RELEASE BLITZ: “The Queering” by Brooke Skipstone

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: The Queering

Author and Publisher: Brooke Skipstone

Cover Artist: Cherie Chapman

Release Date: January 19, 2023

Genre: Contemporary F/F Romance, Historical F/F Romance, YA LGBTQ+

Tropes: Friends to lovers, Coming of age

Themes: Coming out, finding love late in life

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 92 000 words/ 318 pages

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

 

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

Trapped between a homicidal brother and a homophobic podcaster eager to reveal her lesbian romance novels, a seventy-year-old grandmother seeks help in Clear, Alaska.

 

Blurb

Editor’s Pick Booklife Reviews: A fast-paced yet thoughtful romance of coming out and finding love in later life in Alaska

5 Star Clarion Reviews: A riveting novel . . . about love, courage, and solidarity


Trapped between a homicidal brother and a homophobic podcaster eager to reveal her lesbian romance novels, a seventy-year-old grandmother seeks help in Clear, Alaska.

Suffocating in a loveless marriage and lonely existence, Taylor MacKenzie lives only through her writing, using the pen name Brooke Skipstone, her best friend in college and lover before her death in 1974.

Afraid of being murdered before anyone in her family or community knows her life story, Taylor writes an autobiography about her time with Brooke and shares it with those closest to her, hoping for understanding and acceptance.

Accused of promoting the queering and debasement of America by a local podcaster, Taylor embroils the conservative community in controversy but fights back with the help of a new, surprising friend.

Can she endure the attacks from haters and gaslighters? Can she champion the queering she represents?

And will she survive?

 

Excerpt

NO ONE in the world is actually named Brooke Skipstone.

Not for almost fifty years.

Taylor Baird MacKenzie, a long-term substitute teacher in Clear, Alaska, knew her secret had already begun to unravel. Brooke wrote novels about lesbian liberation, fierce coming-of-age stories full of high family drama. Her readers probably pictured an author in her thirties with tattoos and a gender-fluid appearance.

Certainly not a seventy-year-old grandmother with long, thick hair—still more brown than gray—wearing lined leggings and an oversized hoodie that covered her butt. And unhappily married to the same man for over forty years.

Much too old and too obviously straight to be writing such novels.

Soon, everyone would know the truth—she was the author Brooke Skipstone. How big would the shockwave be?

Taylor had long feared the repercussions and kept her pen name secret. What would her kids say? And her grandkids, who hardly knew her because she lived so far from them. And saw them even less than usual because of Covid. At times the thought of discovery had seared her guts, but the liberation of writing what she wanted, revealing the characters living in her mind and the love and pain in her heart, had become her main reason for existence.

While at her keyboard, Taylor lost herself in her secret world—vibrant, passionate, full of laughter and turmoil and utter joy. Not like her real world of silence and numbing isolation, where she couldn’t talk about what mattered most to her.

Keeping the source of her greatest happiness a secret had suffocated her life.

Taylor stood at her classroom door before her last class of the day, while students thumbed phones and talked as they sat at a picnic table in the center of the Commons area. The same kind of table she and Brooke sat at in the spring of 1973.

 

Soon after Taylor’s college roommate and fellow theatre major, Brooke Tobolovsky turned twenty-one, Brooke changed her last name. Though she didn’t have the internet to check, she said she had never heard of anyone named Skipstone, so claimed it for herself. She thought it sounded cool. Much better for the stage and screen. Besides, she’d always hated the sound of Tobolovsky.

Regardless of her name, no one could ever forget her. Long, thick, cinnamon-colored hair; high forehead; deep-set blue eyes; and the biggest smile Taylor had ever seen. She could play Lady Macbeth just as easily as Juliet and belt out a song like a combination of Cher and Stevie Nicks. She was the natural lead, while Taylor was the utility player—competent actress, writer, composer, and organizational queen.

Once all the legal papers were complete, they celebrated with a pitcher of beer at The Hangout a few blocks from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. They sat at a picnic table under canvas stretched between oak trees, blocking the March sun. Brooke carved her new name on the bench as they pushed flip-flops through pea gravel and peanut shells.

“Does this mean I can’t call you Tobo anymore?” Taylor laughed and snorted beer.

Brooke scoffed with a quick flash of her eyes, “I’ve put a curse on that name, as you can see. Say it at your peril.” She cocked an eyebrow.

Taylor coughed this time, spewing beer on her shirt.

“I always knew you couldn’t hold your liquor.” Brooke wiped Taylor’s chin with a napkin.

“That word will never cross my lips again.”

“Which word?” Brooke teased. Her tongue peeked out the side of her mouth as she dabbed the snot from Taylor’s upper lip. “Hmm?”

Flashing a smile, Taylor said, “From now on, you’ll be BS to me. Nothing but BS.”

Brooke narrowed her eyes and tightened her mouth. “You’d better be referring to Brooke Skipstone.”

Taylor raised her hands and cocked her head in a perfect expression of amused innocence. “Certainly.” She tried to swallow the guffaw rising from her gut. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

They stared at each other for three seconds, each holding her pose until Brooke broke into a smile. “That’s BS and you know it.”

Taylor’s guffaw erupted, and in their laughter-filled haze, they both knocked their glasses to the ground. No matter. They drank from the pitcher and later started a burping contest. Taylor conceded when Brooke burped the chorus of “I Am Woman,” earning a standing ovation from the crowd of hippie students and locals that had gathered around them. The girls walked home, Taylor’s arm around her friend’s neck; Brooke’s around the other’s waist.

They were known as B&T because they were inseparable. They’d shared the ground floor of a small rental house since sophomore year but spent most of their time acting, hanging lights, building sets, and running shows at the Owens Art Center. If one of them wasn’t around the other, people would invariably ask, “Where’s ___?” with a little frown and gasp.

Taylor wrote and directed plays and musicals mainly for teens, while Brooke snagged major acting roles every year. Taylor was involved in every one of Brooke’s shows, while Brooke sang and acted in each of Taylor’s studio productions.

They were two promising women, determined to make their own way in the world and support each other’s careers in theatre—Brooke as an actress at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and Taylor as a drama teacher at a private school in a nearby city. After breaking up with their casual boyfriends and graduating in 1974, they headed west in a very used VW Camper Bus adorned with painted flowers to cover the rust.

They loved each other completely as friends and had only become lovers two days before Brooke’s death.

 

About the Author

Brooke Skipstone is a multi-award-winning author who lives in Alaska where she watches the mountains change colors with the seasons from her balcony. Where she feels the constant rush toward winter as the sunlight wanes for six months of the year, seven minutes each day, bringing crushing cold that lingers even as the sun climbs again. Where the burst of life during summer is urgent under twenty-four-hour daylight, lush and decadent. Where fish swim hundreds of miles up rivers past bear claws and nets and wheels and lines of rubber-clad combat fishers, arriving humped and ragged, dying as they spawn. Where danger from the land and its animals exhilarates the senses, forcing her to appreciate the difference between life and death. Where the edge between is sometimes too alluring.


The Queering is her fifth novel. Visit her website at for information about her first four novels—The Moonstone Girls, Crystal’s House of Queers, Some Laneys Died, and Someone To Kiss My Scars.

 

Social Media Links

Blog/Website | Instagram

 

Giveaway

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Continue ReadingRELEASE BLITZ: “The Queering” by Brooke Skipstone

SERIES TOUR: “The Pizza Chronicles” by Andy V. Roamer

THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES TOUR

and BOOK 5 NEW RELEASE

 

SERIES BLURB

The books in the Pizza
Chronicles series follow the main character, RV, through his high school years, as he tries to
answer his many questions about life, God, prayer, sexuality, being the son of immigrants,
and staying loyal to his heritage while carving out his own life and relationships.

The stories should
be
read in order.

Book #1: Why Can’t Life Be
Like Pizza?

Book #2: Why Can’t
Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?

Book #3: Why Can’t
Relationships Be Like Pizza?

Book #4: Why Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?

Book #5: Why Can’t Dating Be
Like Pizza?

Overall Heat Rating for the series: 1 flame

 

BOOK 5 – NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Why Can’t
Dating Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V. Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Length: 52 000 words

Release Date: August 20,
2022

Genre: Young Adult

Trope: Gay
romance

Heat Rating: 2 flames

Themes: Dating, films, art,
bullying, gay suicide, finding one’s passion, surviving break-ups

This story is a continuation of
Book #1-4 with the same characters and does not end on a cliffhanger. It is best to read the
books in order.

Add on Goodreads

Series Buy Links

NineStar Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Sixteen year-old RV
negotiates the ups and down of junior year of high school, filled with pressure, new
romance, and unexpected discoveries.

 

Blurb

RV is now a junior in Book #5,
Why Can’t Dating Be Like Pizza?. It’s the most important year of high school, as his guidance
counselor makes clear. He pushes RV to improve his grades, get more active socially, and
show colleges why they should accept him over other candidates. But RV has other things on
his mind. He has met Luke, freshly arrived in Boston from Los Angeles. Luke shows him a
whole new world of romance, movie making, and fun. RV’s friends and family pull him in
other directions though. There’s the responsibility of earning money. His longtime friend
Carole pulls him into politics, asking him to direct her campaign running for the student
council. His old crush Bobby isn’t around much, and RV has to accept that he and Bobby are
no longer an item, though he still has some feelings for him. But when Luke makes an
unexpected announcement, RV really has to accept that dating has painful downs as well as
joyful ups.

 

 

CHECK OUT THE FIRST FOUR BOOKS IN

THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES

BOOK 1

Book Title: Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V. Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Length: 55 100 words/ 208
pages

Release Date: March 30, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Trope: Son of immigrants

Themes: Coming Out

It is a standalone story.

Add on Goodreads

Buy Links

NineStar Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

In Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza? RV begins freshman year at demanding Boston Latin School, doing his best to keep
up and fit in while wrestling with his immigrant heritage and his sexuality.

 

Blurb

Wrestling with his sexuality, along with a lot of other things,
RV thinks all is okay when he starts going out with
Carole. But things get more complicated when RV develops a crush on Bobby, a football
player in his class, who admits he may have gay feelings, too. Bobby is African American and
facing his own pressures. Luckily, RV develops a friendship with Mr. Aniso, his Latin teacher,
who is gay and always there to talk to when the pressure becomes overwhelming.

 

 

BOOK 2

Book Title: Why Can’t
Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V. Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Length: 50 200 words/196
pages

Release Date: June 1,
2020

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Trope: Summer Vacation

Themes: Obstacles to exploring sexuality and enjoying summer

This story is a continuation of
Book #1 with the same characters

Goodreads

Buy Links

Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Tagline In
Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like
Pizza
? RV and Bobby have survived freshman
year and are looking forward to spending a wonderful summer together. But life has other
plans.

Blurb

RV and Bobby’s summer is not what they wish for. They
hardly have time to spend with each other.
Bobby is busy at football camp and working at a job his father has pressured him into
taking. RV is busy with a summer job, too, and also has to help his parents pass their U.S.
citizenship test. His friend Carole jumps at the chance to spend her summer in Paris. As
always, Mr. Aniso, RV’s Latin teacher is there to talk to when RV gets too lonely. He’s also
there when RV inadvertently spills one of Bobby’s secrets, and Bobby is so angry at him RV is
afraid he’s ready to cut off the friendship.

 

BOOK 3

Book Title: Why Can’t
Relationships Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V. Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Length: 58 000 words/ 272
pages

Release Date: March 15,
2021

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Trope: Forming relationships

Themes: Maintaining relationships through difficulties/helping friend
through tragedy

This is a continuation of Book
#2 of The Pizza Chronicles

Goodreads

Buy Links

Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

In Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?, Book #3, RV begins sophomore year in high school, though his
relationships create more questions than answers.

 

Blurb

RV is trying to maintain his newfound friendship with
Bobby, but it’s becoming harder and harder.
Bobby
seems a different, more distant, person. RV’s friend Carole is distracted with the ups and
downs in her relationships with the French boyfriends she met during her summer in Paris.
RV’s new friend Mark is focused on his family’s troubles. School is a mixed bag. But Mr.
Aniso, RV’s former teacher and mentor, is there to lean on, especially when near tragedy
strikes and RV needs Mr. Aniso’s counsel to stay strong and provide help where
it’s needed most.

 

BOOK 4

Book Title: Why
Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V.
Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star
Press

Length: 52 000
words

Release Date: August
23, 2021

Genre: Young Adult LGBT

Tropes: Summer vacation between freshman & sophomore
years of high school

Themes: Teenage steps toward maturity: ups & downs of
romance, driving lessons, coming out to family

It is a standalone story, with the same characters from books
1-3.

The books have frequent references to previous titles in the
series, so better if they are read in order.

Goodreads

Buy Links

NineStar
Press

Amazon US | Amazon UK

RV’s summer after sophomore year of high school
isn’t all fun and games as he navigates a budding new relationship, struggles with driving
lessons, copes with the ups and downs of his summer job in a movie theatre, and tries to be
patient with his traditional family that doesn’t want to deal with his sexuality.

Blurb

It’s the summer after sophomore year and RV enjoys new
adventures and faces new challenges having finished two years of high school. Since he
loves movies, he’s happy to get a job as an usher at a movie multiplex, but learns the
realities of dealing with job stresses and unruly customers. It’s time for him to start learning
how to drive, and his father is eager to give him lessons. But he’s not the most patient of
teachers and RV is not the most capable of drivers. Bobby is still around, but he’s doing the
hard job of recovering from his injury so doesn’t have time for much else. RV tries to open
himself up to a new relationship and is happy when he meets Matteo, who works at the
multiplex also. It looks like the start of a budding romance – until it isn’t. And then there is
RV’s family, loving but traditional, not ready or willing to discuss issues of sexuality. Luckily,
as always, there is Mr. Aniso, RV’s freshmen-year teacher, who has become a friend and is
always there to talk over anything that might be bothering RV. But he’s away for the summer,
helping his partner’s family, so there’s only so much time and attention he can give RV.

 

About the Author

Andy V. Roamer grew up in the Boston area and moved to New
York City after college. He worked in book publishing for many years, starting out in the
children’s and YA books division and then wearing many other hats. This is his first novel
about RV, the teenage son of immigrants from Lithuania in Eastern Europe, as RV tries to
negotiate his demanding high school, his budding sexuality, and new relationships. He has
written an adult novel, Confessions of a
Gay Curmudgeon
, under the pen name Andy V. Ambrose. To relax, Andy loves to ride his
bike, read, watch foreign and independent movies, and travel.

 

Social Media Links

 

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

 

Continue ReadingSERIES TOUR: “The Pizza Chronicles” by Andy V. Roamer

SERIES TOUR: “The Pizza Chronicles” by Andy V. Roamer.

THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES TOUR

and BOOK 4 NEW RELEASE

 

SERIES BLURB

The books in the Pizza
Chronicles series follow the main character, RV, through his high school years, as he tries to
answer his many questions about life, God, prayer, sexuality, being the son of immigrants,
and staying loyal to his heritage while carving out his own life and relationships.

The stories should
be
read in order.

Book #1: Why Can’t Life Be
Like Pizza?

Book #2: Why Can’t
Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?

Book #3: Why Can’t
Relationships Be Like Pizza?

Book #4: Why Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like
Pizza?

Overall Heat Rating for the series: 1 flame

 

NEW RELEASE

BOOK 4

Book Title: Why
Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V.
Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star
Press

Length: 52 000
words

Release Date: August
2, 2021

Genre: Young Adult LGBT

Tropes: Summer vacation between freshman & sophomore
years of high school

Themes: Teenage steps toward maturity: ups & downs of
romance, driving lessons, coming out to family

It is a standalone story, with the same characters from books

1-3.

The books have frequent references to previous titles in the
series, so better if they are read in order.

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

NineStar Author Page

Amazon US Author Page | Amazon UK Author Page

 

RV’s summer after sophomore year of high school
isn’t all fun and games as he navigates a budding new relationship, struggles with driving
lessons, copes with the ups and downs of his summer job in a movie theatre, and tries to be
patient with his traditional family that doesn’t want to deal with his sexuality.

Blurb

It’s the summer after sophomore year and RV enjoys new
adventures and faces new challenges having finished two years of high school. Since he
loves movies, he’s happy to get a job as an usher at a movie multiplex, but learns the
realities of dealing with job stresses and unruly customers. It’s time for him to start learning
how to drive, and his father is eager to give him lessons. But he’s not the most patient of
teachers and RV is not the most capable of drivers. Bobby is still around, but he’s doing the
hard job of recovering from his injury so doesn’t have time for much else. RV tries to open
himself up to a new relationship and is happy when he meets Matteo, who works at the
multiplex also. It looks like the start of a budding romance – until it isn’t. And then there is
RV’s family, loving but traditional, not ready or willing to discuss issues of sexuality. Luckily,
as always, there is Mr. Aniso, RV’s freshmen-year teacher, who has become a friend and is
always there to talk over anything that might be bothering RV. But he’s away for the
summer, helping his partner’s family, so there’s only so much time and attention he can give
RV.

 

 

CHECK OUT THE FIRST THREE BOOKS IN

THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES

BOOK 1

Book Title: Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V. Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Length: 55 100 words/ 208
pages

Release Date: March 30,
2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Trope: Son of immigrants

Themes: Coming Out

It is a standalone story.

Add on Goodreads


Buy Links

NineStar Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

In Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza? RV begins freshman year at demanding Boston Latin School, doing his best to keep
up and fit in while wrestling with his immigrant heritage and his sexuality.

 

Blurb

Wrestling with his sexuality, along with a lot of other
things,
RV thinks all is okay when he starts going
out with Carole. But things get more complicated when RV develops a crush on Bobby, a
football player in his class, who admits he may have gay feelings, too. Bobby is African
American and facing his own pressures. Luckily, RV develops a friendship with Mr. Aniso, his
Latin teacher, who is gay and always there to talk to when the pressure becomes
overwhelming.

 

 

BOOK 2

Book Title: Why Can’t
Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V. Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Length: 50 200 words/196
pages

Release Date: June 1,
2020

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Trope: Summer Vacation

Themes: Obstacles to exploring sexuality and enjoying summer

This story is a continuation of
Book #1 with the same characters

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

Tagline In
Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like
Pizza
? RV and Bobby have survived freshman
year and are looking forward to spending a wonderful summer together. But life has other
plans.

Blurb

RV and Bobby’s summer is not what they wish for. They
hardly have time to spend with each other.
Bobby is busy at football camp and working at a job his father has pressured him into
taking. RV is busy with a summer job, too, and also has to help his parents pass their U.S.
citizenship test. His friend Carole jumps at the chance to spend her summer in Paris. As
always, Mr. Aniso, RV’s Latin teacher is there to talk to when RV gets too lonely. He’s also
there when RV inadvertently spills one of Bobby’s secrets, and Bobby is so angry at him RV is
afraid he’s ready to cut off the friendship.

 

BOOK 3

Book Title: Why Can’t
Relationships Be Like Pizza?

Author: Andy V. Roamer

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Length: 58 000 words/ 272
pages

Release Date: March 15,
2021

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Trope: Forming relationships

Themes: Maintaining relationships through difficulties/helping friend
through tragedy

This is a continuation of Book

#2 of The Pizza Chronicles

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

In Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?, Book #3, RV begins sophomore year in high school, though his
relationships create more questions than answers.

 

Blurb

RV is trying to maintain his newfound friendship with
Bobby, but it’s becoming harder and harder.
Bobby
seems a different, more distant, person. RV’s friend Carole is distracted with the ups and
downs in her relationships with the French boyfriends she met during her summer in Paris.
RV’s new friend Mark is focused on his family’s troubles. School is a mixed bag. But Mr.
Aniso, RV’s former teacher and mentor, is there to lean on, especially when near tragedy
strikes and RV needs Mr. Aniso’s counsel to stay strong and provide help where it’s needed
most.

 

About the Author

Andy V. Roamer grew up in the Boston area and moved to
New York City after college. He worked in book publishing for many years, starting out in the
children’s and YA books division and then wearing many other hats. This is his first novel
about RV, the teenage son of immigrants from Lithuania in Eastern Europe, as RV tries to
negotiate his demanding high school, his budding sexuality, and new relationships. He has
written an adult novel, Confessions of a
Gay Curmudgeon
, under the pen name Andy V. Ambrose. To relax, Andy loves to ride his
bike, read, watch foreign and independent movies, and travel.

 

Social Media Links

 

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

 

Continue ReadingSERIES TOUR: “The Pizza Chronicles” by Andy V. Roamer.

BOOK BLAST: “Young King Arthur and the Round Table Knights” by Siryn Sueng

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Young King Arthur and the Round Table Knights

Author: Siryn
Sueng

Publisher: Deep Hearts YA

Release Date: September 18,
2020

Genre/s: Fantasy, M/M YA Romance

Trope/s: First Love, Arthurian Legend

Themes: Coming of Age, Knights

Heat Rating: 2 flames

Length: 68 322 words/ 270
pages

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Smashwords | Apple Books |
B&N | Kobo

 

Arthur grew up a peasant,
but when he was fourteen, Excalibur chose him, and now as King Arthur, he must learn to
play the game of royalty quickly … or suffer the consequences.

 

Blurb

There was no reason for Arthur to think he would ever
become king.

A peasant and son of a baker, Arthur grew up in the castle
town of Camelot. When he attended the choosing ceremony, it was merely to see who
would draw the Holy Sword, Excalibur – to see who would inherit the throne of the recently
departed King Uther. He never expected the sword would choose him…

But it did.

Now, at the young age of fourteen, he has become King
Arthur, and for all the power he has gained, he has made just as many enemies. Surrounded
by the Knights of the Round Table, and led by the mysterious mage, Merlin, Arthur is
grateful for his allies, though he would just as soon return to his old life. Surely, someone
more worthy should be chosen as king.

Arthur is in the middle of chaos, a world where everyone
wants more than they let on, where many hate the idea of a young boy with no noble
background being crowned king; where cold stares and whispered words are just as sharp as
an assassin’s blade.

As Arthur fends for his life, he must draw on the strength of
his knights, especially fifteen-year-old Mordred, who becomes closer to him than the mere
bounds of duty. He must become king, not just in name, but in his heart.

And he must do it quickly, because his enemies want more
than just his crown…

 

Excerpt

Two days had passed since I’d pulled the sword free—since becoming King. On the first full
day within the castle, Merlin had found me wandering the halls and dragged me back to my
room to be fitted for an outrageous amount of clothing. We discussed Illian.

Merlin assured me that he was being treated well within the dungeons, despite his cold
attitude that he gave to everyone. Nothing would be done to him without my consultation.
That fact only added more weight.

He also brought up his conversation with my mother and the letter I should expect. The day
after, I received it. She’d expressed her worries, but also her love and support. She praised
me, and though I knew it was meant as encouragement, it only made me more wary and
frightened. My station as King was not something to take so lightly—even if she had all the
confidence in the world. I tried to reply, but nothing I wrote seemed fitting. Rather, it all
seemed more like complaints and childish pleading. It wasn’t something I wanted to send to
her, not after having her praise me.

Within the mirror, the striking blue doublet that covered me looked even more out of place
as I thought about my mother’s letter. The kingly raiment I now wore wasn’t the only one. I
had a rich dark purple one, a red one, a light blue, and a solid black. And to think, those
were just for me to wear when I wasn’t in the throne room! All the different clothes were
going to make my head explode.

“Yes, he did a wonderful job,” Elias said. “Perfect fit. Of course, he is the best tailor in the
lands. Only the best for our King.” He stepped back from me and bowed.

“I don’t need the best,” I said softly, but Elias caught it.

“I suppose it’s good to know that you haven’t drowned in the riches, but at the same time
you do need to look the part at least.”

I turned to look out the window. The sea burst against the cliff side, throwing water in a
violent display of white foam. I watched the waves for a moment longer, knowing that I
needed to get going. I was stalling because I was nervous about meeting the knights. What
were they going to think of me? I was young, and a peasant. No royal blood flowed through
my veins.

I chewed on my lower lip. Elias touched my arm. I looked over at him. He didn’t say
anything, but he didn’t have to. I nodded and followed him out of the room and into the
large corridor.

We left the castle and crossed from the tree-lined grounds into the gardens. The smells of
the flowers permeated my senses. I took a deep breath. The scents calmed some of my
nerves.

Ahead of us on the other side of the castle grounds stood the Knights’ Tower, where they all
resided. The tower was imposing, dark in color, and vines crawled up the sides of the rocks.
Windows lined the entire building, spiraling up to the top. Elias led me to the tower’s set of
wooden doors and bowed to me.

“This is as far as I can go, Your Majesty.”

My heart clenched and ice shot through my chest. I was going to be alone with the knights.
Terror flooded me and I began to tremble. Elias touched my arm again. I focused on him. He
smiled and the gentle look helped me relax.

“You will be just fine, my lord. They might be rough around the edges, but they’re loyal and

actually very nice.”

“Okay. I’ll be just fine. Thank you, Elias. I’ll see you later.”

He bowed and left me standing in front of the doors. I contemplated leaving and hiding in
the library. I turned and took a step forward—right into a warm body. With a startled gasp, I
stumbled back and bowed forward as I squeaked, “Forgive me! I didn’t see you there! I’m
sorry I ran into you!”

The one who I had run into snickered and I recognized that tone well. I looked up to see
Merlin smirking at me. My heart fell like it had become a lump of lead. I stared at him as he
laughed at me. I could feel a hot blush creeping across my face.

“My, my. You’re a King now, my lord. You don’t bow to anyone. So, what is it that has you
cowering before the Knights’ Tower? Are you intimidated by them?” Merlin seemed a little
more welcoming, but I still didn’t like the look on his face. It seemed like he was scrutinizing
me beneath his outward demeanor.

I turned back to the double doors and swallowed dryly. “They won’t approve of me.”

“Not everyone will. But that’s what it means to be king. No one is loved on their first day on
the throne. Everyone questions the new crown; that is simply how it is. It takes time to earn
trust and loyalty. You will earn it. But…if you do nothing, then you will have nothing.”

His words shook me. The mage was right. I understood then why he was the advisor to the
King of Camelot. He knew what he was talking about. Despite being condescending at times,
he was truly helpful.

“I can’t avoid everything, and why should I? Thank you, Merlin.”

He bowed to me. “Of course, Your Majesty. It’s what I’m here for. So, shall we?”

“Yes.”

I turned around and pulled the door open.

 

About the Author

Siryn Sueng is a writer of
fantasy, paranormal, and even Sci-Fi genres. She’s married to a wonderful husband with a
minion of two years. They have a full house with three adorable fur babies, Anubis -the
mighty cat hunter- Kida -the momma bear- and Mishka -the loveable husky-.

Siryn is a lover of games on a
wide range of platforms. She plays on the PC, console, and hand-held devices including the
phone. Japan is where she would love to visit sometime and is a huge inspiration to many of
her projects. She’s a huge fan of Japan, including manga and anime. Siryn has even begun to
dabble in comic/manga script writing. Future works in this will be posted on
WebToon.

 

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BOOK BLAST: “Love Him Hate Him” by Chris Bedell. $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Love Him/Hate Him

Author: Chris Bedell

Publisher: Between the Lines Publishing

Release Date: February 16, 2021

Genre: YA LGBTQ Thriller

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 185 print pages

It is a standalone story.

Add on Goodreads

 

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited and Paperback

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

Connor is out. Liam is the secretly gay football player. Together they must navigate a hush-hush relationship while working together to solve the murder of Liam’s sister.

 

Blurb

17-year-old Connor doesn’t believe his best friend’s death was an accident. Falling down the stairs was random, and Connor can’t help but wonder if someone might’ve pushed her…

Determined to find out the truth, Connor starts his own investigation. Along the way, he discovers Evelyn’s affair with a married man and thought she was pregnant before she died. Connor thinks he’s found her killer, but an airtight alibi forces him to look in a new direction. Perhaps closer to home.

Complicating the situation more is Connor’s own secret – an unexpected hook up with Evelyn’s twin brother, Liam, at a party the previous spring. Afterward, Liam goes on a homophobic rant and punches Connor, leaving him confused. His confusion deepens when, after Evelyn’s death, Liam apologizes and they start to hook up secretly.

Liam is trapped between his attraction to Connor and his abusive father. Connor struggles with his growing attraction for Liam. Their secret rendezvous are fun, but if Connor is going to have more with Liam, he’ll have to be honest about his feelings and his suspicions on who killed Evelyn. Will either survive the truth coming out?

 

Excerpt

I left the hair salon the following evening.

A faint chill permeated the air, and the waxiness of the full moon glinted against the ground, providing extra lighting while I walked to my Mercedes.

Normally, I wouldn’t have picked a 7:00 P.M. appointment, but it was all the hair salon had had on such short notice.

“The fuck you doing at a hair salon?” someone called.

I whipped my body around. Liam stood about ten feet from me.

“I’ve gotta go.” I pulled out my car keys, then grabbed the car door handle.

“Please don’t leave,” he pleaded.

I looked over my shoulder, meeting his eyes. “Why would I do you any favors?”

“Because I wanted to apologize.”

Wow. Lucky me, getting two surprises in less than a week. First Evelyn’s death, now this. The only difference was that there was a chance this surprise would be wanted.

 

About the Author

Chris Bedell’s previous publishing credits include Thought Catalog, Entropy Magazine, Chicago Literati, and Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, among others. His debut YA Fantasy novel IN THE NAME OF MAGIC was published by NineStar Press in 2018. His 2019 books include his NA Thriller BURNING BRIDGES (BLKDOG Publishing) and his YA Paranormal Romance novel DEATHLY DESIRES (Deep Hearts YA). In addition to his YA Thriller BETWEEN LOVE AND MURDER, Chris had several other books released in 2020, including his YA Contemporary I’LL SEE YOU AGAIN (Deep Hearts YA). Furthermore, Chris graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2016.

 

Social Media Links

Twitter | Instagram | Amazon

 

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RELEASE BLITZ: “Hunger Strike” by T.J. Pike

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Hunger Strike: The Road of Bones

Author: T.J. Pike

Publisher: Gnaw Publishing

Release Date: November 20, 2020

Genre/s: Dystopian, YA, sci-fi/fantasy

Trope/s: Reluctant Hero

Themes: Friendship, family, freedom versus oppression

Heat Rating: 1 flame

Length: 95 391 words

It is book 1 in a series of 4

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

The road must have its blood

Blurb

Hunger Strike, The Road of Bones drops you two centuries into the future. The moon has been sheared in two, much of the Earth is a wasteland, and the world is ruled over by witches and sorcerers with cruelty and indifference. When the town of Endly is threatened by the tinkerer and his army of animorphs, sixteen-year-old Hunger Strike, alongside his best friend, Winda, and his adopted brother, Denver, devises a plan to move thousands of its residents across the treacherous wilds, in the hopes of finding a new home within the borders of a strange land far to the west, known only as The Weird Wood.

Excerpt

Winda is the adult in the room. Always. She approaches challenges logically. Where I’m a bumbling mess of emotions, Winda has a way of removing emotion from any given situation, and then, with a clear head, she begins to formulate a plan of action.

So, I relate every detail of the past couple of hours to her, ending on a sour note with the impending invasion, and then I sit back, fold my arms across my chest, and I watch the gears spinning behind Winda’s eyes, a flickering candle between us.

A minute passes. Two. Three.

“The beasts!” she shouts suddenly, jumping to her feet and kicking the leg of the table. Next, to my horror, she pulls her machete from its sheath and, in one lightning fast motion, she stabs its tip into the table, plants her hands, locks eyes with me, grits her teeth and she spits; “Well, I’m not going down without a fight, you hear?? We’ll certainly die, but we’re damned well going to take a few of them bastards down with us, and we’ll bathe in their blood together before our glorious deaths!”

I knit my eyebrows together. Clearly, someone has taken my Winda and they’ve replaced her with a person who delights in taking baths in other folks blood. I, however, do not. Where’s the adult in the room? The lack of emotion? The clear-headed plan? We really are screwed if even Winda can’t wrap her head around this thing and spit out a strategy other than bathing in blood and glorious deaths – a duo of rather unappealing options in my less-than-knowledgeable opinion on the subject.

“Um – I don’t like that plan, Winda,” I whisper, painfully aware that Denver is in my bedroom and probably listening to every word we say.

“What else is there??” she spits back at me, once again taking her seat.

I furrow my brow. “Running?”

“Leave – all these people to be slaughtered?” Winda hisses across the table at me. “Is that what you’re suggesting, Hunger?”

“No, Winda, that’s not what I’m suggesting,” I say.

“Then what?”

“We take them with us,” I say.

There’s a pause while Winda looks across the table at me like I’ve just grown a hideous extra head or two. “There are – thousands of people living in Endly, Hunger.”

“Two thousand, three hundred and thirty-seven,” a raspy little voice says.

I glance over my shoulder. Denver is peeking into the kitchen from the hall.

Winda sneers at him.

He gulps.

Denver has always been quite anxious around Winda. It might be her machete, or the pistol, or the fact that he overheard us discussing how she had accidentally murdered her pet cat, Mr. Wiggles. Or all three.

About the Author

T.J. Pike has been writing since splashing down on this tiny blue marble in late 1986, when a native of the planet observed what a brilliant liar he was. “You should either write a book or go into politics,” the woman was heard to say. Having been a VIP guest at the White House several thousand times over the past hundred years, he chose the former. Hand cramps, cold feet and early mornings soon inspired him to invent the computer, wool socks and coffee, though not in that order. Pike is currently number one on the Epsilon Delta Bestsellers list, and if you visit the Planet Arkon, you can find a bronze statue of him in the alleyway behind Smirk’s Liquor Mart, just to the left of the dumpster. Dubbed the most prolific story-teller of his time by Deckon-the-deceiver, Pike currently resides in New England, where he spends his days in the clouds, atop his dragon, Dinky, only stopping to allow her to feed on the occasional villager or two.

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BOOK BLAST: “Toy Soldiers” by Maggie Blackbird. Rafflecopter Giveaway Included! See entry link below:

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Toy Soldiers (Book 2, When We Were Young series)

Author: Maggie Blackbird

Publisher: Devine Destinies

Cover Artist: Martine Jardin

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance, young adult, multicultural, LGBT

Trope/s: Friends to lovers

Themes: Coming of age, coming out

Heat Rating: 1 flame

Length: 70 349 words/ 244 pages

It is NOT a standalone book. Book 1 needs to be read first.

Goodreads

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Publisher | Kobo | B&N | iBooks

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Once a thief, always a thief, and if he can’t win the heart of the boy he loves, he’ll steal it.

Blurb

Billy Redsky’s made one of his biggest dreams come true, but there’s a problem. Even though the boy he loves is mere footsteps across the hall from his bedroom, they might as well live a country apart because claiming René Oshawee’s heart is more difficult than Billy anticipates.

Much to Billy’s disgust, René can’t accept his true self, so he’s incapable of loving someone else. And all he cares about is living a life the chief and his wife foresee for their youngest son.

If Billy is to finally have what he truly desires, he must stop René from running away from who he really is and face the man in the mirror, or what they share will never blossom into true love

Excerpt

Stuart lived past the recreation center. Billy huffed down the road. Sure, he’d be interrupting dinnertime, but big deal. He couldn’t stay in Castle Oshawee any longer.

The boiling heat of anger beneath his clothing stopped him from freezing under the clear, cold sky. Darkness was fast approaching. The sun on the horizon was bursting with colors of mauve, scarlet, and pumpkin.

The big door at the recreation center opened. Billy’s old buddies, Lonn and Dylan, strolled outside to probably have a cigarette. When they strutted away from the doors and beelined for the road, Billy stiffened. They knew he could beat their asses—especially since he outweighed them by a good fifteen pounds now.

“’Sup?” Lonn called out, slyly grinning.

“Not much.” Billy stopped. He wasn’t going to keep walking like a coward afraid of the neighborhood bullies. “Heard you both got kicked out.” Because neither rode the school bus anymore.

“No biggie.” Lon shrugged. “Y’know we were bailing when we turned the big one-six.”

A direction Billy had been heading before dumb ol’ René had turned him into one of The General’s toy soldiers in Oshawee Army.

Splashes of rebellion bubbled under Billy’s skin. He might’ve blown off telling Mr. and Mrs. O where he was going tonight, but he’d been heading for Stuart’s, and later going home right on the button of his curfew time, like a good little grunt.

He folded his arms. “What’re you doing?”

“What else? Heading for the old house.” Lonn dropped another sly smile.

Dylan nodded, also grinning.

When Billy had used to party there, they’d burned stuff in the woodstove to keep warm during the winter.

“You coming, or are you still hanging with the geek twins?” Lonn elbowed a chuckling Dylan.

“Sure, why not?” Nobody at Castle Oshawee had given a flying fuck Billy had left the house. As for René, screw him. All he cared about was following the rules and obeying the orders coming from everyone seated in the living room.

About the Author

An Ojibway from Northwestern Ontario, Maggie resides in the country with her husband and their fur babies, two beautiful Alaskan Malamutes. When she’s not writing, she can be found pulling weeds in the flower beds, mowing the huge lawn, walking the Mals deep in the bush, teeing up a ball at the golf course, fishing in the boat for walleye, or sitting on the deck at her sister’s house, making more wonderful memories with the people she loves most.

Author Links

Web Site | Facebook Page | Twitter

BookBub | Linked In | Amazon Author Page

eXtasy Books Author Page | Newsletter Sign-Up

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BOOK BLAST: “Two Princess” by Maggie Blackbird. Rafflecopter Giveaway Included! See entry link below:

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Two Princes

Author: Maggie Blackbird

Publisher: Devine Destinies

Cover Artist: Martine Jardin

Release Date: June 12, 2020

Genre/s: Young Adult, multicultural, contemporary, LGBT romance

Trope/s: Friends to lovers

Themes: Coming of age

Heat Rating: No sexual content – only kissing

Length: 67 345 words/ 235 pages

It is the second book in the When We Were Young series.

Goodreads

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To win over the chief’s haughty son, a drug-dealing punk from a dysfunctional family must risk the only two things he has: his reputation and freedom.

Blurb

Billy Redsky, a rebellious punk who loves art and nature, is saddled with a welfare-leeching, alcoholic mother and criminal older brother who are the joke of their Ojibway community. Sick and tired of being perceived as a loser, Billy deals drugs for his older brother to earn quick money. He hopes if he buys a dirt bike, he’ll finally impress the chief’s popular and aloof son, René Oshawee.

When the two are forced to serve detention together, a friendship blooms, but much to Billy’s frustration, René keeps putting him on ice. To make his biggest dream come true if he finally wants to call René his own, Billy must make a huge decision that could cost him everything.

Excerpt

TWO PRINCES

At the same time, they entered the office doorway. Billy’s side received a sharp elbow jab, and his lungs almost hurled from his throat. Pain. Major pain.

René pointed at the chair. “Sit. I’m going first. Unlike you, I don’t got all day to be playing around.” He strode to the counter. “Is Mr. Carlson in? Mrs. Lamb sent me.” The attitude in his voice melted into an ass-kissing, respectful tone.

“What for?” The secretary, with a big beehive straight out of the sixties, stood.

René pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Redsky got into my little cousin’s face. I have to talk to Mr. Carlson about it.”

“Okay. Let me buzz you in.” The swinging-sixties secretary reached for the phone.

Never mind his aching side. Billy scrambled from the chair. “I ain’t taking the rap for this. You started it, loser.”

René whipped around. “What’d you call me?”

“I called you a loser.” Billy fisted his hands.

“You worthless punk.” René held up his finger in a lecturing gesture just as the teachers did. “Wanna talk about losers? Your mom and brother are total alkies and welfare leeches. It’s people like your family who give reds a bad name. That’s why everyone hates on us and says we’re a bunch of drunks sucking the taxpayers dry.”

“Is that what Chief Oshawee says when you’re having your fancy steak supper? Or maybe your mom says it ‘cause she’s some bigshot accountant?” The jeer flew from Billy’s mouth.

“Give it a rest, boys.” Mr. Carlson’s thick voice whirled into their argument. “My secretary told me you both were sent here. René,” he pointed at the door, “into my office. And, Billy, sit down. We’ll talk once I hear René’s version.”

It figured Prince Oshawee would get to go first. At least Billy had been smart enough to pass off his stash to Lonn before being sent to the vice principal’s office.

For ten minutes, Billy waited, and waited, and waited, the second bell having already rung. René was probably painting a sham picture of Billy shoving dope down Stuart’s throat.

The door to the vice principal’s office opened. René huffed out. He shook back his shoulder-length, thick, almost-black hair and trounced from the reception area into the main hall.

Instead of raw fury searing Billy, being ignored by the royal spare was sharp teeth sinking into his skin. Big deal. He didn’t give a shit about anyone or their opinion. Especially an Oshawee.

“Billy…” Mr. Carlson and his big gut filled the doorway. “In here. Now.”

Billy slunk into the office and flopped in the usual stiffer-than-a-board chair opposite the massive oak desk. He dropped his backpack and his frustration onto the floor. There was no point in arguing. Chrome Dome would believe an Oshawee over a Redsky.

Mr. Carlson sat on his king-style throne. “Fighting again?”

What could Billy say? Nothing.

“I didn’t think so.” Mr. Carlson picked up the phone and flipped through his Rolodex. “I have business to attend to. You’ll report to room two-o-two after school. We have a new strategy when it comes to physical disputes. You’ll find out then when you get there. Dismissed.”

About the Author

An Ojibway from Northwestern Ontario, Maggie resides in the country with her husband and their fur babies, two beautiful Alaskan Malamutes. When she’s not writing, she can be found pulling weeds in the flower beds, mowing the huge lawn, walking the Mals deep in the bush, teeing up a ball at the golf course, fishing in the boat for walleye, or sitting on the deck at her sister’s house, making more wonderful memories with the people she loves most.

Author Links

Web Site | Facebook Page | Twitter | Goodreads |

BookBub | Linked In | Amazon Author Page |

eXtasy Books Author Page | Newsletter Sign-Up

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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