Fiction

It’s Release Day!

Books, Fiction, Friendship, Love, Writing

Happy Book Birthday to Nightsong! Please check out, enter, and share the giveaway at the end of this post. It ends at midnight May 3 (meaning tomorrow night).

I’ve been very excited to present this one to the world. After Anthem, I had a number of people tell me they really didn’t like Nate and weren’t sure he could be redeemed. I like to hope I’ve done him justice.

The Notes from Boston series was inspired by a dinner table conversation. I said I wasn’t sure where to set my next novel. At that point, I’d done small New York towns. I’ll be honest, that’s still my favorite locale. Since my spouse is from Boston, he suggested setting the series there. I was happy to agree, as Boston is one of my favorite cities.

Initially, I had planned something entirely different from where Anthem went. But, as is customary, the characters had their own ideas. The same thing happened with Nightsong. I was sure I was writing a “jerk who learns to behave himself” story. Nate’s much more complicated than that! (Not that I don’t love a good transformation story, of course.)

Nightsong isn’t the book for everyone. It’s not strictly a romance; it’s equally about family and friends who have your back when things get tough. Fair warning, this is the general direction the series is headed. I’m currently writing book #3, Drumbeat. So watch this space for snippets and more!

About the Book

Title: Nightsong

Publisher: Supposed Crimes

Length: 205 pages

Release Date: May 1, 2017

ASIN: B06XB8TB7R

ISBN: 9781944591243

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33974194-nightsong

Synopsis

Nate Kingsley is a master at messing up. Out of jealousy, he outed his best friend in a public and embarrassing way. Now he’s doing his best to make up for his crimes, but it’s left him empty and frustrated, unfulfilled even by his career as an opera singer and creative director. He enters an unsatisfying relationship he keeps hidden from his closest friends. When that ends on a disappointing note, he seeks solace in his crush on one of the drag queens performing at his favorite club.

Izzy Kaplan is an EMT by day, a drag queen named TaTa Latke by night. He hasn’t been in a relationship since his divorce from his wife, despite the best efforts of his mothers and his work partner. He avoids their suggestions in favor of attending the opera alone to see the gorgeous baritone who’s caught his eye. He knows it’s just a fantasy, but it’s easier than starting over.

A charity performance to benefit a local youth shelter and clinic puts them in each other’s lives in an unexpected way. They begin to emerge from their relationship disasters, slowly building trust. But unknown to themselves or each other, they are facing separate health crises that might be enough to send them both running the opposite way. It will take drawing on the love and strength of their friends and families to bring them back together again.

Notes from Boston is a series about four friends navigating the ups and downs of life, relationships, and their music careers in the historic city. Book Two follows Nate in the aftermath of Trevor Davidson’s messy coming out as a bisexual Christian singer in Notes From Boston #1: Anthem.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Smashwords | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

Giveaway

2 lucky people will get to choose an eBook bundle of either Anthem + Nightsong or Nightsong + another book from my backlist!

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Rainbow Snippets: Making Amends

Fiction, Friendship, Love, Writing

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone is well. In two days, my latest novel, Nightsong, is out. Linky in the sidebar, in case anyone is interested. Also, I’m doing a giveaway! You can enter after the snippet.

Nightsong picks up where Anthem (book 1 in the series) left off. I’m currently writing book 3. Last week, I posted a bit from Anthem to introduce you to the complicated relationship between Nate and Trevor. Nate is one of the MCs in Nightsong, and that’s the one I’ll be sharing from for a while.

These two had somewhat of a falling out in Anthem. It was mostly Nate’s doing, but Trevor (due to his lack of good communication skills) wasn’t blameless. Here, they’re trying to put their friendship back in order.

Trevor turned to Nate. “Lunch?”

“Sounds good.” As they walked, Nate asked, “How’s everything?” He didn’t know how to convey I’m sorry for being a fuck-up and I miss hanging out with you. He supposed he could have said those things, but they sounded needy and pathetic in his head.

And here’s the giveaway!

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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!

WIPpet Wednesday: Introducing Jamie & a Giveaway

Fiction, Love, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Wednesday! In honor of Nightsong‘s “book birthday” next Monday, I’m giving away TWO eBook bundles of Nightsong/Anthem (or for anyone who doesn’t want Anthem or already owns it, the choice of a different book in my backlist). You can enter the giveaway after the snippet below.

Since Nightsong is book #2 in my Notes from Boston series, here’s the official announcement: It was supposed to stop at book #4 (which is already in outlines, and I know where the overarching plot is headed). Instead, I’m going to keep writing after that one’s done. There are plenty of side characters and more adventures to be had among the four MCs who were the original gang. After #4 is written, I’m not sure whether there will be any more multi-book story arcs. Probably not. I’d like each one to be a standalone and be connected only by the characters being known to each other. Also, beginning with #4, the plan is for them to stop being primarily M/M, although they will consistently revolve around LGBTQIA characters/themes. I have many reasons for this, but mostly I just don’t want to be limited by one category. (Fun fact: I’m working on a sequel to An Act of Devotion, and one side character from that will cross over to become part of the Boston series. Which one is still a secret.)

On to the WIPpet. Working with the theme, I’m posting a bit of book #3, Drumbeat. I have enough written that I may stick with that for a bit. In this snippet, you’ll see Jamie from a different angle. This is in Cian’s POV (for anyone who’s been following along at home, Cian is the sexy Irish dancer appearing briefly in both other books).

WIPmath: 4/26 = (2 + 6) / 4 = 2 paragraphs.

Cian watched Jamie leave. He’d seen him sitting at the bar, drinking whatever he’d ordered over there instead of bringing it back to the table. For the life of him, Cian couldn’t figure out what Jamie’s problem was. Not that Cian saw him often, but every time, Jamie snubbed him. Cian suspected Jamie was trying to wash his image, erase his history by playing a different character. Perhaps he thought Cian should have worn more clothes on stage and that Jamie was better for having given up his prior employment. He vaguely wondered if Jamie was one of those ex-Catholic hard-core evangelicals like Cian’s aunt. It would explain the teetotaling and the attitude, although he didn’t get the sense that Jamie’s band was some kind of religious group.

It was too bad. Jamie was a thousand shades of adorable, and no amount of pseudo-bad-boy play-acting could hide it. While making his way to the table after performing, Cian had taken a few minutes to admire him. Jamie was tiny, probably barely five-foot-five. His brown hair was short and spiked. He had piercings all over, enough in visible areas that Cian wondered if he had some in less public places too. He didn’t recall him having any in his videos, not that he wanted to admit how much of Jamie’s body he’d seen. And those eyes—dark and sparkling, black-lined to give him a hint of being trouble. Even now, after Jamie’s snooty behavior, it made Cian’s insides ripple to think about him.

And here’s the giveaway!

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Like what you read? Be sure to check out the other entries and add your own. Just post a bit of your WIP, connect it to the date, and link up with us. Many thanks to Emily Witt for giving us this space. Happy reading and writing!

Rainbow Snippets Old and New

Fiction, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Saturday! I don’t think I’ve posted since seeing WICKED. It was amazing, of course. We followed it up with a trip to the mountains, and now it’s the end of vacation week. It’s been pretty relaxing all around. I’m gearing up for one last concert next weekend, and then performance season is done for me but just starting for my kids.

I have a new release on May 1: Nightsong (Notes from Boston #2). This is the sequel to last year’s Anthem, about a Christian contemporary artist coming out as bisexual. I’ll be posting from the new release starting next week, complete with a giveaway or two.

The series is mostly standalone, with a new couple each time but mainly the same characters. There’s a series-long subplot, but otherwise they can be read together or apart. As a bit of background, I’m snipping from Anthem this week to give a bit of the history between the MCs of both books (Trevor in Anthem and Nate in Nightsong). Context: They’ve just moved into an apartment. Nate and Trevor have a history. Bit over 6 sentences, sorry.

Trevor looked down at his hands. “No. Real because it’s more than just messing with each other in bed now and again.” He glanced at Nate, whose face was stony. “I’ve always been with Marlie, and I thought it was understood she and I would eventually stay together. What you and I did was great, but it’s part of the past now. Fooling around between friends. Did it mean something else?”

Nate’s head was tipped back, and his gaze was firmly fixed on the ceiling. “It’s how I knew I would never be able to pretend to like girls.”

WIPpet Wednesday: Blast from the Past

Fiction, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Wednesday! We’re on spring break here. Our family spent the first few days out of town. Now that we’re back, I’m catching up on all kinds of reading. I’ll be posting a number of reviews in the coming weeks. I’ve had a bunch of requests for reviews of science fiction, which should be interesting.

Speaking of catching up, I’ll have some writing to do once everyone’s back in school next week. I need to finish my short story about the former missionary. I’ll post from that for a bit until I have enough written in my other WIPs. I ended up cutting about half of what I had written. Usually I wait until edits, but I figured out I was taking it in the wrong direction. The story is far less bulky without it, and I can always recycle bits of it for another WIP.

WIPmath: 4/19/17 = 1 + 9 = 1 paragraph, 9 sentences

Jo looked at the RSVP phone number. Of course it was Annie James. If Jo called her, Annie would talk her into going. With any of the others, Jo could have politely declined, and that would’ve been the end of it. They likely only invited her because they’d agreed to, not because they wanted to see her. Jo imagined all of them as adult versions of the girls they’d been. Pretty, proper women with “hearts for the Lord.” Like Jo, they might have adult children following in their footsteps. Unlike Jo, their children probably still spoke to them, probably allowed them contact with their grandchildren.

WIPpet Wednesday: Former Missionary

Fiction, Other Relationships, Writing

Happy Wednesday! We finally got to see WICKED on Sunday. What a show! No wonder it’s my daughter’s favorite. Not one but two of my acquaintances had friends in the cast. So before the show, we got to message with one of the actors, and afterward, we met the other (as well as getting autographs from the two main characters). My 11yo had chosen to see this one, so I didn’t think I’d get to go to any others this season. But another friend asked if I wanted to go see Cabaret, so in a little less than a month, I’ll be back in the theater for that one. In almost exactly a month, my 13yo and the rest of the cast of Barnum will be back on stage in that same theater for a local event. Next season, we’ll be seeing Rent, and the year after…Hamilton! (In case it’s not clear, I love musical theater in any form.)

Okay, on to the WIPpet. I have several WIPs going:

Short stories related to Cat/Micah
A longish short story about a former missionary
Drumbeat, the sequel to Anthem and Nightsong
An as-yet-untitled YA
A sequel to An Act of Devotion

Yes, I know that’s a lot. But my brain doesn’t work well trying to focus on one thing until I have enough written that I hyperfocus. I share some traits of ADHD with my son, and that’s one of them. So I’ve learned to go with it.

Today, I’m setting aside the short about LR and posting a bit from my (needs a title) short about the missionary. It’s priority right now, as it’s the next thing I need to finish.

WIPmath: 4/12 = 4 + 12 = 16 sentences

Jo stared at the card in her hand. It was addressed under her pre-married name, Hodges. She hadn’t yet changed it back, even after two divorces, the most recent one less than a year old. The person had sent it to her eighty-three-year-old mother, who had laughed and forwarded it on. Even she recognized the sheer foolishness of anyone thinking Jo wanted to be reminded of her missionary summer.

Forty years. That was the reason for the postcard invitation. When they were still untouched by the events at the end of their trip, she and five other girls had agreed they would meet every ten years on the anniversary to catch up on each other’s lives. Whether it was because she’d moved—and changed names—twice or because her mother had thrown out the previous invitations, Jo had never received one until now. She wouldn’t have been surprised to learn her mother had burned them, though she couldn’t fathom why she would pass this one along.

If everyone showed, all five of the others would be meeting back in the same part of Chicago where they’d spent a summer fixing houses and making Bible-themed artwork with school-aged children. Jo was the only one, as far as she knew, who still lived there. She’d stayed to make it right after what had happened that summer, but she’d only succeeded in making more messes. Three of them, in fact. She supposed she was fortunate her mother had come around eventually. If only some of that would rub off on Jo’s grown daughter.