FREE Gay Excerpt: Stepbrothers In the Attic
I finally submitted Stepbrothers In the Attic to the publisher, with the cover copy. You can read more posts about this here and I’ll post more when I get a release date.
Here’s the cover copy, and the excerpt is below at the end of this post. This excerpt shows a little more of the intense homophobia (and shame) the characters face.
David, Marcus, and their four children are charmed with more love than money. Their happy family is blessed with so many wonders in life they never even think about being different, and never forget to take time to be grateful for everything they have.
And then one quiet evening a regular family celebration turns into a deadly catastrophe. The family is left in a state of confusion. They are forced into making a life change that leads them to a remote mansion in New York’s Hudson River Valley, which then leaves them vulnerable to all of the gay shame, hate, and homophobia they’ve managed to avoid so far.
When they find themselves at the mercy of a wealthy, abusive old grandmother they never knew they had, and a gay father so desperate for money and approval he’s willing to go through gay reparation therapy, the only thing that keeps them strong is their love. As the nightmare continues and they’re brought to the brink of death, there’s only one thing left to do.
Will they be able to escape from this surreal nightmare of homophobic abuse and sexual innuendo their twisted grandmother has forced upon them? Or will they succumb to the dismal existence they’ve been forced to endure in an attic that is filled with nothing but shame?
Hallmark’s Love On a Limb with Trevor Donovan
I’m not sure what the people over at the Hallmark Channel think about being mentioned with a book that just won a Flogger Award (below post), but I think there’s a cross over with these genres, and in some ways the two genres are related. In other words, the same people who might read a book like the one below…or one of my own erotic romance books for that matter…are the same who might watch a TV movie like Hallmark’s Love On a Limb. The only difference between a Hallmark movie and an erotic romance is that people will admit openly to watching Love On a Limb, but they’ll read an erotic romance discreetly and never mention it to anyone.
In any event, this new Hallmark movie, Love On a Limb, that’s airing on October 1…this weekend…looks interesting, especially to a tree hugger like me. If you’ve seen any photos I post with my home on social media you’ll know just how many trees I have on my own property. And I love each one of them.
Love On A Limb is an endearing new Hallmark movie that is making its way to television this weekend. With Fall and Autumn setting in, Hallmark fans are looking forward to all of the upcoming holiday movies. Love On A Limb is about a park and recreation’s employee who chains herself to an old oak tree to keep it from being chopped down. Hallmark’s Love On A Limb is directed by Mel Damski and written by Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott. According to the Internet Movie Database, Love On A Limb, which was originally titled Seeds of Love, stars Ashley Williams as Aimie, Trevor Donovan as Kyle, Jefferson Brown as Mayor Tom Parker, and Marilu Henner as Zee.
As you can see, the entire cast looks pretty impressive. And, this film will kick off what Hallmark is promoting as “Fall Harvest.” There will be a new original film every Saturday at 9 pm, and after that I believe they’ll begin the holiday romances. You can check that out here.
Here’s a link to the Hallmark web site where they have a preview of Love On A Limb.
The Women Who Love to Love Gay Romance Author Oleander Plume Wins Flogger Award
It’s nice to see that an author I took on for my own anthology, The Women Who Love to Love Gay Romance, was actually part of an award winning anthology recently. When I was gathering authors for The Women Who Love to Love Gay Romance, I knew I had a damn good group of writers from the start. And I also knew they’d go on to write for more publications and do wonderful things.
I’m not part of this anthology with Riverdale Ave Books, but I think it’s important to support and spread the news about anything small publishers achieve. And in this genre, this is a big award.
From my inbox:
Congratulations to
“Tie Me Up, A Binding Collection of Erotic Tales”
for winning
The Best BDSM Anthology of 2016 Golden Flogger Award!
You can check out the book at the publisher’s web site, or here on Amazon. According to the e-mail I received, the book will be on sale through October 31, at 50% off regular price. I think the sale is only at the publisher’s web site and you have to use the coupon TMUFlogger.
Excerpt: Stepbrothers In the Attic (There is a small spoiler alert. It’s not that significant, but it’s there, so you’ve been warned.)
While Eric and Brad went over to Marcus so they could hug him, Jasmine turned toward their grandmother and glared at her. “I hate you, old lady, and I hope you drop dead in your sleep tonight.”
Marcus jumped up and said, “Jasmine.”
Eric, Brad, and Kevin stood next to the bed waiting to see what their grandmother would do.
Their grandmother lowered her gaze to Jasmine and they locked eyes for a second. Without warning, their grandmother lifted her arm, flung it back, and then smacked Jasmine in the mouth so hard she sailed across the room and landed next to the table.
Before any of them even had a chance to react, Brad ran over to see if Jasmine was hurt and Kevin ran up to their grandmother and kicked her in the shin. Their grandmother screamed and she kicked Kevin back so hard he wound up on the floor beside Jasmine in tears. Then the grandmother raised both arms up in and shouted at all of them. “I will not have this kind of behavior in this house. Do you understand me?”
“Mother,” Marcus said. “Don’t hurt them. Please.”
“Shut up, Marcus, you little faggot, you weak excuse for a human being,” she said. “You never were good for much, and you have nothing to say in this matter. You obviously can’t control your children and someone needs to do it.”
Marcus squared his back and looked her in the eye. “Don’t touch my kids, mother. I won’t have it. I’ll leave if you ever hurt them again.”
Their grandmother glanced at their father and laughed in his face. It was the first time Eric had seen the old hag laugh about anything. “Then leave,” their grandmother said. She stepped away from the door and gestured toward the exit. “I certainly didn’t ask you come back here to fly that silly rainbow flag over the front door, you homosexual degenerate.”
This was the first time since their other dad died that Eric saw a sign of strength in Marcus. He grabbed Marcus’s arm and said, “Let’s go, dad. I’ll help you pack. We don’t have to stay here.” He glared at his grandmother. “That bitch is crazy.”
Marcus stood there and said nothing. His shoulders slumped again and he turned to face the wall.
Their grandmother laughed again and this time she glared at Eric. “Watch your vulgar mouth, young man. You’re not too old to whip. You’re not going anywhere, because you don’t have anywhere to go. And while you are in my home you will listen to what I have to say.”
“Do something, dad,” said Brad. He sounded as if might get down on his knees and beg.
Marcus remained silent.
Their grandmother pursed her lips and glared at them all. “Tell them about your therapy, Marcus, and tell them that you’ve just completed your first round and that you’re on your way to living a good, clean, decent life. Tell them you’ve found God and you are now repenting for bedding down with another man and doing unthinkable things to a man in bed. Tell them you are not a dirty little degenerate homosexual whore anymore who will do unthinkable things with men.”
When Eric saw that Marcus wasn’t going to say anything, he faced his grandmother and sneered. “You’re a sick, evil old woman with a dirty mind. You talk about what’s good and decent and clean and you have the filthiest mind I’ve ever come across. You’re the one who needs to repent, not our father. We had a good clean life until our other father died and you know nothing about us. How dare you pass judgment on us with the excuse of your God.” Then he looked into her eyes and glared. “You might get away with whatever you want with everyone else, but you’ve met your match with me, old lady. I’m not afraid of you.”
She looked at Eric and shrugged, as if nothing he’d said meant anything to her. She knew she had the proverbial upper hand and she seemed to enjoy it. “I don’t want to know anything about you either. You’re all nothing to me. You’re not even related to me. You’re trash. For all I know you are all nothing more than four little bastards that my son picked up off the street because no one else wanted you. So let me make this clear, young bold man with such a big mouth, so you understand me fully. Homosexuality is a punishable sin, and a sickness. I will give you everything you need to survive, but you’ll never get anything else from me. I didn’t ask for you and I don’t want you here at all. The only reason you are here is because I’m so determined to cure my son from the sin of homosexuality. No one else will ever find out you were here.”
As his grandmother turned to leave, he saw no point in replying to her. He knew for certain now there was something intrinsically wrong with the woman and there was nothing rational he could do or say to change her. He now knew why his father had left this house a long time ago. He also saw that she’d beaten down their father to the point where he was ready to submit to anything, and he didn’t want to make it worse. Eric would figure out a way to get even with her in time. He silently made a vow that night to get her back in ways she could never dream. For the time being, he would pretend to obey her and let her think she’d won.
Uncertainty
New Adult Gay Romance
