New York Christmas - Released

New York Christmas - Released


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Originally a short blog story called New York Blue, written in 2010. The concept of that story remains but I have expanded and rewritten extensively.
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Christmas, and the man of his fantasies is back in Chris's life.

It's been far too long since Christian Matthews has seen Daniel Bailey. In fact the last time they met Chris was a senior in college and he was the TA tasked with helping Daniel who was a way too confident freshman.

Some years down the road, Chris is licking his wounds after being asked to leave the private school where he was teaching. He has no job, no money, and has to rely on his friend Amelia for the job and a room to live in. He needs a freaking Christmas miracle to make this Season anything other than a total loss.

Then Daniel comes back into his life and suddenly everything seems possible. Not only is Daniel still the man Christian wants more than anything, but this time Chris may well actually tell Daniel how he feels.


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EXTRACT

Chapter 1 

Wednesday, November 21st 
Everything started between one breath and the next, with the seventy-fifth repeat of Lennon’s Christmas classic in his ears and the smell of Amelia’s cranberry muffins in his nose. It was heaven and hell and all the clichés in between, a surprise that kicked him in the butt so hard that he almost fell down.

Daniel.

Daniel Bailey, of the Boston Baileys, the boy who Daniel had wanted with a passion.


Look what I found from last year!

Look what I found from last year!

I forgot this ... wow... I was searching for the old cover art and this post from last December popped up...

DECEMBER 2011 - The Christmas Throwaway gets 6th place in the Rainbow Awards Best Gay Contemporary Romance category

From the awards page:


'From the first chapter, the author draws you into the story and you cannot put the book down until the very end. I like how the author described just enough about the setting and did not bog it down with a description of everything.

You still got the feel of the people of the town and the feeling of the season. Oh wow! I just can't say enough about the characters. Plain and simple, every now and then a reader can come across a story and you FEEL what the characters are feeling and that is exactly how I felt reading this story. -- Rachel

Blurb:

Christmas is a time for giving - what do you do when no one gives a damn?For Zachary Weston Christmas means sleeping on a churchyard bench in the freezing snow with nothing better in his future. Thrown out of his home for being gay, he is left without money or, it seems, anywhere to go. Until a stranger shows him that some people do give a lot more than a damn.

Ben Hamilton is a rookie cop in his small home town. He finds a young throwaway, fresh from the city, sleeping on a bench in the churchyard on a snowy Christmas Eve. Can he be the one to give Zachary his own Christmas miracle?

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words - Reviews

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words - Reviews

What I love most about these reviews is that they are detailed and  tell a potential reader what things to look out for in the stories. Very honest reviews...

Review of The Only Easy Day by R.J.Scott - What a great story! It has everything you could want in a action/adventure novel. Danger, murder, sexual heat, and intrigue as well as a monumental clash of personalities. Joseph Kinnon is absolutely realistic as a Navy Seal. He is patriotic, intense, beyond capable, and lonely. Dale MacIntyre is another wonderful creation. Haunted by a tragic event in his past, MacIntyre too is lonely, mistrustful, and envious of his colleagues who have found lasting relationships.

Review of Face Value, Sanctuary #3 by RJ Scott

Review of Still Waters (Sanctuary #4) by RJ Scott

Review of Full Circle (Sanctuary #5) by RJ Scott - Full Circle also brings to a close case of the Bullen crime family that started inGuarding Morgan. During the investigation into the Bullen family activities, several Sanctuary agents have been shot, evidence has been tampered with, people have vanished, each new lead taking them to new crimes and new accomplices until it ended with uncovering a FBI mole that had acted as liaison to Sanctuary in Clear Water, Sanctuary #4. Scott neatly ties together all the threads from each book into an ending deserving of such a convoluted investigation. I wanted to see the Bullens brought to justice and Scott delivered that in spades.

Review of Splintered Lies (In The Shadow of the Wolf #3) by Diane Adams and RJ Scott - With Rob, Sam, Doug, and Jamie to help, Nick and Joe set out to find the truth behind the torture, kidnapping and deaths of the shifters. Nick tries to keep his love for Joe quiet but working next to him in the investigation is unbelievably hard. And Joe is also finding that the love and lust he thought he had buried when he married Mara is coming back in full force. Will his guilt and love for his dead wife make any future with Nick impossible? And will the conspiracy to kill wolf shifters mean their deaths as well.

Review of Texas Heat (Texas #3) by RJ Scott - What I continue to appreciate with RJ Scott’s writing, no matter the series, is that even as our emotions are engaged with two couples at differing stages of their relationships, other events are swirling around the outskirts just waiting to come forward with a jump and a bang. Scott keeps juggling a number of plots in her story but never lets one drop. There are so many layers to appreciate and think about that when the end of the book comes the author has a structure in place for the next in the series without losing reader satisfaction with the current story.

Review of All The Kings Men by R.J. Scott

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

The wonderfully awesome Aisling Mancy invited me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop and I couldn't resist this ongoing game in which authors talk about their favourite thing: their work, more particularly, their Work in Progress.


1. What is the working title of your book?

PA to a Sex God

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I have absolutely no idea.. it just kind of happened... I was going to write a story of two guys at a convention, one the actor in a procedural cop show, the other a fan who volunteers as a helper. Turned into a bodyguard book instead. Go figure... Then it turned into a series of Bodyguard books under the banner *Bodyguards Inc*

3. What is the genre of the book?

Male/Male contemporary romance.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Matthew Gray Gubler and Jensen Ackles

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Bodyguard Adam Freeman poses as a PA to tabloid sex god Logan Brady and faces fans, rumours and guns.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency/publisher?

Love Lane Books

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Still writing it!

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

My Sanctuary series with Love Lane Books

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Watching bromance in procedural cop shows and Supernatural was definitely my inspiration!

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Actors closeted because they think they will lose their jobs. A bodyguard who uses his brain as well as his brawn.

Here’s a list of awesome authors I think you should check out. They will be posting their own *next big thing* on the dates next to their names:

Diane Adams
Meredith Russell

Rainbow Book Reviews

Rainbow Book Reviews

Book of Secrets - If you like mystery and intrigue in your romances, if you enjoy a plotline that will reveal as many secrets as offer new ones to ponder, and if you want to know how Alex and Luke are faring, then you will probably enjoy this books as much as I did.

The Carpenter and the Actor - I recommend this story to Ellery Mountain fans and to new readers as well who enjoy a strong, romantic story with descriptive, realistic characters who quickly get under your skin and in your heart. Thanks, RJ, for another great story. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Bodyguard to a Sex God - Besides the main theme, there's a lot going on in this mystery-love story, including “when one door closes another opens”; "truthfulness is the best policy", and "love will always find a way"; and more. Each sub-plot is interesting in its own right and they are all tied up nicely in a satisfactory conclusion. I'd recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a fast-paced, intriguing love story with a very happy ending. Thanks, RJ, for an enjoyable, hot romance with more than one twist.

New York Christmas - This is a great Christmas story, from the slow build of a romantic relationship that is long overdue, through some very angsty territory, all the way to lives being threatened, and a perfectly adorable ending. And even though Christmas isn’t really at the heart of the story, Chris and Daniel's love is the focus, it is a perfect example of the Christmas spirit. Of course, the setting of New York in December and January may have something to do with it. Two of my favorite scenes ere the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller center and the two guys going ice skating. The latter was hilarious!

The Decisions We Make - If you like angst-y stories, if the task of growing up in today's world baffles you but you’re curious about the way kids deal with it, and if you think you can survive one heck of an emotional roller coaster ride, then give this book a chance. I don’t think you'll regret it- I certainly didn’t!

Jesse's Christmas - This is a wonderful story which made me smile and re-appreciate the meaning of Christmas. I loved reading about Jesse, who is totally disillusioned. Christmas is ruined for him, and while it isn't clear, at first, exactly what happened, the gradual revealing of his reasons added a nice extra layer to the story. Equally, the gradual thawing of his heart as he meets and gets to know Gabriel is the perfect setup for a heartwarming story. It is an interesting variation on the Christmas grinch storyline.

Deefur Dog - This is a wonderful love story which portrays that a nontraditional family has the same joys, sorrow, problems, angst, and love as any other family and does it extraordinarily well. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a wonderful, emotional love story with a happy ending.

Back Home - Back Home is a really touching story that showed me the power of communication. When I started reading this story, I started having an idea about what I thought the story is about and by the end, it was a completely different picture. I love how RJ has taken on such a complex subject matter and turned it on its ear, smoothly incorporating family opinions and history to build tension and drama. Written in a contemporary style, if you enjoy drama, or family style stories, this is for you.

The Christmas Throwaway - The Christmas Throwaway' is a charming, heart-warming love story about second chances, overcoming obstacles, and the importance of a loving, supportive family. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a sweet story which will not only leave you feeling good, but will also remind you to count your blessings

THE TEXAS SERIES

The Heart Of Texas - If you’re up for a great time, if you like soap operas in written form, and if you want to see two families battle it out, no holds barred, then you will probably like this book as much as I did. This is truly a gay soap opera of the first degree!

Texas Winter - If you like family drama, enjoy two men adapting to having an eight-year-old daughter, and don’t mind the odd criminal poking in their nose to stir things up, then you will probably love this book as much as I did. It really is a great sequel – just make sure you read Heart of Texas first, you'll enjoy this second book a lot more if you do. Bring on number three, RJ!!!

Texas Heat - The third book in this series was as much fun to read as the first two, contained some great recurring characters, while adding a few new ones, and firmly launched this series (in my mind, at least) into "soap opera in written form" land. It was there before, but more because of the similarities to a certain TV series; now, it is firmly into creating a world and dynamic of its own. The addition of Eli and Robbie was a great addition of a new romance, and the returning secondary characters from the first two books gave me the feeling of "coming home".

THE SANCTUARY SERIES

Guarding Morgan - Both Morgan and Nik came alive and almost jumped off the pages for me. They were great together, even playful at times - despite the seriousness of their predicament. Nik's determination to keep Morgan safe was as clear as his love for Morgan.


The Only Easy Day - The two men spend most of the book in almost mortal opposition, snapping and yelling and attempting to out-macho each other. The underlying sexual attraction and tension just builds and builds, and when it comes to a head – well, satisfying the sparks fly is a pitiful understatement.

Face Value - Kayden is a doctor with a colorful background , to say the least. He is also a Sanctuary operative, and ends up having to protect Beckett. In typical macho fashion he spits and splutters, trying to get someone else assigned to the case, but, pretty quickly, he discovers having Beckett around is not so bad after all. His determination to protect Beckett against all threats, including the younger man’s exuberance, is great to watch.

Still Waters - Lee is a cold-hearted bastard - or so it seems. Of course, at first we only see him through Adam’s eyes and that is not a pretty picture. Slowly, as Lee’s point of view is added, the truth emerges and that picture begins to change. Yes, Lee probably made some mistakes, but Adam isn’t entirely innocent either. I thought it was fascinating how the pieces of the puzzle came together and how the way I thought about Lee gradually changed.

Full Circle - If you like stories with a lot of tension and mystery, if you prefer your men clever and ready for action, and if you want to know ‘who did what’ in this ongoing case, you will probably devour and like this book as much as I did.

Sanctuary 6: The Journal of Sanctuary One - Announcement

Sanctuary 6: The Journal of Sanctuary One - Announcement

I have had more than a few of my wonderful readers contact me regarding the disappearance of Sanctuary 6 which was due to be released on the Silver site on Saturday...

DON'T WORRY! The book will still be available on Saturday... I have it here to post onto my own sales site... I will link everyone to the new site as soon as it is live which will DEFINITELY be Saturday...

For anyone who pre-ordered it from Silver the order will be filled as you would have expected.

NEW COVER ART COMING SOON...

Hugs you all and thanks you for your patience...

RJ XXX

EXCERPT
"You're thinking about Sean aren't you?" Kayden commented with his uncanny perception as to what the hell was in Jake's head at any given point. Adopted brother he may be but Kayden still had a freaky connection to Jake's thoughts.

"No," Jake lied.

"Liar. Manny got a hit on him in Albany, but he didn't get any further than notice that Sean was accessing bank accounts. Oh, and he used the access to follow a money trail for Sean and it's not looking good. Regular deposits from two sources, one we can link to the Bullens directly."

Every tiny hope that Jake had about Sean being redeemable died at that moment. So Sean had been paid for information. Sean had also disappeared. On a hijacked prison transport he had been released and literally gone to ground to God knows where. Damn good at his job, he had even evaded the normally infallible Manny. Jake concentrated on the road for a second as it forked, and he took the left that led him higher into the mountain.

"Sean is still a person of interest," Jake confirmed. Like Kayden or Manny or anyone at Sanctuary would think otherwise. The bastard had made friends with everyone, come across as the consummate FBI guy with a smile that lit up the room and a brain that would not quit. He'd come into Jake's life and turned it upside down and then without a second thought betrayed every single one of them. Why did thinking that in black and white hurt so much?

"You going to be okay up there on your own?" Kayden said. He was evidently moving away from the Sean situation and focusing on Jake. Jake was more than happy with that.

"More food than I need, a generator with a month's fuel, books, the internet, the comms room for work, TV, a spa bath, and a steam shower? I'll manage."

Kayden groaned. The cabin may well be old but it was luxurious and relaxing. "Promise me one thing, Jake?"

Great. Kayden was using his 'I'm your brother and I love you and you worry me' voice.

"What?" Jake said. He knew exactly what Kayden was going to say and already Jake had his defenses up. Kayden was going to go on about not working, and sleeping, and eating right, and all the other shit that he threw at Jake when he was worried. Jake hated when Kayden got his doctor's hat on.

"Have at least an hour a day when you don't think about work?"

Jake was a little startled by the soft tone. He and Kayden were close but his brother was usually more telling than pleading. Clearly Beckett was having a softening effect on him.

"I will." Jake could promise that easily. After all he had to sleep. And not all of his dreams revolved around Sanctuary. Some of them, the ones he pretended he didn't have, were about Sean.

WATCH THIS SPACE

The Christmas Throwaway New Cover Art

The Christmas Throwaway New Cover Art

Christmas is a time for giving - what do you do when no one gives a damn?

Buy Links to follow...

For Zachary Weston Christmas means sleeping on a churchyard bench in the freezing snow with nothing better in his future. Thrown out of his home for being gay, he is left without money or, it seems, anywhere to go.

Until a stranger shows him that some people do give a lot more than a damn.

Ben Hamilton is a rookie cop in his small home town. He finds a young throwaway, fresh from the city, sleeping on a bench in the churchyard on a snowy Christmas Eve. Can he be the one to give Zachary his own Christmas miracle?

Wandmaker 10 - Amber Kell's birthday blog story

Wandmaker 10 - Amber Kell's birthday blog story


Find out why I have one of the worst dates of birth EVER! Today I'm over at Amber Kell's blog taking part in her month long Birthday Bash... So, Happy Birthday Amber! Head on over and check it out HERE

In case you missed one, find previous postings of her Birthday Bash story, Wandmaker, HERE

And with a small fanfare I give you the next chapter in Amber Kell's blog story...

Wandmaker, by Amber Kell - Post #10

Cebrus didn’t know what to do with the handsome prince who watched him as if he were something amazing. He suspected Silvan was trying to get close to him to track what he did. If that meant the prince had to seduce him Cebrus was certainly willing to let the man try. 

He brushed his lips across the prince’s letting Silvan taste him. Cebrus flipped them around and pressed Silvan against the wall. The taste of surprise made the kiss that much better. Stone bit into his hands as he put his palms on either side of the prince, trapping him between Cebrus’s arms.

He hummed into Silvan’s mouth taking the flavor of the prince into his mouth licking inside to savor the sensation of heat and desire. Whatever the prince’s motives the man knew what to do with his lips. His cock hardened as he pressed his body against Silvan. Unlike the prince, Cebrus had no shyness about telling someone what he wanted. The life of a wandmaker had him going from place to place and he didn’t always have the luxury of building a relationship.

Silvan sighed against Cebrus’s mouth. His big hands wrapped around Cebrus’s back pulling him even closer. Cebrus rubbed against the prince relishing the hard length against his own.

“You will look perfect in my bed,” Silvan murmured.

Cebrus laughed. “Does that usually work?”

“What?”

“Saying things like that.”

A flush rose on Silvan’s cheeks. “Yes it does.”

“Hmm. You might want to save your breath for more important things,” Cebrus said with a grin.

“Hmm, I’ll take that under advisement.”

“Prince Silvan!” A page ran towards them, his breath coming in gasps.

“What’s wrong, Toby.”

“A chimera is attacking the north village!” he shouted.

“To arms!” Silvan shouted. He kissed Cebrus hard then ran down the hall. The sounds of dozens of feet echoed throughout the castle.

Cebrus thunked his head against the stone wall. It only took him a few minutes to decided to follow. After all he’d never seen a real chimera. He’d heard of the dangerous beasts before but the combination of a creature formed of a lion, serpent and goat who could breathe fire would be interesting to see.

He turned to walk down the hall and follow the others when two knights stepped forward and blocked his way.

“Is there a problem?” He asked mildly.

“Prince Silvan asked us to watch over you,” the guard on the left said.

“Great you can watch me see a chimera,” Cebrus said.

5/5 from The Paranormal Romance Guild - awesome review

5/5 from The Paranormal Romance Guild - awesome review


"...There is also a mystery in the book and surprises, but mostly it is a look into the life of an abused person and how they fight to find themselves. This is a problem that is very prevalent in our society and one in which we constantly see the abused defending the abuser. I was very happy that this author did not shy away from this situation ..."


Blurb
Cody Garret is only just finding his way after an abusive relationship ended with his ex in prison. Coming to England to restore Mill Cottage is his way of running so he has time to heal. His goal is simple—hire a company to help make the mill cottage saleable then go back to the States.

What he doesn’t count on is meeting Sebastian Toulson-Brown, the brother of his contractor and the man who may be able to show him he can stop running.

But first Cody and Sebastian must deal with the ghosts of lost loves and the destinies that are woven into the story of the mill and the sycamore trees that stand on its land, one of which might be the gallows tree.

Excerpt

They reached central Milton Keynes in very little time at all. The change from village in the middle of nowhere to huge modern city was kind of eerie, almost as creepy as hearing non-existent horses and murmured words that made no sense. Sitting in Pizza Hut and ordering food was a welcome shot of normality, and grabbing the seat diagonal to Seb meant he could concentrate on his food rather than worry about staring at the poor guy. They talked about the film they were going to see, about American football versus rugby, and about the cute waitress that hovered every so often and stared at Tristan.


The Decisions We Make

The Decisions We Make

Daniel Keyes is an orphan, fostered by the Walkers. The product of a lonely childhood, he is thrown into the chaos of the Walker family and into the life of his new foster brother Jamie. 

This story is the journey of Daniel and Jamie finding their place in the world. Through Jamie being a victim of hate crime to coming out to family and friends, there are many decisions the boys have to make before they become men.

Smashwords  :: Amazon :: Love Lane Books

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EXCERPT:

Daniel arrives at the house...


Chapter 2

Daniel let himself be dragged along by this boy called Jamie, who pulled him into a room at the end of the corridor at the corner of the house, overlooking the yard and with views of California hills. It was far from a large room, but it held a bed that looked soft and welcoming, and just like he’d said, Jamie had put posters of people up on Daniel’s wall. Not sheet music, not a pinboard of timetables and practices, but some guys in uniform with a ball. Basketball, Daniel thought. What team he wasn’t sure. He didn’t actually know a whole lot about sports, and the idea of a contact sport where he might hurt his hands had always scared him. Well, scared his mom anyway. Athletics, group games, had inevitably clashed with extra practice for this recital or that exam. The boy—Jamie—dropped to the bed, waving a hand and enthusiastically indicating the whole room.