Kia Ora...

It doesn't feel like it should be spring already in my part of the world, then again we didn't really get much of a winter, more like we skipped right over it and jumped straight back into summer...

I managed to sort out my issues with making Facebook and Instagram talk to each other... there instructions really need to say 'do this on phone app' or 'do this on desktop' sigh...

And if you aren't following me in all the social places... then you can find links to them all here:

Social Media Links

Updates

MJ Green

• Runway Riot (House of Bolton 4) current word count is 35k and is on track to be released this month.
• Two more characters are sitting impatiently for their books to be written in the House of Bolton series. Love Unpicked (House of Bolton 5) will be an MF, second chances, secret baby romance, while the other is yet to be named MM romance involving Everett and Ryland's younger brothers.
• Next book to be written in this series will be the prequel novella - Until Death - which is Gio and Albie's story who are also affectionately known in my readers group as the 'ghosts'.

Mandy Greenwood

• Don't forget to preorder your copy of O Deadly Night: A Dark MM Charity Anthology which includes my short story - Murder and Mistletoe - which takes part in the world of the Crime Lords Series.
• I have decided to rewrite the Silverdale Coven/Silverdale Wolves series. There will be no significant changes to the plot, but some may gain a few more words, and grammar/spelling errors will be fixed. They will also get new covers and be rebranded under the one series title - Silverdale City - which enable me to expand on the series more in the future, and the final book in the current plot line might actually happen.

Naomi Aoki

• No new writing updates. The next books to be written under this name will be Devotion (Nagoya Crimes 3), Escape (Smoke and Shadows 2), and Blood in the Snow (Crime Reports Prequel), at some point next year.
• I will be putting boxsets together for the Tokyo Nights Trilogy, and The Yakuza and the English Teacher series which initially will only be available on Kobo, B&N, Apple.

Paperbacks

• I have begun the task of creating paperbacks for all the books I have published so far all pen names. This won't be a speedy process as all my backlist books will require updated formatting, and if needed another editing/proofing pass. All books will be available through Amazon, Kobo, B&N, and wherever else Ingram Spark distributes to. I have tried to keep the pricing affordable while also keeping it financially viable for me.
• Published to date: Tokyo Nights Trilogy
• Currently Publishing: The Yakuza and the English Teacher Series
• Next in Queue: Crime Lords Series + Flex (Golden Decks 1), Caught (Smoke and Shadows 1), House of Bolton Series, The Moutrams
• Silverdale City series will be published in paperback at the same time as I release their second editions.
• Going forward I will be releasing paperback and the ebook versions of a book at the same time.

O Deadly Night: An Dark MM Charity Anthology

Release Date: November 15, 2022

Special Preorder Price: $3.99

Cover design by Teased by Antonette

Blurb

Sometimes the happiest season of all is hiding the darkest secrets.

Twinkling lights and festive songs are in every shopping center and on every street corner. But what lurks in the dark alleys beyond the main street decorations? Who hides behind the joyful enthusiasts with a dangerous bah humbug attitude?

Join ten dark MM authors as they explore the darker half of the holidays while also spreading cheer and support to LGBTQ youth.

*O Deadly Night is a Dark MM anthology with all proceeds to be donated to The Trevor Project and featuring stories by: Nicholas Bella, Abrianna Denae, Elouise R East, Taylor J Gray, Mandy Greenwood, Rorie Kage, Leigh Kenzie, Davidson King, Claire Marta, Faith Ryan

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Goodreads TBR

Bookfunnel Promos

• Tease Me Nook Promo: 1-30th Sept
• Sexual Awakenings MM Promo: 1-30th Sept
• Queer MF Romance: 6-20th Sept

This Welcome to Greertown excerpt is taken from Flex (Golden Decks Casino 1) and is the original planned epilogue for the story when the story was still based upon the characters attending the Tokyo Olympics.

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

Ryan tugged at the cuffs of his shirt and rolled his shoulders, wincing at the restrictiveness of the black tux he’d donned for the important ceremony. Or it could be the weight of expectation that he now carried on behalf of his sport that was making Ryan feel uncomfortable about being here surrounded by the country’s sporting elite. Imposter syndrome kicking in hard as he glanced quickly at the other tables scattered around the venue filled with world record holders, multi-million-dollar earning cricket players, and rugby players who were often revered as gods.

And Ryan… he’d aimed for Olympic gold, won it against all odds, and yet once the fervor of the Olympics had died down, Ryan had thought little of it. He hadn’t expected that the country would remember his achievement…and he definitely hadn’t expected the call telling him he’d been nominated for the Halberg Sportsman of the Year award.

He was a gymnast.

Gold medal winning one, sure.

But his sport was nothing compared to the likes of cricket, rugby, rowing, and cycling.

And Ryan wasn’t the only one in this room who’d walked away from the Tokyo Olympics with a gold medal… hell, several of the men he spied seated at the tables near the front of the room had won several.

However now that he sat here amongst New Zealand’s sporting elite, Ryan had slowly begun to appreciate the significance of his achievement when gymnastics was a minority sport. He’d won gold despite not receiving the same level of funding or support that many of the elite athletes surrounding him did. Simply being nominated was an honour that Ryan had never expected or strived for, but if he was realistic, there was no way he’d win it. Not when the others nominated in the category were: a gold medallist shot putter, a hundred-test veteran of the All Blacks, and multi-medal winning track cyclist.

No way in hell that he’d be seen as the better athlete…

No way…

No…it wasn’t possible.

Ryan sat there stunned, slowly blinking as he tried to comprehend what had happened…why a rousing cheer had gone up with announcement of the category winner…why hands were slapping him on the back and his fellow sportspeople were offering him congratulations.

His name hadn’t been called…shouldn’t have been possible.

But despite his utter disbelief at having won, Ryan somehow managed to make it to his feet and with a gentle shove from Nico, he headed toward the stage. Accepted the accolades, heartfelt congratulations from people Ryan thought were far more deserving of the award than him…and yet others hadn’t thought so.

And he’d… he’d won.

Breathing deep, Ryan steadied his nerves and walked up on stage to collect his award. He paused in front of the podium and stared at the Halberg statue in awe, once more failing to believe that it was coming home with him tonight. This had to be a mistake… yet it wasn’t…and everyone was expecting him to give a speech.

Ryan turned to face the waiting crowd, and all the words he’d prepared fled from his mind. He’d intended to thank everyone who’d supported and believed in him, speak about the importance of hard work, and that anything was impossible if you were prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve it. Ryan still wanted to do all that, but there was another issue that took front stage in his mind, and he could already see tomorrows headlines in response to it. It irked him that this issue would become the focus of the night instead of his achievement, and yet that wasn’t going to stop him from speaking out. For too long sportspeople and closets had been the expected norm…now it was time for sportspeople to start stepping out of them.

“Wow…this is… this is an honour I never expected to receive and one that I’ll be forever grateful for…and yet I already know that my achievement, all the hard work I’ve put in to reach this point in my sporting career—hours and hours of my life dedicated to training often at the expense of relationships, important family events…as many of you will understand—but that won’t be what the media will focus on. It isn’t hard to imagine that the moment my name was read out that many of the media outlets covering tonight’s event posted up headlines that read ‘Gay Gymnast wins Halberg Sportsman of the Year’ or ‘Openly Gay Athlete wins Halberg’.

“And that’s a shame…that my value as an athlete, that my achievements on the international sporting stage are cast aside in favour of focusing on the fact that I’m gay…as though my whole self-worth is tied to my sexuality or that I managed to achieve this honour despite being gay… Yes, I am gay. Yes, I am a sportsman. But my sexuality is only a small part of who I am and has no bearing…none whatsoever on why I am standing here before you all tonight accepting this award. The media’s decision to constantly refer to me as a ‘gay athlete’ implies that I and other members of the rainbow community—and I’m not the only one here tonight—that we are somehow different to those athletes who identify as straight.

“We are not. We are all the same. We all put in the same level of commitment to our sports, train hard, and sacrifice so much to achieve our goals. We are equal with each other…right up until the media decides we are not. In recent years as being queer is no longer spoken in the same loud derogatory terms that it once was, more pressure has gone onto the sporting community regarding diversity. Rightly and wrongly. Yes, we need to ensure that our sports provide a safe place so people of all genders and sexuality can be involved at all levels of the sport. But no, we don’t owe you are truths either. You can’t make demands for queer people within our sports to publicly out themselves… to do so believing that you have a right to know. No one has that right…and it’s a choice only the individual can make.

“To my fellow athletes...tell who you want. Be as open publicly as you want. Because only we know the dangers that might come from being openly queer when many of our competitions are held in countries where simply being ourselves is still regarded as illegal. Countries where being a sportsman or a foreigner offers no protection…where attending that prestigious sporting event won’t give you a get-out-of-jail-free card. New Zealand might’ve become a friendlier place…but the rest of the world isn’t and that will always mean that many within our community will stay firmly entrenched in the closet where it feels safe.

“And guess what? That still isn’t anyone’s business but their own.” Ryan’s chest heaved, and tears streaked down his face…and Nico’s too as he gaze finally fell on his partner. “And shit before I forget…I need to thank a few people.

“My parents for always being there, supporting me financially and emotionally, driving me to competitions and practices from an early age without complaint. My sister for being my biggest cheerleader…I’d never have gotten into gymnastics if wasn’t for you sis. To my coach and all the members of the Westside Gymnastics Club who’ve supported me, helped me fundraise for travel costs and given me the advice I needed, when I need it.

“And lastly”—he took a deep breath and gripped the statue tighter— “I need to thank my partner, Nico. We started along this path together as friends…two eight-year-old boys who’d been dragged along to the gym club because of their sisters… you trained alongside me every day, kept me going when things got touch, and never stopped believing I could do it even when your own shot at a medal was stolen from you. And you should’ve been right there with me…so winning this award is as much about you as it is about my achievements. Nico, your continued support as my partner, as my tower of strength is something I couldn’t have done this without and I…I look forward to many more years of you being right by my side.”

*******

Tokyo Nights Trilogy

Find the Trilogy Here