Rick Reed’s Bashed is Coming to DSP!

On 16 Jun 1415 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Good News1 Comment

Check out the amazing new cover for Rick R. Reed’s July release, BASHED!

Rick is simply put the Gentleman of our genre. Truly. I can think of no one who comports himself with as much grace and good humour and a bit of wicked. And he’s a damned fine writer. Bashed promises to be a combination of ghost-story and romance set amid the tragic aftermath of a hate crime. But as always, I know Rick pulls out all the stops to break our hearts and then mend them back together again.

Be sure to check out Bashed.

Bashed by Rick Reed
2nd Edition

It should have been a perfect night out. Instead, Mark and Donald collide with tragedy when they leave their favorite night spot. That dark October night, three gay-bashers emerge from the gloom, armed with slurs, fists, and an aluminum baseball bat.

The hate crime leaves Donald lost and alone, clinging to the memory of the only man he ever loved. He is haunted, both literally and figuratively, by Mark and what might have been. Trapped in a limbo offering no closure, Donald can’t immediately accept the salvation his new neighbor, Walter, offers. Walter’s kindness and patience are qualities his sixteen-year-old nephew, Justin, understands well. Walter provides the only sense of family the boy’s ever known. But Justin holds a dark secret that threatens to tear Donald and Walter apart before their love even has a chance to blossom.

Preorder Bashed at Dreamspinner Press!

Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love. He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). Lambda Literary Review has called him, “a writer that doesn’t disappoint.” Rick lives in Seattle with his partner and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever “at work on another novel.”

Visit him on the web at http://www.rickrreed.com or at http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/

JP Barnaby Giveaway Winner!

On 14 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Free Stuff, Good News3 Comments

The winner is: Elaine Downes

Thank you all for entering! Elaine please email me (rhysford at vitaenoir dot com) and tell me where you’d like your certificate sent from! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!

Excerpt From Tequila Mockingbird

On 12 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Excerpt17 Comments

By Some Demand…. Excerpt from Tequila Mockingbird

Curling up over his thighs and hugging his shins seemed to help, but it didn’t leave Forest with much of a view other than the hospital’s black-speckled linoleum floor. Around him, families ebbed and flowed, some chattering away as if no one was dying a few feet away, bleeding out on unseen surgical tables while their loved ones shivered from the overly enthusiastic air conditioning.

And try as he might, Forest couldn’t remember ever actually being in a hospital for anything other than the cops or CPS dragging him into the emergency room to check him over for damage. Once Frank took him in, he hadn’t seen the inside of a hospital again, although he’d seen doctors and dentists, since Frank’d taken periodic checkups quite seriously.

“Fuck, who the hell is going to tell me when it’s time to get my teeth cleaned?” he muttered at his knees, hating the tears falling from his eyes and soaking into his jeans. “Dad took care of all that shit.”

“Here, sit up and drink some of this,” Connor ordered, and a hot cup of coffee appeared under Forest’s nose. “I got you something to eat too.”

Taking the cup, Forest inhaled its steam, coughing slightly at the bitter in its aroma. He sipped at the sharp opening in the cup’s plastic lid, wincing at the sour sweetness of the hospital’s blend and Connor’s heavy hand with the sugar. Food turned out to be a couple of microwaved green chile and bean burritos, their molten innards leaking out from cracks in the tortillas and spilling onto a scallop-edged paper plate.

“I’m not hungry.” Forest wasn’t feeling the love for his stomach at that moment, especially since it’d been nearly an hour since they’d last heard from someone official about Jules’s whereabouts. He put the plate down on the empty chair next to him. It stayed there for about a second before Connor picked it back up and put it firmly in his lap.

“Eat something. Now,” Connor growled. “Actually, before I forget, put this on and then eat. You’re going to make yourself sick.”

The much-missed leather jacket settled on his shoulders again, and Forest numbly let Connor take the coffee cup from him. Connor’s holster was empty, a dark slash of black leather against his broad shoulders and back. The man’s chambray shirt was old, an obviously well-worn garment used to hugging the Irish cop’s muscular form. Small white patches dotted Connor’s chest, areas rubbed down from his holster, and a thumbnail-sized splash of pink on one of its tails turned out to be nail polish.

Forest wondered about the woman who’d stained Connor’s shirt, leaving behind a small territorial mark to claim him as her man. Any thought about the unknown and mysterious woman disappeared from Forest’s brain as Connor began to roll up his shirtsleeves to reveal his thickly muscled forearms and strong wrists. A satin-brushed gold ring on his pinkie gleamed dully under the hospital’s florescent lights, its wide surface engraved with fluid Celtic designs Forest thought looked like animals of some kind.

“On, Forest. The jacket,” Connor repeated. “Now.”

He was about to argue—just for the sheer fuckery of it, but one look at Connor’s face stopped Forest in midbreathe, and he tucked his hands into the jacket’s sleeves, sliding it on.

The scent of Connor’s faint cologne and the musk of his skin swaddled Forest immediately, and he reluctantly took the coffee back, wishing its bitter scent wouldn’t drown the Connor out of his nose. Stewing in the lingering heat of the man’s body, Forest sighed and felt the coldness in him in him melt, slipping away under Connor’s ad hoc embrace.

People Eating “Exotic” Asian Food

On 11 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Heh8 Comments

Gonna give you a CAUTION BALUT Warning on this one. 😀

Introducing JP Barnaby’s A Heart For Robbie And a Giveaway

On 11 Jun 1411 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Heh25 Comments

I have a special love for JP Barnaby. Okay, I might have a few special loves for a lot of people—do not judge me. So when she asked me to be a part of her release of A Heart for Robbie, I said Of Course (As if there was going to be any question).

This is a very special book for JP and in that light, I would like to sponsor a giveaway for its release. Please comment here and be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to the e-tailer of your choice…and watch for the winner announcement, if you don’t want to leave your email in the comment section.

Winner to be selected on the morning of June 14th.

A Heart For Robbie by JP Barnaby

Waiting for someone else’s child to die so yours can live is the worst kind of Hell.

Celebrated Young Adult author Julian Holmes pits the heroic characters in his Black Heart series against all different kinds of monsters. But when a critical heart defect threatens his son’s life, he finds he has no champion. No amount of books, classes, or practice can prepare Julian for the fight to save his beautiful son’s life.

Suddenly there are hospitals, transplant lists, and the nightmare of insurance red tape to navigate. In the midst of his trouble, Julian meets Simon Phelps, the insurance coordinator for Robbie’s case. Simon lives so deep in the closet he might never find his way out, but he dreams of exactly what Julian has. Then one night, drunken need and desperation brings them together, and a new fight begins.

Purchase JP Barnaby’s A Heart For Robbie

J. P. Barnaby
http://www.JPBarnaby.com
Sign up for updates: http://eepurl.com/nvXb5
#Survival #Realism #Love

News, More News, And A Cover Reveal From Rhys Ford

On 07 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Good News, Guest Blog18 Comments

As promised, MUCH news… about all the series…es. yeah whatever. That. Those. Heh. Those book things. AND A COVER REVEAL.

News, More News, And A Cover Reveal From Rhys Ford.

Morning!

On 05 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Heh8 Comments

oooooooooooooooo flying!

On 04 Jun 14 By Rhys FordIn Heh5 Comments

Announcing Tequila Mockingbird on DSP

On 28 May 14 By Rhys FordIn Good News23 Comments

Tequila Mockingbird is now up for Pre-Order on DSP 😀 WOOOOOOOOOT!

The release date has moved up one so it will now be available June 27 Midnight EST [Jun 26 9 pm PST]. Link to Preorder Here.

Tequila Mockingbird
Sequel to Whiskey and Wry
Sinners Series: Book Three

Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.

Ouch. Or My Sunday Afternoon Under A Needle.

On 26 May 14 By Rhys FordIn Good News15 Comments

So I got some ink today.

At Flying Panther.

This was drawn by my beloved younger sister, Ren and is placed above the tattoos I have for the Five. Right now, it hurts like a motherfucker because well, my calf apparently is a pissy bitch and kept throwing spasms and well, white ink hurts. Hands down, white ink hurts.

But… there’s a reason I put ink on me. It’s like wearing my heart on my skin.

This is done in classic Ren style and represents both of us. I am year of the dragon.. a fat little horned purple hapa dragon and she is a skull wielding bunneh. And we are sharing coffee and a heart.

This also kind of represents all of my Dong Bang Bunnehs because truly, it is how I feel about them. I would shield them from the world with a ring of fire while making sure they are warm, happy, safe and full of coffee.

Saranghaeyo. All of the Dong Bang Bunnehs. *hugs*