Happy New Year!

Jimmy & Guy wish you a very

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

May 2015 bring you all the joy, love,

and caffeine you've ever wanted.

(from Pat Henshaw, author)

Yup, I've Reupped!

I completed the 2014 Super Librarian Reading Challenge and had so much fun searching around for gay romances that fit the categories, I'm reupping for 2015 Reading Challenge.

The reading categories this year are

January 21 - We Love Short Shorts! (Category romance, novellas, short stories)

Unfortunately, my romance novella, What's in a Name?, doesn't release until this date, not giving readers much time to read and review it.  Is it cheating if I review my own book?  LOL.

February 18 - Recommended Read (A book recommended to you by another reader/blogger etc.)

Anybody want to recommend a gay romance for me to read?  I'll be happy to take titles into consideration if I haven't already read the book.

March 18 - Series Catch-Up (A book in a series you are behind on)

April 15 - Contemporary

May 20 - Kickin' It Old School (Copyright date is 10 years or older)

June 17 - More Than One (An author who has more than one book in your TBR pile)

July 15 - Lovely RITA (past RWA RITA winner and/or nominees - links to lists will be provided at later date)

August 19 - Impulse Read (The book you bought because of the cover or The book you bought on impulse or The book you cannot remember why you bought in the first place!)

September 16 - Historical

October 21 - Paranormal or romantic suspense

November 18 - It's All About The Hype (a book or author that got everybody talking)

December 16 - Holiday Themes (Christmas, Valentine's Day, any holiday!)

To sign up, go to the Super Librarian site for more information.

Holiday Tale Is Better than Most

Unwrapping Hank by Eli Easton
Rating: 5 stars

I absolutely hate holiday romances.  I don't know why, really.  I don't hate the holidays.  For some reason, the fact that these books are built around a holiday--be it Easter, Fourth of July, Veteran's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or even birthdays--seem to resonate with a false sense of cheer to me.

I know, I know.  It shouldn't be that way, but it is.

So going into this search for an acceptable holiday book was painful.  All those jolly people who are slinging gift wrap and ringing bells.  I'm the person who thought Scrooge's story was much more poignant than Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim's.  Give me a Scrooge I can love every time.

Fortunately, Eli Easton jumped in my path.  Big, growly, in-the-closet Hank Springfield makes a wonderful holiday hero.  Hank's the sore thumb in his brother Micah's fraternity at Pennsylvania State University.  Hank belies his philosophy major by saying he wants bong parties, loud music, and crowded rooms of drunks after midnight.

Hank hates the frat's token gay, Sloane, even though everyone else in the frat loves him.  When frat president Micah orders Hank to work with Sloane in coming up with the best frat holiday party ever, Hank balks.  But Micah is adamant, and Hank and Sloane reluctantly team up.

When the find they both love murder mysteries, they come up with a workable and popular Who-Killed-Santa theme.  In the process, Sloane crushes on Hank, who isn't quite so sure about Sloane.

After Sloane's academic parents extend him an off-hand invitation to join them in Israel for a wedding over the holiday break, Sloane resigns himself to staying either at school or somewhere close by.

Micah, however, won't hear of this, and invites Sloane to his and Hank's rural Pennsylvania home for the holidays.  Sloane accepts.

Author Easton magically melds a Scrooge tale onto a cheerful holiday story here, and also adds a little bit of suspense to what starts out to be a linear romance between A and B.   Turns out Micah has the hots for Sloane as his brother Hank begins to fall for him.  So A (Sloane) has his choice of B or C (Hank or Micah).  This brings a bit of spice to a holiday story that looks fairly predictable at the beginning.

All in all if a reader wants something a little different in a holiday tale, I wholeheartedly recommend Unwrapping Hank.

One Step Closer to Publication

Today I received the final galley proof of What's in a Name?  So the process is proceeding one step at a time.  (The bookmark graphic for the book is at left--though I'm not quite sure why an e-Novella needs a bookmark.  Hmmmm....)

Sometimes when I read it, I think it's wonderful and am very proud I've written it.  Other times, not so much.  I'm hoping readers will land on the wonderful side of the evaluation and have a few laughs and maybe end with an "ahhhh."

Whichever way it goes, I won't be monitoring it much since I'm trying (after a month of sickness in October) to get the second book in the series finished and submitted to see if Dreamspinner Press wants it or not.  Among other decisions I have to make is what to title the second book.  So far it's either Fredi Goes a Courtin' or it's Redesigning Max.  Whatever I end up with, I still have to write the long summary and get edits back from my husband before I can query DSP.

So it's onward and upward these days.  I might not have finished the November writing challenge, but I did finish two drafts of the sequel to What's in a Name? and completed the proofs and cover processes.  That was good enough for me.