(c) istockphoto.com, kamisoka 2010
Elisa Rolle is hosting an anniversary party on her blog today. Stop by to congratulate her and enter to win a free gift. There’s a huge list and it still looks like there are a lot of items left as of this posting.
Congratulations to Elisa for much success on her blog and a huge thanks for all she does for LGBT books.
Sorry I didn’t get anything posted yesterday. It was a crazy Monday, but a good kind of crazy. Today I’m going through the line edits for Take Me Home. Should be getting cover art in the next few weeks. I’ll share the art and a new excerpt as soon as I can. It’s getting closer!
I’m thrilled to share that part 3 of More Than Just a Good Book is now available. You can read the opening of it below. I’ve also updated the cover art based on tips I learned in a publishing class. A special thank-you to Connie and Rosie for critiquing the story.
If you check it out, I hope you enjoy this next installment of Mark and Scott’s story.
More Than Just a Good Book: Part Three
Mark had no words. He just stared down at Scott. He couldn’t help himself. Never had he met anyone this smart and sexy, so utterly inspiring. “You’re pretty cool, you know that?”
Scott met his stare. “Me?”
“Hell yeah, you.”
“Oh.” Scott searched Mark’s eyes. “Have you…” He looked away and shifted his ass between Mark’s thighs.
“What?”
Scott stilled and met his gaze again. “Have you done this a lot?”
“Done what?” Mark moved to lie on his side beside Scott again, and Scott followed until they were face-to-face. The intimacy of being in bed with a guy long after the sex washed over him. This was crazy. He was usually the one coming on strong. Now it was Scott, with his curiosity and quiet, nervous charm, who was the one slamming into Mark’s resolve to take this slow. To keep his emotions in check. Or else he’d push Scott too far too fast. He didn’t want to scare Scott off. He could come on strong, could be too intense for most guys.
Scott said, “Bring men home you barely know.”
“Sometimes.” None of them had been this interesting, this meaningful, not on a first date. He kept that to himself.
Scott’s brow furrowed, and then, in a swift move, he turned onto his back.
Shit. That look. Hurt? Confused? Mark didn’t want Scott to misunderstand. What they’d done at the library and again at his apartment was special—damn special. But yet again, he held back from saying too much. Not now. Not yet. He sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I’m not all about getting laid. It’s just sometimes I meet someone, and I bring him home.”
“Of course.” Scott sat up and turned away, his legs swinging off the side of the bed. “I get it. I mean, I know I’m weird. Not going out that much…not sleeping around…”
“That’s not weird.” He couldn’t hold back on all of it. “It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted anyone to stay in bed with me. Since I’ve wanted to talk with a guy.”
Scott turned and met Mark’s gaze. “But you’re talking to me.”
“Yeah. That’s the difference with you.”
Scott cocked his head to the side, not as animated as before, but he was still staring with an openness that called to Mark. “Difference?”
“I want to get to know you. I’d like to see you again.”
Scott pulled one leg onto the bed and turned toward him. “Yeah?”
Mark hesitated. This could be more than he’d let himself hope for with any man. More than he was ready to put himself on the line for. So far Scott was proving he was worth the chance. Even with only the possibility of four months. “Yeah.”
“That…that would be—” Scott stood. “I don’t know how to—I should go.” He glanced around the room, his head jerking side to side so quickly he’d give himself whiplash if he didn’t let up. “Where are my pants?”
Mark sat up. “Living room. Scott, what’s wrong?”
My latest short story “SWEPT AWAY” is now available to read at the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads. If you’re not a member you can also read it on my website or download a copy. (For those who are not members of the Goodreads group I recommend you check it out. It’s a great community for readers of m/m romance. Even if you don’t enjoy participating in book discussions there’s a lot of other entertaining and informative threads, even for lurkers, such as reading challenges, book giveaways, author release news, online retailer sales, and more.)
If you check out “SWEPT AWAY” I hope you enjoy it. It’s a romantic one dedicated to Sean who shared the photo and words that started Eddie and Mike’s story.
Blurb for Swept Away
The biggest case of Eddie’s career and nothing’s going right. He’s stuck in a stifling courtroom with the air conditioning on the fritz during the worst heat wave in years, and the judge has denied his latest motion. He just wants to spend a quiet night celebrating with his partner, Mike, on their fifteenth anniversary.
But Mike has a surprise in mind this year. A surprise that may be more than Eddie imagined possible.
Add it to your bookshelf
Thanks for checking it out.
Sloan
I have a cover for my new short story “Swept Away,” my free gay anniversary story.
Blurb for Swept Away
The biggest case of Eddie’s career and nothing’s going right. He’s stuck in a stifling courtroom with the air conditioning on the fritz during the worst heat wave in years, and the judge has denied his latest motion. He just wants to spend a quiet night celebrating with his partner, Mike, on their fifteenth anniversary.
But Mike has a surprise in mind this year. A surprise that may be more than Eddie imagined possible.
ETA: the updated cover in 2015
Sloan’s busy working on her manuscript today, so she asked if I’d like to do a guest blog. I have a feeling I’m going to owe Sloan a lot (she’s writing about me in her serial story More Than Just a Good Book), so I figured I’d better say yes.
My name’s Scott Murphy. Right now I’m going to college in Ohio, but I’m originally from Elmore, Michigan, a rural small town where I grew up with my dad. It’s the kind of place with massive oak trees lining the streets, evenly trimmed green grass behind every picket fence, and a volunteer fire department which includes the town mayor, the local barber, and the president of the bank. Yeah, it’s that kind of picture-postcard town where everything looks perfect. A little too perfect. Because nothing really is when you take a closer look.
I guess this is the part where I’m supposed to say what this blog is about. The thing is, I’ve been really nervous about this. I don’t like being in the spotlight, and when I sat down to write this post earlier today, I drew a blank on what to talk about. I’m still in college. I haven’t done anything with my life yet. What do I have to say? But I made a promise, and I don’t like going back on my word. So here I am.
I guess the problem is my brain’s been preoccupied with this amazing guy Mark who I met where he works at the university library. I’m not sure “met” covers it, though. I was going to say, we went on a date the other night, but you know, I don’t know if it was a date.
We had sex. Twice. Amazing-I’m-going-to-be-thinking-about-that-for-the-rest-of-my-life sex. Once at the library (yes, INSIDE the library. Can you believe that? I still can’t). Then later at his apartment.
Before that, he’d shown me around the library’s comic book archive. Then after the sex we talked. Some. He told me what his plans are for after graduation, and I told him something no one knows about me except my dad.
But is that a date? Can you call it a date when it’s mostly sex? How about if you have sex twice? Do you need to go out for dinner, a movie, or at least drinks first?
I would tell you what happened at the end of the “date” but Sloan might kick my ass for revealing too much. I really don’t want to piss her off. I’d like to get laid again someday. I mean, it’s not like I had much action before she decided Mark should walk over to where I was sitting in the library. Guys like him never talk to me. Not that I’m complaining. It was the best sex of my life. Mark did stuff no other guy has ever done to me before. Maybe that means it’s a date simply because I had a fantastic time with him. I don’t know.
What do you guys think? What constitutes an official date in your book? I mean, if my dad calls, can I tell him I had a date? I think he wants me to find a boyfriend more than I do.
Thanks for the help,
Scott
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Edited to add: Scott Murphy is a fictional character from More Than Just a Good Book. His post and comments are meant to be a fun teaser of my work. I hope you enjoy reading this from Scott’s point-of-view. -Sloan