The Rainbow Detective Agency: Rancho Mirage
This book almost didn't get published. In fact, it almost didn't get written. I was about 30,000 words into the 60,000 word novel when I did something stupid and lost the entire file. I hadn't backed it up anywhere, which I usually do. I still don't even know what happened or how the file got lost. I worked for days trying to recover the lost file, and nothing worked. And when I was finally ready to give up and shelve the book completely so I could start something new, I found a youtube video that helped me figure out a way to find it in the most remote part of my hard drive.
It's also the last book, for now, in The Rainbow Detective series. It's book number nine on Amazon, but it's really number eight because Amazon includes the four book box set.
You can find Rancho Mirage here as an e-book, and in all the other places e-books are sold, like Smashwords, iTunes, and Allromanceebooks. And, this one will also be available in print eventually. I've posted a short excerpt from the novel, below.
Gay Night With New York Mets
I think this shows how far things have come in the world of pro sports. And, I think it's helping to remove the stigma and shame that has always been associated with being LGBT. I don't want to make it any more complicated than that. It's a simple gesture with a strong message.
The New York Mets have announced that they will be hosting a Pride Night this summer in recognition of their LGBTI fans.
The
announcement, which was made yesterday at a press conference in Queens,
New York, yesterday, makes the Mets the first New York pro team in the
city to host a Pride Night.
The
Chicago Cubs have been running a Pride Night since 2001 and the Los
Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants organized similar events last
season.
You can read the rest here. I understand the intentions are good and it seems to be getting a great deal of support.
Elton John Would Rather See A Drag Queen
This time Elton John is speaking up about how he would rather see a drag queen perform than see Janet Jackson lip sync. I'm not totally sure, but I think there's a slur against drag queens somewhere hidden in this.
Don’t expect to see Elton John anywhere near Janet Jackson once the ailing pop diva resumes her Unbreakable concert tour in May.
‘You
know, fucking music magazines writing a review of Janet Jackson saying,
“This is the greatest show – four and a half stars.” It’s fucking
lip-synced! Hello! That’s not a show!’ John tells
Rolling Stone in a new profile.
‘I’d rather go and see a drag queen,’ he adds. ‘Fuck off.’
This is where I really don't understand these celebrities sometimes. Elton John goes after another singer and the other singer goes silent. If I were Janet Jackson I'd probably respond with something like, "Interesting. I always thought Elton John was a fucking drag queen." I don't think I'd just sit back and smile. And I think Elton John would get my point.
In any event, Elton John never called me any names so I have nothing against him. I just thought I would point out how I might respond if I were Janet Jackson. It's only normal.
You can read the rest here, where they also talk about Elton John's feud with his 90 year old mum. Mum called his husband, "that fucking asshole David Furnish." That's a direct quote.
Excerpt From Rancho Mirage
There are no serious spoilers in this one.
I made sure of that.
Chapter Six
With
no time left to shower, Blair cleaned up in the bathroom first and then Proctor
and Bob cleaned up at the same time. Although Bob was well spoken and he
sounded fairly well educated he often said unexpected things that made Proctor
smile. They were in the bathroom sharing the sink and Bob said, "Do you
need a separate wash cloth to sink wash your nuts, man?"
Proctor
laughed and said, "No thanks. I'll just use yours when you're finished
with it." The guy had just finished doing the most intimate things
imaginable. He saw no point in avoiding sharing the same wash cloth. Even
though the apartment was messy, it was clean and nothing in the bathroom was
repulsive. The white tiled floor had been mopped, the toilet sparkled, and white
pedestal sink didn't have one single stain. In fact, the towels, unlike the
rest of the place, smelled as if he'd used mountain
fresh scent in the laundry.
When
they joined Blair in the main section of the apartment he was already dressed
and ready to leave. Bob mentioned he worked as a bartender part time somewhere
in West Hollywood, and he put on a crisp white shirt and tight black pants. While
they dressed Bob also mentioned he had a degree in fine arts with a theater
concentration from a college in New York and he'd moved out to the west coast
to pursue a career in acting. Blair rarely offered anything personal about his
life to anyone and he stood near the door smiling and nodding. Proctor didn't
want to get to know Bob better so he just listened and smiled without offering
any detailed information about himself.
Proctor
found his pants and underwear on the floor next to his socks and shoes but he
couldn't find his shirt. There were so many articles of clothing on the floor
it must have gotten mixed in with them and Proctor didn't have time to waste
looking for it.
"I
can't find my shirt anywhere," Proctor said.
Blair
laughed. "That's a novelty. Usually you can't find your underpants."
Proctor
sent him a look and didn't reply. Blair often found it amusing to make cheesy
bottom jokes about Proctor because Proctor didn't have sex with strange men
that often. If it had been up to Blair they would have had non-stop sex with
strangers but Proctor never had the urge to be that promiscuous.
Bob
went to the closet and pulled out a plain black V-neck shirt that went with
everything. He handed it to Proctor and said, "Wear this. We're the same
size shirt and I kind of like knowing that you're wearing my shirt."
Blair
rolled his eyes. "Isn't that sweet and tender. It gives me the feels."
Proctor
knew Blair's sarcasm and he didn't want to encourage it. He took the shirt from
Bob and said, "Let me buy it from you. I have cash."
As
he reached for his wallet in his back pocket, Bob stepped back and shook his
head. "No way. When I find your shirt I'll have it cleaned and then when I
drop it off you can give me back this one. Even trade."
Proctor hated to owe anyone anything. He'd
never been the type to borrow clothes, cars, books, or even money from friends.
He didn't even like it when people paid for him at restaurants. He preferred to
pay his own way and not owe anything to anyone. However, he didn't have time to
argue the point and he could see Bob was not going to take his money.
"Okay,"
Proctor said. "But don't worry about my shirt. Whenever you find it that's
okay with me." He slipped the silky black shirt over his head and detected
a light scent of the body spray Bob had used in the bathroom a few minutes
earlier. It wasn't an offensive aroma. It was some kind of watered down masculine
body spray that could be purchased in any drugstore.
A
few minutes later, they exchanged contact information with their phones and Bob
walked them down to the car. As he turned to get into his own car, he grabbed
Proctor by the waist and kissed him on the sidewalk in front of all the cars
moving up and down Fairfax. And when he let go and stepped back, he patted
Proctor on the ass and said, "I'll call you later."
Blair
laughed and said, "That's a smart move, dude. He doesn't like texting."
Proctor
glared at Blair, and then he smiled at Bob and said, "I'll see you later."
He just said that to be polite; he didn't intend to see him again for a while,
if ever.
When
they were finally on the road headed back to the office, Blair looked up from
his phone and said, "He's a nice guy. I like him."
Proctor
slowed down for traffic at the intersection and said, "He's a very nice
guy but when he calls I'm going to let him know this afternoon was a onetime
deal. It's not going to happen again."
Blair
shrugged and looked down at his phone again. He seemed to be having trouble
tweeting something and it looked as if he were diffusing a bomb. "It's up
to you. But I like him and I wouldn't mind hooking up with him again."