» contemporary

The Cool Part of His Pillow by Rodney Ross

May 14, 2012

Grief sends Barry into a new life before spinning him home once more. The Cool Part of His Pillow by Rodney Ross, available from Dreamspinner Press.

The midforties are that time in a gay man’s life when his major paradigm shifts from sexy to sensible. But when Barry Grooms’s partner of twenty years is killed on Barry’s forty-fifth birthday, his world doesn’t so much evolve as it does explode.

After navigating through the surreal conveyor belt of friends and family, he can’t eat another casserole or swallow much more advice, and so, still numb, he escapes to Key West, then New York. He embraces a new mantra: Why the hell not? He becomes so spontaneous he’s ready to combust. First, he gets a thankless new job working for a crazy lady in a poncho, then has too many drinks with a narcissistic Broadway actor. Next, it’s a nude exercise class that redefines flop sweat, and from there he’s on to a relationship with a man twenty years his junior, so youthfully oblivious he thinks Karen Carpenter is a lesbian woodworker.

Yet no matter how great the retreat from the man he used to be, life’s gravity spins Barry back to the town where he grew up for one more ironic twist that teaches him how to say good-bye with grace.

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Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel

Anthology: The Talker Collection by Amy Lane (print only)

May 12, 2012

Amy Lane’s beloved Talker series, now available in one print edition.

One day, Tate “Talker” Walker sits next to Brian Cooper on a track meet bus—and sees him like nobody else on the planet has ever seen him before. One day, Brian Cooper looks at Talker’s bright punk facade and listens past his constant chatter—and knows him like nobody else on the planet will ever know him again. One day, two boys meet, and even though they fall in love, it’s still a long and bumpy ride.

Tate needs to learn to listen, Brian needs to learn to speak up, and the event that teaches them both exactly what they need from each other almost destroys Tate and leaves Brian no recourse but violence. For their love to survive, Tate and Brian have to overcome the pain of violation and the repercussions of revenge. Even more difficult, they have to hold each other steady while one finds his peace and the other his voice, because a dream boy isn’t really a dream boy if he doesn’t know his own worth.

Genre: Contemporary
Length: Single-author Anthology
Pages: 220

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Cleave by Mickie B. Ashling

May 11, 2012

Sloan has a hard decision to make, go back to Cole or stay with Trent. What is the best for him? The third installment of Cutting Cords, Cleave by Mickie B. Ashling.

On New Year’s Eve, Cole Fujiwara stands vigil at his father’s deathbed while his surrogate wife, Noriko, gives birth to twins. As Cole contemplates his future, he acknowledges that he’s living his father’s dream… and that he’s probably destroyed his chance at happiness with Sloan, the love of his life.

Finding harmony in an emerging D/s relationship has not been without issue for Sloan Driscoll and his Master, Trent Hamilton. Their journey has been littered with mishaps, but their powerful love and sexual connection continue to bind them together—until Sloan comes face to face with Cole for the first time in nine months.

The meeting means different things to each of them. To Cole, it’s the first step on the path to a reunion. To Sloan, it’s a terrible mistake, one he confesses immediately. As for Trent, the bitter realization that a connection between the former lovers still exists forces him to issue an ultimatum. Is Sloan willing to do anything to prove their relationship is worth saving, including becoming Trent’s 24/7 slave? And if Sloan stays with Trent, how can Cole ever hope to find happiness again?

Series: Cutting Cords by Mickie B. Ashling
Genre: BDSM/Kink
Length: Novel
Pages: 230

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Under the Bed by Wayne Mansfield

May 9, 2012

When Tom is kidnapped Jonah must embark on a journey in a new world that exists under his bed. Wayne Mansfield’s Under the Bed, available from Dreamspinner Press.

There are always strange sounds to get used to in a new house, but this is a step beyond creaks and groans. Maybe Tom doesn’t notice the banging that comes from beneath the bed at night, but Jonah, his husband, sure does. Of course, he doesn’t discover the fantastic world down there until after Tom is kidnapped.

Underbedland defies Jonah’s imagination and excites his senses. He soon meets Jock Strap and his boyfriend, Peter Heater. In his search for Tom, Jonah also meets Penny Tration, a sorceress who reveals that her sister, Selma Granma, took Tom to live with her on an island in the middle of the Inky Sea. Unfortunately, the only way to get to the island is to stow away on the Wet Dream, a pirate ship crewed by blue pygmy pirates—the very pirates who kidnapped Tom.

But Selma Granma doesn’t just want Tom, she wants freedom, and she’ll do anything to get it. Before they can catch their breath, Jonah and his friends take on another mission: replace the power source that keeps Selma Granma confined to the island. The liberty and happiness of the residents of Underbedland hang in the balance.

Genre: Humor/Fairy Tales/Contemporary Fantasy
Length: Novella
Pages: 204

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Miami After the War by Jay Starre

May 9, 2012

At nineteen, Danny Ramirez is the youngest of the tiling crew working the postwar construction boom on Miami’s beachfront. When veteran Jake Tyler needs a roommate and asks if he’s interested, Danny jumps at the chance. He’s been hot for Jake since they day they started working together. Jake never talks about his wartime experiences, though they’ve obviously marked him in more ways than just the scar on his leg. Danny wants to offer comfort, but can he make the first move without driving Jake away?

Genre: Historical – Americas
Length: Short story
Pages: 32

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Acrobat by Mary Calmes

May 8, 2012

Andreo is related to the mob, Nathan is jaded when it comes to relationships. Can they find happiness together? Acrobat by Mary Calmes, available from Dreamspinner Press.

Forty-five-year-old English professor Nathan Qells is very good at making people feel important. What he’s not very good at is sticking around afterward. He’s a nice guy; he just doesn’t feel things the way other people do. So even after all the time he’s spent taking care of Michael, the kid across the hall, he doesn’t realize that Michael’s mob muscle uncle and guardian, Andreo Fiore, has slowly been falling in love with him.

Dreo has bigger problems than getting Nate to see him as a potential partner. He’s raising his nephew, trying to leave his unsavory job, and starting his own business, a process made infinitely more difficult when a series of hits takes out some key underworld players. Still, Dreo is determined to build a life he can be proud of—a life with Nate as a cornerstone. A life that is starting to look like exactly what Nate has been seeking. Unfortunately for Dreo—and for Nate—the last hits were just part of a major reorganization, and Dreo’s obvious love for Nate has made him a target too.

Genre: Contemporary
Length:Novel
Pages: 250

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Gambling Men by Amy Lane

May 7, 2012

It started with a tweet and expanded to a novel with 60k new words. Enjoy the story that brought Amy Lane to Dreamspinner Press, Gambling Men.

Quent Jackson has followed Jason Spade’s every move in business and in poker since their first day as college freshmen. Eight years later, when Jace finally decides Quent is the one man he can’t live without, he sees no reason for that to change.

But as much as Jace believes that poker is life, no one gave Quent the same playbook. After their first passionate night, the real game of love and trust begins, and Jace has been playing alone too long to make teaching the rules easy. Jace only speaks two languages: one of them is sex, and the other one is poker. Between the two, he needs to find a way to convince himself to take a chance on love—and Quent to take a chance on him. It’s a lucky thing they’re good at reading the odds, because they’re playing for keeps, and this is one high-stakes relationship that’s definitely worth the gamble.

Genre: Comtemporary
Length: Novel
Pages: 220

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One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea

May 4, 2012

Will Rue’s dreams of a career trump his desire for the new family he never knew he wanted? One Small Thing by Vaughn & O’Shea, available from Dreamspinner Press.

“Daddy” is not a title Rue Murray wanted, but he never thought he’d have sex with a woman either. Now he’s the unwitting father of a newborn named Alice. Between bartending and cosmetology school, Rue doesn’t have time for babies, but he can’t give her up. What Rue needs is a babysitter, and he’s running out of options. He’s on the verge of quitting school to watch Alice himself when he remembers his reclusive new neighbor, Erik.

Erik Van Nuys is a sci-fi novelist with anxiety issues to spare. He doesn’t like people in general, and he likes babies even less. Still, with his royalties dwindling, he could use the extra cash. Reluctantly, he takes on the role of manny—and even more reluctantly, he finds himself falling for Alice and her flamboyant father.

Rue and Erik are as different as two people can be, and Alice is the unlikeliest of babies, but Rue has never been happier than when Alice and Erik are by his side. At least, not until he receives an offer that puts all his dreams within reach and he’s forced to choose: the future he’s always wanted, or the family he thought he never did.

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Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel

Bennie’s Wish by Xara X. Xanakas

May 4, 2012

Bennie must convince Ally of his sincerity after a humiliating prank. Bennie’s Wish by Xara X. Xanakas, available from Dreamspinner Press.

For years, Ally Theodisius has suspected his “friends” have been humoring him to stay in his good graces—and his wallet—so when a No Pants Day breakfast ends in his humiliation, he finally takes a stand.

When model Bennie Arnold runs into Ally, his first impression is of a cute, adorably dimpled writer in dire need of a real friend. Bennie would be happy to fill the role. There’s just one little problem: he’s going commando, and it happens to be No Pants Day. If he has any hope of getting his wish, Bennie will have to use his best assets to convince Ally he’s the real deal.

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Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella

Tia Fielding’s Day at the DSP-blog!

April 26, 2012

It’s finally here! Don’t know if anyone else is excited, but I sure am!

I’m Tia Fielding, if you didn’t guess that already, and I’ve been a Dreamspinner Press-author for almost a year now. I have two short stories, three novellas and one novel out, and at the moment there are two other releases lined up, if not more… (that’s a secret!)

Today, I’ll be posting every now and then about my latest releases, upcoming releases, what inspires me and so on. I’ll probably be talking about playlists–because music is important to me, and of course, I’ll hold a little contest later on, with some neat prizes to boot!

I’m also taking questions and answering them as I go, so please do leave some in the comments, and I’ll get back to you at some point.

So, let’s get this party started, eh?

Here’s the cover and the blurb for my second latest release from March 28th, Something New.

For thirty-five-year-old writer Frank Hudson and his partner of fourteen years, the spark is dead, and it’s time to move on. Frank sets his sights on a sleepy town in Vermont, where he plans to start over in peace and quiet—plans that are destroyed when fireman Conner O’Malley literally blazes onto the scene. To Frank, the tattooed, redheaded twenty-three-year-old and his bright smile are a flash of light in an otherwise dreary life.

But it’s a tricky situation right from the beginning. Frank’s passionless relationship has left him doubting that anyone could ever find him attractive. Conner’s juggling a demanding job and the unexpected responsibility of playing dad to his little brother and sister. Battling their own insecurities, Conner’s demanding schedule, and small-town homophobia is hard work—but sometimes hard work pays off.

And here’s my latest release, Thank My Lucky Scars, that was released yesterday!

When London bicycle messenger Matt Rooney has a run-in with a rich guy’s Mercedes, he ends up housebound with his leg in a cast. Bored, Matt uses his suddenly limitless free time to web-stalk American porn star Brian Enola. What he doesn’t expect is for his witty Tweets to develop into an actual correspondence.

A UK promotion brings Brian to London, where the online chemistry explodes into real-life attraction—but a potential romance is foiled by the forces of distance, misunderstanding, and practicality. After all, Matt and Brian live on different continents. But with the support of their loved ones, maybe they can find the strength to give love a fighting chance.

If you click at the cover, you get to the book’s page at the Dreamspinner-shop.

I’ll be back in a bit, I’m going to get some coffee and figure out what to post next!

- T