FREE Excerpt/New Release: Sheriff and the Outlaw by Ryan Field

FREE Excerpt/New Release: Sheriff and the Outlaw by Ryan Field

Here's the next installment of the Glendora Hill gay western series, "The Sheriff and the Outlaw." It's a stand alone book that doesn't have to be read consecutively with the rest of the series, but it does return the general storyline back to the first time the main characters met and fell in love. In some ways this could have been the first book, but we thought it would be interesting to create a book in the series that told more of the back story, with more detailed history about the main characters, Sebastian and Avery.

You can find it here, and here on allromanceebooks.  I'll keep posting links in future posts as I get them. As always, the book will be up on the publisher's web site, and distributed in most places where e-books are sold. It's $4.99 at the publisher's web site, which is important to remember.

Blurb:

When Sebastian loses his wonderful husband of ten years in an accident, he’s not only emotionally devastated, but also financially ruined. He can’t turn to family because they turned their backs on him when he told them he was gay, and Sebastian’s late husband owed so much he’s about to lose everything, including the mobile home he spent so many years making perfect. But just when Sebastian thinks there’s no hope at all, he inherits the meager estate of a distant uncle he’s never even met.

The fictional town of picturesque Glendora Hill, Texas appears to be perfect, which is exactly what Sebastian and his teenage son need after all the heartache they’ve gone through. But it’s not going to be easy. And as they begin to make new lives in this odd but friendly little town so far from their lives in Houston, Sebastian stops playing by the rules for a while. That is until the town’s cowboy sheriff, Avery Baldwin, confronts Sebastian about a few rules he’s overlooked.
As Sebastian rebuilds his life and the dilapidated property he inherited, with perfectly pruned shrubbery, a bright white porch swing, and two very strapping young studs he takes in as tenants, he also discovers a few secrets about his past through the one man who seems to understand him. And as the secrets of Sebastian’s childhood unfold and emotions he thought were dead forever begin to reawaken, he’s terrified of the only man who can actually help him move forward.

Excerpt:

I always state up front these excerpts are from raw versions and may contain a few issues...they work better with HTML than PDF files, which is why I post them. The final, published book is fully edited. The storyline hasn't changed at all.

As the afternoon unfolded, Sebastian had to go into the garage and dig out one of his uncle’s old folding tables. When people started arriving, it seemed many of them had a covered dish in hand. Jesse Mae from the dry cleaners brought her famous ambrosia, with little marshmallows and pineapple. Erlene from the Country Way Beauty Shop where Angie had her hair permed and teased brought her famous fudge brownies, with walnuts and M&Ms. Sebastian lost track of all the food after Marsha from the Twist and Knit Shop handed him her famous meatballs in tomato sauce. There were enough desserts to fill a bakery in Houston, including a massive tray of Shiva cookies from Elsie Goldberg. Even Kick’s boss, Joe Hennessey, from the hardware store showed up with something. His wife, Dot Hennessey, handed Sebastian a covered baking dish and said, “It’s my famous stuffed mushrooms. Everyone in town will be expecting them.”  

            One of the few who didn’t show up with something to eat was Luanne from the dress shop. And that’s because she seemed to have both hands full with Judd on her arm. She literally clung to the man in a way so obvious Sebastian noticed other people murmuring about her. For a moment, as she walked into the tent area with Judd, the entire room went silent and glanced in her direction. At a closer glance, Sebastian noticed she was probably in her early forties. She wore a bright yellow dress with an empire waist, white vinyl pumps, and boxy looking purse to match. For the first time, Sebastian noticed her heavy make-up and the way all that mascara gave her raccoon eyes. From her long fake yellow fingernails to her teased bleach blond hair, Sebastian thought she would have made an interesting drag queen. In fact, she reminded him of a female impersonator he’d known in Houston named, Miss Demeanor. He wondered if Judd’s attraction to Luanne had anything to do with Judd asking him if he’d ever done drag, as if insinuating he would love to see Sebastian in drag.

            Luanne walked up to Sebastian and flung out her right hand as if she expected him to kiss it. When she saw he had no intention of either kissing her hand or shaking it, she brought her hand back to Judd’s chest, rubbed it, and said, “I’m so sorry we’re late, sugar. Judd and I got busy with something and the time just got away from us. You know how it is when there’s a big strong man around the house.”

            Judd and Sebastian exchanged a quick glance, and Judd seemed embarrassed by her actions and her attitude. But it was apparent that he was afraid to say anything aloud, so Sebastian smiled and said, “Don’t you worry at all, honey pie, sugar. You’re not late at all. And this party is going to go on for the rest of the day.” Then he turned his back on her and went over to check on the band. He’d run into her kind before, and he knew how to handle them.

            It was going on four o’clock in the afternoon and the band still hadn’t started playing. So Sebastian asked why and the drummer told him they were still waiting for the guitar player to arrive. He told Sebastian the guitar player was also the lead singer and they couldn’t start without him unless Sebastian was willing to just have the instrumental, and then he assured Sebastian the guitar player would be there by four o’clock and he’d never missed a performance in his life.

            Sebastian shrugged and moved closer to the buffet table he’d set up for the all the foods other people had brought. He was amazed to see that most of the food was being eaten, including the dishes he’d had catered. And he was even more amused when he overheard some of the comments.

            Angie was standing next to Dot Hennessey’s stuffed mushrooms with Normie Lynn from the bait and tackle shop. As Angie bit into one of the stuffed mushrooms, she made a face and said, “I can’t believe Dot brought his hot mess with her again.” Then she giggled and said, “I wouldn’t feed this to my cat. I’m glad I brought my mac and cheese casserole.”

            Sebastian smiled and moved to the other end of the table where Elsie and Dot Hennessey were talking. They were standing over Angie’s mac and cheese casserole. When Dot Hennessey took a spoonful of mac and cheese, she made a face, giggled, and said, “You could put up wallpaper with this clump of glue she’s trying to pass off as mac and cheese. I’m glad I brought my stuffed mushrooms.”

            Then Elsie waved across the table at Angie and said, “Hey sweetie. We’re loving this mac and cheese. It’s the best one you’ve ever made.”

            Angie waved back and said, “And these are by far the best stuffed mushrooms I’ve ever had, Dot. You’ve outdone yourself this time.”

            “Thanks, hon,” Dot Hennessey said. And then she turned to Elsie and whispered, “Now I have to figure out where to dump this crap.”

            So much for everyone’s famous dishes. And these weren’t the only vicious comments Sebastian overheard as he made his way through the tent. He heard two women talking about how ridiculous the prices were getting at the beauty shop, and then kissing the owner when she walked over to them. He heard two men talking about whether or not unmarried Angie from the sheriff’s office had ever had a man, and snickering about what would happen if she did at this point in her life. But the most interesting thing he overheard by far that afternoon was when he walked up behind a group of women and found them whispering about Luanne from the dress shop. He’d only met them in passing and didn’t remember their names. But what they said made his jaw drop.

            “I wonder if the black widow slaps that big old cowboy around like she did with the last husband,” one woman said.

            “Probably not yet,” another woman said. “She likes to break them in slowly.”

            “She sure does like them big and dumb,” a third woman said. “He’s probably hung like a horse.”

            Sebastian smiled.

            “I just hope that sweet guy finds out about her before it’s too late,” a fourth woman said.

            Then someone else joined them and they changed the subject. Sebastian glanced at his watch and saw it was four o’clock now and the band still hadn’t started playing. He decided to go into the shop to check on Kick and to see if he needed any help. As he crossed through the tent, he couldn’t stop wondering what those women were talking about when they referred to Luanne’s former husband. There was something about her he didn’t trust, and it went far beyond the nasty way she’d treated him earlier.

The Preacher's Husband Cover; Bullies, Amazon Petition

The Preacher's Husband Cover

2014 has turned into one of the busiest years ever. Tomorrow I'll post about a short sequel to "Fangsters: Clan of the Jersey Boys," that will be a part of a new vampire anthology, Until the Sun Rises, with German Publisher, Bruno Gmunder. I get a lot of e-mails about Fangsters asking if there will be more in the series and right now I'm honestly not sure. But right now I'd like to post the cover preview of my latest indie, The Preacher's Husband. This one is part of the Glendora Hill series. The first of which was released at Christmas, Cowboy Christmas Miracle. There will be five books altogether in the series.

I'll post a release date very soon. Edits are in, all is revised, and we're just waiting on tech details.

Bullies, Amazon Petition

Since the beginning of the whole book review bully issue I've always remained objective on the topic because even though I'm a blogger I'm also an author and I stand by the rule of not reading my own reviews...ever. And, as a blogger I do think it's important to remain objective sometimes. In other words, I try to think about what my blog readers want and in this case I think they want information, not my opinions. I also truly believe that most people want to feel good, not focus on negatives. There's enough negativity in the world now and I'd rather not add more to it.

Earlier this week I posted a few things about Anne Rice and the bully petition asking Amazon to make changes to the review system so that no anonymous reviews would be allowed.  And now I'm linking to an op-ed piece that discusses how the fun in reviewing is starting to disappear for some thanks to so much controversy...and several other reasons. It's a popular blog in the romance community, but it's also a blog on the fringes of society in the mainstream. And whenever you get a gathering of passionate people on the fringes of mainstream society, things often get explosive.

You can read more here.

The only comment I will add is that none of this is really all that new. I've been in publishing since I graduated from college and landed my first (awful) job at Conde Nast in NY. I've seen it all before. Years ago something like this would have been in a newspaper or small book review section most people would have missed. The only difference this time is that more people are involved and more opinions are shared now thanks to Internet exposure. Frankly, I'm not sure if that helps or hurts. But sometimes you have to take things into perspective and look at the bigger proverbial picture. If you were to go into any supermarket in the US and ask anyone at random what they think of the bully/review issue I would bet most people wouldn't even know what you're talking about.

Johnny Weir: Wrong About Marriage? FREE Gay Excerpt: The Preacher's Husband

Johnny Weir: Wrong About Marriage?

It seems Johnny Weir is in the news again, and I'm posting about it more often than I normally would because I find it interesting that his marriage and his separation is actually making news...from a pop culture and legal POV. In an almost macabre way, I think this shows how far LGBTI people have come in only the past few years, because now the media thinks gay divorce is significant enough to publish, and, finances are going to come into play. Of course the statements Weir makes about marriage are so obtuse it's a shame he's the focus. But that's how things work sometimes.

Anything related to Weir isn't always as newsworthy as it is serpentine, but it's there and people obviously are interested in reading about it.

This is what he tweeted about his marriage:

 'It is with great sadness that I announce that my husband and I are no longer together. My heart hurts, and I wish him well,' Weir tweeted to his more than 205,000 followers.

You can read more here...and even more in a previous post I wrote about how Weir allegedly bit his husband.

This is what Weir's husband, Victor Voronov, has been saying. According to this piece, Weir filed for divorce a while back and didn't bother to mention this to his husband.

Late Wednesday (19 March), he had posted: ‘Shocked by the abrupt ending of my marriage and am dealing with the trauma including multiple things I am just now becoming aware of…’

He added: ‘I can not comment any further’ and directed any further inquiries to his ‘legal crisis manager.’

You can read more about that here. I'm sure there's more to come with this one, and I seriously hope Voronov has a good attorney.

This next aspect of Weir's marriage is very interesting. In another article, Weir makes claims his marriage to Voronov was "threatening." He also claims he was isolated and losing himself. Who knows? It's not something I would state in public.

But this next comment from Weir is particularly interesting to me in a more general sense because I've heard some gay men say this before and it just stuns me each time.

'I was supporting two people and whether it seems like a big deal or not, I come from a lower middle class family that has had to work no matter what. If you can’t be an attorney this week, then you better go get a job next week, otherwise the bills won’t get paid.'

In almost any marriage I've ever seen there's always one who is the major breadwinner...gay or straight. I do know plenty of straight couples where the wife is now the breadwinner. When you decide to marry someone you know this ahead of time and it isn't supposed to matter as long as the partnership/marriage works and you're in love. In other words, Weir and Voronov weren't just roommates splitting the rent, splitting all expenses, and labeling everything in the refrigerator. They were a married couple, and when they married they became a union where everything they own is shared completely. That's why it states in marriage vows: for richer or poorer. I've been married to my husband for over twenty-one years and everything is shared. Everything. Tony is not my roommate. He's my husband. I also know plenty of gay couples where one is the major breadwinner and the other is more domestic and doesn't work outside the home. If straight marriages have worked well this way for years and years why should it be any different for gay marriages? And as a gay man who has been married for a long time, I resent it when I see gay men make statements like this.

Of course most married couples both work now. But not always. And I hope other gay men who don't quite grasp this concept pay attention closely. You're not looking for a roommate to share expenses. That's not what marriage is about. You're looking for a spouse. And if you are looking for someone to split expenses and that's a huge part of why you're getting married, don't bother. It won't end well.

In New Jersey, I know through family members and friends that divorce is a fifty-fifty deal. In other words, when you're legally married in the state of New Jersey and you divorce everything you have is split right down the middle. And that shouldn't be any different from the Weir-Voronov marriage. So unless there's a pre-nuptial agreement with Weir and Voronov, it should be interesting to see how all this unfolds legally.

The days when a gay man could just throw a long-term partner/spouse out the door (think Liberace) with nothing are finally coming to an end.

You can read more of Weir's immature rants here.

Free Gay Excerpt: The Preacher's Husband

Sometimes when I post about upcoming books I state that everything is tentative. And this is a good example of what I'm talking about. The next full length M/M romance in the Glendora Hill series I'm releasing very soon was originally titled, Silver Lining Ranch, and I recently changed the title to something I think works better...The Preacher's Husband. In many ways it is about marriage...and not the kind of marriage so many seem to be fantasizing about these days. This is about real marriage, and how important love is to any real marriage. I'll release a blurb and post more about the launch date for this one. Here's an excerpt that probably won't be published anywhere else but here.

About six hours away from Silver City, New Mexico, he stopped for gas and a few bags of candy that would keep him comfortable until he reached Texas. He figured he'd better use the rest room, too, even though he didn't have actually have to do anything. After he forced himself to pee, he climbed into the truck and headed back toward the interstate. It was raining even harder now and the sound of the wipers swiping at full force caused a knot in his stomach. He'd finished the breakfast sandwiches and he felt hungry again. He wished he'd stopped for a sandwich. He'd seen a sign for fast food places not far from where he'd stopped for gas, but he didn't feel like turning around. At least he'd thought far enough in advance to get some candy. Maybe Dudley was wright about him. He should start to pay closer attention to his eating habits.

As he reached over the center console to grab a box of Jolly Rancher Gummies, he only glanced down for a second to make sure he didn't pick up the Skittles by mistake. He wanted to save those, and the Good and Plenty's, for later. He was on the entrance ramp of the interstate and he couldn't have been going more than two or three miles per hour. He'd seen the traffic up ahead and he'd slowed down almost to a complete stop. But when he looked down for that one split second and reached for the Jolly Rancher Gummies, he felt a thump, a jerk, and looked up to see that he'd tapped the SUV in front of him.

He didn't think he'd caused any damage, and it was only a gentle tap. But he put the truck in park, put on his flashers, grabbed an umbrella in the backseat, and jumped out of the cab to check things out. He looked down and saw there was no damage at all, not even a scratch. So he walked up to the driver's side of the SUV and knocked on the window to make sure the driver was okay. It was raining so hard he didn't notice anything other than the line of traffic that had caused them to stop had moved forward and they were the only two cars on the ramp now.

A woman with bright crimson hair that looked as though someone had covered her plump round head with a square cardboard box and cut the ends in blunt chunks from earlobe to earlobe lowered the window and Kelly smiled. "Are you okay? Sorry about that. I checked and there's no damage."

"I'm okay," the woman said. "Are you sure there's no damage. My husband will kill me. This is the third time I've been dinged this month. We just got the car back from the body shop."

Kelly noticed a diamond earring in her left nostril and tried not to stare at it. "I'm sure there's no damage." He would have told her the truth if there had been damage. He wasn't spiritual and didn't know a thing about the bible, but he did believe in his grandmother's old saying that what goes around comes around. "Maybe you should get out and look yourself. I’d feel more comfortable if you did."

She shrugged and flipped a straight chunk of crimson hair. "I just had my hair done. I'll trust you."

The rain continued to pound him, and his favorite cowboy boots were getting soaked. "I really wish you'd just get out and look fast. I'll hold the umbrella for you so you don't get wet."

"Ah, honey, I'm fine," she said. "You look honest to me. It's him that I'm more worried about. I hope I didn't do any damage." She looked straight ahead and pointed at the windshield.

When Kelly turned to look to see what she was talking about, he opened his eyes wider and took a deep breath. There was a motorcycle on its side in the middle of the ramp. The guy with the lime green and black motorcycle helmet was looking down at it and shaking his head. Kelly turned to the woman again. "What happened?"

She made a face. "When you tapped me I tapped him. But only a little. I don't think I tapped him hard enough to do any serious damage." She gestured to the windshield again and frowned. "And he is walking around okay from what I can see. Oh, I just don't want my husband to find out about any of this. Would you go up and look for me?"

Kelly hesitated because it was a guy with a green and black helmet. But he also knew he was indirectly responsible, so he nodded and said, "I'll be right back."

He turned and walked to the front of the SUV. He glanced down at the SUV's bumper and didn't see any damage. The guy was looking down at the motorcycle and his back was facing Kelly.  Before Kelly tapped him on the shoulder, he hoped it wasn't the same guy he'd been running into since he'd left Arizona.

But the instant Kelly's finger touched the guy's back, the guy jumped and turned fast. Although the helmet covered his head and face, Kelly saw the pale blue eyes gazing in his direction and he knew it was the guy from the swimming pool earlier that morning.

"What the fuck, man?" the guy said. He pointed to the SUV and shook his finger. "First, she tries to run me down, and now you're trying to scare me to death."

"I'm sorry," Kelly said. He had to speak louder because the rain made so much noise on the umbrella. "It's not her fault. It's mine. I tapped her and she tapped you."

The blue eyes blinked. "You tagged her?"

Kelly leaned closer to him. "Not tagged, tapped. I reached for my Jolly Rancher Gummies and it just happened. I’m saving the Skittles for later."

"Dude," the guy said, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Then the guy hesitated and looked Kelly up and down. "Hey, aren't you the naked guy who was perving at the pool this morning. Are you stalking me or something, man? We seem to be running into each other a lot."

Kelly felt his face grow warm. Even though Kelly had caused this mess, it didn't mean the guy had to call him a pervert and a stalker. "I was not perving at the pool this morning, or anywhere else. I don’t perv. I thought I was alone. And you're the one stalking me."

The woman in the SUV stuck her head out the window for a second and honked the horn. "Is everything okay? I have to get home."

Kelly nodded and said, "There's no damage to your car." He glanced at the guy and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure," the guy said, looking down at his bike. "I went down fast and I hate to take the chance of getting back out on the road in this weather if there is something wrong with my bike."

This was the last thing Kelly wanted to deal with that afternoon. Oh, if he hadn't looked down at those damn Jolly Rancher Gummies he never would have been in this mess in the first place. But he knew he was responsible and there was only one thing to do. So he looked at the guy with the helmet and said, "We'll put the bike in my truck and find a garage that can look it over. I was the one who tapped her first and I can't leave you here in the pouring rain."

"What is all this tapping you keep talking about, dude," the guy asked. "Do you speak English?"

"Never mind," Kelly said. "Just pick up the bike and bring it around to my truck. I'll help you in a minute."

While the guy in the helmet brought the bike back to Kelly's truck, Kelly walked back to the SUV and told the woman with the boxy red haircut everything was fine and she could leave. She thanked him and hit the gas so hard the tail end of the SUV fishtailed and he felt very sorry for her husband. When he turned to look back at his truck he noticed a long line of cars had stopped and they were all waiting to get onto the Interstate.

Kelly gestured to the guy with the motorcycle and pointed to the shoulder of the road. Then he jogged to the truck and pulled it off to the shoulder so the other cars wouldn't have to wait while they loaded the motorcycle into the back. Kelly's pick-up truck wasn't just a big black shiny toy. He actually used the truck for many functional purposes on the ranch and he was always prepared to haul things in the bed that most people wouldn't have even considered. So it didn’t take long to load the motorcycle because he had two folding metal ramps. He even had a tarp to cover it.

After he folded the ramp and set it in place, he closed the tailgate and glanced at the guy in the helmet. The umbrella was on the ground and they were both soaked by then. "Get in and we'll find a place to look the bike over. I'm on a tight schedule and I'm supposed to be in Texas before midnight."

The guy stood still, as if he couldn't move his legs, and stared at Kelly.

"What's wrong?"

The guy shrugged. "Are you sure it's safe, dude? You're not going to tag anybody else while I'm sitting in the death seat?"

Kelly smiled and said, "It's tap, not tag. Just get in. I'm soaked." He had a feeling the guy was joking now.

FREE Gay Excerpt: Silver Lining Ranch; Male Full Frontal Nudity German TV

FREE Gay Excerpt: Silver Lining Ranch

Silver Lining Ranch is the most recent full length novel in my Glendora Hill series and I'll be releasing it within the next week or so. I'll post a set date as soon as I'm certain it's ready to launch. This will be an indie release for me, and kind of a bonus book in the series that I wanted to price lower. In addition to this one, and Cowboy Christmas Miracle, there are two yet to be completed novels in the series coming out with Ravenous Romance. Each book is a stand alone and they don't have to be read in consecutive order. I did that on purpose for readers because I've learned that I can't predict when books with publishers will be released, but I can predict when my indies will be released because I'm in control of that.

I still haven't written a full blurb yet, however, it's basically about a young ranch manager, Kelly, moving to Glendora Hill, Texas to meet up with his gay minister husband, Dudley, who also just moved there. On the way, the ranch manager meets a guy on a motorcycle named Wade, and as it turns out he's moving to Glendora Hill, too. This excerpt is from a chapter in the book where everyone congregates at Sebastian and Avery's house for dinner one night. Oh, and "Kick" turns out to be gay after all.

Chapter Eleven

The moment they entered the room, everyone else in the kitchen stopped talking and gazed in their direction. Even though there was soft music coming from a sound system somewhere in the house, Kelly felt so awkward thanks to Wade he grabbed the edge of the counter and held it until his fingers hurt.

Without missing a beat, Avery took control and said, "I'd like everyone to meet Kelly Barrett, my new manager out at the ranch, and this is his husband as most of you already know, Dudley Long, who just took over the little church on the outskirts of town." He didn't go into details about Dudley's church, and Kelly assumed that was because most people in town had already heard about Dudley and his gay friendly church. In fact, Dudley had already met everyone except for Wade.

Three men walked up to the counter to shake their hands and the tallest one wearing tight jeans, cowboy boots, and a tight black shirt took Kelly's hand first and said, "I'm Judd. I'm the ranch manager out at the Marshall ranch. It's good to meet you, Kelly." Then he smiled at Dudley and shook his hand. "Good to see you again." Kelly had heard the Marshall Ranch was a commercial venture geared toward tourists.

As the introductions continued, Kelly met Dr. Keith Elliot who was in charge of the Glendora Hill Medical Center, and a younger guy who also worked as a ranch hand at the Marshall Ranch, Ben Sanders. Although Keith, Judd, and Ben did not make a formal announcement, they let Kelly and Dudley know they all lived together in the old fire house at the beginning of town that was under renovation. They did this in subtle ways, with simple gestures and innocuous comments that made Kelly and Dudley exchange a few glances. They weren't judgmental glances; Kelly and Dudley knew three men in a long term relationship back in Wyoming: it didn't shock them. It's just that they hadn't expected to meet three men in a long term relationship that night, in Glendora Hill, and Kelly knew the conversation on the way home would be interesting that night.

After Kelly met Keith, Judd, and Ben, Avery introduced Kelly to a lesbian couple, Harby and Alice. They owned the general store in town. When Kelly made a comment about how wonderful he thought it was that so many people in town had shaved their heads to support Sebastian during his illness, he clutched the edge of the counter again when Harby pounded her fist on the counter and said, "No big deal to me. I've been shaving my head for thirty years."

Through all these introductions, Wade continued to stand at the other end of the counter, smiling in an awkward way. Avery finally gestured for him to come over and even then he set his glass down and took his time, as if he didn't want to be there anymore.

Avery patted Wade on the back and looked at Kelly. "And you guys already know each other." Avery turned and explained to the others. "Kelly ran into Wade by accident on his way to Glendora Hill and helped him out on the road."

Wade looked into Kelly's eyes and Kelly felt his heart stop beating. He gulped and searched for his voice. He had to clear his throat twice before he could actually speak. "Ah, yes. We met on the road." He didn't want to go into any details. He just wanted to get beyond this awkward moment and move on to something else.

Wade reached out to shake Kelly's hand and said, "That's right. We didn't even know we would see each other again until we pulled up to the saddle shop and figured out the connection we had with Sebastian."

Dudley seemed to find this all amazing. He patted Wade on the back and said, "Life can be so interesting that way sometimes. Two people who don't even know each other suddenly find out they have so much in common."

"It's a small world," Harby said.

Alice laughed. "I knew you'd say that."

"Well it is," Harby said, sending her wife a look.

Wade shook Dudley's hand and said, "It's nice to meet you. Kelly told me so many great things about you on the road."

Kelly felt even worse after that comment. He hadn't mentioned much at all about Dudley and now he felt so guilty about this he didn't even feel like eating.

Dudley held Wade's hand a moment longer and said, "I'm glad he didn't have to do that drive all alone. I was worried about that. I'm glad he had you for company."

Wade winked at Kelly and said, "I took good care of him."

Before Kelly could reply, Harby and Alice took Dudley's arm and they pulled him over to the fireplace to ask him a few questions about joining the church. Alice had an excited expression; she smiled to the point where her nose crinkled. Harby had one eyebrow higher than the other and she seemed a bit apprehensive. Keith, Judd, and Ben started talking to Wade about his new fitness program, CrossView, which Kelly assumed without asking was happening in the fire house where they all lived. Kelly remembered Wade mentioning something about that on their way to Glendora Hill and he didn't want to bring that topic back up again.

Avery asked Kelly and Dudley what they wanted to drink, and then he went to a built-in bar near the entrance of the kitchen to make a martini for Kelly and pour plain seltzer for Dudley. The moment he pulled two glasses down from a glass shelf Kelly heard the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase in the main hall, and then he saw Avery and Sebastian exchange a knowing glance.

Then Sebastian stopped what he was doing at the stove and went out in the hall without saying a word to anyone. From where Kelly stood he could see the front door, and he had a clear view of Sebastian talking to his young son, Kick. Though he couldn't hear everything said in detail, he could tell from Sebastian's serious expression and Kick's defensive tone they were arguing about something. As he looked away, trying hard not to eavesdrop or intrude on something private, Avery walked over, handed him a martini, and said, "We're having a few issues with our son. He's really a great kid, but he started seeing this older guy and he's going through this rebellious stage we didn't see coming."

Kelly took the martini and said, "I should go over and see what Dudley is doing. This is none of my business."

            Avery leaned in closer and said, “Actually, it is kind of your business and I’d like to talk to you about it. I don’t want to put you on the spot or anything. I just want to get your input.”

               “I don’t see how I can help,” Kelly said. He’d always believed in staying out of these family things with friends.

               “They guy you hired as a ranch hand, Topher, is the guy Kick is seeing,” Avery said. “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

               Kelly took a quick breath. “I had no idea. He just showed up out of nowhere the first day I arrived. He must know you and Sebastian own the ranch. He never said a word about dating Kick.” If he’d known this he wouldn’t have hired Topher.

               Avery shrugged. “It could be arrogance on his part. He could be testing us in the sense that if we didn’t hire him it would only cause more friction between Kick and us. Guys like that can be very devious. I’ve run into a few like him in my time. I’m not sure and we’re afraid to ask Kick anything about him in detail. We tread with care, trust me. I always feel all it will take is one wrong word and we’ll lose Kick forever.”

               “Technically, you and Sebastian are Topher’s bosses,” Kelly said.

               “I know,” Avery said. “I have a feeling Kick may have encouraged him to apply for the job. Kick knows we have a long standing rule about letting the ranch manager deal with all the hiring and firing at the ranch. We never get involved with anyone but the ranch manager. I guess they both figured Topher would never have to deal with us at the ranch, which is the truth.” He seemed to want to reassure Kelly.

               “I’m still not sure how I can help,” Kelly said. He didn’t want to get too involved.

               “We didn’t even know Kick was gay until he met this Topher guy,” Avery said.

               “I know about that,” Kelly said. “Sebastian told me a little about it the first day we met. Kick was on his way out of the shop that day and Sebastian seemed worried.”

               “It’s not that we’re not willing to get to know Topher better,” Avery said. “It’s that he doesn’t seem to want to get to know us better. And Kick keeps him so far away it’s as if he’s embarrassed of him or something. I don’t get it. Kick has two gay parents and you’d think that would help.”

               Kelly knew nothing about raising kids, but he did know that young adults were rebellious by nature and it had nothing to do with their sexuality. “Parents have been dealing with this since the beginning of time.”

               Avery rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. Only a couple of months ago Kick was hanging out with a nice group of kids, worrying about school and all the normal things kids deal with. And then Topher comes along and he becomes a completely different person. We don’t even know where he is half the time, other than the fact that he’s on the back of Topher’s motorcycle.”

               “I can understand your concern,” Kelly said.

               “We’re just curious about Topher,” Avery said. “You see him on a daily basis. What’s he like? Does he ever mention Kick?”

               Kelly thought for a moment. He wanted to choose his words with care. Although he could feel Avery’s pain, he didn’t want to bad mouth his employee either. “He doesn’t speak much, especially about his personal life,” Kelly said. “He never mentions Kick at all. He shows up on time, does everything I ask, and I never have to redo anything he’s done. In that respect he’s the model ranch hand. But if I get two words out him during the day sometimes it’s a miracle. He’s definitely a loner.”

               Avery frowned and rubbed his jaw. “I think that’s what Kick likes so much about him.”

               Kelly could have disagreed with him because as an outside party he saw a few other things Kick found attractive in Topher that Avery clearly wasn’t willing to admit, at least not aloud. Kick seemed to be around seventeen years old, and Kelly remembered how he’d been at that age. If he’d been seventeen and a hot, dangerous guy like Topher had wanted to be his boyfriend he probably would have done anything to get into Topher’s pants. But Kelly knew most parents couldn’t be that objective, not even gay parents, and he said, “I wish I could help you more. But as far as Topher goes as an employee I can’t say anything negative about him. I’m sorry.”

               Sebastian had walked in on the tail end of their conversation and he said, “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad to hear that.” He smiled and tried to pretend he wasn’t upset. “I’ll take anything positive I can get at this point. I just don’t get all this secretiveness. I invited them both here to dinner tonight and Kick practically laughed in my face.”

               Kelly took a hard sip of martini. For the first time since he’d begun this conversation, he thought they both needed a little reality check. “Look, I know this is none of my business and we don’t really know each other that well. I don’t want to say the wrong thing. But if you were Kick’s age and you were dating a guy who looks like Topher would you really want to spend the evening with your dads and a bunch of established gay couples? Seriously.”

Male Full Frontal Nudity German TV

There's a TV show in Germany that's supposedly like our version of Celebrity Survivor, and it's been shocking a few people in Germany with male full frontal nudity. Evidently, according to this piece, female nudity on German TV is fairly regular but male full frontal is still considered shocking. (More of the same of double standard.)

But this was male nudity. Not that the cameras paid much attention to the rest of actor Winfried Glatzeder’s full front. The debut for came in a long, lingering scene of him showering, or really, washing his penis. This was something he had sneaked off to do before his campmates were awake, apparently for some privacy. Few well-scrubbed penis, or as the German press euphemistically and bizarrely, re-named it, “Fleischpeitsche”, have ever had less privacy, though.

Beyond the first shock was this: the penis belongs to Glatzeder. The Jungle Camp is a collection of mostly of B-list celebs, and when they are not B-List, they tend to C-list, or lower. In this camp, Glatzeder’s campmates include a model, a music television presenter, a soft porn star, a pop singer (not a pop star) and a 1980s Germany Playboy magazine cover-girl.

 You can read more here.

They refer to this particular penis that belongs to the celebrity as a "meat whip."  His has been a long and successful career, which brings us the third shock: Just like the rest of him, his penis is 68. It’s a retirement age meat whip.


You can see photos of Glatzeder, but not his "meat whip," here. With a simple search, I couldn't find any photos of the actual "meat whip."  

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/01/19/215044/the-not-so-shocking-shock-of-full.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/01/19/215044/the-not-so-shocking-shock-of-full.html#storylink=cpy

Lazy Beagle; NBA First Gay Player; My Own Book Updates

Lazy Beagle

I've posted about lazybeagleentertainment.com here before. It's a web site for authors and readers and publishers to gather and to gain information about books. The owners are an industrious couple (Patrick and Rondal) who never stop working on the site and I often wonder where they find the time to do all they do. It's simple to navigate, and a good place to go if you're curious about an author or a book and you want fast information with a simple search. I check out books I'm curious about often. There's a book of the month, and an author of the month. You can also click links there that will lead you to other web sites and buy books as well without doing anything complicated. They do promotions and contests and I think it's worth checking out.

If you are an author and you haven't heard of them, check out the links below. They are very friendly and take art into consideration, which I don't see often.

Writing books is a form of art and should not be stifled. Authors use LBE and after your profile is set up, you will have one direct URL to your bio that gives you a link that contains all the links to all your sale sites and social media sites in one easy convenient place. All of this is for free. Visit Author and Book bio submissions page.

I'll continue to post as things come in.

NBA First Gay Player

Football player, Michael Sam, has been making news recently for coming out, and I think it might be setting a new standard for other pro athletes who are gay. The article to which I'm linking now talks about NBA player, Jason Collins, as the first openly gay player in the NBA. I posted about when Collins first came out, here, last April.

In that moment, history was made, as Collins became the first openly gay player to see action in an NBA game. 

Collins, signed Sunday to a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn, was welcomed with a nice ovation when Staples Center public address announcer Lawrence Tanter announced his name.

"Right now I'm focusing on trying to learn the plays, learning the coverages and the game plan and the assignments. So I didn't have time to really think about history," Collins said at a crowded press conference less than an hour before the game.

You can read more here.

I'd like to put this into perspective for people who might not understand the magnitude of it...or the significance with respect to younger gay people who might be thinking about coming out. When I was in high school there were no role models like Michael Sam or Jason Collins. None. We took what we could get in secret about gay culture on the fringes and many of us found it hard to identify with that information. If there had been men like Michael Sam and Jason Collins around when I'd been in high school I think life would have been so much easier.

My Own Book Updates and Surprises

I've been remiss with my own book updates here on the blog. And a good deal of that is because I've been releasing books at a slower pace for various reasons. One, I think the market is saturated with too many books. That's not a bad thing. Think about it...TOO many books. How wonderful is that? I never actually thought I'd make a comment like that. But it is a reality authors need to deal with. As they say in real estate, it's definitely a buyers market.

But the problem is that with so many books out there it's harder to figure out when to release a new book for authors like me. We're also competing against authors who do more than a few questionable promotional things I won't get into now. My writing schedule hasn't slowed down at all. In fact, I have five completely finished, edited novels (one is over 100,000 words long) that haven't been released  yet. I also have one 25,000 word novella in the Second Chance series coming out soon. And, I have signed up with two more publishers for anthologies. So I've been busier than ever, but I've also been releasing books in a more strategic way so readers don't get sick to death of me. I haven't discussed this with my publishers, but I think we're all on the same page. Too much, too soon, isn't always the best thing for authors, publishers, or readers.

As of right now, I'm planning to release a new full length m/m western in March, and also the novella in the Second Chance series. Titles have yet to be fully realized, but I'll post more as soon as I finalize everything with the editor I work with. The novel I'll be releasing is part of the Glendora Hill series (Cowboy Christmas Miracle). I have a few surprises with that series I think (hope) readers will enjoy, and they include something I've never seen done with any series in the past...at least I haven't seen it.

Side note: Vet your books with care, readers. If you notice a book released by an unknown author that's only two weeks old and there are over 100 five star ratings and two or three line rave reviews, purchase with caution. I'm not saying it can't happen. But the odds of a book getting that many five star reviews and ratings that soon are fairly slim. Don't be taken in by snake oil salesmen of the digital age. You work too hard for you money.

Free Excerpt: Cowboy Christmas Miracle; Brian Boitano is Gay You Say; Boycott Russian Olympics

Free Excerpt: Cowboy Christmas Miracle

This Friday the free excerpt I'm putting up is from the release of my new novel, Cowboy Christmas Miracle, in the Glendora Hill series. It's 70,000 words in length, I set the entire story in a fictional town, Glendora Hill, in Texas Hill Country, and I wanted it to be more emotional than usual because the story involves a life and death issue with one character. It was hard to do because I wrote it in August during a heat wave. But this is the one that made the copy editor cry, so I've been told. As with future books in the Glendora Hill series this book is a stand alone, but this series will always be set in the same small Hill Country town and most of the characters will continue to return throughout the series.

You can find the book here, here (it's on sale @$4.99 there), and here. It's also up at most places where e-books are sold and I think readers have their own preferences nowadays so I just provide links I think might be most popular. I know I shop at the same places for books.

Here's the blurb:

In the little Texas Hill Country town of Glendora Hill, everyone decorates for the holidays as elaborately as they do for all seasons. Dr. Keith Elliot notices this his first night in town, and only moments after he also notices that his new neighbor, Judd, is the big strong cowboy of his dreams. But when Judd says something unthinkable to Keith after they make love for the first time, Keith throws him out and decides to focus on his new position at the Glendora Hill Medical Center and riding his new horse at a ranch outside of town. At the ranch, he meets Ben, another handsome young cowboy who just moved to town. Through a series of events between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve over which Keith has no control, he finds himself falling deeply love with two cowboys at the same time. Then Keith buys the old firehouse on Main Street, his new best friend and landlord, Sebastian, develops serious medical issues, and Keith’s love life becomes even more complicated. When Keith and his two cowboys finally admit they all love each other, will they ever find the peace they all seem to want so much? And will poor sweet Sebastian get the medical miracle he needs so Christmas in Glendora Hill won’t be ruined that year?

And this is an excerpt in raw form that hasn't been published anywhere else but here. It's from chapter ten, where the main character goes house hunting because he wants to put down roots in Glendora Hill, and, he wants something very unusual.

It was evident to Keith that Kelly Williams had no intention of walking from the real estate office all the way up to the north end of town to the firehouse in those six-inch stilettos. So after she picked up the keys to the firehouse from a peg board, he followed her out to the back parking lot where she led him to a massive old white Cadillac convertible with the top down.

          As Kelly headed toward the driver’s side, he ran his palm along the windshield and glanced at the blue interior. “This is a great car,” he said. “It’s a 1963 Coupe De Ville, isn’t it?”

          She opened the door and said, “It’s a ’64. It was my late husband’s. I have a newer one at home, but I prefer to drive this one in nice weather. The top doesn’t work anymore and I keep meaning to get it fixed.”

          He sat down next to her and reached for the seatbelt. It was the old-fashioned kind, the type that only belted around the waist. “It’s in perfect condition.”

          She started the engine and said, “It only has fifty thousand original miles, too.” Then she put it in gear, hit the gas, and they jerked out of the parking lot so fast a gust of wind hit Keith and blew his cowboy hat right into the backseat.

          She drove so fast he didn’t bother to reach back for his hat until they reached the old firehouse. On the way, she waved at passersby, honked the horn, and barely missed one red light. Keith was amazed she could even see over the steering wheel. She’d held the top of the wheel with two hands and lifted her chin high. All the people they passed in town seemed to stop and step back when they saw her coming.

          When she pulled the keys out of the ignition, she patted the steering wheel and said, “She still drives like new, doesn’t she?”
          Keith reached for his hat in the backseat and took a quick breath. “Yes, she does, Kelly.” He was already thinking up an excuse so he could walk back to his truck.

          Kelly grabbed the keys to the firehouse and opened the car door. “You’re not going to like what you see. But it’s better for you to know than wonder. Follow me.”

          As they crossed the railroad tracks, Kelly pointed and said, “There hasn’t been a train through here in years. So at least that’s not an issue.”

          But Keith wasn’t paying attention to the railroad tracks. The first thing he noticed was the property to the right of the building, and how deep it went in back. It reminded him of the trail he’d been on with Judd yesterday, with green rolling hills, live oaks, and clusters of other trees that looked as if they’d been planted there on purpose. Yet he knew it was all natural.

          He also noticed there wasn’t a plant, tree, or shrub around the exterior of the building. The sidewalk leading to the front door was cracked and the grass had been neglected for so long anything that had overgrown had now matted into harsh clumps of brown. The building itself was red brick with white trim. The brick seemed to be in good shape, but the white trim was peeling everywhere.

          Keith glanced up at the massive garage doors that had once housed fire engines. He looked above the doors and noticed a round seal set right below where the roof arched at the highest point. He saw the image of a cowboy on the seal, riding bareback on a horse up on two hind legs in a dramatic way. Old buildings like this usually had flat roofs; this one had an A-frame, which he liked. He pointed to the round seal and asked, “What’s that?”
          Kelly looked up from the door and squinted. “I think that’s the old town seal,” she said. “It was designed by some famous artist, I think. But I can’t remember. I think his last name went something like Lexington.”

           Keith looked up again and said, “That’s an Arnold Lexington up there?” He’d been a fan of Lexington’s famous western artwork since he’d studied American fine art in college. Lexington was known for his vivid depictions of the Old West, Native Americans, and horses. Keith had never actually seen any of his work in person. That town seal had to be worth a small fortune itself.

          “That’s the name,” Kelly said, as she pushed the old front door open. “But it’s not Arnold Lexington. It’s Ashley Lexington, Arnold’s cousin.”

          He remembered reading about Ashley Lexington, too, who had never been as famous as his older cousin. His work wasn’t worth anything. But it didn’t matter to Keith. He wasn’t shopping for art. He was shopping for a home.

          Kelly went inside first and Keith followed. He glanced at the front door and had a feeling there was solid oak beneath all those layers of white paint.

          Kelly looked around and sighed aloud. “This is it. Not very impressive, I’m afraid.”
          The floor was concrete, the walls exposed brick. The windows on the sides of the building were all tall and thin. The exposed ceiling was so high Keith couldn’t even begin to predict its measure. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’ve never seen anything more prefect.” It reminded him of a million-dollar loft in an old factory one of his friends in medical school had shared with someone in Chicago.

          Kelly flung him a look and said, “Huh?”
          She clearly didn’t get it. He smiled and said, “It’s perfect.”

          “But the walls are just brick and the floors are concrete,” Kelly said.

          “I know,” Keith said. “I can just see these floors stained and polished. And you can’t find brick walls like that anywhere. It’s the look I’ve always wanted all my life and never thought I’d find.”

          As they walked through the rest of the building Keith kept seeing things he loved and talking about what he would do there. Kelly kept looking at him as if she was now afraid to be alone with him and shaking her head. Toward the back of the firehouse the ceiling became lower because there was a second floor back there where the firemen used to take naps. He couldn’t believe the iron circular staircase was still there, and intact. And when he saw the pole where the firemen used to slide down in emergencies from the second floor loft he almost started to cry. Nothing in the building had been touched, or renovated. There was even an old kitchen in the back that had the original gas stove and art deco refrigerator.

          Kelly figured after he saw the kitchen he would turn around and want to leave. But he just smiled and said, “I would have to renovate it all. But I love the open concept and can you imagine the dinner parties I could have here?” Best of all, though he didn’t mention this aloud, because the asking price was so low he would still have room in his budget to do the renovations without going into huge debt.

          Kelly snorted this time. “I can’t even imagine making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in this shit hole.”

          This time Keith looked at her as if she’s lost her mind.

          “I’m sorry,” she said. “But I just don’t get it.”

          He laughed. “I know, but trust me. I know what I’m talking about. This place is a dream come true.”

          “Yeah, well, wait until you see this, honey.”  

          Then she gestured to the right of the kitchen to a set of more old wooden doors that had been painted with layers of white paint. She opened one door, stepped to the side, and said, “I think I should have shown you this part of the dream first. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

          Keith frowned and walked over to the doors. He looked at Kelly for a second, and then stepped into the room expecting to see something from a horror film. It was the only room closed off from the rest of the firehouse. Kelly seemed so repulsed by this room her lips twisted and she refused to actually look inside for any length of time. For a moment, he had a feeling she was getting ready to hold her nose.

          But when he walked into the room and he looked around, he pressed his palm to his chest and gasped. He held his breath for a moment and felt like pinching himself to make sure this was all real.

          Kelly laughed and said, “Pretty awful, isn’t it? A real shit hole.”

          He walked to the middle of the room and glanced all the way around. He wasn’t sure where to look first; he still couldn’t catch his breath. In one corner he saw a row of old white porcelain urinals, in another he saw stalls with toilets and doors that only went partially down to the beige tiled floor. The entire room had been tiled in large beige rectangles, from floor to ceiling. There were six old sinks lined up along one wall, a couple of metal towel dispensers, and all the original fixtures were still in place. He took a deep breath and found it even smelled like a men’s room. If there was such a thing as a gay God, he’d been looking down on Keith that afternoon.

          But more than that, to the left of the urinals he found a step-down shower room that had been tiled with the same beige rectangles. There were three showerheads each on three walls and he couldn’t help imaging all those big strong naked firemen taking hot showers together. He grew so excited he turned around, lifted poor Kelly up, and spun her around. “I have to have this place. What do I have to do to get it?”
          When he set her down she laughed and said, “You can’t be serious. Please tell me you’re joking.”

          He could see she wasn’t offended when he picked her up. In fact, he had a feeling she’d liked it. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

          She looked around and gestured to the urinals. “It’s a men’s room, dear God. There are filthy old urinals.” She spoke as if she were ready to gag and vomit.

          He wanted to say, “It’s a dream come true.” But he smiled and said, “I can make this one of the best homes in town. Just tell me what I have to do next.” He knew she didn’t get it. He knew she never would get it. But he also knew when he told Ben and Sebastian about buying this place, and when he showed them the men’s room, they would get it. And more importantly, it felt like home. And he now he would have enough property to build a barn of his own and keep Zabar there instead of at the Marshall Ranch.

          Kelly shrugged and said, “If you’re that serious, you put in an offer, give me a deposit, and I’ll present it to the town council. Then we see how they react and take it from there. But I have to warn you. They’ve turned down other offers because they want this building to remain commercial.”

          He smiled at the urinals again and said, “I’ll do anything they want. I’ll even put it in writing. I’ll open a small bookshop on the first floor and use it as a tax write-off. Just help me get this place.”

Brian Boitano is Gay You Say

Get my smelling salts again.

In keeping with the latest trend, figure skater Brian Boitano just came out..."as gay." That's right "as gay." Also in keeping with the trend, everyone who comes out now is doing it "as gay," at least that's how the mainstream media keeps referring to these disclosures. I'm really not trying to be snarky, or to take anything away from Boitano, but seriously. Was there ever any doubt?


"It is my desire to be defined by my achievements and my contributions," Boitano said in a statement sent to The Huffington Post. "While I am proud to play a public role in representing the American Olympic Delegation as a former Olympic athlete, I have always reserved my private life for my family and friends and will continue to do so."
 
"I am many things: a son, a brother, and uncle, a friend, an athlete, a cook, an author, and being gay is just one part of who I am," he continued. "First and foremost I am an American athlete and I am proud to live in a country that encourages diversity, openness and tolerance. As an athlete, I hope we can remain focused on the Olympic spirit which celebrates achievement in sport by peoples of all nations."

And now he's gay.

Again, I really don't want to sound snarky here. The coming out ("as gay") process is different for everyone and when Boitano was at the height of his career it wasn't the cool thing to do. But more important, it could have hurt his career back then. Even though he sounds a little cliche here I do know a lot of men who feel the same way he feels and I respect that completely. On the other hand, I'll be smiling a lot more when I see Tom Cruise (or someone as famous) just show up somewhere with a man on his arm and say nothing at all.

I'm still for a full boycott. What's going to happen is that we'll get through these Olympics without any incidents at all. Everyone we've forgotten about for years will get a lot of attention, make a lot of money, and hug and kiss to the point where they might have to call the Russian schmaltz police. But what happens to the LGBT people in Russia after the Olympics? Are things going to change for them or are Russian actors from bad Russian sitcoms still going to call for gays to be burned alive in ovens?

I wish I could be more optimistic about this. You can read more here, if you think it's necessary to do that.

Boycott Russian Olympics

I'm not the only one who still thinks we should stop playing games and just boycott the entire thing. John Grant and Lady Gaga both think there should be a boycott, along with many others. This article is about how Grant feels:

We recently spoke with Grant about everything from Woody Allen movies to collaborating with Sinead O'Connor to that Elton shout-out being "one of the greatest nights of my life." Additionally, Grant told us why he agrees with Lady Gaga that the U.S. is morally bound to boycott the Russian Olympics, but why it's important for artists to keep touring Russia despite the government-sanctioned oppression.  

You can read more here. As I've said, it's going to be interesting to see what happens in Russia with LGBT people six months or a year from now. A lot of people predicted the holocaust and a lot of people ignored them. I'd hate to see anything like that ever happen again in the history of the world.

 

Male Nudes in Film: MrMan.com; FREE Gay Excerpt: Glendora Hill Series

Male Nudes in Film: MrMan.com

The founder of a web site that focuses on female nude scenes in films, Mr. Skin, has broken the double standard and created something brand new that now focuses on male nude scenes in films. And even more interesting, he's been marketing the naked male actors toward women but the majority of hits allegedly come from men. The article to which I'm linking claims it's "gay" men, but since there's no measure I know of that could accurately determine what kind of men are viewing the web site I'll just stick to using the word men in this post.

McBride's explanation for the gender gap? The stigma of homosexuality has faded even as male nude scenes have multiplied, making 2013 the “perfect” time to launch the counterpart to his 14-year-old forever teen, Mr. Skin. He's also of the opinion that men are simply more “pervy" than women. "They'll walk through a wall for a good nude scene."

I'm not too sure about that, at least not from what I've seen and heard from the wonderful women readers of gay erotic romance. I think it's more about women and men (of all ages) being more comfortable with sex, nudity, and all the pleasures erotica of any kind provide us. Fifty Shades of Grey did NOT become a bestseller for it's recipes or its strong plot. And I think there just might be as many women out there that will walk through a wall for a good nude scene as there are men. But even more important, I don't think that makes either men or women pervy for enjoying nudity or sex. I'd bet the owner of the web site Mr.Man.com doesn't think so either and he only used pervy in jest. It's the blithering idiot who wrote the Huff Po article with pithy undertones and that snarky Internet-y voice that's the real perv.

In any event, I will be linking to this web site in the future and sharing what I can about male full frontal nudity in TV and films. If that makes me pervy, tell me where to sign up.  You can read more here.

You can check out MrMan.com here, where you'll find not just a handful of male nudes from films, but what seems to be every male nude ever done. I can't post photos here from the web site for copyright reasons, but you won't be disappointed if you follow the link.

Photo is in Public Domain, but here's the...  Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Carl Van Vechten Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-54231]

FREE Gay Excerpt: Glendora Hill Series Cowboy Christmas

Here's a free excerpt from a 65,000 word holiday novel I'm just finishing up right now that will be released this holiday season. It's from the new cowboy series I'm working on that focuses on the fictional town of Glendora Hill in Texas Hill Country. In this particular novel, along with so much holiday cheer you might get overwhelmed at some point, the love story is focused on a three-way gay relationship that's long term and happily-ever-after. It's not Debbie Macomber. But in my lifetime of experience as a gay man I've known several long term committed relationships that included three men, not just two. It's more common in gay culture than most will admit or recognize, and even though it can get highly complicated I have seen relationships where it works...and lasts.

Keep in mind this is pre-edits and I haven't even submitted it to the publisher yet. I'll post the first part of the excerpt here and you'll have to click to read the second part at my other web site because Google might think I'm pervy if I post erotica here. Also keep in mind this isn't about a gay couple who take home all kinds of men and throw them into their bed. This is about three gay men who love each other deeply and want to spend the rest of their lives together.

By Thanksgiving Day, all the storefronts, homes, and professional buildings along the tree-lined streets of Glendora Hill, Texas were fully adorned for the Holiday season. The hardware store’s display windows were covered with pine wreaths, garland, and big red bows to the point where customers couldn’t even see the merchandise through the windows. The dog grooming parlor with one huge boxwood topiary of a French poodle near the front door had red velvet wreaths made out of faux poinsettias in its windows, perfectly strung multi-colored holiday lights framing each window, and the poodle topiary had a big red bow around its neck. On each corner in town, stood a fully decorated real Christmas tree set in an old whiskey barrel, with more multi-colored lights and a big gold star at the top.

            In fact, everywhere Dr. Keith Elliot looked he saw something glitter, sparkle, and shine with holiday expression. When he stopped at the first traffic light on Main Street and glanced up at the pine garland swag and gold silver bell hanging from the traffic light he rolled his eyes and made a face. And when he lowered his window to get some fresh air and heard soft holiday music being piped through the streets, he groaned aloud and took a quick breath. For a moment, he felt as if he’d lost touch with reality and wound up in one of those old Hollywood Christmas films where everyone believes in Santa and lives happily ever after.

            Then the traffic light changed and he noticed a middle aged woman with two elderly people attempting to cross Main Street. The woman couldn’t have been taller than five feet in spite of her four inch red and white high heels. She leaned toward the plump side, and she was wearing a belted red dress with a white collar and a flowing skirt. Her short curly hair was stiff with cheap dime store hair spray and she had a huge gold Christmas tree pin below her right shoulder. If she hadn’t been carrying a huge tray covered in silver foil, Keith would have thought he’d just run into Mrs. Santa Claus. The older couple wore matching green and red jackets and matching green velvet shoes that looked more like bedroom slippers.

            When the middle aged woman noticed the light had changed, she grabbed the older man’s arm with one hand and said, “Hold on, pop, the light is red.”

            The older man and woman exchanged a confused glance and stopped to wait, trusting her completely.

            Keith smiled and waved them along. “It’s okay. You can cross. I’m in no rush.” He didn’t want to run anyone over his first day in town, especially not one of Santa’s elves.

            The woman smiled and nodded at him. “Thanks, we’re on our way home from Thanksgiving dinner at the sheriff’s house.” She lifted the tray higher and giggled for no reason at all. “I brought my famous mac and cheese and these are leftovers. Dot Hennessey was there, too, and she brought her God awful stuffed mushrooms. She wound up taking most of them home.” Then she tapped the older man’s arm and said, “The nice man is letting us go. We can cross now.”

            The older man tilted his head sideways. “We’re not lost now, Angie. I know exactly where I am. I was born and raised in this town.” He made a fist and stomped his foot.

            “I didn’t say we were lost,” the woman named Angie said. “I said we could cross. Turn up your hearing aide, pop.” She smiled at Keith again and said, “Pop’s a little hard of hearing.”

            “No problem,” Keith said. He waved them on again. He didn’t want to spend the rest of the night sitting there at that light with strangers who seemed too familiar at first. He had a feeling she wanted to pull back the silver foil and show him her mac and cheese.

            As they passed by the front of his truck, the woman sent him a glance and said, “Happy Holidays.”

             He returned the gesture with a nod, and a forced smile. “Happy Holidays, to you, too.” She’d made it simple for him. He’d learned to be cautious about whether or not to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays with his more politically correct friends in Chicago. 

            He waited until they were on the other side of Main Street to tap the gas again. As he drove toward the address he’d been given, he noticed a few more people walking on the sidewalks, carrying big trays with silver foil. They were all dressed up, as if going somewhere special, and they were all smiling. But more than that, they all noticed him passing through town, and nodded and waved as if they’d known him all his life.

            With all the twinkling lights, strands of garland, and holiday wreaths, it was hard to see the numbers on the buildings. It’s a good thing his new landlord had told him to look for the last building on Main Street with the white porch swing and a sign that read, “Glendora Hill Saddle Shop and Dry Goods,” because he would have missed the numbers 1114 completely. Evidently, his new landlord hadn’t considered the address important when he’d covered up the three ones with a silver glittered pine cone Christmas wreath. Keith could hardly make out the four, but he figured that had to be the place because of the sign over the door.

            He parked in front at the curb and climbed out of the cab. He’d been driving all day and hadn’t stretched his legs since the last time he’d stopped to fill up the gas tank in north Texas, somewhere north of Dallas he’d never heard of. He was sorry he’d worn such tight jeans that day, and even sorrier he’d worn cowboy boots. He would have been more comfortable in sweats and sneakers. But he didn’t want to show up in Glendora Hill, Texas looking as if he’d just arrived from Chicago. He had just arrived from Chicago, but he didn’t want them all knowing that. The main reason he’d submitted his resume for the job as head doctor of the Glendora Hill Medical Center was to escape from the urban life he’d always known. Unlike the other people with whom he’d attended medical school, his goal had always been to be a primary care physician, and in a small western town where there were horse ranches, open spaces, and plenty of cowboys.

            As he glanced up at the building where he’d rented the second floor apartment, he blinked when he noticed that every window had an identical glittery silver pine cone wreath hanging from a red velvet ribbon. Each window frame was adorned with little white lights that had been entwined around pine garland. And at the base of each window set dead center were big fluffy white bows. This building seemed even more elaborately decorated than the others he’d passed in town. Even the white front porch swing had silver and gold holiday pillows lined across the back.  

            Keith hadn’t seen the building or the apartment until now. He’d heard about it through a patient he’d accidentally met in the hospital in Chicago where he’d done his residency. The patient had been recovering from an emergency appendectomy and she’d overheard Keith telling a nurse about his plans to move to Glendora Hill, take over the small medical center, and that he was looking for a place to live. The patient’s name was Luanne something…he couldn’t remember her last name…and she told him she owned a dress shop in Glendora Hill, she was in Chicago visiting family, and wound up with an appendicitis. She was being discharged that day, but she gave him a phone number to call where she’d heard someone was looking to rent an apartment. The same evening he wound up renting the space over the phone without even checking it out. But if he’d known he was renting an apartment in a building that reminded him of Santa’s village at the North Pole, he would have thought twice.

            It was too late now to change things. He’d paid the first and last month’s rent and signed a lease he’d mailed to the landlord. And, the landlord had been nice enough to give him a break and let him live there for free until December first when the lease actually kicked in. He couldn’t renege now, so he walked to the back of the truck, pulled two suitcases out, and started toward the front porch.

            In a show of stunning trust, the landlord had told Keith he’d leave keys to the entrance of the building and the apartment under a fake potted poinsettia tree next to the porch swing. So he set his suitcases down at the top of the porch and walked over to the porch swing. But as he bent over to lift up the fake potted poinsettia, a man with a deep voice crept up behind him and said, “Can I help you, man?”

            Keith jumped and jerked to the side. He’d lived in Chicago; he prepared to be either mugged or arrested for breaking and entering. He pressed his palm to his chest and said, “I’m looking for the keys. The landlord told me he’d leave them under this poinsettia. I’m not a burglar. I swear. I’m renting the second floor apartment and I have a lease to prove it.”

            The tall man smiled at him and said, “Well you must be the new doc in town. It’s nice meeting you. Sebastian mentioned you’d be coming in today sometime.” He walked over to Keith and extended his right arm. “I’m J U double D, Judd. Sorry if I scared you a little.” He spoke with a thick Texas accent and dropped the G at the end of every word ending in ing.

            Keith shook his large hand and said, “That’s me. I’m Keith Elliot, the tenant. I’ll be working at the Glendora Hill Medical Center. It’s nice to meet you.” This Judd dude had such a strong handshake Keith’s knees almost buckled.

            “I’m up on the fourth floor,” Judd said. “I’ve been renting here since Sebastian inherited the place from his uncle. He used to live in the second floor apartment with his son, Kick, but he married Sheriff Avery and he now lives over at the sheriff’s place. But’s he’s here at the store every day. You’ll get to meet him tomorrow.” He laughed and said, “It’s Black Friday and he’ll be open, not that you’ll see much of a crowd in Glendora Hill on black Friday, though. It’s pretty quiet around here compared to other places.”

            At a closer glance, Judd reminded Keith of a dark-haired model he’d recently seen in one of those underwear catalogues that wound up in his mailbox unsolicited at certain times of the year. Judd stood over six feet in black cowboy boots, his tight leather jacket pulled at the chest and upper arms, and where his narrow waist met his solid pelvis he had a prominent bulge that made the zipper in his low-rise jeans round out in a way that fell just short of obscene. “Sebastian married the sheriff? You’re telling me they are a gay couple?” Keith asked. He knew nothing about Glendora Hill or gay life there. He’d assumed he would be living in a more provincial town, and in order to follow his dream of being a small town doctor he’d been prepared to give up certain parts of gay life he’d known well in Chicago.

            Judd squared his back in a defensive way. “We’re a small town, but we’re progressive. Sebastian and the sheriff are gay, and so are a few other people in town. I hope that’s not a problem.”

            “Of course not,” Keith said, with a dismissive tone. He’d been worried about this for weeks. He hadn’t decided about whether or not he would tell people in Glendora Hill he was gay. With this disclosure about his landlord and the sheriff, he decided to tell the truth, but in a more subtle way. “I was dating a guy myself for about a year, but he met someone else. You know how it is.” Judd looked straight, but at least he was gay friendly.

            Judd rubbed his jaw and looked Keith up and down. “Well, pardon me for saying this, but that’s his loss, because I haven’t seen anything as cute as you in cowboy boots since I left the last ranch where I worked.” Evidently, Judd had his own not so subtle ways to let people know he was gay.

            Keith had never taken compliments or sexual innuendos well. He felt his face getting warm and he glanced down at his boots. “Well, thank you, Judd. But don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t all that serious about him. We’re still good friends and I like his new partner. We both always knew the relationship wouldn’t go anywhere.”

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