UPDATE: The winner is…Elaine Bishop!
*~*~*

Hello Delilah!  Thank you for inviting me to share my new release!

When I signed up to join a box set of Christmas Market stories, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.  I just knew I hadn’t written anything for this Christmas this year (busy with Single Dads and Rockstars).  This box set provided me with the opportunity, also, to delve back into my Love in Mission City world that I love so much.  The imaginary small town is located in Southwestern British Columbia — just an hour outside Vancouver in the Pacific Northwest, although not on the Pacific directly.  I love immersing myself in this small town where tolerance is the norm and people love who they love.  I also adore the opportunity to bring in characters from my Love in Cedar Valley series, written under my pen name Gabbi Powell.

In my mind, these characters are real people. So, when I created Johnson and Henry, I imagined two men I would want to be friends with.  The shy Henry, who makes fairy figurines, and the gregarious Johnson, who runs an apple farm and is still nursing a broken heart over his longtime partner abandoning him.  I took these two men — complete opposites — and found a way to make the relationship work.  This is about as close to a sweet romance as I’ve ever written (except the sex scene at the end).  I wanted something soft and sweet — no angst or drama.  I think I’ve delivered that with this story, and I was so thrilled to be included in the box set.

I would love to give one lucky commenter a $5 Amazon Gift Card.  What’s your favorite part of the holiday season?  I admit walking my dogs on a crisp night air down the main street in town and enjoying the lights.  Oh, and spending time with my nieces and nephews.  One randomly chose comment will win the prize.

Thanks, Delilah, for letting me visit.

Mistletoe & Markets

‘Tis the season to find trinkets, treats, and love at your favorite Christmas Market.

Will you meet someone special under the mistletoe? Is that a candy cane in Santa’s pocket or is he just happy to see you? Whether it’s the traditional markets of Europe or a small-town winter festival out of a television movie, the holiday market is the place to come together to shop, drink, and make merry. Will you find the perfect gift or the love of your life?

Grab your eggnog and cookies and join USA Today best-selling and award-winning romance authors curated by The New Romance Café as we celebrate all the things that make this a holly jolly season.

Authors:
Linda G. Hill
Alexa Santi
Renee Dahlia
Sharon Michalove
Bella Paige
Jill Brashear
Lily Kindall
H. D’Agostino
Sera Taino
Harper Michaels
L.A. Remenicky
K McEvern Lestrade
Jackie Paxson
Sofia Aves
Gabbi Grey
Jewelz Baxter
Juliet Martini
Élodie Garroway
Chele MacCabe
Annee Jones
Hannah McKee

The anthology will only be available for a limited time.

Links
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/TNRC2023MistletoeandMarkets
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSTSL213
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84279246-mistletoe-markets

Included in Mistletoe & Markets…

“Christmas Courtship” by Gabbi Grey

Johnson

Three days before Christmas last year, my husband of ten years walked out on me. It’s been a rough year picking up the pieces but now I’m selling fresh cider I make on my farm at the local Christmas Market. I’ve been welcomed into the community, and a shy man who makes the most exquisite fairy figurines catches my attention. I want to ask Henry more about his talent. Something about his artwork speaks to me and I think we might become friends. As Christmas nears, though, and we spend more time together, my feelings are growing. Can a guy with a battered heart and a shy craftsman find new hope this holiday season?

This is a 12k gay holiday romance short story with a quiet artist, a boisterous cider-maker, some nosy matchmakers, the magic of Christmas, and a zany border collie named Zeus.

About Gabbi Grey

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
*~*~*

Hello Delilah!  Thank you for inviting me to visit today!  Earlier this year, I partook in a couple of projects that were published about the same time.  My story Blue Sky Boyfriend was in the Love is All Volume 6 charity anthology.  Then I was part of the HEA Collective (Happily Ever After) and my story Fly Guy Boyfriend came out that same month.  While Blue Sky was on my radar for almost a year, Fly Guy was…last minute.  But I made certain the story didn’t read like I’d written 37k words in 10 days, even though I had.

As I was writing that novella, though, I was putting the finishing touches on Blue Sky.  I had an opportunity, I realized, to create a crossover scene within the two stories.  I’d love for readers to think everything was planned, but I’ll share with your fans that wasn’t the case.  Only as I neared the end of writing did I see the chance to tie the books together.  Because the HEA Collective was a patron-based subscription, I knew many readers wouldn’t have had access to it.  Also, not everyone buys and reads entire charity anthologies (although I say it’s a great way to meet new authors while helping out worthy causes).

Anyway, eventually the stories came back to me.  I’d already picked the premade cover (which had Blue Sky Boyfriend on the cover, so how perfect was that?) and figured I could put the stories together to create an immersive experience for my readers, giving them two great stories in one place.  I set them in the small fictional town in British Columbia I’d created and now the box set out in the world!

I would love to give a $5 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.  What is your favorite setting for a romance? Small-town? Big city? Cattle ranch? Mountain chalet? Hot in the sun or leaves changing color in the fall?  One random commenter will win the gift card.  Thanks for hosting me, Delilah!

The Boyfriend Duet

Love in Mission City: The Boyfriends Duet includes two novellas

Mission City is tucked in the charming Cedar Valley in southwestern British Columbia. If you love heartwarming, contemporary small-town gay romances, then come home to Mission City and fall in love with the men who live there. Romance blossoms in the unlikeliest places. And trouble has a way of finding them…

Blue Sky Boyfriend

Wyatt and Tate were high school sweethearts. After graduation, Tate left Wyatt for the big city and university while Wyatt took over his family’s farm. Fifteen years later, Tate’s come home in disgrace. Can Wyatt forgive the man who broke his heart?

This is a 24k gay romance second-chance novella with a small-town farm boy, a big-city fancy boy, and a puppy named Winnie. The novella previously appeared in Love is All Volume 6.

Fly Guy Boyfriend

When Tex is tasked with piloting the shy and nervous Davey in his helicopter, he sees an opportunity to bring the younger man out of his shell. With Tex’s friendship, Davey finds the courage to be his true self. But when things go south with his family, Davey turns to Tex. Will the budding friendship turn into more or are rough skies ahead?

This is a 37k gay instalove romance novella with a daredevil pilot, a nerd in search of the answer to the universe, and what happens when those forces collide in a single bed. If you were an HEA Collective Patreon last year, you might already own this novella.

Links:
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/Love-Mission-City-Boyfriends-Duet-ebook/dp/B0CJ9P69FL
Universal Book Link:  https://books2read.com/Boyfriends

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile:  https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey

Hello Delilah!  Thank you for inviting me to visit today!  I’m publishing a book in the multi-author, shared-world series The Road to Rocktoberfest 2023 today called Axe to Grind, and I wanted to give you a quick sneak peek.

When I heard about this series last year (R2R 2022), I was intrigued.  My friend, Kaje Harper wrote the first book in the series, and I happily read it, sinking into a band that was headed to a rock festival in Black Rock, Nevada (where The Burning Man takes place).

Then a little birdie told me Rocktoberfest was coming back for a third season, I found the courage to contact the organizer, and they informed me I grabbed the last spot.  While I was exchanging those messages, the idea for my story came to me, nearly fully formed.

This is the point where I say again that writing a book takes a village.  Kaje stepped up to volunteer to beta read for me since she was also in the 2023 season and, of course, had written in that world before.  My friend Laurel, who’s husband’s best friend is in a rock band, volunteered to read my manuscript as well.  Finally, Wendy, another amazing friend, offered to look at it as well since she had music industry experience in her background as well.

Then…I just had to write the book.  I tapped a good friend, whom I call the plot whisperer.  I’d hoped she might give me a band name.  She did: Grindstone.  Then I gave her my idea. She said “Okay, but where’s the conflict?” A question writers often dread.  At that point, she teased more from me and, eventually, with her dogged determination, we had plotted my story.  A good story.  Writing it was a challenge, but I’m always up for a challenge.  I wrote an interracial rock star romance with some neat twists. Oh, and of course my band are Canadian.  Finally, Kaje helped me find the perfect Ed and Natasha Snow made me the perfect cover.

That’s it. Nine months from conception to delivery.  I hope you grab a copy of the book and read it.  Then I hope you nab all the other books in the series.

As a thank you, I’m happy to give out a $5 Amazon Gift Card to one commentator.  Let me know – what’s your favorite trope?  I have so many faves, I can’t list them all, but forced proximity, single parent, rivals-to-lovers, and friends-to-lovers are some of my faves.  Tell me which do you love to read?  Winner chosen at random.

Thanks Delilah, for having me visit.

Axe to Grind

Ed

For ten challenging years, I’ve been the lead guitarist for the band I formed with my best friend Axel. Grindstone is on the verge of making it big. Which is why I’m livid when our manager brings in some snooping, scandal-chasing documentary producer to film our trip to Rocktoberfest. We’re about to hit the biggest stage of our career, and I’m worried this rich jerk, who has destroyed other celebrities, might uncover the secret I’ve kept hidden for years. I want to just ignore him, but as attraction sizzles, I start letting down my guard. Giving in to these urges might mean distracting him from his mission and getting him on my side. That’s the point. Right?

Thornton

I want to bring Ed and Axel down for what they did to my sister. I’ve managed to insinuate myself into their inner circle as a documentarian, and I’m this close to pay dirt. Using seduction to uncover the last of Ed’s secrets might be tacky, but what red-blooded man would turn down what the bisexual rock god is offering? But as we find stolen moments to try to slake the need, I’m having second thoughts. If I don’t avenge the wrong done to my family, I won’t be able to live with myself. The promise of sex shouldn’t be enough to stop me. But as I sink deeper into a relationship with Ed, I must decide if my need for revenge is worth destroying any hope of a future together.

Axe to Grind is a book in the multi-author Road to Rocktoberfest 2023 series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not read them all and see who hits the stage next? Hot rock stars and the men who love them, what more could you ask for? Kick back, load up your Kindle, and enjoy the men of Rocktoberfest!

Links:
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/Axe-Grind-Road-Rocktoberfest-2023-ebook/dp/B0CCLRHSQJ
Universal Book Link:  https://books2read.com/axetogrind

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:

Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile:  https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer!
*~*~*

Hello Delilah!  Thank you for inviting me to visit today!  I’m publishing my third book in the multi-author, shared-world series Single Dads of Gaynor Beach today and I wanted to give you a quick sneak peek.

I’ll be honest – I’m not a parent.  I’m an aunt to a pile of awesome nieces and nephews, but I’ve never had the honor of being a parent.  That being said, I’m an author.  I make stuff up.  I draw on my experience with kids, but I’m also incredibly lucky to have other author friends who will read my work ahead of publication and point out all the misses.  I’m also Canadian and have little experience with the American school system.  The differences shocked me.  Like, we don’t have a police or resource officer at every school.  School shootings just aren’t a thing up here.  I look south and feel pain.

For parenting, I can imagine what I’d do in a particular scenario, but a parent can say what their hard limit would be.  On the flip side, they can also point out when I got it right or when something works.

I loved writing this book.  Three brave, feisty girls who lost their mother, but have kept going.  Rochelle, Nicki, and Jazz are all very different, but they are protective and loyal of each other (when they’re not fighting. Hey, I remember what it was like to be a kid with siblings…).  Anyway, I hope readers enjoy my third venture back into this world I’ve come to love so much and fans of the series will find cameos from quite a few of their friends…

As a thank you, I’m happy to give out a $5 Amazon Gift Card to one commentator.  Let me know – what’s your favorite romance novel that has kids?  I have so many faves, I can’t list them all.  Tell me which I should pick up?  Winner chosen at random.

Thanks Delilah, for having me visit.

Xavier

Xavier

When my wife died five years ago, leaving me alone to raise our three young daughters, only my duty to them and my work as a psychiatrist kept me from losing myself in grief. I did my best to be a good father through the darkest days, but now I can see I’ve been distant and cold. Things need to change. I’ve pledged to my daughters that I’ll start doing better. Be more involved. Show them what a great dad looks like. If that means soccer practice, violin lessons, and sitting through a dozen dance recitals, then I’m all-in.

Zed

Pliés, pas-de-deux, cheerleading practice, and enough tutus to last a lifetime— how is this my life? I’m a fisherman up in the Bering Sea. In the offseason, I travel through Alaska and, on rare occasions, drop in to see my sister and her four sons in Gaynor Beach, California. This year? She’s laid up with an injury. Suddenly I’m running her dance studio, and I’m a fish waaaay out of water. Then I meet another guy who’s equally uncomfortable. He’s working so hard to be a good dad, and I keep hoping he’ll notice me. Except, when my sister’s healed and fishing season starts, I’m out of here. Right?

This gay romance is a slow burn, mid-angst, age-gap, opposites-attract, instalove story with a fisherman who needs the ocean, a counselor who needs therapy, three young girls in need of love, and a found family that’ll change their lives forever.

Links:
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/Xavier-Single-Dads-Gaynor-Beach-ebook/dp/B0BZLTQCJ6
Universal Book Link:  https://books2read.com/XavierGaynorBeach
KOBO:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/xavier-29
Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/ca/book/xavier-single-dads-of-gaynor-beach/id6463662293
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1442873
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/137947606-xavier

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile:  https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/gabbigreyauthor/
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009821772591

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

Of great debate in my author circles is whether or not to read reviews, how much stock to put in them, and whether they should have any impact on your writing.

I’ll admit, I didn’t understand the importance of reviews when I first started publishing.  As time went on, and as I immersed myself in all things publishing, I learned just how critical they can be.

Case in point (from a guru I respect) — all things being equal, if a book has one 1* review, it will sell better than the equivalent book with no reviews.  At first, that feels counterintuitive.  Someone hated the book, why would others want to read it?  But that review is social proof — someone bought and read the book.  Okay, they didn’t like it. The book wasn’t for them.  Doesn’t mean the next person won’t love it (some book lovers choose books with bad reviews for the fun of it).  But the book with no reviews?  Well, no one bought it or if they did (and if they read it), it didn’t inspire enough emotion in them to leave any kind of feedback.  The book lacks social proof.

Now, look up any great work of literature and there are plenty of horrible reviews.  Not everyone loved Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre. I can’t fathom that, but I look at some other books I didn’t enjoy, read the glowing reviews, and realize there’s someone out there who will love every book.

I admit to sending out review copies with my books, even knowing the reviewers have the option to decline to review, review even though they didn’t enjoy, or enthusiastically tell everyone what a great book I’ve written.  Obviously, I prefer the latter, but even the middle doesn’t bother me.  If someone didn’t enjoy my book, that means they weren’t my target audience.  The key, with the hundreds and hundreds of romance books being released every week, is to find the reader who wants your book.  Who needs your book?  Who will see the genius in your book?

Which brings me back to reviews.  Advanced reader copies (ARCs) for my book releasing this week, Love Without Reservations, went out last week.  Normally I try to give a longer lead time, but things kind of got away from me with this book.  Therefore, I wasn’t expecting reviews for a bit.  Some readers, though, grabbed it and dug right in.  Soon after, I began to receive notifications that reviews were being posted.

To read or not to read: that is the question.

In the end, I took a peek.  Who wouldn’t?  Well, at least one of my mentors doesn’t…and good for her for having the strength to resist.

Alas, I’m a weak woman.

The reviews are generally positive.  Readers enjoyed the book.  Understood what I was trying to convey.  Didn’t regret having picked it up.

But one reviewer…  Man, this gutted me.  She pointed out I’d missed an opportunity with one of my characters.

I literally gasped in…anger?  Frustration?  Annoyance?  Not at the reviewer, of course, but at myself.  They’d found a plot point I’d forgotten about.  A thread I’d meant to tie up.

One line.  I just needed one line.  And I’d forgotten it.

Now, after writing 38k, a writer can be forgiven for missing one sentence.  Only it was a really important one.  So here it is:

Aaron managed to secure a job overseeing the renovations of the Grand Hotel.

Now, that doesn’t mean anything to anyone who hasn’t read the book.  But for those who have, it solidifies the happily ever after.  It ties off that loose thread.

Alas, I didn’t format the book myself and making the change would be monumental.  So, dear reader, you are the only ones who know about it.  I fully intend to weave that fact into a future book (I write in series and my characters ALWAYS come back…)

Thank you, Delilah, for hosting me.  I enjoyed sharing my little angsty story.  To a lucky randomly selected commenter, I would love to give a $5 Amazon GC.  To win, please consider answering the following question: what would make you leave a review?  Or, let me know a book you read that left a loose thread that drove you nuts.  Thanks!

Love Without Reservations

Noel

I’ve tracked down my wayward sister to Cataluma, California, and my goal is to drag her back to Canada before she gets in trouble with the American authorities. The problem? She’s gone and fallen in love with some dude and refuses to come home. I need to stick around to talk some sense into her, but there’s only one damned inn in this podunk town and they insist they’re full. I can’t get the handsome innkeeper to make an exception, not even for the few days I’ll need to get Kendra safely headed back across the border.

Aaron

I love my job as the owner of the quaint Cataluma Inn. I also pride myself in being a peacemaker. When I find squawking siblings arguing about a good friend of mine at our traditional barbecue, I have to step in. Next thing I know, I’m offering to share my one-bedroom apartment with a very attractive Canadian. Oh, and he’s gay too…

Love Without Reservations is s story in the Shopping for Love in Cataluma series. The book is a 38k word small-town gay interracial romance novella with a grumpy Canadian entrepreneur, a sunshine American motorcycle rider, and the love they never saw coming.

Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/LoveWithoutReservations
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Without-Reservations-Sunshine-Shopping-ebook/dp/B0BZK316JS
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123814916-love-without-reservations

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey

In March of 2009, I was lucky enough to have a friend from college staying in Auckland for a couple of years. When she told me she was coming back to the States, I headed south of the Equator to visit before I lost the free place to stay and the local guide (and to see her, of course). Foolishly, I thought twelve days was plenty of time to see both islands of New Zealand with time to spare. I barely saw the north end of the smaller north island, and I didn’t see probably half of what that magical place had to offer. My friend told me there was beauty around every corner. Wow, was she right!

The Coromandel Peninsula has to be one of the most incredible places on earth. Beautiful beaches, dense fern forests, and commanding vistas. I’ve never see so many stars under a moonless, night sky laying on a beach with the soundtrack of waves gently hitting the sand. In the morning, exotic shells lay scattered all over the sand while the sun rose over the Pacific Ocean. I knew I had to write about this special trip.

In Memories of Coromandel, MacKenzie Wright had spent mere weeks in New Zealand on a work trip three years prior, but he’d met a guy and fell hard. Erik Parata had left his mark on MacKenzie, and he hadn’t found anyone to even come close to Erik since he’d left and broke both of their hearts.

MacKenzie’s well-meaning bestie and workmate, Alicia, manipulated a three-month work trip for MacKenzie back to Auckland, and almost immediately, MacKenzie stumbles into Erik one morning at the beach near Hahei. Their relationship steams ahead, and finally, MacKenzie has to make a choice: hurt Erik again and leave or give up the security of the life he’d built from nothing in Seattle.

You can order the seventh book of Rain City Tales, Memories of Coromandel on Amazon or Kobo. Checkout Brent’s website for the other Rain City Tales and for more details on upcoming books.

Excerpt from Memories of Coromandel:

The first morning glimmers of sunlight filtered in through the cabin’s curtained window. MacKenzie blinked and rubbed the granules of sleep out of his eyes. Taking his bearings, he pushed himself out of the single bed and tugged on his board shorts. Beach time.

Rifling around in his bag, he found a tank top and pulled it over his head. He slipped on his sandals, snagged his keys, and shuffled out of the small cabin. After a quick stop at the cinderblock building housing the toilets and showers, he headed to the thin, sandy trail between the grass-covered dunes toward the sound of waves washing against the shore.

A flush of pink over the horizon merging with the dark blue of the clear sky met his gaze when he reached the beach. A few stars still twinkled, but the predawn glow dimmed their light. He kicked off his sandals, feeling his feet sink slightly into the cool sand. He trod carefully around the brightly colored shells dotting the shore and strode into the surf. Small waves of warm ocean water rolled over his ankles, and he breathed in the morning sea air.

Movement caught his peripheral vision, and he turned away from the impending sunrise over the Pacific Ocean to track the motion. A man stood in the surf, balanced on one leg in a yoga pose, hands together in front of his bare chest. His tight, tiny bikini shorts clung to his substantial yet firm ass. Powerful legs held him upright as he stared out toward the approaching dawn. A sleeve of tattoos ran up one deeply tanned arm from elbow to shoulder, but MacKenzie couldn’t tell what the tattoos were at this distance. The design looked Māori.

Light poured over the man, and MacKenzie tore his gaze away to watch the sun bursting over the horizon and ascending into the sky. A gentle breeze blew off the ocean, giving him a rush of goose bumps over his chest and arms. The warm water pulsed with a wave and washed over his knees.

Once the sun had completely lifted above the horizon, a splash from the direction of the impressive figure in the surf drew his attention. The man had abandoned his yoga pose and dived into the water, emerging several yards farther out in the ocean. He bobbed for a moment then swam back toward the shore, mesmerizing MacKenzie with the powerful strokes of his muscled arms.

Reaching the shallow waters, he dove under and resurfaced closer to MacKenzie. The morning sunlight shimmered through the droplets of water cascading off him. MacKenzie raked his gaze over the man, stopping at the impressive pecs, and froze. A tattoo of a crescent moon stood alone on the rounded muscle, matching the necklace hanging around his own neck.

MacKenzie brought his hand up and clutched at the jade resting on his chest. He’d only ever seen one person with that particular tattoo before. The swimmer stopped moving, facing MacKenzie, with his head tilted to the side. Recognition slammed into MacKenzie when he met the eyes of the dripping man, and his heart leaped.

He moved again, wading through the shallows toward MacKenzie, his mouth slightly open and face set in an expression MacKenzie could only describe as awe. With a tremble, MacKenzie willed his legs to move, and he stepped through the submerged sand to meet him halfway.

After a moment, they stood face to face, and MacKenzie had no doubt he’d found the person he’d wished not to find. The man he’d fled Auckland upon his arrival to avoid. The man he’d never quite gotten over, even after three years. The man he’d hurt.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” The unmistakable voice of Erik Parata spoke across the short distance between them and crashed over him as strong as any wave.

“Erik.”

*~*~*

Brent Archer began writing in 2011 at the nudging of his cousins. His first story sold, and he was hooked! Keep up with Brent Archer and his current releases at his website, and follow him on Instagram and on Twitter @brentarcherwrit.

When I first get an idea for a story, it usually starts with a single scene. For example, when I came up with the idea for The Fourth State of Matter, I had a scene in my head of a spaceship crashing while two characters are having sex in the control chair, seemingly unconcerned by the chaos happening around them. At this point, the characters didn’t have names or descriptions. I didn’t even know if they were human or alien. In my mind, they were just “male 1” and “male 2”. So, I started by freewriting this scene, giving it as much life as I could without any background information or details. The characters managed to land on a populated asteroid before I had to stop. Then, I stepped back and carefully read over what I had written.

Sometimes, this is where a story’s life ends. If I decide there isn’t enough potential, or if reading over what I’ve written doesn’t spark any more creativity, then I’ll set it aside and move on to a new idea. With The Fourth State of Matter, however, reading over that initial freewriting scene gave me a lot of ideas for how to flesh-out the world and the characters. A whole novel slowly unfolded in my mind just from this opening scene, so I started outlining the story from scratch.

My first step for planning out a full novel is to draw the characters. I’ve found that I can’t write about a character until I’m able to draw them. Not only does this give me an image to work with, but it can have a profound impact on the story itself.

With The Fourth State of Matter, my original plan for the trio was for them to only be a duo. I wanted to write a story about a human character that gets into a relationship with two aliens. However, this changed when I was trying to draw the aliens. Brog’s design came easily, and I could immediately see a backstory for the character on the page. I had an idea to create alien characters that were partially inspired by fantasy creatures. This would give them a sense of mystery and make them seem “larger than life”. Brog is my version of a reimagined mermaid, only instead of a delicate fish-girl, he’s a powerful shark-man.

Then I created a second alien that was a counterpoint to Brog. So, I drew Xavis, whose design is partially inspired by a phoenix. I liked the contrast between an aquatic species and a winged, bird-like species. Yet, it didn’t quite look right. Something felt off. So, I set Xavis aside and tried something new. This time I used a dragon as inspiration and came up with Desmodian. This also provided a good contrast alongside Brog, with a sort of “land and sea” vibe, yet it still didn’t look right.

It was only when I had all three characters on the page, trying to decide which to use, that I realized they looked best altogether. So, the duo became a trio, and the story was altered to fit this change.

Of course, characters are defined by more than just the way they look. It’s also about their personalities. Since the trio already hand a “land, sea, and air” theme going on, I took the symbolism a step further and based their personalities on the first three states of matter. Desmodian is the solid foundation that the group is built on. Silently stubborn and unmovable, he doesn’t react much with the world around him. He puts himself where he wants to be, both literally and metaphorically, and stays there no matter what. Brog embodies a liquid state in the sense that he is more adaptable than Desmodian but still maintains his own boundaries. He’s very reactive to even small disturbances, like a ripple effect, and while he is capable of standing still, he can also become an unstoppable tidal wave when he gets emotional. Lastly, Xavis’s personality resembles a gaseous state because he is the most wild and untamed. He sometimes seems to “have his head in the clouds” like he isn’t entirely grounded. This allows him to be the most creative and versatile member of the trio, but also makes him reliant on the others to keep him on track.

Once I established the characteristics of the trio, and their connection to the first three states of matter, it was a natural conclusion to base Pet on plasma, the fourth state of matter. This is what gave rise to the overall message and theme of the story. Pet’s journey into discovering himself as a person is the primary focus of the story, so I don’t want to spoil anything by explaining too much about how Pet’s character is inspired by plasma. Just know that it is a step-be-step journey that he’s still undergoing. After two books, he’s already come a long way in his personal discovery, but there’s still a much longer journey ahead of him.