The Rd to Frosty Hollow in print & Knowles Brook #2 snippet

You're not imagining it, this is another post. That's two in one year. I should be careful not to over do it :)

So what's new?

As of this past week The Road to Frosty Hollow is available in paperback.

 

Main post to links and stuff here

We've had some great reviews for the story so thank you to every one who has read Frosty Hollow. I'm particularly proud of the story, which was my one and only release in 2016. It was a tough year and some days it was hard to get in Nick and Cameron's heads, so it means a lot, the positive reactions I've seen to the book.

I've been working on various cover art this last week, including pieces for AE Ryecart, RJ Jones, Amber Kell, RJ Scott and KC Wells (phew), but did manage to jot down an outline of my characters and what their story is going to be for the next book in the Knowles Brook series. I made a brief start (before getting distracted by art again) on the first chapter and look forward to finding more time in the coming weeks.

Here is the very short, rough and unedited start of Knowles Brook 2.

****

“Mikey, you’ve ten minutes.”

Mikey glanced at the back of the bathroom door. He parted his lips, but didn’t call back to his brother who he knew would be standing on the other side, waiting, wondering if he was okay. Eventually, there was the dull sound of Jeremy heading downstairs and Mikey released a breath. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror above the sink. Doubt gripped him.

August Roundup

Wow, where did August go?

So after a quiet few months, the end of July and into August saw three releases from me.

Firstly, Capture the Sun, the fifth book in the Sapphire cay series written with RJ Scott. It was nice to pick up the story of one of the characters who had a brief appearance in our very first story on the island, Follow the Sun. This series has been a joy to write, and we have one more book planned coming in 2015 that will kind of bring the story full circle and most likely bring the series to a close.

Then came Alter Ego in the middle of the month, overwhelmed by the response, getting on the ARe best sellers list and also some of the top 100 gay fiction lists on Amazon UK. I'm very proud of the story and happy to get back to a solid, contemporary drama/romance.

And then bringing up the rear so to speak, the rerelease of Dead Things with super new cover art by my friend Bittergrace. She did me a massive favour dusting off her retired copy of photoshop to make me the cover and I love it.

You can find links to all book pages here http://meredithrussell.blogspot.co.uk/p/books-by-meredith.html

I also got stuck into some cover art for Love Lane Books and some self-published authors - and as we move into September, a friendly reminder pricing has changed now :) You can catch up with Art by Meredith here or click the link above.

What's coming up?

I'm currently focusing on my Christmas/Winter story called Just Jack. It's a contemporary romance story with a supernatural twist and is currently penned in for a release date of December 5th with Love Lane Books.

Following on from there, I'm looking at writing the sequel to Dead Things, so far excitingly entitled Dead Things 2 and after that the third and final book in the Lone Wolf Trilogy with Extasy Books, and following The Good Wolf and The Bad Wolf, we will have The Ugly Wolf. It just had to be done really :)

Alter Ego (Knowles Brook 1) - Out Today

The first book in my Knowles Brook series is out. I'm so excited and hope you will enjoy the book as much as I did writing it.

Blurb

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?

Buy links:  Amazon US  | Amazon UK  |  Smashwords | Barnes and Noble | Apple iStore


Excerpt

Chapter 1

James Hall strummed the air as a moody David Essex track hit its chorus. The lyrics paused for a powerful chord, and James curled his fingers in the air, playing his invisible guitar.

He heard a short outburst outside the bathroom and lowered his volume. Whatever they were doing out there, it didn’t seem to involve him. He was glad for the few moments of peace before slapping on a smile and going out on the stage.

The Drum and Monkey pub wasn’t huge, and it was a tight squeeze to get all five members of the band and their equipment up on stage. The last time they played they had gone down well with the punters, and so here they were again. Being asked back had instilled James and his bandmates with a sense of pride and confidence. He didn’t know about everyone else, but James had needed that.

He turned the volume back up and focused on his reflection in the mirror above the washbasin. With great care, he tucked the last few strands of his own dark blond hair beneath the net of the platinum blond wig he wore. He flicked the straight, layered locks out of his eyes, and brushed the wig with his fingers as he fixed the style. He then checked over his makeup. His eyes were framed in purple, and he wore pale pink lipstick. James leaned forward, tilting his face as he wiped at the corners of his mouth and checked his teeth. He’d do. He was lead guitarist in a seventies glam cover band, not some elaborate drag act. He liked subtle, just enough of a difference to make him feel like someone else.

There was a bang on the door and a muffled call. James sighed and pulled out his earphones, turning off the music and pocketing his phone in his hoodie.

“What are you doing in there? Writing your will?”

Alter Ego (Knowles Brook 1)

I am excited to announce my new release, Alter Ego, will be available from this Friday with Love Lane Books.

Alter Ego is the first story in a new series from me based around a fictional village in the Midlands called Knowles Brooks. Though the stories will pretty much be standalone, the lives of the villagers will intertwine much in a similar way to the Sapphire Cay series written with RJ Scott.

Book 1 focuses on James and Danny. Both men have their own baggage, which they need to deal with if they're to stand a chance of their mutual attraction becoming anything more than the series of chance encounters they find themselves meeting in.

I hope you will enjoy their story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Over the next week or so on my blog, I hope to look at the inspiration behind the characters and the music in Alter Ego, as well as looking at the real village Knowles Brook is based on and what my hopes are for the series, which in note form, currently stands at five books.

Check back for an excerpt at the end of the week.


Blurb

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?

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?