Today’s Rainbow Snippets pic is in honour of family, so here’s a snippet from a short story of mine, Dead Shot, illustrating some of the joys of family life… 😉

Our narrator, Peter, has taken his nephew to the park and shown him how to make a bow and arrows. Then he made the mistake of closing his eyes for five minutes…

Even before the wail of “Uncle Peeeeter!” was ringing in my ears I’d jumped up from the bench. I legged it over to where I could see Kevin, a frisky-looking border collie and, last but not least, a tall, dark-haired bloke rubbing his right buttock.

You didn’t have to be a genius to work out what had happened. “Kevin! Did you shoot this man in the…” I stopped there. It was daft, really, I knew Kevin knew all the words, and he knew I knew, but I still didn’t like to use them in front of him.

“Arse?” the stranger suggested.

Kevin sniggered.

***

Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors.

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A lovely man from UPS has just delivered my author copies of Shamwell Tales #1 & #4 – Caught! in its snazzy new Riptide cover, and the totally new Spun!, due out 5th June and 3rd July respectively:

*pets them*

And here’s a peek inside Spun! – is that teddy bear cute or what?

(And yes, for those who’ve read Out!, that’s Gregory *g*)

My novella Raising the Rent is out today in 2nd edition on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

Today’s snippet comes, of course, from today’s re-release, To Love a Traitor,

Our hero George – under his real name of Roger –  has just started a new job and is getting to know his colleagues. He’s already been thrown off balance by having one of them recognise him as a fellow conscientious objector who did time in the same prison, and now this:

“I’m only glad,” Miss Smith said thoughtfully and with odd deliberation, “that my son was too young to fight. I shouldn’t have liked him to go through what your generation did.”

Roger started. “I’m so sorry—I’ve been addressing you incorrectly all morning. I thought you said your name was Miss Smith.”

“It is,” she said coolly, looking him straight in the eye.

Good God, Roger thought a touch hysterically. A brace of conchies and an unmarried mother—what next? Would the tea lady turn out to be a former brothel madame fallen upon hard times, and the messenger boys, Piccadilly renters? He took a deep breath. “And what does your son do now?”

“Mr. Forrester was kind enough to give him a job here,” she said with a smile. “As a messenger boy.”

***

Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors.

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and in paperback by the end of May

I’m delighted to say my 2017 EPIC award finalist, historical romance To Love a Traitor is back on the virtual shelves. Set in the aftermath of the First World War, it has a brooding new cover and features a Room 40 veteran trying to uncover a wartime traitor – while falling for the very man he suspects:

and in paperback by the end of May

*and for a limited time only, it’s 20% off at JMS Books! 

Happy Saturday, Snippeteers! Posting late because I was at the cinema watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 – definitely recommended viewing. 🙂

This week’s snippet is once again from Wake Up Call, my new release set in Riptide’s shared world of Porthkennack – but this time, Dev’s not joking about sex; he’s made a move – and it could be about to succeed:

Kyle was about to tell him no—but to hell with it. It was just sex, wasn’t it? It didn’t have to mean anything. And he was so bloody tired of not living. What could it hurt, to give in, to take a bit of physical pleasure when it was offered? What had Dev said? Nothing here was real. In a couple of weeks, Dev would be back in London, laughing with his mates over the weird bloke he’d slept with on holiday. And that was for the best.

The thought of it was like a knife in his chest—but then Dev stepped forward, took Kyle’s face in his hands, and kissed him, and Kyle buried the pain under an avalanche of desire.

***

Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors.

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Wake Up Call

South London mechanic Devan Thompson has gone to Porthkennack to track down someone he’s been waiting all his life to know. But Dev’s distracted from his quest by Kyle, a broodingly handsome local of only a few months, who’s already got a reputation as an alcoholic because of his strange behaviour—including a habit of collapsing in the street.

Kyle Anthony fled to Porthkennack to escape from the ruins of his life. Still raging against his diagnosis of narcolepsy—a condition that’s cost him his job as a barrister, his lover, and all chance of normality—the last thing he wants is another relationship that’s doomed to fail. But Dev’s easygoing acceptance and adaptability, not to mention his good looks, have Kyle breaking all his self-imposed rules.

When disaster strikes Dev’s adored little sister, Kyle steps up to the plate, and Dev sees a side of his lover he wasn’t prepared for: competent, professional—and way out of Dev’s league. With one man determined that they don’t have a future and the other fearing it, life after Porthkennack is starting to look bleak for both of them.

Riptide  | Amazon |Kobo UK | Smashwords

I am chuffed as a chuffed thing to announce that Muscling Through is now available for the first time in paperback from Amazon, a few days earlier than advertised!
It will be appearing in print at other retailers over the next month or so. I’m thrilled to bits to see Al and Larry out in actual tangible book form, and can’t wait to get my hands on my author copies! 😀

This week’s snippet is once again from Wake Up Call, my new release set in Riptide’s shared world of Porthkennack – and once again, Dev’s showing a talent for saying the wrong thing! 😉

Kyle woke up to find Dev sprawled at the other end of the sofa, flicking through TV channels with one hand while texting with the other.

Great. Some host he was being. “Sorry,” he said, his mouth unpleasantly dry. “Have I been asleep long?”

Dev turned to give him a blinding smile. “Nah, just over an hour. Don’t worry. The sex was brilliant.”

Kyle froze, and Dev’s expression turned stricken.

“Shit. That wasn’t funny, was it? Sorry, mate. Wasn’t thinking.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket. “You want me to go?”

***

Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors.

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Wake Up Call

South London mechanic Devan Thompson has gone to Porthkennack to track down someone he’s been waiting all his life to know. But Dev’s distracted from his quest by Kyle, a broodingly handsome local of only a few months, who’s already got a reputation as an alcoholic because of his strange behaviour—including a habit of collapsing in the street.

Kyle Anthony fled to Porthkennack to escape from the ruins of his life. Still raging against his diagnosis of narcolepsy—a condition that’s cost him his job as a barrister, his lover, and all chance of normality—the last thing he wants is another relationship that’s doomed to fail. But Dev’s easygoing acceptance and adaptability, not to mention his good looks, have Kyle breaking all his self-imposed rules.

When disaster strikes Dev’s adored little sister, Kyle steps up to the plate, and Dev sees a side of his lover he wasn’t prepared for: competent, professional—and way out of Dev’s league. With one man determined that they don’t have a future and the other fearing it, life after Porthkennack is starting to look bleak for both of them.

a genuine treat  – Publishers Weekly

Available now in ebook and paperback:

Riptide  | Amazon |Kobo UK | Smashwords