JL Merrow

Hurrah! It’s my turn up on the UK Meet Blog, with the fourth thrilling instalment of the UK Meet organisers’ campfire tale!

Here’s Liam’s introduction to it all:
"This is a blog story the five Spice Girls organisers of UK Meet are writing together. I shamelessly stole this idea from the Festival of Romance where they explained it was taken from the tradition of telling stories around a camp fire. This may be a mess as we all write very differently, but I’m hoping it’s a bit of fun. Do please share this by RTing, facebooking, blogging to spread the word to other writers and readers about UK Meet 2014 in Bristol."

You can find my chapter on the UK Meet Blog here: http://ukglbtfictionmeet.co.uk/2014/02/11/uk-meet-2014-blog-story-part-46-j-l-merrow/ (you’ll find links to previous chapters there too)

but before you go, here are a few terms non-UK peeps might possibly find useful!

Northern English  to Soft Southern Nance English

A Translation Guide

Soft Southern Nance/ Southern Jessie: An awfully nice chap from the Home Counties

Summat: Something

T’pub: The wine bar

That mithered: Fearfully concerned

Ginnel: Dark, narrow passage; penetrate at own risk (Oo-er!)

Baht’at: Without a hat

Ilkley Moor: Somewhere Northern, and therefore a bit nippy. Headgear advisable.

Nancying about: Engaging in unmanly pursuits

Go to the foot of our stairs!: Gosh! I am surprised.

Want to find out more about Fake Geek Guy Jez? I’ve interviewed him over at The Novel Approach – don’t forget to leave a comment there for an entry in the prize draw!  

…why not celebrate with me on the It’s All Geek to Me blog tour? There will be prizes!

The blog tour kicks off today at Mrs Condit & Friends, where I’m talking about the setting for Geek – and how I shamelessly stole the location of a friend’s book launch! Come and leave a comment on the tour post for a chance to win!

Giveaway: all commenters on the blog tour will be entered into a draw to win an ebook of their choice from my backlist, plus a $10 Amazon gift certificate. A winner will be chosen randomly on Monday, 17^th February, 2014. Good luck!

Watch out for future posts on the tour – details here.

It’s All Geek to Me

Jez is on a mission of mercy: to replace a tragically deceased comic book for his injured best mate, Tel. Venturing into the temple of geekdom itself, the Hidden Asteroid bookstore in London, Jez is bowled over by the guy behind the counter.

Rhys is the poster boy for hot geeks: tall, gorgeous, and totally cool. Jez is desperate to impress Rhys, but lacking in confidence after a bad break-up, so he bluffs his way through the comic book jargon—then dashes back to the hospital to beg Tel to teach him how to speak Geek.

Tel’s happy to oblige, and Jez is over the moon when Rhys asks him out. He’s even more thrilled when they discover a shared love of rugby, something he won’t have to fake for Rhys. The question is, how long can Jez keep up the deception—and what will happen when Rhys realizes he’s going out with Fake Geek Guy?

Now available in ebook:                  Riptide | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

…over at RJ Scott’s blog today!

RJ challenged us to come up with our most romantic excerpts – before you click, can you guess which book I pulled mine from?  I wonder if you’ll agree with my choice! 

No prizes for guessing, but all commenters on the post at RJ’s blog will be entered into a draw to win a copy of an ebook from my backlist – winner’s choice. As I’ll be making the draw on Tuesday 11^th (round about lunchtime, GMT) this will also include my Monday release It’s All Geek to Me.

Watch out for the other posts on the trail – there are plenty more giveaways to come! Good luck!

JL Merrow’s humor was just spot on in this fast-paced sweet tale of two men who both think that being who they are in real life just isn’t interesting enough…It’s All Geek To Me is a well written, funny bit of romance that will serve to remind you of just how talented this author is at writing interesting characters who get into the craziest of situations – 5 stars, Sammy, The Novel Approach

It’s lovely when you read a review by someone who really seems to “get” what you were aiming for with a book.

Want a chance of a free book? Then hie thee hence to Hearts on Fire Reviews, where those lovely people are running a giveaway of an e-copy of Relief Valve. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave a comment on the giveaway post at Hearts on Fire, here.  ETA: Draw closes 14th Feb.

Good luck!

If you dig up the past, be prepared to get dirty

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing since plumber Tom Paretski and P.I. Phil Morrison became connected at the heart, if not always at Tom’s dodgy hip. Neither of their families has been shy about voicing their disapproval, which hasn’t helped Tom’s uneasy relationship with his prickly older sister, Cherry.

But when Cherry is poisoned at her own engagement party, the horror of her near death has Tom’s head spinning with possible culprits. Is it her fiancé Gregory, a cathedral canon with an unfortunate manner and an alarming taste for taxidermy? Someone from her old writers’ circle, which she left after a row? Or could the attack be connected to her work as a barrister?

Phil is just as desperate to solve the case before someone ends up dead—and he fears it could be Tom. At least one of their suspects has a dark secret to hide, which makes Tom’s sixth sense for finding things like a target painted on his back…

Warning: Contains a strong, silent, macho PI; a cheeky, chirpy, cat-owning plumber; and a gag gift from beyond the grave that’ll put the cat firmly among the pigeons.

Due out from Samhain Publishing 25th March 2014.

And it’s a five-star one!

I liked the first book Pressure Head but I absolutely adored this awesome sequel Relief Valve… Besides the humor and just plain lightness and fun of this story, I finally got what I felt was missing from the first book, more of Tom and Phil’s relationship.Phil is still a bit tight-lipped but now I’m sure he’s the right one for Tom…I can absolutely recommend Relief Valve to everyone who’s read Pressure Head and to those who haven’t yet, you really need to – 5 stars, Mandy, Hearts on Fire Reviews

A lovely boost for me as I work on #3 in the series, Heat Trap.

Shop early for Valentine’s Day!

Spread the Love – Seven Romantic and Erotic Lesbian Stories

Out now from Ylva Publishing:

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Ylva

Learning to Ride by Fletcher DeLancey
“They say that riding a bike is as easy as falling in love: you never really forget how. Or is it the other way around?”
Spider Lines by Lois Cloarec Hart
Kris loves Sandy, her workaholic partner of 14 years, but lately she’s been feeling lonely and neglected. A trip to a local gym inspires Kris to take up climbing, both as a fitness challenge and as a way to feel again the passion that her long-term relationship seems to have lost. With a fit young teacher eager to impart the benefit of her experience, will Kris’ new-found ardour for the sport extend to her climbing instructor?
Black and Blue by Erzabet Bishop
How long do you wait for the one you love?
Book store manager Julie has a problem. Day after day and shift after shift, she obsesses about the gorgeous woman who frequents her store and soon worms her way into her heart. But can Julie wait for Grace to see her as more than just a friend?
Grace is fighting for her life. Cancer and an abusive boyfriend drive her to the bookstore for escape, where she meets Julie. The two form a friendship based on love and support, but soon Grace has to make a choice. Will she live the life she is meant to live, or will she let the threat of domestic violence kill her before her cancer has a chance to?
Soft Hands and Hard Hats by JL Merrow
When first-time potholer Han takes a trip down Yorkshire’s Gaping Gill, she doesn’t expect to be hit by a crippling attack of claustrophobia—or to meet a dark-skinned beauty in a hard hat who’s more than willing to hold her hand.
Experienced caver Kim may seem calm and collected in the pitch-black underground, but it turns out she’s got fears of her own. Maybe, though, two can be braver than one.
Touch of the Traakyn by Sandra Barret
Reconstructive surgery gave space marine Jolyne cyber prosthetics controlled by the latest neural implants, but it will take more to make her whole again.
Red Hot Neighbour by T.M. Croke
In a maze of moving boxes and warm memories, Peyton flashes back to the day her neighbour, Lillian, came into her home and her life, bringing her an apple pie and leaving with her heart.
Smoke and Swans by Alisha Kelley
Sarah lives a carefree life of casual hook-ups and free caffeine. That is until she meets Josie, a shy, intriguing young woman with a hidden passion that piques her curiosity.

Yep, my upcoming release It’s All Geek to Me is up for grabs over at Stumbling Over Chaos! For a chance to win a FREE copy, just comment on the post here. Good luck!

And here’s the blurb:

Jez is on a mission of mercy: to replace a tragically deceased comic book for his injured best mate, Tel. Venturing into the temple of geekdom itself, the Hidden Asteroid bookstore in London, Jez is bowled over by the guy behind the counter.

Rhys is the poster boy for hot geeks: tall, gorgeous, and totally cool. Jez is desperate to impress Rhys, but lacking in confidence after a bad break-up, so he bluffs his way through the comic book jargon—then dashes back to the hospital to beg Tel to teach him how to speak Geek.

Tel’s happy to oblige, and Jez is over the moon when Rhys asks him out. He’s even more thrilled when they discover a shared love of rugby, something he won’t have to fake for Rhys. The question is, how long can Jez keep up the deception—and what will happen when Rhys realizes he’s going out with Fake Geek Guy?

Due out from Riptide Publishing 10th February 2014 and available to pre-order now.

Also coming soon:

If you’d like to win a copy of my Iceland-set contemporary romance with intrigue and added amnesia, head on over to Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews where they’re offering a giveaway! Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter thingummy, and good luck!

I loved the whole idea of this book and it kept me totally enthralled from beginning to end. The plot and the setting were both very original and the characters felt real and tangible – 4 stars, Mark Wills, Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews