The Hencha Queen by J. Scott Coatsworth

Hello, Happy Wednesday everyone. I hope you are having a wonderful week. Today I’m thrilled to share that my good buddy, J. Scott Coatsworth (find out more about Scott here) has a wonderful new book out; The Hencha Queen. This is the third book in his The Tharassas Cycle.

Here is the blurb for The Hencha Queen:

SILYA COMES INTO HER OWN, BUT WILL SHE BE ENOUGH?

Silya finally has everything she always wanted. She's the Hencha Queen, head of the Temple, and is working to master her newfound talents. So why does the world pick now to fall apart?

Her once-nemesis Raven is off riding dragons, and their mutual friend (and her ex) Aik is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a new threat menaces the Heartland from the East, and if she can't convince a reluctant Gullton city council to prepare for the worst, she may lose everyone and everything she's ever cared about.

As she uses her magic-like abilities, wit and sheer determination to try to save the city, she's joined by Raven and his new friends. Will their help tip the scales? And will they finally find out what happened to Aik as a dark storm threatens to sweep them all away?

Forget messy. Things just got apocalyptic.

Buy your copy here.

Here is the series blurb:

The Tharassas Cycle is a four book sci-fantasy series set on the recently colonized world of Tharassas. When humans first arrived on planet, they thought they were alone until the hencha mind made itself known. But now a new threat has arisen to challenge both humankind and their new allies on this alien world.

That’s all for today. Until next time have a great week.

Tea Cup Promises by Glenn Quigley

Happy Wednesday everyone. I hope you are having a great day and a wonderful week. Today I’m happy to share that my good friend, author Glenn Quigley (learn more about Glenn here) has a new book coming out on March 16, 2024.

Here are the details:

Andrew Peacock is turning forty, sleeping with an older, straight, married man, and tired of the lies. So what better time to drag everything into the open than at a party for his lover’s wedding anniversary?

Told across six instalments, three decades, and one pandemic Teacup Promises charts the key moments in the relationships of Andrew, his boyfriend Jack, Jack’s wife Harriet, and Harriet’s lover, Stephen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Clever, unique, and emotionally compelling with rich character development" — BJ Toth, editor

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "What a story! ... I was gobsmacked how well Glenn Quigley brought the whole story together." — Goodreads review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ "…a shock I never saw coming!" – Goodreads review

Pre-order your copy here.

That’s all for now, until next time have a great week.

Pre-Order Mu and Book Release of Queer Cheer

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, did you have a good Labor Day (if you are here in the US)? Mine and Eric’s was nice, we relaxed, slept in and had a quiet day. Honestly, disconnecting and unwinding was really enjoyable and overdue. I need to do that more often. This week I have two quick announcements. The first is about Mu; Legend of a Lost City (find the book here) and the second is about BAQWA Presents; Queer Cheer (get your copy here). Let’s get to it.

As I teased last week, Mu; Legend of a Lost City will be released on November 11, 2023, and as of today you can pre-order your copy of Mu; Legend of a Lost City now (click here). So, you’ll have the book delivered right to your tablet the moment the book is released. Don’t delay and order your copy now (click here).

Enjoy the blurb:

For years, the whispers and legends of a lost city hiding in the Pacific Ocean were just that; legend. On the day Kaimi discovers his parents, the Queen and King of Mu, murdered, Mu’s most powerful weapon fired, sending a pulse rushing towards the North American west coast.

After the 2025 Great Pacific Pulse Event, or Pulse, vomited up much of humankind’s trash in the Pacific Ocean along the North American west coast. The mysterious occurrence causing the largest environmental disaster in human history, people are no longer certain there is nothing concealed in the depths of the ocean. Scientist Karen Linn and billionaire investor Michael Donovan want to find out what actually happened that day five years ago. Will Michael’s life in the adult entertainment industry and Karen’s moniker in pseudoscience keep them as social pariahs, or are they on the cusp of finding a civilization that has been kept out of our grasp, deep in the world’s largest ocean? How does the event from five years ago tie into the murder of the Queen and King of Mu? What lies under the sea may be bigger than anyone can imagine, and neither civilization may be ready for the truth.

Next up, BAQWA Presents; Queer Cheer is out now (get your copy here). The anthology launched on September 1st, now is your opportunity to pick up your copy and help BAQWA support the Rainbow Community Center in Concord, CA. Remember all proceeds from the sale of Queer Cheer will go to help the center in their good work.

Well, there you go, nice and short this week. I hope you’ll order up your copy of Mu; Legend of a Lost City (pre-order the novel here) and pick up a copy of BAQWA Presents; Queer Cheer (Don’t miss out click here). I’m so proud have worked on both these works and I can’t wait for people to kick up their feet and enjoy. Until next time, have a great week.

Mu; Legend of a Lost City – Coming November 2023

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, today is the last day of August and again I’m asking myself where did the month go? I hope you all had a wonderful August. I know there’s a lot happening, but I still hope you managed to enjoy yourselves. Today I’m excited to share with you all the current details I have about Mu; Legend of a Lost City. This new novel is the eighth full-length book I’ve written and I’m proud of not only how much my writing has improved, but how Mu; Legend of a Lost City turned out. This was a fun story to craft and holds a special place in my heart, as one of the characters is named after a dear friend of mine who passed away this last year. I hope I do the character justice and folks resonate with the story and the characters.

Mu; Legend of a Lost City is being published by Spectrum Books (find them here) and will launch on November 11th assuming there are no delays, which hopefully there won’t be.

Here is the blurb all about Mu; Legend of a Lost City:

For years, the whispers and legends of a lost city hiding in the Pacific Ocean were just that; legend. On the day Kaimi discovers his parents, the Queen and King of Mu, murdered, Mu’s most powerful weapon fired, sending a pulse rushing towards the North American west coast.

After the 2025 Great Pacific Pulse Event, or Pulse, vomited up much of humankind’s trash in the Pacific Ocean along the North American west coast. The mysterious occurrence causing the largest environmental disaster in human history, people are no longer certain there is nothing concealed in the depths of the ocean. Scientist Karen Linn and billionaire investor Michael Donovan want to find out what actually happened that day five years ago. Will Michael’s life in the adult entertainment industry and Karen’s moniker in pseudoscience keep them as social pariahs, or are they on the cusp of finding a civilization that has been kept out of our grasp, deep in the world’s largest ocean? How does the event from five years ago tie into the murder of the Queen and King of Mu? What lies under the sea may be bigger than anyone can imagine, and neither civilization may be ready for the truth.

And most importantly, here is the amazing cover for the book:

A little more about the story. With Mu; Legend of a Lost City, I wanted to write an adventure story about finding a long-lost world, but Atlantis has been done by so many authors and writers that I wanted to find a new location, one hopefully on the West Coast of North America, since I love to place all my novels in the San Francisco Bay Area (more specifically San Jose). I did quite a bit of research and learned about the legend of Mu (you can learn more here). From finding out about this lost place, I dug into the stories and tried to piece together what would work for my novel and what would make for an enjoyable read.

When it came to the main characters, I wanted to tell the story from three points of view, the first being a character from Mu itself, so that is where Kaimi Tupu came from. He is a Prince and finds his parents murdered, leaving him to become King, but all is not well in the kingdom. I wanted to respect the area of the world this city was located in so I drew from the Polynesian culture. This was a lot of fun to write about and since these people were not from any single civilization, I enjoyed making up my own society for them. I pulled bits and pieces from all over the Pacific Rim. As for Kaimi himself he wants to see the world and doesn’t understand why Mu has been hiding from the rest of the world, he loves his family and understands his duty, but has no interest in being the ruler of Mu. He’s a wonderful character and I hope people will enjoy learning more about him.

For the scientist I wanted to bring forward a person who didn’t care what people thought about her and who held true to her beliefs. The scientist is Karen Linn; she is brilliant if not a little odd and despite all that she has been through, continues to believe in her work and her abilities. Karen is special to me as this character was completely changed and written in honor of my wonderful friend Karen. The two share several of the same traits and bear a striking resemblance to each other, but with all my characters, this Karen is 100% her own person, and has her own goals and history. She’s a researcher but is still able to work a crowd to help her get what she wants. She may not always be truthful, but nothing she does is ever from malice. She’s also not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in. She will fight hard for her beliefs and the people she loves. As with Kaimi, she was wonderful to write and I hope readers will relate to her and enjoy her story.

Lastly, there is my billionaire former Porn Star. Yep, you heard that right. Michael Donovan is a former adult entertainer who now is the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company. I wanted to have a character so different from anything that people would expect, that when the idea of having a billionaire former porn star flip the bill for the mission to Mu, I had to run with it. But, as with all my characters, there is more to Michael than meets the eye. He has the heart of a dreamer and has learned (the hard way) to not care what people think of him or how he made his money. That doesn’t stop him from wanting to do good in the world. However, people will gladly take his money, but they don’t want anything to do with him as a person. Which is a shame, because Michael is a man worth knowing and learning about. I hope readers will find him as interesting and as fun as I do.

We thought it was a legend. We were wrong. The truth behind the Pulse and the lost city of Mu may end us all.

Well, there you go, my introduction of Mu; Legend of a Lost City. As I mentioned, the novel will be out November 11th and there will be more information coming, but I hope my teaser got you excited to read more about Mu; Legend of a Lost City and the characters that inhabit my most recent novel. Until next time, have a great week.

Book Announcement and Free Books

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, how are you all doing today? Are you having a good August? This week I have a book announcement to share with you and more free books for you to pick-up and collect. Let’s jump in.

This week I’m happy to share my buddy J.P. Jackson (learn more here) is releasing his next short story in his Skin Sessions series. Skin Sessions #3: Carnal Animals is available for pre-order (click here). If you enjoy sexy, dark and creepy stories this is a must-read series for you. I’ve read the first two books in the series and highly recommend them for you to read. And yes, I’ll be reading book 3. Here are the details about the series and the newest book:

This is book #3 in the Skin Sessions series. It is strongly recommended to read them in order.

Gavin Medici, the owner of The Unicorn’s Horn, is struggling with the sudden explosion of business that the incubus, Taz-rial, has brought to the brothel. Not only is the calendar book full of impending dates but finding enough free slots to get all the clients scheduled is proving impossible. Not to mention caring for a pet ghoul, ensuring the boys are all in good health, and obtaining a contractor to do repairs to the crumbling brownstone.

Meanwhile, Denham, one of the brothel’s men, is trying to get into university. It’s a lifelong dream to get a law degree and better himself. His newfound boyfriend is going to extra lengths to help him jump through all the hoops to get admitted, but Lucas has been holding back on a secret of his own.

The constant chaos ramps up even further when attempting to secure a new business license from the city council which is dead set against allowing such a sinful den of iniquity to exist.

And then there’s Dillon and Aiden, the boys who fled when the demon appeared. They are secretly plotting to send Taz-rial back to the depths of hell where the fiend belongs and save their fellow brothel workers from the demon’s grasp.

In a world slowly being ripped apart by climate change storms and a decaying social order, will Gavin and his men, accompanied by the incubus Taz-rial survive and flourish?

Pre-order Skin Sessions #3: Carnal Animals here.

Also, this month I have a couple more free books for you to pick up. I’m excited to share that I’m part of another BookFunnel giveaway. If you enjoy Sapphic Romance stories then please click the image below and browse the books. This is a great way to add to your to be read pile and the books are free.

Click the image to find out more.

Also, if you enjoy reading MM Paranormal Romance then you’ll want to join the QueerRomance Ink mailing list and pick up these four free books (including a copy of The Calling).

Click the image to find out more.

Well, there you go, I wanted to keep it quick this week, especially since I sent out a Newsletter on Monday (if you aren’t signed up for my newsletter you can do so here). Until next time, have a great week.

BayCon 2023 and Book Sale

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all doing well today and having a great Summer. This week I have a short up date and reminder for you. Let’s not waste time and get right into it.

This weekend (July 1–4, 2023) I’ll be at BayCon 2023, at the Santa Clara Marriott (learn more here). Not only will I be at the Lim Fic booth for the four days, but I’m going to be on multiple panels (click here for the full list and times). On Saturday, July 1st, I’ll be on the following panels:

  • First Do No Harm: Queer Science Fiction Storytelling

  • It Took Me Years to Get My Novel Published. What I wish I’d Known.

  • A Dash of Science (how much Science to put in your Sci Fi stories)

On Monday, July 3rd, I’ll be on the following panel:

  • Creating Solid Queer Characters in Sci-Fi Stories.

I’m thrilled to be on these panels, and I hope you’ll be able to come out and say hello. As I mentioned, I’ll also be at the Liminal Fiction booth in the Dealers Room for the four-day event (check out all the dealers here). So even if you don’t get a chance to come to any of my panels, you can still swing by and say hello in the Dealers Room and support all the wonderful creative and talented vendors.

Also, there is still time to get 50% off hundreds of eBooks. NineStar Press is having it’s annual Pride Sale, so hop over to their website (click here) and browse a terrific selection of queer books. This is the perfect time to refill your ‘to be read’ list. Remember to use code ‘PRIDE23’ at check out.

Well, there you go, a quick update today. I hope to see you all at BayCon 2023. Until next time, have a great week.

What’s happening? What’s Going on?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you all had a great long weekend, celebrating Memorial Day (here in the US), for everyone else, I trust you’ve had a good week and a restful weekend. It’s been a busy couple of weeks and things aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Today I thought I would give you an update on what’s happening and what’s going on with me. As always, I want to take a moment and welcome my new Scribblers. I always appreciate hearing from you and seeing you out at events. Thanks for stopping by.

This last weekend, Eric and I had a little fun and went out to lunch and did a bit of shopping. When we go out, we are like kids in a candy store and we’re not to be trusted, but we had a good time and being out for a couple of hours was great. We even managed to buy a little something fun. We decided to add to our Lego collection and bought the Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle, which was fun to put together. I built the first half, and he built the second half. I think slowly we’re going to build our own Disneyland.

What was nice about this build is that it didn’t take days to complete, but a couple of hours. It’s incredible all the tiny little pieces they give you and you have to make sure you put them together correctly or you have to take things apart and fix what you’ve already completed, or thought you completed. As with all Lego sets, we had a few extra bits, so we found a way to embellish our castle, which is always fun.

Click on the image to learn more.

Coming up this weekend, as some of you may have seen, I will be joining the wonderful group from QSac (find them here) at Davis Pride. The event is Sunday June 4th 10am – 4pm, so I hope if you are in the area you’ll come out and say hello. We had a great time last year, and I’m sure this year will be equally fun.

 

If you want to see all the events I’ll be going to don’t forget to check out my events page (click here).

Happening closer to home on June 17th 1pm – 2pm, several members of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA, learn more here) will be at the San Leandro Main Library (300 Estudillo Ave, San Leandro, CA) for a book reading. This is another free event and your support means a great deal, so if you have time, please come out and say hello.

On the writing front, I have Steve Connor (learn more here), back again working on Conspiracy - A New World, Book 3 (click here to learn more). Steve is back providing his voice and talent to the story and I can’t wait for you all to hear his great work. Have you read my A New World series yet? If not, you can get your sign copies here (US only) or you can find the audiobooks here and the eBooks and paperback books here. Check them out!

Also, I’m happy to report that I’m busy working on my next novel. I’m just over 40,000 words (150 pages or 16 chapters) in and I’m thrilled with how this story is coming along. I’ll be sharing more details about the story and the characters in my newsletter. Are you signed up? If not, join here and don’t miss out. I also provide my newsletter subscribers some exclusive offers.

And one more writing update. I’ve finished my next short story. It’s a Thanksgiving meet cute about two guys who meet at a grocery store on Thanksgiving Day, the story was a blast to write and I can’t wait for you to meet these two charming men.

Well, there you go, a quick check in this week. If you’re going to be in Davis, come and say hello and if you’re going to be in San Leandro, please stop by the San Leandro Main Library for the in person reading by several BAQWA Members. Until next time, have a great week.

Pinned by Liz Faraim

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you are all having a great week. Today I’m thrilled to share my good friend Liz Faraim’s newest novel Pinned with you. Liz is a phenomenal author who has released the Vivian Chastain series to much acknowledgment. Pinned is the first book in a new series for Liz, and I’m excited to share more details with you today. As with all her books this new novel by Liz is at the top of my to be read list.

As you may remember from Liz’s past visits here on my blog, Liz focuses her writing on strong, queer, female leads who don’t back down. She transplanted to California from New York over thirty years ago, and now lives in the East Bay Area.

You can find Liz here on her website or here on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

 

Pinned:

“Rowdy” Randy Cox, a woman staring down the barrel of retirement, is a curmudgeonly blue-collar butch lesbian, who has been single for twenty years and is trying to date again.

At the end of a long, exhausting shift, Randy finds her supervisor, Bryant, pinned and near death at the warehouse where they work. Upon the news of his death, she battles to find a balance between the joys of an exciting new relationship and the struggles of processing her supervisor’s unexpected passing.

The manner of her supervisor’s death leaves Randy unsettled and suspicious as she gets sucked into both a criminal investigation led by the police and an administrative investigation conducted by her employer.

As Randy seeks the truth, trust erodes, key friendships are strengthened, and more loss awaits her.

Get your copy of Pinned here.

As a special treat Liz has shared the music that inspired her and the writing of Pinned, check it out here.

Also, this Saturday April 22nd myself and several authors from the Bay Area Queer Writers Association will be at the Hayward Lit Hop (this is our second year). We will be at The Pizza House, 943 B Street in Hayward from 6pm – 6:45pm you can find out more details here.

That’s it for this week, don’t forget to check out Pinned and if you are in Hayward this Saturday come by and say hello and maybe have some dinner. Until next time, have a great week.

The Dragon Eater by J. Scott Coatsworth

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you are all having a great day. It’s time for another book announcement. No, not mine. This week I’m pleased to share with you one of my author friends newest Sci-Fi/Fantasy works. Today we have J. Scott Coatsworth here to chat about his new book, The Dragon Eater, and to share with us his thoughts on dragons in general. Let’s not waste any time and jump right into the world of dragons.

The Dragon Eater

Raven's a thief who just swallowed a dragon. A small one, sure, but now his arms are growing scales, the local wildlife is acting up, and his snarky AI familiar is no help whatsoever.

Raven's best friend Aik is a guardsman carrying a torch for the thief. A pickpocket and a guard? Never going to happen. And Aik’s ex-fiancé Silya, an initiate priestess facing a magical crisis, hates Raven with the heat of a thousand suns.

This unlikely team must work together to face strange beasts, alien artifacts, and a world-altering threat. If they don’t figure out what to do soon, it might just be the end of everything.

Things are about to get messy.

Pick up your copy here.

What Is it About Dragons?

I’ve loved dragons since I was nine or ten, when I first discovered Anne McCaffrey on my mom’s sci-fi bookshelves. My mother was (and maybe still is?) a member of the Science Fiction Book Club, and new books showed up regularly in her mailbox, to end up on the imposing built-in bookshelves on what we called the “spare bedroom.”

When I discovered The Lord of the Rings on those shelves, it opened a window into a new world for me, a world where magic was possible, where starships could carry me from here to a world so far away even light would take a thousand years to get there. And there was a dragon in The Hobbit – the infamous Smaug – but he was in many ways a traditional one, hoarding gold and killing knights... even if those knights were dwarves.

And then I found Pern.

I remember the beginning as if it was yesterday, Lessa working as a drudge and caring for the watch wher, and meeting Flar for the first time. The amazing ability of McCaffrey’s dragons to travel between anywhere on the planet in just three seconds, and the fire lizards. I was hooked.

These dragons bonded with their human counterparts, even during sex, and there were gay dragonriders!

And though the Pern books were sci-fi (with a clear scientific basis for the origin of these great beasts), they were also in some ways fantasy, with the aforementioned dragons, with magic (the ability to travel between) and with a medieval setting worthy of an epic fantasy novel. That heady blend of fantasy mixed with technology and scientific advancement makes me swoon.

So maybe it’s not just dragons, but dragons of a very particular type.

When I began writing The Dragon Eater, I admit my new charges were influenced by McCaffrey’s beautiful beasts. But they’re also different, creations of a natural world and with a kind of “magic” all their own.

I hope you enjoy my dragons, aka verent. I’m so happy to see them fly.

About J. Scott Coatsworth:

Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.

He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and is the committee chair for the Indie Authors Committee at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

Where to Find Scott:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jscoatsworth/

Mastodon: https://mastodon.lol/@jscottcoatsworth

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jscottcoatsworth/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8392709.J_Scott_Coatsworth?from_search=true

QueerRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

LimFic: https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

LimFic: https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-scott-coatsworth

I hope you’ll go and grab a copy of The Dragon Eater as the novel promises to be a lot of fun and Scott always crafts great stories. Until next time have a great week.

Skin Session by J.P. Jackson

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Today I’m back with an exciting new short story for you all to sink your teeth into. Author J.P. Jackson has released his dark and fun short story Skin Session (Demon at the Doorstep). As you may or may not know, Jackson is the author of dark and creepy books that will keep you up at night and make you wonder what really lurks in the shadows. And his newest short story doesn’t disappoint.

The Unicorn’s Horn was once a hot and lively pleasure house. Folks would come from miles around to be satisfied by the stable men kept by Gavin Medici, the house’s owner.

Trouble is, the world is ending, and surviving is more important to the brothel’s customers than an evening filled with unspeakable delights. Before long the purveyors of favors find themselves broke, hungry and living in a decaying brothel.

With a simple witchy spell, a visitor who promises to make everything better comes knocking. But demons are unpredictable and often come with hidden agendas.

A little demonic possession and the odd human sacrifice seem like a small price to pay. But is that all it will cost Gavin and his men?

I really enjoyed this short story and found the characters, setting, and world enjoyable and relatable. Jackson always manages to find a way to make even a creepy story sexy and fun. He’s says the stories come from the demons in his head? “They whisper things at night and force me to write about them.” And I think I believe him. The best part about this short story is the price; $.99. You can’t really go wrong. Jump on over to Amazon (click here) and grab your copy of this wonderfully dark short story.

It’s a short one this week. Remember to leave your comments below, especially if you’ve read this short story. I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, have a great week.

Writing Update -February 2023

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. It’s been a busy week… In fact, I had no idea how busy until today when I realized I hadn’t gotten a post together for this week. This week I’m following up on a couple of other posts and providing a general writing update. As I mentioned there is a lot to report on. Let’s get too it.

Last week, when I mentioned I have four short stories coming out, well this week, I’m happy to share all four covers with you. I’m thrilled with how they turned out.

Also, I’m happy to share the book blurb for each of the stories:

Election Night:

Elections are stressful enough, and none more than this one. With so much riding on the vote this year, Sammy needed involvement to get her candidate elected and into the Whitehouse. Now on election night she’s had a terrible day, but plans to work on the phones until the bitter end. Already late for her volunteering, Sammy rushes for the ancient building’s elevator, mercifully being held for her by an attractive stranger. More than an election is held in the balance when the elevator gets stuck between floors, and Sammy finds out that the woman stuck with her works for the enemy camp. Who will win the election, and how will these two women make it out of the elevator in one piece?

LandsEnd:

Prom Night. The last hurrah before college. Brandon and Ed are the chaperons for the LandsEnd High School Senior Prom, hosted at the LandsEnd Yacht Club. Its a night of dreams until the ground shakes and flashes of light brighten the sky, knocking out everything electrical, casting the dance into darkness. Cut off and alone, the adults and the students have to figure out what to do and what’s happening. Worryingly, what’s that strange clicking sound off in the distance that seemed to scare off the animals?

Nightingale’s Heart:

Rahim is the head of security for Aza, a popstar, who had a fan with mental health issues break into their home a few years back. Since being hired, Rahim has ensured Aza, and their team’s, safety. However, Rahim, over this time, has grown fond of Aza, hoping for more, but never wanting to cross the line of professionalism. Could his feelings be reciprocated? Could Aza find this lug of a man who protects them more than a ‘Big Guy’ who sees to their safety? Or is this another relationship where Rahim will get hurt?

The Old Road:

Halloween; a night of tricks and treats, but what happens when you take a stranger for a creepy night of mischief and fun? Anything can happen on Halloween, even the unimaginable.

 

Once these short stories are out, I’ll be sure to let you all know, so you can get your free copy, as long as you’re signed up for my newsletter… you are signed up for my newsletter, right?

If you are in the Sacramento, CA area this weekend, I’ll be part of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) anthology reading at the Lavender Library: 1414 21st St, Sacramento, CA 95811-5209, United States. We will be reading from our 2022 anthology; BAQWA Presents: Two 2022, which just so happens to have Nightingale’s Heart in it, and I’ll be reading from that short story. I hope to see you all there, as all funds raised from the book sales will go to support the Lavender Library.

Last update I have for this week, is about Mu; Legend of the Lost City. It’s finished and I have it with one of my Beta Readers. I’m pleased with how this story has turned out. I’m excited to have this wonderful tale published.

I have worked on the blurb for the story and I’m happy to share it here now:

For years, the whispers and legends of a lost city hiding in the Pacific Ocean were just that; legend. On the day Kaimi discovers, his parents, the Queen and King of Mu, murdered, Mu’s most powerful weapon fired, sending a pulse rushing towards the North American west coast.

After the 2025 Great Pacific Pulse Event, or Pulse, vomited up much of humankind’s trash in the Pacific Ocean along the North American west coast. The mysterious event causing the largest environmental disaster in human history, people are no longer certain there is nothing concealed in the depths of the ocean. Scientist Karen Linn and billionaire investor Michael Donovan want to find out what actually happened that day five years ago. Will Michael’s life in the adult entertainment industry and Karen’s moniker in pseudoscience keep them as social pariahs, or are they on the cusp of finding a civilization that has been kept out of our grasp, deep in the world’s largest ocean? How does the event from five years ago tie into the murder of the Queen and King of Mu? What lies under the sea may be bigger than anyone can imagine, and neither civilization may be ready for the truth.

Last up, have you been following my YouTube Channel? I’ve been posting weekly writing tips and tricks and I would love to get up to 100 subscribers, so if you’re on YouTube, come by and say hello. I’d like to think the information is helpful and I’ve gotten some wonderful comments and feedback, so I’d love to hear what you have to say.

You can find my channel here.

There you have it, everything I’ve been up to. As projects continue to move forward I’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, come and say hello on Saturday Feb. 25th at 3:30pm. I’d love to see you all there. Until next time have a great week.

Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) Reading

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re all having a great week. As the title says, one of the author groups I’m part of; The Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) will have a book reading from our newest anthology; BAQWA Presents: Two. The reading is set for Saturday February 25th at 3:30pm at the Lavender Library in Sacramento, CA.

We are excited to have this reading at the Library as the money raised from the book sales of BAQWA Presidents: Two will be donated to the Library. To learn more about all the great work the Lavender Library does click here.

As you can see, I’ll be there reading from my short story Nightingale’s Heart. It was such a privilege to be part of this project and I hope you’ll be able to come and join us. You can follow the event and keep up to date with all the details here. Learn more about BAQWA here. And follow us on Facebook here, Twitter here, and Instagram here.

That’s all I have for this week. Mark your calendar and come on by and say hello, it would be great to see you there. If you can’t make the reading but you would still like to support the Lavender Library you can get your copy of BAQWA Presents: Two here.

Until next time have a great week.

Book Announcement: These Young Wolves by Glenn Quigley

Happy Wednesday Scribblers! I hope you are having a wonderful week. Today I’m excited to share another up and coming book from the wonderful author Glenn Quigley (he’s been a busy author with a lot of new works coming out). This week we’re going to learn about Glenn’s spin off story from the Moth and Moon trilogy, These Young Wolves – The Knights of Blackrabbit book one.

These Young Wolves – The Knights of Blackrabbit book one by Glenn Quigley

Blurb:

One year ago, Vince Knight walked away from his role as crime lord of Port Knot. In his absence, the gangs he founded went to war, and frightening new factions have risen from the ashes to tear at the town’s throat like hungry wolves.

Now Vince is back and has taken command of the Watch—working side-by-side with the very people who spent years trying to put him behind bars. Unbeknownst to him, Captain James Godgrave has been given his own team to deal with crime in the town, but while he and Vince share a common goal, they are not allies.

The murder of one of James’s crew puts Vince in a delicate position. Facing pressure from the council, the townsfolk, and the Watch itself, Vince must find the killer because if he doesn’t, James will, and Vince’s tenure as Watch Commander will be the shortest in history.

As Vince and James clash in their public and private lives, Vince starts to understand the damage caused by his abdication as crime lord, James sets about putting down the gangs once and for all, and the mysterious power behind the new factions exacts a terrifying plan that will change Port Knot forever.

About the Story:

This is an historical fiction story, set in the late 18th century. It’s also a spin-off from The Moth and Moon trilogy. It is not necessary to have read that series before this book, however those who have read it will recognise former villain Vince Knight, who is now trying to make up for past mistakes.  From the moment Vince Knight first walked onto the page in The Lion Lies Waiting, I knew there was something special about him. Some characters require a degree of finessing and moulding to reveal their true selves. Not so with Vince. He appeared on the page fully formed and ready for action. It is a genuine thrill to be able to bring you this, the first in his adventures as head of the Port Knot Watch.

The Knights of Blackrabbit series is set in the Pell Isles–a group of islands situated off the coast of Cornwall. The isles and their inhabitants have been heavily influenced by the Cornish language and culture. As such, you will see words such as backalong and bleddy crop up in the dialogue. These are Cornish words which have been adopted by everyday Pellans. Backalong means in former times and bleddy is simply the word bloody in the local vernacular. Other words and phrases have been rewritten to make their meaning clearer, but I felt it important to leave some elements of the local dialect intact. I hope that Cornish people will forgive me for any little errors!

It’s worth noting that in this world, an event named “The Illumination” coincided with the fall of the Roman Empire and ultimately led to the abandonment of religious practices across the world. In England, in the year 1141, Queen Matilda passed a law declaring women equal to men with no restrictions placed on their education or the roles they could hold within society. The dearth of religious doctrine led to those who experienced life outside of the traditional to blossom and become accepted as simply another part of life. Prejudice based on gender, race, or sexuality became almost unheard of. If only our world had taken a similar path. When I started writing my first novel, The Moth and Moon, I wanted to create a world where no one would face any hardship because of their sexuality. The Illumination was my way of explaining that. It isn’t the focus of the story, and is only mention in passing during the second book in the trilogy, The Lion Lies Waiting, but I felt some kind of explanation was warranted.

This story begins on 23rd October 1781, the day after the events of We Cry the Sea (the third in the Moth and Moon trilogy). It is not essential to have read that book, nor the rest of the Moth and Moon trilogy, though doing so will provide a more detailed insight into how Vince Knight came to arrive at his current position in life.

You might be interested to know that there is a free story that acts a little prequel to These Young Wolves. It is available to my newsletter subscribers (there had to be a newsletter plug in here somewhere!). You can sign up for it here.

This new series is more action-packed and faster paced than my previous works and I hope that readers will enjoy it. If nothing else, it’s got big, burly, bearded men sleeping with each other and that’s gotta be worth a look, right?

These Young Wolves – The Knights of Blackrabbit book one will be available in paperback and eBook, and will be released on 20th December 2022 by Ninestar Press. You can pre-order the eBook version here and get it four days early.

Glenn will be selling signed copies with bookmarks and limited-edition art prints, and these will be available worldwide. You can find out more on his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The Moth and Moon trilogy is on sale for the month on December on Amazon and the Ninestar Press website.

Well, that’s all for this week. Go out and preorder These Young Wolves – The Knights of Blackrabbit book one. You won’t be disappointed. Until next time have a great week.

Author Bio:

Glenn Quigley is an author and artist originally from Tallaght in Dublin, Ireland, and now living in Lisburn, Northern Ireland with his partner of many years. His first novel, The Moth and Moon, was published in 2018. When not writing, he paints portraits in watercolours and tweets too many photos of lighthouses. He maintains a website of his latest work at www.glennquigley.com.

 

Where to find Glenn online:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/glennquigleyauthor

Twitter: @glennquigley

Instagram: @glennquigleyauthor

Mastodon: @glennquigley@mastodon.online

Website: www.glennquigley.com

Sorrow's Drive: A Quartet

Happy Wednesday Scribblers! Have I got a new story for you. This story is from one of the authors in my writing group the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) Michael Alenyikov. I’ve loved getting to know Michael and learning more and more about his writing and his newest novel. The book will be hitting the shelves on December 10, 2022, so mark your calendars.

Here are the details about Sorrow's Drive: A Quartet:

From a UN Peacekeeper searching for meaning in East Timor, to a lonely boy in San Francisco bonding with his dying bohemian grandmother as she recounts her last trip to Italy, to a middle aged man from Boston looking back on his first trip to pre-AIDS San Francisco, to a retired history professor in San Francisco driving cross country to the Boston of his youth, remembering his early struggles with being gay, while a star baseball player in high school and college in the 40s and 50s’s, these novellas sweep across continents, decades, and memories, capturing the aftermath of the loss of innocence.

Here is what one advance reader had to say about the collection of stories:

“These four stunning novellas have an almost magical effect as Alenyikov masterfully weaves together disparate lives and universal themes into something approaching the sublime. He evokes the common goodness of people, as well as the common heartbreaking challenge that we all face and feel compelled to understand. Each story complements and clarifies the others in their exploration of family, of displacement and loneliness, of trying to find a way forward by looking back.”—Trebor Healey, two time winner of the Ferro-Grumley Award, author of A Horse Called Sorrow.

You can get your copy here.

Learn more about Michael and what other books he has on offer here.

Well that’s all I have for now. Until next time, I hope you have a great week.

Conviction-A New World (Book 2) Audiobook Now Available!

Happy Wednesday, Scribblers! I hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween. It was so good to see people out and about this year, and we had a bunch of Trick-or-treater’s. Luckily we didn’t run out of candy to pass out. Here are a couple of pictures of the house. It’s not as decorated as we have done in years past, but I’m still happy with how it looks.

Today I’m excited to share with you; Conviction-A New World (Book 2) joins my growing collection of audiobooks.

For those folks that love to listen to audiobooks, well this week, it gives me great pleasure to share that Conviction-A New World (Book 2) is now available on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Conviction joins my other marvelous audiobooks (find them all here); The Reunion, A Dragon for Christmas, T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, The Calling, and Contact-A New World (Book 1). The amaizing Steve Connor continues his narration from Contact and continues to impress with his talented and creative take on the characters and the story.

Enjoy this audio sample here:

Get your audiobook version of Conviction-A New World (Book 2) here.

To wrap up this week, I would like to ask if you have read and enjoyed any of my books or audiobooks to please consider leaving a book review. This is so important and you don’t have to spend a lot of time writing it, you can simply leave a star rating or if you want to leave a comment, it can be as simple as: This is a good book, I recommend it. Book reviews really help and lets other readers know this novel or audiobook are worth picking up and reading. Lastly, don’t forget to check out my Book Reviews (click here) and find yourself something exciting to read. Until next time, I hope you pick up one of my newest books and, most importantly, have a great week.

October 2022 Events. Not to be Missed!

Happy Wednesday, Scribblers! I know, I’m a day early, but that is for a very good reason. This week I will be taking part in two different virtual events that I wanted to tell you about. The first event is on Wednesday (October 19th) and the second event is on Saturday (October 22nd).

On Wednesday (October 19th), I’ll be over with the folks from Perfectly Queer. Perfectly Queer Readings presents its Fall Fiction reading Wednesday, October 19 online from 7pm to 8pm Pacific. Hear Louis Flint Ceci, Cary Alan Johnson, and M.D. Neu read from their new novels via Zoom. Get the link by emailing perfectlyqueersf@gmail.com. Books are available at Fabulosa Books (find them here) in San Francisco or from your local bookstore.

On Saturday (October 22nd), I’ll be helping my buddy J.P. Jackson (learn more here) celebrate his birthday. Come join The Demon Horde in celebrating author J.P. Jackson’s Birthday with a massive Author Takeover Party!!

I’ll be speaking live (or in the group discussion depending on how the technology works that day) about my writing and my books. I’ll have a giveaway and other funs bits going on. I’ll be live starting at 2:30pm (MST) or 1:30pm (PST).

The event will be hosted on J.P. Jackson’s Facebook Page here.

Another event I’m excited to share, is that some of the amazing authors from BAQWA (The Bay Area Queer Writers Association, click here to learn more) will be in Benicia, Ca. celebrating Pride (just when you thought all the Pride events were over, nope, Benicia is hosting one). I won’t be at this event, but some great authors will be. So, if you are in the area, please stop by and say hello and check out their books. They will also be selling BAQWA’s second anthology: BAQWA Presents: Two (find more about the book here). This is a wonderful anthology and all the proceeds from the sale of this book go to support the Lavender Library in Sacramento, Ca. (learn more here).

Don’t forget to help the members of BAQWA support the Lavender Library this year, with it’s new anthology, BAQWA Presents: Two

Sit down and kick your feet up with your favorite warm beverage for fall. It's time for you to enjoy stories and poetry that reflect the number two.

The Bay Area Queer Writers Association is proud to present this year's collection of short stories and poetry featuring authors: M.D. Neu, R.L. Merrill, Liz Faraim, K.S. Trenten, Wayne Goodman, Richard May, Gar McVey-Russell, Vincent Traughber Meis, Michael Alenyikov, and Kelliane Parker. Sometimes you need to be able to sit back and let the words from the pages wash over you. See how these amazing authors spotlight the number 'two' in each of their works.

All proceeds from this limited-time anthology will be donated to the Lavender Library and Archives in Sacramento, California.

Get your copy here and don’t forget to leave a review here on Goodreads.

I hope I get to see you at one of these fantastic virtual events! It should be a lot of fun. Until next time, I hope you pick up one of my newest books (click here) and, most importantly, have a great week.

October 2022 Announcements

Happy Wednesday, Scribblers! I hope you are all taking care and having a good October so far. Can you believe it’s already the second week of Halloween? Today I have several exciting announcements to share with you. Author pals S.E. Smyth and Kevin Klehr both have new books coming out in the coming days that you absolutely can’t miss, and I’ll be doing a virtual reading of Volaria later this month. Let’s jump into the details, shall we.

First up, author S.E. Smyth has a new sapphic f/f dual narrative crime drama out titled; Criminal by Proxy. Here is the blurb:

Christine is on the hunt to find out more about her great aunt, Rose, hoping to decipher their severed relationship and the murder Rose committed, for which June is in prison. With a stroke leaving Rose incapacitated, it’s a rush against time to find the truth.

Things are doubly complicated when Christine’s girlfriend Terrie is accused of assaulting someone. Nervous about what she might do next, Christine and her friends avoid Terrie. With everything at stake, Christine must stick to the cold hard facts, reminding herself not to let her emotions get in the way.

Christine must evaluate everything happening in her life. The weight of the events buried by her aunt so many years before and the shame of the actions of the love of her life rest squarely on her. If the eyes of the law are always 20/20, how do love, emotion, and insecurities distort fact?

Who is guilty in the eyes of the law and those of a lover?

Doesn’t that sound fantastic? And what about that cover, isn’t it beautiful? I really like the color scheme. You can preorder it here.

Where to find S.E. Smyth:

Find her on Twitter here.

She can be found on Facebook here.

Check her out on Instagram here.

She’s on Goodreads here.

And of course, her website here.

Next up, is good friend and fellow author Kevin Klehr, he has a new short story, Three Ghosts. This short story is just in time for Halloween so you’ll definitely want to grab your copy. Here is the exciting blurb:

Every time a shooting star is scheduled, Arthur, Carol and Tim choose a house with the best vantage point to haunt, carefully making sure its residents are not home.

But this time Arthur recognizes the decor. The furnishings belong to his ex-boyfriend, Alexander, a man he never got over. And judging by the happy snaps in the photo frames, Alexander lives with a new lover.

Just as the ghosts settle in to watch the celestial event, the occupants return home early.

This story sounds like it’s going to be terrific. And of course, it’s another beautiful cover, order your copy here.

Where to learn more about Kevin Klehr:

He’s on Twitter here.

You can also find him on Facebook here.

And his website is here.

Lastly for the week, I’ll be joining Perfectly Queer Readings (learn more here) as they present its Fall Fiction reading; Wednesday, October 19 online from 7pm to 8pm Pacific. Hear Louis Flint Ceci, Cary Alan Johnson, and M.D. Neu read from their new novels via Zoom. Get the link by emailing perfectlyqueersf@gmail.com. Books are available at Fabulosa Books in San Francisco or from your local bookstore.

This is going to be thrilling as I’ll be reading from my newest novel Volaria (click here for more information). I hope you can join us for the reading as it should be a lot of fun.

Until next time, I hope you pick up one of these great books and, most importantly, have a wonderful week.

Volaria- Out Now! The Calling Audiobook Now Available!

Happy Wednesday, Scribblers! I hope you are all hanging in there and taking care of yourselves. There has been so much happening in the world with hurricane Ian, the protests in Iran, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and not to mention all the political drama happening here at home. I think sometimes we need a break from all that is happening, and I’m glad I can provide a brief respite from the outside world for you. Today I’m excited to share two big announcements with you; Volaria is out now in eBook, paperback and hardback (you heard that right hardback) and the audiobook version of The Calling (Book 1) joins my growing collection of audiobooks. Let’s get into it.

This week, I’m pleased to announce that Volaria is out and has been getting some wonderful reviews (click here). Volaria is a wonderful story and I’m thrilled that folks can pick up their own copy to enjoy. Spectrum Books (who is the publisher for Volaria) offers their novels exclusively through Amazon, so that is where you can grab your copy of Volaria. How this benefits you, is that, you can take advantage of Kindle Unlimited, you can read the book through that service using your credits, which is amazing.

Here is the blurb:

Humans are no longer alone; they have been joined by Arcanes, Lycans, and Vampires. It’s been over a hundred years since the Earth went through The Shift. Where once almost eight billion humans lived, the population now holds at four billion. But that wasn’t the only change. No one anticipated the branching of human DNA to produce new species of humans. Arcanes, Lycans, and Vampires are hidden throughout the genome, awaiting puberty before they manifest distinctly unhuman abilities. Finally, the new species of man were welcomed. No longer studied or treated as outcasts by most. People accepted these new humans and they integrated into society, albeit not easily. This allowed the UN Government to focus on colonizing space, in order to secure a future for all.

Risks remain however, permitting a vampire to feed from you can cause shared memories. Tobin Corsian took such a risk. He resides in a newly reopened district of San Jose, California, where his family’s old home stood. He lives there with his friend Mikel, a Lycan, and his dog Begger. Instead of making his mandatory monthly blood donation at the government blood bank for the vampire community, Tobin decides, with the help of his therapist, to visit Biter, a vampire spa. The spa allows vampires to feed from humans directly while providing spa and sexual services, granting the donor a three-month reprieve from their required donations. Tobin’s encounter at Biter opens a window to his past and an experience he had as a child on the moon. Questions abound as he tries to unravel his past and make sense of his life.

Find Volaria here.

For those folks that love to listen to audiobooks, well this week, it gives me great pleasure to share that The Calling (Book 1) is now available on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. The Calling joins my other marvelous audiobooks (find them all here); The Reunion, A Dragon for Christmas, T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, and Contact-A New World (Book 1). Getting The Calling in audiobook format has been a long journey, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Vance Bastian has done an amazing job of bringing the characters and story to life.

Enjoy this audio sample here:

Get your audiobook version of The Calling (Book 1) here.

To wrap up this week, I would like to ask if you have read and enjoyed any of my books or audiobooks to please consider leaving a book review. This is so important and you don’t have to spend a lot of time writing it, you can simply leave a star rating or if you want to leave a comment, it can be as simple as: This is a good book, I recommend it. Book reviews really help and lets other readers know this novel or audiobook are worth picking up and reading. Lastly, don’t forget to check out my Book Reviews (click here) and find yourself something exciting to read. Until next time, I hope you pick up one of my newest books and, most importantly, have a great week.

The Calling (Book 1) Audiobook

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. As some of you may have seen, this last weekend I was at my family reunion. It was nice to spend the time with my aunts and uncles and to meet some family who I’ve never met before. I’m so grateful to get to spend these moments with them, especially since none of us know how many tomorrows we have. As typical for a Neu Family Event there was way too much good food, a lot of laughs, and a few card and dice games. My aunt and uncle even played the piano and sang for us, which was a wonderful treat.

So, on the cusp of such a great weekend. Today, I’m very excited to share the news The Calling (Book 1) is with ACX and will be available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes as soon as they approve the files. As you all know this has been a long road, over a year and a half. However, I couldn’t be more pleased with the work that Vance put into the narration and how the audiobook sounds. Since the audiobook isn’t out yet, I thought I would wet your appetite with a sample from the book.

Give it a listen here.

Here is the book blurb:

Being nobody isn’t Duncan Alexander’s life goal, but it’s worked for him.  He has a nondescript job, a few good friends, and overall he’s content.  That’s until one fateful trip to San Jose, California, where he is ‘Called’ to meet the mysterious Juliet de Exter.  Juliet is a beautiful, wealthy, powerful Immortal who is undertaking ‘The Calling’ – a search for a human to join her world of Immortals.  Inexplicably, Duncan’s calling is more dangerous than any of the Immortals, even Juliet, ever thought it would be.

There is more to this nobody, this only child of long deceased parents, than anyone thought.  When Duncan experiences uncontrollable dreams of people he doesn’t know and places he hasn’t been, Juliet and the other Immortals worry. Soon, his visions point to a coven of long dead witches. The dreams also lead Duncan to his one true love. How will Duncan navigate a forbidden romance with an outcast Immortal?  How will he and the others keep the balance between the Light and Dark, survive vicious attacks, and keep the humans from learning who they truly are?  More importantly, who is this implacable foe Duncan keeps seeing in his dreams?

I will keep you all posted on when the audiobook comes out, and don’t be surprised if Vance and I share some fun little snippets here and there, because we have a few things planned.

A nice short update this week, until next time have a great week.

Sundowners by R.L. Merrill

Happy Wednesday Scribblers! This week I’m so excited to share with you author R.L. Merrill’s (learn more here) newest novel Sundowners (find the book here). This is a new vampire story that is set in one of my favorite places, Santa Cruz, California. I can’t begin to tell you all the wonderful times I’ve had in Santa Cruz, from a kid playing on the beaches to running around the Boardwalk, spending weekends in Aptos and Capitola, fishing in the bay and off some of the many piers, and going to the bars in downtown. I even got lost at UC Santa Cruz when I was meeting someone for a date… ugh, date did not go well. Anyway, this novel and story were something I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you.

Blurb:

Vampire Creed Lowell drifts from town to town working with the elderly as a night nurse and looking to avenge his harrowing past. His youth and vitality make him a favorite of his patients and his gifts bring them peace. At long last he’s arrived in the place where he hopes to find the truth about those who betrayed him…but first he finds an unexpected love with a man who might understand him—or end him.

Grad student Roman San Angelo is struggling to handle his courses, teaching schedule, and research for his dissertation on an obscure cult. He spends every spare moment with his beloved yet demanding grandmother Frances who’s recently moved to an assisted living facility—and he’s fascinated by her night nurse, who is able to bring out the inner light which had faded during her battle with dementia. Something about Creed doesn’t add up, however, Roman finds himself fighting an undeniable attraction. His concerns multiply when Roman discovers a connection between Creed and a bizarre series of vampire-wannabe assaults in the area. A moment of weakness leads to a night of passion between them, and the promise of something more, and yet Roman can’t shake his concern that Creed is not what he seems.

Creed knows better than to bring a mortal into his world, even one who could help him find the link between the pack of violent vampires preying on the people of Santa Cruz and Creed’s past. When he discovers Creed’s secret, Roman is ready to step outside his comfort zone and accept everything a life with a vampire entails, and when Creed disappears, Roman will go to the ends of the earth to find the man who brought the light back to his grandmother and the warmth back to his own heart.

My Review:

Vampires in Santa Cruz…again

Hear me out. Sundowners is about vampires in Santa Cruz, CA. If you are thinking that sounds familiar you’d be right… the Lost Boys took place in Santa Cruz, CA back in the late 1980s, but don’t think this is some kind of retelling or some fanfiction story, because it’s not. The author, R.L. Merrill, addresses the Lost Boys several times in the story as a wink and nod to the readers. So, R.L. Merrill is fully aware that she knows, we know. Which helps with the charm of the story.

These vampires however, are not the vampires of lore and are an exciting fresh take on the genre. I loved that the author used locations and places most people would be familiar with, (the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, UC Santa Cruz, etc.) and if you live in Santa Cruz or the surrounding locations you’ll recognize many of the more local places, which makes the story that much better and grounds it all in reality. There are a lot of plot points in the first book. We get to spend a lot of time with our main characters getting to know them as their relationship begins. As I mentioned we also get a lot of new vampire lore in this story which I enjoyed.

The two main characters Creed and Roman are what you would expect for characters in a vampire romance story (which is my only complaint. They are both young, attractive and intelligent with baggage. This kind of bummed me out, but didn’t stop me from enjoying the story and enjoying the characters, because R.L. Merrill made them interesting and unique enough to allow me to put my pretty boy biases to the side.) I won’t get into the characters a lot because I don’t want to ruin things for you, plus you can read the blurb and learn all you need to know. I will also add, that the secondary characters are as interesting as the main characters, which really helped to bring this story to life.

If you enjoy vampire stories that are set in unique locations then this is the story for you. Be advised this story is book 1 so there will be more to come. The ending works, however it sets things up for the next book and the series. So, keep that in mind.

You can get your copy of Sundowners here at Amazon or buy it at your local bookstore or anywhere books are sold.

That’s all I have for this week. I invite you to check out my book recommendations here, as I’ve been getting caught up on my reading list, and I have several new books I’m recommending. Until next time have a great week.