The Good and Bad of my Blogging Hiatus

Posted on September 3, 2012 by SloanParker

“Life can be like a roller coaster…
And just when you think you’ve had enough,
and you’re ready to get off the ride
and take the calm, easy merry-go round…
You change your mind, throw your hands in the air
and ride the roller coaster all over again.
That’s exhilaration…that’s living a bit on the edge…that’s being ALIVE.”

–Stacey Charter

Here’s some news from my recent blogging hiatus:

The Good News

Breathe was listed in RT Book Reviews magazine as a must-have from RT readers alongside some of my favorite authors and books. The mention (on page 3) was part of the very exciting feature article “It’s Raining Men: Tackling The Torrents Of Male/Male Romantic Fiction Flooding The Market.” Huge thanks to all who mentioned the book to RT!
The Happily Ever After blog at USA TODAY featured the trailer for TAKE ME HOME. Thanks to author Robin Covington for the mention!
TAKE ME HOME placed first in the Erotica category of the 2012 FTHRW Lories Best Published contest.
TAKE ME HOME also won first place in the Contemporary category of the 2012 Oklahoma RWA’s International Digital Awards.
For the first time, books from digital-first publishers won in the Romance Writers of America RITA awards.
My friend and critique partner’s first book Fairyproof is out this week (print is out now). Congrats, Constance Phillips! So proud of you!

The Bad

I lost my writing buddy in July. He held on for almost a year since his bad crash the vet thought he wouldn’t make it through. For most of that year, he did really well, so it was hard to see him lose all his strength and energy in the very end. He definitely wasn’t ready to go, and I wasn’t ready to let him. It’s not quite the same in my writing room anymore. I kept plugging away on the final edits for How to Save a Life (and it was nice to have something else to focus on), but it also made the moment bittersweet without him there.

Good-bye, my bubby. You made every day special in so many ways. Writing sure is lonelier without you.

Part 5 of More Than Just a Good Book & Another Giveaway

Posted on July 5, 2012 by SloanParker

Part 5 of MORE THAN JUST A GOOD BOOK is now available on my website. You can read part five here or download parts 1-5 of the serial story in one PDF. Hope you enjoy reading Mark and Scott’s continuing story. I probably won’t work on the next installment until I get the last of HOW TO SAVE A LIFE sent off to a couple people for feedback. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of both.

Want to be among the first to read the next installment of MORE THAN JUST A GOOD BOOK? You can sign up for my newsletter here. I announce the link there first, along with a giveaway for free books in every issue and other exclusive content.

Also, I’m guest blogging at Jessica Freely’s blog today, talking about the importance of reading for me as a writer and giving away a PRINT copy of MORE. Stop by and leave a comment to enter. The giveaway ends on Monday, July 9th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be contacted via email.

MORE Now Available in Print and a Deleted Scene

Posted on June 29, 2012 by SloanParker

I’m thrilled to share that MORE is now available for the first time in print. It’s the same story as the e-book version with a few minor wording corrections/tweaks. The trade paper is available at Amazon, Amazon UK and CreateSpace. It may take several weeks for it to appear in any other bookstores.

To celebrate the release, I’ve updated my website with a deleted scene that never made it into the final manuscript. This is the original scene for what happened when Luke came home early after meeting with his dad for the first time, then Richard arrived, having left his office early. Some of it may sound familiar as a few descriptions and Luke’s internal realizations were eventually merged into the next scene or moved elsewhere. I think this part of the story turned out much better without this sex scene, but I was still sad to hit the delete key. I’m glad I can share it with everyone now.

I hope you enjoy visiting with Luke, Matthew, and Richard.

A Title and Blurb for Walter and Kevin’s Story

Posted on June 22, 2012 by SloanParker

It’s a tentative title, and I can’t guarantee it’ll stick once the manuscript reaches my publisher, but for now it’s definitely sticking with me.

Walter and Kevin’s story is tentatively titled How to Save a Life.

Here’s a first-look at the working description…

HOW TO SAVE A LIFE

Reporter Kevin Price has a knack for tripping over his own feet. And everyone else’s. He’s in over his head undercover at the Haven, a swanky gay sex club. Five minutes inside and he can no longer deny the truth about his sexuality. Determined to find out why members of the club keep disappearing, he turns to the one man he can’t get out of his head, the sexy ex-cop helping with security. Too bad he doesn’t trust cops. Not since the only night he let himself be with another man.

Walter Simon doesn’t do the club scene anymore. Not since he found love and lost it. That doesn’t mean he won’t do whatever it takes to protect the Haven. He’s not about to let anyone hurt more innocent gay men. Even if that means going head-to-head with the klutzy, closeted, much-younger reporter. Kevin has information about the disappearances. Better to keep him close. And safe.

The two must work together to find out what’s going on before more men end up missing. Neither one is there to hook up or fall in love.

Or so they think.

Cover for Print Edition of MORE

Posted on June 18, 2012 by SloanParker

I’m thrilled to share that the trade paperback edition of MORE is almost here. Check out the cover art…

After getting the print rights back from my publisher and doing a bit of research, I decided to go the self-publishing route. I don’t have a definite release date yet as I need to review the final proof before it can go live. It should be available for purchase in the next few weeks. Keep an eye on my site for more details.