How is it May this weekend already? Time is flying by! And since it's weekend, I have another Rainbow Snippet for you. ​The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to post six sentence snippets of their work each weekend. Visit the group page on Facebook to read all the wonderful snippets, and add some books to your tbr pile!

The Scholar's Heart, the third book in the Chronicles of Tournai series, will be out on May 30th (yay!), and I'll start sharing snippets from it next weekend. Each of the books in the series stands alone, but the main characters of The Scholar's Heart, Etan and Tristan, have appeared in both of the previous books. So I thought it might be fun to share snippets over the next few weeks involving Etan and Tristan in the previous books to introduce you to them before I dive into snippets from The Scholar's Heart itself.

This week's snippet is from The Artist's Masquerade. It's the scene where I made Etan very sad, which of course will be fixed (eventually) in The Scholar's Heart, because if I can promise you anything, it's a happily ever after.

Have a great weekend, everyone! And check back here on Monday for the cover reveal of The Scholar's Heart.

​Spring seems to finally be arriving in my corner of the world, and this makes me so happy. The weather is to be warming up and is probably going to keep warming up instead of suddenly getting colder and dumping snow on us. The flowers are blooming and the trees are beginning to get green. (I'm completely disregarding allergies here because I'm happy anyway and that's what Claritin is for.) Not just me, right?

Spring isn't actually my favorite time of year. I think I've said that autumn is my favorite, but there's something about spring. A feeling of everything starting new, a breath of fresh air after a cold winter shut up inside.

​I've been out walking most mornings since it started to warm up. I've missed my walks during the cold weather. Walking is great exercise and it also gives me lots of thinking time. I've solved a lot of plot problems and been struck with a lot of story and character inspiration while walking, so I'm really happy to be able to get out and do it again. (I suppose some people would be outside walking in the winter regards of cold, but that is not me.) I can write scenes in my head or just clear my mind and let my subconscious work. Enough walking and my writing usually flows a lot better, which is always a good thing.

(I'm pretty excited about spring clothes and shoes too, but that's a whole other thing.)

These turtles seem to be enjoying the sunshine and spring weather too!


Has the weather turned warmer where you are? What do you love about spring?

It's time for Rainbow Snippets! The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to post six sentence snippets of their work each weekend. Visit the group page on Facebook to read all the wonderful snippets, and add some books to your tbr pile!

The Scholar's Heart, the third book in the Chronicles of Tournai series, will be out on May 30th (yay!), and I'll start sharing snippets from it soon. Each of the books in the series stands alone, but the main characters of The Scholar's Heart, Etan and Tristan, have appeared in both of the previous books. So I thought it might be fun to share snippets over the next few weeks involving Etan and Tristan in the previous books to introduce you to them before I dive into snippets from The Scholar's Heart itself.

This snippet (which is a little long again - I'm really am sorry! I promise I'll follow the rules next time!) is from The Prince's Consort and it's when Etan and Tristan first meet.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! And don't forget to check out the rest of this week's snippets.

I'm happy to have Charley Descoteaux visiting on release day for Pride Weekend. Welcome, Charley!
​

Series: Buchanan House
Book Number: 2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 22, 2015
Word Count: 13,976
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

Overworked cubicle jockey Adam Byron wants to attend Oregon Coast Pride in style but the price of a room at Buchanan House, a popular gay retreat on the central coast, is beyond his budget. So he won’t miss out, he advertises online for someone to share expenses. Corporate drone Silas Grant responds to Adam’s ad, and the two get to know each other via texts before meeting at the coast. They agree on a no-pressure roommate arrangement, yet once they meet face-to-face their attraction is undeniable. Desire might simmer well beyond Pride weekend, no matter how hard Adam and Silas try to live up to their noncommitment pact.

Get your free copy of Pride Weekend!
Dreamspinner Press (ebook)
Amazon US
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Silas

​I didn’t lose my nerve, but with how tentative and quiet Adam stayed while I chatted with our hosts and every other guest at the party, I took things slower than I would’ve liked. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was a player. Maybe he just wasn’t used to being surrounded by a roomful of horny gay men. Or maybe he was naturally quiet in real life. Whatever his reasons, I could respect them, but I wouldn’t be deterred. I would find out what his body looked like, what it felt like against mine, what it tasted like.

And I would ignore the flare of jealousy I felt whenever another man checked out his ass or rested a hand on his arm.

Everyone flirted with everyone else—it’s just the way it worked at parties like that, and it didn’t necessarily mean anything. Except one couple kept eyeing him and whispering. Maybe hoping for a threesome, or foursome. When they started to approach us, after the other guests had left to go gambling or dancing in Lincoln City, I used a ruse to get Adam outside alone. It had worked on me the first time I had drinks at a party, in my sophomore year of high school, and it worked just as well on Adam. If he knew he hadn’t stumbled, he didn’t seem to care. The unquestioning way he let me take him outside had my dick filling before we cleared the porch. I didn’t think I could wait through the sunset, but it was pretty, so I stuck it out.

I wasn’t the only one who felt tortured, a fact that became obvious as soon as I let my arm rest in his lap.

“Do you want another drink?” 

He flinched a little when I spoke. Neither of us had said a word for the past hour. Or maybe he startled because I increased the pressure of my arm against his cock at the same time.

“No, thanks. I’m good.”

I don’t doubt that. “How about if we go upstairs?”

He sighed, almost as though he’d been holding his breath and waiting for me to ask. “That sounds good.”

I didn’t really want to let go of him, but, physics. Once we stood and started moving toward the house, things happened fast. Almost fast enough. We raced up the back staircase—there didn’t seem to be time to go through the party room and then the lobby to take the indoor stairs. I pulled him by the hand until we reached the door to our room. Adam’s key was in a pocket without a button closure, so I reached inside and took it. I slipped my left hand back into that pocket while I unlocked the door with my right. Neither operation went quickly or smoothly, but that first handful—the first time I wrapped a hand around his hard cock, even through the fabric of his pocket—was a life-altering experience.

Charley Descoteaux has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they’ve agreed to let her sleep once in a while. Charley grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area during a drought, and found her true home in the soggy Pacific Northwest. She has survived earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, but couldn’t make it through one day without stories.
​
Rattle Charley’s cages:
Blog / Facebook / Dreamspinner Author Page / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / e-mail: c.descoteauxwrites@gmail.com

​Just a quick post to let you know that Dreamspinner is having a sale. Everything in the store is 25% off through Sunday April 24th. The Scholar's Heart isn't available for preorder yet, but you can still catch up on the rest of the Chronicles of Tournai books if you have read them yet and stock up on lots more great books too.

While I should have been writing my current work in progress the other day, I ended up writing a little scene between Cathal and Flavian from The Artist's Masquerade. Absolutely not what I was doing, but it appeared in my head and didn't want to go away so I wrote it down. And then I decided that since I took the time to write it, I should share it with you. It takes place after the end of The Artist's Masquerade, but well before The Scholar's Heart will begin, and is just a little scene between Cathal and Flavian, a bit of their life in the palace. Or Cathal's musing on how their settling into that life anyway. It also turned a bit sweeter at the end than I expected. I hope you enjoy it.

And if you haven't read The Artist's Masquerade yet, find out more here.

Flavian had thrown the whole palace into disarray. Well, disarray was perhaps too strong, and it wasn’t the whole palace, but Cathal could see that the palace staff weren’t entirely sure what to make of the artist, even if no one had said a word. 
They’d moved Flavian into Cathal’s suite the day Flavian accepted Cathal’s marriage proposal. Flavian had watched the proceedings from Cathal’s bed, his sketchbook in his lap, his injured knee propped on pillows, his expression faintly incredulous. But Cathal wanted him close, both because of the danger Flavian had been--and still could be--in and because Flavian made him happy in a way he’d never imagined he could be and he wasn’t going to let that go.

​As soon as Flavian’s knee healed, he was up and exploring the palace and grounds. They’d spoken of their plans, both for their upcoming wedding and for the life that would come after it, and they were both happy to make the palace their home, Cathal perhaps especially since the ready alternative was his family’s house in Jumelle and he couldn’t go back there, not yet. Not in the face of his mother’s pain. He liked the palace for them anyway, with Philip, Amory, and Etan there, and with its security keeping Flavian safe. 

He knew when Flavian began to acquire painting supplies to replace those he’s left behind in Ardunn that he was settling into his new home, and Cathal’s last little bit of worry dissipated. He hadn’t even realized he was worried until the relief came. He wasn’t going to tell Flavian any of that though.

But now that Flavian had his art supplies he carted them around the palace and gardens every day--at any hour of the day or night--to paint, and their suite was soon littered with them and half-finished paintings. Cathal understood Flavian’s need to work, as much as anyone who wasn’t an artist could, but the palace staff seemed to be slightly baffled. Flavian never asked them for anything, and he could have, could have directed them to carry his easel or supplies. But that wouldn’t be his Flavian. He set himself up in different locations on the grounds or in the palace, sometimes borrowing various objects from other places to sketch or paint, which was what might have the staff so confused.

Cathal leaned in the doorway of the small reception room Flavian had chosen to work in today, for some reason known only to him. Probably something to do with the light, but Cathal wouldn’t know what exactly. Flavian had gathered up glass pieces from different rooms--Cathal didn’t recognize some of them, but there was so much art in the palace that wasn’t surprising--and arranged them on a table near the window with a sweep of silky fabric twining around and under them. He painted the arrangement now, and Cathal really wanted to know what it looked like, but he also didn’t want to risk disturbing Flavian. He was so absorbed he in his work he hadn’t even noticed Cathal come in.

Totally absorbed and beautiful with it. His gaze was somehow both focused and dreamy, his expression set. A paint splattered smock protected his clothing, but Cathal smiled when he saw a streak of white paint in Flavian’s tousled red-gold hair.

​He wanted to take Flavian in his arms and kiss him silly, but he wouldn’t disturb him. And he would never take this from Flavian, had never even thought to. Apparently some people were wondering why the soon-to-be husband of a duke was engaged in any kind of occupation. Etan had brought the whispers to Cathal’s attention, but they could keep whispering for all Cathal cared. He wouldn’t take this away from Flavian, if he even could. Flavian was an artist; he lived and breathed it. It was how he saw and interpreted the world. And what he created was breathtaking. 

Cathal could only be grateful that Flavian had room in his life and heart for Cathal as well.

He settled back to wait, content to watch Flavian work, watch the graceful movements and the play of emotion over his face. Flavian needed a studio. Cathal wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought of it sooner. Flavian needed a place of his own to work and to store his supplies. There had to be a room in the palace that would suit, that they could make into what Flavian needed. Or if not, he would find somewhere on the grounds and build one for Flavian. A wedding present, perhaps. But the wedding was still a couple months off, and now that he’d had the idea he didn’t want to wait. And Flavian needed it.

Flavian made a little tsking noise and stepped back, setting his palette and brush down. He moved his head side to side, circled his neck, working the kinks out in a way Cathal had become familiar with, and caught sight of Cathal. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were here.”

“It’s all right.”

“Have you been here long? Did you need something?”

Cathal shrugged. “A while.”

“You could have interrupted.”

“No. I only needed you anyway.”

A slow smile curved Flavian’s lips. “You have me.”

Love for Flavian filled him in a breathless rush; he still wasn’t used to the warm wave of it. He had Flavian, and he was so lucky. “May I see?”

Flavian glanced at the painting, hesitating, but nodded, and Cathal moved farther into the room, coming to stand behind Flavian. He rested his hands on Flavian’s upper arms, rubbing lightly over the sleek muscles under the coarse smock, and looked over Flavian’s head at the painting. Marveled again at Flavian’s talent. Marveled at how he arranged glass pieces on a table and found magic in how the light on them glowed and sparkled. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m trying to capture the light, but I haven’t quite gotten in right.” Cathal couldn’t see Flavian’s face, but he would bet that little line he got between his brows when he was critical of his own work was there now.

“You’re my light.” The words slipped out without his permission, surprising him, but he didn’t regret them.

Flavian tilted his head to look up at him. “You’re ridiculous.”

Cathal slid his arms around Flavian, pulling him back against his chest. “But you love me.”

Flavian watched him steadily. “More than I can say.”

That was all that mattered then.

Happy weekend, everyone! And because it's weekend, it's time for Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to post six sentence snippets of their work each weekend. Visit the group page on Facebook to read all the wonderful snippets, and add some books to your tbr pile!

The Scholar's Heart, the third book in the Chronicles of Tournai series, will be out on May 30th (yay!), and I'll start sharing snippets from it soon. Each of the books in the series stands alone, but the main characters of The Scholar's Heart, Etan and Tristan, have appeared in both of the previous books. So I thought it might be fun to share snippets over the next few weeks involving Etan and Tristan in the previous books to introduce you to them before I dive into snippets from The Scholar's Heart itself.

Here is a snippet (longer than it should be! I'm sorry!) from the very beginning of The Prince's Consort. Amory and Tristan have been friends their whole lives, and before Amory met Philip (and long before Tristan met Etan), they were a bit more than friends. This will, of course, cause complications for everyone later.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Today is release day for Thárros by C. Kennedy! I really enjoyed Omorphi, the first book in this series, and I'm looking forward to reading Thárros as well.

Θάρρος
Thárros. Greek. Meaning courage
Courage. n. /ˈkərij/
1. The ability to do something that frightens one.
2. Strength in the face of fear, pain, or grief.
~*~
Courage is resistance to fear,
mastery of fear,
not the absence of fear. ~Mark Twain​

High school senior Michael Sattler leads a charmed life. Almost. He has great friends, parents who love him just the way he is, and he was a champion hurdler until someone took out his knee when they kidnapped his boyfriend. Yet, Michael is determined to make the USATF tryouts in spite of his injuries.

Christy Castle is Michael’s entire world. Healing from years of abuse, his abduction by a predator has left him hiding a new secret as he tries to start his life again. Together, Michael and Christy work to recover from their wounds in time to make prom and graduate high school. To complicate matters, Christy is astonished to learn a fellow victim from his native Greece has survived. Christy will stop at nothing to bring him to the US to keep him safe.

​But the prosecution of Christy’s kidnapper looms large in their futures and the struggle to return to normal only worsens. Christy's past continues to haunt them and, when the prosecution turns ugly and Christy’s new life is torn apart, only their unrelenting courage and determination can save them from the nightmare that threatens to destroy their future together.
​

Now available at Harmony Ink/Dreamspinner Press, Amazon US,
Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Omni Lit/All Romance eBooks!


Add Thárros to your Goodreads and BookLikes Lists!
Read Chapter One or Read en français

Cody is an award-winning author who lives, most of the time, on the West Coast of the United States. Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, Cody doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward, and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Cody contemplates such weighty questions as If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Cody can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much-maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary. Among many other awards, Omorphi was a runner up in the 2014 Rainbow Awards, and Slaying Isidore's Dragons was a finalist in the 2015 Rainbow Awards. Cody does respond to blog comments and emails because, after all, it is all about you, the reader.​
​

Find Cody on Facebook, Twitter @CodyKAuthor, Pinterest,
Tumblr, Google+, Instagram, Ello, Goodreads, Medium,
Booklikes, and read a free serial story, Fairy


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It's been a while since I've talked about books - probably because I've been so focused on editing and writing; I'm actually a little surprised at how much reading I snuck in - so I thought I'd share some that I've enjoyed in last couple of months.

A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles - This is the last of the Society of Gentlemen novels, and I adored it. It's Richard and David's story, primarily. I've been intrigued by David from the start, and annoyed by Richard, but I really understood and liked Richard by the end of this one. The plot and characters are interwoven throughout the series so it's best to read them in order. In fact, the way everything is woven together across the books - plot, character, real historical events - is brilliant. Every little plot thread is pulled together in this last installment, and the only thing I didn't like is that it's over. I finished the book and went right back to the beginning of the series and read them all over again. You need to read these if you haven't. Seriously, go read them. I'll wait. 

Death by Silver and A Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold - I've had my eye on this series for a while now, and when they went on sale last month I grabbed both books. They're Victorian paranormal mysteries. The magical system is well done and intriguing, and I enjoyed the characters. I could wish the romance was a little better developed in the first book, but I thoroughly enjoyed them. I've heard there's going to a third book, which I am thrilled for already.

Dirty Heart by Rhys Ford - This is the end to another series that I've enjoyed, a contemporary romantic suspense. It ended the series well, answering the questions that needed to be answered and giving Cole and Jae a lovely HEA, but I'll miss these characters. If you haven't read the series, it's best to read in order, so start with Dirty Kiss.

The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr - A fantasy filled with suspense and intrigue and romance. Megan Derr originally wrote a short by the same name that I enjoyed as well, and I was very excited to read the expanded version. It was even better than the original. And the cover is gorgeous. I believe there's more coming in this series as well, which makes me happy.

Brotherhood in Death by JD Robb - This is the 42nd book in the In Death series, and I still read them all as they come out. I've enjoyed some more than others, but it's always enjoyable to revisit Eve and Roarke and their friends. In this one, I especially enjoyed Eve's relationship with Mr Mira, which is very sweet.

Rag and Bone by KJ Charles - This novel follows up a novella called A Queer Trade, which introduced two new characters in the Magpies world. I loved the novella and I loved the novel too (you probably know by now that KJ Charles is an auto-buy author for me). I also loved how it seamlessly fit into the Magpie universe and seeing those characters through new eyes. I'm hoping for more.

Cardinal Sins by Lissa Kasey - I read very few post-apocalyptic but the cover of the first book in the series drew me to it, and I gave it a chance. I really enjoyed it, and I enjoyed this second book too. Probably best to read in order since the characters and events in book one are very present in book two. I'm looking forward to the final book in the series which will be out later this month. 

Strong Signal by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell - I've read and enjoyed books by each of these authors individually so I knew I would have to read this one as soon as I heard of it. The premise of the two MCs meeting in an online gaming context sounded adorable, and it was, but this book was so much more than that. Emotional and sexy with a lovely, satisfying HEA.

Dancer of Death by Jordan L Hawk - Jordan L Hawk is another favorite author of mine, so I was looking forward to this new installment in the paranormal SPECTR series. I loved it. I love getting more of John, Gray, and Caleb and learning more about Zahira. And there was ballet in this one too!

What have you been reading lately? 

It's weekend and that means it's time for another snippet. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to post six sentence snippets of their work each weekend. This weekend my snippet is from The Artist's Masquerade again, but much earlier in the story. We're in Flavian's point of view, and even as his artist's mind is contemplating the beauty of the royal garden, he's also despairing at how complicated his situation is. (And it is more than six sentences this weekend. Sorry!)

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out the Rainbow Snippets group page on Facebook for many more great snippets. Hope it's warmer where you are than it is here this weekend. It feels more like January than April!