Tramps and Thieves Blog Tour Begins Tomorrow!

On 13 Sep 1713 Sep 17 By Rhys FordIn Heh2 Comments

Be sure to stop by all participating blogs during the Tramps and Thieves Blog Tour! I have written a serialized story about Rook and his cousin, Alex, as they go to an estate sale… an adventure neither one of them expected. Be sure to follow the story and enter each blog’s giveaway. There will be a gift certificate given away at every stop!

Sept
14        MMGoodbook Reviews
15        Love Bytes
18        Sinfully Gay Review
19        Joyfully Jay
20        NDulgent Bloggers
21        It’s About the Book
22        The Novel Approach
23        rhysford.com (Epilogue)

If you’ve missed the first book in the series, Murder and Mayhem, it is now a 99-cent sale eBook at Amazon (price matched at the Dreamspinner store): As the bodies pile up around a former cat burglar’s feet, he’s forced to reach out to the last man he’d expect to believe in his innocence—and the only man who’s ever gotten under his skin.

Murder and Mayhem Dreamspinner Press Link
Murder and Mayhem Amazon Link

Tramps and Thieves (Available Sept 18)
Order from Dreamspinner Press
Order from Amazon
Whoever said blood was thicker than water never stood in a pool of it.

Retiring from stealing priceless treasures seemed like a surefire way for Rook Stevens to stay on the right side of the law. The only cop in his life should have been his probably-boyfriend, Los Angeles Detective Dante Montoya, but that’s not how life—his life—is turning out. Instead, Rook ends up not only standing in a puddle of his cousin Harold’s blood but also being accused of Harold’s murder…and sleeping with Harold’s wife.

For Dante, loving the former thief means his once-normal life is now a sea of chaos, especially since Rook seems incapable of staying out of trouble—or keeping trouble from following him home. When Rook is tagged as a murder suspect by a narrow-focused West L.A. detective, Dante steps in to pull his lover out of the quagmire Rook’s landed in.

When the complicated investigation twists around on them, the dead begin to stack up, forcing the lovers to work together. Time isn’t on their side, and if they don’t find the killer before another murder, Dante will be visiting Rook in his prison cell—or at his grave.

Don’t Forget! Murder and Mayhem (Rook/Dante Book 1) Now 99 Cents until Sept 20

On 12 Sep 1711 Sep 17 By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff

If you’ve not met Rook and Dante, catch up with their first book, Murder and Mayhem, for only 99 cents. The sequel, Tramps and Thieves, drops on Sept 18!

Murder and Mayhem, the first of the Rook/Dante Mysteries, is now a 99-cent sale eBook at Amazon (price matched at the Dreamspinner store)

Murder and Mayhem: Book One

Dead women tell no tales.

Former cat burglar Rook Stevens stole many a priceless thing in the past, but he’s never been accused of taking a life—until now. It was one thing to find a former associate inside Potter’s Field, his pop culture memorabilia shop, but quite another to stumble across her dead body.

Detective Dante Montoya thought he’d never see Rook Stevens again—not after his former partner falsified evidence to entrap the jewelry thief and Stevens walked off scot-free. So when he tackled a fleeing murder suspect, Dante was shocked to discover the blood-covered man was none other than the thief he’d fought to put in prison and who still makes his blood sing.

Rook is determined to shake loose the murder charge against him, even if it means putting distance between him and the rugged Cuban-Mexican detective who brought him down. If one dead con artist wasn’t bad enough, others soon follow, and as the bodies pile up around Rook’s feet, he’s forced to reach out to the last man he’d expect to believe in his innocence—and the only man who’s ever gotten under Rook’s skin.

Dreamspinner Press Link
Amazon Link

One Thing, If You Please…

On 10 Sep 17 By Rhys FordIn Heh4 Comments

Can I ask we keep one thing in mind?

Some people will say I will keep you in my prayers and others will say I’m thinking of you and hoping for the best. If someone’s prayers for someone else bothers you, that’s not on them…that discomfort. It’s okay for someone to be religious or spiritual just as it’s okay for someone not to be. If we ask for tolerance for one thing, perhaps for our godlessness, we have to extend tolerance in exchange.

We have gut reactions. I have them as well. It’s hard not to knee-jerk at certain phrases or behaviors and it’s difficult to remember that the person opposite of us saying those things, doing those things is not the one who put the monsters in our closets.

We should remember not to cloak someone else’s words in our issues. We are all saying the same things, that we hope for the best outcome in a trying situation, especially since most of us are helpless to give anything else.

I am not religious. I don’t pray but I ferverently hope. That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the hope and wishes given to me in someone else’s packaging. If I do pray for anything, it is that we all remember we are all in this together, and sometimes hearing someone else is thinking of you — no matter how they phrase it, no matter how they are thinking of you — it makes life a little bit better.

Accept the lamp given to you to help ward off the darkness, even if it is not in your style or doesn’t match your decor. It is still a light, and one given freely.

All that said, #TeamNoKetchupOnEggs

Adore Jun. Adore Ramen.

On 10 Sep 1709 Sep 17 By Rhys FordIn Heh1 Comment

But man, I like a faster ramen. *grins*

And here is Jun trying American Sushi.

Guest Author Blog Post: Setting the Mood By Jeri Westerson

On 08 Sep 1712 Jul 17 By Rhys FordIn Heh2 Comments

Setting the Mood By Jeri Westerson

One of the reasons I’ve never gone in for writing screenplays is that I love writing the narrative prose of a novel. I love the descriptions, setting the tone and mood of a piece. I’m a prose whore, and nothing gets me all a-tingle like some well-written sentence, or a paragraph or page that puts me in another world.

And you must sense it, too, because the readers of this blog love to sink into these different worlds, different places.

I was once in conversation with another author about world-building. We know the masters of it; J.R.R. Tolkien, JK Rowling, George R.R. Martin—they take what we know from history, from the world around us, throw in a smattering of mythology, and make a perfectly reasonable alternative reality to what we know. But my contention was that every book has some measure of this world-building, even in the historical mysteries that I also write, because readers need to be re-introduced to medieval London, to the everyday life and customs of such an intimate society. And the same is also true of paranormal novels. It’s the writer who must set the world first in a reality that the reader can relate to before she can expand upon that foundation. Only when that foundation is firmly in place can you use it as a jumping off point. Continue reading “Guest Author Blog Post: Setting the Mood By Jeri Westerson” →

Murder and Mayhem (Rook/Dante Book 1) Now 99 Cents until Sept 20

On 07 Sep 17 By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff

Murder and Mayhem, the first of the Rook/Dante Mysteries, is now a 99-cent sale eBook at Amazon (price matched at the Dreamspinner store): As the bodies pile up around a former cat burglar’s feet, he’s forced to reach out to the last man he’d expect to believe in his innocence—and the only man who’s ever gotten under his skin.

Dreamspinner Press Link
Amazon Link

posting a quick post…

On 06 Sep 17 By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff3 Comments

I’m actually still in Hawai’i but I will be headed home in a couple of days. I have been watching the hurricane news and well frankly I’m worried because I have friends who are in that area. Having grown up on an island myself I know how devastating these kind of events can be. I hope that everyone stays safe and watches out for the person next to them. We are often so powerless against mother nature but we are not powerless to help one another.

I have done little to writing this morning and then I will be actually headed out to the tour guide which is kind of fun. It rained little bit this morning but right now it is very sunny and oddly enough not as muggy as it used to be. I’m sure that will change of the day.

My mission today is to get some souvenirs, a piece of luggage for one person, and pick up local style macaroni salad for dinner with my parents tonight. There is much debate upon what is the best mac salad here in Hilo. So, we have a contender and we will see how it is. Also, apparently Jack-in-the-Box sells fried rice with spam and Portuguese sausage and my mother has been trying to get me to buy some and eat it. I guess she thinks I will be the guinea pig. I should buy it just to say how wonderful it is and how amazing it is that it is offered.

I hope all of you doing well and that you have a good week..

We Say Goodbye Today To The BEST of Cats, Tam.

On 30 Aug 17 By Rhys FordIn Heh33 Comments

Yesterday while I was in mid-flight, Tam Kitteh crossed over a line where decisions have to be made. These are always difficult conversations but in the end, they have to made. So this morning, my sister and her very good friend took Tam to the people who gave him the best of care during his twilight years and now have helped him across towards peace, happiness and probably all the shrimp and Greek yogurt a large black kitten could need.

I will miss him. He was named after a legendary Irish bard and could beg every bit of chicken out of your hand with his enormous yellow eyes. He was the best of pygmy panthers and one of the sweetest cats ever. Not one for cuddles, he would come and visit, ask for some love and then saunter off because well, he is in all things, a roaming, loving bard.

He is going home to be with his sister, Neko who has probably been missing him tremendously.

I hope they finally learn to share a bed, because for whatever reason… Tam always seemed to find that ONE spot she felt was the best and she deserved.

I will so totally miss him. He’s been with us for eighteen years, through thick and thin. And I loved every moment we had him in our lives.

Sin and Tonic

On 26 Aug 1726 Aug 17 By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff, Good News8 Comments

So, I’ve spent the day plotting out Sin and Tonic. I started at about 10 AM and it is now 2:30 PM. I am only on chapter 18. I’ve stopped to do minor things like make sure the cat had his meds and that the dog’s eardrops were applied but for the most part, it is been spent on the book.

This is possibly the most detailed plot that I have done ever. I feel like this book requires it. Normally I just do a chapter number and a brief few lines telling me what scene needs to happen or what is the take away but this time I’m actually going scene by scene. Which I haven’t done since Black Dog Blues. It is kind of crazy to work like this. It doesn’t leave a lot of room to wiggle plot around but I think especially for this novel, it needs to be as tight as possible.

I will be writing some of this in Hawai’i, California, and if I don’t finish it earlier, probably on the road trip to GRL and while I am in Denver. So in a lot of ways, I am going to be on a road trip while writing about the band. That’s kind of ironic and in some ways, poetic. Because it mirrors the journey that I’ve taken. I started off in Hawai’i, eventually moved to California where I began to write about Cole as well as Miki and the boys, which led me to being published and attending GRL as an author. I have made a lot of friends along the way, met a lot of wonderful people, and had my life changed so tremendously on that journey. I hope all of you will be with me as we go through the final stretch.

It is difficult to be saying goodbye to Miki and Kane. Trust me I know that. It is going to hurt when I write those final twenty songs because I know that it will truly be the end. And while I don’t know if I’m ready to write that, I know I have to. The time is come. The time has truly come to write that sunset.

I’m not to say that it’s bittersweet because it really is not. It’s kind of cathartic, because Miki begins to heal. No, not just heal — he begins to thrive. And really is the point of the series. We started with Miki and Kane, so we’re going to end with Miki and Kane. I’m really looking forward to writing their happily ever after.

So…What Have I Been Doing?

On 25 Aug 1724 Aug 17 By Rhys FordIn Heh15 Comments

It’s been a few days. Truthfully, it’s seemed like a lifetime. I’m writing this kind of late Thursday Night but it’ll post tomorrow morning. So let me touch on the moving parts of my life right now.

One.
Greg Tremblay won a Kick-Ass Award for his Narration of Black Dog Blues — An Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine.

In Greg’s words:

HOLY MOLY!!!
A more deserving book I cannot think of… and I’m SO thrilled that it’s Rhys Ford’s amazing urban fantasy that gets this nod!
https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/131407/

I know you all are probably going…yes, yes… we know Greg’s one of your special kittens… Okay… actually Doodle Cat is. She’s adorable!

But I cannot really communicate how much I adore Greg as a person and how freaking talented he is. I want the best of things for him. And he really deserves so much recognition for all the prep, care and work he did on Black Dog Blues. Congrats and well done don’t even cut it but it’s all I’ve got. Along with…thank you.

Two.
I finished 415 Ink: Rebel and sent it off. The book ended up being so long but there kept being more and more stuff to say. It is the first in a new contemporary (my take on contemporary) series and I am very excited to be bringing it to you. Each of the covers will feature a custom tattoo done by a master tattoo artist. The first one is from Micah Caudle of Flying Panther Tattoos in San Diego, CA. I’ve known Micah for years and he does such damned fine work. I’m hoping to get Rob Benavides to do one.

If you were one of the GRL San Diego crew who went to get ink at Flying Panther, everyone down there says hi.

Three.
The cover for 415 Ink is done. It’s VERY different from what I’ve done before and I’ll reveal it later on this year. I am very happy with it and am excited even more about the series. I’m also excited about the first design for the shirts, etc.

Four.
I’m heading to Hawai’i… family visit for nearly two weeks. Wifi will be sketchy. Keep in mind, we’ve lost power there because a gecko fell on a transformer once. So, I’m braced for that in case something goes wonky. That aside, there’s going to be a pool, coffee and good friends. And food. I’m going to work to make sure people eat, laugh and most of all… sleep. Because really napping is awesome.

Five.
GayRomLit is happening in Denver in October. I and a bunch of friends will be doing a roadtrip from San Diego to Denver starting a week before GRL. We’ll be posting as we go along. So… Vegas, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Durango and then into Denver through Colorado Springs. It’s going to be an adventure.

Six.
Sadly, our old man cat Tam Kitteh is very sick and on the eve of me leaving, I am of course concerned. He right now is on a huge, aggressive course of antibiotics and pain killers. So if you could please keep the old man in your thoughts, I’d appreciate it.

Seven.
There will be a very huge blog tour for Tramps and Thieves starting Sept 14.

I welcome you to join Rook and his cousin, Alex, on what should be an estate sale of macabre curios but what awaits them is something neither of them planned for Be sure you read the whole story AND please enter at EACH blog’s giveaway! One lucky winner from each blog will be chosen to receive a $20 USD gift certificate from the online store of their choice!

The course will be as follows:
Sept
14        MMGoodbook Reviews
15        Love Bytes
18        Sinfully Gay Review
19        Joyfully Jay
20        NDulgent Bloggers
21        It’s About the Book
22        The Novel Approach
23        rhysford.com (Epilogue)

Eight.
Last but not least, it is time for me to plot and begin to write the end of Sinners. Miki and Kane will be back one final time in Sin and Tonic. It is an odd thing ending this series. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel when I’m done. Unlike Cole and Jae, I can’t see revisiting the boys from Crossroads Gin once we’re done with them. Maybe a novella of Con and Forest but the full story arc will be complete. Is it bittersweet? Hell, yes but I’m so damned glad to have you all with me along the way.

After Sin and Tonic, I will be returning to Kai’s world THEN working on Hellsinger 3 (Send In The Ghosts) which already has a cover. And a plot. I’ve got plots for the two books AFTER the next one I have to work on. Isn’t that just how life is?

So, there you have it. A brief tap into my last week and well, my immediate future. Much love to all of you and please let me know how you’re doing.