Posted in Books, Music, paranormal, romance, Writing

Read Around the Rainbow: Music, the Food of Love?

It’s time for the monthly Read Around the Rainbow post again and this month it’s all about music. More specifically, whether we write to it, whether we have playlists for our books, and whether music is important to our characters. The quick answers are no, occasionally, and yes, but that’s not telling you anything! So here’s a bit more detail.

Do I write to music?

No, pretty much never – my brain can only cope with one or the other. If I have music on, then either I listen to the music, in which case I can’t write, or I focus on writing, in which case I’m not listening to the music. And if I’m not listening, there doesn’t seem to be much point playing it, so I don’t bother. Some background noise is fine – I can cope with traffic, trains, and even, unless it’s overwhelmingly loud, the racket of building work. But I find voices and the insistent beat of music incredibly disruptive. So no TV, no radio, no streaming, no YouTube. Just as much ‛golden’ silence as I can get in this modern world, then head down and write.

Do I have playlists?

Mostly I don’t, but occasionally music suggests itself while I’m writing, because it chimes with the action, or the atmosphere, or the characters themselves. The only book I ever had a specific playlist for, though, was my ghostly novel Gleams of a Remoter World. Although it had its flaws, it was an intensely atmospheric book and these tracks fitted the spooky and at times rather bleak mood.

Delerium: Innocente: Falling in Love
Mary Black: Leaving the Land
Japan: Ghosts
Gregorian Chant: Procedamus in Pace
The Specials: Ghost Town
Abba: The Day Before You Came

Although Gleams of a Remoter World is no longer available, I have plans to rewrite it at some point and it would be lovely to include the playlist at the back of the book so everyone could listen to it and see what I had in mind!

Is music important to my characters?

In some cases, yes, very much so. In Trench Warfare Jon’s learning the guitar, mostly so he can play the Beethoven music Steve keeps whistling on their archaeological site. He’s hopelessly, helplessly in love with Steve but doesn’t think he stands a chance; the music is just a way of coping and perhaps reaching out without appearing to.

And Richie in December Roses is a musician, who longs for a career playing the local clubs, but who’s having to comply with his father’s wishes to become a land agent instead. I could probably have made a lot more of the actual music in that plot thread, but there’s an important reason why Richie is a very enigmatic character, and why I didn’t want to give away too much about his life. I can’t say more than that without spoiling the surprise, so if you want to know more you’ll just have to grab a copy of the book!

So yeah, although I don’t actually write to music it’s still really important to my writing in one way or another. And if you follow the links you can find out how important it is to the other webring members and how they fit it into their writing lives.

Ellie Thomas :: Ofelia Grand :: Addison Albright :: KL Noone

Pic credit: Mike Giles on Unsplash.com

Posted in paranormal, reviews, TV

Carnival Row – or should that be Carnival Wow

This series did the rounds on Sky a good few years ago now. I saw Orlando Bloom was in it (as main character Rycroft Philostrate, Philo for short) and jumped on the first episode, but I barely made it through the hour. Now it’s back on Amazon Prime, and I’ve finally had the chance to give it another go. And I’m really glad I did.

I can’t even start to think why I didn’t like it the first time round. Something, for some reason, just didn’t gel. But coming to it fresh, I loved the originality, the world building, and the black-as-night atmosphere. I loved Bloom’s performance, too – which had a depth that, having only seen him in light, frothy movies, I honestly didn’t know he was capable of. By turns taciturn, dogged, and heart-breaking, he absolutely ‘made’ the series for me. But there was loads more to love, too.

The fairy wings were a tad too small to be believable, but other special effects were excellent and the scenery, unusually, didn’t have that “painted on cardboard” look. The different forms of fae were well imagined, and the way they were treated was all too real.

I loved the plot strand that involved Philo’s mother, which was so subtle it almost passed me by, and on top of everything else the series’ music was wonderful. The song that featured in one of the later episodes was particularly haunting and I’ve managed to track it down on YouTube. Have a listen if you like ethereal, folky type music, or the song that Florence (of The Machine) sang for Game of Thrones.

So far I’ve only watched the first season and am pleased to see there’s another two to go. I’m really hoping it stays as gripping, dark, and startlingly realistic (considering it’s about fairies!) as the first has been.

Posted in archaeology, Books, History, LGBT, paranormal, romance

Rainbow Snippets: Trench Warfare

Here’s my latest offering for the Rainbow Snippets Facebook group, which encourages its members to post six lines from one of their books and then link back to it on the group.

This week I’ve chosen Trench Warfare, my low-heat, fun, paranormal-meets-archaeology m/m romance set on the excavation from hell. I think this is actually seven lines – but hey, who’s counting? – and it’s from where the main character, Steve, first notices something odd about the site…

And I like this time of day, too. The evening light just hanging on; the sound of Bill and Ben, my last remaining staff, talking as they measured out a grid for tomorrow’s work. The breeze rustling the leaves of nearby trees. The gentle tolling of the bell.          

What the hell? It must have been a car horn or a mobile phone. It couldn’t be a bell because there was no bell to toll. No bell because no bell tower. No bell tower because no priory.

There’s a lot more to the book than Steve tracking down whatever that bell was, including a missing priory, a dodgy businessman, an overly helpful assistant who causes his own problems, and something nasty lurking in the undercroft. If you’d like to read more, the book’s available for only £2.99 (or your local equivalent) on Kindle, or free on Kindle Unlimited. Find Trench Warfare here.

Happy reading, and watch out for the ghost…!

Posted in Books, Gardening, LGBT, paranormal, romance

Rainbow snippets: December Roses

It’s that time of week again, when I post six lines from one of my books for the Rainbow Snippets Facebook group. This week, I’ve chosen my paranormal romance novel December Roses, because it’s set in a garden and gardening means summer (even though this particular snippet mentions autumn, my bad) and it’s summer right now. Allegedly. Well, two warm days and a thunderstorm, so I’m guessing that counts as summer, right? *grins*

Anyway, on with the excerpt. This is from fairly early on in the book, where main character Nat is settling into his army rehab unit and gets his very first glimpse of the garden that comes to mean so much to him…

The curtains had been drawn when he’d left the room, but someone (Elsie, perhaps) had been in and pulled them back. The autumn sun had crept round the corner of the building, but a narrow yellow stripe still decorated one wall and sunshine gilded the treetops outside. He’d been right about the garden, if you could call it that. The room looked out over a sea of green, mostly consisting of weeds and overgrown shrubs. A splash of colour here and there—autumn leaves, roses flowering late—suggested it had once been attractive place, but now it looked abandoned and forlorn. Shades of Middle Earth’s Old Forest, no less…

Want to find out more about Nat and his beloved garden, and the elusive musician he meets there? Then look no further than Kindle, where you can get December Roses for only £4.99 (or your local equivalent) – or find it free on Kindle Unlimited. I hope you enjoy this poignant tale of loss, hope and regrowth which has been described by readers as ‘gorgeous’, ‘magical’, and ‘moody’.

Posted in Books, LGBT, paranormal, romance

Rainbow snippets: Echoes of Blood

The Rainbow Snippets FB group encourages members to post a few lines from one of their books each Saturday and then link back to it on the group. Saturday has suddenly crept up on me, so in between shopping, unpacking shopping, and finding places to stow unpacked shopping, I’ve popped in here to post my next snippet.

This one is from near the beginning of dark m/m vampire romance Echoes of Blood, when main character Daniel is first venturing out into the club scene in his native Liverpool after a long break, and a nasty break-up. He’s not really looking for sex, or at least that’s what he tells himself, but fate seems to be drawing him in…

They danced for a while, finding a sliver of space at the edge of the dance floor. The place was still packed; bodies jostled around them and after a few minutes he was sweating again, in spite of the earlier chill. And yet… something was still niggling him. An odd sensation, a feeling of eyes in the dark. It prickled the back of his neck, sent icy fingers up and down his spine. But when he looked, everyone was intent on their own thing and no one was watching him.

Of course, you just know that it’s not going to be as straightforward as that! If you fancy finding out what happens to Daniel, and what’s significant about the young man he’s dancing with, then why not treat yourself to the book? Echoes of Blood is available on Kindle for only £2.99, or free on Kindle Unlimited.

Posted in Books, fiction, LGBT, paranormal, romance, Writing

Rainbow snippets: Ghosts Galore

The Rainbow Snippets FB group encourages members to post a few lines from one of their books and then link back to it on the group. It seems like a great way to introduce folk to my writing, so I joined the group this week and this is my very first post!

My chosen snippet is from my latest book, Ghosts Galore, a fun m/m paranormal romance set in a haunted English manor house. I was scrolling through and thought this particular piece summed up perfectly what the book’s about:

Adam sighed. ‛That’s not what I meant.’ He glanced over at Gramps, who was part way out of the door—without having opened it first—and making ‘follow me’ gestures with half his head. ‛I mean, I think there’s something going on in the house.’

‛Well, duh.’ Carl rolled his eyes. ‛Of course there’s something going on. It’s called filming a TV programme.’

For those of you who don’t already know about the book, it involves a TV crew filming in a haunted house, a producer who doesn’t believe in ghosts, a powerful and very annoyed spirit, some missing paintings, and a low-heat and unexpected m/m romance. If you like the sound of it, you can find out more at my website. I hope you like what you see!

And in the meantime, why not visit Rainbow Snippets for lots more, you know, snippety bits of LGBTQ+ fiction? You might find something new to read!

Posted in Books, LGBT, News, paranormal, reviews, romance

Some lovely reviews

My latest book Ghosts Galore has been out for a couple of weeks now and it’s already getting some smashing reviews. But don’t just take my word for it – here’s a selection of the best:

‘…one of those charming, offbeat, feel-good books I’ll enjoy reading again and again.’
Ellie Thomas, author of The Spice of Life

‘Oh my, this was a hoot! A truly fun and intense read, especially when the naughty Spirit shows up.’
Maureen on Goodreads

‘A somewhat scatterbrained main character and his not so alive grandfather. Loved them both.’
Amazon-Kunde on Amazon

It’s always a delight to know readers are enjoying my books and I’m blown away by such lovely comments. If you want to read Ghosts Galore and see what all the fuss is about, then you can find it here:

Amazon UK :: Amazon US

And thank you to all my readers for making this my best self-published book launch yet!

Posted in Books, LGBT, paranormal, romance

Ghosts Galore excerpt

Just in case anyone’s wondering whether to buy my latest book but doesn’t know what to expect, I thought I’d post an excerpt to give you some idea of the style. This particular bit is from the middle of the book, when main character Adam is starting to have doubts about the TV crew who’ve come to film his haunted home, and even bigger doubts about the show’s producer Carl. I hope you enjoy it – if so, you can find the book here.

‛So, what now?’ said Carl, frowning and tapping two fingers, dit-dit, dit-dit, on the wall. ‛You’ve dragged me up here for some reason, I assume?’

            ‛Now we wait.’

            ‛And how long’s that going to take? In case you hadn’t noticed I’ve got a TV programme to run. And couldn’t you have found somewhere more comfortable? There isn’t even a chair up here and we’ve got nothing to eat or drink.’

            Adam was usually a patient man, but everyone has a limit and he’d just hit his. He was worried about the house, he was worried about his paintings and that dark thing in his studio; most of all he was worried about Gramps. ‛Believe me,’ he said in a taut voice, ‛if things get nasty then sitting down and eating will be the least of our worries. I’m scared. I don’t know what Stella thought she was doing, but she’s quite possibly disturbed something that was best left undisturbed.’

            ‛Okay,’ Carl flicked his pony-tail in a restless way, but some of the peevishness left his face. He reached for Adam’s arm. ‛Is there anything I can do to help?’

            ‛Not really.’ Adam tried to smile but wasn’t sure it succeeded very well. ‛There are people helping us, even if you can’t see them.’

            ‛Okaaaay,’ said Carl again, investing a whole plethora of emotions into a single word. ‛Er, are we talking about ghosts here? Only you know I don’t actually believe‒’

            ‛I don’t care what you don’t believe in, it’s happening.’ Adam forgot to be polite. ‛I’ll admit the thing with the books and the flour was mostly a trick, but this is real, and it could be dangerous. So just sit there and shut up for a minute while I try to get a handle on what’s going on.’

            Carl closed his mouth and opened his eyes very wide, and for a minute Adam thought he’d gone too far. But then a rueful look came into the producer’s eyes, and his mouth relaxed again into a small but mischievous smile. ‛Wow, you can get quite aggressive when you’re worked up, can’t you? I like that in a man.’

            ‛That’s nice,’ said Adam. ‛But you’re still not sitting down.’

            ‛Nowhere to sit. In case you hadn’t noticed. I’m an Important Television Producer. I don’t do floors.’

            ‛Oh, of course. Silly of me.’ Adam snapped his fingers, and a couple of large tapestry cushions took flight from the Great Hall below, up and over the balcony, to land with a faint thud at their feet. He had no idea which of the ghosts had tossed them up, but the result could hardly have been more spectacular. ‛Thank you,’ he called, and kicked one of the cushions across to Carl...

The photo is one I took a couple of years ago at Blackwell Arts & Crafts House near Windermere. Not quite tapestry, but it’s near enough!

Posted in Books, LGBT, News, paranormal

Ghosts Galore is out now!

Great news everyone – my latest book Ghosts Galore is now available to download on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

This sweet, low-heat, action-packed m/m paranormal romance is set in a haunted English manor house and involves an artist, a historian, and a TV crew who accidentally stir up something they shouldn’t have.

When the Ghosts Galore TV crew come to film at artist Adam’s very haunted house, he thinks he can take the money and let the ghosts do the rest. But things soon start to go wrong. The crew use dodgy tricks; producer Carl refuses to believe in Greystones Hall’s ghosts; and dotty medium Stella accidentally awakens a malevolent spirit who dislikes Adam’s art.

When both Carl and Stella disappear Adam turns to the show’s historian Guy – who has a secret of his own – for help. Together they must solve a centuries-old mystery involving lost paintings, a priest hole, and a death that might have caused all the negative energy in the house. But that’s not all the pair discover, on a night of adventure that also brings unexpected romance…

★ sweet

★ low heat

★ no sex

★ plot-heavy

★ m/m

★ straight acting MCs

★ haunted house

★ novella

You can find more details about the book at my website – or if you like the sound of the book you can buy it for only £2.99 (or your local equivalent) or download it free on Kindle Unlimited. Find the book here if you’re in the UK and here if you’re in the US. I hope you have every bit as much fun reading it as I had writing it, and that you enjoy meeting the Greystones Hall ghosts!

Posted in Books, LGBT, News, paranormal

Ghosts Galore coming soon

It’s been a little while since I last released a new book but that semi-drought is set to end very soon. My latest paranormal romance, Ghosts Galore, is in the final, final stages of production and I’m hoping to have it available as early as next week.

This is a rewrite of an older book, Got Ghosts?, which was published by Fox Spirit Books but came out of contract just before Christmas. When I very first wrote the book, many years ago, it was as a m/m romance, but I changed it to m/f to suit the market at the time. Now I’m back writing m/m again, it made sense to re-brand it – and in the process I’ve fixed a few issues, and added around 11,000 new words so it’s now a ‘proper’ novella rather than a long short story.

I’ll obviously shout as soon as the book’s available, but in the meantime here’s a few details – and the cover art, which I’m really proud of. (Credits for individual images in the artwork: radu_floryn22 and Prawny on Pixabay.com, and Artur Matosyan on Unsplash.com.)

COMING SOON!

Ghosts Galore, a fun, action-packed m/m paranormal romance set in a haunted English manor house.

When the Ghosts Galore TV crew come to film at artist Adam’s very haunted house, he thinks he can take the money and let the ghosts do the rest. But things soon start to go wrong. The crew use dodgy tricks; producer Carl refuses to believe in Greystones Hall’s ghosts; and dotty medium Stella accidentally awakens a malevolent spirit who dislikes Adam’s art.

When both Carl and Stella disappear Adam turns to the show’s historian Guy – who has a secret of his own – for help. Together they must solve a centuries-old mystery involving lost paintings, a priest hole, and a death that might have caused all the negative energy in the house. But that’s not all the pair discover, on a night of adventure that also brings unexpected romance…

★ sweet
★ low heat
★ no sex
★ plot-heavy
★ m/m
★ straight acting MCs
★ haunted house
★ novella

Due out in the next few days on Kindle, and free on Kindle Unlimited.

WATCH THIS SPACE!