My new mmromance short story, Use as Wallpaper is out now! This is a fun, gay, romantic story set in the beautiful country of Georgia.
Here is the blurb:
Stuart is a reporter for a seldom-watched history channel, forty-one years old, and recently single. His latest assignment has taken him to the beautiful country of Georgia to film a traditional polyphonic choir—one of the last of its kind. The choir is run by Otar, a gruff man of strong opinions who is used to getting his own way.
When it’s suggested that Stuart get involved with the choir’s latest performance, he will have to quickly learn how to sing in Georgian, perform a traditional dance, and avoid butting heads with Otar. He probably shouldn’t drink too much wine the night before the show, either.
As Otar struggles to keep the past alive, can he help Stuart to leave his behind?
Here are some links to places you can buy Use As Wallpaper, published by Ninestar Press.
This is my first contemporary story and my first published short story. It’s a fun, gay rom-com (mm romance) and I’m excited for you to read it. It’s had some great advance reviews over on Instagram already!
I sent out some advance review copies and I’ve gotten my some lovely reviews already:
This story is a great introduction to this author’s writing. His affectionately drawn, intensely human characters are relatable and likeable, the dialogue sparky…
Stuart is a reporter for a seldom-watched history channel, forty-one years old, and recently single. His latest assignment has taken him to the beautiful country of Georgia to film a traditional polyphonic choir—one of the last of its kind. The choir is run by Otar, a gruff man of strong opinions who is used to getting his own way.
When it’s suggested that Stuart get involved with the choir’s latest performance, he will have to quickly learn how to sing in Georgian, perform a traditional dance, and avoid butting heads with Otar. He probably shouldn’t drink too much wine the night before the show, either.
As Otar struggles to keep the past alive, can he help Stuart to leave his behind?
I’m very pleased to present the cover to USE AS WALLPAPER. This is my first contemporary story and my first published short story. It’s a fun rom-com set in the beautiful country of Georgia.
Here is the blurb:
Stuart is a reporter for a seldom-watched history channel, forty-one years old, and recently single. His latest assignment has taken him to the beautiful country of Georgia to film a traditional polyphonic choir—one of the last of its kind. The choir is run by Otar, a gruff man of strong opinions who is used to getting his own way.
When it’s suggested that Stuart get involved with the choir’s latest performance, he will have to quickly learn how to sing in Georgian, perform a traditional dance, and avoid butting heads with Otar. He probably shouldn’t drink too much wine the night before the show, either.
As Otar struggles to keep the past alive, can he help Stuart to leave his behind?
USE AS WALLPAPER will be released on 23rd August by Ninestar Press and will be available on their website, Amazon, and most major e-book retailers. I’ll update this post as soon as the pre-order and buy links are available!
This story is totally stand-alone and unconnected to my novels. If you’ve been thinking about trying out my writing, here’s an easy and affordable way to do so. I’m very excited for people to read this story!
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This Hallowe’en, I have a brand new spooky short story for you! The innkeeper of the Moth & Moon loves to tell ghost stories, so while two sailors take shelter from a storm he tells them a tale about a hard-working coach driver, her mysterious passenger, and the terrifying secrets they uncovered in THE HOUSE ON GRAVEL HILL!
The story is free but at the bottom of the page you’ll find a link to my Ko-fi where you can leave me a tip or buy me a coffee. As a thank you, you’ll get THE HOUSE ON GRAVEL HILL in PDF, MOBI, and EPB format to read on your Kindle or other device. This story isn’t available anywhere else!
It’s a pleasure to welcome back Valentine Wheeler for today’s W5!
Who is the star of your book?
GIVE WAY stars Kevin McNamara, a retired lawyer who’s found himself at loose ends after years of pushing himself to succeed. Now he’s got more time than he knows what to do with, and that means he’s having to confront a lot of things within himself that he’s avoided dealing with for years.
What is your story about?
It’s about getting to know yourself and finding your place in the community! Kevin has lived in the same town his whole life, known the same people for sixty years. Sometimes the way you’ve always seen yourself–the way you’ve presented yourself to others and the way they’ve perceived you–is a real barrier to self-knowledge.
When is it set?
GIVE WAY is set in 2018, at the same time as NO PARKING. While they do overlap in a few parts, they can be read in either order!
Where is it set?
Swanley, Massachusetts is a fictional town in the middle of the triangle of Boston, Providence, and Worcester. It’s a place where people know each other and it’s a little bit of a queer haven. After NO PARKING was released last year, I got a lot of comments on it saying that a town this queer (and this accepting of queer folks) was unrealistic, and that broke my heart. Massachusetts has a lot of issues–no place is perfect!–but we have towns with huge, vibrant queer communities, and Swanley is based off those towns. I wanted to build a town where people had space to be themselves while also keeping their deep roots.
Why this story?
After writing NO PARKING, I wanted to spend more time in that world. One of my favorite relationships to write was that of Marianne, the protagonist of NO PARKING, and her ex-husband Kevin. I started playing around with the idea of a story for him, and out came GIVE WAY. It’s about a man who’s spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of man people think he should be, rather than the kind of man he actually is (and it’s about how incredibly attractive postal uniforms are, too… and the people inside them!).
Valentine Wheeler (she/her) lives outside Boston with her spouse and child and spends her days chasing mail carriers and citing obscure postal regulations. She goes by Lis in meatspace and her life’s ambition is to eat the food of every country.
Find heron twitter orgoodreads and her work at Ninestar Press and the Future Fire. She also serves as Fiction Editor and Logistics Manager forWizards in Space Literary Magazine, as Logistics Wizard and Managing Editor forMermaids Monthly, and as a slushreader for various genre publications.
You can watch my interview with DUBLIN CITY FM here:
We discussed my writing and in particular my new novel THE LION LIES WAITING. From how I went about building the world of the book to the way it builds upon events in THE MOTH AND MOON.
You can buy both novels using the following links:
For this instalment of W5, I’m delighted to welcome JP Jackson!
Who is the star of your book?
James Martin is the protagonist of Magic or Die. He is more
of an Anti-hero. At the beginning of the book, he’s drunk, living in a studio
apartment, lost – just a mess of a human being – when he gets a call from the
CMRD (Centre for Magical Research and Development). That call changes
everything and drags James back through haunted memories he’d rather not face.
The facility that once saved him now threatens to destroy him.
What is your story about?
Magic or Die is about a few things. Survival, becoming
part of a team, learning to trust others, and finding out how to let go.
When is it set?
The story takes place in the here and now – but in an
alternate reality where a percentage of the population is born with
magical/supernatural abilities.
Where is it set?
I’m always careful to ensure that my stories are Canadian
based. But I’ve never really said exactly where the story takes place. It could
be Edmonton, (where I’m from) or maybe Calgary, or Saskatoon, or…Somewhere on
the Canadian Prairies. That much is certain. I toyed with the idea of it taking
place in Vancouver – but Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver always get all the
action and I wanted to spread the Canadiana love around.
Why this story?
I have a serious love of all things dark and magical. If it looks like it might eat you or maybe help you…that’s my jam. There’s not really enough Urban Fantasy/Paranormal books out there that dance on that fine line – The Sookie Stackhouse series – the books the TV show True Blood were modeled after, are close. Those were written by Charlaine Harris. She has another series called Midnight Texas. Love both of them…but I wanted something edgier, a little darker, and of course, where the main characters were LGBTQ+. Both of those series have gay and lesbian side characters, but I’m tired of being the side character. I want books where we’re the heroes.
Magic or Die is the first book in a series, and each book will progressively get a little darker. Hopefully, someone will get eaten. ;o)
Blurb: James Martin is a teacher, a powerful Psychic, and an alcoholic. He used to work for the Center for Magical Research and Development, a facility that houses people who can’t control their supernatural abilities, but left after one of his students was killed, turning to vodka to soothe his emotional pain. The problem is he still has one year left on his contract.
When James returns to the CMRD to fulfill the rest of his contract, he finds himself confronting the demons of his past and attempting to protect his new class from a possible death sentence, because if they don’t pass their final exams, they’ll be euthanized.
James also discovers that his class isn’t bringing in enough sponsors, the agencies and world governments who supply grants and ultimately purchase graduates of the CMRD, and that means no profit for the facility. James and his students face impossible odds—measure up to the facility’s unreachable standards or escape.
J.P. Jackson works as an IT analyst in health care during the day, where if cornered he’d confess to casting spells to ensure clinicians actually use the electronic medical charting system he configures and implements.
JP Jackson
At night however, the writing happens, where demons, witches and
shape shifters congregate around the kitchen table and general chaos ensues.
The insurance company refuses to accept any more claims of ‘acts of the
un-god’, and his husband of 21 years has very firmly put his foot down on any
further wraith summoning’s in the basement. And apparently imps aren’t
house-trainable. Occasionally the odd ghost or member of the Fae community
stops in for a glass of wine and stories are exchanged. Although the husband
doesn’t know it, the two Chihuahuas are in cahoots with the spell casting.
J.P.’s other hobbies include hybridizing African Violets (thanks to grandma), extensive travelling and believe it or not, knitting.
I’m delighted to welcome back M.D. Neu for this instalment of W5!
Who is the star of your book?
I kind of have three stars.
Todd Landon is human, living and working in
the United States of America. His life is similar to those around him: home,
family, work, friends, and a husband.
Mirtoff Esmi is the first of her clan to be
the Leader of the Nentraee. Her sole focus is to find them a home before their
fleet of ships can no longer carry the last survivors of their dead world. With
her brother, niece, and Faa (her companion animal) supporting her, she carries
the weight of her world on her shoulders.
Mi’ko Soemu remembers the Nentraee home
world for both its failures and its triumphs, which is why he holds the
position of Vice-Speaker, supporting the efforts of the Nentraee Leader. He is
father and husband first and will do what he needs to do to ensure his family
and his fellow nentraee are safe and make it to a new world.
What is your story about?
The story is about a race of aliens coming
to earth in need of our help. It’s about how we deal with this new reality when
it throws all that we believe into question. Will we show our best selves or
will we let our fear of the other destroy our first contact with an alien race?
When is it set?
The story is set in modern times.
Where is it set?
The story is set both on the alien ships
and in San Jose, California. There are of course other locations, but these are
the main locations.
Why this story?
I wanted a story that showed a non-typical
hero, someone who could be any of us. Not the typical action hero. I wanted to
flip the switch on what it means to be a hero. Plus, I really, really, really,
wanted to write a space opera.
Blurb:
A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It’s home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who will soon be told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice. Todd Landon is one of these people, living and working in a section of the world called the United States of America. His life is similar to those around him: home, family, work, friends and a husband.
On the cusp of the greatest announcement humankind has ever witnessed, Todd’s personal world is thrown into turmoil when his estranged brother shows up on his front porch with news of ships heading for Earth’s orbit. The ships are holding the Nentraee, a humanoid race who have come to Earth in need of help after fleeing the destruction of their homeworld. How will one man bridge the gap for both the Humans and Nentraee, amongst mistrust, terrorist attacks and personal loss? Will this be the start of a new age of man or will bigotry and miscommunication bring this small world to its knees and final end?
BUY LINKS:
A New World-Contact:
A New World: Contact is the first book in the series
M.D. Neu is a LGBTQA Fiction Writer with a
love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San
Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated
with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal
television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry,
George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey
Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but
one that has influenced his writing.
Growing up in an accepting family as a gay
man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was.
Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society,
M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting
to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.
When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a
non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic,
Eric his husband of twenty plus years.
