New Release and Contest! - Other Side of the Line - And a Sale!

Caleb Hudson and Hal Zimmer became best friends the day they stood up against the schoolyard bully together. Life’s complicated enough with their friendship crossing racial lines in 1960s Charleston, South Carolina, but as time passes, they realize it’s more than their friendship that sets them apart from other kids. At first, Caleb denies his feelings for Hal could be more than companionship. He supports his friend when Hal admits he’s gay, but Caleb isn’t ready to face his own truth.

Hal becomes a staunch antiwar protester, and the divide between them widens after Caleb is drafted. But when Caleb returns from Vietnam, the time for denial is over. His homecoming sets off a series of events that force Caleb and Hal to confront their desires and what lines they’re willing to cross to get what they truly want out of life.

"Other Side of the Line" is out at Dreamspinner Press today! Leave a comment about what you liked about the story, or a favorite character, or a memorable moment that made you laugh, cry, or get mad and be entered in a contest to win a beautiful sweetgrass basket from the Charleston Market! The contest will run for the next 30 days. You can leave the comment here on the blog, or on my Facebook or Twitter. All comments count as an entry.

And from the 18th-20 "All Bets are Off" (including French & Italian translations), "Ghosts in the Wind" and "Make Me Whole" are only $0.99 at Dreamspinner. Enjoy!

Excerpt and Contest for "Other Side of the Line" 4 Days Until Release Day!

Hello everybody. Four Days and Counting Down! I can’t believe it before “Other Side of the Line” will be released from Dreamspinner Press. 

Caleb and Hal meet when they are eight years old and throughout their lives they faced many rough moments that they weathered through the strength of their friendship. But what happens when distance threatens that closeness? Hal’s dad has been transferred back to New York and Hal and Caleb are forced to say goodbye just as they’re discovering more about themselves and how they feel about each other. I hope you enjoy.

Excerpt from "Other Side of the Line" Countdown to Release - 14 Days!

Charleston, SC—November 6, 1963

Caleb’s teacher paced across the front of the classroom, leaning on his cane, his white hair gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. “Now can anyone name a hero from the War of Northern Aggression?” He paused and focused on Hal in the front row. Hal had just started in their class on Monday, coming all the way down from New York. “That would be the Civil War for those of us who might not understand… given their unfortunate origins.”

“Oooohh!” Hal’s hand shot up. He talked funny, fast and with a strange high accent. He liked to try to answer all the questions, and sometimes he stared at Caleb too much, but he never seemed mean about it, only curious. At least his eyes didn’t slide away as if Caleb’s skin was covered in rancid oil, and that made for a welcome change.

Coming October 1st, Deep Into Darkness: Aliens, Alphas and Antiheroes - Cover Reveal

Available at Amazon

PANDORA by Marguerite Labbe

Sentenced to life on board a space salvage cruiser, Riff Korra and Zed Jakobsen find themselves drawn together out of mutual need. But when an epidemic of violence and insanity consumes their ship, will their bond give them the strength they need to escape?

BOARDED by Annie Nicholas

Liaison Sadie Beckit must accompany the mysterious Ambassador Nual to Central Station. Sounds easy enough, but the lawless void of space holds many dangers. To make things worse, Nual seems determined to make Sadie lose her professional control.

FORSAKEN PLANET by Elise Logan

Luci has gone, literally, to the ends of colonized space in order find some peace.  Marooned on a desolate planet with limited supplies, Luci needs to learn to trust her team leader, Sakir Khyne. Together they must take out hostile forces and try to survive.

DARK IMMORTALITY by Kim Knox

Captain Andros: pirate, vampire, all-round bastard. When he takes Madelen Ariel as his own, his crew sees an opportunity to mutiny. They’re about to find out just how much of a bastard he really is.

FREEKER by Ella Drake

On the run, convicted murderer Chara stows away on a ship piloted by a big, sexy alien. Warrant puts the safety of his brothers above all else but the violent and sensual Chara makes him question the price of risk. 

Coming September 18th! "Other Side of the Line" - Cover Reveal

Cover Art by Catt Ford

Caleb Hudson and Hal Zimmer became best friends the day they stood up against the schoolyard bully together. Life’s complicated enough with their friendship crossing racial lines in 1960s Charleston, South Carolina, but as time passes, they realize it’s more than their friendship that sets them apart from other kids. At first, Caleb denies his feelings for Hal could be more than companionship. He supports his friend when Hal admits he’s gay, but Caleb isn’t ready to face his own truth.

Hal becomes a staunch antiwar protester, and the divide between them widens after Caleb is drafted. But when Caleb returns from Vietnam, the time for denial is over. His homecoming sets off a series of events that force Caleb and Hal to confront their desires and what lines they’re willing to cross to get what they truly want out of life.

I guess I spoke too soon the other day, the cover is already here for Caleb and Hal's story. I'm so excited about this one. C.M. Torrens helped me to come up with the concept for it and Catt Ford did such an amazing job bringing it to life. Her attention to detail blew me away. If I ever get a chance to meet her, I'm going to hug the heck out of her. :D All of the elements capture the heart of the story. I couldn't be happier!

Writing on the Road NYC and Goals for the Rest of the Month

Wow, I can't believe August is half over. Now that I've recovered from my dueling deadlines for two stories that couldn't be more different from each other, it's time to dive back into work. I'd like to hit the 40% mark for the fantasy. I think that's easily doable. I'd also like to take a look at the mystery I started, part of a trilogy set in New Orleans. (My favorite city.) And get back to work on that.

Also, I have a couple cover reveals coming up. The sci-fi one is for the boxed set I'm in should be up August 31st. It's pretty sexy, y'all. I can't wait to share it. That should be out in October. The second is for "Other Side of the Line," an interracial, sweet romance that started as a fast friendship when the boys were kids. That will be up as soon as everything is finalized and will be out sometime in September.

Six Sentence Sunday - Fantasy with Iulian and Dmitri - Titleless

Over the years I’ve worked on and off on a number of fantasy books. I’ve decided that this year I’m going to finally finish one. This particular story involves a prince on the run turned courtesan and an exiled man-at-arms turned mercenary. It’s still titleless after all this time poking at it. *sighs and pokes again*

A slender man had been standing at the embrasure looking out with his hands clasped behind his back. As the door opened he turned and knelt in one smooth movement. “My lord,” he greeted in a low baritone. “How may I serve?”

Dmitri froze in the doorway for a moment taken aback by how much the man brought to his mind Prince Alexas. The prince had been slaughtered, along with the rest of his family years ago and with his death Dmitri had lost any chance of discovering why the prince had betrayed him.

New York City

Last week, my day job sent me to NYC to participate in a pilot training program. It’s been many years since I’ve been to New York. The last time was 2010 I think when I when up for the Rainbow Book Fair. I have many memories of the city. The first time was when I was seven and my dad was transferred from Ohio to base not far from Manhattan. I’ll never forget the acute shock of going from wide open prairies to those immense skyscrapers that clawed at the sky. We only lived in New York for a year, but I remember my time fondly, except for the Catholic school uniforms. Oh I hated those uniforms.

New Release - "Pari Tenu!" (French Translation of "All Bets are Off")

"Pari Tenu!"

Une nuit avec Ash Gallagher, c’est tout ce qu’il faut à Eli Hollister pour se convaincre qu’il a enfin rencontré la bonne personne au bon moment. Heureusement qu’il n’avait rien parié là-dessus parce qu’il s’avère qu’Ash est étudiant dans la classe d’Eli à l’Université locale. Eli ne peut nier qu’il est attiré, mais la situation est complexe. Il a déjà assez de problèmes avec son directeur de département. Celui-ci ne souhaite qu’une chose : refuser à Eli sa titularisation et le renvoyer. 

Ash attend avec impatience de pouvoir passer à la prochaine étape. Après un tour sur le terrain dans les Marines et une période en tant que réserviste, il est prêt à mettre fin à sa carrière militaire. La dernière chose qu’il imaginait expérimenter ce semestre était de tomber sous le charme de son professeur de littérature. Mais plus Eli résiste, plus Ash est déterminé à l’avoir. Puis Ash découvre qu’Eli est sérieux, et Ash ne veut qu’une aventure… Ou peut-être pas ? Entre ces deux-là, quand il s’agit d’aimer, tous les paris sont permis !

I'm so excited about this translation. I wish my Grandmaman were still alive. I think she would've been pretty tickled over it. She helped teach herself English after moving to the United States by reading newspaper. French was my mom's first language too though she was born in the U.S. I can't wait to show her either. I took the name Labbe from their last name. :D 

Je suis très excité!

Six Sentence Sunday - Pandora

Well, this year I’ve been busting my butt working on two stories as opposite from each other as they can be. One of them is my erotic sci-fi/horror that’s coming out in a boxed set sometime in October. I finally turned it in yesterday and my brain is fried, but here’s the blurb and a quick Six Sentences around the man they rescued.

"Repairs in Asteroid Field" Artist Sebastian Zakrzewski

Haunted by the screams of the men he executed, ex-Marine medic Riff Korra is sentenced to life onboard a prison ship. Seeking more punishment for his crime, he strikes a deal with the corrupt Captain Vidal, his payment an exchange of pleasure and pain, and forges a new life leading the team that surveys space wreckage for salvage.

For ship engineer Zed Jakobsen, his psychometric abilities make prison a sentence worse than death, and the barrage of emotional stimuli are an unending torment. His only regret is that he didn’t kill the monster who sent him to prison. His only reason to live is to find a chance to escape a sentence he didn’t deserve.

When they board a derelict ship, and discover a lone survivor, the hell of prison life plunges into horror. An epidemic of violence and insanity consumes their ship, driving the crew to murder and destruction. Mutual need and attraction draw Riff and Zed together, and their bond gives them strength to fight the hallucinations. But Vidal possesses the only means of escape from the nightmare, and he’s not letting anyone leave alive.

“I’m as lost in the dark as the rest of you.” Noyes spread his hands in a helpless gesture that seemed incongruent with his steady gaze. “I have no claim to expertise in human anatomy as you. There was madness. There was death. And I was alone.”

Brakes and Bronchitis

Back in September I discovered a wonderful thing. My girlfriend Jamie can replace brakes on cars. Which was good because my front brakes were in dire need of replacing and I had zero money to do so. She also knows a contact for anything we could ever need. So I scrapped the money together, bought new brake pads and rotors and trucked myself over to her place deep in the rural bowels of my county. It was so much easier than I thought it would be and there’s something very sexy about a girl who can jack up a Highlander and take care of business.

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year’s everybody. I just wanted to give an update about what I’ve been doing. I’m finishing up the second draft of “Other Side of the Line.” I have my beta notes back and I’m really excited about how the edits are going. I hope to submit it very soon. I’ll keep you updated. After that I’m working on an erotic, sci-fi horror novella for a boxed set that’s due in August. I don’t have a title yet, but I’ve started roughing out the story. One of the new things I’m thinking of implementing this year is having a wip page that I’ll update once a month with words counts so you can see all the crazy things I have going on in my head.