After yesterday’s excitement, it’s hard to concentrate, but…back to work!

I know many of you come to my website to read my daily blog, but have you fully explored the many stories I have ready for you to consume? Have you read a short story written by me? I’ve written short stories that have appeared in many Cleis anthologies and stories that appeared in Penthouse Magazine. Do you remember those with the sexy, cute cartoons? Yeah, “Tailgating“ was one of those. I’ve written short stories that appeared in my own curated anthologies, my Boys Behaving Badly stories. I love writing them. Most often, they’re not connected to anything else I’ve written. They’re a chance for me to experiment. One theme that runs through all of them is a deep eroticism. So, if you’re into sexy stories, look no further. I would like to know if you’ve read one of my short stories before, and if so, which one was your favorite?

Comment for a chance to win your choice of
one of these stories! I’ll choose
three winners!

Click on the covers to read more about these stories!

And if you haven’t read my shorties, check out the full list here!

Tailgating at the Cedar Inn

Two construction workers come to the aid of one woman looking for a last taste of freedom…

I stepped out of the shower onto chipped and cracked aqua blue tiles with grout so dingy it was hard to tell what color it had been. Not that the bathroom was dirty, thank god. Just old. Like the rest of the 60’s-built motel I’d found on the little back country road.

I toweled my hair then shook my head like a dog, not caring where the droplets landed. It wasn’t a mess I’d have to clean up. For one last night I could be irresponsible, messy, even if it was only in a small way.

I draped the towel over the edge of the old white tub and sauntered naked into the small room with the double bed. It smelled of tobacco and industrial cleansers. The bedding looked clean if a little nappy from wear, but I peeled back the quilt-top and tossed it on the floor anyway. Pristine white sheets beckoned.

Just as I lay back, sighing with relief, sounds from outside the room jarred me from my happy haze. Tires squealed, masculine laughter bellowed through the thin walls, and car doors slammed.

I sighed and stared at the bared rafters above me. The laughter faded. I reached across to flip off the switch to the nightstand lamp with its yellowed shade. Lying in the darkness, I willed my body to relax, one limb at a time. I’d driven three hundred miles that day. I’d have gone another fifty for a decent hotel, but the shorter route my Garmin had found led me through narrow two-lane roads deep in the Ozark Mountains. I doubted I’d have found anything nicer.

I should have stuck to the Interstate, but I’d wanted to shave some miles. Little did I know that the route would keep my foot busy pushing on the gas pedal then the brake the whole way. Exhausted, nerves shattered, I’d seen the crooked Vacancy sign outside the Cedar Inn and made my decision on the spot, swerving into the empty gravel parking lot. Not until I’d opened the door to my tiny, musty room did I have second thoughts about my decision. But how bad could it really be? I’d turned on the swamp cooler set into a window frame and felt my hair frizz instantly.

Not that I’d really cared. There wasn’t anyone around to impress. Other than the clerk at the front desk, a skinny, twenty-something redneck with puppy dog eyes, the place was deserted. I’d shivered a little bit at the thought, double-bolted my room door and checked the locks on the remaining window. Visions of the shower scene from Psycho didn’t put me off taking a long, lukewarm soak to wash away the road grime and sweat.

The cooler purred, spilling muggy air into the room. The sheets felt clammy. Still, I grew calm as my body warmed the sheets beneath me, then a little horny when I wondered if the room might have little peepholes for the clerk to watch me. He’d been cute if a little skinny. I wouldn’t mind if he watched—at least not in my fantasies. Who knew how long it would be until I felt comfortable enough, private enough to indulge in a little one-handed play when my grandmother slept in the room next to mine.

I slipped a hand between my thighs and lazily trailed my fingers through my cleft until my breath caught and heat pooled. I raised my knees and let them fall open, tilted my hips and thrust two fingers inside my pussy. I wasn’t in a hurry. I wasn’t even that eager to come. The motion soothed and excited, allowing my mind to let go of my troubles—the firing, the break-up, the move to my grandmother’s house—and focus only on the pleasure curling deep inside my core.

When the blare of a TV sounded from outside, I had third and fourth thoughts about my decision to stop here for the night. What the hell? Why had someone moved their television set outside rather than watch in the seclusion of their room where the sound would be somewhat muffled.

I gritted my teeth, swung my legs over the side of the bed and reached for shorts and a tee, slipping them over my nude body and the keys in my pocket before I stomped to the door and flung it open.

Not that the two men sitting on the truck noticed me—at first.

Under the single flood light that illuminated the parking lot, I noted the construction company logo on the side of the pickup backed up to the door of the room beside mine. Then I eyed the large men seated on the sides of the truck bed, their shirts gone, faded jeans stretched over thick thighs. Their attention was glued to the basketball game, blaring from the small screen of the TV they had set in the bed of the truck on top of a white ice chest. They held Budweisers in their grips.

At last, one of the men’s heads turned. He spotted me then whistled at his friend. Soon both their gazes peered down.

I felt foolish standing in my bare feet with my wet hair spiked around my head. Why hadn’t I simply put a pillow over my head to muffle their noise? But I was testy. Moody. I’d lost my job, had a blow-up with my boyfriend over the fact I wouldn’t be splitting rent with him for a while, and cut my nose off to spite my own face by breaking up with him. Homeless now, I had no options. Grandma’s in Little Rock was my last resort.

Tonight would be my last night of freedom before I moved under her roof and abided by her rules. She’d pay the bills—if I knuckled under and went back to school. Something I resented after being on my own for a couple of years, living by my rules.

Which might have been exactly why I remained, rooted to that spot. The men seated on the truck would never meet Grandma’s high standards.

Sweat gleamed on their naked chests and both of them were thickly muscled and a little dirty—as though they’d come straight from work without the benefit of a shower.

The shine only served to emphasize the depth of the musculature and their starkly masculine features. Their tanned, leathery skin stretched across cheeks and jaws that were sharpened to rough edges by hard work.

Both their gazes homed on me, and while I knew the smart thing would have been to retreat without a word to my room and relock the door, I tilted my chin and thrust out my chest. “Can’t you watch the game in your room?”

“We botherin’ you, sweetheart?” the one closest to me said, sliding off the truck to land in front of me.

I peered a long way up and frowned into the face tilted my way. We stood close enough I could see the bristles of his evening shadow. He wore a ball cap that shadowed his eyes, but glints of blond hair shone beneath it. “It’s late. I was trying to sleep.”

“It’s not that late,” he drawled. “Join us for a beer?”

I glanced behind him and noted the grin on his buddy’s face. He was bare-headed with shaggy brown hair and a devilish quirk to his firm lips. The game seemed to have lost its fascination. Their gazes drank me down like I was long cool drink.

BURN:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Deadline: May 15, 2025

BURN is open to all authors.

Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled BURN:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.

Why write a short story for this collection? Well, it’s certainly not about making a lot of money, so why do it at all? I’ve said this before, many times, but here are my thoughts…

Writing a short story for a call for submissions is a chance to flex your writing muscles! It can be a chance to experiment with a genre you’ve never written. If you’ve never written a story in first person but don’t want to begin by writing an entire novel using it, start short! For myself, I’ve written stories in new genres or with fresh themes that ended up being so much fun to write they’ve spawned entire series of books.

You have a deadline! I don’t know about you, but I have trouble keeping my butt in the chair without one!

It’s a promotional opportunity! If selected, you’ll be joined by 12-15 other authors for the launch, sharing your audiences and, hopefully, picking up new readers along the way. Having your story in the collection is another chance to be “seen.”

And remember, you retain the rights to your story, so you can republish it for individual sale or give it away to attract subscribers to your newsletter. You might even decide there’s more story to tell and expand your short story into a novel.

Here’s what I’m looking for…

BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will include stories that satisfy the reader who craves stories about those sexy, alpha men who face danger without hesitation and who love unconditionally. Perhaps, he’s the new firefighter in a small town who rescues a woman from a burning building. Maybe he’s an arson investigator, hunting for a predator targeting a local business owner. Or a vulcanologist studying an awakening volcano. Is he an alien from a fiery planet seeking a mate, or an astronaut searching in a mysterious solar system for a new home for colonization? Could he be a fire dragon living in the human world? There are so many ways to go.

BURN will seek stories with varied settings here on Earth—present, past, or future—or on another planet or moon in this solar system or in a galaxy far, far, away.  Heroes and heroines might be more than human—supernatural creatures or even aliens and cyborgs.

I’m open to any subgenre of erotic romance you want to write. I’ll accept contemporary, historical, science fiction, or paranormal stories, and I won’t be picky about whether the stories are hetero, LGBT, ménage… Basically, you, the author, can go anywhere your imagination takes you so long as 1) the story is a romance, and 2) you have a bad boy/girl somewhere on the pages!

The anthology will be sold at a low price—my intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers reached, the better! You will retain the rights to your story so that, at a later date, you can republish your stories individually.

I’m seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, I’m looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.

Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short stories.

This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. Keep in mind that there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please, no reprints. I want original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12-point, black font, Word document (.doc or .docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). U.S. grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and a 50-word or less biography, written in the third person, and send to bbbaburn@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. I will try to respond no later than July 15, 2025, with decisions.

Payment will be USD 25.00 ninety days after publication at the end of that month.

Who is Delilah Devlin?

Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romance and erotic romance. She has published over two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths and has been published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire, Best Lesbian Romance of 2013, and On Fire. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors, and Sex Objects.

She has also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance, Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Blue Collar: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, First Response: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Silver Soldiers: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.

Direct any questions regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at bbbaburn@gmail.com.

UPDATE: The winner is…Ani S!
*~*~*

My sister and I have worked on Boys Behaving Badly anthologies for a while now. All are featured on their own website, Delilah’s Collections, where you can read more about each volume. We try to come up with themes that are fun for writers and readers alike. For me, just perusing the luscious covers is a delight.

I usually jump right into the next theme as soon as the last anthology is published, but last year’s anthology, Secret Identities, was followed instead by some health news that kept me from committing to do another.

New year, new outlook. Now, I have to scurry to pick a theme, put out a call to authors, hoping they’ll have time to participate and write you some awesome stories, and time for me to read, select, and edit the stories for publication in the early fall!

So, step one. Let’s think about the theme. You can help me narrow my choices. I’ve devised a poll I’d love you to take.

Below, I have a poll with some ideas listed. I’m not married to any of them, although some already have ideas percolating in my head…

I need themes that authors can take and run with. Themes that are broad enough that authors won’t be writing the same stories—meaning, something that would lend itself to different genres (contemporary, historical, sci-fi, paranormal) and settings (earthly places, outer space). Not only do I need a theme that appeals to readers, but I also have to attract writers to the project. So, help me out as I consider which themes will intrigue both readers and writers.

The Poll

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Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, comment below. If you have another idea for a theme, list it. If one of the themes in the poll appeals the most, tell me why. Have fun!

When I pastored in Brooklyn, visiting members at the Susan Smith McKinney Rehabilitation Center and Nursing Home was a regular part of my week. I never gave much thought to the woman for whom the care center was named. This month, I make up for that oversight.

Susan Smith McKinney Steward was born in the black Brooklyn town of Weeksville in 1847. Her father was a prosperous pig farmer and fierce abolitionist. Her eldest sister, Sarah J. Garnet, who I blogged about in December 2023, became the first African American female public school principal in New York City.

In 1870, Susan graduated valedictorian from medical school and became the first African American woman doctor in New York State and only the third African American female doctor in the country. From 1870 to 1895, she practiced medicine in Brooklyn serving patients of all races. She co-founded the Brooklyn Women’s Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary. She served at as well as helped establish other hospitals for African Americans and the aged. She continued her medical education, becoming the only woman in the 1887-1888 post-graduate class at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. She focused on homeopathic medicine and gained a reputation for her work treating malnourished children. She was elected into the New York Homeopathic Medical Society in 1896.

In 1871, she married Reverend William G. McKinney and had two children. Four years after his death, she married Theophilus Gould Steward, chaplain of the 25th U.S. Colored Infantry. She continued to practice wherever he was stationed. In 1898, Wilberforce University hired Dr. Steward as a resident physician. She taught health and nutrition there until her death in 1918.

No surprise Susan had talents that extended beyond medicine. Early on, she was organist and choir director at two prominent black Brooklyn churches, Siloam Presbyterian and Bridge Street AME. In politics, she was active in the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn, and as a member of the Women’s Loyal Union, she lobbied Congress from 1894-1895 to investigate lynching. In social reform, she served as president of her local chapter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. In the 1880s, she published two papers, one on a pregnant woman’s incorrect diagnosis and the next on childhood diseases. In 1911, at the Universal Race Congress in London, she presented a paper on famous African American women, and in 1914, she gave a speech to the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs on the history of women in medicine from Biblical times to 1914.

Dr. Susan McKinney Steward died aged 71 in Ohio on March 7, 1918. Her body was returned to Brooklyn and buried in the famous Green-Wood Cemetery. Hallie Quinn Brown, the subject of my February 2024 and October 2023 D.D. blogposts, delivered the eulogy.

Writing this blogpost has taken me back to the streets of Brooklyn where I, like she, served as a community leader. I hope I left a legacy of work as impactful as hers. For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card leave a comment about Susan or another woman you’ve found inspiring.

“The Patience of Unanswered Prayer” by Michal Scott
from Cowboys

Kidnapped and destined to be another victim of Reconstruction-era violence, a feisty shop owner is rescued by a trail boss whose dark secret might save them both

Excerpt:

The sounds of horse hooves clopping, drunken laughter, and saloon music had faded long ago. Only chirruping crickets, croaking bullfrogs, and Sheriff Radcliffe’s lies penetrated Eleanor’s covering. Where were they taking her?

The wagon wheels creaked with every rut they hit. Eleanor wheezed, desperate for fresh air. Nausea roiled at the base of her throat. Would she die choking on her own vomit? Fear squeezed her chest as yes flitted through her mind like a lightning bug.

The wagon lurched to the right. Her nausea intensified.

“Mind how you go there, boy. We don’t want to be accused of mistreating the prisoner.”

Being arrested on false charges didn’t count as mistreatment? How about being abducted by ones sworn to uphold the law? Eleanor’s agony mirrored that of Christ’s on the cross.

My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?

She moaned, her spirit smothered by despair. The pressure at the small of her back eased only to be followed by a sharp jab to her spine.

“Shut up, damn you,” Radcliffe snapped. “Your days of troubling me will soon be over.”

“What was that you said, Sheriff?”

“Thank God this trouble’ll soon be over. We’ll have delivered her safe and sound to the county seat tomorrow.”

“Safe and sound,” Deputy Jim Flyte said. “Thank the good Lord.”

His tone, full of innocence and ignorance, penetrated Eleanor’s cloth prison and killed all hope that he’d be of any help. She stifled a groan lest her tormentor kicked her again. Flyte was too young to know that safe and sound to Sheriff Hobart Radcliffe meant only one thing: Eleanor’s death.

Buylink:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zfDpo2

UPDATE: The winner is…Stephanie!
*~*~*

Hello Delilah!  Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss my new project.  Well…projects?  Could go either way.

Let me clarify.

I love anthologies.  Your readers know that.  Charity anthologies are catnip for me.

When I heard my favorite anthology people had chosen mental health charities for the proceeds, I leaped at the chance to join. I was so excited that I signed up for not one but TWO stories.

Because…double the writing chaos!

So…the stories.  Recapturing the Dream is a second-chance romance. A couple who fell in love in high school.  That love carried them through most of university, but then the budding relationship got derailed.  They went their own way – Mena having three daughters and Todd having four sons.  Then, one day, they wind up living next to each other.  By design?  Hard to say…

Mena’s beloved husband died a horrible death, and she’s resigned to living alone while raising her three beloved daughters.  Todd’s newly divorced and struggling to find ways to connect to his four very different sons.

Throw in some teenage crushes, adult lust, and bonfires…and my heart was happy to write this lovely short story set in my Love in Cedar Valley series.

Okay, so Mena and Todd are good.

What about my second story?  I was thrilled to discover that R.L. Merrill has written a gay romance for this anthology.  I love representation.  And, of course, I threw in Pumpkin Spicey as my addition—a  short story set in my Love in Mission City world.

Clay is a sweetheart, entrepreneur, and ambitious guy.  He’s created a super secret pumpkin spice recipe that he’s ready to unveil at the Mission City fall market.  Great.  What he doesn’t expect is to meet a really nice guy who keeps coming back to his booth day after day.

This is, by far, the sweetest romance I’ve ever written.  I had a length constraint (as I do with all my short stories) and I wanted to ensure the courtship was realistic, given the market only lasts a few days.  Now…I also fit in the most cameos of any of my stories.  Thirty-six — if you count the mentions of the canine companions left at home.  You’re thinking…that’s impossible.  The story is just going to be about other people and I won’t be able to keep track!  Well, Clay’s running a booth.  Where people come and buy things.  He interacts with those customers.  I promise, it all flows together and the cameos span my three pennames.  A little something for loyal readers and just a fun story for everyone else.

I did encounter one problem.  I was so focused on the sweet courtship (they don’t even hold hands) that I completely missed the bonfire!  Duh.  Fortunately I had space to go back and add a little epilogue.  S’mores and kisses and a happily ever after.

My work was done.

Next comes the work to get word of the anthology out to readers who might enjoy a variety of stories set around autumn and bonfires. While helping Wounded Warrior and the International Mental Health Association.  So, I encourage you to snap up your copy, grab a mug of warm apple cider, and enjoy!

Thank you so much, Delilah, for the invitation.  As a thank you, I’m offering a $5 GC to one lucky commenter.  Let me know – what is your favorite thing about fall?  Random will pick a commenter for the prize!

Light My Fire

Bonfire Night, Homecoming, Harvest Festivals, whatever the reason – ‘tis the season to sparkle.

Gather your nearest and dearest (or those who you wish were) close as we fan the flames in this collection of stories from USA Today best-selling and award-winning romance authors curated by The New Romance Café sure to warm your heart…and maybe other places.

All proceeds go to charity in the fight for mental health support. Our chosen charities for this anthology are Wounded Warrior and the International Mental Health Association.

Authors:
Julie Halperson
Ryleigh Sloan
Chele MacCabe
L Mad Hildebrandt
Sharon Wray
Meg Napier
J. Keely Thrall
Fiona Fairhame
Cecelia Conway
T.S. Simons
Gabbi Grey
Cynthia Terelst
Sharon Michalove
Susanna Eastman
Shelby Gunter
Zoey Zane
Heather Scarlett
Alice Dashwood
Cara North
Anna Klein
Katina J Rose
Michelle Moncrieff
Niki Trento
Jewelz Baxter
Gabbi Powell
R.L. Merrill
Kat Long
Bonnie Poirier
Elaine Reed
Kelly Renway

The anthology will only be available for a limited time.

Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/tnrc2024lightmyfire
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Light-My-Fire-Charity-Collection-ebook/dp/B0D5DLHSS1
Add it to Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213936718-light-my-fire

Gabbi’s Two Stories in Light My Fire…

Pumpkin Spicey by Gabbi Grey

My first opportunity to share my new super-secret pumpkin spice recipe with the world is at the autumn Farmer’s Market in Mission City. I’m all set with plenty of inventory, but what I don’t expect is a cute guy who drops by every day asking for…pumpkin carving lessons?

The last day of the market, I’m too busy to speak to him, and he disappears. I’m worried he thought I didn’t want him around, and I need to apologize. My good friend Wyatt suggests I track the guy down at his house. That leads to a surprise that changes everything.

Pumpkin Spicy is an 8k sweet gay romance short story with a shy stranger, nosy friends, and a chance meeting that might just lead to a happily ever after.

Recapturing the Dream by Gabbi Grey writing as Gabbi Powell

When noisy neighbors draw Mena Keaton from her home late at night, she isn’t ready to confront her first love, Todd Burnett. She thrusts down her warring emotions and asks Todd—and his four sons—to keep the noise down.

Todd, for his part, deliberately moved next door to the woman who’d always held his heart. The divorced man wasn’t sure about the potential for a second chance, but when the opportunity presents itself, he’ll do whatever it takes to get the lovely widow with three daughters to give him another look.

Recapturing the Dream is a 16k word steamy short story is about second chances, seven kids, and a special night by an autumn bonfire.

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…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

On January 21, 2017, Delilah Devlin sent me a rejection letter. I hadn’t had many emails like that in my fledgling writing career. Probably because I hadn’t sent many projects out on submission. If you don’t put yourself out there, then you can’t be rejected. That’s a great theory, but it doesn’t get a newbie writer published. Somehow, in my mind, Delilah gave me brilliant feedback on how to make my short story better. For posterity’s sake, I pulled it up to reread just now. Nope. It’s a standard if kindly written, rejection letter.

It spurred something inside me, though. I took that short story, worked with an editor, and made it better. Eventually, I found a publisher. The Wild Rose Press took a chance on me and published For the Love of Max. The story they published was substantially changed—because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Today, I didn’t reread the old story I submitted because I knew I’d cringe. I meandered way too long before getting to the core of the story. The love scene wasn’t nearly sensual enough. The point of view wasn’t deep enough. Hell, I’d never heard of Deep POV.

I’ve worked with that freelance editor for almost ten years now. She poked, prodded, cajoled, and finally shoved her way into my head. I know what she expects from me. The same thing my readers do—a well-crafted, heartfelt, strong story with great characters. I am more confident now I can deliver that. Do I waver? Type the end and think…is this brilliant or garbage? Yep, all the time. But I keep going. I keep weaving stories, fabricating worlds, and creating characters I know my readers are going to love. Writing isn’t just a hobby—it’s a vocation. I love my day job. One of the reasons I work so hard in it is so I can afford to hire editors, cover designers, and marketing people so that I can keep publishing stories.

Delilah was absolutely right to reject that story. When I spotted that she had another anthology coming out this year, I sat down and wrote “Thought You Were the One.” I actually wrote another story under a different pen name because I wasn’t certain which she might want. I was okay with another two rejections because I know the quality and quantity of stories Delilah gets for her anthologies every year. I sent the stories off and tried really hard not to dwell on the fact my darlings were out on submission.

When Delilah emailed me to let me know I’d made the cut, I yelled so loud that I woke the dogs up. Then I realized she hadn’t told me which story. Ironically, I thought she’d pick the other one. But she didn’t, and I’m so glad to bring representation to this wonderful anthology. I plan to submit more stories in the future. Undoubtedly, there will be more rejections. It’s not personal—sometimes, the story doesn’t fit, sometimes there are too many similar ones, and—gasp—sometimes you just didn’t write a good story. Happens to the best of us. I have more than forty publishing credits, and my editor lobbed one back at me last year and said, “Oh hell, no.”

Wait—I had two editors each lob one back. Huh. So yeah, even when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you discover you’ve written a dud. But I dusted myself back off, have plans to edit and fix those stories, and will keep creating more.

Thank you, Delilah. Both for saying yes and for giving me the space here today to share my story.

I would love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card to a commenter. Have you ever faced rejection and found a way around it? Over it? Under it? Moved on? Feel free to share a few words of encouragement with a writer who might be struggling. Random will select the winning commenter.

 Secret Identities: A Bad Boys Anthology, #8

 

Inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, you’ll find stories by some of the hottest romance writers out there for readers who crave mysterious, enigmatic men and women who may not be who they claim to be. Perhaps they’re the new next-door neighbor with a secret mission, an alien from a far-away galaxy looking for his fated mate, or a spy trying to catch a foreign agent. Whatever their secrets, intrigue and passion follow…

Secret Garden by A.J. Harris – Hired by werewolf matriarchs to track down a bad-boy photographer, a private investigator discovers a deep connection with her past—and a secret garden of unspoken, sensual pleasures

What That Alien D Do by Ava Cuvay – A cosplayer at a popular Sc-Fi convention stalks her favorite MyFans content creator only to discover his alien “prosthetic enhancements” are real

Masquerade by Brent Archer – After accepting an invitation to a masquerade, a coffeeshop owner finds himself on the run from a mafia hitman with a handsome harlequin

Claimed by her Naga Bodyguard by Cameron Allie – Escaping her dorm for a night of fun with friends takes a turn for a witch-in-training when demons attack, and a mysterious creature comes to her rescue

Mayday by Cindy Tanner – A miscommunication isn’t the end of the world—unless it is the end of the world—and your “ride or die” might just be undead

Matsuri by D.S. Dehel – An American woman searching in Japan for the man haunting her dreams is chased by a wily kitsune into a magical place where she meets a samurai warrior

Most Wanted by Darah Lace – A bounty on the line, a hunter who bedded then betrayed her, and a strip club—she’ll bare it all to get her man

Heartthrob by Delilah Devlin – Determined to recast his image from heartthrob to action hero, an actor hires on incognito with an Oklahoma ranch whose owner is trying to stay out of foreclosure

Sex, Spies, and Subterfuge by Elle James – Scottish UK SAS Agent on an undercover weekend assignment tangles with a beautiful Russian seductress and potential assassin.

Thought You Were the One by Gabbi Grey – He’s in for a surprise twist when he seeks a second chance to win the attention of his handsome, unrequited, high school crush

Baby, Take My Hand by M. Jayne – After surviving a bullet to the brain, a detective hunting a serial killer is drawn to a mysterious man

Her Heavenly Phantom by Michal Scott – Forced into a marriage of convenience neither wants, a mild-mannered banker with an intriguing secret discovers his reluctant bride has a secret, too

Perfect Stranger by N. J. Walters – An undercover DEA agent must keep his identity secret from the woman he’s falling for, a woman he’s also investigating

In the Dark by Reina Torres – During a blackout, an undercover NSA agent in Hawaii falls hard and fast for the military guy living across the hall with secrets of his own

Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Identities-Behaving-Badly-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0D5SQ4P2P
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-identities-delilah-devlin/1145674531
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/secret-identities/id6503634546
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secret-identities-8
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214187714-secret-identities

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…ELF!
*~*~*

Before I get into July’s accomplishments/August’s future plans, I want to take a moment to say thank you to my readers! I woke up to see this today:

It’s the ranking for my latest anthology, Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology! I could not be more thrilled for the authors inside this collection! I wish I was one of them, but I had to reject the two stories I worked on because they just didn’t make the cut. Not sure why, or maybe I do, but I’ll explain more below.

Anyway, congrats to TEAM SECRET IDENTITIES! And if you haven’t gotten your copy, hit the link above. It’s only $0.99, and there’s something for everyone’s taste in this volume. Did I mention it starts with a big bang thanks to my sister Elle James’s terrific Brotherhood Protectors-related story!?

July

1. I published the first book in my Delta Fire series: Burning Up Memphis.
2. I revised and published the second Delta Fire book, Hotter with a Pole.
3. I revised and uploaded the third Delta Fire book, Rapid Entry, which will release on August 6th! (Have you pre-ordered your copy?!)
4. I finished work on Cyrus and published it on July 23rd!
5. I finished editing all the stories inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and it was published on July 30th!
6. I completed 2 editing projects for other authors in July!

Health-related:

1. After all my annual scans, bloodwork, etc., that happened in June and July, I thought I was good to go. Full steam ahead. Enjoy the summer, write like mad. However, around mid-month, problems I had been thinking were minor (gas, indigestion, whatever), I started having some real abdominal pain. I thought gallbladder, then maybe appendix. So, I was sent in for a CT scan from my lungs down to my pubic bone. They found something, and statistically, the thing they found derives from metastatic cancer—but it could be inflammation due to infection, so I’m holding out for that, because hey, all that bloodwork and all those scans didn’t find tumors anywhere. Make it make sense. Not panicking, trying to keep busy so I don’t think about it too much. I’d appreciate any thoughts/wishes/prayers.
2. I paid attention to what I put in my mouth and lost 8.5 pounds this month!

Happiness-related: 

1. July was filled again with family activities. We’ve had movie nights at home and special meals where everyone participated in the food prep.
2. The pool is finally clear and beautiful. Whether I feel like it or not, I swim at least once a day.
3. Art kind of fell by the wayside this month. I have nothing wonderful to share with you. I’ll try better in August!

August

1. To publish Book #3 in the Delta Fire series, Rapid Entry on August 6th!
2. To delay the publication of Built Like Mack. I’m not writing much now, and I have a lot to write on this story. I will push off the publication date as far as I can into September. Sorry, I know some of you were looking forward to reading the next We Are Dead Horse story soon.
3. To complete Ignition, the fourth book in the Delta Fire series. I only have two or three chapters left.  If I can, I’ll have a September release.
4. To complete 3 or 4 editing projects in August!

For health related, I plan:

1. To get an answer regarding my stomach issues and then move forward.
2. To schedule the last of the health-related appointments I need to wrap up: Eye exam and dental exam.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To fiddle in my art room!
2. To spend time with the family—movies, flea market adventures, and pool—before school starts and everything gets complicated!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in August…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!