Welcome Guest Blogger R.C. Bonitz

I'd like to welcome guest author R.C. Bonitz.    Let's find out a little more about him. and and his book "A Little Bit of Blackmail.

Hi Lily- Thanks for having me today. You are a peach for doing this. That's an old fashioned word right there, but I write sweet old fashioned love stories. 

     I'm a latecomer to writing. I love books and always dreamed of being an author, but never had a story o to tell until a vivid dream stayed with me one morning. That dream became the prologue of my book, A BLANKET FOR HER HEART. Once I started writing, the stories kept coming and I now write constantly.

Lily: What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

     RC:    For the moment I've settled on contemporary sweet love stories, but I've written suspense, a historical, some mystery and a number of short stories. I decided I had to concentrate on one genre and get that right if I wanted to be published.

Lily: What have you had published to-date? Do you write under a pseudonym?

     RC:   I use my initials- RC Bonitz and I've had two books published within the last couple of months. A LITTLE BIT OF BLACKMAIL, a sweet romance, came out as an ebook in November and the print version came out in April. A BLANKET FOR HER HEART came out in print almost the same week. What a kick that was. My third book,  A LITTLE BIT OF BABY, will be coming out soon.

Lily: I understand one of your books is indie published. How did that happen?

     RC:   Now, there's an interesting question. I had both books under contract to publishers, but with the editing and cover ready to go, one publisher decided A BLANKET FOR HER HEART didn't fit the genres they wanted to publish at that point. There I was expecting to be notified the book was being released, and instead I got an email saying they couldn't publish it. They very nicely gave me the cover and editing without charge, but I was on my own. So, rather than go through the submission process again, I went the indie route. My next book, A LITTLE BIT OF BABY is in the hands of Silver Publishing again. I still want a publisher's stamp of approval on my writing.

Lily: Are your books available as eBooks? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

     RC:   Both of my current books are available as ebooks and in print. There's nothing like holding a paper copy in your hand and one might as well sell in every medium one can. I do most of my reading on my Kindle now though to minimize eye strain.

Lily: Do you have a favourite of your books or characters? If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

     RC:   I love all my heroines when I'm writing them. Anne, Diane, and Jessie, I really can't choose among them. I have only one choice for an actress if someone offered a movie- Kate Beckinsale would be my heroine for any of my books.

Lily: Did you have any say in the titles / covers of your books? How important do you think they are?

      RC:  I participated in the design of both covers. I'm quite pleased with the results. Both artists wanted my input. That was pretty amazing in the case of  A LITTLE BIT OF BLACKMAIL. Silver Publishing's cover artist, Reese Dante, is a prize winning designer. I think she came up with a fabulous, elegant cover. The titles in both cases were entirely my own. I've received compliments on both, so I hope that approval translates into sales. Early results look very good so far.

Lily: What are you working on at the moment / next? 

     RC:  I'm writing a sequel to  A LITTLE BIT OF BABY which will be the third in the series. At the moment it's A LITTLE BIT OF something??? I also have a book that's calling to me, the story of a young Englishwoman determined to break out of poverty in the early 1900's. That story is loosely based on the life of my paternal grandmother, who was born in Leeds, England. I wrote twenty-three chapters of it years ago, but didn't like the way it was headed and never finished it.

Lily: Do you manage to write every day? Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

     RC:  I try to, but promotion's cutting into my time these days. I'm usually at the computer six  to eight hours each day. Need to walk a little on occasion though- the legs dislike the sitting all day long.

Writer's block? I can't say I have. My response is always the same if I hit a dry spell - I keep writing something, anything. I may end up with a throw away, but the writing gets me somewhere useful when I do that.

Lily: Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

     RC:   I call myself a half-pants plotter, as in not writing by the seat of my pants entirely, and not plotting in detail. I start with a few turning points identified, then "tell" the first couple of chapters. After I've written them, I "tell" a few more and so on, keeping in mind what turning point I'm heading for. The method seems to work, though if I can't come up with an ending for my WIP I may have to just let the words flow.

Lily: Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

     RC:  Oh yes, many on my early work. You get down on yourself when that happens, but you have to pick up and go on. I recall a phrase from my school days- a line by a famous poet or writer (can't recall who unfortunately)- "Take your profits from defeat." That's been my watchword ever since. I've also learned how to write query letters and synopses now, so the rejections don't come anywhere near as odten.

Lily: Do you enter competitions? Are there any you could recommend? 

      RC:   I stopped doing competitions after a number in which I received two top scores and one low one that would end my chance to final. Now that I'm published I'm reconsidering my position since it would help sales to be able to  say "Wiiner/Finalist in XYZ contest" on my cover.

Lily: What advice would you give aspiring writers?  

      RC: Learn to write before you write a novel. I re-wrote my first book a dozen times before I got it right. Polishing four or five chapters would have taught me just as much with a lot less wasted time and effort. And, once you've refined your writing- think about the reader. What do you want them to feel when they read your book?

Lily: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? :)

      RC: I've owned the same old red canoe since 1963 and still love to get out on a lake with a fishing rod in my hands.

Lily: Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how valuable do you find them?

      RC: I'm a member of CTRWA and CAPA and find them both very helpful. (Conn. Chapter Romance Writers of America and Conn. Authors and Publishers Association). The members of both groups are knowledgeable and helpful to each other and have taught me a lot.

Lily: Where can we find out about you and your writing?

      RC:  You can check out my blog at http://www.rcbonitz.com  or my author page at Amazon. I'm also on FB but not that active there. I'm in a flash fiction group, so you can find some free reads on my blog as well. And, here's an excerpt of my writing-

       A Little Bit of Blackmail- Excerpt

Thirty minutes late, she was rushing toward the office when she saw the black limousine parked in front of Lorton Realty. Not a gigantic one, but a real live limo nonetheless, with those dark tinted windows you couldn't see through. Not moving, just sitting there like a tiger ready to strike. It couldn't be him, could it? Or had he sent the rough guy back to kidnap her and drop her in a pond?

Don't be stupid, Diane. He wouldn't dare. But she shifted her steps and walked as close to the storefronts as she could. Which caused her blazer sleeve to snag on a bit of metal window frame and almost tip her over backwards before the fabric ripped. Which would have upset her no end if she hadn't been waiting for someone to jump out of the limo and grab her.

She slipped into the office, ready for a pot of black coffee and a chance to breathe again. No luck. Pat Hawkins had been gabby.

"Diane, what's this about you hooking up with Brian Smith?" Joan Snyder, another of the agents demanded. "Is it serious?" Joan was over thirty-five and a lot more desperate for a man than Diane was. At least, she had been until yesterday.

Diane groaned. This was not a great way to start her morning. "I met him once."

"Will you be seeing him again?" Pat asked.

"He was named the most eligible bachelor in town a couple of years ago," Joan said.

"And he's one of the richest people in New England," Pat cried. "Are you sure you actually met the Brian Smith?"

"What did he look like?" Joan asked.

"Dark hair, almost black. Firm chin. Black eyes."

Joan stared at her. "Such enthusiasm. Does he have any dimples? Or nice strong muscles?"

"It doesn't matter. He's a horrible man," Diane said and started her computer.

The little brass bell over the door jingled as someone entered.

Here's a back-cover blurb about the story-

    Diane is out to rescue her kid sister, who has managed to get herself on the Net in flagrante. And the guy who posted her picture is keeping it there.

    Rich and powerful, Bryan has no idea what he’s in for. His life is great, except for one tiny detail. 

He's single and the women he knows are after his money. He's at the bar of his own hotel when a drop dead gorgeous woman comes on to him. One minute she's seducing him and the next she's giving him a hard time. He finds the combination very intriguing.

     Diane’s plan is dangerous but simple. Seduce this guy until his clothes come off so she can take his picture. Then it’s blackmail time.

     Brian falls into her trap, but only to a point. Bad news for Diane - nobody blackmails Brian Smith. Furious but fascinated, he confronts her.

     His fury fades once he hears her story. This daring, captivating woman steals his heart, but he's still the villain to her. How will he win her heart?  

    Their story is just beginning in --A LITTLE BIT OF BLACKMAIL.   Available from Silver Publishing

https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/155/typefilter/book_authors/

Thank you for hosting me today Lily. It's been fun! RC

Wednesday Briefs

Sorry everyone.  I had a very busy week and didn't have time to write.  But don't worry Ben and Tom will be back soon.   In the meantime here are my fellow writers who did do a Weds Brief today

Thanks

AJ Jarrett   m/m

MA Church    m/m

Sara York     m/m

Michael Mandrake   m/m

Nephylim     m/m

Tali      m/m

Julie Lynn Hayes m/m

Welcome Guest Author Jana Denardo

I'd like to welcome guest author Jana Denardo.  Let's fine out more about her and her latest work.

 

1-    How long have you been writing?

The first time I ever sat down to really write a story, I was ten and I had just seen Star Wars on the big screen, so can we say it’s been a long, long time? Granted, while preadolescent fan fiction is a far cry from where I am now, it was a start. About five years later, I started writing for various fan APAs, the paper version of fan communities you see online now. It was also my first exposure to having readers who would either love me or absolutely rip me to shreds. It was a learning experience.

My first attempts at writing for possible publication came a decade later in college. I was encouraged by my creative writing professors and while I did try, I didn’t succeed until the mid-1990’s. Some of it was erotica, most was fantasy.

2-What is your favorite genre to write?

Urban fantasy with fantasy and SF a close second. I also love writing mystery but I’m quickly learning I have trouble with that in a short story format, so I haven’t published anything with that setting. I’ve long been a fan of all four genres. My bookshelves are stuffed with representatives of the genres.  Urban fantasy allows me take our world and turn it on its ear. I can have magic. There is something about the supernatural, about the magic, that makes a story sing for me.

As for SF, I’ll point back to my first story. My parents were Trekkers. I watched every kind of SF TV as a kid as you can think of. I don’t write quite as much SF as I do fantasy, mostly because the space opera style books had fallen out of favor for a while and it’s all more hard core science, which interests me less (which is amusing seeing as I am a scientist in my day job).

Mystery was my first literature love and I would love to get something working in that realm.

3-What are you working on now? 

Speaking of that mystery, I am working on an older story that I wrote for a specific novella open call.  It wasn’t working as a mystery; not enough word count to set up red herrings in the way I wanted to. It’s called Riding with Strangers and is an urban fantasy/mystery set in Orlando, Florida, at one of the colleges I’ve attended. It’s m/m and m/f (and if I ever get to do a sequel, it will probably be m/m/f).

I’m also working on sometime tentatively titled Kept Tears and, not surprisingly, it’s an urban fantasy with the light and dark fey. The main character, Aaron, was a medic in Iraq and came back without an arm. It’s as much a story of him reclaiming his life as it is a battle between the fey.

Two other things I am working on (yes, I have trouble concentrating on just one thing) are a novel-length story for Temple, Caleb and Agni, the characters in Snowbound, A Brief Respite and the novella that’s just coming out, The Darkest Midnight in December, as well as a novel-length story for Luc and Arrigo, the vampires in my short story, Crisis in Faith. It’s the story of their meeting and it’s one I’ve been trying to write since the early 1990’s. A part of the story was picked up three times back then only to have the magazines go out of business before publication. I was beginning to think Luc and Arrigo were cursed until Dreamspinner Press picked them up.

4-When you start a new story do you begin with a character or plot?

It depends. My brain stores facts like a squirrel does nuts. If I see something on TV, especially any of the history or forensic shows, I store it away and my mind rolls it around, coming up with plots for it. Most of my trips or places I’ve lived have spawned stories as well, so sometimes I have a plot in want of characters.

Just as often, I get a character whispering in my ear. They tell me what they want to do. If I’m lucky, I can even see what they look like. If I’m luckier, I know which of the stored plots would fit them. If I get luckiest, they actually have a name and I don’t have to spend days trying on names until I find the one that fits.

5- Tell us about your latest/upcoming release. What inspired it?

Caleb, Temple, Agni and Li are demon hunters working for the Soldiers of the Sun. In this urban fantasy, the world knows about the demons but only a small handful of people can see them if they’re in human form. The ‘demon-eyes’ hunt them down and destroy them. These groups of hunters are spread throughout the world in various organizations, like the Knights Templar (which did not get dissolved in this UF), and the Soldiers of the Sun, which isn’t church-bound.

These four young men were culled from across the globe, eventually getting assigned to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the 1930’s. Just before Christmas, they are called out to a surrounding community that’s facing two attacks: couples are going missing and infants are being taken. They have to figure if this is a demon and if so, stop it and pray they’ll all make it back home for the holidays.

I’ve long since been a fan of demon hunters in books, TV shows and anime, and wanted to try my hand at it. It owes a lot to things like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Dresden Files, D. Gray-man and The X-Files. Heck, we could probably go back even further to my childhood with shows like Kolchak: the Night Stalker or Scooby-Doo.  There are so many current-day urban fantasies that I decided I wanted to do something different. Between my love of mysteries and steampunk, I was a little burned out on the Victorian age, so I looked for something different. I was going to set it in the Roaring Twenties, but Temple insisted he was a great fan of radio dramas and those really didn’t get rolling in any meaningful way until the 1930’s.

There were a lot of challenges to that. I didn’t know that much about the time period, so research was essential. Also having an ethnically and religious diverse group was a little more problematic but only touched on in the novella. Even though I was born and raised around Pittsburgh, I didn’t know that much about it in the 1930’s. I was surprised to find it wasn’t as easy to find stuff on this time period online or even in books when I hit the local bookstores. It was still fun and fascinating and I’m still researching as I’m hopefully not done with these characters. I do have at least one more story in the works for them.

"Midnight in December."


Blurb -

The year is 1930, and something is hunting infants and young couples in Economy Village, PA. When a local priest begins to suspect a demon may be the culprit, the sheriff calls in a team of Soldiers from the Sun.

Caleb, Agni, Temple, and Li specialize in demon hunting, but they can’t rule out an old religious sect as the true culprit. Prejudice, distraught parents, and angry townspeople don’t make the team’s job any easier. And if something goes wrong, they’re on their own, because by the time their backup arrives, it will be too late.

Excerpt -

“How many babies have gone missing?” Li asked.

Caleb tapped the briefcase holding a stack of files given to him by General Taglioferro before they left their headquarters in Pittsburgh. “Three and several couples. The local priests and police think it’s all the work of demons.”

“I was too busy packing.” Temple patted the box that held his Tommy gun and ammunition. “I didn’t get a chance to check out what the Order already knows about what’s going on here.”

“Once again, Li, your partner was napping.” Agni leveled a look at Temple who wrinkled his nose.

“We’ll bring him up to date once we get there.” Li pulled his coat tighter as the truck taking them from train station to hotel lurched down the road. “I just want to know why we have to ride in the bed with the luggage.”

“We all wouldn’t have fit.” Caleb shrugged. “And the driver they sent didn’t want any demon hunters in the cab with him, like we’ll infect him with our ability to see the demons or something.”

“Idiot. Who does he think is going to save this dumb town?” Temple grumbled.

“I also think he wasn’t too keen on our partners.” Caleb glanced over at Agni, the Hindu’s dark skin peeking out of the scarf wound around his hooded head.

Temple snorted. “Big surprise. One of Father’s biggest complaints about me joining the Soldiers of the Sun and not the Knights Templar was that we welcomed all faiths, all cultures. I thought he’d go apoplectic when he found out I have a Chinese partner,” he said. The wind nearly whipped away his whispered, “Too bad he didn’t just die from it.”

The four demon hunters hunkered down, trying to keep out of the wind as the truck wound its way through Ambridge, Pennsylvania. The store fronts winked by with promises of Christmas treasures on offer. The holiday was only a few days away. None of them, Temple in particular, had wanted to leave home before Christmas. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t be spending the holiday holed up in their hotel, nursing demon-inflicted wounds.

The brick hotel looked hospitable enough from its exterior.  The truck driver was quick to help them off his truck and inside, away from him. It wasn’t an entirely new reaction. As Soldiers of the Sun, they had long since gotten used to people being wary of them. The hotel staff shunted them upstairs just as swiftly to adjoining rooms. Temple scowled at the twin metal bed frames in the room he shared with Li.

“These beds better be movable,” he grumbled.

 “If you keep me awake, that adjoining door will be a pathway to your doom,” Agni warned grimly.

Buy link - http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2951

Bio - Jana Denardo's career choices and wanderlust take her all over the United States and beyond. Much of her travels make their way into her stories. Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Mystery have been her favorite genres since she started reading, and they often flavor her erotic works. In her secret identity, she works with the science of life and calls on her medical degree often in her stories. When she’s not chained to her computer writing, she functions as stray cat magnet.  She’s also learning that the road to enlightenment is filled with boulders she keeps falling over and that the words gardening and Zen don’t go together no matter what anyone says.

Blog/Twitter-  http://jana-denardo.livejournal.com/

http://twitter.com/#/JanaDenardo

Six Sentence Sunday

Today I am going to do my Six from my story "Pool Party." Which can be found in the "Wicked Watchers" anthology.

Harry prided himself on being a professional, but he’d never had this kind of temptation put in front of him before.

“It’s lunchtime, honey. Do you want to eat inside, or out here by the pool?”

Please let them eat outside, Harry wished to himself.

“It’s too beautiful to eat inside.”

“Yes!” Harry would have jumped up and down if he could.  

It is currently available at All Romance and Amazon.com in both the US and the UK
Buy Links:
Romance Books

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Welcome Guest blogger Rachel Cron

Welcome to my guest, Rachel Cron.

Let's get to know her better and check out a sneak peek of her book "Warrior's Home: Warriors 2."

1-How long have you been writing?

 My entire life. Poems, songs, stories...I have some english teachers in my family and reading and writing were a huge part of my childhood.

2-What is your favorite genre to write?

 I love writing romance M/F. I find it challenging to attempt to make the reader feel what the characters feel for each other.

3-What are you working on now? 

Right now I'm finishing up 3 and 4 in my Warrior series and I'm starting a new darker series that will place me way out of my comfort zone. Sorry no spoilers, but I hope the readers love it.

4-When you start a new story do you begin with a character or plot? 

I start with a mixture of both. My stories just pop in like a neighbor borrowing something. They come to me and then refuse to go away. Sometimes I know which characters I'm writing about next and the plot will form around them, sometimes the plot comes to me first and I create the people who fit into that world. Other times I get a picture of a character in my head and they do something and then my imagination just takes and runs wild.

5- Tell us about your latest/upcoming release. What inspired it?

 My latest release 'Warrior's Home' is the follow up to Punk Rox Warrior. I have a tendancy to touch on very personal issues with my books, and this one does not disapoint. I have known drug addict throughout my life. Friends and family both have been afflicted by drugs, homelessness and abuse. Riley and Abigail were the perfect characters to shine a spotlight on these issues. Writing the book itself was healing for me. It helps me get it all out of my system and I can view my relationships with people with different eyes and it can, maybe, move forward.

Blurb:

Abigail Banks was born to homeless, drug-addicted parents and has spent her life taking care of them on the streets of New York City—that was until fate stepped in and gave her an opportunity to flee the hell that is her life. She took it.
Riley Davis expected to catch a buck, not a girl running from her nightmarish past and a drug dealer who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Abigail keeps a closely guarded secret and knowledge that anyone will use her if they find out the truth.

As Riley attempts to break down the carefully constructed wall Abby had put around herself, the passion that flares between them may be the downfall of them both.
Riley has no idea of what the future holds…but he can't wait to find out.

Excerpt:

She stilled, frozen with shock and fear. She looked around frantically, realizing she was the last girl standing. She relaxed marginally. Throwing down the gun, she sat on the ground trying desperately to fight the tears that she could feel welling up in her eyes. “This is no time for hysterics,” she hissed to herself.

Calming herself with some deep breaths, she cleared her mind. Her brain clamored for a plan. She knew what had to be done. It was just getting her legs to work that seemed to be the problem. She blew out a harsh breath and rose to her feet.

Her body moved mechanically. She searched each body carefully, stripping them of cash and assorted items she thought might be useful in the future. Some of Derek’s men she had known. It was slightly satisfying to see their corpses lying motionless in the dirt. She thought idly of how she had prayed for just this sight more than once. They were ruthless. Their philosophy was blood in, blood out. They knew the second they were patched into the club that only death would separate them from the gang. Well, they got their blood.

Abigail stripped a jacket off one of the detectives and slipped it on. It was getting cold, maybe even getting ready to snow. There was nothing worse than getting stuck out in the snow with no shelter to protect you. She had seen more than one person freeze to death from wind-chill alone.

The ribbon around her heart was tightening. She may have grown up on the streets, but she had compassion. It saddened her to see the officer’s dead. She thought of the families they may have left behind and the children they may never see grow up. She bent down to the last detective, the skinny one, and after emptying his pockets, she whispered, “I’m sorry. Thank you.”

Tucking the money and two pistols into her jeans, she bolted into the forest, running as fast as she could. She knew walking on the road was out. Someone would come looking for either the detectives or Derek’s men, and she had better not be anywhere near there when they did. All she hoped was that she could make it to a shelter of some sort before it got dark.

She ran until the cramping in her gut was so overwhelming she had no choice but to stop. The pain was almost crippling. She braced herself against a tree with the palm of her hand, bent down, and threw up the remainder of the sandwich from that morning. Standing up straight, she stretched her gaze towards the sky, instantly feeling better.

Damn! I wish I had wilderness skills. Her only experiences with the woods were the ones in Central Park. Not real helpful out here.                      

The sound of a gunshot wrenched her out of her thoughts and set her heart racing with panic. She froze for a split second and heard rustling in the distance. Someone’s coming. She ducked behind the tree. Pulling one of the guns from her jeans, she cocked it and poised herself, ready to shoot. She waited as the noise got louder.

Bio:

My name is Rachel Cron. I have lived in Fort Myers, Florida for over 30 years. You can find me driving around my town trying not to get a ticket for my loud car radio or at the local bookstores. I’m happily married to the man of my dreams and the mother of two amazing daughters. I’m also the grandmother of two very rambunctious boys. Growing up around English teachers and musicians, books and music have been a constant in my life. They have help shape me into the person I am today. My inspiration for my books stem from my life, the people I’ve met, the things I’ve done or the things I have weathered through. Pair that with an overactive imagination and…here we are. I’m a firm believer in family and laughter. Why are we here if we’re not enjoying ourselves?

Buy link: http://www.bookstrand.com/rachel-cron

FB: http://www.facebook.com/rachel.cron1

Blog: http://rachelcronauthor.blogspot.com/

Email: rachelcron@rocketmail.com

Suddenly, a large black shadow flashed on the ground, too quick for her brain to process. Abigail fired off two rounds and fled in the opposite direction.

Racing through the woods, the only sound was the thud of whatever she shot as it hit the forest floor and the wind in her ears. Seconds passed and she heard a voice.

“Hey, stop!” he yelled at her and then she heard him running after her.

Blind panic and adrenaline flooded her system. She picked up speed and didn’t dare look back. I’m not going to die! Fuck no, not today, thank you kindly.

She never saw the ledge, until it was too late. Abigail came, or at least tried to come, to a complete stop on the edge of a small cliff. Teetering, she desperately fought to keep her balance and not fall over the edge. It wasn’t a long drop, maybe ten feet, but there were sharp rocks and a river below. Her foot slipped on the sod and she lost her fight.

Wednesdays briefs part 2

This week's prompts

"Love means never having to...."  or the alternate prompts of:

use: peanuts, consideration, candelabra or

"I would have gone to .... except that I...." or

"Penny for your thoughts"  or

"Frankly, my dear, I don't...."

I'm continuing last week's fun

Fireworks 2 by Lily Sawyer

Fireworks—that’s what life was like for Ben ever since he’d met Tom.   It was like Valentine’s Day, the 4^th of July, and Christmas all rolled into one.  So it shouldn’t have been any surprise to Tom that of all dates he could have picked to tie the knot, he wanted to be married on the 4^th of July.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Tom’s arms wrapped around his chest and the familiar feel of Tom’s chest against his back made Ben’s heart soar.

“I still think this has to be a dream. No one deserves to be this happy.”

“You do.”

Tom’s deep voice never failed to make his insides turn to jelly.

“Baby.” He turned to face Tom, his arms draped loosely around his neck. “I haven’t been fair to you.”

“What do you mean, hon?” Tom’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“I’ve been doing most of the planning for our wedding without asking you what you want. Just telling you how it’s going to be.  I didn’t even bother to ask you if you wanted to get married in Vermont. I—”

Tom covered Ben’s mouth with his hand.

“Ben, I love you. I want to marry you. It doesn’t matter where we hold the ceremony, as long as we’re together forever.  I just want you to be happy.”

He kissed Ben;his fingers combed through Ben’s hair.

“I want you to be happy, too,” Ben told him.

“I am. I’m the happiest man on Earth.”

“No, I am.” Tom sounded like a petulant little boy.

Ben grabbed Tom’s hands, intertwining their fingers.  “We both are. I can’t wait to make an honest man of you.”  Ben yelped when Tom slapped his behind.

“An honest man, huh? I’ll show you about an honest man.”

Their bedroom saw plenty of action that night.

                                                                                    * * * *

They finally had everything all settled; they were getting married at a small country inn called the Inn on Trout River in Montgomery Center.  They had tons of things to do. Ben couldn’t wait to check out the covered bridges and go out canoeing.   Of course this would all be part of their honeymoon activities.    Ben did some research online and found out the town had a parade and fireworks display on the 4^th of July.    Ben was so excited—he couldn’t wait.

But that was a little over a month away.  In the meantime, Ben drove into their driveway at the same time Tom was getting home from work.

“Hi Tom.” They met each other halfway between Ben’s car and the pathway to their front door.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Tom gave him a smooch on the lips.  They weren’t worried about being openly affectionate around here.

“Mm, can you help me bring the plants in?”

“Sure, babe.” Tom didn’t have a green thumb, but Ben sure did.  So every spring he left all the gardening to Ben.  Ben loved home grown vegetables and Tom was only too glad to help. Well, by eating them, that is.

When they’d first moved into this house, the two men cleared a sunny section of their backyard for a veggie and flower garden.  Ben asked Tom what he liked and Ben planted them.

“What did you bring home?” Tom asked as he brought in several flats of plants. 

“Aside from assorted flowers, I have eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, and some seed packets too. And a variety of herbs.”

“Well, we won’t starve.”

“Nope. I have to satisfy my hungry man.”

Ben stole a kiss from Tom as he passed him by on the way to their deck.

“Would you like to help plant?”

Tom was usually working when Ben planted, but it just so happened he came home from work a little early today.

“Okay, just show me what I have to do.”

Ben brought out two pairs of gardening gloves and shovels and fertilizer.  “Okay, let’s get started.

With the two of them planting, it didn’t take long for the plants to go into their new homes.  Ben put the last stick into the ground to identify what plant occupied which row.

“Well, that’s done.” Ben wrapped his sweaty arms around Tom.

“Ew, you’re wet.”

“Well, so are you. Let’s go take a shower.”

“Together?” Tom feigned surprise.

“Is there any other way?” Ben grabbed Tom’s hand and they shucked off their clothes on the way to their big master bathroom.

“Mmm, this is nice.”  Ben let the steamy hot water cascade over his newly clean hair.  Tom had those magic fingers that knew how to wash his hair just right.  

“I figured I’d start at the top and work my way down.”

Ben felt his cock quickly filling as Tom’s fingers traveled down his body, stopping at some key points like his nipples, which were hard as a rock;his stomach—Tom knew he liked to have it rubbed just like he was doing now; and finally, the final destination… his burgeoning cock.

“Tom,” he murmured his soon-to-be husband’s name.  It was the last coherent thing he said before Tom’s cock pushed inside him.    They set a familiar rhythm they both liked and it wasn’t long before they were both shooting off.

After they’d gotten out of the shower and toweled off they lay, facing each other, on their king-size bed. 

“I can’t believe we’re getting married.  I can’t wait.” Ben’s smile lit up the room.   He reached over and caressed Tom’s face; his thumb ran over his beautiful lips.

“I can’t wait either.   Especially for the honeymoon.”

“I love fireworks. I’m glad I don’t have to wait for the 4^th to see them.”

“No?” Tom asked with a knowing smile on his face.

“Nope. I see them every time we make love.”

TBC

My fellow Weds Briefers

Michael Mandrake m/m

Nephylim m/m

MA Church m/m

Sara York m/m

MC Houle m/m

Julie Lynn Hayes m/m

The Winner of my Hop Contest is

The Winner IS (drum roll please)  

Juliebites

I will be e mailing you your copy of my book momentarily.

I want to thank all of you who visited my blog, shared your own experiences.    I hope that, one day, we can end all the hatred in whatever form it takes.  Until then we have to continue to show support and love for one another and stand together.

Thanks again

Welcome guest blogger Teel James Glenn

Welcome to my guest, Teel James Glenn. 
Let's get to know him better and check out a sneak peek of his book "Queen Morgana and the Renfairies." 

Q&A:

1-    How long have you been writing?

I always ‘thought up’ stories as a kid, did little comic strips, but the first ‘actual’ story I ‘wrote’ was when I had a summer writing course in high school. We were supposed to write a short story each week and I talked my teacher into letting me do a ‘novel- a four chapter book (which by the way I rewrote as a novella some thirty five years later and it actually saw print!)

I went to art school and between drawings sold articles to Black Belt and other martial arts magazines and some short fiction afterward. I kind of wrote ‘in between’ films and plays for years. When my daughter was born I put the writing in a drawer and concentrated on the physical stuff—sop opera work, films etc. It was almost a decade later that I pulled those books out and looked around. The publishing world had changed in the meantime and the internet and ebooks had arrived (despite what the boys in NY say).The rest- as they say- is history…or is that myth?

2-What is your favorite genre to write?

I think of everything I write is adventure; horror, romance, steampunk, thriller- I see the adventure aspect of those genres—I guess that’s why, in the end, I think of myself as a ‘pulp ‘writer. (pulp being defined by me as a ‘clear cut solution to a sentimental problem).

3-What are you working on now?

I always have two or three things going so currently I’m A) editing and re-writing a collection of my fantasy stories called “Songs of a Warrior Priest” scheduled for publication in the fall B) writing a novella for a pulp anthology I’ve been asked to contribute to and C) working on a short story for a client due yesterday (sigh)!

And I have two novels I keep coming back two between paying jobs that I want to send out to New York publishers…

4-When you start a new story do you begin with a character or plot?

My stories always start with a character or two—the theme or genre actually comes later, in fact I ‘ve had characters shift genre’s on me when they wanted (Yes I think of them as alive). And I never write about something I have not experienced or researched very deeply—my varied background in my ‘other jobs’ have helped with that.

5- Tell us about your latest/upcoming release. What inspired it?

Queen Morgana and the Renfairies grew out of a single story where I had an interaction between a Renaissance faire performer and a mysterious woman and grew to an entire worldview. I began to explore the differences and like parts of the mortal world and world of the Fae in a series of connected tales. I loved the world so much I have a second volume of short stories almost done and a separate novel sitting in the files to work on later this year.

 

Queen Morgana and the Renfairies

 by Teel James Glenn

From WhiskeyCreekPress

Buy Link

In Print or ebook.

Blurb:

Queen Morgana will not allow free passage between the realms of the Fae and Humans. Because of this both realms are dying. The only bridge between the worlds is the place where dreams live in the daylight; Renaissance Faires!

A group of humans stumble through the portal: a cocky movie make-up man who hits on the wrong woman, a Vietnam vet whose nightmares make living a chore, a private detective on the strangest case of his career, a crippled cop and a burger store manage who loves to go Larping. One of them has to show the Queen of the Fae what true love is or they will all perish in the greater dark that is growing day by day. Oh, and in the process they have to try to figure out who the strange guy in the Viking helmet is and why his is giggling 

Excerpt:

Alice Was So Right…

The Cloisters Museum was a faked up Hollywood kind of building made up of pieces of medieval buildings brought over from Europe.

If you’ve never been to a Faire, imagine a Lord of the Rings movie, a college frat party and a sleazy carnival (with better teeth) all rolled into an experience that’s decidedly more Hollywood than historical.

I met Hattie at the bottom of the hill at a playground and we walked up the granite stairs to the ‘back way’ onto the spiral road around the Cloister’s building.

I was wheezing by halfway up but, being a hearty soul, I refused to put out my cigarette. Hattie begged me to let her open the shopping bag the entire trip up the steps but I was sure she’d do a clutch-and-run with it. I was too damn winded to chase her so I’d have to pull my gun. It’s bad form to shoot your client in the ass to slow them down, especially an ass as nicely toned as hers.

I walked into Merlin’s tent a minute before the deadline with Hattie beside me. The second we were inside the door flap two goons stepped out of the shadows from behind some freestanding shelves that were loaded to the gills with medieval with brick-a-brack. The goons flipped the flap closed and stood in front of it like the two Pillars of Hercules.

Hattie made a little startled sound at the same time that a woman stepped from behind a large freestanding mirror that reminded me of the mirror in Hattie’s foyer. The woman reminded me of Hattie.

The new woman dragged a bound Mike out from behind the mirror. His hands were tied behind him and he was gagged but aside from an ugly bruise on his forehead looked in one piece.

 “Why did you bring her?” The woman holding Mike spoke again. “She forfeited that when she aligned herself with Maeb’s faction.”

It was clear that this was Vulnavia the sister of Hattie, a more severe version of her sensual sister.

“Don’t listen to her,” Hattie said, “It’s she who aligned with that Queen of Nightmares.”

“Liar!” Vulnavia yelled.

 ‘Ladies,” I said, “We have business to conduct.” I held up the shopping bag.

“Give it to me!” Vulnavia called.

“Cut Mike loose.” I kept my eyes on both of the goons who were watching Vulnavia for a cue. “And you get the toy in one piece.”

I stepped across the room not liking the situation and I could see that Mike didn’t like it either, his eyes darting back and forth from the two thugs to me.

When I got within arm’s length of Vulnavia she snatched the box from me.

I pulled a pocketknife and slit the ropes behind my partner. “No!” Vulnavia screamed. She turned to look at me with wild eyes, “You opened it!”

I felt all eyes in the room turn toward me including Mike who was pulling the gag from him mouth.

“What the hell is going on?” He asked.

“You jackass, you opened it?” Hattie yelled at me.

“I-uh- I didn’t intend to. There was nothing in it,” I said, “I swear.”

Now the two sisters were standing side by side and the two goons were behind them looking at me like I’d peed in the punchbowl.

“You saw the incantation,” Vulnavia said. ”You have no idea what you’ve done!”

“You have the secret of the gateway,” Hattie said, “I must have it!” She started to step toward me but her sister stepped in front of her and mumbled something in a language I didn’t recognize.

I felt dizzy all of sudden.

Mike tried to speak but the wild-eyed Vulnavia lunged at me and, brushing him aside, shoved me straight into the mirror.

 I expected to slam into the glass and send it tumbling over in a shower of shards but when I hit it, it was like being tossed into warm Jell-O. I didn’t knock it over but rather moved into it.

There was a rushing sound, a whistling like an old cartoon bomb falling and I realized I was rolling end over end through the air. And I was no longer in the curio booth in a Northern Manhattan park but somehow falling from a great height over a green grassy field in a bright sunlit day!

“I hate family feuds!” I thought just as I slammed into the ground and the world went black.

****

The first thing I heard when I came out of la-la land sounded like Gene Kruppa playing Drum Boogie in my head.

“I must have been shot or clubbed and that was a hallucination.”

I rolled over on my back. There was no pain, no sound of cracking bones or a gush of blood so I opened my eyes a crack. There was a bright sunny sky above me with fluffy clouds and birds flying around.

I thought about moving and watched the birds for a while but as I watched they started to circle down toward me and as they did I could see they were not birds; they were women with wings and three-toed bird-like feet!!

The bird women landed about yard from me and I got a clear look at them; they had faces with homely features that looked like they had been in a tie for losers in a shovel fight. They had feathers where the hair on a normal dame would be and full fledged feathered wings instead of arms. They were completely naked and as far as I could see looked like two Vegas Chorus girls in every other detail save the wings, hair and hideous faces.

I pushed myself to sit up.

“Look, sister,” the brown feathered one said, “It’s alive.”

“Just barely, toots,’ I said, “I seem to have taken a bit of a fall.”

“I’ll say,” the other bird babe said, “We saw you come through the cloud portal. We thought you’d be pudding by the time we got to you.”

 “I love pudding,” the golden-feathered one said, “but I like raw meat just as well.” They both licked their chops and eyed me like Sunday dinner.

I shook myself to try and make the hallucination go away. I decided that I wanted to not be there at that point so I pushed down with my feet to get purchase to run and suddenly things got even stranger.

When I looked down at my feet I yelled. “Aww!” Because where my legs wrapped in conventional pants should have been were naked legs and hooves!!

Hooves! Like on horses.

I knew I was hallucinating now but it felt so damn real I wanted to scream.

So I did.

“AWWWWW!”

“Shhh!” the Golden One said, “You’ll attract the others and then there’ll be nothing for me and Celaeno!” The two bird women started to lean in toward me and when they smiled I could see pointed, sharp teeth. Suddenly I knew what these two usually had for dinner.

“Aello’s right,” the brown feathered one said with an evil laugh, “The other girls are such pigs!” She reached for me and I went for my shoulder holstered gun but felt nothing but flesh. I was naked and unarmed.

But not un-hooved!

I swung up my right hoof and connected with Goldie’s midsection so that she tumbled back on her rump.

I tried to get to my –uh- feet to run but the second one grabbed my hair and yanked me back.

Then the other bird broad was on me and was all teeth and nails. I was able to keep her away from my neck but the second Charlie’s Angel was going to be back on me in a moment. I couldn’t fight them both off.

I had never felt so guilty about eating Kentucky Fried Chicken in my life; Karma stinks!

Bio:

Teel James Glenn has traveled the world for thirty years as a stuntman, fight choreographer, swordmaster, jouster, illustrator, storyteller, bodyguard, and actor.

His stories have been printed in scores of magazines from Mad to Black Belt to Fantasy World Geographic, Blazing Adventures and Tales of Old and soon Weird Tales. He has over two dozen books and anthologies in print in many genres including Steampunk, westerns, mysteries and the best selling SF thriller series “The Exceptionals.’ One was a finalist in the EPIC book awards in 2009.

He is also the winner of the 2012 Pulp Ark Ward for Best Author.

Mr. Glenn worked regularly as an actor on Guiding Light and New York soaps alternately doing stunts or acting in over 300 episodes. He worked as an actor and stuntman (in a fight scene with Hawk) on the “Spenser for Hire TV. Series and in episodes of the Equalizer.

His most famous ‘small screen’ appearance was as Vega (and fight choreographer) in the worldwide web series “Street Fighter: The Later Years.”

He went on to serve as a principal performer in front of the camera in over 70 low budget fantasy/horror genre films, often serving in a stunt capacity as well.