#TeaserTuesday: Rising Sun

This Lord Have Mercy: Part Three post contains spoilers, so I've split it under a cut. Proceed with caution if you haven't read Part Two yet, or, better yet, go grab a copy! 

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#TeaserTuesday: College Town

It's a bit of a mafia story, and a bit of a coffeeshop story, and neither of those things actually. It's not what you're expecting, I'll say that. Coming 2/14!

 

Noah’s unimpressed. “He was really trying last night to make things right.”

Lawson snorts. “He didn’t try very hard. And again: it’s twenty years too late for that shit.”

Another End

 

I took this photo at 6:33 pm, thereby proving that it's staying light a little longer each day, which is wonderful news! 

Here's another bit of wonderful news: I finished another book today! College Town should be all set for a Valentine's Day release. 

There's always something terribly bittersweet about writing the last lines of a novel. Whether it's one that I've breezed through, or one that I've toiled and lost sleep over, the excitement of finally finishing is quickly eclipsed as I realize that I have maybe half a page of text left before I get to type THE END. Each sentence feels heavy, then; the weight of "gotta get it right," "have to end on just the right line" presses down and down on my shoulders as I move down the page, and then, suddenly, that's it. I'm done. And as glad as I am that I'm done, I'm always struck by all the ways that I could keep going, if I wanted to. The characters are still talking to me, they still have so much more to do...but all stories must end. Books can't go on forever. I find myself thinking "but what if someone wants to know what happens the next day? Or the next?" And maybe people do want to know...but the book has wound its way to a soft and reasonable ending, and it's time to let go. 

With College Town, it was really fun to know that I was working on a standalone, but it made that bittersweet THE END all the more potent. I never say never to sequels, or shorts, or little blog tidbits, but for now, it's time to turn the page. 

Look for College Town next month! 

Fortunate Son: Aidan and Tango

 This debrief post contains spoilers, so I've split it under a cut. Proceed with caution if you haven't read Part Two yet, or, better yet, go grab a copy! 

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“Don’t say fine,” Aidan said, more harshly than he’d intended. He was still jittery inside with being dismissed by Ghost, and Tango looked as pale and drawn as if he was destined for the next bed over in the cardiac unit. “’Cause that shit yesterday, after that Fallon guy questioned you? And earlier this morning? What, were you out for a garden stroll? And just now? You’re not fine. What’s going on?” He softened. “Tango, just…tell me, man. Whatever it is, you can tell me.” He tried to make his gaze imploring, however a person did that. Tried to say with his gaze, I pulled you half-dead out of a bathtub full of your blood. I went through two detoxes with you. Don’t pull away from me now. 

Up Next: College Town

It's common practice for me to have multiple projects going at the same time. Sometimes it's installments in two different series, juggling writing schedules and release dates. But sometimes I start little independent exercises that merely serve to keep my brain fresh. Most of the time, those exercises get slotted away into a Desktop folder somewhere and might or might not ever see the light of day. I move onto a bigger project, or further reflection reveals I was never that invested in it. They're the mental equivalent of lifting weights or going for a jog. 

But sometimes those projects grow legs, and take off, and I've been in this game long enough not to question that kind of magic: when your brain coughs up an unexpected novel by accident. That's what happened with the Hell Theory trilogy, with Long Way Down, and with the Drake Chronicles. Most recently, it happened when the exercise I was toying with before Christmas got up and set off at a dead run. Suddenly, I was 95k words deep into a book that's turned out to be a fun and refreshing change of pace. 

So my next release is:

“It was shitty, what I did. Leaving without saying anything.”

Lawson pauses with his drink halfway to his mouth. He wants, perhaps needs, to down it all in one go, like a shot. “Wow,” he deadpans. “You’re just diving right in, huh? Right for the throat.”

Tommy sighs, and rakes a hand through his hair, mussing it further. It’s a terribly attractive gesture, one that Lawson steels himself against (poorly). “You said you’d give me fifteen minutes. I’m trying not to waste your time.”

That stings. More than it should.

“Fine.” Lawson takes a sip of his drink, finally, and gestures at him. “Go on, then. You’ve had twenty years to concoct an excuse. This oughta be good.”

It's a totally standalone, contemporary M/M second-chance romance, spiked with coffeeshop vibes and a mafia chaser. Be on the lookout for College Town coming your way very soon!

Welcome to Eastman, home of the Eastman University Eagles. They’ve got twelve bars, twice as many coffeeshops, and Lawson Granger’s probably going to die behind the counter of Coffee Town, watching all the bright young people in town get their degrees and get on with their lives. He’s not miserable, exactly, but between working retail, writing books that’ll never get published, and helping take care of his infirm father, his life’s running a little short on joy. He has his family, though, and his best friend, Dana, and dreaming about being published is somehow better than accepting that he never will be.

Then the boy who broke his heart twenty years ago walks into the shop one day and throws Lawson’s entire small world into chaos. Tommy Cattaneo grew up handsome. And rich, clearly, judging by his suit, and his watch, and his chauffeured Lincoln. If Lawson’s shocked to see him, Tommy is dumbfounded. Lawson’s happy to pretend they’re strangers, despite the traitorous racing of his heart, but Tommy is adamant that they talk. He wants to explain why he left town suddenly…and returned twenty years later, with a beautiful fiancée, and a mansion, and a wardrobe that costs more than Lawson’s car.

When it becomes clear that Tommy means to stay in town for a while, and that he won’t take no for an answer, Lawson agrees to hear him out. Just once, and then he can lay his old heartache to rest. It’s probably a stupid excuse, anyway. I mean, t’s not like Tommy’s in the mafia…right? 

And don't worry, Lord Have Mercy Part Three is coming right along, too. 😉

Fortunate Son: The (Not So) Empty Hearse

  This debrief post contains spoilers, so I've split it under a cut. Proceed with caution if you haven't read Part Two yet, or, better yet, go grab a copy! 

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At the head of the line, a gleaming black Cadillac hearse had been only a formality on the funeral home’s part. The driver and his attendant stood leaning against its grill, smoking, as they waited for the funeral procession to glide slowly out the gates. The attendant was older, graying, his face lined, but his eyes were bright, and quick, and youthful.

The driver was younger, long and lean, slender legs crossed at the ankles. When he took a drag on his cigarette, the matte black metal of a lip ring glimmered dully in the sunlight.

When the last bike was gone, they snuffed their cigarettes, and climbed back into the car. The engine turned over with a muted purr, and the hearse made its way down the swooping driveway, through the gates, and out onto the road.

A mile from the cemetery, the attendant let out a deep, satisfied sigh, and raked off his little black cap. Loosened his tie, popped the top button on his collar.

“Well, that’s done, and done well, I’d say.” His accent was British, precise, but not polished.

The driver tossed his own cap up onto the dash, and his hair, black and shiny, spilled down to his shoulders. He drove one-handed while he fished out a fresh cigarette, and the attendant leaned over to light it for him. “Thanks,” he said after his first puff, and his voice was accented, too, but not British.

They kept driving. 

I've talked before about the way I started conceptualizing Lord Have Mercy back in early 2020, and how it took writing four books to finally get us here. All of the earliest ideas of the book centered around a funeral. 

#TeaserTuesday: The Club

  This debrief post contains spoilers, so I've split it under a cut. Proceed with caution if you haven't read Part Two yet, or, better yet, go grab a copy! 

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It's been several books coming, and it was bound to happen: the club's reached a boiling point with regard to the overarching plotline.