Spotlight-Excerpt & Giveaway: A LIFE IN LETTERS: A STORY OF RESILIENCE, SEQUINS AND HOPE by Rodney Rhoda Taylor

An emotional journey of resilience, sequins, and hope 

A Life in Letters: A Story of Resilience, Sequins and Hope

by Rodney Rhoda Taylor

Publisher:  Cresting Wave Publishing

Cover Artist: Brian R. Barilleaux, Rodney Rhoda Taylor 

Release Date: July 9, 2024

Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir

Themes: Coming out, Awareness, Societal Expectations

Length:  23 580  words/  140 pages

It is a standalone book.

Heat Rating: No sexual content

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From sudden pop-ups, ruined pajamas, glittery gowns, and conversations with God - a collection of letters that covers it all. 

Blurb

A Life in Letters chronicles a gay man’s journey as he navigates the ups and downs of life through his letters. From the innocent correspondence with Santa Claus and asking for a Cher doll, through the trials and tribulations of puberty, sudden pop-ups, coming out, drag queens, heartbreak, and the joys of a Cosmo, we learn how the author maneuvers through the many curve balls life throws at him. Throughout, it’s a story of hope, courage, and strength. 

Excerpt

Dear Masculinity,

I have spent years trying to figure out who you are, and I am no closer to solving this mystery than I was when I first started. You are an enigma—a puzzle that cannot easily be solved. I know as much about you as I know about the moon’s backside. Why is that? (Well, not the moon part…) Why is your identity so vague?

All I know is that for years, both the straight and gay communities have told me that I don’t act like you, that I act like a girl, and that I’m too effeminate. But neither constituency can provide me with a definition of who you are. The straights can’t define you because, for them, you are based on some ancient notion of what a man should be. And the gays can’t represent you because, for them, you are based on some overhyped-up sexual fantasy drawing created by Tom of Finland. And no one can measure up to an entire community’s sexual fantasy. I mean, damn—based on those two concepts, I was/am never going to fit into anyone’s idea of what being “masculine” is. The one element both communities agree on is that “men” are not supposed to have “feminine” characteristics. And if they do, then they better watch it, or they will be deemed … undesirable.

That leads to this question: Isn’t the whole preoccupation and belief that boys and men are supposed to act one way and girls and women are supposed to act another a bit … archaic?

Why do boys have to be masculine? Why do girls have to be feminine? And why, on God’s Green Earth, can’t either sex just “be”? Sans labels? If boys want to play with Barbie—so be it. If girls want to play football—so be it.

Let’s just say it: the idea of “masculinity” is out-of-date. It’s based on an out-of-date assumption that “men” are the more vigorous sex. These days, one’s strength is no longer strictly judged to be a “physical” attribute. These days, it is more (correctly) about a person’s inner drive and determination, regardless of the chromosome lottery.

Women have become quite “strong,” in my definition because they have had to fight their way out of being dominated by “masculine” men and more than a few ill-informed women. Then there are those men, like me, who get their nails done, walk with a swish in their step, shape their eyebrows, and act in a way that society says is “feminine.”

Our folks have always been deemed “not masculine” because of the way we act/appear. Yet many of us live on our terms—and do not welcome others’ ideas of how we should “act.” It takes a strong person to live their life that way. Especially considering the condemnation one can receive for doing so.

So, which is truly the strong, masculine person? The individuals who think Penis=Superior/Stronger? Or those who have had to fight to live on their terms despite the adversity they receive from the world for doing so? And which gender are they?

Thoughts?

Feminine and Proud.

About the Author  

Rodney Taylor is a San Francisco State University graduate with a degree in Creative Writing. Initially exploring various writing paths, Rodney found a niche in playwriting, creating several short plays, including Eros, Poolside, Good-Bye Cupid, Fairy Godmother, Baby Christina, Motherly Advice, and P.S. I Love You. Their passion for theater culminated in co-founding Left Coast Theatre Co., an LGBTQ theater in San Francisco, with Joe Frank. After a brief hiatus to focus on personal well-being, Rodney is now reviving their writing career. Shifting focus from plays to comedic short stories, Rodney travels the country with their chihuahua, searching for a place to call home.

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New Release-Excerpt: HUNT IN THE NIGHT by S.J. Coles (Blood and Bonds #3)

Hunt In The Night

(Blood and Bonds series #3)

by S. J. Coles

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: August 6, 2024

Genre:  Contemporary Paranormal Mystery/Cop

Tropes:  Bi Awakening, Vampire, Men In Uniform, Gay For You

Themes: Coming out, forgiveness 

Length:  71 136 words/282 pages

Heat Rating:  4 flames

It is book 3 of 3. It does not end on a cliffhanger.

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Hunting killers is Mason’s job. But falling for a vampire is the scariest thing he’s ever done.

Blurb

Detective Inspector Mason Walker is good at his job. He has never focused on much else in his life. Women come and go. Friends take time he doesn’t have to spare. The job is constant. He works hard and has built a reputation for determination and integrity.

Now his skills are needed more than ever. The level of violence in York has risen, involving both the haemophile and human communities. These are unexplored waters for Mason, with both political and professional implications, and Mason is afraid to lose his way.

But there’s been a murder—a haemophile—and Mason’s facing the question of not only who committed the dreadful crime but how? Nothing seems to be adding up. And being assigned a haemophile partner, Special Officer Cai Bracken, a freelance detective working for the Met Police, only increases his tension.

What’s really unnerving is that Cai is not only making Mason question his professional convictions, but his personal preferences, too…his most personal preferences.

With so much at stake, can Mason really cope with overhauling his police work and his personal life all at once?

Excerpt

Sunset was still an hour away when Mason pulled in at Oswald House, but the day already felt like it had lasted twice as long as any other he had lived through. Fatigue from the sleepless night was like an undertow tugging at his brain. But his heart was skipping about when he pressed the doorbell.

Jesse Truelove opened the door. He blinked when he recognized Mason.

“Any news?” he asked as he stepped back to allow Mason inside.

“Not yet I’m afraid,” he said, glancing up the stairs. “I’m here to see SO Bracken.”

Truelove raised his eyebrows. “No one’s supposed to know he’s here…not even you.”

“I am a detective, you know. And I have a matter of some urgency to discuss with him.”

“Well, you’re a little early, mate,” Truelove drawled, glancing at his watch.

“I know,” Mason said awkwardly. “If there’s just somewhere I could maybe wait? I don’t want to be in the way.”

“Detective Inspector Walker?”

Mason turned. Tom Addams was there. His face was strained. There were shadows under his eyes. “Anything?”

“I’m sorry…no, not yet,” Mason said with sincere regret.

“He’s here to see Cai,” Truelove said.

“There is one thing I wanted to ask you about, actually, Mr. Truelove.”

“Mate, please,” Truelove said, opening the door to the same sitting room as before. “Call me Jesse. I’m changing my name soon anyway.”

“Jesse,” Mason said, taking a seat on the sofa as Tom took the armchair and Jesse perched on the sofa arm. “It was that that I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t want to sound insensitive, but have you and the Baron considered postponing your wedding?”

Jesse exchanged glances with Tom. “Yes. We considered it. I did more than consider it, if I’m honest.”

“I heard their shouting match from the other end of the house,” Tom said with a smile.

Jesse made a noisy sigh. “We’re not postponing.”

“Jesse,” Mason started, but Tom interrupted him.

“Darragh fought very long and hard for Emory and Jesse’s wedding to be allowed to happen,” he said. “He would want it to go ahead. Otherwise, there’s no point to any of it.”

“Okay,” Mason said. “I understand. I just wanted to make sure someone had mentioned the idea.”

“They’ve both mentioned it,” Tom said. “And I told them the same thing I told you. The wedding is going ahead.”

“You’re a stubborn asshole, you know that?” Jesse said to Tom, but he was smiling.

“Darragh would never forgive me if we just gave up.”

“It’s not giving up,” Jesse argued. “It’s just looking at the bigger picture.”

“And what did Emory say when you said that to him?”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “Let’s not have this argument again.”

“Okay, we won’t,” Tom said with a shaky smile and stood. “Now, if you don’t need anything else, I have a security sweep to run.”

Tom left and Jesse stared after him with a haunted expression.

“I’m very sorry you’re having to go through all this.”

“Not your fault,” Jesse murmured. “Just catch the bastard. That’s all we want.” Mason nodded, even though Jesse wasn’t looking at him. Jesse stood. “You can wait here if you want. Get you anything? Coffee? Something stronger?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Mason said. “I’ll just wait here, if that’s okay.”

“Knock yourself out,” Jesse said, and left.

The room was warm. The sofa was comfortable. The light grew dimmer, and Mason’s eyes began to droop.

A touch on Mason’s hand brought him out of a soft, pleasant dream. He blinked groggily. Bracken was sitting in the armchair.

“You should get some proper sleep.”

Mason sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have nodded off.” He blinked at Bracken, all the feelings he’d told himself he’d keep suppressed rushing to the surface. “You didn’t call back.”

Bracken’s expression closed. He stood. “Not here.”

Mason followed Bracken along a corridor, down some stairs and through a series of locked doors to a comfortably furnished room. There was a wardrobe, a sofa, a desk covered in papers and an open laptop. There were minimalist paintings on the walls, several shelves of books and a large TV. It was airy and comfortable, but with no windows. No bed.

“This is where you sleep?”

Bracken indicated an inner door locked with a numbered keypad. “I have a secure sleeping cell through there, completely up to grade.” Bracken gave him a pained look. “Walker, no one’s supposed to know I’m here.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not exactly neutral ground, is it? But it’s not like I can check into the nearest hotel, either.”

“I think you’re capable of keeping your sleeping arrangements separate from your professional duties.”

Bracken lifted an eyebrow. “Well, that’s loaded.”

Mason sank onto the sofa. “I’m sorry. I…I didn’t sleep last night.”

About the Author

S.J. Coles is a Romance writer originally from Shropshire, UK. She has been writing stories for as long as she has been able to read them. Her biggest passion is exploring narratives through character relationships.

She finds writing LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation, emotion and sexuality.

Among her biggest influences are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice.

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Spotlight-Excerpt: THE WITCH WHO OWNED TIME by Mia Story

The Witch Who Owned Time

Author and Publisher: Mia Story 

Release Date: February 6, 2024

Genres: Contemporary bisexual transgender romance (MtF)

Tropes: Prostitution, witchcraft, persecution, evolution

Themes: Coming out, forgiveness, personal growth, pursuit of happiness

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 446 print pages

It is a standalone book.

The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.

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A transgender witch survives.

Blurb

Mira has survived climate change and social upheaval. She lives in a deserted part of a small town in Iowa. Mother Nature has blessed her as have many spiritual beings. Mira finds a partner and lots of friends. She takes on the cause of Robot equality mostly because of her experiences as a transgender girl years ago. Due to climate change the ocean is now very near her town. Mira is instrumental in helping her community grow and evolve.

Excerpt

But all these thoughts just dissolved as they entered the water. For awhile Mira and Septa stood on the edge of the water and sand and let the little waves surge about their feet. Soon their feet were sunk in the sand.

“Why does the sand eat away from under my feet with the water Mira?”

“That is the tidal action sweetie. Tides are more than that little action however. They pull the water en masse out to sea and then bring it closer in. Soon Angelica and Mixy will have to move their umbrella and towel as the water will be lapping at their feet! You can see Mixy’s little castle is already in danger of wave invasion!”

Septa glanced over to Mixy and her castle and laughed as Mixy tried to keep the waves from destroying her creation.

“Maybe we should go and help poor Mixy?”

“No, she is learning about waves and the beach just like you. Besides it’s time you got wet!”

Mira grabbed Septa’s hand and pulled her out into an oncoming wave! Septa sputtered as she emerged from the wave breaking over her head.

“My nose is full of water! It hurts!”

“That is the salt water. Don’t try drinking it!”

Then Mira realized bots did not drink water and paused for a second. “Mira do you think it is OK if I swallowed some sea water?”

Septa had a desperate look on her face.

“It is OK Septa. I swallow it all the time. And my nose hurts too when it gets into it. Best to keep mouth closed and breathe out a little when the nose is covered in water. Why don’t we practice breathing out in the sea?”

Mira dipped her face into the water and made bubbles with her nose. Septa did the same thing and came up rubbing her eyes.

“Now my eyes hurt!”

“Oh yes, remember to close your eyes in salt water! We will bring masks and fins next time so you can open your eyes underwater.”

Mira and Septa spent a half hour playing in the shallow water, dodging the waves and splashing each other.

“OK dear, it is time for your first body surfing!”

Mira and Septa held hands as they walked out into the heavier surf. The waves looked so large close up! The waves came up as huge walls of water. Septa noticed that the waves were in groups, starting off little and getting larger, and then smaller again. One really big wave was coming at them.

“Now watch me closely Septa and then duck under the wave!”

Both girls could feel the tug of water out to sea as the wave came closer and closer. It was just about to break when Mira plunged ahead of it with her arms above her head and her hands coming to a point. The huge wave carried Mira away! Septa ducked under the wave and watched Mira get pushed into shore. She kept her head down and her body straight and looked like a human fish! Soon Mira was swimming back outto Septa.

“Your turn!”

“Oh Mira I’m afraid!”

“I will go with you. Just keep your eyes and mouth closed and body straight. Everything will be OK. If you get into trouble just stand up! I will help you if things feel too weird.”

Septa got low in the water. She could feel the tug backwards as the wave approached. She glanced back at the towering wave high over her head. She could see the very top was super thin and getting ready to break. Septa put her arms straight over her head and pushed off with her feet. She remembered to keep her eyes closed and breathed a small amount of air out of her nose. She could feel the wave catch her and propel her forward! She felt the wave break on her back as she surged forward! All was a tangle of water and foam and breakneck speed. But inside she felt calm, like this was nature speaking to her through the water. She felt like a baby being cradled by mother ocean! Septa kept her back and legs straight and felt like an arrow speeding to shore. She could sense someone beside her in the water. Then she felt the water torrent ease up and become shallow. Septa lifted up her head. She was already on the beach! She turned on her side and there was Mira lying next to her. They looked at each other and began to laugh!

About the Author

I have been writing short stories since my children asked for them. My first was about a skunk family and their interaction with a pig! I suppose my grad school experiences with art and English charted my course a bit. When I moved to Iowa from North Carolina I missed the ocean so much I wrote a whole novel about it. About that time I was studying the Ramayana and wrote a fairy story based on that. My first fairy friend was Coleste, a fairy that inhabited my computer. She is still with me today. My grandmother passed down many fairy stories and some knowledge she had inherited from her family. As best as I can figure it my family was in America to escape the witch hunting in England. But I could never be certain except for all the clues that were handed to me. Today I am truly grateful for my spirit friends. They helped me snap out of a downward spiral when my son died. To believe in fairies and spirits is not something I have to struggle with. It is something that is just part of me.

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Spotlight-Excerpt: BOY ONE by Jaap Cové

Boy One 

Author and Publisher: Jaap Cové

Cover Artist: ricacabrex (Fiverr)

Release Date: April 1, 2024

Genres: Gay, M/M Memoir, non-fiction

Tropes: Secret love

Themes: Coming out, shame, fear, intergenerational relationships

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 55 000 words/ 203 pages

It is a standalone book and ends on a sort of cliffhanger.

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Coming of age inside the controversial world of the Spartacus Gay Guide

Blurb

It is 1981. Jaap, a Dutch teenager, is a boy taking his first steps towards becoming a man. He’s reclusive, a wallflower with a handsome face and curly blond hair. He loves playing tennis and plays drums for a student rock band.

He is attracted to men and afraid of desires that he has not acted upon. By fortuitous accident, the Dutch teen meets Briton John D. Stamford, and his life changes. Stamford is the eccentric middle-aged editor of Spartacus International Gay Guide, the crucial book for gay male travelers. It listed both welcoming destinations and countries that carried strict penalties for homosexuality.

Jaap likes mature men; John prefers youths. BOY ONEis the record of their relationship, the deluxe global travel they did for John’s work, the eye-opening experiences of a sheltered teen, and the obsessive sexual relationship that developed.

Amid the glamor of five-star hotels and restaurants, conflicts arise. Jaap still thinks about having a girlfriend and wonders if he is bisexual. John is trying to push his young lover into something he’s not ready for—being openly gay all the time. Moreover, Jaap notices the Spartacus Guide lists opportunities for sex with underaged youths in places like Thailand. He suspects this is wrong. So do the police, who begin investigating John.

Despite the excitement and eroticism of their relationship, the moral issues grow until the two are at odds.

In BOY ONE, Jaap Cové tells the honest and gripping story of a remarkable part of his life. Revealing and outspoken, it is a unique, colorful and compelling coming-of-age story. It captures the excitement of international gay life in the early 80s, but it is also a troubling saga about morality and intergenerational relationships.

Excerpt

John picks me up at the airport with a taxi. We drop my bag in the RV that’s parked just outside Basel’s old center, but don’t stay there. John has other plans.  I’m in for a romantic weekend. It’s snowy and below freezing point. I never expected the city to be so beautiful, or is it because we’re together again? We lunch in an upscale Konditorei, then walk arm in arm past the historical buildings in the old center. People on the pavement glare at us, but John doesn’t let go of my arm. It feels warm and safe. We visit the Gothic church and head to the quay of the river Rhine, where we kiss. There are people watching, which makes it more exciting. Protected by John, I don’t feel any embarrassment. I exist in a constant state of being crazy in love.

He takes me to my first gay sauna in the old town to warm up. As we enter a dimly-lit steam room, I lose John in the mist. In no time, there are many hands all over my body, touching my ass, my c*ck and my torso. I am scared.

As I adjust to the light, I look into the faces of the young men groping me and start to panic. I want to break free, but they won’t let me. Someone shoves his tongue between my lips. I wriggle to get away from the mass of bodies. Just as I reach the point of using force, I feel a hand pull me from the crowd. John pulls me close and embraces me. He smiles and tries to calm me.

‘You didn’t like that?’ he asks.

‘No, I panicked.’

‘Come, let’s get out of here.’ 

He takes me to a private room where we make love on a rubber bed covered with towels. Our session isn’t long and elaborate as it would have been in the RV. It turns me on just the same. I’m quickly positioned on my belly by his big hands, feeling the cold KY-jelly on my ass, after which he carefully pushes his warm c*ck inside. Pleasing John, giving my lover what he wants, in the way he wants it, excites me. I become hard as a rock. This man owns me when we make love.

Downstairs in the bar area later, we have a drink. I play with the thought that John planned the episode in the steam room. At the same time, the thought is ridiculous. I can’t imagine him telling all those guys that his lover from Holland would be visiting, and asking them to give me a warm welcome.

‘It was almost like they were waiting for me,’ I say. ‘All those hands on me.’

‘Why is that strange? Have you looked in the mirror lately?’

‘Huh?’

‘You’re very handsome, Jake. You’re a f*cking knockout.’

I don’t know what to say, since no one ever told me that. I know I’m not ugly, but a knockout? I’m tall and slender, not muscled. And I’ve always been on the shy side, not confident about my looks. All my life people have told me that my blond curls are beautiful. But women couldn’t keep their hands off my hair when I was a young boy and I didn’t enjoy that. 

‘And you have such a hot ass,’ he adds with a big smile. Then he kisses me. 

As I take a sip of my drink, I think about how my life has changed. In less than three months, I have made the metamorphosis from Dordrecht wallflower to Basel knockout. My self-esteem balloons.

But something is gnawing at me.

‘So when you’re here on your own, I suppose those hands are on you, too, right?’

‘Why do you ask?’ 

‘I don’t like that thought.’

‘No, that doesn’t happen to me. I’m getting too old, Jake. Older gay people are less appealing in this world. You’ll find out.’

‘I find that hard to believe. When you walk around here naked, people look.’

‘I’m glad you think so.’ He smiles and looks past me, like he’s checking out the other guys. ‘But to answer your real question, yes, I do play around when I’m on my own.’

‘What… you mean, you still do, even though we’re lovers?’

‘Yes.’

‘Seriously?’

 ‘Remember that black kid we met in a bar in Nice on our last evening? I f*cked him soon after you left.’

That’s a sudden bucket of ice water. I put down my drink and sit frozen. I want to go home. Now. 

John continues sipping his drink. ‘It’s all right, Jake; it meant nothing. I love you.’

About the Author  

Jaap Cové (1962) studied anthropology and debuted in 2011 with his novel Walking Among Us, followed by Cajú (2012) and The Girl in the Web (2017). Dog Gone (2023) was his first nonfiction narrative. Boy One is his first memoir.

From my website:

Jaap Cové is an anthropologist, a drummer, a flautist, a globetrotter, and an author of fiction and nonfiction. His novels are filled with mystery, spirituality, symbolism and music. His nonfiction is a reflection of his eventful life.

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New Release: CO-STAR by Ava Olsen

Co-Star

Author and Publisher: Ava Olsen

Cover Artist: Furiousfotog

Release Date: March 20, 2024

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance 

Tropes: Friends to enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, second chances

Themes: Coming out, mental health, addiction, healing trauma (not SA) 

Length: 75 252 words/300 pages

Heat Rating:  4 flames   

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

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 Love in the spotlight is not made to survive. Will we?

Blurb

Reed: Tate Aduma is a Hollywood actor that everyone wants and no one really knows. Our first meeting as young dreamers sparks a decade of incredible highs and lows. 

I’ve loved him, I’ve hated him, and I can’t live without him. 

But I know that love in the spotlight is not made to survive.

Will we?

Tate: Reed Larkin is the only constant in my chaotic life of movie sets, parties, and nameless lovers. But while being on stage is second nature, being myself in real life is a role I struggle to play. 

Then I’m offered the biggest part of my career, working alongside Reed as my co-star, and my love interest.

This time, however, neither one of us is acting.

Co-Star is a best friends to enemies to lovers, MM romance filled with combustible chemistry, indelible love, and a HEA a decade in the making. 

About the Author 

Ava Olsen writes steamy and dreamy contemporary romances filled with heartwarming characters, cheeky banter and swoony moments. 

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Audiobook Spotlight-Excerpt: LONELY DINER by Dann Hazel (Some Like it Haute! Book #3)

Lonely Diner
Written & Narrated by Dann Hazel

Some Like It Haute! Book 3

Two conflicted military men. A longing for happiness. One Lonely Diner, where people often search for a recipe for love. (The food is good there, too.)

One man plays it straight. Another grieves over a lost best friend with benefits.

Everyone thought they were meant for each other. Lance, an Air Force computer engineer, and Ryan, a former submariner in the Navy and now a military college professor, are gay men blinded by the painful wounds of their past decisions. Both men are ready for love. But because of their pasts, they’ve slammed the brakes on their desires.

Now thirty years old, a younger Ryan Ball decides he can be happy only by conforming to social expectations. So what does he do? He decides he must have a wife and kids. Though he acknowledges that he can never be straight, he is convinced that with effort, determination, alcohol and erectile dysfunction meds, he can play the necessary roles.

Vikki, Ryan’s girlfriend in high school and now his wife, begs to differ.

At thirty-one, Lance Dingle falls for his best friend and roommate, Randy, a stunt pilot who agrees to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. From Lance’s perspective, there’s a spark in their arrangement that Randy denies. Then, tragedy strikes. Lance finds himself alone and lonely, living with memories of Randy and an ever-expanding list of “what-might-have-beens.” Finally forcing himself into the dating scene, Lance discovers that Mr. Right is more elusive than he ever imagined.

Then, Callie Yenti, transwoman, drag performer extraordinaire and entrepreneur, enters the picture. She owns the popular Lonely Diner and possesses an uncanny insight into the workings of the heart.

Even the complicated hearts of her two hard-headed friends, Lance and Ryan.

A HEA gay romance.

Trigger Warning: This novel includes scenes from a sexual assault and a PTSD episode.

Tropes: Military Romance, Coming Out, Overcoming Adversity, Second Chances.

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Audio US Link

Add to Goodreads

---

Excerpt

Soon, the table beside Lance became available. A gorgeous, dark-haired man with biceps on the verge of bursting through his shirt sleeves sat down. Lance noticed that he was drinking Liquid Death, often a signal that a bar patron wished to avoid alcoholic beverages. Lance also noticed that his haircut was similar in style to his own. Lance wondered if the body builder might also be a member of a branch of the military.

Lance’s face turned crimson when the man caught Lance cruising him. Rather than heightening Lance’s embarrassment with silence, the man, who also had a well-conditioned chest and stomach, asked Lance to join him.

Lance noticed the tremor in the man’s voice.

Ah, he’s an introvert, like me, Lance thought.

Lance cast him a beaming smile. “Why not? No need for the two of us to monopolize a pair of tables when one will do.”

Lance grabbed his ale—his third for the evening—and carried it with him as he sat in the chair next to the man. “My name is Lance Dingle,” he said. He reached across the table for a handshake.

“My pleasure, Lance.” A very brief pause. “Wait! I think you’re the fellow the infamous Callie Yenti has been devoting so much time finding a way to introduce us.”

“Holy sh*t! Then you must be Ryan Ball. Finally, we meet!”

Ryan laughed. “I guess she’s included us both in her match-making scheme.”

“It’s a talent she’s very proud of,” Lance said. “You’re an English professor at The Citadel, right? And before that, you served in the Navy?”

“Damn! She’s thorough.” Then, Ryan reciprocated with a fact of his own. “And I think I remember her saying that you’re an Air Force man.”

“Yep. That’s me. A computer geek. Not a pilot.”

The men chatted about their backgrounds, their experiences in the military and navigating the tricky terrain of being gay in the service, despite the revocation of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Naturally, there were parts of their biographies they were unwilling to share—like the sexual assault in DC and Lance’s torch-carrying for Randy. Lance unwittingly—and because of the buzz the drinks precipitated—came very close to telling Ryan how many physical similarities he and Randy shared. Fortunately, he caught himself before he provided Ryan a very good excuse to abort their conversation.

Then, Ryan popped the same question that was also on Lance’s mind. “Would you be interested in hanging out sometimes? I mean, it’s fine with me to call it a date. Y’know, to see if Callie still has her magic touch.”

But Lance had no chance to respond.

Because a nervous James Manigault appeared at their table, without his cute young diversion, and kissed Lance squarely on the mouth. Lance could taste the rum he’d drunk and smell the pot he and the young man shared before heading to the club.

Then, Lance caught a glimpse of Ryan’s face.

But a look long enough to see that sexy face fill with disappointment, vulnerability and perhaps even distress.

Abruptly, Ryan rose from his chair. It almost toppled over, but Ryan grabbed it on its way to the floor. “I don’t want to intrude,” he said. “I’ll leave you to it. And Lance? It was nice to meet you.”

Now, it was Lance’s voice that quivered. “Likewise, Ryan.”

They shook hands like two businessmen closing a deal. Ryan quickly pulled his hand away and headed toward the exit.

Lance looked with a mixture of anger and annoyance at James, who was now sitting in Ryan’s chair.

And then, James had the f*cking nerve to ask if they were still on for their date the next night.

 

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About the Author:

Dann Hazel has been writing both fiction and nonfiction for more than twenty years.

Besides writing romance, he has taught high school English and journalism, college psychology and human sexuality, directed federal grants and worked as a therapist in a psychiatric hospital. His fiction genre interests include thrillers, horror, literary and gay romance. He has published the Some Like It Haute Gay Romance Series, including Room for Dessert, My Own Private Biscuit and Lonely Diner.

Nonfiction works include Witness: Gay and Lesbian Clergy Report from the Front and Moving On: The Gay Man’s Guide for Coping When a Relationship Ends.

Dann’s personal interests include reading and writing, cinema, jogging, Broadway, keeping abreast of current events and travel.

Currently, Dann lives in Central Florida with his husband, Josh, and their American Eskimo canine, Flurry.

Connect with Dann:
https://www.haut-gay-romance.com/
Facebook: Some Like It Haute (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089831902829)
Twitter: @DHRomance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dann.hazel/

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