The Beat Goes On

So...

I tweeted yesterday about taking the 9 a.m. Saturday morning aqua class to try to fit some aqua in before the rain comes again. It was 35 degrees when I got ready to leave.

Yeah-- chilly.

Now, the pool was heated-- 78 degrees for aqua, it might even be 80--so the worst part was stripping to my suit and walking to the stairs (and then the trip from the pool to the hot tub afterward) and the class was pretty small.  (This means we could work really hard--lots of room--so we could keep ourselves warm.)

Anyway, I hadn't met this aqua instructor before, but she was awesome. A salty woman in her sixties, she was having technical difficulties with her DVD player and I offered my phone in its place.

"I'm not sure what's on it," I said apologetically. "It's the kids' mix on Spotify."

"I have no idea what that means."

Well...

Heather Dale--March of the Cambreadth

Journey--Don't Stop Believing

The Romantics--What I Like About You

Dropkick Murphy's--The Warrior's Code

Mark Ronson--Uptown Funk

Boxer Rebellion--The Runner

Lil Wayne--Let it Rock

Hunger Games Soundtrack--The Hanging Tree

Heather Dale--Mordred's Lullaby


And I was living in fear that Linkin Park and Offspring would come on, because those songs had a lot of swear words.

Anyway-- it's sort of eclectic.

And the funniest part of the whole experience was when one of the other victims, er, class members, turned to me and said "Oh my God, how old are your kids?"

I had to laugh.

That's a very complicated answer!!!

But some of you were worried about me when I said I was going... I just thought I'd tell you I survived.

And I'm thinking of going in the cold tomorrow. But, you know, only if the music's good ;-)

ZoomBoy and the Dentist

Zoomboy had a dentist appointment today-- I was all over it. Was gonna take him at 10:30, get him back to school by 11:45, get to aqua right on time and BOOM.

Day mastered, motherhood achieved.

One or two little glitches to this plan.

It started out well enough-- I went to get him from school and chatted up the attendance lady.

She is the nicest person.

"Oh, yes. Zoomboy. He's the sweetest lamb. He was tardy today."

"Uh, yeah."

"He's tardy quite a bit--but not as much as last year, so that's encouraging."

(I may have mentioned before that Mate and I are THOSE parents.)  "He's getting better."

"Yes, but I remember him this morning. He's rocking the bright green mitts. So cheery!"

"I'm making him a hat to match."

"He'll love that! But he signs his name slower than any child I've seen in my entire career."

(Like me, she is not young. This is an unexpected landmark in Zoomboy's history of being Zoomboy.)

"Well, you know, we're both left handed."

"Yes-- and he's got to do the thing with his hand. I understand. But he's a sweetheart--and here he comes!"

So that went well--and I think we need to remember to give the attendance lady a gift on the last day of school. It would probably be very appreciated.

But anyway, that wasn't the glitch.  The glitches came with the appointment itself. First, they were running a little late. But the dentist was taking extra time with a fractious little one who was having a very bad day, and since I am a grownup and Zoomboy is a big kid, we could definitely wait for that.

The second was... uh...

Well, I hadn't counted on her using nitrous.

I mean, I should have. Because they were sealing and filling all his teeth. But I didn't.

Zoomboy floated out of the back office and I talked with the dentist. While I was doing that he fetched my yarn bag. And stood at my side, staring at me soulfully. Without saying a word.

We got to the car and I talked about his procedure for checking back into school, and he said, "Can I just go home. Please."

It was the first thing he'd said in fifteen minutes, and he mumbled. And it dawns on me.

"Are you feeling a little loopy?"

"My nostrils are cold."

"Are you seeing in sound?"

"No." Beat beat beat. "Am I drooling?"

"No."

"It's Friday the thirteenth. I"m glad you didn't go after all the people in my dream with a blood dripping  machete."

"Me too. That would have been unnerving."

"Yes. Don't do that."

And then he leaned his head against the car window and stared out into the bright sunshine.

"Okay then. We still need to go get your stuff."

"Okay." ... ... ...

Folks, the softly staring gaze was getting unnerving.

He had to hold my hand when we walked across the school quad so he didn't wander away.

"Is he checking back in?" the attendance lady asked, looking puzzled.

"Uh, no. They had to use nitrous."

Zoomboy stared happily into space and swayed.

"Oh. Do you think you can get to your locker, Zoomboy?" she asked as she wrote the pass.

"Zoomboy?"  I tapped his chin.

"Yeah. That's fine."

He wandered away and she was like, "Yeah, I don't think..."

"No, he's really not gonna..."

"Yeah. This isn't the day to go back to school."

I texted Mate. Even the attendance lady thinks he's too stoned to go to school. 

I texted Chicken, and she was like, "Ha ha-- I need to see that!"

I told ZoomBoy what she said.

"Tell her to take a picture."

So I did.

And I'm not sure if the picture is worth the 1000 words... but I do think it backs them up a little. He's playing video games now. And trying not to drool.

Nitrous--I need to file that away in my motherhood bag, so I know what to expect next time.

Cats

First of all, Rhae made me mitts, because she is wonderful. They are soft and scrumptious and smell like Damascus rose.

You can't have them, They're MINE. (Thanks Rhae!)

And about the cats...

The balance of power has changed here at chez Lane.  I'm trying to decide exactly how to fix things, but cats are particular creatures, you understand?

Gordie hates me because he thinks I'm the reason Chicken left. This is fact.

Gordie should love me, because I have reintroduced wet food into the dietary regime of our cats. This is also fact.

Newt Dewey loves me, because he loves everybody. This is fact.

Newt Dewey loves me in particular because I give the magic wet food. Again, a fact.

Newt Dewey also loves me in particular because I am the one who wakes up and pets him at o-crotch-thirty and I also laugh at him when he lands on the dogs' heads, causing great confusion. You know, fact.

Steve used to love me best because we were both bitch queens in a tiny stinky kingdom and she liked it that way.

Steve now hates me.  These are both sad truths.

Gordie now tolerates me.

Newt Dewey loves me in a very general way.

And the dogs are too stupid to understand that the balance of power has, indeed changed. They have initiated the following sequence of events:

Geoffie will plan to rush Newt Dewey because he is The Dreaded Cat.  Gordie will jump in front of Newt Dewey and stare Geoffie into running in the opposite direction, because Gordie is the REAL dreaded cat. Geoffie will ru n right into Steve and get beat up, because she hates ALL THE THINGS not me, but she also hates me because there is one more thing NOT ME in the house.

So, as you can see, there is a delicate balance of fur, hubris, and irritation going on in my tiny, stinky house. (We won't discuss what Gordie did behind the Christmas tree before we took it down. Let's just say I wanted to shove a lump of coal up that cat's ass.)

Because of that, the following peaceful convocation of cats was both welcome and...

Very, very suspicious.

If my family and I disappear in a while, do me a favor.

Be kind to all fat mice.

You never known if one of them is wearing teeny tiny glasses and tapping on a cell phone with her mittened little paws.

Back in the saddle...

*  The kids went back to school today

*  It is still raining

*  My shoes smell like troll vomit--I"m trying teabags in them to make them smell better tonight

*  Speaking of "teabags" there is a term ZB uses for his games called "tea bagging"-- I have no idea what it means, but since I see no gay porn on the Overwatch screen, I'm going to hope it means something else.

*  I miss aqua aerobics

*  The dogs are going to rebel if I take them walking in the rain one more time

*  The cats are still waiting fruitlessly for the world outside to change when they meow at the door

* Nope. Still raining.

*  I hit that stage of tired today where I don't know I"m tired

*  I think that question about "chair life" is no longer hypothetical-- my chair keeps sinking and it's pissing me off

* It's also funking up my back

*  Ordered swag today

*  Always order too much

*  And assume it sucks

*  Of course it sucks-- my sense of design--OI!

*  I want you all to see the cover for Bonfires but it's debuting on Joyfully Jay at the end of this month

*  Speaking of-- only a week and a half before I leave for Coastal Magic?

*  HOLY CATS! I NEED TO GET MY TOES DONE!

* But I DID dye my hair this morning

* Shocker-- it is NOT clown-car red

*  Gonna bail now--may tomorrow be filled with hope

*  But speaking of hope, I hope I don't see any more fictional stories deal with plane crashes before I get on a plane. I watched an episode of Travelers and almost had a heart attack.

*  Speaking of-- great show!

*  And on that note, I'm gonna bail.

*  May tomorrow be grand :-)

The Little Goddess Series explained

I'm sorry-- I know it's confusing.

I was originally writing and self-publishing just to be able to tell stories. I didn't see it as an industry or a business until I"d been doing it for six years and had written three series.

So the timetable for releasing all these books will feel really random if I try to explain it now.

But people were confused as to which ones were out and which ones weren't, and I thought I should explain.

The original order of the books went like this:

Vulnerable

Wounded

Bound

The Green's Hill Werewolf Stories 1-5

Rampant

The Green's Hill Werewolf Stories  #6

Guarding the Vampire's Ghost


 The reason The Green's Hill Werewolf Stories are sort of the odd-man out there is that I wrote the two GINORMOUS Bitter Moon books in between Bound and Rampant, and I missed the more contemporary writing. And, let's face it, the sex.

So-- that was the original order, if that's what you'd heard before or read before.

Now, since then, a couple of things have happened:

A. DSPP published this series and recovered them.

B. They had to split the SUPER LONG books into two volumes.

C. The Green's Hill Werewolf volumes were published by Torquere and THEN turned over to DSPP.  They will be RERELEASED in the fall.

D. I wrote THREE Green's Hill Novellas-- Guarding the Vampire's Ghost, Litha's Constant Whim, and I Love You, Asshole, which were all condensed into one volume called The Green's Hill Novellas. 

E. I FINISHED QUICKENING and it's out IN MAY AND JUNE.

*whew*

 So now-- the order of the books is:

Vulnerable

Wounded V. 1

Wounded V. 2

Bound V. 1

Bound V. 2

The Green's Hill Novellas

The Green's Hill Werewolves Volume 1  (Released this fall)

Rampant V. 1

Rampant V. 2

The Green's Hill Werewolves Volume 2 (Released this fall)

Quickening V. 1 --Released in MAY

Quickening V. 2--Released in JUNE

And now, I have the free download for Scorched Haven for you. You can read it on the website, or download the .pdf -- enjoy!  This story fits in at the very beginning of Quickening, but you won't find anything there that you don't know at the end of Rampant V. 2. 

(There are some small corrections I'm making to this file tomorrow--jsyk.)

So there you go!


I'm so excited about Quickening's release. I hope at the very least my new fans check out Vulnerable. 

There's so much to see!

Rain

When I was six years old, we lived in an old--extremely unsafe--house. We used to have to drain the claw-footed bathroom out the 1 1/2 story window with a piece of surgical tubing.

I was very conscious about water.  I remember washing my hands and wondering, "Where does the water go? Will we ever run out? No--grownups won't let it."




The next year, California entered the first drought that I can remember.

When I was eighteen, my best friend and I thought we'd go to my night classes during the worst storm California could remember. It was 1986-- horses drowned at Cal Expo that night, trees floated across flooded parked roads, and my friend and I were out in the middle of a maelstrom, because she was afraid her horse, roaming free in a field, might be in danger like the unfortunate animals down next to the Sacramento river. Her car stalled in the middle of someone's driveway, we walked three miles in the rain, dodged lamas swimming over a flooded fence, and broke into her friend's house so we could find shelter.



Dumb things you do when you're young and stupid, right?



In 1996, Mate's mom called us in our second story apartment and asked us if we were okay. When we replied--rather puzzled--that we were fine, she told us to look out the window. Our apartment was fine, but half a block down, every 1st story apartment in the block was under water.



Last year, it was reported that the middle of my state had sunk nearly three inches because the water table had dropped so low, the earth was actually SINKING.



Californians worry about water.



One way or another, every day.  Is the snow pack high? Will it get us through summer? Is it melting too fast? Will we flood this winter? Will the storm wash us away?



I took the dogs walking today for half a mile. They still think I was trying to kill them.

So today was all about rain.

I brought you some songs--all about rain.

Mitts

So, I didn't even realize until Friday night-- late-- that I'd forgotten to blog Thursday night. Oi!

I figure that's okay though-- I have a FaceBook event tomorrow, HERE  the January Blast, with lots of giveaways and fun stuff, along with authors Kate MacMurray and Rayna Vause. I got Kim Fielding and Tara Lain and ZAM to participate in the giveaway so it should be REALLY fun.

Anyway, that was a good enough reason to post tonight, but also... we have the saga of the mitts.

So, in a rant about cold earlier this week, I whined (moaned, bitched, kvetched, you name it) about how my hands were cold and I'd lost ONE of my beloved fingerless mitts. Now I do this EVERY YEAR. Hanging around in my house are about twelve SINGLE MITTS from the times when I lost one. Yes, that makes me your seven year old kid.

Anyway--

So I whined about that, and Rhae Camdyn, whom I chat with daily on FaceBook, set about making me another pair.

Because she's FRICKIN' AMAZING LIKE THAT.

I took her up on that--I had kid projects to do-- big T's scarf, a pair of mitts for Chicken, a hat for ZoomBoy (but now he wants mitts too...)

Anyway--I was eyeball deep in kid projects, and she offered to make me my own. I was blessed.

Well, I finished Chicken's mitts, and they turned out so awesome I'm on for a pair for ZoomBoy and Squish, and Rhae's are on the way...

And today... today...

Today, we went to the grocery store for a big trip (not just bread or milk or eggs.)  So, in our part of California, we bring our own bags. I mean we can pay for a bag, but it's become a point of pride with me to remember my own bags--I've talked before about my bag full of bags in my bag. (I can play that game all day, don't get me started.)

Anyway, at the bottom of the bag full of bags in the bag was...

The other mitt.

THE OTHER MITT.

People, this has never happened. Not once. I have NEVER found the other mitt.

Unprecedented. But I'm so happy. I'm wearing them both right now, and they are all wool and faintly felted and... just lovely.

*happy sigh*

So, that was exciting (if you're me, and apparently live the least exciting life of all time.

Of course, I wish I'd found it last night when we were at the King's Game-- because coming home was COLD once we got off the train.

I have to say something about going to see a Kings game now. See, it used to be, we'd go to the old shitty arena which was practically out in the middle of farmland, and it felt sort of personal--but very "cow town" which is what people call Sacramento for a reason. WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD. Anyway, now, with the new arena, right in the middle of K street, taking the train to downtown feels like an EVENT. The arena is lovely (if cramped--and no, I'm not the only person to say so.)

And finally, I'll leave you with this:

This morning I drove to get my coffee and then came home and gave the family THEIR hot chocolate and took the dogs for a walk. During most of this I was having a phone conversation with a friend. It was raining--not hard, but steadily--and it didn't seem like that big of a deal to be bareheaded--I was just going half a mile, right?

And I talked and held the dogs and juggled the phone and picked up poop and...

And I walked in the house and Mate lost his shit.

"Oh my God! You're soaking wet! Your hair is dripping all over the place. You've got a hood--why didn't you use it?"

I was still juggling the phone and the dogs and now my dripping jacket. "I only have too hands!" I protested.

"PUT DOWN THE PHONE!"

Well, the person on the other end of the line LOST HER SHIT and Mate laughed his scrawny ass off--and me? I hung my jacket up outside and ran to change. I've got to admit.

I was freezing my own ass off as well.

Anyway--

Don't forget to stop by Facebook Tomorrow  and visit!  I promise-it'll be fun!

Just Some Random Shit Basically

*  I signed the contract for Red Fish/Dead Fish-- yay!

*  People seem to be enjoying The Virgin Manny-- which is good, because after my current project, I have to write the third in the series. (Yes, everybody, the second one features Taylor as the primary MC--but he's been through a lot, I'm telling' ya!)

*  The dogs seem to have a thing against me knitting. Witness Geoffie, parked on my bicep, my hand trapped underneath, with no knitting in sight.

*  Mate and I went to PetSmart the other day to get cat food and looked at a cat. No, we did not get this one--named "Socks"--but when I ever get another cat, Socks would be the best cat to get. Huge, playful, very human. I hope someone who will adore her takes her home.

*  Someone who read Freckles got the mistaken impression that I was advocating just going out and replacing one dog with another if something bad happened. Uh, no. I was saying that being a dog owner was part of your identity. If you're a "dog owner" after a pet passes on, you will eventually go out and get another dog, because that's part of who you are. Like, I didn't used to think I was a small-dog owner, but now that I've had these guys for two and four years, I'm starting to think my life was incomplete without a small dog in it. Should the unthinkable happen, my life will be incomplete again, until I'm ready to fill that void.

*  Wow, that last thing was morbid.

*  On the happy side, I have a picture of Squish, modeling the scarf I made Big T.  For the record, it's the Stanley Scarf pattern, but since I was making it into color blocks, I added an extra garter ridge in each color to make it look more squares. Also, this scarf is a thinner than the original pattern--and the yarn isn't mohair.  But still--Stanley would have been proud.

*  I've spent a couple of relatively uneventful days working--or remembering how to work. Tomorrow I go see Berry Jello and her kids, and we get to sit on the couch and let the dogs neck with us and watch television unashamedly.  I can handle that.

*  Don't forget-- I'm having a chat with Rayna Vause and Kate McMurray on Sunday, 11 a.m. PST RIGHT HERE.   During my hour, I'm giving away books by Z.A. Mayfield, Kim Fielding, and Tara Lain-- and a few copies of Manny, of course ;-)

*  And now, off to write some more!

Coldness With a Chance of Cold

One of the lovely things about The Virgin Manny is the adorable young college man with the solid pecs standing in front of a swimming pool in the summer.

I love this picture.

Yes, Tino is cute, but mostly?

The picture is warm. So warm.

California is in the process of maybe not crisping away and withering sere into the furnace wind of the central valley.  It's a painful process, as you might imagine, made worse by the fact that we have not endured it for nearly five years.

As God is my witness, I'd forgotten magic sky water was so cold.

I mean, you get cocky, right?

Winter, what's winter? This is fuckin' California--I'll make it through winter with my capris and my flip-flops like my stepmom and her mom did before me. Yeah, sure, I got hoodies-- who wants to know? Throw a scarf on me, let me find my fingerless mittens from last year, and I'm takin' this season on by the teeth, I tell you, by the fuckin' TEETH!

Except now, after a week of cold temperatures (Oh my STARS, it got to 31 degrees here, can you believe that? Simply believe it? The frozen precipitation of end times almost graced our humble valley!) and magic sky water, I have a confession to make.

I'm sorry--I have to apologize to the Tough Old Broads Association, the Gnarly Geezers, and yes, even the Middle-Aged Muffins, who I'm sure have all shown more backbone than I have. But I have to say it. Oh, yes, people, I really do.

I'm fuckin' COLD.

I went walking this morning an my feet got wet and cold, and I took off the shoes so the wet went away, but the cold stayed ALL DAY. I wore capris because, you know, Tough Old Broad or Middle-Aged Muffin, capris are good for all temperatures, right?

WRONG!

I came home and put on pajama pants and my entire body sighed in relief. Holy shit and pass the big stretchy socks, who knew ankles lost so much body heat!!!

And the worst thing?

The absolutely WORST thing?

I lost my one fingerless mitt. (For those of you who are new, I make a pair every year and then, sometime during the winter, lose one. Just one. Which is why I make a new pair every year. I suspect my cat sleeps on them in a corner of the house at night, and laughs her ass off.)

I bought a cheap pair of mittens and cut off the finger and thumb-tips so I can function, but they're acrylic, guys. ACRYLIC. These mitts might have possibly kept the dinosaur warm when he was pumping this shit as blood, but it's not particularly warm NOW.

So there. I said it. And I'm relieved.

I'm cold. I'm freezing my tits off. They're gonna fall to my feet, and I'm going to use them to bowl for the heads of my enemies, and then summer's gonna come and I'm gonna be bummed. No more tits. I'll say the winter did them in, it was such a tragedy, for fuckin' real.

*whew*

Okay. My epic whine about the cold is over. You can all stop laughing at my expense now--by the time you see this I'll be cuddled up with Mate, two dogs, two cats, and two of exactly the same cotton quilts which keep Mate and Petris family and I toasty warm.

And I'll be warm. Ever so warm.

And really appreciative of those of you who live in the snow and see temperatures in the negatives and who live in the Mitten (Kaje Harper, I'm looking at you!) and laugh at us soft low-landers as we cuddle and whine.

Go ahead and laugh. I deserve it. But by golly, I can stand a good laugh if my feet are warm.

And you know, in the end?

We really do need the rain.

*Kermit Flail* January 2017!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!

*whew*  Okay-- I have modest hopes for 2017, and they have certainly been raised by the offerings at this month's Kermit Flail.  

To start with, I need to say that Rayna Vause, Kate McMurray and I all have releases within two weeks of each other. We start with The Virgin Manny, my offering to the Dreamspun Desires line, then we have Kate McMurray's release on the 9th, Their Has to be a Reason, and then we have Rayna's Dreamspun Desire, Extra Sensual Perception.  So, since the three of us hang at cons (okay-- they let me hang with them. It's that simple. They are terminally East Coast Cool, and I am a dorky mom-thing from the sticks. They LET me hang with them and I am forever grateful because I love them terribly and want some of their cool to rub off on me.) Anyway-- we're going to do a FACEBOOK EVENT next Sunday, January 8th, watch this space for details, okay?  It's going to be 12-3 EST and we're each going to take turns having games and doing give aways and such. 

It'll be FAB and you're all invited.  

So THAT'S exciting.  

And then we have the awesome stuff HERE this week. Ki Brightly has a contemporary, Pheonix Hell gives a paranormal Christmas offering, K.C. Wells gives us a threesome (meow!), Anne Barwell gives us an historical, and the ever luminous Kim Fielding has some romantic suspense (YESSS!!)  

In addition, K.C. Wells has asked that I flail her friend's autobiography (it looks heartbreaking, sosyouknows) for him, and I said we are an equal opportunity flail here, so by all means take a look at Stephen Land's offering, The Race.  And speaking of equal opportunity, I met the fanTASTIC Ms. Melanie Jayne at Romantic Times last year, and she was charming and warm and lovely. She writes M/F, and it gives me TREMENDOUS pleasure to flail her this month. I can't wait to see her in May!

So like I said, it's an exciting bunch here this month.

Come see. 

Extra Sensual Perception

by Rayna Vause


If a stalker doesn’t kill them, the heat between them might.

Christopher Vincent is desperate enough for a job that he accepts an offer to entertain as a psychic in a friend’s nightclub. Jackson Whitman, one of the club’s co-owners, is less than thrilled by the new act. To him, psychics are ridiculous and a liability. But when they come face-to-face, attraction flares to life between them.

Someone is watching Jack and Chris from the shadows. What starts as a series of creepy encounters leads to deadly attacks. Jack and Chris must set aside their differences and work together to

survive a homicidal stalker. But can they survive their explosive
connection?

Buy at DSP

Dave is enjoying his junior year at a big New England university, even if none of his relationships have been especially satisfying. He plans to hang around with his best friend Joe and focus on his studies until he graduates, and then he’ll figure out the rest.

Meeting Noel changes his plans.

Noel is strikingly beautiful and unlike anyone Dave knows. Something about Noel draws Dave to him—an attraction Dave doesn’t feel ready to label. And even if he was, why would Noel be interested in Dave? And what about Joe? He hates Noel and everything he represents, and he might hate Dave if he finds out about Dave’s secret desires. So Dave will have to keep those feelings hidden—along with his relationship with Noel.

But Noel has fought too hard for his identity to be Dave’s dirty secret. Will Dave tell the truth and risk the life he’s always known… or live a lie and risk losing the love of his life?

Buy at DSP

The Virgin Manny 

By Amy Lane

The Mannies

Growing up and falling in love...

Sometimes family is a blessing and a curse. When Tino Robbins is roped into helping his sister deliver her premade Italian dinners when he should be studying for finals, he’s pretty sure it’s the latter! But one delivery might change everything.

Channing Lowell’s charmed life changes when his sister dies and leaves him her seven-year-old son. He’s committed to doing what’s best for Sammy… but he’s going to need a lot of help. When Tino lands on his porch, Channing is determined to recruit him to Team Sammy.

Tino plans to make his education count—even if that means avoiding a relationship—but as he falls harder and harder for his boss, he starts to wonder: Does he have to leave his newly forged family behind in order to live his promising tomorrow?

Buy at DSP

Trust Trade

by Ki Brightly

Life hasn’t been good to Jeb Birchman. When he attempted to escape his abusive, zealot father, he found himself on the streets, making a living the only way he knew how, the victim of more violent men—one of whom orchestrates a series of vicious attacks that leave Jeb deaf. Now that he’s aged beyond his latest client’s interest, Jeb knows he needs to escape his risky lifestyle before it’s too late. Seeing one last chance for himself, he earns a GED and enrolls in college.

Freddy Williams enjoys a life that couldn’t be more different from what Jeb has survived. He loves sports, being a personal trainer, and hanging out with friends. The son of deaf parents, Freddy is an outspoken advocate of the Deaf community and works as an interpreter at his college. When he meets Jeb at the bookstore, he’s struck by how attractive he is, and as they get to know each other, he finds Jeb’s good heart just as appealing. By the time he learns of Jeb’s past, it’s only a few steps behind them, and Freddy must make a choice between school and his familiar routine and protecting the man he’s falling in love with.


Buy at DSP

A Bond of Truth

by K.C. Wells

Sequel to A Bond of Three

It is twenty years since the Bond of Three returned to Teruna. The kingdom of Kandor, once Teruna’s enemy, seeks help and sends its finest warrior, Dainon, on a diplomatic mission. A solitary man since his wife and child died, Dainon is unable to explain why an encounter with a young man on a beach rocks his world to its core.

Prince Arrio of Teruna has always been attracted to men but has never acted on it—until he meets Dainon. Headstrong Arrio goes after what he wants, despite his fathers’ advice. But when Prince Kei arrives unexpectedly, Arrio finds himself drawn to both men. Is history repeating itself?

Prince Kei has his first taste of freedom and is shocked when the visions that have plagued him since childhood become reality. The three men embark on a voyage of discovery. No one has foreseen the day, however, when the arrival of a stranger threatens to destroy their bond.

Buy at Amazon

The Race

by Stephen Land 

with K.C. Wells

The Race is a story of one man’s triumph over sexual abuse and bullying, striving to find his own sexual identity. Growing up in an ultra conservative, religious family, Stephen aimed to pray the gay away before anyone could find out his secret. Stephen’s life became a constant battle, up to the point  here he couldn’t hold on any longer. A failed suicide attempt finally put life into perspective, and Stephen came out, not just as a gay man but as a survivor of sexual abuse.

A week in the hospital with too much time to think, resulted in flashbacks that plunged him back into his nightmarish childhood and adolescence. What began as Stephen’s attempt to exorcise his demons, ended up being a story of hope for others who have also suffered sexual abuse.

His message? No matter how much you stumble coming off the starting blocks, you can still win the race.

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You Always

by Melanie Jayne

Fifteen years ago the beautiful princess married her prince…

Today, Jasmine Benton appears to have the ideal life and yet, she wants more.

Her husband, Israel wouldn’t change a thing.

What happens when the perfect couple finds out that they aren’t so perfect? Can they trust in their love and learn to compromise or watch their marriage end?


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Love is Heartless

by Kim Fielding

Small but mighty—that could be Detective Nevin Ng’s motto. Now a dedicated member of the Portland Police Bureau, he didn’t let a tough start in life stop him from protecting those in need. He doesn’t take crap from anyone, and he doesn’t do relationships. Until he responds to the severe beating of a senior citizen and meets the victim’s wealthy, bow-tied landlord.


Property manager and developer Colin Westwood grew up with all the things Nevin never had, like plenty of money and a supportive, loving family. Too supportive, perhaps, since his childhood illness has left his parents unwilling to admit he’s a strong, grown man. Colin does do relationships, but they never work out. Now he’s thinking maybe he won’t just go with the flow. Maybe it’s time to try something more exciting. But being a witness to a terrible crime—or two—was more than he bargained for.


Despite their differences, Colin and Nevin discover that the sparks fly when they’re together. But sparks are short-lived, dampened by the advent of brutal crimes, and Colin and Nevin have seemingly little in common. The question is whether they have the heart to build something lasting.

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A Demonic Christmas 

by Phoenix Hell

It's the Christmas season in 2016 and Tevan has been on the outs with his own family. But he's been living with the local pack the Zodiac pack. While working he's called to come to his friends law firm to help his ex and his ex's boyfriend; he finds out that his ex and the current boyfriend is living in a haunted mansion.

The alpha of the Zodiac pack Alejandro reveals to Tevan that they are mates while they must deal with the fact they are mates and the supernatural demons that live in the mansion.

Tevan reveals that he's the protector of Milky Way, IL and could become a god if he so desired but he doesn't.

After defeating the demons, Alejandro decides that he and Tevan must marry, so that they can watch over the city. But do the Gods allow them to do so.

And who is the dark skinned man was walking along the road wearing a dark blue suit, and a royal purple cape. And what does he want with Tevan?

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Winter Duet

by Anne Barwell

Germany 1944

Hunted for treason and the information Kristopher carries, he and Michel leave the security of their safe house to journey across Germany toward Switzerland. Caught in a series of Allied bombings, they stop to help civilians and narrowly escape capture by German forces.

While investigating a downed aircraft in the Black Forest, the two men discover an injured RAF pilot.  After they are separated, Kristopher and the pilot are discovered by a German officer who claims he is not who he appears to be. Determined to find Michel again, Kristopher has to trust the stranger and hope he is not connected to those searching for him and the information he carries. Meanwhile Michel is intercepted by one of the Allied soldiers he met in Berlin. His help is needed to save one of their own.

Time quickly runs out. Loyalties are tested and betrayed as the Gestapo closes in. Michel can only hope they can reach safety before information is revealed that could compromise not only his and Kristopher’s lives, but those of the remaining members of their team—if it is not already too late.

 Buy Link:

https://www.dsppublications.com/books/winter-duet-by-anne-barwell-339-b