JL Merrow

Those lovely people at Riptide have organised a blog tour to celebrate the release of Lovers Leap, and it’s packed with posts!

Stops so far:

February 29, 2016 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

February 29, 2016 – AReCafe – where I talk about my beloved Isle of Wight, the setting for Lovers Leap, and my writing plans for the rest of the year

February 29, 2016 – The Novel Approach – where I wax lyrical about Leap Year traditions, and an extraordinary manual for unmarried women!

Giveaway

Leave a comment on any of the blog tour posts for a chance to win $29 in Riptide credit.

Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 5, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries.

Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

And happy birthday to all the leaplings out there.

Blimey, there’s a lot going on today. Lovers Leap is now out in ebook, paperback and audiobook:

If they looked, would they ever leap?

Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.

Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.

Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.

Merrow (Out!) delivers a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek tale full of memorable secondary characters, romantic chemistry, and local scenery. The writing has a British sensibility in its dry humor, and the satisfying story bounces between zany and sweet – Publishers Weekly

Available in  ebook and paperback:   Riptide  | Amazon

Also available in Audiobook, narrated by Mark Steadman:

Amazon | Audible

And for your further reading pleasure, both Samhain and Amber Quill have Leap Day Sales on! 40% off ebooks at Samhain, and a whopping 60% off at Amber! Get ‘em while it’s still leap day!

Oh, I had trouble choosing which snippet to post today—only 2 days to go to release day for Lovers Leap!

In this little snippet, Michael has just been kicked out of his hotel (that’s the bit I nearly posted) and gone back to Rufus’s parents’ B&B to get a room there, leading to a certain amount of embarrassment for Rufus, seeing as his dad and stepmum are now home…

Michael crossed the hallway to Rufus’s door. Should he knock?

Nah. Michael opened the door and walked straight in.

For a moment, he thought the room was empty. Then he realised that what had seemed at first glance to be an unmade bed with the duvet left in a heap, was actually an occupied bed with someone hiding under the duvet. Michael grinned.

Then he leaped.

There was a muffled, “Argh!”

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

Lovers Leap is due out February 29th from Riptide:
If they looked, would they ever leap?
Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.

Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.

Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.

Available to pre-order:   Riptide  | Amazon

Only 2 days until release day for Lovers Leap – I’m so excited! And here to whet your appetite is an exclusive excerpt over at Heroes & Heartbreakers  – check it out here. 😀

I’m especially thrilled about this, because Riptide were lovely enough to involve me at the audition stage of selecting a narrator. I’m absolutely delighted to say that Mark Steadman, as well as being a native Brit and therefore not having to struggle with the accent, really seemed to “get” the characters and the humour. 😀

I’ve got a few free audible codes to give away, so I’ll be running a competition to win one at some point, but if you’d like to pre-order, you can do so here:

Amazon | Audible

Following on from last week’s snippet from Lovers Leap: Rufus has taken the dripping wet Michael back home to his parents’ B&B to get him out of those wet clothes. Despite all indications to the contrary, things eventually progress in a manner suited to one of Rufus’s wilder fantasies. Michael loves him—and leaves him. But he does at least leave his phone number…

It felt like a dream. Had it even happened? He moved, and felt a twinge in his arse that said yes, yes it had. And when he got out of bed, his carpet was wet, there was a definite whiff of seawater in the air underneath the reek of sex, and as a clincher, the mirror above the tiny washbasin in his room showed an eleven-figure number scrawled on his forehead. Rufus looked at the pen still in his hand.

It was a permanent marker.

Oh, buggering bollocks.

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

Lovers Leap is due out February 29th from Riptide:

If they looked, would they ever leap?

Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.

Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.

Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.

Want to hear about the real-life events* that inspired my mm werewolf novel, Midnight in Berlin? Then hop on over to Rick R Reed’s blog where I’m guesting on his Wednesday karma spot.

*We’re not talking actual werewolves here, mind. There are no real werewolves** in Berlin.

**Probably.

The lovely Chris at Stumbling Over Chaos is offering a free e-copy of Lovers Leap for one lucky winner – just comment on the giveaway post to be in with a chance. Good luck!

Lovers Leap

If they looked, would they ever leap?

Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.

Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.

Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.

Merrow (Out!) delivers a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek tale full of memorable secondary characters, romantic chemistry, and local scenery. The writing has a British sensibility in its dry humor, and the satisfying story bounces between zany and sweet – Publishers Weekly

Due out from Riptide Publishing 29th February 2016

Available to pre-order:   Riptide | Amazon

…and nine other short stories from British crime writers, including Charlie Cochrane!

Capital Crimes is now FREE on Kindle.

‘A rich and varied assortment of dark minds and dark deeds. Deliciously disturbing.’ Peter James -2015 Voted by WH Smith readers The Best Crime Author Of All Time

“For anyone whose literary tastes run to the dark and the twisty, CAPITAL KILLS is a damn near perfect taster menu.” – Simon Toyne – international bestselling author of the Sanctus trilogy

Contains my story The Drag Queen Wore Red, a short story in the Plumber’s Mate Mystery series (set between Heat Trap and Blow Down)

Slightly psychic plumber Tom Paretski and his sister visit London Pride – but crime is never far away! For some, passions are running hotter than the very un-British weather, and Tom finds himself once more at a crime scene when a drag queen is stabbed in a Soho street.

I have no idea how long this offer will last, so grab your copy while it’s free!

Following on from last week’s snippet from Lovers Leap: Rufus has taken the dripping wet Michael back home to his parents’ B&B to lend him some dry clothes. This, by the way, is the scene that sparked the whole novel: I read a story that used the “we must get you out of those wet clothes” strangers-meet-and-then-get-frisky trope and couldn’t help thinking, yes, fine as a fantasy—but how would it really go?

It’s Michael, who’s just stripped off, speaking at the start:

“Oi. Are you perving on my dick?”

Rufus’s face, which, let’s—hah—face it, had been feeling pretty warm already, went red-hot. “No.” It was possibly the least convincing lie he’d ever told. In a long, sad line of unconvincing lies that went all the way back to “No, I never play with dollies.”

“You’re perving on my dick, aren’t you? Jesus. Here I am, only seconds away from near-death of hypothermia, chafed so bad I practically need a skin graft, and you’re perving on my bloody dick.”

That was totally unfair. Rufus wasn’t just perving on his dick.

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

Lovers Leap is due out February 29th from Riptide:

If they looked, would they ever leap?
Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.

Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.

Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.