TBT: A Simple Charm

Sometimes, I write a story that I absolutely adore that it seems like nobody reads. That doesn't bother me a lot of the time. I write for myself, and as long as I'm doing that, it would be hypocritical of me to whine about low sales. 

But on the flipside to that is the keen desire for other people to love a story that I love, too. A Simple Charm is one of those. But this one had a ton of factors going against it from the start when it comes to the masses.

First of all, it's a sweet m/m. There is one sex scene in the entire book, and it's really, really tame. Contrary to what you readers saying all the time about wanting more story and emotion, however, sales prove otherwise. Sweet m/m just doesn't sell well in general.

Secondly, it's a historical. And it's not just historical, but it's also American history. The 1930s. Twentieth century America is the hardest kind of historical to sell,  unless it's centered on soldiers in WWII (and even then, it's a hard sell).

Strike number three? One of the characters has magic, so technically it has to be filed under paranormal, but it's not really a paranormal at all. It's what I call genre magical realism which is an entirely different beast (magical realism in its purest form is only found in literary fiction, rather than genre, because of its intention to convey "serious meaning"). 

All that being said, I think A Simple Charm is one of the most romantic, lovely books I've ever done. It's the gentle story about a young man growing up in a small Indiana town who dreams about escaping its borders. He aches to be free of all its constraints, partially because he's spent his life hiding the fact that he can do things other people can't, partially because he knows he likes boys which just isn't done. Then a carnival shows up in town, and he falls head over heels for the charismatic barker, Seb. Seb has no problem with the initial idea of seducing a pretty local, but it only takes one conversation with Levi to realize he could do the right thing for once and let this innocent remain innocent. The path they take to eventually find each other isn't easy, but love never is.

This is definitely a story you can't judge by its cover. It's about innocence lost and gained, in an environment that's specifically chosen to be humble. 

Intrigued? You can read an excerpt over at Liquid Silver. Who knows? You might even be tempted enough to buy it.

Accomplished in 2013

After taking much of 2012 off, I started back in on writing in 2013 to try and get up to steam. It was a slow process, but I think I'm back in a groove somewhat, finding my rhythm as I concentrate on writing the stories and characters that are important to me. All but one of them came out with Amber Allure as well as all being m/m, but that's going to change up in the year to come. I ended up having seven solo titles and one collaboration with Rick R. Reed.

My lone non-AQP title came from Liquid Silver. A Simple Charm is a sweet historical romance about a carny who shows up in a small Indiana town and falls for a local boy who has real magic. It's one of the most gentle stories I wrote all year, with some of my best prose, I think. It makes me a little sad that this didn't get the bigger audience I think it deserves, but I always knew a sweet historical with paranormal overtones would be a hard sell for most m/m readers.

One of my first titles this year at Amber Allure was The Low Between, a 50s noir story about an ex-cop and the young actor who get caught up in murders that have nothing to do with them. I have a real soft spot for this time period, and there just isn't enough out there, especially in the m/m world. It was tough getting back into plotting, but I was happy with how this turned out.

After reading so much steampunk that focused too much on the tech and not enough on the characters, I decided to try my hand at my own version. The result was Iron Eyes. While one of my leads was a brilliant engineer from 20s Hollywood, I deliberately focused on the story they had to tell, the journey of finding a new solution to help a little blind girl see. I'm really proud of this one, plus Cap and Hector's chemistry went off the charts for me.

After noir and steampunk, I decided to dip my toes in sci-fi. Thus, Aria of the Eclipse was born. I've never created an alien species all on my own before (I've done it as part of the Jamie Craig team), so coming up with Dek was my real challenge in this. He needed to be otherworldly enough to warrant the genre, and yet relatable enough for the readers to connect with. I think, hands down, this is the most romantic story I published all year.


I collaborated with the talented Rick R. Reed on an epistolic short about two men separated by life choices, in a time when being gay wasn't nearly as accepted. Family Obligations still makes me cry when I re-read it, for everything they had to endure as well as for the lives they actually lead.

I stayed in the contemporary zone with my sweet romance, The Hearts of Yesteryear. While it's very comedic in tone, the subject matter is not. It's about a man in his seventies who ran away from his small town after his best friend and the boy he loved chose the military over him. John has to go back to that town and confront his past. To this day, I still want to see this as a sitcom. I think John and Frank would be terrifically funny as a gay senior citizen couple, with Corrine, John's personal assistant, there for back-up. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Things sobered up for me with my next contemporary. The Unbeaten Track is about an insomniac who is still haunted by the loss of his high school sweetheart, a victim of homophobic violence. I chose to do this one in first person, mostly because it's so much about being in Sean's head. The reader needed to be there with him as he made his choices, and hopefully come out the other side better for the knowing.

Last but not least, came Threshold. This took me back to my vampire roots, about a hurt vampire on the run who holes up in an out of the way motel. Falling for him was Max, an ex-soldier who is desperately looking for meaning in his life. The connection between these two sizzled from the start. Of all the titles I released this year, this one, for me, is by far the hottest.

2014 is going to see me branching out some. For instance, I have an m/m/f menage called Enthralled in Silver coming out with Ellora's Cave, and I'm hoping to have more. There are two stories in the final stages to come out at Amber Allure, Boundless and What the Heart Thinks, and more I'm scheduled to do there. All good things!

Sweeter m/m romances

When I wrote A Simple Charm, I knew it wasn't going to be like a lot of my other stories. First of all, I wouldn't classify it as erotic romance. There are two intimate scenes, and yes, the language can get graphic, but in regards to how erotic material usually plays out in m/m, it's very innocent.

Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

There's no doubt about it. Sex sells. Sweeter romances don't usually do very well in the e-market, though I have hopes of that changing now that the market has expanded. But to add more sex, or kink it up, for this particular story would've done it a huge disservice. One of the heroes is a twenty-year-old virgin in middle America during the Great Depression. It's just not realistic for him to turn into a slut overnight, and, at the end of the day, I'd rather be true to the story than try to add elements in hopes that it'll sell more copies.

But it wasn't an easy choice. I write stories in hopes that people will read them. Anybody pursuing publication does. If I'd added more sex, though, it would've changed the tone of the story. It would've colored an innocent young man in a different light. I couldn't do that to Levi, no matter what else I might want.

It's the same trap I fall into because of my inability to brand myself. I write about people finding each other. Sometimes they're two men. Sometimes they're a man and a woman.

And sometimes, their story is more sweet than erotic. And that's okay by me.

Besides, we need more sweet m/m romances in this world. Do you have any favorites?

Giveaways

Okay, so my recovery this week took more out of me than I anticipated. Everything is going great, though. I had my follow-up with the doctor on Thursday, where he looked it over and redressed it. My stitches come out a week from tomorrow, but I'll be in this shoe for weeks yet to come.

But my plans clearly got derailed. I had hoped to be active in blogging this past week to talk about A Simple Charm, but that obviously didn't happen. So, I'm going to run two different giveaways at the same time, and keep them active until my next release comes out in February.

For my carnies story, I wanted to do something a little bit different. I'll be giving away two matted 8x10 prints:

I found them at this seller on Etsy. She's got some great stuff. The prints are done on aged dictionary pages, so they have this wonderful sepia tone to them. It's much stronger than in my pictures. And in case you can't read what it says on the tree print, it says, "We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are."

The second giveaway is in conjunction with my release out today, The Low Between. This is my story in the Amber Allure Noir pax, five stories all centered on a noir theme. For this, I'll be giving away a collection of classic noir films on DVD - The Asphalt Jungle, Gun Crazy, Murder My Sweet, Out of the Past, and The Set-Up.

Unfortunately, because of shipping costs, the prizes are only available to those in the US. That doesn't mean you can't participate if you're from elsewhere, though. If the winner ends up being outside the US, I'll substitute a $40 Amazon gift voucher for them instead.

All you have to do is comment on any post between now and February 15. Your name will get thrown in every time you comment. I'll announce the winners on the 16th.

New release!

I have a new release today! My m/m carny story, A Simple Charm, came out this morning at Liquid Silver Books.

In 1934, life in Brookburn, Indiana is quiet, simple, and peaceful, but young dreamer Levi Beckerman yearns for more. When the carnival shows up for the Fourth of July, he’s entranced by its many temptations. None is more seductive than the charismatic barker, Sebastian Gustineau.

Seb’s been a part of the carnival for almost a decade. Once, it provided him the escape he needed from a life he thought he didn’t want, but now, he craves things it can never offer. Flitting from dusty town to dusty town, he loses himself in pretty dalliances. Levi seems like the perfect distraction, until a single conversation convinces him that preserving Levi’s innocence and way of life is more important than his momentary satisfaction.

However, his plan to discourage Levi goes horribly wrong. When Levi’s family is threatened, Levi fights to protect them, doing what he can to hide the secrets he’s sheltered his entire life. The only person he trusts is Seb. He’s just not sure if the growing bond between them is enough to save them all.

I'm going to be blogging all week about it, plus tomorrow, I'll be posting the details for a giveaway I'm having. Anybody who comments on a post made from today through Saturday will be eligible to win two matted prints.

Over at Liquid Silver, you can read the first chapter to get a taste, or just go ahead and buy if you're already intrigued. I love these guys. I hope you will, too.

Another excerpt from A Simple Charm

Four more days until the release of A Simple Charm, so I'm going to share another excerpt for everyone to get a taste.

This is in Seb's (the carnival barker) POV. His second encounter with Levi, when Levi has snuck out of his house in the middle of the night to watch the carnies.

-----

“So tell me what your favorite part of today was,” Seb prodded. It felt important to keep Levi talking, utilize the one skill he could guarantee to wind a proper web around the moment and cocoon it safely away.

“The whole day.”

Seb laughed. “Oh, come on, there must be something you liked better than anything else. The rides? The games? The acrobats?”

“What do people usually say when you ask them that?”

“Ah, now, you’re making assumptions that might not be true. I don’t go around gathering up comment cards when people shuffle on back home. My job is just to get them onto the midway.”

“You do more than that.”

“Did you see me leave my stage at all today? No, you didn’t, because that’s where I work from. I get to see everyone when they’re still excited about what’s to come, not after they’re hot and tired and want to go home to sleep until Tuesday.”

“That’s not what happens.” Levi’s sudden vehemence came with a roll onto his side, more of their limbs coming into contact as he propped his head on his hand to stare down at Seb. Their closeness finally gave him the chance to see the pale brightness of Levi’s eyes, burning again with a fervor that stole Seb’s breath away. “What you do, it’s magical. It really is. People love you.”

The corner of Seb’s mouth lifted into the semblance of a sad smile. “They love the carnival. There’s a difference.” One he’d learned too late.

“And you’re part of that,” Levi insisted. “Some of them wouldn’t even go in if you weren’t there to tell them how wonderful it was.”

His estimation of what lit Levi up had been wrong, or rather, incomplete. It wasn’t just that he was smart. Innocence radiated from every pore, the type that would wither at the first sign from the real world that the dreams he concocted could never come true.

“What is it you do?” Seb asked, changing the subject. “You’re too old for school, right?”

A quick frown pulled Levi’s brows together. “I hope so. I’m almost twenty.”

“Practically ancient.”

“Not that much younger than you.”

Only in biological years. “There’s more to age than a number.”

“I know that, but you don’t or you wouldn’t tease me like I’m some kid.”

“And what kind of experience could life have possibly thrown at someone like you to make you capable of even thinking such a thing?”

His lashes ducked, and his gaze slid to the side. Avoidance. Brought on by shame? Fear? Seb craved discovering why, though at the same time, a curl of anxiety wound through his gut at finding out the answer. He didn’t want his ideals of Levi shattered, just like he knew Levi wouldn’t want his fantasies about the carnival destroyed. Out here, they could live in a bubble where both existed peacefully together, but only if they took care not to burst it with the wrong words.

“I’m sorry,” he heard himself say. “That was rude of me.”

His apology had the desired effect. Levi let out a long, ragged breath, and lifted his eyes to Seb’s again.

“I work in the general store,” Levi said, going back to Seb’s earlier question. “I’m kind of an apprentice there. Working my way up.”

“Does your family own it?”

He shook his head. “My mother’s the teacher in town, and Pap works out on my grandfather’s farm. I’ve always been better at books than baling hay.”

“Bookworms belong in college.”

“Is that how you see me?”

Such a simple question, but more simmered behind those eyes, an almost desperate hunger that had nothing to do with college, everything to do with Seb. The walls around them strengthened, willing away the rest of the world for at least a few minutes longer.

“It’s my job to notice things.” The corner of his mouth tipped. “And I’m very good at what I do.”

“You said that this morning. About noticing things.”

Had he? His exact words eluded him, but apparently they hadn’t done so for Levi. “Because it’s true.”

“But sometimes, what looks like truth is really magic.”

“Ah, we’re back to that again. At college, they’d teach you different, you know.”

“I can’t go.”

“Why not?”

“We can’t afford it. But that’s all right. With the store, it’s all still good. It’ll work out for everyone in the long run.”

Seb didn’t believe him. Someone who stole out of his bed in the middle of the night to watch carnies sleep would never be happy stuck behind a counter, waiting on old biddies and cranky farmers until some girl convinced him to settle down and lock himself into an even duller future.

It's only Wednesday?

I've been a little AWOL the past few days because I'm in frantic mode, preparing to be unavailable to my family for a bit. Why? Because on Friday morning, I'm having surgery on my foot. That means Mom (my alter ego) won't be able to do any of the driving, wrangling, cooking, or cleaning, for the next week. I'm prepping the husband and kids for how to handle that, without forgetting that I'm going to need some TLC, too, as well as handling all my pre-op stuff.

It's been a tad busy.

I'm also getting ready for my upcoming releases. On Monday, my m/m historical short novel, A Simple Charm, comes out at Liquid Silver, and the following Sunday, my m/m noir long novella, The Low Between, comes out at Amber Allure. I'm going to have giveaways for both, so more details about those to come.

Today is more running around. While I can. I even volunteered to do all the dog walks this week. Because I just know the weekend and next week where I'm not really supposed to be out of bed are going to drive me insane.

Plus? I can't put a shoe on that foot until March. The boot I have to wear is NOT cute.

That's a good excuse to go shoe shopping when I'm all healed up, right?

When is paranormal not paranormal?

A week from Monday, my m/m short novel, A Simple Charm, comes out from Liquid Silver Books. When it shows up on the website, it's going to show up under the genre heading "paranormal."

Except it's not. Not really. But paranormal is the best category fit for it, so unfortunately, that's the one I have to live with.

See, I wrote the story with magical realism in mind. Magical realism is usually defined by the introduction of the magical into the mundane, where something shouldn't be happening but is, without fanfare or explanation. Think...Chocolat. Vianne's magic is subtle, accepted by her without question. Her issues with the community stem from the fact that she's a single mother more than anything else, that mundane overtaking the magical in terms of importance. It's only paranormal in the sense that things other than normal happen in it.

That's much the same with A Simple Charm. Levi is different than anyone else in town, but he lives the life he's expected to. His greatest fear in the beginning is that his father will discover he went to the carnival, when his father dislikes it more than anything else. He's a simple young man, innocent though not afraid, and the magic that sets him apart is less important than his hopes for a future where he can experience life rather than watch it. There's no monsters for him to overcome. There are just men with their own agendas, who aren't necessarily bad guys as they are looking out for themselves.

And yet, you'll find it under the paranormal category. Because honestly, it doesn't fit anywhere else.

Its singularity is one of the things I love most about it.

The opening of A Simple Charm

Since I posted cover art for it yesterday, I thought I'd post the opening of A Simple Charm today.

-----
There wasn’t a spot in the whole of Brookburn, Indiana where the tiny colored flags on top of the tents pitched outside of town weren’t visible. The red and yellow wisps fluttered whether Levi could feel a breeze or not, captured in a world of their own making, someplace separate and magical where the wind didn’t whip up the dust to get trapped in places it had no business being. He even caught them dancing at night, when he climbed out his window to sneak down to the gulley that cut the carnies off from the rest of town. He’d stretched out on his stomach, as flat to the packed earth as he could get, and drunk it all in until the last light had been extinguished.

Everywhere he looked was an explosion to his senses. Colors rainbows would’ve been jealous of. Laughter and music and hushed whispers as shadows emerged from one tent only to meld into a single entity before disappearing into another. Roasting meat and strong whiskey that made his stomach rumble even though he’d had his fill at suppertime. His fingers curled into the dry grass, because he needed to stay put, not make a run for it like everything inside screamed at him to do.

He crept back home before the night relinquished its hold on the sky. His dreams for the few hours he got before Pap pounded on the door for him to get to his chores left Levi with a hollow longing in his chest.

“Mr. Trumbull’s closing the store tomorrow,” he commented at the supper table, staring at the beef he sawed away at on his plate rather than anyone else at the table.

“Now why would he go and do a fool thing like that? Saturday’s your busiest day of the week.”

Levi had been working at the general store since ’27, when he was twelve and it became increasingly obvious to his burly father that his only son was built more like his wispy mother. He wasn’t short, but he’d always been too scrawny for most of the labor out on Granddad’s farm. Pete Beckerman talked Artie Trumbull into giving Levi a job, in hopes the hours helping with inventory and making deliveries around Brookburn would put some meat on his bones.

It hadn’t, not really, though Levi had always wondered why Mr. Trumbull had kept him on when there were plenty of men in town who could’ve used the extra wages to take care of their families. Money was tight, jobs hard to come by, and yet, the store became his second home, his haven when everywhere else felt wrong.

“He says everyone will be at the carnival tomorrow anyway,” Levi said in response to his mother’s surprised question.

Pap snorted. “And then at church on Sunday like they didn’t throw good money after bad just the day before.”

“You never know, Pete.” Levi and his sister Annie might have cringed a little at the harshness of Pap’s tone, but Mom was unfazed as always. She reached for the mashed potatoes to scoop another spoonful onto Pap’s plate. “I heard someone over in Jagerstown won a brand-new stove in that grand raffle of theirs.”

“A stove.”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Those people don’t even have homes. How would they find the money for a stove?”

“Mr. Trumbull’s going.” Nobody in town really trusted the carnies, so Pap’s reactions were hardly unusual, but Levi wished he could see what else they offered, the dreams they held out with both hands to anybody who wanted them. Those fantasies were all Levi had thought about from the moment the first flyer showed up on the post outside the newspaper office, though his were buried so deep, they’d need more magic than a few pretty flags and some fast words to be set free.

“Well, with the store shut, he doesn’t have much else to keep out of trouble, now does he? Some of us have real work to do.”

Levi stopped trying then. Pap was just like the soil he tilled, practical, unchanging, ultimately immovable.

The night was cooler than its predecessor, the rustle of air coming in through his open bedroom window as bewitching as the not-so-far-away carnival. Levi leaned through the opening, stretching to peer around the Joslin house next door. Common sense said he shouldn’t be able to smell or hear anything, not from this distance, but he would’ve sworn on every Bible in Brookburn that it was right there. All he had to do was reach out and close his eyes and he was back at the edge of the gulley, the ground cold beneath his belly, his blood hot to make up for the chill everywhere else.

A soft rap came at his closed door. He jolted back, barely in the room when Mom let herself in.

Her gaze drifted to the window behind him. She knew. He didn’t have to say a word because she always knew, and that frightened him more than anything else. Some things should remain a secret. Some things had the power to hurt more than he would wish onto his greatest enemy, and the only way to make sure they didn’t was to lock them away from her omniscient eyes.

“Did you have plans tomorrow?” she asked.

Levi shrugged. Anything he’d hoped to do was built on fancies, as implausible as catching a cloud to make it rain when they most needed it at the height of summer. “Read, maybe.”

“Annie wants to go to the carnival. You should take her.”

The sudden lurch inside his chest made it hard to breathe, harder even when his heart took to racing like Scott Joslin’s best horse within the passage of the next moment. “What about Pap?”

She smiled. “I’m not telling you to take him.”

“What’ll you say?”

“You don’t worry about that. Just keep an eye on Annie, get back in time for supper, and if you manage to win me a new stove, well, that certainly wouldn’t hurt.”

She left him to spend the night too excited to sleep, hours lost to imaginings as he tossed and turned until dawn.

New cover art for A Simple Charm

The beginning of 2013 is going to be a busy one for me. I have three releases in the first two months. The first of these is on January 14 at Liquid Silver Books for my mostly sweet, m/m historical, "A Simple Charm."

And look! I have cover art!

In 1934, life in Brookburn, Indiana is quiet, simple, and peaceful, but young dreamer Levi Beckerman yearns for more. When the carnival shows up for the Fourth of July, he’s entranced by its many temptations. None is more seductive than the charismatic barker, Sebastian Gustineau.

Seb’s been a part of the carnival for almost a decade. Once, it provided him the escape he needed from a life he thought he didn’t want, but now, he craves things it can never offer. Flitting from dusty town to dusty town, he loses himself in pretty dalliances. Levi seems like the perfect distraction, until a single conversation convinces him that preserving Levi’s innocence and way of life is more important than his momentary satisfaction.

However, his plan to discourage Levi goes horribly wrong. When Levi’s family is threatened, Levi fights to protect them, doing what he can to hide the secrets he’s sheltered his entire life. The only person he trusts is Seb. He’s just not sure if the growing bond between them is enough to save them all.

I'll be talking a lot more about it in the weeks to come, including sharing an excerpt.

Feeling like a writer again

First of all, my sincerest hope that everyone is safe and well in the aftermath of the worst of the hurricane.

Secondly, I have more writing news. I have a release date for A Simple Charm. It'll be out with Liquid Silver on January 14, 2013. I'm in edits on it right now, and they're going well. I've also been assigned a cover artist, so as soon as that's done, you'll be the first to see.

I also sent in a new submission today. There was a call I've been meaning to write for, and I spent the 16-hour drive back from Albuquerque last week getting it all plotted and done in my head. That's what I've been working on since I got back. I won't jinx it with specifics, but it's a 15k m/m/f story that, if it gets contracted, will end up being the prequel for the full-length novel I want to write to explore this relationship. This short is essentially how these three hook up. I love these characters.

It's kind of nice being back on the wagon. I'm feeling like a writer again.

New contract

So while I was away at GRL, I got some fab news. Remember that historical m/m I submitted a couple weeks ago? Well, it got accepted! Liquid Silver Books is going to publish "A Simple Charm," probably some time in early 2013.

Here's the blurb, for those who might be interested...

In 1934, life in Brookburn, Indiana is quiet, simple, and peaceful, but young dreamer Levi Beckerman yearns for more. When the carnival shows up for the Fourth of July, he’s entranced by its many temptations. None is more seductive than the charismatic barker, Sebastian Gustineau.

Seb’s been a part of the carnival for almost a decade. Once, it provided him the escape he needed from a life he thought he didn’t want, but now, he craves things it can never offer. Flitting from dusty town to dusty town, he loses himself in pretty dalliances. Levi seems like the perfect distraction, until a single conversation convinces him that preserving Levi’s innocence and way of life is more important than his momentary satisfaction.

However, his plan to discourage Levi goes horribly wrong. When Levi’s family is threatened, Levi fights to protect them, doing what he can to hide the secrets he’s sheltered his entire life. The only person he trusts is Seb. He’s just not sure if the growing bond between them is enough to save them all.

I love this story to pieces. What's better, it's going to have a sequel, a project I've slated for next year.

But yay! I'm so glad it's going to see the light of day now. :)

One down, the next to go

So yesterday, I finally got around to feeling happy enough about my latest short novel to send it in for submission. I won't say to where for fear of jinxing it, but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. It's a 46k gay historical romance called "A Simple Charm." I didn't mistype and forget to put in erotic. It's not, not really. There are two short scenes in the middle that yes, get graphic, but not in the sense that it qualifies with the stronger label. It's set in 1934 in rural Midwest America, and, with where the main character is in his life (as well as the setting), making it sexier just wasn't appropriate.

However...

I plan on writing a sequel to this one. It's got an HFN (my wonderful beta who reassured me it didn't suck thinks it still qualifies as an HEA), but I want to see the next step in the relationship too badly not to continue exploring. I couldn't write it all as one, either. Thematically, they're two very different stories. It just wouldn't flow.

In other writing news, I have 22k on my noir story due into Amber Allure before 12/1. I'd hoped to finish it before GRL, but I've got a busy week ahead of me and I'm not convinced I'll make it. By the time I get home, hopefully.