A Fierce Project, Gazpacho and B. Snow

On By Rhys FordIn Guest Blog, Heh5 Comments

Guest Post by B. Snow

So, yeah, I procrastinate. (See my blog for proof) Back in July, Rhys very graciously offered a guest blog spot to promote the Project Fierce Chicago anthology, which came out on July 16. And now it’s WEEKS LATER and I’m only now getting around to taking her up on her offer….

The anthology came about because Piper Vaughn said, “Hey, there’s this great organization in Chicago called Project Fierce that helps LGBTQ youth! What do you think about an anthology where all the proceeds would go to them?” And we all said, “Hell, yeah!” Less Than Three Press took up the cause, donating their time and expertise as well to publish 20 stories about young people trying to find home.

Here’s an excerpt from my story, “Hearth and Home”, a complete rip-off of Cinderella:

projectfierce400Hearth and Home by B. Snow

By the time winter blew into town from the lake, Natasha’s hair had grown down to her shoulders. Even dressed in Hannah’s husband’s old clothes, she got appreciative glances from men who came through the marketplace. “You need to flirt a bit, missy,” Hannah muttered after Natasha sent away a blushing young man with a bundle of herbs and a firm handshake.

“I don’t think so,” Natasha told her.

“How do you ever expect to get a husband? Men aren’t perceptive. You have to hit them over the head to let them know you like them.”

Natasha sighed. She knew she’d have to talk about it sometime; she just hoped that Hannah needed her enough to not send her away. “I don’t like men,” she said. “I like women.”

Martin whipped his head around to stare at her, but Hannah just raised her eyebrows. “Women? Well, that’s different.”

Natasha could barely believe what she’d heard. “It doesn’t bother you?”

Hannah shrugged. “An’ ye harm none, do what ye will. At least I won’t have to worry about you getting knocked up.”

Here’s the buy link for the anthology

And here’s a link for Project Fierce Chicago (the organization) if you want to find out more about them and/or donate directly to them: http://projectfiercechicago.org/

When I asked Rhys what to include in the blog post, she said that recipes are always good. “Hearth and Home” mentions soup several times, so I thought about a soup recipe (because who doesn’t like soup??!?), but it’s summer here in GA….then I remembered that I usually make gazpacho in the summer because the spousal unit doesn’t like hot food in hot weather.

The recipe I use for gazpacho is based on the one from a cookbook that is either no longer for sale or I just can’t find it on the company’s website. The recipe they have at the website is different from this one, and I’m hoping to avoid copyright issues by changing the recipe slightly.

I make a half-recipe because a full recipe doesn’t fit into the Cuisinart. Even the half recipe sometimes sloshes out the top. So here’s how I make gazpacho. Continue reading “A Fierce Project, Gazpacho and B. Snow” →

Rick Reed is here… With a Cover and a Promise… Husband Hunters!

On By Rhys FordIn Good News4 Comments

I have a mad sinister adoration for Rick Reed. He is simply the BEST of people. Salt of the earth. Chocolate of the earth. Let’s face it, salt of the earth doesn’t quite cut it as much as chocolate. So Rick’s got a new one coming out from Dreamspinner Press and I can’t shout loud enough for you all to give it a go. Really. Dudes. Rick Fricking Reed.

Sublime.

10526006_10152619588866257_4542582889288950036_nHusband Hunters by Rick Reed

You never know where the love of your life might turn up.

When Matt Connelly suggests to his best buddy Cody Mook that they head to downtown Seattle to audition for the gay reality TV show Husband Hunters, both agree the experience might be a lark and a chance to grab their fifteen minutes of fame. What they don’t know is that the show, modeled after HGTV’s House Hunters, will open doors of longing neither expected. For Matt, the secret love he has long harbored for Cody might be thrust into the spotlight. Cody might realize his search for his perfect-forever-man extends no farther than the man who’s always been at his side.

Husband Hunters promises laughter, tears, and, just maybe, a happy ever after. Will Cody and Matt’s story be one of best-friends-to-lovers—or an outright disaster?

Here’s the stunning pop-art cover for Rick R. Reed’s 9/1 release, HUSBAND HUNTERS!

Pre-order: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5381

Duck Duck Ghost by Rhys Ford now on Pre-Order!

On By Rhys FordIn Good News8 Comments

Really. The headline pretty much says it all. *grins*

BUT WOOOOOOOOOOOT!

I do love writing for Tristan and Wolf. They make such a lovely mess.

Pre-order Duck Duck Ghost here at Dreamspinner Press. Available Sept 8

Duck Duck GhostDuck Duck Ghost

Paranormal investigator Wolf Kincaid knows what his foot tastes like.

Mostly because he stuck it firmly in his mouth when his lover, Tristan Pryce, accidentally drugged him with a batch of psychotropic baklava. Needing to patch things up between them, Wolf drags Tristan to San Luis Obispo, hoping Tristan’s medium ability can help evict a troublesome spirit haunting an old farmhouse.

With Wolf’s sister handling Hoxne Grange’s spectral visitors, Tristan finds himself in the unique position of being able to leave home for the first time in forever, but Wolf’s roughshod treatment is the least of his worries. Tristan’s ad-hoc portal for passing spirits seems to be getting fewer and fewer guests, and despite his concern he’s broken his home, Tristan agrees to help Wolf’s cousin, Sey, kick her poltergeist to the proverbial curb.

San Luis Obispo brings its own bushel of troubles. Tristan’s ghost whispering skill is challenged not only by a terrorizing haunting but also by Wolf’s skeptical older cousin, Cin. Bookended by a pair of aggressive Kincaids, Tristan soon finds himself in a spectral battle that threatens not only his sanity but also his relationship with Wolf, the first man he’s ever loved

BJ Sheppard is Here! With a Tour Stop and A Giveaway!

On By Rhys FordIn Free Stuff, Good News, Guest Blog22 Comments

CONTEST HAS ENDED! SULA HAS WON! Email me at rhysford at vitaenoir dot com.

I have here today BJ Sheppard, author of The RAINBOW CONNECTION: Volume I. WOOOOT!

AND A GIVEAWAY. Leave a comment below and win a copy of BJ’s book! What is it about and who is BJ? I’ve got that for you too. Q&A and Excerpt follows the Blurb!

Contest ends August 2nd at 4 pm!

TRC Cover ArtThe Rainbow Connection by BJ Sheppard

Living a care-free party life-style, junior journalist and gay lifestyle reporter, Liam Adams thought he had it all; the money, the job, the endless supply of men in his bed. But when his work causes him to question the very foundation of the life he has built for himself, Liam finds certain areas are glaringly lacking. All it takes is one assignment to unravel the very fabric of his promiscuous antics, compounded by the arrival of a long-forgotten tryst. With the rusty screech of the mailroom guy’s trolley wheels, Liam lands head-first in the arms of something bigger; something more.

As the romance burgeons between Liam and the Mail-Manny of his dreams, each article he writes proves to uncover something new and never realized about himself, namely that all the one-night-stands in the world could never give him what he truly wants; love. In a slapstick commentary through the eyes of the world’s most hypersensitive journalist, watch as Liam’s story unfolds in the most ridiculous of fashions, leading him straight into the arms of love, via The Rainbow Connection.

BJ Q&A #1:

Hi, BJ, thanks so much for being here with us today. Why don’t we start out with you telling us a little bit about yourself?

Well, in all honesty, there is not much to say. I discovered post-its. Also, I am a Disney character. I was cursed by a gypsy in my younger years to never find love as penance for my dead, black heart. Luckily that ugly old crone didn’t bank on me becoming a writer. I make love in different ways.

How long did it take for your first book idea to actually become a book?

About a week, I would say. The first book I ever wrote was 78 thousand words long and my first draft was finished in a week. I subsequently re-wrote it four times and have only just pulled it out of the dusty annals where bad ideas go to die, but that was my first book.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser, all the way. I give myself a vague idea of what I want to write, and then just sit down and zone out while the characters get their say. I’m pretty useless when the boys take over.

How would you describe your sense of humor? What makes you laugh?

Dark, sick and twisted. I laugh at everything. I once saw an old lady fall off a bus and I nearly pissed myself. So, I’m going to hell, but at least I’ll be laughing when I go.

And what makes you cry?

My tear ducts were surgically removed due to lack of use when I was 25. I cry no more. Except when I’m reading. That is completely the only thing that makes me spring a leak.

Do you have a favorite literary character? If so, who and why?

I have many. Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet. Who doesn’t love to hate the bad guy, right? Fanny from Mansfield Park. I loved most of Austen’s heroines actually. For the time, they were so powerfully written. And there are a few m/m romance genre one’s that I adore. Kyle and Brad, from the Foster High series by John Goode, both for different reasons. And Ben from Jay Bell’s Something Like stories.

What was the last book you read? (your own don’t count)

I have been reviewing for the last year, so I haven’t done a lot of “reading for fun” of late. The last book I willingly read however was Naked by David Sedaris. I love him very much, and think I’m going to have to try writing non-fiction someday just to see if I can.

Favorite word?

Bollocks

Least favorite word?

Normalcy – it’s not a real word. The word you are looking for is ‘normality’.

Do your characters ever up and take off without your consent and the best you can do is hang on and follow or do you keep tight control over them?

Liam is always dragging me places I don’t want to go. I had to take a three month break from writing part 4 of this series because the lot of them were writing a story I didn’t plan and didn’t want to write. But they got their way and now I have to figure out how to get them out of the supreme clusterfuck they just got themselves into.

If you could write a letter to your 18 year old self, what would you say?

Wait before you have sex. That guy has a really weird dick and it will not be a good or lengthy experience. Also I’d tell myself to get over my issues and start writing gay fiction.

What costume would you wear that would truly show your hidden personality?

Just my socks and a smile.

In no more than two sentences, can you describe yourself to a complete stranger?

No. No I’m not sure I could. I’m likely just to yell “RUN!” at them until they flee from me.

What is the most sentimental thing someone gave you that you cherish to this day?

I have this little stuffed wolf toy that an ex gave me. I used to call the guy “wolfy” because he was all hairy and had a killer smile, and so he brought me this toy as a joke at Christmas. I told him it was going to be the guardian of the books and even five years after the fact, the little guy still sits on my bookshelf.

What is the perfect writing atmosphere for you?

Silence. Total silence. Table. Comfy chair. My arm hooked up to a caffeine drip.

Would you like to tell us a little bit about your current WIP?

I’m currently trying my hand at crime writing. It’s a novel called “All About Jack” that is a crime/mystery/horror with a central gay love story. It’s going to be a bit like ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, except good. There are many more stories in the pipeline, and the back end of this year looks to be replete with releases, so keep your eyes peeled.

Where can our readers find you on the web?

X-tube mostly. Or follow the links below.

Links

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bjsheppardauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/insightoutblog

Email: insightoutblog@gmail.com

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BJSheppard

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7388660.B_J_Sheppard

Continue reading “BJ Sheppard is Here! With a Tour Stop and A Giveaway!” →