Tag Archives: matthew stewart

Another Conversation with Matthew from the MORE series

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The following conversation takes place early on during MORE Book 3 (More Than Ever).

Matthew opened the front door, and his face lit up with a huge smile. “Hi, Sloan.” As it always was with him, he seemed so excited to see me.

The feeling was completely mutual.

I offered him a return smile. “I’m glad you had time for a visit today.”

“Me too. Come on in. I was just starting dinner.” He motioned me inside and then led me through the house and into the kitchen.

“Can I help?”

“Sure. I’m making fajitas. With homemade tortillas. You wanna chop the vegetables?”

“You got it.” I got started on the onions and peppers while he set to mixing the ingredients for the tortillas. After a few minutes of silence, I asked, “Where are the guys?”

“Still at work.” He opened his mouth to say more, and I knew he was going to talk about Luke and Richard and how they were doing and what they were up to. I didn’t want to hear about them right then.

Before he could say anything, I asked, “How have you been doing lately?”

He lowered his head and shrugged. “I’m okay, I guess.”

“You still waiting to hear about that job?”

“Yeah.” There was a long pause. He took a deep breath. “I really want this one.”

“I know you do.”

He nodded. Keeping his gaze on the dough he was now kneading on the surface of a wood cutting board, his next words poured out in a rush. “I’m not gonna ask you how it turns out because I know I have to wait, but if there’s anything you can do…” He trailed off.

I set the knife down beside the strips of peppers and onions and gave him my full attention. “I’m going to do my best for you, Matthew. I promise you that.”

He smiled at me again, his eyes beaming with genuine affection. “I know you will.”

I probably shouldn’t have said anything more, but I couldn’t keep the words inside. “Thank you for trusting me with your life. It means a great deal to me.”

He laughed. “I should be the one thanking you. I wouldn’t be me without you. I’d be somebody else.”

I laughed too. “I guess that’s true.”

Then he studied me with an intensity that reminded me of Richard. “You’re going to make me tell them about the other stuff that’s been on my mind lately, aren’t you?”

“Don’t you think you should?”

“It’s not a big deal. None of it is.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

He finished with the dough and then went to the sink to wash the sticky residue from his hands. After drying his hands with a towel, he turned to face me. His voice wavered on his next words. “Yeah, I know.”

“It’s going to be okay. They love you, and they’re going to help you through this.” I took a step toward him and grasped one of his hands in mine. “But most importantly, you’re going to help yourself.”

He wiped a tear from his cheek and nodded. He met my stare and squeezed my hand. “Yeah. I am.”

Haven’t read the MORE books yet? Read the opening chapters for free here: MORE book 1 and book 2.

Release Party: A Conversation with Matthew

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More Than Most Release Party

Click here to enter the giveaway. One entry per person per day during the release party.

Today is the last day of my MORE THAN MOST release party. Thanks so much to everyone who’s stopped by. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading all the comments with the giveaway entries. You guys are the best. Hearing from individual readers who’ve enjoyed my work makes the difficult days in this business truly much brighter. THANK YOU!

Today is also the last day to enter the giveaway. We’ll be selecting a winner tomorrow, May 4th. I hope you enjoy the final, and my favorite, post of the blog party.

A Conversation with Matthew

The following conversation between Sloan and Matthew takes place after MORE THAN MOST (More Book 2). Slight spoiler alert for MORE THAN MOST.

I rang the bell, and a short moment later the door flew open. Matthew’s eyes lit up the moment he saw me. “I’m so glad you called. I’ve been waiting forever to talk to you.”

I returned his smile. “Yeah, me too.”

“Come on in.” He stepped aside and gestured for me to enter, moving with an animated excitement I found contagious. “The guys should be home soon. I know they’d love to see you.”

“That’d be great, but I’m afraid I can only stay for a minute.”

“Oh, okay.” Despite his words, his tone demonstrated he wasn’t too disappointed by that we’d be alone. Maybe he didn’t just want to talk to me. Maybe he needed to. “Let’s go in the living room.” He laughed as he pointed down the hall. “I guess you know the way.”

I laughed with him. “Yeah, I do.”

We settled ourselves on the couch, and he turned to face me, pulling one leg up onto the cushion between us. I matched the pose and didn’t bother getting out a pen and paper. With him, taking notes would’ve felt wrong. It was more like we were two old friends catching up.

Although he did seem slightly nervous, and that bothered me. But it didn’t diminish the smile he couldn’t seem to contain. He was wearing skinny jeans, a black T-shirt with gray lettering that read Keep Calm and Rock On, and white athletic socks that were too big for his feet and hung off the ends of his toes. Richard’s socks? I didn’t ask.

“You seem happy,” I said.

He nodded. Then he dipped his head and folded and unfolded the bottom edge of one pant leg on his jeans.

“What’s wrong?”

He shrugged. “Richard said you’d probably know stuff I haven’t told anyone yet, stuff I haven’t even realized about myself.”

“I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

He met my stare, and the anxiety melted away. “Nah. I trust you.”

“Thanks.” I paused, for the first time, unsure if I could push him the way I did Richard and Luke. But we both needed me to. “I think you just don’t like that I know something you haven’t told them yet.”

He bit his lower lip and fiddled with his pants again. He whispered his next words like Richard and Luke were there with us and might hear him. “I guess.” Then his head shot up, his eyes wide. “It’s not something I’ve been keeping from them. It’s just… stuff I think I’m finally starting to understand.”

“I know.” I offered another smile. I hated that I’d upset him. I leaned forward and laid a hand over one of his. “I think you’re worrying too much. You just need to talk to them.”

He nodded and drew in a deep breath like that was easier said than done.

Just then a puppy came barreling into the room. She pressed both front paws against the couch and tried to scramble up the side without success. Matthew reached down and scooped her up.

When she was situated on his lap, I spoke again. “She’s even more adorable in person.”

He laughed as he stroked her head between her ears. “She’s a sweetheart.”

“So are you.”

He blushed, his gaze never leaving the dog.

I decided to offer him a reprieve. I sat back. “So, Matthew, if there was one thing you’d want readers to know about you, what would it be?”

He stared off toward the hall leading to the front door. “I don’t know… I guess…” Then he seemed to settle on something. He confidently met my stare. “That I love Richard and Luke.”

I smiled at him once more. “I think people get that.”

“Yeah?” He sighed. “Good.”

I shifted around and settled my right leg on the floor again. “Well, I don’t have a lot of questions yet. I just wanted to touch base, make sure you were okay with what was going to happen next.”

He cocked his head to the side and studied me with curiosity.

I hesitated, searching for the right words. “There are still a few things you have to work through, Matthew.” I waited again in case he had anything he wanted to ask. When he didn’t say more, I stood. It was probably a good idea for him to think through what I might’ve meant and what he was feeling about it before we talked more. “I better get going.”

He stayed seated and watched me with wide dark eyes. “But…”

“What?”

“I’m doing fine. More than fine.” He stared down at the puppy again. “Aren’t I?” The insecurity in those two words broke my heart.

“You are, but…” I was having a hard time offering more.

He lifted his head and searched my eyes. Then he looked to the hall again like he could see Luke and Richard standing there, or was thinking through what I’d said. With a deep breath, he sat taller, the tension fading away. He nodded. “Yeah. Okay.” He set the puppy on the couch beside him and got up. “I guess that means we’ll be talking more soon.”

“I hope that’s okay.”

He threw me another one of those killer grins. “I can’t wait.”

Enter the Release Party Giveaway for a chance at a $25 e-gift card to All Romance eBooks and a bundle of Sloan Parker’s novels in print. You can enter the giveaway once per day for a total of seven entries per person. The giveaway ends 11:59 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2015.

>> View all the release party posts

MORE Now Available in Print and a Deleted Scene

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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.

Cover for Print Edition of MORE

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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.

Writing Update & FAQ: Are you still going to write more with Luke, Richard, and Matthew?

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It’s been a bit since I’ve posted an update on my writing progress, so I thought I’d share where I’m at with my stories.

If I didn’t mention it before I’m back to revising Walter & Kevin’s book, an erotic romantic suspense set in the same world as More. My goal is to have this book finished and submitted before the end of 2011. That may be pushing it since I usually spend more time revising than I do writing the first draft (and I have some research left to do), but I think it’s good to have a goal that pushes you to work hard. That said, I won’t submit it until I can feel really good about the story. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

So far I’ve worked through some issues that were in the beginning of the first draft and came up with changes that I’m really happy with. I sliced and diced a few scenes, and it really made the story stronger so far. I also added one scene that knocked my socks off, even as I was writing it. I’m still amazed when that happens.

I’ve also drafted a new scene for my serial story More Than Just a Good Book. I’m hoping to add one or two more scenes and then publish part 3 in late October. I’ll share a link for part 3 when it’s available on my website or you can sign up for my newsletter to get the announcement.

Since my writing plans changed a bit during 2011, I thought I’d post the answer to a question I often get asked.

FAQ: Are you still going to write more with Luke, Richard, and Matthew?

Definitely. I still plan to complete 2 more books with Luke, Richard, and Matthew. I had originally planned to write one stand-alone release in between each MORE book. After Breathe, I took the time to outline all 3 of the remaining More books (which included Walter’s) and sent the story synopses to my publisher. They were interested in seeing Walter’s book next (at that time More was still a new release and we weren’t sure how well it would do with readers). Before I had a chance to finish Walter’s story, there was a submission call from my publisher for Christmas stories. I had already started notes for Take Me Home, so I worked up a proposal. That proposal was approved, and I took a break from Walter’s book to finish writing Take Me Home, which is now scheduled for a December 13, 2011 release. And I have to say, I’m so glad I did that because I love how Take Me Home turned out.

Now I’m back working on Walter & Kevin’s story, which has a working title but I’ll wait to share when I’m closer to finishing the book since it may change.

I’m not sure if I will be writing another stand-alone contemporary or Richard’s book next. I’m leaning toward Richard’s book, but in either case I will be finishing both Richard and Matthew’s stories. The boys have more to learn, about each other and themselves.

The above answer also explains the year gap between books. Since finishing Breathe, I have outlined 4 novels, written one manuscript, and completed a first draft for another, both novel-length. This means I should move more quickly through the next couple of projects in 2012.