Author Interview: M Jules Aedin

It's my very great pleasure to introduce M Jules Aedin who instead of playing nice and writing a guest post for my blog, insisted that I send interview questions instead! I'm glad I gave in and sent some questions because I've found out lots of interesting stuff about an author who's on my autobuy list.

This really will be my last interview, but I think you'll find that it was worth sneaking another one in just before the end .

On Writing

How did you get into writing m/m novels?
That is a question to which I find the answer possibly more amusing than most will. I’ll try to keep it to vignette length. ;) I was raised extremely conservative, religiously speaking. I could tell you horror stories, including my own (obviously unsuccessful, ha!) experience with “ex-gay” therapy. Part of my “therapy” regimen was to avoid any positive portrayals of LGBT people at all, lest I be tempted into thinking it was acceptable.

And then I found slashfic. It wasn’t even particularly good slashfic, but it was a revelation. I started sneaking that on the sly (and not telling my counselor, hehe), and then it moved on to gay & lesbian films, and then one day I ditched the whole “ex-gay” attempt. (Which took me about six years.) So m/m has a special place in my heart for the fact that, yeah, it had a lot to do with me realizing I have no choice to be anything except what I am, and that’s okay. I have plans to write some f/f too someday, even have a few started, but I’m notoriously slow, and my boys are louder and more demanding.


How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?
It depends on what else is going on in my life. It can vary from “none” to “several hours.” I’m not very disciplined. I am green with envy over those authors who can just sit down and write no matter what. I’ve tried, but it seems I’m one of those “temperamental artists” who can’t write anything unless I’m in the right headspace. Lately I’ve been trying to set word goals for myself. “You will write at least 100 words on this novel every day.” That’s been working pretty well.

You write in a range of genres, which would you say is your favourite to write in and have you considered writing in other genres.
I don’t know that I really have a favourite. I love good stories, and as long as I have that, I’m happy. I adore YA, and hopefully one day I’ll finish one of my several projects I have started there. I don’t really set out to write a story in any given genre... I just get stories that pop into my head, and I write them, and sometimes they fit a genre. Other times... well, let’s just say I have the bare bones of a novella that stars steampunk cowboy vampires. I do have problems writing straight-up contemporaries, though. I don’t really know why that is.

How difficult was it to get published?
For me, not very, honestly. I got lucky. My first publication was a novella, Fragments of a Fiery Sun, that was published in the Dreamspinner anthology “Make Me a Match.” I saw the call for stories that involved matchmaking, started about three attempts at conventional contemporaries that went nowhere, and eventually just gave up and wrote about one of the periods of history that spoke to me the most. I submitted it, they liked it, and I’ve been fooling people into thinking I’m an author ever since.

You are currently doing a degree in Psychology and Social Justice, how much of that impacts on your own writing.
A lot. I’ll be changing my focus to Sociology when I go to grad school, as I fell in love with the Sociology courses I took for my Social Justice minor, and that knowledge of how everything in the world fits together to impact individuals really finds its way into my stories. It also makes me really conscious of trying to paint a more accurate picture of the diverse kinds of people that exist and how society impacts them. The current major in Psychology helps a lot with getting inside characters’ heads, even if they don’t necessarily think like me. (And for the record, even though there are scenes with a therapist in my current WIP, I’m not studying to be a clinical psychologist. It’s not a self-insert. *laugh*)

You’ve written collaboratively with Anna J Linden, how did that collaboration come about and how easy have you found it?
Heh, she’s my best friend. In fact, she’s asleep in my bed as I type this. (Not like that, although she’ll be amused at the implications when this gets published.) We met online in a manga community. She posted a comment using an icon from an obscure series that I loved, I commented to tell her I loved the icon, and the rest is history, in a way. She actually has an English degree (yes, you can start humming Avenue Q now), and she had me proofread a short story she wrote for one of her classes before she graduated, and I fell in love with it and started pestering her to write with me. I talked her into one novella and then two, and now we’re slow-going working on a couple more. We have very similar visions most of the time, and as far as collaborations go, it’s ridiculously easy to write a story together.

On Your Books

You’ve written many stories for DSP anthologies. What attracts you to the medium of the short story?
Haha, see above about me being a slow writer! ;) One, I think it takes a certain amount of artistry to make a short story—one that I haven’t mastered yet. Authors like Flannery O’Connor, Kate Chopin, Edgar Allan Poe, James Thurber, and James Baldwin wrote these amazing short stories that have stayed with me for years. They say “brevity is the soul of wit,” and I do think that sometimes a short story can pack more of a punch than a longer one. I try to approach short story writing with the same philosophy that I approach photography (my other terribly amateurish hobby)—you’re taking a snapshot, not a panorama. Make me interested in the things you don’t show. Make me want to know the story you didn’t tell. Show me just enough to capture my imagination, and then leave me wanting more. That’s the kind of approach that makes a story stick in my mind, because then I can’t stop thinking about all the possibilities of that world that the author left unexplored. One of these days, I hope I manage to be that good.

In Every Good Thing, you’ve set your story in a fantasy world which closely mirrors 1st century Palestine. How did that story come about?
Every Good Thing—which didn’t have a title for the longest time and was just known as “Arieh’s Story”—was not only my first novel, it was also part of my pushback against my failed ex-gay therapy. There are parts of my experience that are mirrored in almost every character in that narrative, as you can see Arieh struggling with his faith and eventually wanting nothing to do with it, Enitan fighting hard not to push Arieh to go faster than he’s ready to, and Suqua dealing with the guilt and shame of not being able to change who he is... and Junia worrying about all of them. *laugh*

As for the story itself and the setting... the reason it mirrors the time and place it does is because I was originally going to write it as a historical before I realized I wanted more freedom to move about in the world building and narrative without being restricted by historical boundaries. It was one of those moments of “the story not told” arresting my imagination. As part of my reaction to ex-gay therapy, I read a lot of literature about how religious texts don’t have to be interpreted as condemning homosexuality, despite them being traditionally read that way. (For the record, religious texts were also traditionally used to justify human slavery, so there’s a precedent.) At any rate, some scholars point out that the story in the Christian Bible New Testament of Jesus healing a Roman centurion’s servant can actually be read as the story of Jesus healing a gay man’s lover and blessing their relationship. The word used for “servant” in the original text was a specific kind of servant—a male slave whose position in the household was to be his master’s lover, which was not uncommon among the Romans. I was absolutely captivated by the idea of a powerful Roman soldier being so madly in love with his servant that he would go to the trouble of seeking out a teacher from the race of people his country despised and begging him for a miracle. So I took that inspiration, removed the boundaries of real-world limitations—there are dragons, for goodness’ sake!—and told the story of a master in love with his slave.

I hear you’re planning a sequel to Every Good Thing, can you give us any clues as to what’s going to happen in that sequel?
I am! I even have it started, although it got back-burnered in favour of a more demanding set of characters who won’t shut up.

As for what happens—it focuses mainly on Suqua, whom we met briefly in the second half of Every Good Thing, and his growing dissatisfaction with the restrictions of his religious upbringing and the consequences of Ashar sneakily showing him two men in love by sending him home with Enitan to meet Arieh at the end of the first novel. Enitan and Arieh will be side characters in it, so you’ll get to see what they’re up to, and Suqua has his own encounter with a Keshen soldier when he meets one of Enitan’s old war buddies who thinks Suqua is far too attractive for his own good. And then there’s the question of Ashar’s motives in coaxing Suqua away from the idea that he can’t love another man, and the political unrest of their society underneath it all...

What was the inspiration behind your two linked historical short stories, Vespers in the Snow and Walking on the Moon?
Weirdly, I have no idea. I watch too many movies, maybe, because parts of it remind me of certain boarding school movies I’ve loved. *laugh* I was struggling to come up with a short story to submit for the Christmas anthology, and it was two days before the deadline and I didn’t have anything but a couple of sentences that weren’t going anywhere. And one night, driving home from my old job (as a Starbucks barista), the entire concept for Vespers in the Snow just blossomed in my head. I didn’t have to think about it or fix anything, it was just there. So I jotted down notes for it when I got home at midnight, started working on it as soon as I woke up the next day, strong-armed some friends into doing a quick-and-dirty edit, and by 8pm, I submitted it. I still have no idea where it came from.

I had no plans to write a sequel to it, but Z.A. Maxfield—who is lovely, and yes I totally just name-dropped—kept telling me she wanted more of Philip and Clive, so when DSP put out a call for submissions on the theme of “love that lasts a lifetime,” I thought, “Well, here’s my chance.” Writing them on purpose for Walking on the Moon was a lot harder than writing them by accident for Vespers!

Why did you choose to write a cross dressing hero in Windows in Time?
At the risk of really sounding like I’m psychologically imbalanced (which I am, but not in this way)—because Oliver showed up in my head wearing a dress. It might have something to do with my own gender non-conformity, but I didn’t plan it that way. The story was actually written in response to the cover art, which is, as I understand, not the way these things usually go. *laugh* I have a bit of a voyeuristic streak, so the picture of the men undressing in front of the windows piqued my imagination, and by the time I realized they were in two different eras and that Buck needed his own lover, Oliver had already waltzed into my imagination in his red shoes and his party dress and smiled winningly at me. The whole time I was writing him, I kept thinking about two different stories I’d heard of men—one in the 1950s, one in the 1980s—who completely shocked people I was acquainted with by wearing feminine clothing and makeup. In some ways, Oliver’s a bit of a tribute to them, because he didn’t dress as a woman in order to get away with dating a man. He did it because it fulfilled part of who he was, and I was in love with that bravery in him.

What interests you about the time period of the 1950s where you set part of Windows in Time?
See above about “I watch too many movies.” ;) I grew up on Doris Day and Rock Hudson movies (I was doomed from the start) and other classic films of the Hollywood Golden Age, and I’m completely enamoured of the romanticism of it. I have this coffee table picture book called Hollywood At Home that is just huge black and white photos of all these classic movie stars lounging around their houses with their pets and their families and their glamorous martinis, and... I don’t know. There’s just something magical about the illusion of perfection they managed to give off, especially when you read the biographies and know that there were darker shadows lurking underneath.

Who would you say is your favourite character out of your published books and why?
Everybody has a special place in my heart, but I’m so madly in love with Oliver that if he existed for real, I’d arm-wrestle Buck for him. I’m not sure exactly why he enchants me as thoroughly as he does—except for the fact that I’m most attracted to girls who look like boys and boys who look like girls—but... there’s a reason my new cat is named Olivia. ;) Although, one of my best friends who reads my books despite being 90% straight accused me of basing Jonah on him (not exactly...) and said, “Did you base Oliver on anyone you know? ‘Cause if you did, we are going to have a talk about why you haven’t set us up on a date yet.” (My response was: “If I had, I’d already be dating him.”)

How easy was it to write the humourous book, Can’t Hurry Love, and why did you choose the setting of the Department of Mythological creatures as your setting?
Oh man, I find it so difficult to be funny without someone to set up my jokes for me. *laugh* I spent the whole time being scared no one was going to find my sense of humour funny. The story started out because a friend of mine said, “Are you going to write anything for DSP’s Valentine’s Day antho?” and I said, “No, I don’t like Valentine’s Day. I’d just end up with a cranky Cupid who didn’t want to do any...thing... oh crap, now I have to write it.” Of course, by the time I finished it (slow writer!), the deadline for the antho was passed and it was too long anyway, so it got to be its own story.

Please tell us we are getting more of Vincent the bunny!
You are! I’ve already started on Vincent and Charlie’s sequel, called Trouble in Paradise. They actually do go to Paradise on vacation—what? It’s a mythical place!—and run into a few complications from Charlie’s past... so for a change, Vincent’s not the one in the hot seat. He’s still the narrator, though.

There has been much publicity on the importance for authors, such as yourself, to keep up an internet presence. How easy do you find it to publicise yourself?
Oh jeez. I’m horrible at marketing and publicity. Thank fuck for Twitter is all I can say. I’m entirely too ADD to write interesting blog posts—I ramble. A lot. Think: This interview, but without guiding questions and no brevity!—and even though I have a newsletter/discussion group (mjules@yahoogroups.com, for the record), I always forget to post there. Oops? But following me on Twitter gets you... probably more of me than you could ever want. *laugh*

You have a new story out recently in the Curious anthology...tell us about it.
Well, there’s Equinox, which I wrote with Anna Linden, although I think she did most of the work. That was a fun one. I really love Matthew and Aaron and that overpowering feeling of having someone you think is drop-dead gorgeous be just as interested in you, and then be worried that you’re not going to live up to their expectations.

The one I wrote by myself was We Are Stardust. I... am a Woodstock freak. I have Woodstock T-shirts, a set of Woodstock playing cards, the original documentary, the 40th Anniversary collector’s edition documentary... If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I was around in the 60s, because that feels like home. (Of course, that means I didn’t have much of a cycle between dying then and coming back as me, but let’s not get bogged down in technicalities.)

When Elizabeth North invited me to submit a story for Curious, she mentioned that she’d love it if I wrote a historical for her. I bounced around through a lot of different time periods, but at the time, I was watching my Woodstock documentary on loop and also poking around through the research of a Harvard professor who specializes in homosexuality and homophobia in the Free Love movement of the 1960s and 70s, so I couldn’t get my brain out of that era. Plus, I totally used to camp out at music festivals, and that can be such a profound experience, a sense of shared community, and you end up being best friends for a weekend with total strangers who just happened to set up their tent next to yours. There’s something special about it. It just seemed like a great place for a romance.

What’s next for you?
Grad school. Leave it to me to wait until I’m almost 30 to finish my undergrad degree and then decide I need grad school as well.

On the author front, I’m about halfway through a work in progress called Paper Planes, which I chatter about a lot on Twitter, and there are a couple of excerpts up on my LiveJournal. (mjaedin.livejournal.com) It’s another one of those stories that had insistent characters who knew who they were better than I did. It’s intimidating in some ways because Dustin—my narrator’s romantic interest—was one of those characters who showed up and said, “This is everything you need to know about me,” and I had to sit down and do major research to see if it was even possible, and if it was, how to write about it. Dustin is a commercial jet pilot with an above-knee prosthetic leg, and I don’t have a prosthetic limb at all and I’ve never flown a plane, so that’s been interesting. K.A. Mitchell, who I want to be just like when I grow up, was nice enough to put me in touch with some very helpful people and resources, so she gets a lot of credit there. (She is also cheerfully taking the blame for the amount of sheer, unadulterated porn in this novel. Stuart, my narrator, is... very sexual.)

I’ve also got Vincent and Charlie’s sequel, Trouble in Paradise, the sequel to Every Good Thing, a baseball romance about a pitcher and a catcher (and oh the jokes I get to make there) that is so far under the working title of No Place Like Home, and an intimidating sci-fi/fantasy-type thingy called Winterside that is an expanded version of a short story that I entered into a contest a few years ago (it didn’t win) called “The Gabriels,” about a world where winter—and the dangerous shape-shifting snow spirits called the Hungers—have been kept out of a village for hundreds of years by use of magic, but the magic is starting to unravel and the guardians in charge of protecting the village are struggling to find a way to keep winter out and dealing with a village government who thinks that the guardians’ job isn’t even necessary anymore.

And if anybody is interested in the YA genre, I’m working on a few LGBT stories in that realm under the name Jules Robin, so keep an eye out for those.

Thanks for the interview, Jenre! It was fun. I hope I didn’t talk your ear off. *grin*

Not at all!

M Jules can be found on hir blog HERE, or more likely on Twitter HERE.

And just to prove what a generous and kind person Jules is, ze has offered a copy of hir delightfully witty book Can't Hurry Love to a lucky winner who comments on this post.  Good luck!

ETA: I put this in the comments, but I'll stick it here as well:

Have finally got around to picking a winner for the draw.

The winner is TRACY.

Congrats you you, my dear. I shall instruct Jules to send you a copy of Can't Hurry Love asap.

Review: And is Never Shaken by Alexi Silversmith

This novella beings with a heart wrenching scene. Cassian is sitting in a coffee shop when he spots a familiar face walking by. He immediately chases after the man, catches up with him and hugs him tightly. It doesn't take Cassian long to realise he's made an error and he turns away from the man, embarrassed with his actions. Andy has just moved into the city and found an apartment. He decides to sign up for a creative writing class as a way to meet new people and is surprised to discover that his teacher is no other than the man who accosted him in the street a few weeks ago. He's even more surprised to find out that Cassian is his neighbour, leading to misunderstandings followed by a whirlwind romance.

The strength of this book lies in the character of Andy, whose point of view we get for almost all of the book, except for that first chapter. He's one of those eminently likeable people: personable, polite, intelligent, confident and, in many ways, quite old for his years. He's secure in his homosexuality, has an eclectic, if old fashioned, taste in music and isn't afraid to ask for help from friends when necessary. I liked him a great deal. I also liked Andy's friend Patrick who almost stole the entire book in a very short scene. I'm hoping he gets his own story.

I also really liked the writing, especially some of the minor incidental details such as Andy's "Best Son" mug which told a whole wealth of information about Andy in a short phrase. The descriptions of Andy's life, his contentment with the way he's at the start of a new path and the love he feels for his hard won independence all shone through in the vivid writing and the characterisation. The story itself surprised me in that I was convinced it was going to turn out one way, but the end was different to how I imagined, which can only be good in my opinion.

The parts that didn't work as well were to do with the romance between Cassian and Andy. Instead of a steady build up of respect and attraction the author relies heavily on tired clichés such as instant inappropriate arousal or that the slightest touch shoots off sparks of attraction. Their relationship moves on very quickly into emotional intensity, a little too quickly for me. The two men have a lot in common, which strengthened the idea of a connection between them, but there are also great differences between them that could have been explored more effectively to make the relationship have a realistic chance of working. The story actually takes place over six weeks, but most of that time is spent 'off page' so we are only told of how the relationship develops rather than seeing it for ourselves. Later in the story there is a 'sudden crisis' which again seemed a bit of a easy way to resolve some of the problems the pair were having at the time.

Despite these problems, I felt that the strength of the prose and the character of Andy lifted this story, hence my grade of 'Very Good'. If you are looking for a short read and don't mind reading about a fast moving relationship, then this book could be for you.

Buy this book HERE.

Holiday!

Yes folks I'm off again to darkest North Yorkshire where I shall sit in the tent whilst it chucks it down with rain.  The forecast ain't great, let me tell you.

So think of me, O you warm dry people cos I shall be anything but.  BTW, I camp near that bridge.  Let's hope that the river isn't this full when we get there or our field may be flooded :(.

However, I am not leaving you for the whole weekend, oh no.  Please join me on Monday when I shall be interviewing the delightful M Jules Aedin.

See you then!

Review: Angel of Thirteenth Street by Eden Winters

I've not made it a big secret that I greatly admire this new author's writing, so I was looking forward to reading her new novel, Angel of Thirteenth Street.  I'm happy to say that this book lived up to expectations.

The book opens with our hero, Jeremy, being chased down the street.  He's on his way home from school to the dank basement where he lives since the money ran out and his foster parents kicked him out.  The men chasing him are Trent, a former lover who 'groomed' Jeremy intending him for a life of prostitution, and Trent's cronies, all of who work for Willie Carnell, a pimp who likes to have men who look younger than their years in his stable.   Jeremy fits the bill for that, but doesn't want anything to do with Willie or Trent.  He's in line for a full scholarship and just wants to keep his head down and finish school so that he can escape his life with its dreariness and hunger.  After dodging Trent, Jeremy ventures out to a local laundromat where he is discovered by Noah.  Noah owns the bar attached to the laundromat and has a reputation as a man who seeks out young male prostitutes and persuades them to return home.  Noah is impressed by Jeremy's determination to improve his circumstances and offers him a place to stay and food to eat in exchange for working at the laundromat, a decision which changes the lives of both men.

The tone of this book is darker than previous books by this author, as you would expect from a book which deals with themes of homelessness and prostitution.  However, balancing out the darkness in the story is a rather sweet story of hope, and a lovely romance between two initially different men.  Noah is a former whore who failed to finish high school.  He's got plenty of street smarts and a determination to succeed.  His bar runs well, but mostly due to long hours and hard work rather than a result of business sense.  Jeremy is astute and intelligent.  He's also determined to succeed, but has a structured goal centred mind when it comes to business.  The two men compliment each other in this respects which is why the age difference of 10 years worked well.  Jeremy is also an interesting mix of being old for his years and yet also very young.  He's able to fend for himself and act maturely, but then he's also horribly naive and prone to jump to conclusions.  I felt this worked well considering that he's only 18.  In terms of sexual experience Noah is obviously ahead of Jeremy, but Jeremy isn't a blushing innocent either.  I really liked this, liked that Jeremy wasn't afraid to act on his attraction to Noah, even when Noah is trying to be all noble.  I found that I really liked both characters, especially as both of them have their faults.

I also liked the character of Willie, the pimp.  Noah and Willie have a history and I found their back story to be poignant and very sad at times.  I also liked the way that Willie is a result of a path that diverges, Noah going one way, Willie another.  The addition of Noah's relationship with Willie gave Noah's character more definition and he was definitely the more rounded out of the two heroes as a result.  Some readers may not like that some of the book is focused on Willie and Noah and their shared history together, but I felt that those scenes were necessary in order for Noah to move on into a relationship with Jeremy.

The story itself varies in tone as it shifts between quiet intense scenes, to scenes of action and danger, to scenes riddled with sexual tension.  Noah and Jeremy's relationship develops gradually and those readers looking for pages and pages of hot sex are going to be very disappointed.  This is a plot led book, and the sex, whilst there, beautifully done and well worth the wait, is not the focus of the story.  I liked this a great deal because I'm a big fan of books where the heroes get to know each other before jumping into bed.

Overall, I liked this book a great deal - as you can probably tell by the number of times I've written the word 'like'!  It was a strong drama with sympathetic, realistic characters that was set in the seedy side of life, yet still contained a thread of hopefulness amongst some of the despair.  I'd recommend Angel of Thirteenth Street with a grade of 'Excellent' for those who are looking for a book with an interesting plot and well drawn characters.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Mobry's Dick by KZ Snow

Yes, I know I said I was saving this book, but I got persuaded otherwise!

It's the end of the Nineteenth century and illusionist Alain Mobry has perfected his latest clockwork piece, designed specifically for a man at his club. Alain hopes to impress the man, known as the Turk, so much that he proves to be the one who can overlook Alain's homely looks and club foot.

Meanwhile, in the present day, Cameron stumbles out if a particularly rank set of portaloos at a flea market and strikes up a conversation with a handsome man. The man asks Cam whether he'd seen an object resembling a metal artillery shell on any of the stalls. Cam hasn't and they part ways. Later Cam comes across an object he thinks is the one the man was looking for and a perverse sense of curiosity compels him to buy it, just as the man, Paul, spots it. Cam offers to show the object to Paul, who is looking for a specific clockwork automata known as Mobry's Dick, not understanding that the meeting between them would compel Cam out of the closet and into a new life of mixed messages, betrayal, danger and love.

There was just so much to love about this book that I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it justice in this review. My favourite thing about it was the blend of different themes and tone within its pages. The parts set in the Nineteenth century - which occur during the first half of the book - were full of heartfelt earnestness as we follow poor, crippled but clever and ingenious Alain as he seeks a way to gain the attentions of the Turk through his provocative, phallic automaton. Alain has that touch of madness about him that all geniuses seem to have and yet his absolute yearning for love and acceptance was touching. His unceasing hope that somehow everything will work out for him was endearing and I read through these sections feeling hopeful myself that all would be well, even if I was also nervous that things might end badly for poor Alain.

The historical section then interspersed and contrasted with the parts set in the modern day, which made up most of the book. I loved Cam who was a delightful blend of naivety and down to earth honesty. The parts at the beginning of the book where he suddenly finds himself making a decision about his sexuality, and the compassionate way he set about coming out of the closet was a joy to read. When he meets Paul, he's at first very confused and anxious about what it all means for him, but once the decision has been made he embraces the freedom that Paul offers for him in a wonderfully sweet and tender scene. Paul was a little more difficult to like, especially at first, but I was glad that his experiences didn't leave him jaded. Instead as the book progressed, Paul perhaps grew the most as a character, learning that the easiest option isn't necessarily the best. I also liked that despite Paul's experience and more worldly ways, he is the one who believes in the magic of Mobry's Dick, whereas the innocent Cam is more sceptical.

As well as the blend of magic, drama, romance and suspense, there was a strong element of humour that ran through the book. Much of it a bit sly and very tongue in cheek - after all the main focus of the plot is based around an automaton in the shape of a penis! There were other parts too, for example, "Sir Fartsalot" and an amusing scene involving The Princess Bride, which used humour to dissolve tension, adding a light deft touch to some of the more serious themes in the book.

In addition to this is K.Z. Snow's lush prose, which engages the senses as well as the emotions, a compelling plot which kept me glued to my book reader, and a convincing romance which wandered down unexpected paths, before resolving very satisfactorily. I don't have any niggles with the book myself, but I do feel that I ought to warn those who like their heroes to remain wholly faithful once they meet that Cam spends a little time exploring his homosexuality with other men, and Paul also has casual sex. This didn't bother me in the slightest as neither men had made a commitment at this point, but I know that some readers don't like it.

All that remains to be said now is that I can't recommend Mobry's Dick highly enough, with a grade of 'Excellent', and I urge you to read it. You won't regret it.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Test of Faith by Aleksandr Voinov and Raev Gray

Set in Palestine during the crusades, Test of Faith follows two men who on the surface seem very different.  Thierry is a French Templar knight who has been captured on the battlefield and sent to the tent of a man who has paid silver for him.  That man is Abdul, a Muslim convert who has bought Thierry in order to rape and humiliate him.  Things are not as they seem between the men though, as Abdul gains respect for the knight who refuses to cower in terror before him, and Thierry learns that even brutal infidels can be honourable and tender.

There was much to like and admire about this short story.  The story is very intense as most of it takes place over a few hours in one location - that of Abdul's tent.  During that time a whole wealth of emotion is unleashed between these characters.  They begin by hating one another and everything that they stand for.  Abdul may be a convert to Islam, but he has his own reasons as to why he despises Christians so much.  Thierry has a typical ignorance of what he sees as a race of barbarians.  He's only been in that part of the world for three months and believes only the propaganda fed to him by the knights who trained him for war.  As the men interact their hatred changes to grudging respect, even admiration, before other emotions such as lust come into play.  The way that the emotions of men ebb and flow, change and develop was one of the more fascinating aspects of this story.

Another thing I liked about the story was the way in which it took the theme of captive/captor and twisted it.  At the beginning Thierry is bound and helpless, completely at the mercy of Abdul.  However, even then Thierry doesn't allow his almost overwhelming fear to show, nor does he let go of the one thing which makes him strong - his faith.  Despite being captive, Thierry is actually the stronger of the pair as Abdul doubts his actions throughout the first part of the book and questions himself continually.  Thus the men are almost on an equal footing even with Thierry bound.  They are well matched, both utilising words to great effect, whether it is to solicit anger, a questioning of faith, or lust in the other man.  Even though Thierry is the youngest and least experienced of the pair, mentally he is just as strong as Abdul.  Their arguments and counter-arguments, which bled slowly into agreements and genuine respect; the logic of their arguments, the way that neither man was willing to back down or give in, was absorbing to read.  I found it fascinating to read such overwhelmingly masculine characters, full of pride, honour and self-assurance, who could also be warm, tender, attentive lovers.

Alas the pride and strength of mind in both men also lead to what turned out to be a very definite non-HEA.  It's not even anywhere near a HFN.  I can see that many readers will not like the ending, especially those who insist that any book which deals with a relationship ends well for the heroes.  Normally, in a book which ends as this one does, I would give it a label of erotica, rather than romance.  However, Test of Faith was a romantic book.  My emotions were engaged and this story is far, far more than just a sex scene to titillate the senses.  I finished the book feeling genuinely sad, but also resigned to the fact that the story is as historically accurate as it should be.  My heart ached for what could have been for these two men, had not pride and circumstance interfered.

Other than the ending, there was one other slight niggle which affected my enjoyment of this book.  The story is constructed so that the viewpoint shifts backwards and forwards between the men and I found some of these shifts quite abrupt, so abrupt that it pulled me out of the story whilst I read back to work out whose head I was now in.  This wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment too much but it was a small annoyance from time to time.

Despite the niggle, this was a pretty terrific story.  Historically it seems well researched; the characters are engaging; and the writing poetic and beautiful.  If you like historical stories and are prepared for the lack of HEA, then I highly recommend this story to you with a grade of 'Excellent'.  I've been very impressed with this collaboration so far, and I look forward to reading more of their stories.

Buy this book HERE.

And now, the end is near...

Just a quick update on what's happening with the blog closure.

Because of the dreaded marking, wrapping things up to close is taking a little longer than anticipated and I still have a few books on my review list to read and review.  Also, I realised that I'm going away this coming weekend on one of my annual camping trips and I didn't really want to close the blog whilst I was on holiday.  So, I'm making my official close date on the 6th June, two weeks from today.

Until then there's going to be more reviews coming and a last minute author interview - it turns out that Eden's interview wasn't to be my last after all - so stick with me.

A Fan Letter to KZ Snow

As many of you know, during the month of May a number of blogs are hosting a blog crawl where we celebrate our favourite authors by writing a fan letter, organised by Kassa.  Yesterday was Kati's turn and she wrote a lovely letter to one of my favourite m/f historical authors, Lisa Kleypas.  Today, it's my turn.


Dear KZ Snow

I came across your books entirely by accident when Kris challenged me to read an m/m book in a genre other than contemporary.  I was scanning the releases at Loose Id and I came across Looking For Some Touch.  I was so taken by the unusual cover that I bought it without reading the blurb properly and thought it was a sci-fi.  Imagine my surprise when I found out I was reading a futuristic/paranormal/urban fantasy instead.  Had I known in advance I may never have bought the book because I wasn't looking for a paranormal/UF book to read, having read an m/m book in that genre already.  What a relief that I did buy the book because I became addicted to your Utopia X series from that very first book and eagerly awaited the other books in the series.  I was blown away by the breadth and scale of the world building, the complexity of the characters and the breakneck pacing.  What a wonderful imagination you possess and thank you for taking the time to put that imagination to good use in this series.

Another thing I love about your books is the style of language that you use.  You are obviously a very intelligent woman because you have a varied and interesting vocabulary which you are not afraid to use in your writing.  It was refreshing to read m/m books where I didn't feel that the language had been dumbed down, and to find an author who recognised that just because I choose to read erotic romance, that doesn't mean I'm not educated and intelligent.

Once I had discovered your writing, I then set about reading all your other m/m books.  That was when I fell in love with Jackson and Adin.  I picked up their journey together in Obsessed, and was captivated by these men.  Their strong moral sense which warred with their growing love for each other; the sensible way they talked through their problems; the sexual chemistry which almost fried the wires in my book reader - all of this is packaged up in a series with unique and exciting paranormal features.  My favourite of your books, InDescent, is part of this series and is a satisfying romance with strong plotting and unforgettable characters.  Please write more about Jackson and Adin because I don't think I can ever have enough of those guys!

Recently, you've moved away from paranormals and onto contemporaries.  With these books I not only rediscovered your love of great characterisation but also found that you are not afraid to tackle unusual or difficult subjects.  How refreshing it is to find an author whose books generate discussion and deal with real life topics amidst the fantasy of romance.

I have to confess I haven't read all of your m/m books.  I have your two recent releases, Jude in Chains and Mobry's Dick, on my TBR pile.  I'm saving them, you see, for a time when I've closed my blog and I can just relax and enjoy your writing, although whether I give in to the temptation before then remains to be seen.

Finally, I want to close by saying a big THANK YOU for deciding to become a writer and choosing the m/m genre as your current focus for your stories.  Thank you too that your writing celebrates life in all its complexities and gives me memorable characters to treasure.  I look forward to your next release with eager anticipation.

From your fan,
Jen

Tomorrow is the turn of Stacy, so pop over there and see which author she's chosen to write her letter to.

Review: Gatekeeper by Rayne Auster

Gatekeeper begins well as we meet Kaji, the young king of Duiem who has just ascended to the throne after coming of age. Today is his wedding day and he is to be wed to the daughter of the head of the church as was prophesied at his birth. However, Fate dictates that things go very differently than expected when the wedding is interrupted by a young beggar, Aniol, who falls onto Kaji at the crucial moment thus making Kaji wed to an unknown man. Events take a further turn when it is discovered that Aniol is not just a simple beggar from the streets, leading to Kaji and Aniol searching for the true reasons why they seem fated to be together. Along the way there are a number of characters who seek to help or hinder the heroes in their quest.

There were a number of things to like about this book. My favourite part by far was the sheer breadth and imagination of the world building in the book. The descriptions of the setting are lush and evocative, and it's obvious that careful thought had gone into the social and political structures of Duiem and its parallel world of Careil. The vivid descriptions of the country itself also added to my enjoyment of the book as the two heroes journey across Duiem looking for answers.

Another part I enjoyed a great deal were the characters who appear in the book. In many ways, the two heroes were the least interesting as they conformed to the sometimes clichéd roles of protector and protected. Kaji, the protector, is strong, fiery tempered, and overly protective of what he sees as his. Anoil is small, slight, delicate and given to weeping wherever he is under stress. There are legitimate reasons why Aniol is as he is, but I found him to be perhaps the least engaging character in the book, despite having perhaps the largest role. Kaji, at least, matures and develops as a character as the book progresses, and I enjoyed seeing him change from being a selfish, spoiled, bad tempered young king into a man I felt would be able to rule effectively. What I did like though were the secondary characters who shift in and out of the story, both friends and enemies of our heroes. This was especially the case for Rogue, the assassin and Arian, the ruler of Cariel, both of whom were well drawn. Other characters too added to the complexity of the story by adding their own paths to that of Aniol and Kaji.

I said earlier that part of this book's charm was in the intricate world building. Rather than have the history of the Gatekeepers, Wardens and the worlds of Duiem and Cariel interwoven in the plot itself, the author has chosen to begin each chapter with a three paragraph except from what seems to be a history book. As each chapter progresses, so does the history lesson until by the end of the book the reader has been fed all the information we need about the history of the two planets. In some way I can see why the author did this, it avoids having lengthy sections of explanation during the main part of the story. However, I found these short history snippets at the beginning of the chapters rather annoying. It pulled me out of the story each time. Each chapter is very short - about 5-8 pages - and so instead of being immersed in the story, each time there's a break for a chapter I was jolted out of the story so I could read the history lesson. I considered skipping these parts and just continuing with the main story, but I was afraid I would miss something important. As a result I found the pacing of the story to be very slow and choppy. Instead of being compelled along by the action, which may have happened if the chapters didn't have these opening paragraphs, I found the reading stilted, which is a shame really because without those headers I think this could have been a much faster paced book.

Another aspect that wasn't to my taste is that some of the prose is a little overblown, almost edging on purple on several occasions. The characters over-think everything and we get many shifts in points over view during a chapter - leading to a fair amount of head-hopping. Take this example of lengthy prose from the beginning of the book where Kaji is trying to discover who Anoil is:

Aniol licked his lips, trying to figure out the answer to that question before shaking his head in defeat. “I don’t really know.” He whispered the response, true and honest. His entire life lacked definition, lacked learning, and lacked all that most took for granted. What he recalled was cold, loneliness, and rough demands for visions and predictions of the future… none of which he could grant.
“Look at me.”
Aniol was compelled by that voice, but not because of its tone, nor because of its orders, but because of something far more subtle. He sensed a slim strand of uncertainly and pleading in that tone, and that was what drew him to obey.

This slight fussiness with the prose also slowed down the pacing of the story.

Overall, despite the prose and the slow plotting, I would recommend Gatekeeper to fans of m/m fantasy books. The world building and the scale of the ideas in the plotting makes Gatekeeper a rewarding experience to those readers who like such things in their books. I certainly found it an interesting story and it gets a grade of 'Very Good'.

Buy this book HERE.

An Apology

You may have noticed recently that I've been a bit slack in my blogging.  Posts are going up late and it's taking me an age to respond to comments.  You may be wondering what is going on with this usually quite organised blogger.  Well folks, it's that time of year again...

Yep, I'm up to my armpits in the dreaded exam marking again.  "What?" I hear you cry, "Didn't she say she was not going to do the marking ever again after last year?".

You'd be right.  Except of course last year I wasn't planning a trip to San Francisco which means that poor old Jenre has to earn some extra cash to pay for the plane tickets.

Yes, it's all this person's fault:

I could have sworn I had one of those pics that Kris draws of herself, but no.

Anyway, so great apologies if I'm being a bit slack on the posting thing at the moment.  I've not time to read, let alone post any reviews, because I'm buried under piles of marking so please be patient with me.  I'll get to your comments eventually.

Big Hugs for New Authors

Let's share some goodness today.

I was thinking earlier about the author letter that's going round the blogs at the moment, where bloggers are choosing their favourite authors and writing a letter to them.  All of these letters, at least those from the m/m blogs, have been directed towards established authors, and rightly so as authors need to have a bit of a backlist to build up a fan base.  Then I was thinking of how many new m/m authors there are recently and how they don't often get mentioned once their book is out and has done the review rounds, at least until their next book is released.

So I thought I'd put up a few recommendations for those who want to try out a new author, or who may have seen an author's book/s and want to know whether they are worth taking a chance on.  All these authors have had their first m/m novel or novella released in the last few months:




Sloan Parker - Her first book More was a huge success on Good Reads and although I had a couple of problems with it - review here - the majority of readers have loved it.








Wren Boudreau - Ice-cream on the Side was a fantastic first novel, my review is here.










Eden Winters - I keep plugging her stuff because it's just so good.  The Wish was her first published novel and has had a lot of positive reviews, including mine.








Amy Lane - I was blown away by her book Keeping Promise Rock - review here - and I'm very much looking forward to the new book coming out in the next few months.









Belinda McBride - She's written some m/m/f books, but An Uncommon Whore was her first m/m.  An exciting sci-fi which showed great promise - review here.








So, what about you guys?  I can only read so many books in a week and I'm sure there are lots of other new authors which I've missed and should read.  Any recommendations for me and the readers of this blog?

Review: Necking Anthology by Dreamspinner Press

I have a great fondness for m/m/m ménage books and so I've been eagerly awaiting this anthology. What interests me most about ménage is not just the variety in the sexual positions, but how the emotions are brought into play. Whilst all the stories in this anthology were different the basic premise was the same: Initial set up of character and situation, followed by hot m/m/m sex, leading to resolution of some sort - either a HEA or, more often, a HFN. The better stories in the anthology took that basic premise and managed to weave in a whole wealth of feelings and emotion, so that it wasn't just about the sexual thrills. It was no great surprise to me that these stories were my favourites from the anthology.

One such story was Down the Middle by Heidi Cullinan, which told of couple Parker and Robbie who are on the cusp of a break up. Work pressures have all but destroyed their relationship despite the fact that they love each other. Told from Parker's first person point of view, the story follows Parker as a chance meeting and a trip to the men's room with younger man, David, proves to be a make-or-break moment for him and Robbie. I really liked the way we meet the men at a crisis point in their lives. The heartache and sorrow that Parker feels over what he sees as an inevitable relationship break-up, one he feels helpless to prevent, at the beginning of the story contrasts nicely to the gradual hope that builds as the story progresses. Through David the men rediscover each other and I found it immensely emotionally satisfying.

Another story I enjoyed greatly was An American in Seville by Lenore Black. This story was about a lonely young man, Tony, who is trapped in an unfulfilling life, mourning the break up of his marriage and hating his job . Rather than the ménage being the focus of the story, it was what the ménage represented that was important: Freedom, daring, satisfaction; and I delighted in seeing the downtrodden Tony begin to blossom under the patient and skilled hands of a flamenco dancer and his guitarist partner. Another plus point was the setting of Spain with all its riot of colour and activity. Tony is attracted to Spain as much as he is to the two men and I read to the end, eager to discover whether Tony would take the chance of a new life, or return to the boredom of his life in the USA. Marvellous.

There were other stories too which had a different spin on the ménage relationship. Stories such as Perform for Me by Lori Toland which was an unusual look at voyeurism and D/s relationships; or Snowbound by Jana Denardo which was a paranormal with the interesting setting of 1940s USA; or 1+1+1 Is 3 by Evan Gilbert which was a sweet coming of age story; or Unwrapped: The Birthday Gift by Josephine Myles which involved two young men on the cusp of love who are taught an important lesson in trust by a much older and wiser man. All of these I would highly recommend.

For those of you looking for something which isn't angsty, there were plenty of lighthearted stories. I especially liked the first story in the anthology, The Thank You Note by Jamie Freeman, which looked at two men with opposite personalities and their differing reactions to having a third in their bed. Also, Neighbors by Day, Naughty by Night by Devon Rhodes, was an amusing story of how one half of a couple comes to terms with a sleepwalking neighbour in the bed of his boyfriend.

Even the other stories had their merits, although admittedly some of them were more about hot sex than in depth characterisation and complex plotting. That's not necessarily a bad thing though and I felt there was enough of a mix of story types within Necking to recommend it, with a grade of 'Very Good, to those who like anthologies and m/m/m ménage.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Clean Slate by Aleksandr Voinov & Barbara Sheridan

I have to admit I've had a bit of mixed response to this book. On one hand, I appreciated that it was well written and contained some interesting ideas and characters, but on the other hand I was a little disappointed with the second half of the book.

John and Chris work as assassins for a mysterious agency called GORGON, which is one of those institutions which works outside of the law. They are currently in Monaco, where their latest assignment is to neutralise a Russian, Andrei. Things go terribly wrong though when their target is shot in the head and badly injured before they can get to him themselves. Instead of finishing Andrei off, the men decide to try and save him and then see whether he will switch sides and work for them. When Andrei comes round he discovers that he has amnesia and spends the rest of the book struggling both with rediscovering his own identity and with his growing feelings for John and Chris.

Let's start with the positives. One thing I particularly liked about the way that the story was written was that each other the three men had an individual voice, especially between Andrei and the two assassins. The initial set up is interesting: John and Chris are opposites, in that John favours long term relationships and Chris is a bit of a man-whore, and that Chris is an American and John is British. As the book begins, John has recently split up from his long term partner, paving the way for Chris to make moves on John. This causes no end of antagonism at first, as John is not willing to be another one of Chris' conquests. Things are further complicated when John is able to bond better with Andrei than Chris is. This meant that the first section of the book was a good mix of character dynamics, relationship problems and plausible drama. The first section is also very static, all taking place in the same house, which lent a claustrophobic feel to the book which worked well. I read through this section quickly, eager to find out how the differences in character and temperament would play out between the men.

Another aspect of the first part of the book which worked well was the way Andrei's amnesia is handled. In fact, I found the parts where we see things from his point of view: the disorientation; the frustration; and the sense of never really knowing about yourself, were some of the better written parts of the book. I sympathised with Andrei, especially because I knew that Chris was taking advantage of him and playing on Andrei's lack of knowledge about himself. Despite the fact that we are never quite sure whether Andrei is the enemy or not, I found him to be the most interesting character out of the three men. John was another character I liked a great deal. His quiet manner and gentle treatment of Andrei endeared him to me, and I liked the tenderness that grew between them.

The point at which I started having a few problems with the book came when the men moved from the safety of the house into the city of Monaco. There was a shift at that point from what had been quite an unusual ménage relationship drama into an all-action plot. After the static quietness of the first half of the book this came as rather a jolt and the two halves didn't sit well with me. As the second half of the book progressed, the story became more and more unrealistic with bad guys popping up all over the place and gun fights which could never have happened in real life. In some ways it was just like an action film where the hero miraculously manages to escape unscathed or only partly injured in a gun fight which should have left him dead. Although the action sequences were well paced, I felt that it was slightly over the top, and overblown. The relationship between the men takes on more of an urgency at this point too and goes from a slow seduction to what seemed a too quick resolution and declaration of love. One minute the men feared or disliked each other and the next we are told that actually they loved each other all along. It didn't work for me, and I felt that all the gentleness of the first half and the gradual build up of feelings had been lost because of the need to force a HEA.

Another part which didn't work so well for me was in the big reveal at the end. Obviously, I can't be too specific about this because I don't want to give away spoilers. Even after going back and re-reading some of the scenes again, the big reveal didn't seem logical, not written as it was in the 3rd person where we get to read the thoughts of the characters. Perhaps if the story had been written with a closed 3rd person narrative or even as a objective 3rd person, where we get none of the characters' thoughts, it would have worked better. As it is I felt as though the characters had deliberately misled me, lied to me by omission, which only would have worked if I hadn't been given such a detailed insight into their thoughts throughout the story.

Despite my mixed reaction to Clean Slate, it was still on the whole a good read. I liked the first half a great deal, liked the characters and thought the initial situation interesting and unusual. This book would probably appeal to those looking for a quick, easy read with a mix of high action and quieter romantic moments. Grade: 'Good'.

Buy this book HERE.

Oops

OK, so I totally forgot to post today until just now, after I've had far too much red wine to be coherent.

Nothing to see here folks, move along.

In fact go to Kris' blog where you can take part in a spiffy competition in a 'match the hero to the photo' type thing.

or

Go to LB's blog where you can win a RT goodie bag if you leave a comment and tell her where she's left her car keys.

I'm at yet another Saturday meeting tomorrow, but I'm determined that I'll post on Sunday with a 'Shorts' post.

Have a great weekend.

Review: Little Japan by Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine

This review can also be found at Three Dollar Bill Reviews.

This erotic romance with strong themes of fetishism, dubious consent, prostitution and more than a generous dollop of yaoi certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste. In the end though what let this book down wasn’t the themes, the plot or the execution but rather the large number of characters which led to superficial characterisation and a lack of connection between myself and the characters.

The story begins in Osaka, Japan. Gabriel, a rich American man who works a desk job as a translator for the CIA, has come to Osaka for one reason only: To feed his fetish for young mixed race Japanese men. Whilst in a restaurant he spies Kuri, who works as a host boy in a local host club. Gabriel pays for Kuri’s time and although Kuri is a little cautious he goes with Gabriel. Things don’t work out as planned for Gabriel and Kuri and they part, but when Kuri’s best friend and lover, Daichi, goes missing, Kuri calls on Gabriel to help him, plunging them into a potentially tragic situation.

I said at the beginning of this review that the main problem is the number of characters in the book. The book contains no less than 10 characters, all of whom have an important part to play in the story. This is mainly because the story is split into two halves. The first half, set in Japan, takes us through the meeting of Kuri and Gabriel and establishes the relationship between Kuri and Daichi, and their friends-with-benefits relationship with room mates and fellow host boys Sori and Takumi. The second half involves Kuri’s desperate attempt to discover what has happened to Daichi, and also follows Daichi as he tries to survive his captivity along with several other young Asian men, particularly a man called Jokara and a Vietnamese man, Zahirah. Added to this are the two villains, Abdullah and Akmal, as well as a CIA agent Cyd and Gabriel’s therapist, and the whole book was in danger of being very overcrowded. The main consequence of this is that the book is mostly plot driven, with much of the characterisation being limited to shallow interactions. One exception to this is Gabriel, whose feelings about his fetish are explored sympathetically in the first part of the story. I found it a great shame then that this theme faded into the background as the book progressed. Later in the book, Gabriel is forced to face up to his fetish and try and overcome his feelings, but these scenes were all written from the point of view of the other characters, and as a result, I felt this was a missed opportunity to get back into Gabriel’s head and see first hand his thoughts as he struggles with this. Instead we had only Gabriel’s words, body language and facial expression to indicate his inner turmoil.

Although the story is plot driven, much of that plot is made up of sex scenes, some of which are dubious consent. Those readers who prefer their characters to remain monogamous to one another through a romance book, are going to be disappointed with this book. Kuri has sex with about six different people and has sexual acts performed on his body by even more. As well as that there are a few scenes where he is being watched whilst having sex. Kuri isn’t the only one, Daichi too has sex with numerous partners. Nearly all the sex happens without condoms. Personally, I didn’t mind all the sex scenes as many of them happen for a reason, whether to show situation or to further the plot. I have to admit the lack of condoms made me uncomfortable, but again, I could see why this happened for many of the sex scenes. However, I’m sure there are readers out there who wouldn’t be as accepting of this as I was.

There were several things that worked well for me in the book. For example, the way that the life of a host boy was depicted. On the surface, the boys are happy with their life, the money they make and the attention they get. As the book progresses and Kuri and Daichi take a break from their host boy jobs, they are able to evaluate their past and see it for the tawdry, debilitating occupation it is. The theme of friendship is also explored effectively, not just between the four host boys, but also the boys that Kuri and Daichi encounter during their captivity. Friendship is also linked with trust, another theme which worked well as we follow the characters as they learn who they can, and can’t, trust and who is to be counted a friend or an enemy. The story itself, although a little overwrought in places, was unusual with a good mix of tense drama and lighter moments.

Despite its flaws, Little Japan was still an engrossing read. I didn’t find myself getting bored, even with the large number of sex scenes, possibly because the sex was varied and sensual. The plot also zipped along at a fair rate and I was having so much fun with the story that I could overlook some of the more preposterous parts of the book. Fans of the authors, used to the way they push at the boundaries of m/m romance, will probably be delighted with this book. I found it to be a pleasant diversion, but not without fault and it gets a grade of 'Good'.

Buy this book HERE.

We Have a Winner!

Thanks to all of you who commented on my interview with the delightful Eden Winters.  The winner of a copy of Eden's new book Angel of Thirteenth Street is...

LILY!

Well done to you, Lily and commiserations to the rest of you.  However, it is available to buy from Torquere Books today, just click on the title of the book to take you to the buy now page.

Thanks again to Eden for your wonderful answers and for offering up your book as a prize.

Review: In and Out by LB Gregg

In and Out is the fourth and final book in the Men of Smithfield series by LB Gregg.  I've enjoyed all the books in the series so far, but I have to say that this one will probably turn out to be my favourite as I found both heroes to be completely delightful.

The book opens with our hero, Holden, ogling the new hired hand, Adam.  Holden had a successful career as a travel writer, explorer and television presenter before he was outed on live TV by his ex-lover and friend, not only as a gay man, but as a writer of steamy gay porn novels.  In disgrace and crippled by agoraphobia, Holden hides away in the family pile in Smithfield writing his travel cookery book and generally living in fear of a re-occurrence of the media-fuelled days following his outing.  When Adam discovers a body in the compost heap, that fear becomes a reality as he battles with sarcastic police offers, intrusive TV cameras, Adam's lawless brothers and the local Catholic priest in order to try and regain some of the peace and quiet he craves.  Alongside this, Holden is also fighting his attraction to the much younger Adam, acting as mediator to his brother and soon-to-be ex-sister in law, and providing shelter for his back-stabbing ex.

As you can probably deduce from the above plot summary, there's a lot going on in this book.  There are a whole host of different characters who populate the pages of this book, and whose own lives directly affect Holden, our first person narrator.  When we first meet Holden he is a rather lonely, and perhaps pathetic figure.  He's only 40, but due to his illness cannot leave the house.  Thus he spends his days pottering around his huge house, swapping snidely affectionate remarks with his ageing housekeeper and helping his womanising drunkard of a brother up to bed each night.  The arrival of Adam proves to be a catalyst for change and, just as the book is set in spring and contains images of renewal and hope, Holden slowly changes as the book progresses, as circumstances and the gentle prodding of Adam begin to help Holden overcome his illness.  The portrayal of Holden's agoraphobia was compassionate and realistic.  I thought the mix of Holden's frustration at his limitations and his fear was handled well, and those readers who long for a sympathetic character with an illness of the mind can't go wrong with this book.

Before Holden gets to the end of the book, he has to go through an awful lot of inconvenience, deal with many difficult people, be accused of murder and have his whole life turned upside down.  Throughout the whole experience, Adam is there offering a whole lot of support in a quiet and unassuming manner.  I liked that, although Holden feels a little guilty about the age gap between them (Adam is 24), the decision as to whether Holden should act on his attraction to Adam wasn't made into too much of a big deal.  There's no angst or pages of soul searching, it just happens and Holden accepts it and then can concentrate on the other crazy stuff that's happening to him.  I think it helped that Adam is generally a calming influence on Holden.  In fact they are opposites in many respects: Adam is quiet, thoughtful and has a condition which means he has difficulty understanding humour or sarcasm; Holden is witty, charming and relies on humour to diffuse a situation or hide behind.  Because he has to be very literal with Adam, that strips away some of Holden's protective layers and allows him the luxury of honesty and straightforwardness which means their affectionate feelings for each other develop quickly.  Despite this I felt that the feelings that develop between them were genuine.  It's not just lust - although there's plenty of that, as well as intense sexual tension - but also that there's respect between them which leads to deeper emotions.

Many of LB Gregg's books are packed with humour and funny situations.  This was perhaps the most serious book I've read of hers.  That doesn't mean that the book totally lacks humour, far from it.  The whole situation with Holden and the sheer number of different characters gives the book a slightly mad-cap feel on occasion, and the way that Holden lurches from one situation to another reminded me of those shows like The Phil Silvers Show or Abbot and Costello, where one problem would be partly resolved only to have the next character/problem arise until a final showdown at the end.  There are also a number of comedy lines which had me snorting with laughter.  Having said that, there were many quiet, reflective moments in the story too, such as when Adam takes Holden out for a drive, the first time he's been out the house in two years; or the moments when Holden remembers his dead brother.  This mix of pathos, humour and quiet reflection appealed to me, and shows a depth of maturity in the writing that perhaps was missing in her earlier books in the series.

I could go on and mention a whole lot of other things I liked about this book, such as Holden's relationship with his brother, housekeeper and friend Tony (the hero from the first book Gobsmacked); or that the mystery was satisfying; or the way that the town of Smithfield and its residents play just as much of an important role as the main characters.  However, you'll have to discover that for yourself, or this review will run to several pages!

All that remains to say now, is how much I enjoyed In and Out.  It was a fittingly super end to a very enjoyable series and gets a grade of 'Excellent'.

I've jumped the gun a bit with this book as it's not out until Friday when you can buy it HERE.

Review: Puppy Love 2: Building a Family by Jeff Erno

Those of you who read my review of the first book in this series Puppy Love (reviewed here) will know that I had a very mixed response to that book. I liked Petey and liked the themes of submission but found some of the extremes of the submission a little hard to handle. This book continues Matt and Petey's journey together into the D/s lifestyle and I was keen to discover how this book was going to develop them as characters. Those of you who may have been put off by the golden showers and other 'water sports' in the previous book, will be pleased to know that, whilst it is occasionally mentioned, there isn't an actual GS scene in the book.

The book picks up a few weeks after the end of the previous book and takes place over the course of about two weeks. Matt and Petey are on their way back from the cruise that Matt gave Petey for his birthday when they are first on the scene at a serious car accident. This leads to them befriending one of the EMTs, Eric, who invites them to a party. At the party they encounter Ryan, who they had met in the previous book, in what had been an embarrassing situation for Petey. This sets off a chain of events which tests the strength of Petey and Matt's relationship.

There was much to enjoy about this book, especially in the way that the characters grew and developed over the course of the book. I was particularly delighted in the character of Matt. In the previous book I hadn't liked Matt very much. He seemed cold and unfeeling in his dominant behaviour over Petey and I found it difficult to understand his motivations in the way that he treated Petey. In this book, even though it's still written in the first person from Petey's point of view, I felt that Matt was a better rounded, more nuanced character. Instead of just acting dominant, he explained why he was acting as he was. Also, as his love for Petey grew, so did his gentleness and care for Petey and he became less just the stern master and more the friend and protector of Petey. Matt also makes a number of errors of judgement which leads to consequences for the couple and again made him seem more human. By the end of the book, I truly understood why Petey loved him, whereas in the previous book Petey's love seemed just hero-worship.

Petey too also develops as a character as he begins to learn to stand up for himself. He's still a submissive at heart, but I felt he was much less of a doormat in this book as he learns that true submission doesn't necessarily mean you allow someone to take advantage of you. I was also pleased to see Petey trying to overcome his tendency to self-flagellate. It was still there and at times I, as well as the other characters, felt a little cross with him for trying to blame himself for things which were simply not his fault but as Petey naturally tries to take the blame, I could understand why it's still an important part of his character. I was also pleased to see the growing friendship between Petey and Drew as they rely on each other more and more with their shared experience of being subs. Drew has to be one of my favourite characters in the book. His calm, unruffled exterior and kind heart is perfect for Petey who tends to panic and over-think problems.

The story itself is structured almost in two halves. The first half deals with the growth of Matt and Petey's relationship and contains some strong submission scenes. I've not got the right personality to truly understand why Petey craves submission, however, I still found these interesting and engaging because of the way they affect Petey and therefore his love for Matt. The second half of the book was tense and nail-biting as Petey and Matt deal with the consequences of some of their actions, both from the previous book and this one. I was sitting on the edge of my seat for most of this time, anxious to read how it was all going to work out for our heroes. Take my advice and don't do what I did and start to read this section just before bedtime. I sat up until the early hours because I couldn't bear to put the book down, it was that gripping. I ran the whole gamut of emotions from being horrified, to dumbstruck, to outraged before I got to the end.

If I have any niggles at all about the book it was in the way that some of the parts were structured. The book would follow a scene between Matt and Petey and then afterwards Petey would ruminate on what had just happened to him. Whilst much of this added to Petey's character development, some of it was almost a straight retelling of the scene that I had just read and it seemed unnecessary. I found myself skimming over those bits until I got to the heart of what Petey wanted to get out of the situation. However, this wasn't bad enough that it detracted too much from my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, Puppy Love 2: Building a Family was a pretty terrific book. I was drawn into Petey and Matt's story once again and I'm very much looking forward to the final book in this trilogy. If you haven't read the first book because you didn't want to read some of the more objectionable parts of it, then you could still read this book because all the information from the previous book that you need for this story is recapped in this book. For those who have read and enjoyed the first book, I highly recommend this sequel with a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.

Author Interview: Eden Winters

Today I'm very pleased to introduce, in what will probably be my final author interview here at Well Read, the lovely Eden Winters. Eden came to my attention before she was even published when we had a short email exchange about a review that I had written. After that, I kept an eye out for any new releases by her and was delighted to find, after reading her first published story The Pirate's Gamble, that I liked her writing a great deal. Since that point, I've read and enjoyed all the books she's written and have avidly followed her as she's grown in confidence with her writing. Her books have garnered a great deal of praise from reviewers - and not just me! - so I was really interested to know what made her tick and what inspired her as a writer, and I know you will too.


On Writing

How did you get into writing m/m stories?
While waiting for the next book by a favourite author, I stumbled onto something called fan fiction, and found a section labelled “slash.” At that time the only ‘slash’ I’d ever heard of was the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses. (Oops, age giveaway!) Wondering what it was, I opened a file and started reading. There were two of my favourite male characters, and they were…..OH MY GOD! I closed the file.

What had been seen couldn’t be unseen. The story kept invading my mind. I have a very close gay friend who once said, “You’d never understand my world.” Because I love him dearly, and really, really wanted to understand, that evening I tried again and I made it a little further. Instead of horrifying, the action between the two familiar characters was sweet and major kinds of hotness. It took about a week to finish the story. The thing about slash is, the stories are like potato chips: you can’t stop at one. I went from site to site getting my fix, and then saw an advertisement for a m/m book. They made those?

I ordered Laura Baumbach’s A Bit of Rough from the local book store, stalking the place until it arrived. I fell in love in chapter one.

I mentioned my find to a friend and who casually replied, “Why didn’t you just buy an ebook?” Ebooks?
Fast forward six months to my massive collection of m/m fiction. While it is fiction, I think I now understand my friend’s world better.

One night while chatting online with a fellow fan fiction writer (yes, I had progressed to that, just not slash) about a m/m book we’d read, she said, “We could do this, you know.” We both started that night. I’d never before written a sex scene, let alone a m/m one. My, how times changed.

The book? The Telling. My friend, now known as P.D. Singer, wrote a little story called Fire on the Mountain. Neither of us has stopped writing since. I’ve discovered what was missing in my life. If I couldn’t write I’d probably go crazy and take the rest of the world with me.

You’ve written in a range of different lengths of stories from shorts to full length novels. What is your favourite length and why?
I don’t really have a favourite length. Once I begin a story, the characters take over. Sometimes their happy-ever-after works out quickly, sometimes not. The Telling was 120,000 words at one point. After trimming off the excess it’s about 68,000 now.

One of my latest projects was to be a Sip (under 8,000 words). Unfortunately, even at 9,000 there was more to tell, so it has been put into my novel folder to become full length.

Duet started as a Sip, too. It gained 50,000 words and is now a novel.

How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?
Every day I try to do something to move one of my stories forward, be it writing, researching, revising, proofing, etc. I suppose about twenty-five hours per week is average, although I have been known to dedicate entire weekends to the effort when the weather’s too bad for hiking or other outdoor pastimes.

Apart from a couple of short stories, most of your books or stories are contemporary m/m romance. Is there a reason why you have stuck mostly to this genre and do you have any plans to branch out into other genres?
I don’t really write to a genre; I tell what’s in my heart. Each book contains a message. The Telling was designed to deal with my own feelings about certain topics, and hopefully, help readers to understand the very real issues faced by our servicemen and women. There’s also a bit of a plea for accepting people for being themselves, and a personal show of support for gay men and women.

In The Wish the message was, “Maybe they’re not bad, just misunderstood, and even those who may seem to have it all are struggling and need love.” Also, “Love never ends.”

The Angel of Thirteenth Street was written after I read articles on the sad phenomenon of teens aging out of foster care. While the book is contemporary, I think it’s more drama than romance.

Duet’s message isn’t so profound. It’s simply, “Sometimes you have to wait awhile to find them, but there’s someone for everyone.” Duet is a mix of genres. It’s historical/contemporary/paranormal, if that makes any sense.

Sorry, I’d love to say the novel I’m currently writing is also championing worthy causes, but I’m actually planning a bit of silliness, instead. I need an angst break. It is contemporary, though.

There’s also a futuristic piece on the horizon, as well as a solid paranormal.

How easy did you find it to get published?
I mentioned before that my writing was prompted by a friend. By the time The Angel of Thirteenth Street and The Wish were ready to submit, she’d already gained some publishing experience that helped me, and I sent my stories to Torquere Books. At this point I think I need to mention that my editor, Michelle, and the proofers, whose names I don’t know, have been a blessing in taking what I sent and turning it into what the readers see.

There are also several people who’ve held my hand throughout the process as beta readers and encouragers. Without them, these stories would have never made it off my hard drive and into an editor’s hands. As I learned, a whole lot goes on between submission and publication. Easy? Not really, edits can be gruelling. Worth it? You betcha! But having your manuscript accepted is just the beginning.

What advice would you give to fledgling writers who want to get their foot in the door of m/m romance?
Write every day, or in some way forward your writing. Have at least two friends with some writing background act as beta. Posting free stories at the site of your choice helps you hone your skills and learn what readers like through feedback. Also, read m/m books, but understand you do not have to emulate them. Write what you love, or what’s the point?

Much knowledge is also to be gained from review sites. Not only will you learn what reviewer and readers’ expectations are, there’s also plenty of good articles that will help you avoid common mistakes.
Do your research. There are plenty of publishers out there. Like any good partnership, you need to find the one that’s right for you in order to be successful.

Who or what inspires you?
Almost anything can create a plot idea, but bouncing them off friends helps, and I get a lot of inspiration from music. Many ideas came from reviews and most of my main characters sprang from pictures I’ve seen on the internet. Jay is my favourite; I’d be happy to share him. Noah and Willie are rather inspiring too. (I’m trying to say that with a straight face.)


On Your Books

You call your first novel, The Telling, a gift to your readers and give it away free. It’s quite unusual for authors to give away a full length novel. Why did you choose to do that?
I won’t go into specifics, but my personal road had gotten a bit bumpy (okay, great looming chasms had appeared). Life as I knew it ended, and I had to recreate myself. The Telling is therapy. I started by pouring out my pain, fears, and insecurities into the characters. Each of my bad qualities was thoroughly exposed.

Then something unexpected happened. Those flawed characters began to show strengths. It took awhile, but I finally came to realize they were my strengths, too. The only main character in the book who isn’t a facet of myself is Jay. He represents the type of person I strive to be.

This book is a piece of me, too personal to sell. I initially posted it on different sites, and met some wonderful people online throughout that process. The emails I received brought me to tears, made me smile, and really touched my heart, for as much as I’d laid myself open with this book, the readers reciprocated, sharing bits of their lives and what about the book they related to.

The kind words were a blessing in a time when I really needed kind words. This book is my way of saying thank you. It also serves as an introduction to my work. Money is tight. Why should a reader risk their hard earned cash on an unknown writer, when there’s so many established authors that they know and like? The only sad part is that I’ll never get to see it in print. The very talented Jared Rackler made the cover of me, and I’d so love to see it sitting on my bookshelf.

While the book is free, if someone wants to buy the movie rights, I’d happily take the check and be outta the trailer park so fast my neighbours would think a tornado had struck. Again.

Your story The Pirate’s Gamble included an interracial romance. Why did you decide to include that as part of the story?
Sometimes the characters write themselves. I had a clear picture of Ian, but until he arrived in the bedroom after returning from the sea I didn’t have an image of David. Then the silvery moonlight illuminated the bed and I saw ebony skin on white sheets, and when he spoke, it was with a lyrical Jamaican accent.
As I mentioned above, in some small way I try to engender acceptance in each of my stories. A very wise young person told me recently that it’s the person he’s attracted to, regardless of colour or gender. I was truly impressed by such open acceptance. Perhaps there’s much to be learned from the younger generation. It was this young man’s attitude that was adapted for Ian.

Do you have a secret longing to be a time-travelling pirate, like Ian in The Pirate’s Gamble?
I love the sea, but wouldn’t want to be a pirate. I’d much rather write (or fantasize) about them. I’d gladly be Ian’s cabin boy anytime, if David wouldn’t get pissed and throw priceless artefacts at me. Time travel? Yes, that might be nice.

I love a story containing a bit of angst, and many of your stories have a strong vein of sadness and poignancy running though them. What attracts you to writing that type of story?
That’s an easy one. First, that’s the kind of book I personally like to read. Secondly, the angst sets you up to deliver hope. All of us have dark days when we feel like the world is against us. My characters have those, too, and overcome their obstacles with the help of those who love them. I’m all for happy endings, and the happiest are the one that were fought long and hard for.

Which has been your favourite character to write so far?
That would be a tie between Alex and Byron of The Wish. I really feared being able to write a realistic jade whose redemption was believable, and was quite surprised at how much fun Alex was. He said and did the things I may have wanted to, but was too polite to. Byron was just plain fun and the love in his heart too big to die.

Honourable mention goes to two others: Willie Carnell, the pimp in The Angel of Thirteenth Street is the first. Not only is he jaded beyond redemption, he’s unrepentant. He is who he is. He’s also a tough little bugger.

The second honourable mention goes to Michael’s grandfather in The Telling. He provided a voice of reason while getting a few great lines in.

In The Wish you set two characters with opposite goals and ideals against each other. How fun was that to write?
Hee hee. That was loads of fun. Paul was all the things parents drum into us to be. Though he’s in his mid-twenties, he still toes the line like a child afraid of a scolding. I enjoyed pitting him against Alex. The two of them were written to be total opposites. Sadly, Paul has never in his life “stepped out of the box.” Alex, who was raised chained inside the box, escaped, doused it with gasoline, and tossed a match.

Your recently released short, Boy Under the Bridge, takes a very minor character from The Wish and tells his side of the events concerning him. It’s an interesting idea. What made you want to write James’ story?
Several reviewers mentioned concern for James, the young man Alex picked up at a club and later dumped, but one in particular stated that she “worried for him and pictured him starving under a bridge.” Being a visual person, an image immediately popped into my head that simply wouldn’t go away. I’m all about happy endings, and by the time I’d finished that review, I had an outline. Strangely enough, it changed drastically, and what you read in Boy Under the Bridge is not the story I started out to tell. James still ends up happy, however. I also enjoyed portraying Alex through a younger man’s eyes. What would Alex say if he knew James thought him “a bit older”?

Do you have any plans to write a sequel to your fantasy story, Flame, or even to set another story in that world?
Thanks for asking! Yes, I’m currently working on a novel tentatively entitled, Galen and the Forest Lord. It contains more humour than Flame, but is set in the same world, and the plot line of “feeding the wolves” by the villagers is revisited. Kai and Rayken will only be mentioned in passing, unless they decide to take over. You never know what characters might do.

It has been said that it is important for authors such as yourself to keep up an internet presence. How easy or difficult to you find that aspect of self-promotion?
Thanks to wonderful reviewers such as you, Jenre, it’s not been as hard as I thought. My work has been blessed with many wonderful reviews, which helps prospective readers get acquainted through the words of someone they know and trust. I have a page on the GLBT bookshelf, and at Good Reads, as well as a Live Journal. Also, The Telling started off on CRVboy and Nifty, so I was known to a lot of readers before I even began publishing with Torquere.

Without really meaning to, I’ve had a novel or short story published every month since October 2009, with the exception of November. I may have a lapse in June and July, but my plate is pretty full otherwise. I also hang out at your site and others, for I’m a reader as much as a writer, and often comment on posts. Facebook is also a great place to connect with readers and fellow writers.

You have a new book out in May...tell us about it.
Here’s the blurb:
The Angel -- that’s what the young hustlers call Noah Everett, the man who’ll help them get off the streets. Once a hustler himself, he doesn’t take his own good advice: “Don’t let this ruin your life.” Haunted by the past and those he couldn’t save, Noah carefully keeps others at bay, until his self-imposed loneliness is shattered by determined, ambitious, but homeless eighteen- year-old Jeremy Kincaid.


A ruthless pimp has targeted Jeremy, but if Noah will fight to get anonymous young men out of the life, he’ll fight harder to keep Jeremy from getting in, even if it means a return to old stomping grounds to make a deal with the devil. To save Jeremy, Noah risks more than just his body: he risks his soul as well, because Willie Carnell, pimp, was once Billy Cordell, Noah’s lover.

Because of his past, Noah thinks himself unworthy of love. Plus, he carries a huge torch for someone who no longer exists, carefully keeping his distance from those who’d get too close. His loneliness is part of his self-enforced penance for past misdeeds.

Then Noah meets someone who reminds him of both himself and his former love. While Jeremy’s affections may start as hero worship, that admiration leads to more and before Noah knows it, his defences have been breached.

To Noah, Jeremy represents what he himself could have been if he’d walked a different path. Though Noah is older and more world-weary, it’s the younger Jeremy that teaches him how to let go of the past and finally live. The story is a bit dark at times, and lacks the humour of The Telling and The Wish. The secondary characters also don’t play so big a role; the focus in on Jeremy and Noah.

Or rather, the emphasis is on homeless and troubled youth. Noah spends his free time helping those who want to get off the streets and into a new life. Each bus ticket he buys that whisks another young man away from the streets is celebrated by carving a notch in the door frame of his bar. Still, no matter how many he saves, he can never quite forgive himself for the ones he couldn’t.

The book comes out May 12 from Torquere Books.

What’s next for you?
I have a short story, based on Mark’s (from The Angel of Thirteenth Street) homecoming as part of the A Place for Me anthology from Torquere Books. Mark was a young prostitute Noah intervenes for and sends home. The anthology is tentatively slated for September.

My one and only m/f story, a BDSM spoof, Betty’s Arrival, was submitted to Changeling Press. I have my fingers crossed. I should know something mid-May.

After The Angel of Thirteenth Street, my next novel, Duet, is due out August 25 at Torquere. A blurb has not yet been written, but the story is about a young school teacher, Malcolm Byerly, in Kent, England in 1763. He accepts a position in Scotland, teaching Laird Eoghan Callahan’s four younger sons. An older son and heir, Aillil, hates all things English, including Malcolm.

I don’t want to spoil the plot, but half of the story is historical, the other contemporary, with strong paranormal elements courtesy of a druid priestess -- and violins! There are sad moments, but like The Telling and The Wish, I hope those are offset by the overall message of hope.

My current writing projects include a short story for Torquere Book’s Charity Sip Blitz, to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. If accepted, it should publish in September.

I just finished a first draft of a novel tentatively titled, Settling the Score, a character driven piece about a little organized vengeance, and am working on Galen and the Forest Lord, based in Rayken and Kai’s world from Flame. There are also a few chapters hiding on my hard drive that will one day be the sequel to The Telling, starring Ryan. If possible, he’s even more broken than Michael. Look for Angie, Michael, Jay, Terry, and Gideon to put in appearances.

A futuristic piece, based on the sacred warrior-lovers of Thebes, is still kicking around in my brain. About one third of the first draft has been written.

There is also a shape-shifter trilogy in the works, but for now it’s not m/m. There’s a good possibility it will wind up in the young adult category.

Thank-you, Jenre, for interviewing me for your site, and thank you, readers, for allowing me to ramble. A dear friend once said, “Never mentioned writing in Eden’s presence, unless you have an hour to kill and don’t mind listening.” Thanks for listening.


Thank you Eden for such a warm and informative interview.  I'm so happy to have got to know you over the last few months and I'm astounded by all the projects that you're working on at the moment!  


You can find all of Eden's books at Torquere Books HERE.
You can find Eden on her Livejournal blog or her GBLT Bookshelf page or at Good Reads.


Eden is giving away a copy of her newest release The Angel of Thirteenth Street to one lucky commenter today - although you will have to be patient and wait two whole days until the release date :) - so leave a comment and WIN!