Hey!

I've had a demanding week at the day job and on the home front with my kid starting school full time. The result has been a writing schedule setback, which is why I'm so sorry to say that I don't have a chapter of Undertow this week. However, I do have a lot of material that I'm hoping will coalesce into at least one more chapter for next week. Forgive me!

Winter Wonderland giveaway

Long Winter is still available for free in the Winter Wonderland gay romance giveaway on Prolific Works. There are 183 submissions to the giveaway, and the rush of claims at the beginning of the event overwhelmed Prolific Works and shut it down! Kind of a proud accomplishment, if you ask me, but in case there's a last-minute rush, too, I urge you not to wait too long to grab the stories. You can claim them now and download them later, but if you don't claim them before the giveaway is over you might miss your shot. For example, Long Winter will not be available anywhere for free after the giveaway.

I've read so many stories from the giveaway. When I'm stressed, I tend to read a lot, so I've kept my busy mind distracted with these wonderful reads over several late nights in the last week. Here are a few of my favorites in a handful of genres:

Contemporary:

Cool Story, Bro, by Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey. Romantic comedy at its finest, with fun new adult humor and themes. A wonderful pick me up if you need a dose of good cheer. I'm especially impressed to see the author duo, who first partnered for the fantasy adventure novel Red Heir earlier this year, pivot and create such a pitch-perfect contemporary story. Kudos to them!

Colder Than Fiction, by Amanda Meuwissen. This one might straddle the line between contemporary and PNR; it definitely has elements of magical realism, though the lines between reality and imagination are quite blurred, giving the story a suspenseful, almost gothic tone. I loved it.

Fantasy:

Enthralled by A.H. Lee. The story is set in A.H. Lee's The Knight and the Necromancer trilogy universe, and has potential to spoil some of the plot points of those books, but I still think it could be read first if you're interested in trying out the author without committing to a purchase. Enthralled showcases A.H. Lee's talent for interweaving worldbuilding, romance, and plot as three equally strong threads in her work. A really fun read that I think would inspire any holdouts to go ahead and try the main series, which was one of my favorite reads of 2020.

A Wild Thing Grows by Marina Vivancos. I was drawn deeply into the world of this lovely tale--its sensory descriptions of nature were lovely, the tone of the story conveyed a peaceful, magical ambiance, and the characters were totally lovable and easy to cheer for.

PNR:

Frost Bite by Lynn Van Dorn. I admire this author so much, but insofar I'd only read her contemporary romances (Now You See Me, which I recommended in a previous email, and Royally Screwed, which I enjoyed as well.) This story of a reclusive vampire and the down-and-out handyman who becomes his servant and lover is full of delightful banter, rich characterization, and a fresh and surprising take on vampirism.

Hot Coffee & Terrible First Dates by KP Maxwell. The story is set in the same universe as KP Maxwell's Men of Cafe Seuil series. The characters in Hot Coffee & Terrible First Dates share only the setting with the main series, but the author's deft writing and ability to craft clear characters with fun chemistry shine.

Dark Romance

Winter Yakuza by Naomi Aoki. Dark romance is not usually a subgenre I'm drawn to, but I was invited to blurb this story and I found it hard to resist! If you're a fan of gritty, morally ambiguous stories with a lot of heat, you'll love this one.

This is far from an exhaustive list, and just represents a handful of what I most enjoyed of my reads so far.

Click here to check out the Winter Wonderland giveaway!

And while you're there, pick up Long Winter! If you enjoy it, I'd love to know. I'm plugging away at the sequel, Signs of Spring, and I hope you fall for Robbie and Lance half as hard as I have.