Viv Santos and Ashley E!

Thanks to everyone who entered the Valentine’s Day Blog Hop and for the lovely comments left for me.

The winners have been notified by email.

A big thank you to everyone who entered the Valentine’s Day Blog Hop competition, and an even bigger thank you for all the lovely comments left for me.  I really do appreciate it.

The competition is now closed and winners will be announced on this Blog and also by email.  I say ‘winners’ because my husband wanted to pick a name from the hat, and I wanted to pick a name from the hat, so we figured we’d both do it and choose two winners instead of one.

For those of you who didn’t win, don’t forget my free fiction ‘Emrys Amara’ and ‘One of Those Days’.

Again… thank you very much!

I’m completely new to this kind of thing, so you all get to pop my Blog Hop cherry.

Those of you who know who I am will also know I took an extended amount of time away from all things to do with writing.  However, I’m dipping my toe back into the m/m fiction waters.  Aside from Emrys Amara – which is currently free serial fiction running on this Blog – I don’t have any new releases to offer you.  I said on the event page that I was giving away a copy of The Curtis Reincarnation, but I really don’t mind which book you choose.  I’m not going to force you to do anything time consuming for a chance to win, just leave a comment and you’ll go into the draw.  Make sure you include your email address and the title of the book you’d like to win.

You can choose from the following titles:

 

The Curtis Reincarnation (Novel length: Re-released version)
The Slayer’s Apprentice (Novel length: Re-released version)
Left of Centre (Novelette:  Re-released/graphic version)

Left of Centre is currently being edited for the re-release.  If you choose that one, please be aware it may be 2-3 weeks before I can send it to you.  Also, for anyone wondering what ‘graphic’ means, it means it’s fiction with artwork.  You would get a zipped file with both the basic text version and the graphic version in .pdf format.  Basically, two for one.

And that’s about it!  Have a great Valentine’s Day everyone :^)

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THE CURTIS REINCARNATION – Contemporary Gay Fiction
Number One Best Seller
Available Soon in Print
Cover designed by Zathyn Priest

Tyler Curtis is the quintessential rock star, with a notorious bad boy reputation as legendary as his awesome talent. Jordan Braxton, on the other hand, leads a quiet existence as a website designer and shares a house with his sister, Rebecca.

When Rebecca wins tickets to see Curtis in concert, and drags an unwilling Jordan along to the show, his ordered world is about to be turned upside down. Tyler’s life is spinning out of control, but reality is far different to the myth a controlling manager has built up around him. Will Jordan get to know the real Tyler, and can they both survive the fallout that ensues?

 

 

 

THE SLAYER’S APPRENTICE – Thriller Gay Fiction
Winner Coffee Time Romance Book of the Year
Cover Designed by Zathyn Priest

When Senior Constable Daniel Hart stops bartender Phoenix Love from picking his pocket one evening, it’s an inauspicious beginning, but Daniel falls for the beautiful Phoenix anyway. Things become complicated when Detective Paul Somerset, who’s been on the trail of Australia’s notorious serial killer “The Crucifix Slayer”, sets his sights on Phoenix.

Convinced that Phoenix Love is the killer, Detective Somerset pursues him single-mindedly. As evidence, and Phoenix’s behavior, point toward Somerset being right, Daniel must protect their fledgling love affair, his own heart and his lover while deciphering whether or not Phoenix actually is the killer.

Is Phoenix Love a victim or is his love affair with Daniel doomed to fall at the whims of a monster?

 

 

LEFT OF CENTER – Short Fiction Novelette
Graphic Version & Text Version  (With Artwork)
Winner of Book of the  Month

When self-confessed player Brandon Faulkner arranges to meet three different Goth guys over the course of one weekend, he isn’t expecting to meet someone like ‘Enigma’. Enigma isn’t like anyone Brandon’s met before. He’s unpredictable, volatile and… well, downright weird! To make matters worse, the gorgeous Enigma isn’t at all impressed with Brandon and is unafraid to crush the man’s ego at every opportunity. For the first time in his life, Brandon has to work hard to win the guy. Will Brandon agree to Enigma’s left of center, bizarre requests, or is the player about to get played?

 

 

 

 

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THE BLOG HOP SPOT

LIQUID GLASS by Zathyn Priest
M/M Contemporary Fiction
Available from Torquere Books – HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THE CURTIS REINCARNATION by Zathyn Priest
M/M Contemporary Fiction
Originally Published by Torquere Press and Now Available HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘The Curtis Reincarnation is adult fiction and aimed toward an 18+ readership.  It contains gay themes and erotica.

I saw a questionnaire thing online and one of the questions was to describe your first love.  It got me thinking of the boy next door.

We were born weeks apart and grew up together until we were four.  He was my first love and we were inseparable.  Even though we were both friends with the girl across the road – who was also the same age – David and I only had eyes for each other.  There were many stolen kisses when our parents thought we were getting up to other mischief.  We were like good cop/bad cop, with David being the troublemaker.  I was the only one safe from his terrorising.  Once, when Dad told him it was too late at night for me to go over to his house, David took the garden hose, put it through my parent’s bedroom window, turned on the tap, and flooded the room.   I’m sniggering as I write this, recalling my father’s furious voice yelling, ‘That little bastard!’

David looked like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, with big blue eyes and light blond hair.  But, oh my God, that boy could be a demon!  In another incident, we were sitting in the yard eating grapes.  David looked at Mum’s car and said it wasn’t fair we were eating grapes when the car looked hungry.  Now, I can’t remember how we got the petrol cap open, I guess it was broken and didn’t shut properly.  He proceeded to pick off grapes and drop them into the car.  When all the grapes were gone, David figured the car was still hungry and said cars like stones.  We picked up as many stones as we could find and ‘fed’ them to the car, too.  Needless to say, my parents were not happy when the entire fuel section of the car had to be replaced.

Someone gave David a doctor play set with pretend injections, stethoscope, white coat, etc.  He brought it over to my place to show me and said he’d be the doctor and I had to be the patient.  ‘You have to pretend to be really sick so I can make you better’.  I agreed to be really sick and lay down on my bed.  ‘You have to take your clothes off,’ he said, stethoscope at the ready.   Fair enough, it wasn’t like we hadn’t seen each other naked before.  I took my clothes off and lay down on the bed again.  “I’ll take mine off, too.”  David stripped off then put his white doctor coat on again.  While I was in pretend hospital being treated by the naked pretend doctor, my Dad walked in.  A few years ago I was talking to my mother about David.  She brought up the naked doctor/patient incident and said, ‘Your dad walked out and said to me, there’s something wrong with those kids.’

In my backyard there was a play set with swings and a slide.  It was right at the end of the garden in the corner with a nice secluded spot behind it.  My clearest memories of David were when we were both four.  Our last year together.  We’d sit together behind the play set, holding hands, cuddling, sharing little kisses, talking for ages with me listening to David plot mischief.  I recall one big fight with him and it was over the girl across the road.  David thought – for some reason – I liked her better than him.  I don’t really remember the fight in detail, but Mum said I came storming into the house with blond hair clutched inside my fist.  She told me David’s mother knocked on the door to see if I was okay because David stormed into the house with black hair clutched inside his fist.  The next day we made up and sat together behind the play set.  My recollections of our conversations are more eloquent than they actually were and I can’t remember exact words.  But, David told me he loved me and announced we had to get rid of the girl across the road.  He decided the best way to do this was to make mud pies, pee in them (Yes, gross, but we were four), and then take them to her.  When she ate them, she’d get really sick and she’d stay in hospital forever.

I saw David every day.  I remember him boldly announcing to my Mum and Dad that we’d get married.  He was told it wouldn’t happen.  So we ran away together.  Two four year olds gripping each other’s hand and running off down the street.  We made it as far as the local gas station, which was a fair distance for little kids.  Our parents were used to David and me playing in the yard for ages and assumed that’s where we spent most of our time.  Mum had no idea there were many times we left the yard to wander other places.  Knowing we made it as far as the gas station without anyone realising we’d gone missing horrified her when I told her the story.  Even I’m amazed no one ventured over to ask why two little boys were alone together, crossing a busy main road, without adults present.  Anyway, after we sat under a tree by the gas station for a while, we decided we’d better go home because we forgot to pack food.

Our relationship was such an innocent one but there could be no denying it was more than friendship.  When we said ‘I love you’ to each other we meant it.  We’d spend the day running around until we were exhausted and then fall asleep curled up next to each other.  Many times his father had to come over to carry a sleeping David to his own bedroom, or my Dad would carry me home from David’s room.   Sometimes they’d just leave us to spend the night sleeping together.  I guess our parents assumed our bond was strong because we’d been born at almost the same time.  Perhaps they figured we were more like twins than best friends.  Two little kids giving each other a hug or a quick kiss wouldn’t have seemed strange, considering our age.  They never knew the kisses and cuddles weren’t as quick when we were alone.  I’m sure, if they did know, they’d probably have stepped in to stop it.

This makes me think that, even at a very young age, David and I knew our more intimate moments needed to be hidden from everyone else.  I have to wonder how we knew it.  Maybe something was said somewhere along the line and we reacted by being more secretive.  Who knows?

My last bittersweet memory of David was when my parents decided to move from Adelaide to Victoria.  I remember staring out the car window at David who stood alone in our front yard.  As the car pulled away, he waved, blew me a kiss, stepped backwards and fell into the rose bushes.

There were times, when I was older I considered getting in touch with David.  I decided the childhood memories were too precious to interfere with.  Our paths would have crossed again if it were meant to be anything more.  He was definitely my first love and I was his.  I hope he remembers those years spent together as fondly as I do.

I’m afraid I’ve had to make an executive decision and have chosen to delay the release of Fight or Flight. My reason is because I don’t think it’s up to scratch and I refuse to put anything out there that I’m not happy with. The project certainly hasn’t been shelved and will be out early in 2012. I know I can make it better than it is. At the moment, to me, it feels very rushed with certain aspects of the plot glossed over simply to get to the end quicker. That’s not the type of story I want to put my name on or expect a reader to enjoy. It needs more work and will be better off for it.

Sorry to disappoint anyone, but I have to pull the plug on a Xmas release.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For those of you who remember way back when, The Curtis Reincarnation started out as serial fiction with Torquere Press.  After a year and a half off, and not posting or publishing any new fiction, I’m pleased – and very nervous – to bring you a new FREE serial fiction called Emrys Amara. This is a fully illustrated graphic novella and I’ll post new chapters regularly.  Please be aware the story is gay fiction and certain chapters will contain images of a homoerotic nature.  If you’re easily offended, please don’t click the link.  Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it as a gift from me to you, and a thank you for everyone who has stuck by me and supported during my time away from writing.

CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE AND TWO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What was it that made me think Dean was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with?  If I take my mind back a couple of years, to before the wedding, it seems as if my recollections of happiness are clouded.  There must have been a time when Dean’s arms made me happy and his words brought me comfort.  Now his arms repel me and his voice sets my nerves on edge.  I honestly don’t believe I’m the one who changed.  I’ve tried compromise, tried to make this crumbling relationship work, and tried to bring back feelings that are a distant memory.  All Dean and I share now is a common interest in vampires.

Our interest in one particular vampire consumes all our thoughts. Dean’s only interest in Emrys is to use him as a means to destroy the rogue Amara clan.  What happens to Emrys in the process doesn’t concern him at all.  To be honest, it didn’t concern me either.  I’ve encountered enough vampires to know they’re vicious killers and will take a human life without remorse.  To track down the legendary Emrys Amara seemed an impossible feat.  Where was proof the diary held any truth?  To me it seemed fictional.  The purebred Amara’s were long gone.  Even if Emrys did exist at one point, even if he had been left behind to fend for himself, I doubted a child vampire could have lasted long alone.  Either way, I didn’t care.  No vampire deserves to walk the same earth as a human.  They all should be destroyed.  That was what I believed.

I also believed Dean was the man for me.  I believed our marriage would ensure I’d never be alone.  I’d always be safe, I’d always feel wanted, loved, and respected.  The arguments are continuous.  All I see in his brown eyes is contempt.  I’ll probably never understand what made Dean change.  It was like I slipped the wedding band on his finger and it unlocked every vice he’d kept hidden up until then.  I’ve kept up appearances for friends and relatives, but my marriage is a miserable sham.

I knew if I walked out of the bedroom this time there was a good chance I’d never walk back in.  Night after night, since we found Emrys, I’ve done the same thing.  I’ve walked away from the fights and into the company of a vampire.  I hear Dean’s spiteful words ringing in my ears as I walk out the door.  He’s not centuries old, Matthew, he’s been sixteen for centuries. He’ll always be sixteen.  You’re sick for fantasising about a child.

A vampire’s embrace usually leads to one grisly outcome for a human.  I’ve kept a respectable distance during the many hours I’ve spent with Emrys.  My distance has nothing to do with fears of death.  I’m not frightened by the sharp little fangs that press against his bottom lip when he smiles.  I’m not intimidated by the white skin and pale eyes.  All I see when I look at Emrys is the ethereal beauty he was famous for.  His voice soothes me.  His conversation engages me.  His pale, icy eyes look deep into my soul.  My frozen heart is warmed knowing he’s near me.  I’ve fallen in love with a vampire.

The distance I’ve kept from Emrys is due to my fear of Dean’s words — He’s not centuries old, Matthew, he’s been sixteen for centuries. He’ll always be sixteen.  You’re sick for fantasising about a child.

 

Emrys Amara © Zathyn Priest
This quick fiction was written for the image and inspired by a WIP.  It may or may not be included in the finished story.

 

Thought I’d make a comment about a post I read about Zachary Huston (on Kiernan Kelly’s FB page) being told to ‘tone it down’ to stop himself being a target for school bullies.  This is outrageous enough when the victim is told to change and not the aggressor/s.

One of the things I’ve heard often over the years – and not just from homophobes – is in regards to the way some gay males speak.  Specifically the ‘gay accent’.  Sure, a lot of gay guys play up to this, I won’t deny that.  I used to know a guy who was over the top with it when in the company of others and wasn’t as camp sounding all the time.  Most of the time, though, the gay accent is not put on and it is bloody difficult to change it.  You may as well ask someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language to drop their French, German, or whatever accent.

This is something I’ve had personal experience with.  When I hit puberty, and my voice changed, I started noticing my gay accent way stronger than I’d noticed it before.  To the point it became quite distressing for me.  I didn’t want to sound like a raving queen, but I did.  I hated speaking to people because I despised it so much.  It wasn’t a choice and I certainly wasn’t putting the accent on.  Many guys aren’t at all worried about it and, like I said, some even accentuate it.  For me, I wanted to curb it as much as possible.  That was a personal choice of mine.  I never did manage to curb it completely.

It took about three years of continuous effort.  It meant being aware of inflections, of making a conscious effort to drop the pitch of my voice, of taking stock of the way I pronounced different words, etc.  Naturally, as I got older, my voice deepened anyway and I’m lucky enough to have a husky quality to it now that can counteract some of the accent.  Even now, when I speak, I make that conscious effort to keep the accent to a minimum.  To ask a teenage kid to tone down his behaviour – and I’d make a bet his voice and way of speaking was one thing they expect him to change – is not only out of line, it’s nigh on impossible unless he’s put through rigorous voice coaching.  The gay accent isn’t something fabricated by gay men.  I don’t know the reason why some of us speak with it.  I just know that it isn’t done deliberately.

It just goes to show the ignorance still around in regards to gay issues.  Again, we’re the ones expected to change or told we speak, act, behave in a way that is a choice rather than something innate.  Zachary Huston shouldn’t have to change who he is to avoid being beaten by Neanderthals.  The Neanderthals are the ones who should have to change to behave like decent human beings.