Book Title: Love
Beneath the Stars: A Matchmaker Wedding Novella
Author: Claerie Kavanaugh
Publisher: Half Caff Press
Cover Artist: Lauren Dombrowski
Release Date: April 26, 2023
Genres: Contemporary F/F Romance
Tropes: Age gap, celebrity, matchmaker, wedding
Themes: Coming out, forgiveness
Heat Rating: 3
flames
Length: 30 000
words
It is a standalone story in the
Entertaining Love series.
They say love conquers all,
but what if getting it means losing your family?
Blurb
After years of searching, a job
gone wrong finally led Hollywood’s most famous matchmaker Eve to her soulmate in up-
and-coming starlet Jemma Mason. For a year, they had pictured their perfect destination
Valentine’s Day wedding. But when Jemma’s family arrives from Montana, they quickly learn
perfection is hard to come by.
Jemma’s conservative brother
has always been distant, but when he meets his sister’s fiancée, who is seven years her
senior, he worries she’s moving way too fast and refuses to come to the wedding, let alone
keep his promise to walk her down the aisle. Can love really conquer all, or are there some
wounds that simply run too deep to be buried?
Eve and Jemma’s Wedding Novella. Sequel to LOVE AMONG
THE STARS in the standalone sapphic celebrity romance series ENTERTAINING LOVE.
About the Author
Claerie Kavanaugh has spent
most of her life telling stories, but she never imagined herself writing romance. In fact, she
used to think it should only be reserved for Hallmark movies. It wasn’t until college, when
she discovered fanfiction, that she learned what romance was truly about: not just fluffy
relationships and happily-ever-afters, but human connection, the desire to push one another
to be better, and create hope that somewhere, somehow, everyone has
someone.
When she’s not writing, she
loves to travel and explore new cultures, helping other authors polish their works as a
freelance editor, and singing while doing so. Broadway musicals are her soul-food,
something her mother and sister know well. She constantly blasts the newest soundtrack
through the halls of their Missouri home, much to the chagrin of her very sassy and spoiled
cat.
Book Title: Love
Beneath the Stars: A Matchmaker Wedding Novella
Author: Claerie Kavanaugh
Publisher: Half Caff Press
Cover Artist: Lauren Dombrowski
Release Date: April 26, 2023
Genres: Contemporary F/F Romance
Tropes: Age gap, celebrity, matchmaker, wedding
Themes: Coming out, forgiveness
Heat Rating: 3
flames
Length: 30 000
words
It is a standalone story in the
Entertaining Love series.
They say love conquers all,
but what if getting it means losing your family?
Blurb
After years of searching, a job
gone wrong finally led Hollywood’s most famous matchmaker Eve to her soulmate in up-
and-coming starlet Jemma Mason. For a year, they had pictured their perfect destination
Valentine’s Day wedding. But when Jemma’s family arrives from Montana, they quickly learn
perfection is hard to come by.
Jemma’s conservative brother
has always been distant, but when he meets his sister’s fiancée, who is seven years her
senior, he worries she’s moving way too fast and refuses to come to the wedding, let alone
keep his promise to walk her down the aisle. Can love really conquer all, or are there some
wounds that simply run too deep to be buried?
Eve and Jemma’s Wedding Novella. Sequel to LOVE AMONG
THE STARS in the standalone sapphic celebrity romance series ENTERTAINING LOVE.
About the Author
Claerie Kavanaugh has spent
most of her life telling stories, but she never imagined herself writing romance. In fact, she
used to think it should only be reserved for Hallmark movies. It wasn’t until college, when
she discovered fanfiction, that she learned what romance was truly about: not just fluffy
relationships and happily-ever-afters, but human connection, the desire to push one another
to be better, and create hope that somewhere, somehow, everyone has
someone.
When she’s not writing, she
loves to travel and explore new cultures, helping other authors polish their works as a
freelance editor, and singing while doing so. Broadway musicals are her soul-food,
something her mother and sister know well. She constantly blasts the newest soundtrack
through the halls of their Missouri home, much to the chagrin of her very sassy and spoiled
cat.
Can Avery open his
heart to two soldiers this Christmas?
Blurb
Can Avery open his heart to two soldiers this
Christmas? Felix Hawkins and Zach Walsh fell in love with each
other when they were fourteen—and with their best friend’s little brother when they were
twenty-three. But at that point, Avery was barely an adult, still wearing hearts in his eyes
when he looked at them. Felix was determined that they should wait so that Avery could
come to them on even footing, as an adult fully grown and with a clear head. Zach wasn’t
sure he could be that patient, but for Felix, and for Avery, he would do anything. So they’ve
held out for what feels like forever—and they know what they want for Christmas this
year! Avery McKenna might have crushed on his
brother’s best friends once upon a time, but that’s over with now… right? He’s focused on
his career, and while his job might not be keeping him warm at night, it’s summer in Sydney;
he doesn’t need any extra warmth. Felix and Zach and their charming… everything, can waltz
right back out the door because he doesn’t want anything to do with whatever game they’re
playing with him. It has to be a game, right? Earth-shattering kisses aside, why would they
ever want him for keeps? Is the beautiful picture they might paint together
worth the risk of it all going wrong? Avery has never been a gambler, but he might finally be
ready to take a chance on the best Christmas present he’s ever received. Two Soldiers for Christmas is a roughly 28,000-
word MMM older brother’s best friends Christmas novella featuring an established couple
adding a third, Christmas shenanigans, and a satisfying HFN ending.
Excerpt
If Zach hadn’t already fallen in love with this man, this
would have been the moment. The point in a rom-com movie where everything slows down
as that realisation kicks in. Except there were no oh fuck feelings to accompany it. It
wasn’t a surprising feeling for him. Zach welcomed it.
“What are you—?” Avery said, his eyes widening in horror.
They widened further when he looked down at himself. “Oh my god.”
He slammed the door in their faces.
Felix chuckled. “Think he forgot we were coming?”
Something crashed loudly inside and Zach instantly shoved
his bags at Felix and rushed through the—thankfully unlocked—door. If it hadn’t been, he
would have put his boot through it.
Avery was standing next to a small scaffolding set up, the
floor surrounding it covered in white sheets, and dozens of tins of paint in different sizes.
There were about six jars of murky water and paintbrushes and a few rollers, along with an
iPod speaker dock that had splashes of paint all over it. An iPod that Zach was pretty sure
was older than Avery was sitting in it, low Christmas music playing.
The only part of the situation that didn’t fit was the paint
tin that Avery was holding in his hand, red paint puddled all over the sheets and some of it
leaking onto to the tiling.
Avery stared at him, red paint dripping from his hair.
“Um…”
“Are you all right?” Felix asked. He took the paint tin from
Avery’s hand and checked it over while Zach took Avery’s face in his hands. Zach turned his
head left and right, making sure he hadn’t hurt himself. It looked like all the red was just
paint, but it was best to be sure.
Avery was still staring, wide-eyed, at him. “Yeah—yes? I’m
fine. I just…” He sighed and gestured at the scaffolding with the hand that Felix had just let
go of. “Knocked down the paint tin. It’s going to take me hours to clean this mess up.”
“I think you’re supposed to have a harness on when you’re
up that high,” Felix said, looking over the scaffolding with a slight frown on his face.
“It’s not high,” Avery said.
“Still above regulation height,” Felix said.
“Aren’t you just a walking inspector?” Avery shot back
sarcastically. “It’s fine.”
“What would happen if you did fall?” Felix’s eyes narrowed.
“If you were here alone and hit your head?”
Avery threw his hands up in aggravation. “I guess I would
just die?”
Zach bit back his snarled reaction to those words. He knew
that Avery wasn’t being serious, but it still made him feel like he’d been slammed in the
head by a helicopter rotor. He might not have been a medic, but he knew how quickly a
head injury could turn bad.
He reached out and grabbed one of the scaffolding legs,
and then pushed. It rolled easily under his grip. “You don’t even have the safety on,” he said
flatly.
“So what?”
“So what?” Zach repeated, his voice rising unintentionally.
“So have a little more care for your personal safety.”
“What, you guys are going to suddenly act like you give a
shit about me?” Avery’s hazel eyes were blazing.
“When have we not cared about you?” Felix asked. He
sounded like always did—even and level-headed. But Zach knew him too well. He could hear
the tremor of hurt that Felix was so good at concealing. Hearing it made anger rise in Zach’s
stomach. They didn’t deserve that. They’d never been dismissive of Avery, not once, in all
the years they’d known him.
“I’ve been doing this for years and I’m still here, so go pull
your big brother act on someone else,” Avery said, turning his back dismissively.
Zach whirled him around and trapped him against the
scaffolding, bracing himself with one hand gripping tightly to it. “Big brother act?” he bit out.
“You think that’s what this is?”
Avery’s pulse visibly jumped in his throat. The things that
Zach wanted to do to him, the thoughts he had, weren’t brotherly in any way. He took hold
of Avery’s chin and stroked his thumb across it, just under the alluring curve of his bottom
lip. Avery’s pupils dilated, his lips parting in shock.
What better Christmas
present is there than finding your fated mate?
Blurb
’Twas the week before Christmas
And all across Christmas Cove the elves were snowed
under.
Preparing presents for Santa’s sleigh
To deliver to children all around the world.
But Dash—Santa’s favourite reindeer—is missing.
Vanished.
In his place, Aubron, the elf responsible for looking after all
of Santa’s reindeer, finds a naked man in Dash’s stall.
A stranger he is inexplicably drawn to.
Can Aubron find Dash, and figure out who the mystery man
is before Christmas is ruined?
This M/M romance from Beth Laycock features fated
mates, a reindeer shifter, an elf definitely not left on the shelf, Santa, the North Pole,
lashings of Christmas spirit, and of course a HEA.
Excerpt
The workshop was abuzz with activity, even at this early hour,
but before I could unwrap my scarf, Santa waved me over. Dodging the elves already hard at
work, I followed him into his office, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling of déjà vu.
“Did you check on Dash?” Santa asked as he paced the length
of his small office.
“Yes. As soon as I left you yesterday. He was fine—even
managed to polish off a good helping of his favourite moss. Then I took him out for a walk
along the seashore once I’d finished all my jobs and he had fun splashing in the
shallows.”
Santa stopped and spun to face me, tugging on his white
beard. “Really?” I nodded and he dropped into his chair with a grunt. “I don’t understand.
When I went in last night before I went to bed, the other reindeer were sound asleep, but
Dash was pacing his stall, scraping his hooves across the stones over and over. Even when I
spoke to him, he didn’t settle but eventually lay down. He looked so sad though, and he was
still awake when I left.”
Santa sounded distraught, but I didn’t know what to say—Dash
had been fine when I’d left him.
“What if it’s something serious?” Santa’s eyebrows
disappeared beneath the white curls falling over his forehead.
I swallowed thickly at the thought.
“What if he can’t fly on Christmas Eve? What would we do
then? There’s no other reindeer that could take his place—none of them can fly.” Santa’s
eyes met mine across the desk. “Christmas will be ruined.”
I stared at Santa not knowing what to say. There was nothing to say, he was right, it would be. So, I did the only thing I could and hurried away
to check on Dash.
Christmas will be ruined. All the way to the barn
those words echoed through my mind. Christmas will be ruined. I yanked my
feet out of the snow—almost buried to my knee—hurrying as best I could over last night’s
snowfall. By the time I reached the barn, my chest was heaving, plumes of my breath misting
on the air, and I didn’t think it was just the exertion of rushing.
I grabbed the large iron handle and tugged on the
door—nothing. It didn’t move an inch and my dream flickered in full technicolour beneath
my closed eyelids. This could not be happening.
I heaved on the handle, putting my full weight behind it, and
was rewarded by the squeal of the wheels as the door slid open. Releasing a sigh of relief, I
hurried inside, dashing down the centre aisle of the barn, past the stalls with the other
reindeer, a couple of them lifting their heads to peek out at the commotion I was
making.
I reached Dash’s stall and pulled up short. It was empty. Huh?
The gate was bolted shut and Santa hadn’t said anybody else was checking on Dash. I leant
over the wooden slat to peer into the stall and almost fell over the gate and inside when I
spied the stranger curled up in the corner—the strange man who was butt naked.
About the Author
Beth Laycock’s books are
influenced by her time living overseas as well as the gritty, urban landscape of the north of
England where she grew up. She has been reading romance since she was old enough to tell
herself that line every book lover does—just one more chapter.
As a teenager, she attempted
to write her first novel, and many more since then are still gathering dust on her bookshelf. It
wasn’t until she discovered the M/M genre that her muse showed up and refused to quit
telling her stories about beautiful men finding love together. She hasn’t stopped scribbling
them down since. Beth’s muse usually shows up when she is in the shower, is allergic to
cleaning, rarely lets her watch TV, and insists she drinks copious amounts of coffee so she
can turn caffeine into words.
Beth’s books range from
sweet to sexy, long to short, contemporary to paranormal, but a HEA is always
guaranteed.
Ryan Stone can’t wait to put his toes in the sand at the
famous Bondi Beach. When he arrives after a flight that was far too long, and having not
slept or eaten, all he can do is stare out at the beautiful expanse of white sand and blue
ocean in awe. And when a blond guy asks him to play footy, he agrees, even if he doesn’t
know for sure what that is.
Ollie Hughes thinks a day at the beach is just what he needs
to take his mind off work. When he sees the cute but rumpled guy sitting by himself in the
sand, he’s drawn to him. The more time they spend together, the less he wants the day to
end. They end up spending a few days together, those few days turn into weeks, and neither
is ready for their time together to end.
A lot of chemistry, and a little bit of luck make for an
interesting day at the beach that both men are reluctant to end. Time and distance could be
their biggest obstacle, but maybe some things are just meant to be. #meetcute
#vacationromance #mmromance
Excerpt
Slipping my shoes and socks off, I carried them with me to
the water’s edge. The water was warmer than it was on our side of the planet, but the last
time I’d been to the ocean had been near Eureka. The water was never warm there. I walked
out enough for the water to hit near my knee.
“Oi, mate. You don’t want to be going out there. It’s a
wicked rip. Pull you right out without warning and you’ll end up across the ditch in New
Zealand.” A very tanned, very blond guy about my age, wearing an aqua and dark blue shirt
with Lifeguard emblazoned on his chest, crossed his arms and planted his feet.
“It’s okay, I’m not going out far. I just wanted to see how
warm it was.”
“If I had a dollar for every time I’d heard that, I’d be a rich
man. Most that have said it, are now about fifty meters offshore.”
My head whipped in the direction he’d indicated, before he
burst out in laughter.
“Just messin’ with ya. But seriously, don’t go out past your
knees. Everyone thinks they can handle it, but it’ll drag you out before you can get your feet
under you.” He stood and waited for me to walk out of the water and waved when I relented
and walked back over to the grassy area.
Leaning my head back I let the heat of the sun warm my
skin as my feet dried off. The sound of the ocean and children playing on the beach were all I
could hear right now. The long flight started to weigh on me, and I knew if I kept my eyes
closed much longer, I’d be asleep. I still needed to find a place to stay so I slipped my shoes
on and walked toward the other end of the beach.
People were everywhere, and dogs, and cars, and even
what looked like a group of lifeguard trainees. “Hey, you up for some footy?” a guy with
long, curly blond hair that hung in soft waves around his face asked as he jogged
closer.
“Footy?”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant.
“Yeah, we can just toss it around.” He threw the football up
and caught it with a grin.
“Sure.” I stood and followed him down to where the sand
had been raked smooth. People were gathered around the area, but most were at the edges
of the immaculate sand. I set my
backpack down on the edge and followed him. Noticing he
was barefoot, I hurried back to take my shoes off.
As soon as I was on the sand again, he tossed the ball to me
and turned to run. I threw it back and he made an amazing diving catch. We both laughed as
he dusted off sand before tossing it back to me. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Ryan, what’s yours?”
“Ollie, Ollie Hughes.” He caught the ball and did some weird
jumping throwing thing that looked funny as hell but did the job.
I caught it and before I could toss it back, he was running at
me. At first, I didn’t realize what he was doing but then he tackled me. We rolled around
laughing until I was able to get away and run farther down the beach. When he got up and
started to come at me, I threw the ball to him and turned to chase him down. Both of us
laughed as we crashed together onto the sand and wrestled around to get the ball.
He got a grip on it and bolted away from me as a few
people near us clapped. “Oh, I see how it is now,” I yelled and gave chase. He ran around
other people that were sitting either in a chair or on a towel, and the ones standing tried to
move out of the way.
Finally, when he got to an open area, he turned around and
stopped with the ball tucked under his arm. “How long are you here for?”
“How do you know I’m not from here?” I asked.
About the Author
BL Maxwell grew up in a small town listening to her grandfather spin tales about his
childhood. Later she became an avid reader and after a certain vampire series she became
obsessed with fanfiction. She soon discovered Slash fanfiction and later discovered the MM
genre and was hooked.
Love is an earthquake that relocates the centre of the universe.
Blurb
Oakley Hoffman is a walking, talking natural disaster. Not only does he seem to be the only functioning adult in his family, but he also stomps around creating irrational earthquakes with every badly thought-out ridiculous move he makes. He barely survived lockdown, and with life returning to something that vaguely resembles normal, Oakley has landed himself an inconvenient infatuation with his former best friend. Well, if he’s totally honest, he’s probably nursed that crush for years. Yet, this time around, infatuation has brought a bad streak of jealousy to boot.
Force Majeure is a 32K novella featuring childhood friends to lovers in adulthood, with explicit content intended for mature readers. No trigger warnings.
Force Majeure refers to a clause that is included in contracts to remove liability for natural and unavoidable catastrophes that interrupt the expected course of events.
Excerpt
The clinking of the lock to the Demircis’ apartment kicks me out of my daydreams, and my heart jolts as I jump to my feet, almost tripping myself up in an effort to not look like I’m loitering.
“I could hear you a mile off,” Cem says, shuffling out into the hall, shivering despite the duvet draped around his shoulders like a royal cape. “You need to go to work and stop trying to scratch my head through the walls.”
He sits on the step. Too weak to fight the pull of his presence, I plonk down beside him, probably bruising my arse in the process, because I know I’ll get what I’ve been craving. Cem has always needed contact, and here I am, being squashed against the wall as he leans his body against mine and his head falls heavily on my shoulder.
“I’m a dick,” he says, bang on with the self-reflection.
“Yeah,” I want to shout at him, scream in his goddamn face, shake him until he gets his head in gear and sees how he has shattered my world. But I don’t. I can be a calm, reasonable person, and I have far too much self-control to fall apart in front of Cemil Demirci.
“I got carried away at the weekend,” he continues. “There was a party, and then I stayed over with friends, and time just kind of evaporated, you know?” Excuses. Always excuses.
“You have an exam today,” I say. If I sound angry, it’s because I can’t help myself.
“It’s under control.” He sighs deeply and turns his head so his nose is pressed into my shoulder. That’s something else he does to reel me in. Why do I let him so cheaply buy my forgiveness? “I studied all week, so I’m good. It’s all in here.” His hand pokes out of the duvet to point at his head. “I’m not worried about the exams.”
I’m not worried either. Cem is too clever for his own good. He’ll read a book and memorise every line, quoting it back at me in long, rambling sentences I barely understand. Nor have I ever seen him use a calculator. He scribbles down numbers at frightening speed on whatever surface he can find and then does the calculation in his head.
Cem knows stuff. Far too much stuff.
“I miss you,” I whisper without meaning to. Even shielded by all the jealousy and anger I feel, knowing I’m slowly, irrevocably losing him again, it’s the truth. He is the calm to my inner storm, and I will forgive him for anything and everything. And I hate myself for it.
About the Author
Sophia Soames should be old enough to know better but has barely grown up. She has been known to fangirl over TV shows, has fallen in and out of love with more popstars than she dares to remember, and has a ridiculously high-flying (un-)glamourous real-life job.
Her long-suffering husband just laughs at her antics. Their children are feral. The Au Pair just sighs.
She lives in a creaky old house in rural London, although her heart is still in Scandinavia.
Discovering that the stories in her head make sense when written down has been part of the most hilarious midlife crisis ever, and she hopes it may long continue.
Find me on social media @sophiasoames on all platforms
Christina Stern is a Russian based artist. Quick sketches and portraits drawn in pencil are what she likes to do the most. Her work can be found on @christinastern on Instagram
Aurelia Morris is a cover artist, photographer, Photoshop wiz and eternal fangirl. She works in many mediums under more aliases that she can keep track of.
From strangers in the night to happy couples looking for a little spice, Naughty by Nature has the story for you. Each short story features steamy adult encounters in the great outdoors, not to mention a delicious variety of kinks. After all, roughing it shouldn’t have to mean giving up all our creature comforts that bring… pleasure.
So grab your sleeping bag and get back to nature in all the best ways. With a total of eleven stories by
some of your favorite MM Romance authors, you’re sure to find something to have you howling at the moon in no time!
In 1947, James “Jimmy” Bacon becomes involved in a
violent workplace altercation fuelled by a PTSD-induced rage. His boss, a fellow war-veteran,
tells him to take a few months off work, have a holiday, go somewhere warm, and get his
head together.
Jimmy decides to take a coastal steamer to the
northernmost outpost of Australia, Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, to visit the
grave of his oldest friend, Sandy, killed during the Japanese bombing of the city in 1942.
Upon arriving, he discovers that Sandy’s death is not as simple as military records seemed to
indicate. After learning that Sandy’s grave contains only an arm with no distinguishing
features, he starts asking questions around town in order to find out what really happened
to his mate.
The more he asks, the more he discovers that Darwin is less
about post-war reconstruction and more about drugs, gambling, and the excessive
consumption of alcohol. It’s a lawless city where 95% of the population is male and
prostitution is banned, creating a thriving underworld where rough frontier-town blokes and
men from the armed forces are doing more with each other than having a beer and passing
the time of day.
While digging deeper, Jimmy discovers a terrible truth,
arousing the interest of men who would do anything to keep the past a secret—men who
consider his life of little value. Jimmy is forced to rely on quick thinking and his army training
when death comes looking for him in the dead of night.
Excerpt
Tides in Darwin were monumental, sometimes more than
twenty feet rise and fall twice a day. The harbour was still dotted with wrecks, the
Indonesian bosun of the launch from the Pamanoekan taking us to the makeshift
long jetty that jutted out into the sea from Mindil Beach happily pointed out the ships and
the numbers killed on each vessel. The American destroyer USS Peary had the highest death toll:
over eighty-eight killed during the raid and only fifty-three survivors. I had no idea; we
hadn’t got that news, just that ships had been sunk and the town bombed twice. As we
negotiated towards the beach, I saw two officials waiting at the end of the jetty. There were
only six of us disembarking in Darwin, but there seemed to be a small crowd on the beach
itself—probably about twenty men in all. I couldn’t imagine they were a welcoming
committee; they were most likely blokes who’d decided to quit the town and sail on the Pamanoekan to either Broome or Perth to start new lives.
“Take care, Mr. Bacon,” the bosun said to me. “Darwin’s a
hard drinking town, rough and violent. Too many blokes, barely any women. Watch yourself,
especially in the pubs, most men in this hole like to speak with their fists.”
“Sounds like what I’m used to, mate. Don’t worry about
me.”
“Got your military permit to go ashore?”
I patted the breast pocket of my jacket. Everyone had to
have a reason to go to Darwin; in 1947, you still couldn’t just turn up there out of the blue.
I’d applied for my permit with a covering letter from Sandy’s parents, asking me to take a
photo of his grave. Reluctantly, it had been granted after I’d showed my service record to the
dick at the permit office in Sydney. He was all of sixteen by the look of him. I’d slapped it on
the counter and growled. His eyes had bulged a little, but he’d stamped it and called out
“next!” over my shoulder.
I had six weeks in Darwin to get warm, find what I was
looking for, and shake off some of my demons. The first two I was sure I could do; the last
remained to be seen.
“Taxi, sir?” a thick-set man asked as I stepped onto the
beach after being processed.
“Nah, I’ll walk,” I replied.
“Where you going?”
“Stokes Hill.”
“In this heat?” he asked with a smile, showing a mouth full
of gold teeth. “That’s nearly an hour on foot, mate. Do yourself a favour and get in my
cab.”
“Call this hot? I served in Ceylon, India, and Malaya, and
finished my war in Burma and Siam, my friend. An hour stroll in the sun will do me
good.”
“Suit yourself,” he said. When I asked which way I should
go, he pointed in the direction of Stokes Hill then turned his back on me to ask a man and his
wifewho were standing not far away, looking
stunned at their surroundings, whether they needed a taxi. Two years after the war, there
were still bomb craters and uncleared tangles of broken palms on either side of the road
that led to the jetty.
I walked down the beach for a bit then changed into my
shorts and a singlet, threw my army duffel bag over my shoulder, and lit a fag. “Hello,
Darwin,” I said to nowhere in particular.
I could have sworn it told me to fuck off and go back
home.
About the Author
After a thirty year career as a
professional opera singer, performing as a soloist in opera houses and in concert halls all
over the world, I took up a position as lecturer in music in Australia in 1999, at the Central
Queensland Conservatorium of Music, which is now part of CQUniversity. Brought up in Australia, between the bush and the
beaches of the Eastern suburbs, I retired in 2015 and now live in the tropics, writing,
gardening, and finally finding time to enjoy life and to re-establish a connection with who I
am after a very busy career on the stage and as an academic. I write mostly historical gay fiction. The stories are
always about relationships and the inner workings of men; sometimes my fellas get down to
the nitty-gritty, sometimes it’s up to you, the reader, to fill in the blanks. Every book is story driven; spies, detectives,
murders, epic dramas, there’s something for everyone. I also love to write about my country
and the things that make us Aussies and our history different from the rest of the
world. I’m research driven. I always try to do my best to
give the reader a sense of what life was like for my main characters in the world they live
in.