The Turn the Page... charity anthology is available for preorder now, and there's a special sale going on too! If you preorder/purchase from Smashwords through October 10th, you can get the anthology 25% off with coupon code HL43L. 

Turn The Page.... began as a simple idea and grew from there. No matter how bad things seem to be, just turn the page, there’s more—better—things to come. This is only one chapter in your life. It’s not the whole story. With this simple idea, Novice Sister Eroti-Quill—whom most know better as Tempeste O’Riley—began their quest to help Suicide Prevention and Awareness programs in their area. They managed to con (excuse me, convince) other authors to donate their time and stories to the project, and now, many months later, Turn The Page is born! 

The authors in this anthology donated their talent as a way to support Eroti-Quill’s hope for others, to help bring strength to programs that so desperately need funding. It will allow them to continue to help others, and to show those that need support but may not have it, or that may be afraid to reach out, just how much love and understanding surrounds them. Turn The Page.... is a diverse range of stories about the journey of love, hope, and acceptance. 

​Happy Birthday to Me by Tempeste O’Riley 
Robin’s Confession by Dianne Hartsock 
Purr by Nikki Prince 
Lockdown by Grace R. Duncan 
Ducks in a Row by Sue Brown 
Butterflies by Aine P Massie 
Once Step Back by Carole Cummings 
Superheroes by Hope Ryan 
Unworthy by Mark Zubro 
Love and Hope and Magic by Antonia Aquilante 
Façade by Donovan Alekz Crane

For more about the anthology—including an excerpt of my story, Love and Hope and Magic, and links to other places you can purchase Turn the Page...—go here.

It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

This weekend I have a snippet from The Artist's Masquerade for you. I'm continuing my random theme, and pulling snippets from a random page in each book. Here's a bit from page 145, which is the morning after Cathal and Flavian spend their first night together.

​He had to fight back a smile when Flavian blinked his way to awareness, big, cerulean eyes hazy and confused, hair tousled. Memories of what happened and where he was began to seep in, Cathal saw it happen, and those eyes flew open as Flavian sat bolt upright, nearly whacking Cathal in the head as he did.

Cathal did laugh then, but it was a soft chuckle, and even he could hear the affection in it, which scared him more than a little. But he wanted Flavian to see that even less than he wanted Flavian to see the affection itself. He leaned forward and kissed Flavian quickly. “Come on. Let’s get you dressed.” 

​

Thanks for reading!

I've been busy with writing and edits and a bunch of other things I can hardly remember right now, and this post is a bit later than usual this month for which I'm sorry. But I have lots of news for you!

The Sorcerer's Guardian is done with edits, and I turned in my proofreading last week so we're getting so close! Exciting! I don't have an exact release date yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. And if you want to catch up on the Tournai books before it comes out, and you like paperbacks, the Tournai paperbacks (and all other paperbacks!) are 30% off at Dreamspinner this week.

The fifth Tournai book is coming along. I'm over 100,000 words and winding towards the end. I just have to get Bastien out of danger (because I had to toss him into danger, of course) and get him back together with Corentin. I'm hoping to finish writing and start revising in the next week, and then I can get Tournai 5 (must think of a title!) all ready to send to Dreamspinner.

In other book news, a charity anthology that I was asked to contribute a story to several months ago is available for preorder at Amazon and will be out October 7th at Amazon and other retailers. You can find out more about the Turn the Page... anthology here. I was honored to be asked to participate, and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the stories in this anthology.

Finally, I thought I'd share a picture of my workspace with you. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably remember the fiasco that was the ant invasion of my office last month. There were ants everywhere and on everything and it was absolutely disgusting (I never want to see ants crawling over my keyboard again!), and I had to tear the whole room apart. The silver lining is that I got a chance to reorganize some, but my desk will probably never be so neat again!

A few months ago, Tempest O'Riley contacted me and invited me to contribute a story to a charity anthology they were putting together to benefit suicide prevention programs. I was honored to be asked and happy to be able to help this important cause. The anthology, called Turn the Page..., will be out on October 7, 2016 and is now available for preorder.
​

​Turn The Page.... began as a simple idea and grew from there. No matter how bad things seem to be, just turn the page, there’s more—better—things to come. This is only one chapter in your life. It’s not the whole story. With this simple idea, Novice Sister Eroti-Quill—whom most know better as Tempeste O’Riley—began their quest to help Suicide Prevention and Awareness programs in their area. They managed to con (excuse me, convince) other authors to donate their time and stories to the project, and now, many months later, Turn The Page is born! 

The authors in this anthology donated their talent as a way to support Eroti-Quill’s hope for others, to help bring strength to programs that so desperately need funding. It will allow them to continue to help others, and to show those that need support but may not have it, or that may be afraid to reach out, just how much love and understanding surrounds them. Turn The Page.... is a diverse range of stories about the journey of love, hope, and acceptance. 

Happy Birthday to Me by Tempeste O’Riley 
Robin’s Confession by Dianne Hartsock 
Purr by Nikki Prince 
Lockdown by Grace R. Duncan 
Ducks in a Row by Sue Brown 
Butterflies by Aine P Massie 
Once Step Back by Carole Cummings 
Superheroes by Hope Ryan 
Unworthy by Mark Zubro 
Love and Hope and Magic by Antonia Aquilante 
Façade by Donovan Alekz Crane

​Preorder Turn the Page... at Amazon.

It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

This week I have a snippet of The Prince's Consort for you. It's another slightly random one. I flipped open the book to a random page (it landed on page 145 this time), and here's a bit of that page for you. This snippet takes place after Philip has just met Tristan for the first time. Philip and Amory are talking about Tristan who is Amory's friend and was slightly more than that before Amory met Philip. (Amory speaks first in the snippet.)

Thanks for stopping by, everyone! Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Fellow Dreamspinner author Charley Descoteaux is visiting today. Welcome, Charley!

The release date for Safe House, Buchanan House: Book Four, is coming soon! To celebrate, Dreamspinner has created a bundle sale—Pre-order Safe House and get Tiny House (Buchanan House: Book Three) for $0.99! The sale runs September 12 until release day—September 19!

​This is a true series so to get the most out of it I recommend to read the books in order. With that in mind I’ve stocked a Rafflecopter with two chances to win the first book in the series, Buchanan House. Visit any stop on my tour between September 12th and October 1st to enter!

Safe House (Buchanan House: Book Four) by Charley Descoteaux


It’s never too late for a new beginning…


Kyle Shimoda is an asshole magnet, has been for as long as he can remember. At forty-seven, he doesn’t see much chance for improving his luck in love. His friends who run Buchanan House, a gay retreat on the central Oregon coast, know he wants to find “someone nice” to settle down with, and they set him up with Officer Brandon Smith. Kyle has a turbulent history with law enforcement, but he can’t deny his attraction to the buff cop.


Brandon has been a police officer in Lincoln City almost since the day he graduated from high school over thirty years ago. He’s cultivated the facade of a serious, disciplined law enforcement officer, but beneath his overdeveloped chest beats the soft heart of a drama queen. A cancer scare shifts Bran’s focus from finding a serious relationship to having as much sex as he can—putting his goals squarely at odds with Kyle’s. If he can’t find the courage to be honest about his feelings for Kyle, the happiness they’ve both been searching for could slip through their fingers.

​
Read Chapter One at the Dreamspinner store to meet Kyle. Meet Brandon in the excerpt below.


Chapter Two 

Brandon barely paid attention as he drove between the cemetery and the apartment he shared with two roommates. He’d hoped to find a voice mail from the doctor after the funeral, but no such luck. He did find one saying the new guy, Dylan, had called in sick, and Brandon was expected at work within the hour. He would have been happier to stay at the cemetery and talk with Paulie a little longer. And Kyle. Bran had met Kyle before, but they hadn’t spoken. He had noticed then how handsome Kyle was, and he was even more striking with his hair longer, framing his high cheekbones and full, sensuous mouth. His silky black hair looked so touchable.

This isn’t getting me to work any faster.

​At least work will be a distraction.

He hurried home and changed into his uniform. His quick spot check in the bathroom mirror turned into a lingering appraisal. Brandon ran an open hand over his chest, not to smooth the impeccable fabric of his uniform shirt, but to reassure himself that nothing had changed. He grimaced at his reflection, thinking a little less gray and a little more brown in his hair might be a nice change.

Brandon shivered as he recalled the MRI he’d endured three days prior, which had revealed a suspicious lump in his chest.

Forty-seven minutes in a tiny tube while the machine hummed and took pictures of his breast and lymph tissue. Just thinking about the way it had felt to lie there made him shiver—it was worse than the needle biopsy he’d had the following day. With every inhale his shoulders had brushed the walls of the tube on both sides, and less than halfway through he’d had to talk himself out of fleeing. He wasn’t a tall man—something that had bothered him throughout his life—but until that day he had taken pride in his body, in the bulk he’d cultivated without sacrificing speed or agility.

During that forty-seven minutes, he would have been happy to trade his broad shoulders for a smaller frame.

Since I’m making empty wishes, I might as well make one for a better-looking face. A face that could attract a handsome young guy like Kyle instead of scaring him half to death.

Bran’s stomach roiled at his own thoughts, and he resolved to not even think the word death again until—unless—he had to. He was tempted to forgo shaving the sandy brown stubble from his face but fell back on the habit, hoping for the comfort a routine could provide, and reached for his electric razor.

Everything seemed to be happening so fast. Less than a week ago he’d gone in for his yearly physical, and now he was waiting for the call that would tell him whether he needed to make another appointment for that week or next year. In the interim he’d been squeezed into a tube and had a biopsy. And relived the worst time in his life over and over, the time when he’d learned about his father’s diagnosis.

Pre-order Safe House at the Dreamspinner store and get Tiny House for $0.99! Sept. 12-19: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/safe-house-by-charley-descoteaux-7536-b
​

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


Series: Buchanan House
Book Number: 4
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date:  September 19, 2016
Pages:  200

Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
​

It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been doing random snippets from page 170 of my books, a page I opened to by chance when looking for a snippet a couple weeks ago. I'm continuing my random page 170 snippets today with a snippet from The Sorcerer's Guardian, the fourth book in the Chronicles of Tournai series, which is currently in the proofreading stage and will be out in a couple of months. Also, this is a bit longer than six sentences—sorry!

“Then why not give yourself some time to recover?” The tenderness in Loriot’s words made Savarin ache. “Jadis said it would take more time and more rest. Give yourself the time, and try not to worry yet.”

“I don’t know if I can.” He wasn’t normally one who worried this way, but how could he not? “What happens to me if I don’t recover? If my Talent doesn’t come back to full strength?”

Loriot pulled him close, into Loriot’s arms. He struggled halfheartedly for a moment, but subsided when Loriot wouldn’t let go and allowed Loriot arrange him as he would, with his head pillowed on Loriot’s shoulder, Loriot’s arms secure around him. “If that happens, you’ll figure it out, you’ll cope with it. You’re more than just your Talent, Savarin.”

“Am I?” Sometimes he wondered.

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

August was a busy month, but I still got some reading done. (Of course I did. I feel absolutely bizarre if I'm not reading something at all times. If I'm not reading, it might be a sign of the coming apocalypse) I've continued discovering how much I enjoy listening to my favorites in audio too. They certainly make cooking and boring chores more interesting!

​August held some new releases from favorite authors and discoveries of some new authors as well. Here are some books I enjoyed in August:

His Royal Secret and His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace - I devoured these books about a prince who falls in lovely with a reporter. I have a bit of a thing for books about royalty (Possibly why I write about them in my fantasy series and have been contemplating something contemporary...) and these were fantastic. The tension and emotion between Ben and James is wonderful. Though there isn't technically a cliffhanger at the end of the first book, I'm glad I waited to read them until both books were out.

Blow Down by JL Merrow - The latest book in the Plumber's Mate series about a plumber with a psychic gift for finding things and his private investigator fiancee. They're fun mysteries, very amusing, and very British. Best to start with the beginning of this series to see the relationship develop.

Beta Test by Annabeth Albert - The second book in her Gaymers series and another really good one. This is very much opposites attract and a road trip romance. It stands alone, but the first book, Status Update, was great too.

A Time to Rise by Tal Bauer - This was a paranormal with vampires and demons and demon-hunting priests and Swiss Guard set in Rome and the Vatican. I had no idea what to expect, but I enjoyed this and I'm hoping for another book. I need to know what happens next, both in the romance and in the demon-hunting plot.

What have you read and enjoyed lately, and what are you looking forward to reading in September?

It's the first weekend in September somehow, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been doing random snippets from page 170 of my books, a page I opened to by chance when looking for a snippet a couple weeks ago. I decided to continue that today with a snippet from page 170 of The Scholar's Heart. This is a bit of conversation between Etan and his youngest sister Meriall when they're at their cousin Prince Philip's birthday ball.

“Etan,” Meriall said, almost singing out his name, as she stepped up to his side.

“Enjoying yourself, Meriall?”

“Very much, thank you, and you?”

“Yes.”

She tilted her head and studied him. “Are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

She shrugged. “Well, you’re standing here alone and not enjoying yourself. Tristan’s over there by himself too.”

Etan glanced in the direction of her gesture. “I think he’s getting some wine.”

“Still, you haven’t spent much time with him tonight. You used to be so close—friends, more than friends maybe?” She smiled at him a bit. “And lately, I thought maybe you were again.” 

​

Hope you all have a lovely weekend (a lovely long holiday weekend here in the US)!

Welcome to my blog tour for Waiting for Patrick. I’m offering giveaways of one signed copy, one electronic copy, and a choice of one title from my backlist. Comment below and at any of my other blog stops (posted below) to be entered to win. One comment, one entry. Dreamspinner is offering my other paranormal titles (Haunted, Lifeline, and  What No One Else Can Hear ) for $0.99 during “Weekend Reads” on September 2, 3, and 4, in honor of Waiting for Patrick being my ninth published book. Waiting for Patrick will be available at a discounted price throughout the tour (September 1 through 15). Winners of the raffle will be announced on September 16th.

Architect Elliot Graham has bought and restored dozens of historic homes to their original splendor. As in his personal life, he loves them and leaves them, selling them off without looking back. But there’s something about the old plantation house he finds in South Carolina—a connection he can’t explain. He feels as though he recognizes the house, as if within its crumbling walls he might find something he doesn’t even realize he’s lost.

Ben Myers had promised his lover and soul mate, Patrick, that he would wait for his return. Ben has kept his word ever since Patrick left him to wait at the plantation house—during the Civil War. For the first time in many long years, Ben is no longer alone, and he reaches out to Elliot in dreams. Elliot tries to convince Ben that Patrick isn’t coming back, but Ben’s devotion is about to change not only his lonely existence, but Elliot’s life as well.

Buy Link: Dreamspinner Press

Brynn has always loved to write about strong male characters and their close friendships. When she found the world of m/m fiction, she fell in love. Finally, a way to bring those strong male characters together and let those emotional connections spill over into deeper relationships. Sometimes her characters go through the emotional wringer, but they always have each other.

​Brynn lives in Virginia near her two grown daughters who support her writing and sometimes act as proof readers. Both of her daughters are also aspiring writers and hopefully it'll just be a matter of time before they have their own author's biography. 

Brynn was a teacher by profession for thirty years. She worked in special education with children with emotional disabilities. She has recently changed careers and is now working as a mental health counselor to this same population and their families. When she is not working or writing, she loves to draw and paint. She also gets outside as often as she can, reads anything that doesn't move out of the way, and is always looking for her next story.

​Contact Brynn:

Twitter / Blog / Facebook

September 1st: Bike's Book Reviews
September 2nd: Drops of Ink, Snow's Untangled Threads and Musings
September 3rd: Antonia Aquilante, The Story Struggle and Beyond
September 4th: Thianna Durston, Unconventional Love Stories, Misadventures of the Heart
September 5th: Sandra Bard, Tempeste O'Riley
September 6th: Jackie Keswick
September 7th: Chaos in the Moonlight
September 8th: Grace R Duncan, Brita Addams, Cryselle's Bookshelf 
September 9th: Emotion in Motion, MM Good Book Reviews
September 10th: Jacob Z Flores
September 11th: Andrew's Blog
September 12th: Nicki J Markus, Rainbow Gold Reviews
September 13th: PD Singer
September 14th: Our Story LGBTQ Historical Fiction
September 15th: Renee Stevens, Purple Rose Tea House, Open Skye Book Reviews, The Novel Approach Reviews
​Throughout the Tour: Book Trailer on YouTube - Lex Valentine