New Things

I have a new blog here. Please update your links or whatnot. There's also a follow button on the new blog - if you are inclined to follow, you'll get an e-mail each time I update the blog, you'll also be automatically entered into a monthly giveaway. Names will be drawn on the first of the month, the same as the twitter giveaways to followers there. Maybe there should be a Goodreads giveaway to friends on there too?

I'm planning to update the new blog a lot more. If all goes to plan, there will be free fiction posted each month, as well a regular slot featuring older books you may have forgotten about or not heard of, a monthly theme seems likely. Other possibilities are still being worked out.

I'm also in the middle of updating my website to try to get that looking better and similiar to the blog theme. You can find the website here. However I seem to have managed to get rid of an insane number of links. I'm putting them back in now, but if you click on a cover that doesn't go anywhere, please be patient :)

Hard At Work - Available Now!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post to let you know that Hard at Work is available now!

You can get it from the Resplendence Website and from All Romance E-books. I think it will appear on Amazon soon too :) It's also on Goodreads.

It's a Male/Male, BDSM, Erotic Romance - which I know will come as a huge suprise to anyone familiar with my work, lol. This particular one is a short story and set in an office.

It has a very nice cover. However, blogger still won't let me post pics. (That's one of the reasons I'll be moving to a new blogging platform next month. The new blog will have lots of covers posted!)

Hope everyone is having a great November!

*Hugs*

Kim.

November: Giveaways, a Free Story, Coming Soon News and Reviews!

Hello everyone :)

I'm posting the monthly news a day later than I'm supposed to, but not for the unsual reason (which is that I'm disorganised and the end of the month sneeks up on me). This time it was actually intentional, lol.

Tony's Move - a short story about Tony and Donovan from Worth a Shot - went live today. You can find it here as part of Amber Kell's birthday bash.

Leave a comment on that post and you'll be entered into a giveaway.

Which leads me neatly into the next piece of news. The giveaway is for titles I've written for Resplendence's Gems line. (That's 8 short stories if you only read MM, 11 if you read other gender combinations too.) 

This includes Hard at Work which will by released by Resplendence Publishing on November 12th.

Hard at Work is a Male/Male, BDSM short story set in the work place.

Here's the blurb:

Jake likes to think he’s a nice guy. He’s a kind and considerate boyfriend. He’s a firm but fair dom. He doesn’t let himself get stressed out without good cause.

But every guy has his breaking point. Jake’s been hiding an inappropriate erection from his boss for the last three hours. Enough is enough. It’s all Jake’s boyfriend, Danny’s, fault. Danny better have a good explanation, because Jake wants to hear it—right now!

You can read a tiny excerpt here.

And then onto results for last months giveaways:

Queer Romance Month winner: Elizabeth (9th Comment)

Boy Meets Boy Reviews winner: Jill (Also the 9th Comment)

E-mails will be turning up in your in boxes soon and thank you to everyone who commented.

What other news do I have?

Well, Axel's Pup is moving along nicely - I'm about three quarters of the way through the second draft. The more I work on it the more I love it - so that's good :)

Also, I'm thinking of doing some kind of giveaway for twitter followers - not sure what it will be or when it will happen, but if you want to follow me you can find me here.

And, one final thing - if you follow the different dramas that unfold on twitter, goodreads and writing blogs, you will probably be aware that a couple of different authors have been doing a host of weird, and very far from wonderful, things. (I'm not mentioning names because publicity is publicity.)

I tend to ignore these dramas because I don't have anything to say about them that hasn't already been said a lot of other places, but I've noticed quite a few posts in various places saying that if an author hasn't made a public statement saying which "side" they're on, they're assumed to be siding with the authors. 

So, here's my thoughts, for what they're worth. Stalking is wrong. It's wrong when a writer does it. It's wrong when anyone does it. There is no excuse for anyone turning up on a strangers doorstep uninvited, or for hitting someone over the head with a wine bottle! Also, bloggers have the right to blog, not blog, join a blackout, or do whatever else feels right to them. If you have any questions about what I think about it all beyond that, just ask :)

I've never formulated a "review policy", but I probably will soon. In the meantime the short version is this: 

I do sometimes read reviews for my work. If I see a nice review on twitter, I might favourite it and/or re-tweet it. If I see a nice review on goodreads, I might click like. If I know a reviewer, or if someone points out a review they've written, I might say "thank you for the review" or "I'm glad you liked it". That's it as far as responses go. 

If I see a bad review (and trust me, I've had ones that are pretty much as bad as you can get) - I don't comment, argue, respond, or do anything else. Same again, if you have a question about that, just ask :)

And, that's it - I'll be back on the 12th to talk about Hard at Work some more :)

*Hugs*

Kim

Being Other

This was intended to be another post related to Queer Romance Month, but I’ve gone kind of way off topic on this one. It’s turned out not to be so much about being queer as it’s about being “other”. I've mentally debated about whether or not to post it for over a week now, but here it is anyway...

There are a lot of different kinds of people who society treats as “other”. I fall into a couple of those groups.

I’ve mentioned on this blog before, that I have a few health issues. While my M.E. has never seen my completely confined to a wheelchair, there have been a lot of times when I’ve needed to use one when I leave the house.

As anyone who’s ever used a wheelchair knows, people treat you differently once you’re in a chair. You become invisible enough for people to walk into, or for them to accidentally hit you in the head with their hand bag when they turn around. But at the same time, you become someone other people want to keep their distance from—as if there is some suspicion that you might be contagious. Physical contact stops. People who would normally pause to chat suddenly cross the road to avoid you.

Several years ago, my parents and I went to see a show called La Cage Aux Folles. For those who don’t know it—it’s a fantastic musical. One of the main characters is Alvin who performs as a drag artist called Zaza. A lot of the show takes place in a night club and a fair number of the cast are drag performers in big elaborate costumes.

I went in my wheelchair. In this particular theatre, the wheelchair spaces were at the end of the fourth row from the stage.

In one part of this particular version of the show, the actors came down from the stage and moved along the end isles, shaking hands with the people sitting in the end seats.

I don’t know if the actors were gay or straight, if they identified in any way as queer, or if they’d ever done drag apart from in that particular show. What I do know is that, even when they saw the wheelchair, every one of those performers shook my hand—no hesitation.

I remember thinking—maybe these performers with their elaborate costumes and their huge drag queen wigs—maybe they know what it’s like for people to across the road to avoid them too. Maybe they get how much that hurts. Maybe that’s why they don’t do it to other people.

We were coming at it from very different places, but those performers and I were both “other” and that in itself can be a way to connect with people.

Now, I’m not saying that wheelchairs = queerness. Or that any minority who is seen as “other” should identify as queer.

But, I do think, in a good version of the world, people who are queer and people who are “other” in other ways should be on the same side.

Sometimes it does happen like that.

In America, you see mixed-race heterosexual couples marching in favour of same sex marriage because 60 years ago, their marriage would have been illegal too.

When same sex marriage was being debated in the UK, a straight Jewish man was interviewed on TV and he said he was in favour of it, because Jewish people and people in same sex relationships have both been discriminated against for far too long - and often by the same people.

I’ve found BDSM clubs are far more likely to be aware of the need for disabled access than vanilla venues are.

But sometimes the world gets screwed up and things go the other way.

You get signs like “don’t equate my skin with your sin”.

You get people who fight for women's rights who will only accept the existence of cis gendered women.

You get dating apps where a lot of gay men look for “straight acting” dates — where “no blacks, no Asians” is a common statement. So are comments like “no fats, no femmes” or “no HIV+”.

Go on a dating app for women who like women and you’ll see a lot of lesbians stating “bi women, don’t bother”.

In London Pride this year, bi people marching in the parade were heckled—by gay and lesbian people marching in the same parade.

Sometimes people are so focused on being angry that the world treats them as if they are “other”, they don’t realise that they’re doing exactly the same thing to other groups of people.

But those times when you connect—there’s so much power in that, so much humanity in that. If we can find a way to focus our energy on that, just think what the world would be like.

Imagine a world where no one ever crossed the road to avoid anyone just because they were different. It would be a nice world, wouldn’t it?

I think, in its own way Queer Romance Month is calling for that kind of world. I'm happy to be on the same side of the street as everyone involved in it.

You can read all the posts so far here.

And my post here.

P.S. In case you’re wondering, I have no idea how long this current run of over-sharing on my part will last either. I’ll probably go back to blogging once every blue moon at some point.

In the meantime, there’s more random over-sharing in an interview, and a giveaway, here.

Queer Romance Month

(The thoughts I’m trying to express in this blog are kind of still in development. Apologies in advance for anything that sounds wonky as a result.)

This month is Queer Romance Month.

Queer has always felt like an awkward word to me. When someone first mentioned the event to me, I’ll admit that my first thought was that I wished that the queer population had picked a different name to unite under. I’m not talking about the people who organised this particular event here (who, by the way, have turned out to be some of the loveliest people I’ve met in a long time). I mean decades ago. I’ve felt this way about the word for a long time.

Why call ourselves queer – a word that means odd and different?

You see, I’m not odd and I’m not different. Well, okay, I might be both things but neither has anything to do with me being bisexual. That’s always felt like the most natural thing in the world to me.

I get the theory of reclaiming words, but this particular word isn’t one that’s ever been used against me as an individual. I’m not sure it’s my place to reclaim it.

But, since, the generally accepted definition of queer encompasses everyone who isn’t heterosexual or cisgender, I also accept that I’m part of it. When people talk about queer people, they’re talking about people like me.

(As a side note, there are people like Julie Bindel (feminist lesbian journalist/activist) who reckon that queer actually refers to anyone who likes kinky sex. This definition amuses the hell out of me because I’m sure she meant it as an insult, but I find it completely impossible to see kinky as a bad thing. I’m very happy to be part of that group too!)

Anyway, I signed up to write a blog post for Queer Romance Month. I’ve done a couple of theme of the month/week/whatever events before. They generally follow a familiar pattern and the posts usually revolve around each author’s latest release.

This time my post ended up being a more personal post than I intended and focusing on my memory of a particular event from a few years ago. I have one of the world’s worst memories. If something happened more than twenty minutes ago, the chances are I won’t remember exactly who said what, where and when. But the emotions in my post – they are as true and as accurate as anything can be.

That’s what seems to be marking this event out as different to the ones I’ve taken part in previously. A lot of people are posting from the heart. Personal stories are being told and for me this event had become about something more important than selling books. (And trust me, when a writer says something is more important than books things are getting serious!)

I said at the start that of this post that I’m not fond of the word queer. There’s always been an exception to that. I’ve always thought it works well when people are expressing anger with the world.

There’s a T-shirt that says: “Not gay as in happy, but queer as in fuck you!” There were banners that were once popular at pride rallies which said: “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.” Those work for me.

I think this is because queer doesn’t feel like a statement of fact, like gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. It’s more like a statement of pride and an unwillingness to let society break you when they force you into a mould.

As I’ve read more posts in and about the Queer Romance event, my thoughts on the word have changed and expanded. It still works as a statement of resistance, but it’s become a real statement of community for me too.

Maybe it is an awkward word, but it’s awkward like a hug between people who don’t know each other that well, but who still feel the need to embrace each other and hold on tight.

As a bisexual woman, I don’t often feel entirely welcome in the LGBT community, or in the M/M romance community if I’m honest. But the queer community, maybe that’s different. It feels like a community that says – if the world thinks you’re weird, that’s okay. We’re weird too. Come and be weird with us. We can be weird together.

There’s power in that. There’s a wonderful sense of acceptance in that. And there’s love in that.

The tag line for Queer Romance Month is “Love is Love”. I think the people involved in this event are all doing it right.

Please do click on the logo below and check out all the posts on the Queer Romance Month website.

October News Letter

Hello Everyone!

I'm not the best of bloggers, but it's been a crazily long time, even for me!

On the plus side, I do have lots of news.

First of all - things about October...

Did you know that October is Queer Romance Month? People will be blogging, doing giveaways and other cool things will be happening. Click on the pick below to find out more.

My post will be going up on the 11th of October.



In October we're also celebrating Amber Quill's 12th Anniversary!

Go to their home page, scroll to the bottom and sign up to their newsletter. There'll be lots of special offers going on!

If you're a writer it's also worth noting that Amber Quill is now open to submissions. I've written 17 stories for them and found them really lovely to work with.

At the same time, we're celebrating Riptide's 3rd Anniversary!

As one of the first three novellas published in 2013 Once a Brat is going to be on sale for $1.49 during October. Also, O Come All Ye Kinky - a holiday anthology which includes His Very Last Chance is part of a permanent price drop to $5.99.

For writers, Riptide are also now open to submissions. I've only written 2 stories for them but that was pure bad timing on my part - I started working with them just before my health got worse. They're great to work with.

Last but not least, during October I'm also going to be the Author of the Month at Boy Meet Boy Reviews. They'll be reviewing some of my books, hosting a giveaway as well as interviewing me later on in the month. There's also something to do with unicorns!

*************

Moving on to writing and publishing news...

I'm still working away on Axel's Pup. I'm part way through the second draft and love these guys more than ever. Release date is still up in the air. I don't want to rush the last few laps and ruin it, so I'm taking whatever time it needs to take.

However, in between finishing the first draft of Axel's Pup and starting the second draft, I did throw myself into a couple of quick little projects.

There will be two new short stories appearing in November.

One is a free short story - a follow up to Worth a Shot. It catches up with Tony and Donovan a little while after the end of Shot. That one will appear on Amber Kell's blog on November 2nd as part of her birthday bash. It was really nice to reconnect with these guys and see how they were getting on.

The second project is scheduled to be released by Resplendence Publishing on November 12th as part of their gems line. It's a M/M, BDSM, office romance called Hard at Work.

The cover will be coming soon, but I have a working blurb for it now:

Jake likes to think he’s a nice guy. He’s a kind and considerate boyfriend. He’s a firm but fair dom. He doesn’t let himself get stressed out without good cause. But every guy has his breaking point.

Jake’s been hiding an inappropriate erection from his boss for the last three hours. Enough is enough. It’s all Jake’s boyfriend, Danny’s, fault. Danny better have a good explanation, because Jake wants to hear it—right now!

**********************

On to other news...

A couple of people have asked about Duck! and Magpie. Once I finish Axel's Pup, I'll be working on follow up novellas to each Avian book, and I'll be releasing the new editions alongside them next year. I didn't intend for them to be out of print and unavailable for as long as they have. I'm really greateful for everyone's patience.

On a related note - pirating. If you see Duck! for sale anywhere and it's labelled as a tranlated or an illistrated version of it, it's an illegal, pirated book. I've never authorised translations or illistrated copies of this title, either in ebook or print book form. If you do see anything like this, please don't buy it.

***********************

And finally, for those who are following the ongoing health saga. Specialists have been seen. I don't have a tumour where they thought I might have a tumour, so that's something. (Although, to be honest, that diagnosis would have likely come with better treatment options than my current diagnois of severe ME and fibromyalgia, so a big part of me was hoping they'd find something!)

Also, after about 16 months of refusing to take any medication (because the cocktail I was on before inspired some really horiffic side effects) I finally caved and I'm back on some strong painkillers. I'm less fogged up with pain, thinking more clearly and on some days I actually resemble a functional human being! Hopefully this will mean writing will happen more quickly now :)

*************************

And, I think that's it for now.

If you're on twitter, feel free to say hi. I'm @KimDareAuthor.

*Hugs*

Kim.

Catching Up and Free Stuff

Hi Everyone!

First things first...

I'm really late to the party on this, but Cruel to be Kind, my story for the Goodreads MM Romance Group Event is available as a free download here. It's also listed on Goodreads here. It's MM, BDSM, Vampire.

My story from last years event is on the same site, again as a free download. It's called Taken. It's MMMM, BDSM, Elves. (Heads up it contains what some readers may consider dubious consent.) Download it here. See it on Goodreads here.

The stories for this year's event are still posting, lots of different stories, lots of writers you may not have read before. Check them out. All the stories contain tags at the start so you can get an idea of it each one will be your thing before you dive in :)

On to other news...

I've been debating about whether or not to write about this. If you've been following me for a while, you may well have heard me mention that I've had certain health concerns that sometimes mean I can't write and release books as quickly as I'd like. For people new to the party, a brief recap. I was diagnosed as having ME (also referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndome) 17 years ago, when I was 13. My symptoms are toward the more severe end of the spectrum a lot of the time.

ME is effectively a negative diagnosis. There is no test for it. You get to a diagnosis by ruling out everything else that could be causing your symptoms. This isn't a perfect process. There are a lot of things to rule out. Every so often, a new possibility rears it's head and you have more tests and, generally, add something else to the list of things you *don't* have.

It's quite an emotional process. To be honest, I've reached the point where I really want a test for something to come back positive. There's nothing they can do to help me with ME, but if an underlying condition is found, there's the hope that there will be treatment or management options attached to it.

Over the last few weeks, I have had a couple of tests. The results aren't what was expected. I don't have what we were testing for, but it seems possible that I might have something else instead. There are lots more tests to do to find out what exactly might be going on, and if it is at the root cause of what is currently diagnosed as ME.

I don't want to get my hopes up to high. I don't know if there will be an actual diagnosis at the end, what the options might be, or if it will turn out I have ME plus something else alongside it.

In an ideal world the process will lead to me being able to do more writing and release more books at a quicker pace. However, along the way, it might be that things actually slow down a fraction more, because energy will have to be diverted to dealing with tests etc.

There won't be anything new coming out this summer, but I have my fingers crossed that Axel's Pup will still release in the autumn :)

*Hugs*

Kim Dare

Update on WIPs

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while, so I thought I would shoot out a quick update on my various ongoing projects.

The Goodreads MM Romance Group has just started posting the stories in their Love's Landscapes event. The order the stories are going to be posted in is a closely guarded secret, but there will be a couple going up every day. You can read them first here. All the stories are free!

I'm still working on my Axel's Pup re-write. It's currently 90k+ words. I have four chapters left to re-write, then it's on to editing it. I'm not sure how long the finished story will be, which is making it difficult to work out when the release date will be.

Unfortunatly, there are some health issues which mean my progress is slower than I would like, which makes working out the release dates for everything even more complicated. All I can really say is that I'll keep you posted.

The next project in the pipeline is Fourteen Nights (Sun, Sea and Submission 6, for Resplendence Publishing.)

After that, I'm on to the Avian Shifters series. The plans have changes slightly here. The current plan is to release the new indi edition of Duck! along with a follow up that focuses on Ori and Raynard's continuing story. Then, a little while later, release the indi editon of Magpie, along with a follow up that focuses on Kane and Everet's relationship (although it seems likely that Ori and Raynard will have quite a big role in that one too.) Then, a little while later again, we'll have the third novel, which will focus on new characters. I'm guessing that the follow ups will each be about 40k, half-novel length.

And that's it really.

Remember to check out the Love's Landscapes Stories!

*Hugs*

Kim.

Giveaway Winners Announced

Hello Everyone,

Apparently April only has 30 days in it, so I'm doing this a day late, but anyway...

Thank you to everyone who enterede the giveaways that ran last month.

The winners are...

For the giveaway on Scorching Reviews - JenM.

For the giveaway on Emily's Birthday Bash - Amanda Dominguez

*Hugs*

Kim.

April News Letter: Avians, Werewolves and Giveaways.

Hi Everyone!

I was going to be all organised and post on the first of the month, but it was April Fools Day and I tend to avoid posting anything then, lol.

Okay, so there is book news...

The rights for Duck! and Magpie have just reverted to me. That means they are effectively out of print at the moment. New (self-published) editions will be released, along with the third title in the series, later this year. The intent is to tweak, re-edit, slightly extend and possibly add some bonus scenes/features to the stories. I'm not sure how long it will take to do that, so the re-release dates are up in the air. Also, I haven't started the third book yet!

I have new cover art by the fantastic Kris Norris. Axel's Pup is M/M, Human/Werewolf, BDSM. It's being re-written at the moment. It might be ready for release in August. *Crosses Fingers* Since blogger still won't let me post pictures. You can see it on the book's goodreads page here.

Most short for the Loves Landscapes Event is written and will be going off to editing in the next day or two. There is a cover in the works.

There's also blogging news...

It's LGBT month at Scorching Reviews. I'm there talking about labels, bisexuality and pragmatism. You can see my post here.

I'm also taking part in Emily's Birthday Bash this month. You can see my post here.

Drop by, say hi on either post and you'll be entered into a giveaway for FIT Guys titles. (If you already have them, drop by and leave a comment anyway - you can swap the prize out for backlist/upcoming titles.)

I'm sure there is something else I need to tell everyone, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is. If I remember, there might be another blog post soon, lol.

Have a great April everyone!

*Hugs*

Kim Dare

"The Werewolf Novel"

Hi Everyone :)

Just a quick update.

For a little while now, I've been talking about "The Werewolf Novel".

Well, the first draft is finished and the first re-write started.

The cover art is ordered. That means the title has been decided too!

It's called Axel's Pup and will be the first in a series called Werewolves & Dragons.

At least four full length novels are planned for the series. Each one will be M/M, BDSM and Werewolf/Human. The Dragons part of the series title comes from the name of the motorcycle club the human characters belong to.

In other news, I'm also making progress on my free short for the GR MM Romance Group summer event. That also has a title, but we're not allowed to tell anyone what they are.

*Hugs*

Kim

Coming Soon(-ish)

Hello Everyone :)

It seemed time to do an update on what people can expect to see from me over the next few months.

My main project at the moment is a full length paranormal novel. It's M/M, BDSM, Human/Werewolf. It's also the start of a new series. It was originally intended to be 25k, but it keeps growing, so the only thing I'm sure about at this point is that it's going to be the longest story I've ever published. I'm at 83k on the first draft at the moment. I'm hoping it will be released this summer. It will be self published.

The next project on my list is another paranormal one - this time a short for The Goodreads MM Romance group event. It's based on this prompt by Optimist King's Wench. The request was for a TPE (Total Power Exchange) story. It's going to be Vampire/Human, 10k-ish and free. It will be released a part of the group event this summer. I'll be working on this once I finish the first draft of the werewolf novel.

Up after that is Fourteen Nights - the final story in the Sun, Sea and Submission series for Resplendence Publishing. It will be 25k and feature an existing couple who come to Pendragon Bay on holiday. This one has been a long time in the making. I wrote the first version of it way back in 2008! The release date will be up to the publisher.

The final project on my definite list is the Avian Shifters Series. The first two books in the series - Duck! And Magpie - will be tweaked, re-edited and rereleased as self published titles alongside the third book in the series. Another novel length story, it will feature Ambrose, an Albatross who works alongside Everet in the nest's security flock, and a new comer to the nest. The extensions to the werewolf project have pushed back the likely release date for the Avians. It's more likely to be going on sale in the autumn rather than the summer now.

Other things going on...

I'm in the process of sorting out my website and creating series pages in an effort to make it easier for people to navigate and find their way around. My progress so far is visible here. If there's something you'd like to see added in due course, feel free to let me know.

I'm also spending a little bit more time on Goodreads. If you're on the MM Romance group, you can see updates here.

I think that's it. If there's anything else you want to know, ask :)

*Hugs*

Kim.

Worth a Shot + Free Short Story on ARe!

Worth a Shot is now available from All Romance E-books!

Also just uploaded to All Romance E-books - a free short story that takes place between Worth Waiting For and Worth a Shot.

It's called Another Six Months Later. It takes place, surprisingly enough, six months after the end of Worth Waiting For and catches up with Colby and Noah. Tony makes a brief appearence as well :)

You can find them all on All Romance E-books here.

Worth a Shot - Available Now!

Worth a Shot is now available from Amazon and listed on Goodreads.

It's book two in the FIT Guys series. It's a little longer than Worth Waiting For, at 56,000 words.

Tony is bi. Donovan is gay. All the action is Male/Male.

Blogger still won't let me post pictures, so I can't share the cover here :(

On the plus side, I can post the blurb:

Everyone knows that Tony Landon’s dated dozens of different men and women since he joined the athletics department at the Falconer Institute of Training. Everyone who’s ever gossiped with one of his exes knows that he’s kinky, too.

Donovan’s reputation at the institute is different. The only reason people are pretty sure he’s gay is because he drinks at the same pub as most of the gay and bi Falconer guys, and he’s never actually said he’s straight when he’s brushed them all off.

Tony’s been flirting with Donovan ever since Donovan joined the institute’s archery programme. Even though a whole year has passed and Donovan’s never given him the slightest encouragement, Tony can’t quite convince himself to give up hope.

Donovan has his reasons for not flirting back whenever Tony hits on him—right up until a snippet of overheard gossip lets him in on an interesting fact that just might change everything.

The odds are stacked against two very different men ever finding happiness together, but as far as Tony and Donovan are concerned, it’s still worth a shot.

Author note: While this story can be read as a standalone title, some elements might make more sense if you’ve already read Worth Waiting For.

And an excerpt (you can also read a longer one on my website if you are so inclined):

“Here’s to more time spent sprinting and less time spent screwing.”

The words pulled at Donovan’s attention, dragging it back toward the same table of guys that he’d been discretely observing ever since he’d plucked up the courage to start drinking in that pub.

Luck hadn’t been with Donovan that particular night. By the time he’d arrived, all the seats that would have allowed a clear view of Tony Landon had already been claimed. Still, the occasional glimpses he caught of Tony’s profile from his current vantage point were something. Donovan wasn’t above taking what he could get.

As Tony’s companions laughed and drank to the toast, Tony shook his head and slumped back in his seat.

“To the longest three weeks of Tony’s life,” Cosmos, a long distance runner from the Falconer Institute of Training’s athletics team, suggested. Once more, everyone in the group raised their drinks.

Tony drained the last of his beer and glared at each of the men around his table. “I’m so glad you all find our coach’s decision to torture me amusing.”

“Haslet does have a point. You are kind of slutty,” Cosmos pointed out. “You’ll have much more energy for training if you’re not getting any.”

“Pot, kettle, black?” Tony shot back, without missing a beat.

Cosmos smirked. “Call me what you like, sweetheart—I’m not the one who promised Haslet he’d stay celibate until after the Trentmoore meet.”

Donovan looked from Tony to Tony’s friends wishing, not for the first time, that he had the confidence to sit with them around that table and joke about things the way they did. But, no. It was useless, even the thought of joining them was making his grip on his glass turn white knuckled and his throat close up.

“It’s only a couple of weeks,” said another man at Tony’s table, Mike—the team’s shot putter, in a more sympathetic tone of voice.

Donovan lifted his gaze just in time to see Cosmos pat Tony on the shoulder. “Yeah, Tony. It’s only the longest you’ll have gone without sex since you turned legal…”

Tony glared down at him. “You’re a real bastard at times. You know that, right?”

“Yep,” Cosmos said, more cheerfully than ever, obviously not the least bit worried by the fact he was half Tony’s size. Everyone at the table laughed.

Tony pushed his hand through his spiky, blond hair as if he was at his wits end. But, when he turned to get up from the table, Donovan saw that Tony was smiling too, as if he didn’t really mind their teasing. “I’m going to get another drink.”

“Careful, Tony,” Cosmos called after him. “Too much of a good thing and Haslet will probably make you give up alcohol, too.”

Tony didn’t bother to turn around. He just held two fingers up to the whole group as he walked away. Donovan watched him go, automatically dropping his gaze to admire the way tight jeans stretched across Tony’s arse.

As Tony moved out of Donovan’s line of sight, the jokes Tony’s friends had been making gradually presented themselves for Donovan’s consideration. Tony had promised his coach he’d give up sex for the next three weeks.

Donovan frowned at his drink.

Tony and sex were so closely linked in his mind, it was almost impossible for him to think of one existing without the other. Tony not being intimately entwined with the very essence of sex was wrong. But at the same time…

It probably wouldn’t make any difference, but it was worth a shot. Hell, anything that might tip the balance in his favour and make it possible for Donovan to speak to Tony without hyperventilating was worth investigating. Donovan abandoned his lemonade and headed after Tony.

As he rounded the corner, he saw Tony standing halfway along the bar, waiting to be served.

He hesitated. At the last moment, his courage deserted him. He changed course and ended up standing about two metres to Tony’s right. Donovan stared down at the battered wooden surface, cursing his own cowardice. Maybe if he tried to—

“Hi.”

Donovan jerked his head up. He didn’t need to sidle down the bar. Tony now stood right alongside him. For a few seconds, Donovan’s vocal cords refused to cooperate, just as they had so many times before. All he could do was stare at Tony like a prime candidate for the post of village idiot. Finally, he managed to clear his throat.

“Hi.” It might not have been the height of wit, but it was pretty close to a normal pitch. It could have been worse—it had been worse on several other occasions when Tony had tried to start conversations with him.

“How did the nationals go?”

Donovan blinked at Tony. “The nationals?”

“The archery nationals, they were last week, right?” Tony asked.

Donovan nodded. “Yes, they were.” Except nobody knew that, because while athletics might be popular enough that everyone at the institute would recognise half the team, archery wasn’t the kind of sport that anyone who didn’t own a bow ever noticed.

“So…?” Tony promoted.

Donovan managed to pull a few brain cells together. “They went well. The institute’s team came third.”

“What about the individual event—how did that go?” Tony prompted.

As Donovan stared up at him, he had the strangest sensation that Tony already knew the answer to that question. “I won,” he blurted out.

Tony failed to look the least bit surprised. “Congratulations.”

“What can I get for you?”

Donovan jumped at the sudden interruption from the other side of the bar.

The bartender looked at the empty beer bottle Tony had placed on the bar. “Same again?”

Tony shook his head. “Coke this time, thanks.”

That meant he was driving. Donovan had been paying attention over the months. If Tony was driving, he stopped after one. If he wasn’t driving, he drank every one of his friends under the table and still never slurred a word.

As Donovan watched, Tony pulled his wallet out of his jeans pocket and turned to him. “What are you having?”

No—that was what he always said. Whatever Tony had suggested each time he’d approached him, Donovan always panicked and said no, regardless of the answer he actually wanted to give.

Not for the first time, he tried to pull sensible thoughts to the front of his mind and push his nerves aside. Tony isn’t a psychopath. Tony isn’t a complete bastard. Tony isn’t Ryan. None of it helped. Tony can’t expect anyone to fall into bed with him tonight, he’s not allowed to have sex. Bingo!

 “The same, thank you.” To Donovan’s amazement, the words sounded completely calm.

As the barman got their drinks and Tony handed over the money, Donovan stared straight ahead. It might work. God help him, but this might actually work… Apparently, the sure and certain knowledge that Tony wasn’t going to assume they’d have sex that very moment really did make it possible for Donovan to have a drink with him without completely freaking out.

“Come on, there’s a free table over there.” Tony pointed to a completely different part of the pub to where his friends were sitting.

Relaxing slightly as he realised that he wasn’t going to have to face an entire group of guys, Donovan made his way to the empty table. Jacket in one hand and his bottle of Coke in the other, he shuffled his way awkwardly onto the bench that half-encircled the corner table. Tony slid in after him, every movement fluid and confident.

Silence. Damn. Donovan’s nerves made it impossible for him not to attempt to fill the hush with words, any words.

“How did you know the nationals were last week?”

“Well, I kind of know one of the guys on the institute’s team,” Tony said. “Although, if I’m honest, I don’t really know him that well yet. We’ve just flirted now and again. At least, I’ve flirted with him. Until this evening, he’s always just nodded politely and rushed away at the first opportunity.”

Donovan met Tony’s eyes for a horrified moment as he recognized his own behaviour being quoted at him. “I don’t flirt.” Not anymore.

“Never?” Tony asked. “With anyone?”

Donovan shook his head.

“Good,” Tony said, with an easy smile. “In that case, I won’t take it personally.” He took a sip of his Coke.

Donovan gulped down some of his own drink. He tried not to stare at the way Tony’s mouth caressed the rim of his Coke bottle. He tried not to imagine that it was his cock pressed against Tony’s lips. He failed on both counts.

“So, flirting aside, do all bi men make you nervous, or am I special?” Tony asked.

The question hit the air just as Donovan was taking another swig of his drink. He promptly choked on it.

Tony reached out and patted him helpfully on the back. Donovan caught his breath, but somehow, Tony’s hand stayed there, resting high up, near his shoulders. The heat from Tony’s skin soaked through the thin fabric of his shirt. Donovan waited for air to stall in his lungs and his heart to race, but for some reason, it didn’t happen. The only reaction his body offered up in response to Tony’s touch was a rapid hardening of his cock. He discretely moved his jacket to rest over his lap.

“Well?” Tony asked, with an unrepentant little grin. “Should I feel special or not?”

Donovan took a careful sip of his Coke while he played for time. Glancing up, he met Tony’s eyes. He had the distinct impression that lying to Tony wouldn’t do him any good. “Maybe you do make me more nervous than most men in here,” he confessed.

Base Over Apex - Available Now!

Base Over Apex is now available from Amazon and All Romance E-books! It's also listed on goodreads here.

It's a 20,000 words Male/Male, BDSM, Erotic Romance. This version is part of the Kinky Cupid series that began at Riptide Publishing with Once a Brat.

It was previously released by All Romance E-books under the title Call Me Sir, Boy! It's been re-edited and tweaked to make it a consistant part of the Kinky Cupid series, but it has not been substancially extended or altered.

(I have no idea why, but blogger has decided not to upload photos for me, but I swear the cover is gorgeous!)

Here's the blurb for Base Over Apex...

It’s Valentine’s at the Spread Eagle leather club, but the only sub Jack’s even spoken to belongs to his best friend, Marcus—and all Bret did was con him into taking a stupid bet. It is not going to be a good Valentine’s night… 

 The moment Jack sees Ricky walking naked through the bar, he wants him. When Ricky kneels at his feet and offers him the keys to his restraints, it’s obvious that his interest is returned. It might just be the best Valentine’s Jack’s ever had… 

 Ricky is sweet, and eager to please, and obviously new to leather. He’s the kind of guy who actually makes Jack wonder if “something at first-sight” might really be possible. But, when it suddenly becomes apparent that everything is not what it seems, the only thing Jack knows for sure if that this Valentine’s night is going to get very, very complicated. 

 In other news, I should have news about Worth a Shot (FIT Guys 2) for you next week - and that news will hopefully include the words "available now" :)

Coming Soon and Big News!

Hi Everyone :)

I've been quiet for a little while, but I now have lot of news to share! And, it's all good news!

First of all, I have two books coming out in the next couple of months. Both are going to be self published titles.

The first, coming in February, is a re-release of Call Me Sir, Boy! The story has been tweaked and re-edited to form a consistent part of the Kinky Cupid series and is going to be released under the new title - Base Over Apex. It's M/M, BDSM and 20k in length.

(Just to be completely clear, the changes made to the story are about series consistency and edits/style based. The story has not been substancially extended or altered. Please bear this in mind if you're considering buying Base Over Apex!)

The second story is completely new. Worth a Shot is coming out in March. It's the second book in the FIT Guys series and features Colby's brother - Tony. I think it stands okay on its own, but for maximum enjoyment, I would recommend you read Worth Waiting For first. This one is M/M, BDSM and 55k in length.

A little later this year (perhaps April - May) I have two books coming out with publishers.

One is Fourteen Nights, the final story in the Sun, Sea and Submission series with Resplendence Publishing.

The other story is still under wraps at this point. More information on both these titles will be along closer to their releases.

And, that brings us up to the summer and the big news.

A lot of people have asked me about this particular project. So, I'm really please to announce that...

There will be a new Avian Shifters novel coming out this summer. 

It will be a full length novel and focus on Ambrose (an albatross who works in the nest's security flock) and a new character to the nest.

Ori, Reynard, Everet and Kane will all be there and playing their parts in the story too.

Hope everyone is having a great 2014 so far!

*Hugs*

Kim Dare