A Picture is Worth...

I like an older man: there are stories in his eyes and experience in his hands. Perhaps someone has 100 to 1000 words for him, and the rest of us can imagine.

(See the Thousand Word Thursday page, upper left to share a story.)

A Recondite Matter by G.S. Wiley

Title: A Recondite Matter
Author: G.S. Wiley
Cover Artist: Alessia Brio
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: time travel
Length: 14,800 words

Francis is an Edwardian gentleman who prefers the quiet life. When a mysterious gift from a more adventurous friend, Sir Desmond Rivest, transports him a hundred years into the future, Francis needs to use every wit he possesses to fit into a world of smart phones, fast cars, and paper plates. Simon, an antiques dealer, seems uniquely equipped to help Francis adjust, and to help him find a way back home. But as Francis' feelings for Simon begin to emerge, an encounter with a descendent of Sir Desmond's threatens to take Francis away from Simon before they really begin to know one another.


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As behooves a time-travelling story, the roots of both the tragedy and the happiness lie in one era, but are resolved in another. For Francis Holden-Burrell, the man he loves dearly lies dying at a time when the papers are full of the sinking of the Titanic. What he and Sir Desmond Rivest can be to one another is limited by the times and by Sir Desmond’s unwillingness to risk himself and his bosom friend by stepping any farther from propriety than they already have.


Sir Desmond, a late Victorian adventurer and polymath, would paint Francis in classical poses that required much exposure, well enough that he’s instantly recognizable as Ares, even without his shield and spear. They might as well have had the complete pleasure for all the hatred Lady Rivest feels toward one she knows for her true rival.

A final gift bestowed by Sir Desmond to Francis flings him across a century’s gulf, where he’s a fish out of water. His home is no longer his own, nor is any sight on the street something he understands, from the absence of horses to the masses of dangerous self-propelled vehicles, and people would rather stare at small glowing rectangles than speak politely to men standing before them. If he hadn’t been scooped up by Pam, Simon’s nosy but good-hearted assistant, things might have gone badly indeed.

Antique dealer Simon finds Francis’ provenance intriguing—as is the man. Having come close to marrying his lover, Simon’s saddened and appalled at how little Francis could enjoy his love back then. Together they find clues to what’s happened to Francis, if not precisely how, and help him find his way in this new strange time.

This is the perfect setup for exploring what went wrong between Simon and his former intended, who has a cameo role, and for Francis and Simon coming to enjoy each other and to find love, but none of that happens on page. Fast forward three years to the HEA. We learn more about Pam’s wayward daughter and her taste for thugs than we do about how Francis and Simon come together as more than traveler and native guide.

I would say I love GS Wiley’s writing, but what I probably love is her skill with words and her ability to generate a scenario more than her telling of a complete story. I recall her YAs fondly, but her more adult pieces less so because I’ve met this tendency to break off the narrative just when the relationship starts. The absence of sex is not a problem, because that almost has to belong somewhere in the relationship arc which doesn’t appear on the page.

But given the huge issues raised by Francis’ love for Desmond, who is as recent as last week in Francis’ personal timeline, and Simon’s need for growth after the debacle of his failed engagement, the skip to the HEA is abrupt and full of unanswered questions. Just as I was getting invested in Francis and Simon, it was over, and I wanted to shake the rest of the story out of my Kindle. What’s there is great. But where’s the middle of the story? 3 marbles

The Declaration by Geoffrey Knight

Title: The Declaration
Author: Geoffrey Knight
Cover Artist: Deanna Jamroz
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: historical, short story
Length: 6000 words



A humble stable boy might just be the inspiration Thomas Jefferson needs to finish writing The Declaration of Independence.

On the night before his draft of The Declaration of Independence is due, Thomas Jefferson sends his trusted servant boy Jasper to fetch more writing supplies. It is a task Jasper jumps at, knowing he'll be able to spend a few last precious moments with Myles, the stable boy, before Jefferson and his staff leave Philadelphia in the morning.

But just as their love begins to fully blossom in the lantern-lit stables of the Graff House, the drunken stable master threatens to end not only Jasper and Myles' romance, but their lives as well. Can the love of a black servant and a white stable boy overcome hatred and cruelty? And will their declaration of love be enough to give Thomas Jefferson the inspiration he needs to finish writing one of the most important documents in human history?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These are words that changed the world and redirected history. These words helped create our current lives: they ring with poetry and truth. But they were truly revolutionary when they were written, and how did Thomas Jefferson come to change our thinking so much?


I’m a sucker for “real moments in history used in m/m stories” which is what attracted me to this piece. The blurb tells the bulk of the story, which is quite short. The only real bit of novelty is the actual achievement of the inspiration, but it’s still a sweet and sexy look into what could have possibly happened.

This was a time of both radical innovations in thought and politics and institutionalized injustices to large portions of the population. Geoffrey Knight performs a delicate balancing act with both. Jasper is a slave, but important to both Jefferson and his lover Jasper. He’s an object or an annoyance to some, but a fully realized person to the forward thinkers in his vicinity, and if a hint of a personal interest on Mr. Jefferson’s part drives that, it doesn’t matter a whit to Jasper.

The language has the merest whiff of period to it, just enough to place us in time, and a few charming turns of phrase, as well as a few clunkers, sometimes in the same sentence. My favorite:

Unsure of what to do, Jasper imitated Myles’s actions as the two guessed their way through foreplay.

The ending does turn into a bit of history lesson and lecture, but it’s true for all that. There’s not much for me to spoil; the blurb does a better job of that than I could.

Fortunately for the lovers and for us all, history is made. Thomas Jefferson may have declared only that we may pursue happiness, but Jasper and Myles really did catch some. 3.75 marbles

Fire on the Mountain by PD Singer

Title: Fire on the Mountain
Author: P.D. Singer
Cover Artist: Reece Dante
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary m/m
Length: 72k

Take a break from academics, enjoy the Colorado Rockies, fight a fire now and then. That’s all Jake Landon expected when he signed up to be a ranger. He’ll partner with some crusty old mountain man; they’ll patrol the wilderness in a tanker, speak three words a day, and Old Crusty won’t be alluring at all. A national forest is big enough to be Jake’s closet—he’ll spend his free time fishing.

Except Old Crusty turns out to be Kurt Carlson: confident, competent, and experienced. He's also young, hot, friendly, and considers clothing optional when it’s just two guys in the wilderness. Sharing a small cabin with this walking temptation is stressing Jake’s sanity—is he sending signals, or just being Kurt? And how would Kurt react if he found out his new partner wants to start a fire of a different kind? Jake’s terrified—they have to live together for five months no matter what.

Enough sparks fly between the rangers to set the trees alight, but it takes a raging inferno to make Jake and Kurt admit to the heat between them.


Bonus Short Story: Into the Mountains

Long before he met Jake, Kurt Carlson climbed Yosemite with his best friend, Benji. But after a storm traps them halfway up the face of El Capitan, Kurt has to accept that their friendship isn't what he thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jake Landon’s ready to hide from the world and his own sexuality for the duration of the fire season, a plan that would work a whole lot better if his new partner wasn’t seriously hot and wholly uninhibited. From the opening scene, where Kurt rinses off the sweat from firefighting in an impromptu shower to an unplanned trip into a chilly mountain lake to retrieve runaway groceries, Kurt’s clothes don’t stay on consistently. For two guys who aren’t exactly part of civilization, this shouldn’t be a problem.


Unless, of course, everything about your partner, from his little adjustments of your arm to correct your archery stance to the sight of his ranger-green utilities stretched tight across his butt while he’s climbing a tree gives you a raging case of lust. Poor Jake—he’s terrified to reach out to what he’s not entirely sure is being offered. At twenty-two, he’s only now coming to terms with his own desires and is almost completely inexperienced.

The unresolved sexual tension chases Jake through the national forest where he and Kurt patrol and on into the tiny mountain town where the local girls see them as romantic opportunities. The mountains, the town, and the people they meet are vividly drawn and very much a part of city-boy Jake’s new experiences, and the firefighting that Kurt and Jake occasionally have to do leaps off the page.

Matters come to a head when a fire goes out of control and they find themselves trapped in a small cave, unsure if they’ll be alive in twenty-four hours and with nothing else to do except sleep, swap stories, and discover exactly what’s on Kurt’s mind. If they live through this, there will be time enough to find out what’s next, and the scene that makes it possible made me cry every time. (I’ve read this more than once.)

Jake is the POV character throughout the entire story, and so we’re privy to his longings and terrors, and we see Kurt only though his eyes. Kurt’s something of a mountain man, experienced in the wilderness, although his occasional lapses in either good sense or skills keep him from being too heroic to his greenhorn partner. Kurt has his own scars and fears, which come out very gradually, and explain the slow build of the relationship and the difficulties they have resolving it. It’s sweetly done in and around the adventure, and the ending is the perfect lead-in for the sequels.

This story was originally released in shorter form by another publisher, which I have read, and can say that the expansions are appropriate and add dimension to the story. As part of the re-release, the author included an 11k bonus story in Kurt’s POV, which elaborates on a pivotal incident in his past, touched on briefly in the story. While technically it’s a prequel, it belongs in its current position after the novel in order to avoid spoilers on Kurt’s personality and motives. It’s also an armchair adventure for those of us who will never climb El Capitan. Into the Mountains makes Kurt’s eventual HEA with Jake that much more poignant.

Fire on the Mountain is the first of five loosely connected novels which will be coming out at two month intervals; the next (Snow on the Mountain) is due mid-August. Three will have associated bonus stories, all will have both trade paperback and ebook versions, and I hope they’re all as good as this one! 5 Marbles

A Thousand Word Thursday Story by Leta Blake

Jumping In With Both Feet

Hanson has never liked the water. When he was a kid, Jarod, his jerk of a big brother, used to throw him in the deep end to watch him flail for fun, before jumping in to rescue him. Hanson still remembers the burn of water in his lungs, the terror that this time his brother might wait too long.

It’d been bad enough that when Hanson’s little niece and nephew were born, he’d worried that Jarod might think it was a funny joke to play on them, too. But age (or his sister-in-law) has thankfully dulled his brother’s sadistic streak.

Unfortunately, time had never taken the edge off Hanson’s fear of the water. Which is why it was noteworthy that he was currently in a row boat with his boyfriend, Marshall, and he’s not entirely sure why he’s not wearing a life vest. He supposes, should he fall in, he trusts Marshall to be faster to jump in and save him than Jarod ever was. Even so, he’s careful not to rock the boat.


“Juniper Lake,” Marshall says, rowing them farther from shore. The summers spent here at Jew Camp, as Marshall calls his family’s summer program for urban Jewish kids, have given him an ease with boats. “A misnomer since there aren’t many junipers around at all. It’s all maples and oaks. One of my favorite things in the world is rowing to the middle of the lake at the height of autumn. It’s surreally beautiful.”

“Okay,” Hanson says, his eyes drawn to the shimmer of light in Marshall’s blond hair. “Sure. If you say so.”

Marshall’s eyes soften. “I’m going to teach you to swim next summer.”

“And I’m going to sprout wings and fly shortly after that.”

“You’ll master the water and the sky with me at your side.”

The water splashes gently with each sweep of the oars. Hanson smiles despite himself. That’s something he loves about Marshall--he never tells Hanson to stop being sarcastic or dramatic. No, Marshall just takes him as he is.

“Are you ever going to tell me why you’re torturing me like this?”

Marshall grins. “Come on. Don’t you trust me with your life?”

“Clearly, I do. I thought that was evident enough the time I let you talk me into riding that roller coaster at Six Flags.”

“Yeah, but you’re only mildly afraid of roller coasters. You’re terrified of water.”

“And?”

Marshall blows a soft breath out and slows his rowing. “I wanted to show you something.”

“Okay. I’ve witnessed that you’ve got strong arms for rowing across liquid death. Are we done?”

Marshall lets the oars drop and shrugs. “No, I wanted you to see the world from the middle of the lake. And I wanted to prove something to you—that we’re better, stronger together. That not even your biggest fear is anything compared to the power of us.”

“I…you’re…uh….” Hanson’s heart fluttered in his throat. “You’re being weird.”

“Because, the thing is...” Marshall leans forward, his head tilted and his eyes warm with affection. “The thing is, Hanson...I love you and I want you to marry me. Like for real. This isn’t a joke. I want you to marry me.”

“Whoa.” Hanson feels like he might start to cry, and he hasn’t done that since he was fifteen and his best friend dumped him when he’d come out.

Marshall puts his hands on Hanson’s face and neck. They are strong and callused, and Hanson leans forward to grip Marshall’s knees.

Hanson’s throat is dry but he manages to rasp out a joke. “You're asking me here? You do realize the implication is if I say no, you’re going to shove me out?”

Marshall laughs and shakes his head, leaning forward and brushes his lips against Hanson’s softly. “You know I’d never shove you out or you wouldn’t be out here with me, and you know I want to take care of you forever, and you can trust me with every last thing you’re afraid of, because I love you more than anything, and I’d never let you down. And I trust you with all of me, too. That’s what’s amazing about us. So...will you? Will you marry me?”

Hanson feels a crazy urge to scream, “Yes!” and throw himself overboard. It seems like the easiest way to show Marshall how much he truly does trust and love him. Instead, he leans forward and presses his forehead to Marshall’s, gazing into his blue eyes, and whispers, “Yeah. Let’s get married.”

Marshall looks like he might cry, but kisses him instead.

Later, Hanson watches Marshall row confidently through the water, all remaining anxiety lifting from his chest as the shoreline comes closer. “So...wedding next summer here at the camp?”

“Yeah,” Marshall says. “That’d make my dad really happy, and it’s really a great place. We could have the campers be, like, our wedding chorus or something.”

“They’d sing ‘Kumbaya’?”

“Uh, no. It’s Jew Camp, idiot.”

“Right. So, ‘The Dreidel Song’.”

“I’m about to not marry you,” Marshall said, laughing under his breath.

“And then after the wedding, you can toss me in the lake and teach me to swim.”

“How about we toss Jarod in the lake instead? Together?”

Hanson grins. “Deal.”

As the row boat scrapes against the shoreline, Marshall leans forward, grips Hanson’s hair, and kisses him again. “I love you so much. Me and you? We’re gonna conquer the world.”

“Or my fear of water.”

“Same thing.”

******************************************
Snfff, love that! Thank you, Leta!

Leta Blake and Keira Andrews have a new book out: Earthly Desires.

Part of the Tempting Tales series.

Cursed as an infant with a lack of physical and emotional gravity, Prince Efrosin can’t keep his feet on the ground or his head out of the clouds. Laughing his way through life, he’s never been weighed down by love and lust.

Then one fateful day, his tenuous tie to the earth is severed and he blows away on the wind. He’s rescued by Dmitri, a handsome young woodsman who suffers from a mysterious curse of his own, and the two strangers are irresistibly drawn together. Experiencing sex and love for the first time, they dive into a delightfully sensual and passionate affair.

But the evil witch who cursed them is planning her ultimate revenge. Efrosin and Dmitri must fight to find their fairy tale ending and live happily ever after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earthly Desires can be purchased at Ellora's Cave, All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, and Barnes &Noble.

Places Leta can be found around the web:

Email: leta.blake.author@gmail.com

Website:letablake.wordpress.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/letablake

Twitter:https://twitter.com/letablake

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425833.Leta_Blake

Tumblr: http://letablake.tumblr.com/

Places Keira can be found around the web:

Email: keira.andrews@gmail.com

Website:  keiraandrews.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiraandrews

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/keira.andrews.50

Inertia by Amelia C Gormley

Title: Inertia
Author: Amelia C. Gormley
Cover Artist: Kerry Chin
Publisher: Self
Buy at Amazon
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 46k

Quiet, down-to-earth Detroit handyman Derrick Chance has had enough loss for a lifetime and he has no intention of ever risking his heart again. Living alone in the old house his grandparents left him, with only his dog and a few close friends for companionship, he has written off the possibility of romance or even sex. He refuses to consider himself lonely, or wonder what he might be missing. His life is organized, predictable, and, best of all, risk-free.

Until the day he installs shelves for accountant Gavin Hayes. With his contradictory combination of confidence and self-doubt, Gavin draws Derrick in with an intensity he's never known. As undeniable as gravity, Derrick finds himself falling for Gavin in defiance of all his usual slow and methodical ways. But Gavin carries wounds of his own. Fresh from an emotionally abusive relationship that ended with a dangerous betrayal, his future is far from certain. Can Derrick choose passion over safety, and let himself believe that Gavin is worth the risk?

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I first encountered this author when she submitted a hot little ficlet for a prompt picture, and after reading that, I was delighted to find out there’d be more. A lot more. Inertia is the first of three stories with Gavin and Derrick, and I’m looking forward to the next one already.


Derrick’s a loner, huddling in on himself to prevent any more hurt coming his way: at a young age he’s already had more heartbreak and loss than many people coming up on retirement. It’s easier not to take risks or get involved, a dog and some good friends ought to be enough. But Gavin does a come-closer-maybe that Derrick finds intriguing, and in spite of himself, he gradually does get involved.

Gavin comes with plenty of baggage, which unfolds slowly. Maybe he’s not really relationship material for Derrick, maybe he’s a bad idea even for a weekend’s amusement. Or maybe, he’s worth it.

Gavin has issues guaranteed to poke Derrick’s “no way” button, but his combination of flirting, honesty, and a bit of vulnerability make him extremely alluring, and Derrick comes closer in spite of his best intentions. A scene where Derrick goes out on what he tells himself will be an aimless drive “just to clear his mind” swings him like a pendulum between “not in this lifetime” and “right now.” Very nicely done, and just lovely when he finally arrives at Gavin’s door.

This story does have a number of serious issues to address, and takes none of them lightly, but it never devolves into an angst-fest. Instead, we have two grown men making themselves a tiny bit vulnerable with each revelation, and each understands that the other could bolt at a moment’s notice. Derrick’s the man most likely to disappear from inability to deal, and tells himself that he daren’t come to care for someone who could put him through the wringer and then be gone.

An atrocious ex with no face time hangs like smog over the couple, and several issues relating to him get explored, though not resolved. It smells like sequel bait, which is fine with me; I want to know how they play out. For the moment it’s enough to see Derrick and Gavin come together in spite of the obstacles.

A few things bothered me: I wasn’t entirely convinced that Derrick could sleepwalk through his twenties quite as completely as he was portrayed, and I was also concerned about Gavin’s stability, since he hadn’t been ex’ed from his ex all that long. A friend from the past popped in from Central Casting long enough to make some cogent points and then disappeared; she didn’t have much to say that couldn’t have been handled by another friend with a more ongoing role in the story, but perhaps I’m being too picky here.

This is Amelia Gormley’s first book, and in spite of a couple niggles, I think it’s a strong and entertaining piece (I accidentally took a long lunch at work because I was engrossed). The writing is very fluid and the sex scenes very hot, and when the heck is Book Two out? 4.25 marbles

A picture is worth...

I'm going to have to look for a volleyball picture--the constant hugging and butt swatting should pretty much write itself, but Aw! moments happen in other sports too. Anyone who'd like to put some words to this scene, see the "How Thousand Word Thursday Works" page (100 to 1000 words works fine), and the rest of us will sit her and smile.