Tag: writing

All Bets are Off with Kelly Reynolds

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

Sports romance is having a moment right now thanks to the Crave series Heated Rivalry, based on the book by fellow Canadian author Rachel Reid. But hockey’s not the only game in town (see what I did there?) Baseball has its own rituals, its own heroes, and a lot of tight pants and hands on crotches, just saying…

All Bats are Off

ALL BATS ARE OFF is a spicy MM novella (25k+ words) set in the Rose City Roasters universe. This one night stand-to-lovers romance between a thicc (with two c’s) bisexual baseball player who loves bread almost as much as blowjobs, and a gay, long-haired sports journalist with a pierced peen, features drag queen Bingo, braiding hair as a love language, county fair food porn, hotel bathtub hook-ups, and an almost entirely LGBTQIA+ cast of characters.

From the author’s bio:

By day, Kelly Reynolds works primarily as a freelance writer, professor, and author’s assistant. By night, she hosts the comedic romance novel review podcast, Boobies & Noobies. Since receiving her MFA in Screenwriting in 2016, she’s worked with several casting, development, and production companies and contributed to programs appearing on such networks as MTV, ABC, Hallmark, GSN and Netflix. Originally hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, she currently lives in Portland, Oregon and spends the bulk of her time dreaming up sexy romcoms about fierce, fat girls falling in love.

Find Kelly here: https://substack.com/@authorkellyrey

Find out more about her book All Bats are Off here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230070367-all-bats-are-off

Tearing though Space! with Cait Gordon & crew

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And it’s only Season One, you say?

I like a feisty space crew, and bonus points for Cait Gordon for creating a world where disability isn’t erased, it’s normalized. Humans are always mutating, doncha know, and too many fictional worlds leave out disabled people completely. Science fiction is no exception, and we should expect space to cause a whole new category of disability that our descendants will have to accommodate. But there’s no reason reading about it can’t be fun! Sci-fi is where some our best ideas are born and tested out.

Season One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space!

In a galactic network known as the Keangal, where space is accessible…

Lieutenant Eileen Iris and the command crew of the S.S. SpoonZ haven’t a clue what it means to be disabled. An unexpected conversation with an intergalactic janitor brings up the question but offers no answers before he’s ’ported away.

Unfazed, duties resume as Iris manages an overprotective guidebot; Security Chief Lartha and her sentient prostheses offer kick-ass protection; Mr. Herbert’s inventiveness is a godsend (although he’s not quite grasped how to flirt); Commander Davan’s affable personality comes through whether trumpeted, texted, or signed; and Captain Warq’s gracious but firm leadership keeps everyone at their best.

Until on one mission, where the crew tears through space.

Just a little bit.

From the author’s bio:

Cait Gordon is an autistic, disabled, and queer Canadian writer of speculative fiction celebrating diverse bodyminds. She is the author of the award-winning, disability-hopepunk adventure, Season One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space! Her short stories featuring disabled and/or neurodivergent heroes have appeared in several anthologies and will be included in her first collection, Speculative Shorts: Stories That Fell Out of My Brain (2025, Dinsdale Press). Cait twice joined Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the (award-nominated) Nothing Without Us and (award-winning) Nothing Without Us Too disability fiction anthologies. She is also the host of The Disabled Crone podcast.

Find Cait’s work here: https://caitgordon.com

Read Season One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space! here: https://books2read.com/iatcS1

Passion and Peril with C.G. Macington

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Surely we’re not scared of a little infection, right?

If you like some chills with your thrills and some panic in your plots, C.G. Macington has you covered with this thrilling story that will have you on the edge of your seat (or maybe hiding under the blankets!) But sometimes love thrives under pressure…

Outbreak Protocol

One doctor saves lives from behind a screen. The other saves them with his hands. When the world ends, they are each other’s only hope.

Dr. Felix Müller trusts his gut, and his gut tells him the horrifying new illness tearing through his Hamburg ER is no ordinary flu. When his superiors ignore the mounting body count, Felix risks his career on a single, desperate email to a reclusive, brilliant epidemiologist who is his last resort.

Dr. Erik Lindqvist trusts in data, not gut feelings. For the reclusive scientist, emotions are a liability. He arrives in Hamburg expecting to correct a flawed analysis, but instead finds a city on the brink of collapse and a frontline doctor whose fiery compassion threatens to shatter the walls around his heart.

Forced into an uneasy alliance, the two men are the city’s first and last line of defense. But as the virus consumes Hamburg and military law is declared, their professional friction ignites into a desperate and dangerous intimacy. In the quiet moments between disasters, they find a connection that could be their only comfort—or a fatal distraction.

As the death toll climbs and the city is sealed from the world, they are in a desperate race for a cure. But the greatest threat might not be the evolving pathogen—it could be the terrifying choices they are forced to make about how much they are willing to sacrifice… and who.

Outbreak Protocol is a gut-wrenching, epic MM romance set against the backdrop of an apocalyptic medical thriller. A perfect story of opposites attract, hurt/comfort, and the found family that can rise from the ashes of the world. Prepare to have your heart seized.

From the author’s bio:

C.G. Macington is a passionate storyteller from Edmonton, Canada. Specialising in heartwarming gay romance, C.G. explores love, identity, and courage, celebrating the nuances of queer life. With a background in arts and creative writing, he crafts narratives that resonate deeply with readers. When not writing, C.G. enjoys reading and spending time with his partner of eleven years.

Find C.G.’s books here: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/author/B0CM73SPDF/allbooks

Read Outbreak Protocol here: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FMDWBQCQ

Rewriting the rules of magic with Benjamin Twigg

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Sometimes you’re the Chosen One, and sometimes you’re the Chosen One’s dad…

You know me, I love any twist on a genre standard (like Magical Teen) so I’m glad to see books like this. More middle aged protagonists, please!

DAD MAGIC

Welcome to Spellford
A city where enchanted coffee shops serve lattes with a side of prophecy, and fried chicken is delivered to your door in mere seconds. Here, Brent Abernathy, an ordinary dad with a not-so-ordinary past, is about to have his world flipped upside down. His teenage daughter. Victoria. Is not just any teen: she is the key to an unimaginable power. And sinister forces have taken notice.
Armed with nothing but his wits, some dad jokes, and the help of his half-orc best friend. Paxton Grimtusk. A loveable geek with a heart of gold. Brent sets out on a spellbinding adventure.
As secrets unravel and betrayals sting like cursed nettles Brent finds himself tangled in an age-old conspiracy that threatens the balance of magic itself. To save Victoria, he will need more than just a dad bod and fire spells. He’ll have to face down ancient forces and do the impossible: rewrite the rules of magic.

Benjamin Twigg is a fantasy writer from Australia. As a queer author, Ben strives to write stories that have authentic representation, queer joy and a sense of wonder.
As a child, Ben dreamed of being a fantasy author and dived into those books, devouring the stories and world they created. As an adult, his love for fantasy world-building continued with role-playing video games, and he has racked up hundreds of hours of gameplay, immersing himself in character stories with amazing arcs.

Poetic ponderings from DAJ 2020

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I like to make space for all writers on this platform so enjoy this departure from our usual featured fiction to delve into the poetic mind of DAJ 2020.

“Emotions” is an ocean of tears and clouds of hope. It contain conversations between my mind, heart, and soul. As you read through the feathers of my thoughts, I hope you get something from my angels and demons. Even from the cries of men one can row a boat in life to prosperity and emotional purity.

“Emotions” is a rare gem, a collection of joy, pain and sorrow. Magnetic words that draw you in and captivate you.” (DAPHAROAH69, award winning and best selling author of “THE KING OF EROTICA” and “LAW OF BEASTS” )

From the author’s bio:

DAJ2020, is a proud son of the African soil and a multi-talented, award winning certified “God of Poetry”.
He’s a creative introvert who irons his words before delivery.
He is a self-taught poet, model, artiste and writer with a miraculous gift of baptizing words to heal souls.
Born and raised in the Pearl of Africa, East Africa. A ride with him is worth a thousand cups of coffee and a million years of adventure, knowledge and wisdom. Let’s roll.

Learn more here: https://www.instagram.com/daj_african_ug

Find their book Emotions here: https://a.co/d/5lOw8fx

Now playing on the Historical Romance Sampler podcast…

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We’re back with another author profile except this one’s about…me!

Catch my interview and reading on Katherine Grant’s podcast The Historical Romance Sampler, where we talk about the power of fiction and why Jessica is the best Sweet Valley High twin. As well I read from my gay Regency romance An Inconvenient Earl.

(Please enjoy this sarcastic promo image, because apparently putting the word ‘Gay’ on your book cover isn’t enough of an indicator for some people who think queer identities should come with a trigger warning.)

Find my episode here (or search for Historical Romance Sampler on your favorite podcast service): https://katherinegrantromance.com/historical-romance-sampler-podcast/will-forrest-samples-an-inconvenient-earl

Magical musical murder with A.C. Merkel

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One of my favorite things about indie publishing is the diversity of storytelling! Not just DEI-style diversity where every voice is represented, but real diversity of stories, where we can tell any story we like. Today’s Spotlight is on A.C. Merkel, who blends fantasy with political consciousness and rock and roll to tell a story like no other!

HER NAME IS MURDER

“We can’t waltz forever, Grant.”
“We can damn well try.”

Magical musician Murder LaVoe is tired of running. She’s been running for almost 500 years. When you don’t age, people take it personally. She has returned 40 years later to her favorite borough in New York City.
Her hope?
To finally settle down and hide her secret by taking the identities of falsified heirs.
A public attempt on the life of her Rock-N-Roll alter ego, Lady Dreamscapes.
A chance meeting of subservient immortals in need.
threaten to take away the life she holds so dear. Can NYPD detective Grant Noble III solve her mysteries in time to save her?
Or is it him that needs saving?

A.C. Merkel is the author and creator of The Lady Dreamscapes series and Witch Vs. Witch, infusing magical tales with a musical heartbeat 💓 🎻 🎸 🌈

A maze of monsters with Sarah Cook

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Welcome to the next installment of the Indie Author Spotlight, my ongoing series highlighting the latest in independent storytelling. Today’s featured author is Sarah Cook.

Promotional graphic for Sarah Cook's book A Maze of Monsters of Men, showing the book's cover against a backdrop of stars.

Set in 1900, A Maze of Monsters & Men sees two rival archaeologists, and ex-lovers, leading opposing expeditions to Crete. However, whilst on the island, they are both called to labyrinth seated at the heart of the mountain… And a minotaur who is willing to love them both.

Sarah Cook is a historical fiction author who writes about the Victorians in all sorts of japes. Her debut novel Diary of Murders is a dark erotic murder mystery. She plans to finish the series whilst also releasing an upcoming Victorian sports romance and a dark fantasy.

“You open your safe and find ashes.”

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

As authors, we are constantly on the receiving end of all sorts of advice about how to promote our work, much of which rely on magical thinking and/or spending a lot of money (or both.) Selling books in person, selling books at a discount, selling yourself as a brand, but for pure return on your investment, nothing beats giving away free books.

I’m not handing out paperbacks on the street, but I’m not the only one who believes in the power of free. Attract abundance by being abundant. Give books to everyone who wants one: that’s how you win fans for life.

Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”

― Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

Readers win too, because *ahem* book tastes are subjective. I honestly don’t expect everyone in the world to enjoy what I write. I would rather you read my free stories and decide that my work isn’t to your liking than make you pay money for a book that you end up hating. Costco has it right: give away as many free samples as you can. Your fans will find their way to you.

Visit my Free Reads page for bonus material from my series and some standalone shorts. I’ll be adding to the page in the next few months as I build up to the release of a series I’ve been working on for ten years. Mary Mac and her band of merry perverts have some deep lore, y’all. I have stories for years.

E.M. Denning: soft & steamy

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Welcome to the first edition of the Indie Author Spotlight!

I’ve been running this on my author newsletter for the past few years, but I thought it would make a fun feature here as I try to relaunch this page. So let’s say hi to my first victim–I mean awesome indie author: E.M. Denning.

A promotional graphic for E.M. Denning's story 'Up in Flames'

UP IN FLAMES

A grieving man trying to cope after the best day of his life becomes his worst.
A firefighter determined to keep his head down and stay in the closet.

E.M. Denning has more than twenty romance novels under her belt and has become an author you can rely on to bring you emotionally endearing, soft and fuzzy, steamy stories. She is well known among her friends for her love of naps and sarcasm. She spends her free time reading as many romance novels as she can get her hands on.

Next: Historical Japes with Sarah Cook