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Tag: m/m romance novel

A Summer Without Rain Re-Releases!

A Summer Without Rain Re-Releases!

This was my first book baby and was originally written back in 2008 or so, when I had no idea what I was doing (that assumes I might know what I’m doing now, LOL). These characters and this story always stuck with me and I wanted to give it a proper rewrite to do them justice. So, this book has been heavily revised into a true dual POV and my editor lives in the UK, so that helped quite a bit with the dialogue and some historical facts (plus, there area a huge amount of articles available online now that weren’t there back then!). I should also mention that I’ve now been to Dublin – yay!

So, why did I choose to write a book in Ireland in 1920? Originally, I’d been watching a bunch of Irish independent film and fell in love with that time period and place (it might have something to do with Cillian Murphy:) ).  I also wanted to explore the aspect of forbidden love. Now, on to the good stuff… 

Giveaway!

Three winners of the Rafflecopter giveaway will be able to pick their choice of any of my published works, including this book.

And Now, A Teaser:

Ciaran spread a faint smile on his lips and cupped Shannon’s face in his hand. It was time for answers. “I like this, Shannon. I like being with you this way. But what exactly is this?” His gaze roamed Shannon’s face. Would he finally hear what he wanted to hear? 

Shannon’s throat dipped with a hard swallow. He looked away for a moment, then came back. “I-I don’t know, I suppose it can be whatever you want it to be,” he said softly.

“Well, what do you want it to be?” Ciaran held him tightly. He would get his answers.

Shannon whined, “I don’t know, Ciaran.” He shifted under Ciaran’s body, attempting to look away again.

Ciaran pressed on Shannon’s chin, bringing him back. Was the secret Shannon shared with his aunt how he felt about him? Is that what was going on? He should just ask. Surely, Shannon would tell him. “Is it what Iona said, you suppose? Could we be in love?” He pressed his lips together, his heart hammering in his chest. What would he say?

With wrinkled brows, Shannon searched his face. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.

Maybe he doesn’t feel the same. Maybe I’m wrong. His chest ached. He needed to get out of this somehow. He spread an anxious smile over his lips. “That’s silly, isn’t it? To think we might be in love with each other. I mean, sure, I love you. But you’re my best friend. So of course, I’m going to love you, in a way. But guys don’t love each other, do they, Shannon?” He forced a grin.

Shannon’s eyes glistened and he twisted his head away, then took an audible swallow. “Yeah, I suppose we love each other like friends.” He huffed a quick chuckle. “It would be silly to think we’d be in love.” He turned onto his side, away from Ciaran, and curled himself into a tight ball.

Shifting in the bed, Ciaran leaned over Shannon’s side, caressing his shoulder. Was Shannon about to cry? A lump formed in his throat. Why wouldn’t Shannon just tell him if he loved him more than a friend? “Are you all right?” What could he do to make him feel better, to make him trust him?

“Yeah, just feel a little sick all of a sudden.” Shannon’s voice cracked.

He’s not ready. I won’t push him. “I knew you shouldn’t have drunk all that whiskey.” Ciaran lay back down and hesitated. What should he do? He should comfort him as best he could. He wrapped his body around Shannon’s in a desperate embrace and placed a lingering kiss on his back. “Goodnight, Shannon. Let me know if you need to be sick, okay?”

A light sniffle escaped Shannon. “Yeah, okay. Goodnight.”

Ciaran reached for the nightstand, flicked off the lamp with the red-feathered shade and went back to Shannon. He positioned himself as close as possible, making sure no gaps existed between them, giving him a brief but pure squeeze. He closed his eyes.

Shannon’s breathing became rhythmic in his hold.

Breaking His Serve Releases!

Breaking His Serve Releases!

Why tennis? Because it’s what I know. I played tennis competitively as a teen for a tennis club and I was first singles for my high school team. I also did some tournaments. I loved Bjorn Borg and Illie Nastase:)

Anyhow, this book was a lot of fun to write. River is definitely the most fun character I’ve ever written – he’s unfiltered in pretty much every way and not afraid to show off or to be who he is. 

I love hanging out in Flagstaff, Arizona, where this book takes place. It’s a little mountain town not too far from the Grand Canyon. The restaurants and bars mentioned in the book are also some of my favorite places up there. 

While writing this book, a very good friend of mine died from pancreatic cancer. You might notice the dedication to her in the front matches River’s mother’s name. I got to tell her about that before she passed and we had a little chuckle over it. Anyhow, no more sad stuff…

Now for the Teaser:

River eyed him and edged his chest to the table. “You can talk to me, you know. I’m not as much of an asshole as you think I am.”

Chase snickered. “Yeah, right.” He ate a bite of food. “You just want more shit you can throw at me on the court.” His chest tightened. He couldn’t trust this guy. All he wanted was his position on the team.

“That’s not true.” River reached over the table and placed his hand on Chase’s forearm, gazing into his eyes. “We have a chance to help each other out here. Maybe more than on the court.”

Chase searched his face. His heart skipped and heat rushed up his neck. He looked deeply into River’s blue eyes, taking him in fully. The memory of a guy kissing River at the bar flashed through his mind. The rumors about him are true. I saw him kiss a guy. Desire shivered over his spine. He’s fucking hot…but I hate him. Remember that. He stared at the table, yanking his arm away. “So, say something helpful for once.”

“Your girlfriend is an idiot.”

“What?” Chase lifted his brows.

River sat back in his chair, smirking. “She’s an idiot.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, what’s not to like about you? Well, except for your attitude.” He sniggered.

“What’s wrong with my attitude?” Anger flared in Chase’s chest. He tensed his mouth. This conversation was pointless and going nowhere.

“You need to relax a little bit. Have some fun for once.” River looked him over. “I bet you’re pretty tame in bed, too.”

“What?” Chase jumped from his chair, glaring down at River. Why the hell would he even go there? “Take that back.”

River chuckled and waved his hand. “Sit down.” He scanned around him. “You’re making a scene.”

Chase surveyed the people around them, all fixated on him. He took his seat. “You talk about my attitude. Why do you have to talk like that? We’re supposed to be going over the game.”

“Yeah, whatever. This is so much more fun.” River sipped his beer. “You’re so easy to rile up. Surprising, considering how controlled everyone says you are.”

Chase slumped his shoulders. He was right. It seemed not only could River run him all over the court, he did the same off the court. Why did he let him get to him so much? It wasn’t like him to let people get under his skin like this. But River just…He drew a deep inhale and ate some food.

Find Me in July Releases!

Find Me in July Releases!

I may be dating myself by saying this, but I was 14 years old in 1978 when this book takes place. My grandparents also had a condo on the lake at Breezy Point Resort and I spent my summers up there as a kid. Sort of like Jessie and Troy do in this book:) So, yes, writing this book helped me relive some very fond memories of my childhood in that special place and that is why it takes place there. Back then, me and the friends I met up there did all those things that Jessie and Troy do, including the weed on the golf course, the frisbee, playing pool at The Commander (which is still there) and boating out at Gooseberry Island. 

The other part of writing this book included researching what gay life was like in my hometown of Minneapolis back then. I do remember driving by the Gay 90’s as a teen and wondering at all the men on the sidewalk and not really understanding what was going on.

 

I was proud to find out that Minneapolis, along with New York and San Francisco, was one of the most liberal and safe places for people in the LGBTQ+ community. This was something I didn’t know about when the plot bunny for this book started screaming inside my head (and boy, did it scream). Now on to the good stuff…

Giveaway!

Three winners of the Rafflecopter giveaway will be able to pick their choice of any of my published works, including this book. There is also a prequel read for this book if you sign up for my newsletter. 🙂

And Now, A Teaser:

Troy followed Jessie to the van, parked outside his family cabin. The lone streetlight hovering at the edge of the woods lit up the side. The cool night air, still heavy with the threat of rain, shivered over his skin. As he grasped the door handle, he glanced at him.
 
Jessie gazed at him with wide eyes, holding a canvas bag in one hand and his boom box in the other. He licked his lips.
 
A rush of desire worked up Troy’s spine. Tonight, he was willing to take things further. He slid the door open and crept inside, his c*ck swelling with anticipation. He’d been looking forward to this all day, and after what Jessie had said in the men’s bathroom, things seemed different. They were closer.
 
Jessie stepped into the van and shut the door, then crawled to him and sat on the shag carpeting, his legs tucked underneath him. “So, do you want to get high first tonight?”
 
“I don’t know. Do you?” Troy placed his hand on Jessie’s cheek. He would if he wanted to.
 
Jessie brushed his cheek against Troy’s hand, focusing on him. “Yeah, I do.” He slid his baggie of joints out of the canvas bag.
“Okay.” Troy tugged the circular table out of the floor, then set it behind the front seats and pulled on the couch frame, making it into a bed. As he sat on the bed, Jessie handed him a lit joint. “Thanks.” He took a long drag, then freed a plume of smoke. His head buzzed. He gave the joint back.
 
Jessie sucked on the joint, held it, then released it. “So, I told you I wanted to try something tonight.” He held the joint to Troy.
 
Troy dragged off the joint a second time, then handed it back to Jessie. “That’s enough for me.” He had an idea what Jessie wanted to do. He was pretty sure he was ready.
 
Jessie took another hit from the joint, pinched it out and tucked it into the baggie, then set it on the cabinet counter. “So, I brought something.”
 
“You didn’t bring your Playguy again, did you?” Troy released a soft giggle and covered his mouth with his hand. The weed was getting to him.
 
Jessie smirked and shook his head once. “No, I didn’t. You goon.” He reached into the canvas bag and pulled out a jar of Vaseline, then held it up. He spread a broad grin over his face.
 
Troy widened his eyes. “I see…” It was what he’d thought. Every night, Jessie had been going on about how good it felt. “Okay, so who goes first?”
 
“Troy, you know I know what I’m doing, right?” Jessie rested the Vaseline jar in his lap.
 
“Yeah.” Troy gnawed on his lip. “So, you want to shove your finger inside my a$$.” He burst out giggling. Maybe he shouldn’t have had the second hit on the joint.
 
Jessie joined him in a round of giggles. “Do you have to say it like that?” He wiped his eyes and calmed. “Damn, man.”
 
“So, what is this supposed to do?” Troy fought to keep a straight face. This was serious to Jessie for some reason. He squirmed. This conversation was not a turn on.