Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Cyan Chapter 12












It is Wednesday again and here is another shot of Cyan. This week Robin panics and runs away, but is he having second thoughts?

I can't actually remember what prompt I used, but it's in there, I promise. I would have liked to use this one - just because it's cute



Or this one because I just love it



Robin never knew what Cyan had been about to say, because before he could finish his sentence, the door burst open to admit Alex and Mr Bartholomew, the PE teacher.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. He was a cool guy, amazing at getting the best out of his pupils on the sport field, or in the gym. Apparently, he was no better in these kind of situations than Robin was.

“Does it look alright?” Robin snapped.

“Okay, Robin, let be calm shall we?”

Calm? Robin thought. Calm? How the hell can I be calm when Cyan just kissed me? I mean – he KISSED me.

Robin took a deep, steadying breath. Cyan was still staring at him. Robin kept looking away and back. 
Cyan’s eyes never left him.

“Have you seen it?” he asked, his voice tight.

“Yes, I’m afraid I have. The headmaster’s telephoned your mother, Cyan. She’s on her way. Is there anything I can do for you until she comes?”

Cyan said nothing. He kept staring at Robin, and it was beginning to freak him out. It was as if Cyan was waiting for him to do or say something. That wasn’t going to happen; definitely not here and now.

It was clear Mr Bartholomew had no idea what to do or say, and neither did Alex, and there was an uncomfortable silence. Robin suddenly realised how it would look – him on his knees with Cyan - and he scrambled to his feet. Cyan’s eyes followed him. He started to get frustrated and annoyed by it. What the hell did Cyan expect from him? It’s not as if it would ever have happened if they hadn’t been in that situation. It wasn’t as if it was ever going to happen again. He glanced at Cyan again, and saw his eyes widen. He must have seen the way Robin felt from the expression on his face. Fresh tears sprang to his eyes.

Robin felt like an utter bastard, but angry at the same time. What the hell did Cyan expect? He knew Robin wasn’t gay. He wasn’t. He definitely wasn’t. He’d wanted to put his arms around Cyan and hold him because he hated seeing anyone so distressed. It had nothing to do with anything he might or might not be feeling about him. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact he could still feel the kiss tingling on his lips.

And yet, he was suddenly acutely aware of how absolutely gorgeous Cyan was, even when he was kneeling on the floor with tears and snot running down his face. Oh yes, he was very aware of that, and it totally freaked him out.

“I’d better…. I’ll go and….”

“It would probably be better if you stayed,” Mr Bartholomew said. “Cyan needs his friends around him.”

Robin didn’t hear the words, only sounds. His whole being was focussed on the expression on Cyan’s face, and the fact he’d flinched when Robin spoke. It was painful to see and Robin couldn’t bear it anymore. He wrenched open the door, mumbled something about having a class, and slammed it behind.

The rest of the day passed in a haze. Alex caught up with Robin at lunch and told him Cyan had gone home 
and still hadn’t spoken a word.

“What happened?” Alex asked, throwing himself into a chair. He had a handful of paper. All of them had been scouring the school for the newspaper article. Robin was horrified by how many of them there were. 

He was so grateful to his friends for helping him tear them down and take some of the weight off his shoulders.

“What do you mean?”

“Before I left the room you were all huggy and friendly. When I came back you seemed almost like you couldn’t bear the sight of him. Then you ran. What did he do?”

“Nothing.” Robin fiddled with the papers on the table next to him, and avoided looking at anyone.

“Liar,” Aivah said, taking up the baton. “You’ve got it all over your face.”

“Got what all over my face?”

“Guilt. Something definitely happened? Did he come on to you?”

Robin gasped and glared at her. “What the hell kind of question is that? He was in a state. No, he didn’t come on to me.”

Aivah narrowed her eyes. “He did something, though. I can tell. Did he try to kiss you?”

“Same thing Aivah. I’ve already answered the question so shut the fuck up.”

Flicking the papers across the table, Robin got to his feet. “I’m not sitting around being accused of…whatever. I’m going home. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon at Mikki’s.”

Neither Alex nor Aivah said anything and he slouched out of the room, simmering, and trying not to thing why he was so angry.

He almost literally bumped into Gillian, who was laughing and giggling with a group of friends. She stopped like she was turned to stone, and gazed up at him with wide eyes. She must realize how angry he was.

“I knew you were a bitch, but this….” Robing gritted his teeth, so angry he was unable to speak.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Gillian flounced but with an uncomfortable edge. She knew she couldn’t sustain a denial with him.

“Why? What the hell did you hope to achieve? Do you actually realize what you’ve done? You destroyed him.”

“I still don’t know what you mean.” She was more subdued this time, not so cocky.

“Well know this. We’re through. Completely. If you so much as look at me again there’s a distinct possibility I might punch you in the face. Don’t come near me. Ever.”

With a final glare he stormed off.

“What do you care anyway?” Gillian shouted after him. “You’ve changed since he came. You’re as gay as he is.”


Robin froze. For a moment he was tempted to turn back, but was too dangerous, so he continued along the corridor and out of the school.

Okay so now go see the others who all have awesome flashes for you this week

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Goodreads Author Questions

So, I've signed up for Goodreads Author Questions, and answered all the questions set by the Goodreads team.

I'm really hoping you guys will come through and throw loads of questions at me or I will feel unloved and like this


©2004 by Jack T. Chick LLC

And I really want to feel like this


which I will if you ask me lots of questions. They can be as DEEP AND SERIOUS or as CRAZY AND STUPID or as SCARY as you like and I will answer them all :)

You have been warned, because even when I'm having fun I'm like this



FIND ME HERE

Hard As Stone by Rory Ni Coileain


====

Artist: Allan Penn

Publisher: Ravenous Romance

Blurb(s):

Hard As Stone:

Tiernan Guaire is a Fae in exile. Forced from the Realm into the human world for the unimaginable crime of a brother’s murder, he lives by a century-old vow, to trust no one, and never to allow himself to love or be loved.

Kevin Almstead has just lost his future, to a vote of the partners at his law firm. Trying to escape for an evening, he ventures into Purgatory, the hottest all-male nightclub in Washington, D.C., where he allows himself to be seduced by a stranger with long blond hair and ice-blue eyes.


Drawn into a Soulshare bond with his intended one-night stand, Tiernan soon learns that the most ancient and evil enemy of the Fae still walks the human world, and it will stop at nothing – certainly not Kevin Almstead – to possess the magick of a Noble Fae.

Excerpt:

Hard As Stone:

            Tiernan stirred, muttered under his breath, the first signs of distress he’d shown since falling asleep. Passing out. Whatever. Kevin sighed, resting a hand lightly on the blond’s smooth chest; in short order, he found himself running his fingertips lightly over his lover’s chest, tracing the lines of the muscles, and then down, a fingertip traveling along the intricate tattoo over his hip. Tiernan wasn’t buff, not like some men were and Kevin himself tried to be. Lean, hard-bodied, almost impossibly fit. And with that long, unruly blond hair, and his crystalline blue eyes, Tiernan would turn heads in rooms full of men or women. And no doubt had.

            Mine.

            The Fae rolled onto his side, away from Kevin; chuckling softly, Kevin settled himself behind his lover, glancing over the shoulder in front of him at the bedside clock. He could still get almost three hours of sleep if he was lucky. He wrapped an arm around Tiernan, nuzzled into the curve where neck met shoulder, breathed in the scent of wild hair and sated male body and honey, and closed his eyes. So this is what magic smells like.

Sales Links:




Hard as Stone at Ravenous Romance's Web site -- http://www.ravenousromance.com/fantastica/hard-as-stone.php



GALE FORCE:

Author Name: Rory Ni Coileain

Author Bio: Rory Ni Coileain majored in creative writing, back when Respectable Colleges didn't offer such a major, so she designed it herself - being careful to ensure that she never had to take a class before nine in the morning or take a Hemingway survey course. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa at the age of nineteen, sent off her first short story to an anthology being assembled by an author she idolized, got shot down in flames, and found other things to do, such as nightclub singing, for the next thirty years or so, until her stories started whispering to her. Now she's a lawyer, a legal editor, a sopraltenor in her church choir, the mother of a budding video game designer, and amanuensis to a host of fantastic creatures who are all anxious to tell their stories, and sometimes even wait their turns.

Twitter: @RoryNi


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Thursday, 3 July 2014

Diversion by Eden Winters



Blurb(s):

There are good guys, bad guys, and then there’s Lucky.

Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter flaunts his past like a badge of honor. He speaks his mind, doesn’t play nice, and flirts with disaster while working off his sentence with the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. If he can keep out of trouble a while longer he’ll be a free man–after he trains his replacement.

Textbook-quoting, by the book Bo Schollenberger is everything Lucky isn’t. Lucky slurps coffee, Bo lives caffeine free. Lucky worships bacon, Bo eats tofu. Lucky trusts no one, Bo calls suspects by first name. Yet when the chips are down on their shared case of breaking up a drug diversion ring, they may have more in common than they believe.

Two men. Close quarters. Friction results in heat. But Lucky scoffs at partnerships, no matter how thrilling the roller-coaster. Bo has two months to break down Lucky’s defenses… and seconds are ticking by.


Excerpt:
The door flew open and Lucky made a grab. He rammed Bo’s back against the wall, setting off an automated hand dryer. Lucky ignored the hot air wafting over his arm, slammed his mouth hard against Bo’s, and shoved his leg between the man’s thighs. They devoured each other’s mouths, no hesitant tender kiss, but a release of tightly coiled passion. Tongues intertwined, each man sifted fingers through the other’s hair, tugging closer.
Below their belts their bodies followed suit, Lucky rutting against Bo’s firm thigh in an old-as-time mating rhythm. I’m going to blow in my jeans and I don’t give a fuck.
Lucky’s overwhelmed brain yielded up a single clear warning: someone might walk in. Mouths joined, he danced them toward a stall without breaking contact. A condom machine hung on the wall at an awkward angle. A handwritten sign proclaimed, “Out of Order.” Damn it!
At this rate, he wouldn’t last long enough to wrap his meat anyway. He wrestled them both into a stall, and slammed and locked the door behind him.

Sales Link

Author Bio:

Captivated young by story-telling, Eden Winters’ earliest memories include spinning tales for the family's pets. Her dreams of writing professionally took a sojourn into non-fiction, with a twelve-year stint in technical documentation.
She began reading GLBT novels as a way to better understand the issues faced by a dear friend and fell in love with the M/M romance genre. During a discussion of a favorite book, a fellow aficionado said, "We could do this, you know." Good-bye gears, motors, and other authors’ characters; hello plots and sex scenes.  So far that's produced such award winning novels as The Wish, Settling the Score, The Angel of Thirteenth Street, Duet, Naked Tails, and Diversion.
Somewhat of a nomad, Eden has visited seven countries so far. She currently calls the southern US home, and many of her stories take place in the rural South. Having successfully raised two children, she now balances the day job with hiking, rafting, spoiling her grandchildren, and stalking the wily falafel or elusive tofu pad Thai at her favorite restaurants. Her musical tastes run from Ambient to Zydeco, and she's a firm believer that life is better with fur kids and Harley Davidsons.
For more information about Eden, please visit her website at www.edenwinters.com. Be sure to look for Eden’s soon-to-be-published works: A Matter of When and Manipulation.

Author Links:




Tour Date: 7/3/14


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Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Wednesday Briefs - Cyan Chapter 11


Wednesday rolls around so fast. It seems like only yesterday I was writing my pretty little Cyan, and here I am again, getting him into even more trouble - although I guess Robin's the one in trouble this week. You can probably guess how from the prompt I chose


Robin was entirely numb. His mind raced so fast it got nowhere. It wouldn’t have been that difficult for Gillian to find the article. She’d been there when Cyan told them he’d been badly hurt at his last school, and it was just like her to have checked it out. What he really couldn’t comprehend was why she would have publicised it now, like this. It was inestimably cruel, even by her standards.

Of course, she would deny it, and there was no way he could prove it was her, but he knew with a sick certainty that overshadowed everything, except his own horror and fear at what this was going to do to Cyan.

He was so lost in thought, he didn’t register someone gently removing the paper from his fingers. He didn’t 
register anything until his name was called in a short, sharp cry.

Robin came back to himself, to find Cyan on his knees. The paper was on the floor, fallen from his limp hand.

“He just went down,” Alex said. “I couldn’t stop him. I thought he’d passed out.”

“Cyan?” Robin ignored Alex and dropped down next to his friend. Cyan was staring at the ground, his eyes wide and fixed. He barely seemed to be breathing. Knowing what he did about Cyan’s anxiety attacks, this spooky silence was scary.

“Cyan, are you okay? Stupid question. Of course you’re not. It’s going to be okay. People know you now. They like you. This won’t make any difference. Well, yes it will. For a while. You know what kids are like. They’ll throw it in your face for a while, but it won’t last. It will all blow over soon, and there are a lot of them out there – a LOT – who will be sympathetic, not mean. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

There was no response whatever from Cyan and Robin glanced up at Alex. “Get someone,” he said.

“Will you be alright in here on your own?”

“Have to be. Just go.”

Alex nodded once, and disappeared.

“Cyan?”

Robin tentatively touched Cyan’s shoulder. When there was no response, he tilted Cyan’s chin up, trying to meet his eyes, but Cyan seemed to be far away, his eyes glassy and his expression blank.

“Come on, mate. You’re stronger than this. You can ride it. I know you can. I’ve seen how strong you are. You stood up to those bullies. It was me who made you have the anxiety attack. I guess because you thought I’d betrayed you. That you’d be alone. But I didn’t. And I won’t. You’re not alone Cyan. Not this time.”

Still there was no response.

“In the article, it said you had no friends, not really, at least none that stood by you. They called you ‘isolated’. But you’re not anymore, not here. You have lots of friends. Okay, they’re mostly my friends, but they like you, too. They’ll all still be there for you. Well, most of them.”

There was no indication Cyan had even heard him.

Robin cast about for something to say that would get through to Cyan. He got nothing. He wasn’t the best in situations like this. It was Gillian who always had something to say, and she was the last person he was going to approach this time.

Wracking his brain, Robin prayed someone would some, but the door remained frustratingly closed.
Eventually, remembering that physical contact could sometimes be more comforting than words, and completely forgetting how Cyan felt about being touched, he shuffled closer, and put his arms around Cyan. Cyan remained stiff in his arms.

“It’s okay,” Robin said. “I’ve got you.”

Seconds ticked by, and Cyan remained stiff, then his arms slowly rose and wrapped around Robin, and his head fell heavy on Robin’s shoulder.

“I’m scared,” Cyan whispered. “My life is over. I may as well be dead. I wish I had died. I’ve always wished I’d died, right from the start, but they wouldn’t let me.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Robin said, the words coming out sharper than he’d intended. “You’re life’s not over. 
It’s just stared. I’ve only just started getting to know you and I already know that my life would be…empty if you weren’t in it. I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

After a few more seconds, Cyan drew back and stared at Robin. “Why?” he said.

“Because I like you. You’re my friend and I—“

“Friend?” There was a very strange tone to Cyan’s voice and Robin had no idea how to read it. Was Cyan pleased or not that they were friends.

“That’s good isn’t it? That you have a friend. You almost sound as if you don’t want me to be your friend.”

Cyan was silent, searching his eyes and Robin stopped breathing. It was the most intense moment of his life and something about it scared him. He had no idea what was going on but suddenly warmth flooded him and all the places he was touching Cyan tingled.

“I don’t know,” Cyan whispered, and Robin was suddenly very aware of how plump and red his lips were. Had he been biting them? Surely lips aren’t really that red? Not without lipstick on. Did he have lipstick on? Of course not he—

“You’re touching me.” Cyan’s lips wrapped around the words, and for a moment they didn’t register in Robin’s head at all.

“Oh Sorry.”

When he went to pull back Cyan stopped him. “I like it,” he said.

“You do?”

Cyan nodded and his beautiful lips twitched up at the corners. The tip of a pink tongue appeared and moisture glistened over the surface, making Cyan’s lips seem even more inviting. Inviting? Inviting what?

“Robin,” Cyan whispered moving closer. “Can I—?”


And that's it for this week. Will he or won't he :)

Now go check out the rest of the flashers. There are some really good ones this week

Wednesday Briefs

M A Church
Chris T Kat
Jon Keys
Jim Dunaway
Cia Nordwell
J C Wallace
Sarah Hayes
Avery
Ravon Silvius
Johayan
Tali Spencer
Kazy Reed
Julie Lynne Hayes

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FLYING WITH RED HAIRCROW



HAPPY BIRTHDAY FLYING WITH RED HAIRCROW

Today, Flying With Red Haircrow has been on Smashwords for four years, and to celebrate will be taking part in the Smashwords annual giveaway in a very special way.  From July 1st until the end of the month all of the following books will be free on Smashwords.

  • The Agony of Joy, winner Global Ebook Awards 2013, Best LGBT Fiction Quote code EF88E
  • Silence Is Multi-Colored in my World, winner, Rainbow Awards, 2012, Best Gay Biography/Memoir. Quote code  QQ37F
  • CORE: A poetry collection. Quote code BD29Q
  • Variance, which is my collected short stories, from rated All to Mature, not all but some are LGBT related. Quote code RG32V 
  • The Runaway, A book on love, life and the price of fame by Nephylim Quote code JT47C





CORE is a poetry collection with themes of suicide, loss and grief, but also of courage, joy and deeply passionate love. It is a journey of healing and survival that has taken the author around the world. It is the revealing of darkness and light, of beauty and hideousness, and a reliance on the strength of one's ancestors and their beliefs to inspire hope and perseverance. 














VARIANCE. From the author of "The Agony of Joy", winner of a 2013 Global Ebook Award Best LGBT Fiction, Variance is a collection of ten short stories and novellas by Red Haircrow ranging from the contemporary to the fantasy, from the surreal and thought-provoking to the innocently poignant.









AGONY. Former model turned actor Adrian Lee can barely list age range '23-29' on his resumé anymore nor stand his life of empty social events and appearances, meaningless roles and casual partners. When he meets Alexander Skizetsky by clever arrangement of his agent, the enigmatic yet infinitely attractive Russian kindles a little light of hope in his aching heart. Yet even the beginnings of a friendship and love beyond his wildest dreams cannot assuage a life spiraling out of control.








SILENCE. An imaginative collection of memories and observations written from the perspective of a young man who was orphaned early, who was gay, deaf and Russian. He was simple and complex, light-hearted and serious, whimsical and infinitely strong, and when he loved, he loved with all his heart and soul. Winner in Rainbow Awards 2012 category: best biography/memoir.














THE RUNAWAY. Ciarrai is running away from a past that’s still breathing down his neck. Jack has no past, his memory wiped in the accident that killed his parents. They meet and their lives move forward like stones skimming the surface of the water, dipping into memories that want to surface and those that want to lie buried forever.












Bio:
Red Haircrow is an award-winning author/poet, chef and activist/photojournalist of Chiricahua Apache/Cherokee descent who lives in Berlin, Germany. Red is also a psychological counselor, publicist and owner of the multi-media entity Flying With Red Haircrow. Red's works have appeared in magazine such as Sibling Rivalry Press' Assaracus, Sword & Saga's American Athenaeum, Danse Macabre, and native current events network, Indian Country Today.

Main website: http://redhaircrow.com/
Other links:


Book Links 

Forever Hold His Peace - Rebecca Cohen

I've had the pleasure of promoting the first book in this series
The Actor and the Earl some weeks ago. I was planning on promoting the second also, but unfortunately technical difficulties had me miss the boat. I am very glad to be back on track for this one. I had the great pleasure of meeting Rebecca at the UK Meet and she's awesome, which always makes it easier to promote :)






Cover Artist: Anne Cain

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb: Sebastian Hewel has never been happier. But his life playing the role of his twin sister Bronwyn, the wife of Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, is about to change. Rumors abound that Bronwyn is using witchcraft to enthrall her husband, and false evidence has been found. Practicing witchcraft is a crime that could have Bronwyn brought in for questioning by the sheriff, and that would reveal Sebastian and Anthony’s secret.

Together they must decide whether it is time to lay Bronwyn to rest. Anthony intends to ensure that whoever implicated Bronwyn pays for the treacherous deed. Whatever happens, Sebastian and Anthony must prepare to face an unknown future together.

Excerpt

Bronwyn took his arm and sighed. “I’ll put away the sewing and take your hound out for a walk—but you’ll have to come with me, as I doubt the beast will listen to a word I say. I won’t be here for more than a handful of days, so you really shouldn’t care so much.”

Sebastian wasn’t convinced. Bronwyn’s last visit to Crofton Hall had been filled with arguments and casting of blame between his sister and Anthony, and he couldn’t allow that to happen again. “Have you spoken to Anthony yet?”

“No. Surprisingly, Lord Crofton has not chosen to seek out his wife this fine morning.”

“And have you tried to speak to him?”

“To say what, Brother dear? Good morrow, your lordship, are you still an overbearing arse?”

“Bronwyn!” snapped Sebastian.

“Oh, please, Sebastian. I can be civil if I have to, and Lord Crofton is making it more than worth my while to endure his company—although, it is very pleasant to see you again, of course.”

“Just keep an even temper and your mouth closed unless you intend to say something pleasant, and we may all survive the next few days.”

Sales Links

Ebook
Papereback

Author Bio:

Rebecca Cohen is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and baby son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cup of Darjeeling in the other.


DSP Author Page: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_462



Tour Stops:
July 3: Elisa Rolle
July 4: The Hat Party




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