100 Words (ish)

A friend and I were looking to break a bit of a writing block a bit ago, so asked for a prompt to write something short, just a scene and the first thing that came to our heads. So RJ Scott kindly gave us the line...

The hairdresser leaned against the door.

Seemed innocent enough, but then my brain got involved.

100 Words (ish) 

The hairdresser leaned against the door. He fisted his hand in the front of his shirt as he caught his breath. Had they seen him? Was he safe? He flinched at the sound of screaming and quickly turned around. There was no lock on the stockroom door, nothing to secure it.

Shit.

He stared at the door, willing it to stay closed. What were those things? His stomach turned over as he remembered the spray of blood across the white wall. They looked like normal men when they came into the salon. But then they changed, all teeth and claws as they shred and tore through person after person.

He screamed as the door was ripped open and off its hinges. His cry faded and there was only the wheeze and gurgle of blood in his throat as he struggled to breathe, and the feel of his flesh being torn away from his bones as the monsters fed.

Blurb - Alter Ego

Coming soon.

Here is the blurb for Alter Ego, the first in the Knowles Brook series and published with Love Lane Books. 

Jay James is the confident, outgoing, flirtatious, lead guitarist of a 70s tribute band. But appearances can be deceiving. Jay James isn’t real. ‘Jay’ was born out of necessity and a way for James Hall to deal with life at home after coming out. James is shy and awkward, and can’t escape the shadow of his strained relationship with his mother. As ‘Jay’, James feels indestructible, like nothing can touch him, and he can have any man he wants. But is that really enough? 

When ‘Jay’ meets Danny, he views him as just another potential conquest. Danny, however, has other ideas. The barman has no intention of being just another one night stand and leaves James surprised when he rebuffs his advances.

Danny Ashton is stuck, or at least that’s how he feels sometimes. Five years ago, he dropped out of university to look after his sick mother. He was never prepared for the hand he was dealt—a house to run, bills to pay, and a teenage brother to support. Wanting more than part time bar work, Danny applies for a job at the family run hotel in the village. When he’s called for an interview, he isn’t expecting to see James there but the chance encounter gives him the unexpected opportunity to get to know the real James.

Together, Danny and James realise ignoring their problems will solve nothing, and if they are to stand any chance of happiness and living as the men they want to be, then they need to move forward. Can the two men face their demons? Or will they end up pushing one another away?

July Update

So what have I been up to?

Alter Ego is finally finished and is now with Love Lane books awaiting edits. The book came in at an initial 51K and is the story of James and Danny (Danny at the front, James at the back)

Also, Love Lane Books has taken on a couple of new authors, so somehow I've been given the title of Art Director by RJ Scott (Sounds proper posh). I completed a cover for Sue Brown, currently in the final stages of a mock for Kay Berrisford and sent out an initial contact email to Liam Livings. RJ Scott has also sent requests for her 6th Texas book and 3rd Bodyguard book that I'm sure her fans will be pleased to hear about.

Other art at the moment includes work for Nic Starr, Beany Sparks, Amber Kell and Sue Brown.

***

In terms of writing, my next focus is to work on my chapters for the 5th Sapphire Cay book, Capture the Sun (stay tuned for a special giveaway over at Amber Kell's blog later this month).

Blurb
Model, Isaac Bailey wants to break into the world of fashion design. Under his father’s company name, he is set to debut his new collection—summer wear. He has the models, the clothes, what he needs is a location.

Mitch Stone is a trouble shooter. His latest client needs an exotic location and he happens to know someone with the very thing—Sapphire Cay.

Having underestimated Isaac as nothing more than an airhead model, Mitch soon discovers there is much more to the young man than he first thought. As the fashion shoot gets underway, Mitch has to contend with his feelings for his old love, Dylan, and the very new and growing affections he has for Isaac.

What starts as just another job, turns out to be more fruitful and exhilarating than winning any multi-million dollar contract.

The book is expected to be released mid-August.

***

My next solo focus will be getting Dead Things ready for rerelease and planning the sequel. New cover art is being made by my friend Bittergrace, who is dusting herself off and popping out of retirement this one time. I appreciate her doing so and this will give me the time to focus on writing the book.

That's it for this update. You can keep up with day to day news on my facebook and twitter accounts.

Autism Awareness Month

Autism Fact: Autism training is not routinely provided as part of police training in the UK

I'm an ex-teacher so I have worked with a variety of children including those on the autistic spectrum. I was a maths teacher in a mainstream school and previously a learning support teacher working with a small group of children who couldn't deal with the classroom environment. There were issues, sure, but as a whole my experience I guess had always been a watered down version of what Autism was.

Then I met RJ Scott and not too long after I met her son Matthew. Now, if you're expecting me to say how terrible it was and how I never went back, then you'd be wrong. RJ can't get rid of me these days. At the time, I think RJ was more worried than me, though to be fair as she worried about what I'd think and how Matt would be with me, I then started to panic as I really didn't want to be a reason for upsetting him and what he was used to.

As it turned out, because I'm apparently 'relaxation' personified, meeting Matt actually turned out to be quite fun. And one reason it was fun is...

Going forward - My Writing.

What does the rest of 2014 have in store?

Well, let me tell you :)

In order...

1. Currently, I am working on Alter Ego. The book is set in England, in a village based on where my grandparents lived as I was growing up. It is the first in a series of romance/dramas and I look forward to sharing these men's stories with you all. The first characters you'll meet are James and Danny and I hope you will love them as much as I do.

2. Also this month, RJ Scott and I will be starting work on our fifth Sapphire Cay book - Capture the Sun. Expect more romance, sun, sea, and drama.

Following those, I have two books to edit/rework.

Let's rewind to Summer 2012. *wibbly flashback lines* I'd just had my first releases with Silver Publishing and the future was full of promise, wonderment, and exciting things.

Most of you are aware of the situation faced by authors at Silver for the last... wow, I don't even know when it all began, it feels like it's always been there just looming off camera. I'm not speaking for other authors or their situations. I made my decisions about what I was going to do so I could keep moving forward and have releases with new-to-me publishers in this last year, Totally Bound and Extasy. As things are changing at Silver, my books have been removed from sale and I've now had my rights returned to me for Sex and Cocktails and Dead Things.

3. Sex and Cocktails - originally this was written for a summer short story call. With that in mind, the story was written from a single POV. So my plan is to expand the story and hear more from Ty before republishing.

4. Dead Things - until I reread it I'm not sure how much work I intend to do on it. I know there are things I want to add in or alter slightly but I have always been pretty happy with what I had as a story, so certainly nothing too crazy will be changed before republishing.

5. Dead Things 2 - yep, that's right. With the rights back in my hands I am planning on finally getting round to sorting out a sequel. I've always wanted to but with things how they were it was never going to happen until the story and its world were mine again. And now they are. Expect more Devin and Noah, new survivors, and more zombie gore.

6. The Ugly Wolf - Well, we've had the Good and the Bad so I couldn't back out now :) This will be the last book in the trilogy featuring Dr Oliver Anderson who made an appearance in The Bad Wolf. His story has a different feel to it, not so violent and bloody, dare I say gentler? Guess we'll see later this year when I get stuck in.

7. There will be a seven eventually but I should probably see how I get on with the above first and where that takes me up to this year. :)

So, there you have it. Those are my current writing plans, along with the odd piece of cover art for my lovely authors, for 2014. It's going to be a good one.

Blog Life

Okay, how are we at April already?

At the start of the year I was filled with good intentions. I was going to get out more, see friends, do the garden and clear out the spare room, I was going to start (and stick with) that diet that I must have started a hundred times over in my life, I was going to write my wee heart out and start turning my ideas into full blown stories, get them out there and published.

I was going to blog more.

As it turns out, I've kind of sucked at all of the above.

Being an author isn't exactly the most active or social occupation and I do struggle to make myself step away and go out and do other things. It's so easy to sit and stare, some times even write, most of the time look at amusing videos of cats, and you forget the world is still turning and that you should probably be out in it just as much as you are shut away in your little writing world.

New Release: The Bad Wolf

Book 2 in The Lone Wolf Trilogy

Blurb:
The journey to become a better man isn’t easy, especially when there’s something worth fighting for.

Evan has been alone since Kaine’s death, moving from place to place, and for the most part, keeping to himself. He never expected to cross paths with Mason and Niall again. When he gets caught up in something bigger than himself, he is left injured, scared, and with nowhere else to turn.

Michael is like no wolf Evan has ever met before. Born a werewolf, Michael is stronger and faster, but has yet to truly tap into his abilities. Taken in by Mason and Niall, Michael struggles to come to terms with the horrific events in his past and the loss of his family. In Evan, Michael finds an unexpected focus. And despite warnings of Evan’s own dark past, Michael finds Evan to be someone worth fighting for, and someone who can help him understand exactly what he is capable of.

Buy Links:  Currently unavailable



Excerpt

Prologue

Nine years ago.

“Mr Roth? Can you hear me?”

Evan fought against the hands of the people holding him down and desperately clawed at his face. Where was he? What the fuck was going on? He felt like he was being smothered. Something covered his mouth and nose, confining and hot against his skin. His vision blurred. A bright light disoriented him, and all he saw were black spots bursting across a white background.

“We need to get him stabilized…type and cross-match…get a line in.” Barely hearing the jumble of orders shouted over him, Evan focused on the key words.

Was this a hospital? Was that where he was?

In a brief moment of clarity, he looked around. A sea of people frantically moved about him, passing objects over him. They were dressed in white and green, and it became clear to him he was in the ER.

What the hell had happened? He’d been at a nightclub called Shiver, all dark, close spaces full of too many hot bodies. He remembered drinking, dancing, some guy feeling him up. Evan had been out with friends. It was supposed to have been a night of fun and catching up. It had been too long since they’d all met up and done something together as a group.

Am I dying?

Pain knifed through him as he struggled to sit up. He wanted out. He hated hospitals. He hated the smell and the cloak of death that hung around them. His father had been in and out of the hospital, helpless and wasting away from colon cancer that had been caught too late.

“Mr Roth, can you hear me?” Evan stopped struggling and looked up into the clear blue eyes of the young woman standing over him. She held his head and he focused his gaze on her. She must be an angel. Was this it? Was this how his life was going to end, bleeding out on some ER table?

“You need to let us help you,” she continued. “Don’t fight us.”

Evan swallowed awkwardly, the taste of his blood metallic and bitter in the back of his throat. He didn’t want to die.

“Do you understand?”

Nodding, Evan reached out and grabbed her wrist. He understood. “Please,” he managed from behind the mask. His hold weakened as the room darkened around him, a vast black space sucking him in. Please don’t let me die.

 

Help me!

The desperate plea caught in Evan’s throat. Opening his eyes, Evan tried to sit up. His heart beat madly in his chest and pain shot through him, forcing him to give in. He fell back against the pillow and steadied his breathing. It took a moment for him to realize where he was, and he slowly curled his fingers in the starched white sheet of the hospital bed. The bed was solid and real and he thanked God he was alive.

Last night was a blur of blood and pain. If he was honest, he wasn’t sure he wanted to remember, though little flashes of memories were slowly knitting together to form a terrifying picture. From the nightclub, he’d foolishly thought walking home was a good idea. Yes, shit happened, but shit happened to other people, not him. He was happy in his little world of Evan, safe and sound. But last night, he’d been terribly wrong.

The path through the city park was poorly lit. It had been for years, despite the handful of petitions to the city council. Evan had walked through the park what must have been a hundred times before, and not once had he ever considered himself in danger or potential fodder for some serial killer. He was a strong young man. Guess he’d learned his lesson. The attack had started with the simple sense of being watched. He recalled strange growling and the rustling of leaves, the hair on the back of his neck standing up, and then the blur of motion before he was dragged from the path and into the bushes.

Teeth, claws, pain—how was he even alive after that? A wolf. It had been a wolf. He remembered now. A large, black-furred wolf with pure white eyes. Uncomfortably, he scratched at his bandaged hand and fingered the line in his arm. His breathing became ragged, and he wondered where to find a nurse. He wanted the line out and to put on his clothes. He wanted to get out of there.

“You shouldn’t play with those,” someone said from the corner of the room.

Evan looked fearfully to the shadows, surprised to find a man standing in the dark. Had he always been there?

The man stepped forward. “You should rest. Looks like you had one hell of a night.” The man wore his long dark hair back from his face and the overhead fluorescent light reflected in his eyes, making them seem almost silver in color.