Faithfully Yours

Happy Saturday! Life is busy here, as usual. Eleven days until my novel Keeping the Faith makes its entry into the world. Meanwhile, I’m also on the last round of edits for my work-in-progress before sending it to my publisher. I hope to have that done by the end of the month.

For the last couple of snippets before my new book launches, I’m still pulling from Leaps of Faith, my summer anthology which is part of the Faithfully Yours series. Those who have read the series may recall that Cat was in a long-term relationship with a man who died (no, he wasn’t beaten to death). This snippet is from the short story “Alpha and Omega.”

Marion led Cat to David. No, not to David. To his cold, stiff, bloodied body. Or would he be cold yet? How long had it been? Would he still have some warmth left beneath his pale skin? Cat hung back, afraid to touch and see. The leftovers of the attempt to save David’s life littered the room.

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!

Happy Saturday! It’s down to the last couple weeks before my next release, and I’m ridiculously excited. Meanwhile, the rest of life continues to be busy, busy, busy.

I’m winding down my snippets from Leaps of Faith. As happy as I am that the last novel in the series will be out in just over 2 weeks, it’s bittersweet. It’ll be my last visit to this world and set of characters. They and I are all ready to move forward, and it was time to let them go.

Today’s snippet is from last year’s Halloween short, “Invisible to the Eye.” Here, Micah and Cat have returned from a party at the neighbor’s house.

For a few minutes, they were silent, listening to the night sounds in the house. At last Micah said, “Remember when I said you’d tamed me?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what scares me. You make me want to stop taking things only one moment or one day at a time, but I’m not sure I want to step off that ledge.”

Cat nestled closer, and for a few minutes, Micah thought he’d gone to sleep. Something Cat mumbled into his chest startled him, and he asked Cat to repeat it.

“Death,” Cat said. “That’s what I’m afraid of. You make me want a future I’m not sure I can have.”

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!

Happy Saturday! I’m a little tired, having had a houseful of teenagers all of yesterday and overnight. Got everyone up, fed, and ready to leave by 8:20 to get half of them to rehearsal and the other half back home. Whew!

This week, I finished one WIP (it’s now with betas) and started another. I currently have two going, until I reach a stage with one of them where I need to just work on that. I’m also into my October reading list. Both this month and next are full, but I have room in December if anyone has some awesome lesbian fiction they want me to review.

My next novel, Keeping the Faith, releases Nov. 1. I have a blog tour going, but if you’re not part of that list and want to host me for that day, you can fill out the form.

Meanwhile, I’m still sharing snippets from various stories in Leaps of Faith. Last week, Cat was reciting his prayers using a rosary. I thought I’d post the, er, outcome of that here. A little background: I was part of a very restrictive and traumatizing religious community where queer sex was not only taboo but of the devil. One way I healed from that was to write specifically about the intertwining of sex and worship.

Micah rewarded him with three gasping grunts and a long, low groan. He gulped air audibly, and Cat hugged the edge himself, so close. He squeezed his eyes shut and placed his palm against the door. His whole body shuddered in anticipation; it wouldn’t take much. He couldn’t hold off, dropping his beads and sliding his hand down to where it would do more good. He’d overestimated how long he needed, shivering through release almost as soon as his fingers made contact.

When he recovered, he managed to murmur, “Thanks be to God.”

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!

Happy Saturday! For my friends and family honoring Yom Kippur, may your fast be easy.

In case you missed it, here is the new link to the Big Bi+ List. You can still add your name or books in the comments.

It’s one month and one day until my next novel releases. It’s the last part of the Faithfully Yours series. My anthology Leaps of Faith is also part of the series, a collection of short stories featuring different characters. It’s a companion work, not part of the main series.

I’m snipping from a different story in Leaps of Faith, “For Us and for Our Salvation.” (The title is taken from the Nicene Creed.) Here, Cat has a rather…unusual use for his rosary. It’s over the 6 sentences, but I think you’ll forgive me. For the non-Catholic: a “decade” is one section of the rosary. A “chaplet” is the full chain.

Cat drew air into his lungs slowly, centering himself to resume his recitations. He continued, not stopping this time, even when he heard Micah’s breathing grow louder and more unsteady with each new decade. They needed this, a way to reconnect without fear. Though his cheeks flamed and heat pooled low in his belly, Cat pressed on.

Between the fragrance of the incense, the tiny whimpers behind the door, and his own blossoming arousal, Cat was lightheaded by the time he reached the end of the first chaplet. He prayed, “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.” Glancing up toward the ceiling, he wondered briefly what Jesus might make of this and decided he probably approved.

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!