needs. You and Chance are necessary for each other in really great ways, and Jake kind of... fills in some gaps, is all."

"I didn't know there were gaps," Tucker mumbled. Until now.

"They're not really gaps. You know the difference between an accidental baby and a surprise baby?"

The analogy made Tucker laugh. "Sure, I guess. But the surprise baby is still a surprise."

"But you wouldn't give it up. You just didn't know you were missing it." Tor kissed him again. "He's not looking for anything you haven't got. He just found something that's extra. That's all. He wasn't missing anything, he just got chocolate sauce on his sundae."

"Oh yeah?" Tucker looked up at him with a smile. "And what about you and me? Chocolate sauce, or something different?"

*taps mic* Am I on?

Is it my blog day? I think it's my blog day. OMG, it's been so long. I'd like to say I've spent my lengthy absence in a frenzy of writing and publishing, but I would be lying. There has been some little writing. There has not been publishing. I am aiming to improve the former and change the latter. To that end, I'm finally going to release a paperback edition of my m/m fantasy novel Client Privileges. I'm also working on getting Rose & Thorn (m/m/f) re-released in both print and ebook formats. While I'm chipping away at those granite blocks, I've also submitted a contemporary paranormal story to a publisher. That one's not a romance, per se, although it does have m/m romantic elements to it. It's the first in a series--or will be once it's published. I'll let you know when there's anything to update on that. Here's hoping it will be good news.