JL Merrow

Have just signed renewal contracts for two of my old Torquere Sips: Good Company, and Epiphany, and it got me thinking about themes I return to—and those I don’t.  Gray and Vinnie from Epiphany, for example, are a mis-matched couple, with Vinnie a body-builder who’s a little short on education, whereas Gray’s smaller, slighter and smarter.  As such, they’re in many ways a proto Al and Larry from Muscling Through.  Then again, they’re very much their own people.

For those who’d like to compare and contrast, here’s a snippet from Epiphany, where Gray and Vinnie meet on a New York street:

“Hey, ya lost?” I call out. “Maybe I can help get you where you’re going.”

“Er, thank you,” he says. He’s got kind of a stutter, but not quite, you know? Not that Jesus-H-Christ-I-will-get-this-fucking-word-out-if-it-kills-me kind of stutter that always makes you feel real bad about making the poor asshole talk, just a hint of the first letter of a word coming out a little shy.

And he’s British, so yeah, he’s got that whole Hugh Grant thing going on. I feel like telling him if he wants head I’m way better than some two-bit LA hooker. But maybe he won’t get the reference. He’s kinda young.

“Where are you headed for?”

“Central Park,” he says, looking up at me from underneath his bangs. “I think I can make it back to my hotel from there.”

“Man, you’re way outta your way here,” I tell him. Ah, screw it. “You’re probably better off gettin’ a cab.”

“It’s that far?” Damn if he don’t look disappointed.

“Hell, I don’t mind walking if you don’t!”

“You’d show me the way? That’s awfully k-kind of you. I’m, er, Graham.” He holds out his cute little hand and I take it in mine, careful not to crush it.

“Vinnie. Pleased to meet you, Gray.”

“No one’s ever called me that before,” he says, but he’s looking kinda pleased.

“This your first time in New York, Gray?”

“Is it that obvious? Yes. Everything’s so, well, big here.” I kinda like the way he looks across at me as he says it.

And here’s a smidge of Muscling Through, where Al and Larry meet down a Cambridge alley:

I got caught short on the way home, so I stopped to have a wazz in the street. I mean, I checked to make sure there wasn’t no one there before I got my cock out. I didn’t want to shock no one.

But it took a while, ’cause I’d had a few pints, so by the time I was almost finished, this bloke had turned into the street. I could hear his footsteps, so I looked up, ’cause I didn’t want no one sneaking up on me when I had my cock out, and there he was. I mean, it was Larry, but I didn’t know that then. I just saw this really pretty guy in a posh suit. He had browny-blond hair, like straw that’s been left out in the rain—I don’t mean it was messy or nothing, it was just that mix of colours, like it couldn’t make its mind up if it wanted to be yellow or brown. And his face was kind of delicate, and he was really little. Way shorter than me. Skinny too. I like them skinny. And he was looking at my cock. So I smiled at him, ’cause he was pretty, and then I zipped up and headed his way. Which was my way home, I mean. I wasn’t planning to make a pass or nothing, ’cause I could tell he was too posh for me.

“Shit,” he said, and he started backing up like he was scared or something. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

I wasn’t sure what he was on about, so I smiled again. He looked like he was about to piss himself, and I didn’t like it, you know? It’s not right, people being scared like that. “You look like you’re about to piss yourself,” I told him when I got close.

“Shit,” he said again, and he sort of leaned against the wall and closed his eyes like he wasn’t feeling well, so I stopped and leaned over him.

“You should let me take you home,” I said, ’cause I was worried he might not make it on his own. “Nice-looking bloke like you, stuff could happen. You meet all sorts on these streets. I saw a bloke getting the crap beat out of him last week just a couple of streets from here.”

Turning to Good Company – well, this one’s an age-gap romance between a Northern car dealer and a cheeky Southern lad who’s hitchhiking up to Scotland. I’ve got a soft spot for this one: it was my first published story.  But I’m darned if I can see any recurrence of themes, unless you count the whole opposites-attract thing.   It’s not even in first person!  *g* All right, I’ll confess: there’s a hitchhiking scene at the start of my WIP Feathers – but trust me, there’s nothing else the two have in common!

Here’s where Aidan and John meet in Good Company:

“Well, come on lad; get in, if you’re getting in. I’m not hanging round all day.”

Aidan pulled himself together and grabbed his rucksack hurriedly. “Sorry mate. Didn’t reckon you’d’ve stopped for me.”

“See some other bugger hitch-hiking, do you?”

Aidan grinned, slinging his pack in the back and climbing into the passenger seat of the Merc. “Nah. ‘S not what I meant. It’s the posh car and all. Usually it’s the truckers what stop.”

“Oh aye? You want to watch out, good-looking lad like you. Get some nasty sorts picking up young boys on roundabouts.” The bloke was giving Aidan a look, as if he was flirting or something, but it wasn’t threatening. Aidan knew threatening when he saw it. He gave the bloke one of his cheekiest grins.

“Takes one to know one, does it?”

“Pure as the driven snow, I am.” Yeah, this bloke was definitely flirting. Aidan gave him a frank stare. He was older than Aidan – could have been nearly his dad’s age, assuming the old bastard hadn’t managed to drink himself to death yet. Nice smile. Broad in the shoulders, but far as Aidan could tell from inside the car, not too tall. Just how he liked them, really, although it made his chest hurt a bit to think it. Still, flirting back wouldn’t cost him nothing and if he did it right the bloke might buy him a burger at the services. After all, he had to be loaded if the Merc was anything to go by.

“So, you nick this thing, or win the lottery?” he challenged, smiling.

“Neither, you cheeky young bugger. Earned it with the sweat of my brow.”

“Yeah? Don’t see a right lot of navvies with Mercs, generally.”

The bloke laughed. “Them buggers aren’t doing it right. So, where are you heading, lad?”

“Glasgow.”

Sandy-coloured eyebrows rose. “Long way to go just hitching lifts, lad. We’re hardly past Watford Gap. Started out a bit late, didn’t you?”

Aidan shrugged, sinking down into the leather seat. “Yeah, well, I’m not in a hurry. And me mate reckoned truckers’d be more likely to pick me up on the night runs. Reckons they get lonely, or something. So how far can you take me, then?”

The bloke grinned, making the corners of his eyes crinkle up. “Depends. Get on my tits and you’ll be out on your arse before we get to the M6. Name’s John, by the way.”

If you’d like to know more about the guys, you can find the info here (and there’s a free sequel to Good Company here).

If you fancy a copy of Pricks and Pragmatism, head on over to Jessewave’s blog for a chance to win a copy – but be quick!  Not sure when they’re doing the draw, but it’s likely to be in the next day or two.

If you’d like a chance to read Muscling Through for free, go to Stumbling Over Chaos and leave a comment – you’ve got until 7 pm CDT, Monday, July 18 for this one.

And there’s still time to enter for a free copy of Tea and Crumpet here!

Phew! I think that’s all of them!

I’ll confess, The Romance Studio is a new site to me – but they seemed to like Sex, Lies and Edelweiss! 

This novella has quite a few twists in its plot and it kept me riveted from the start…I loved it! Simon and Matt were so sweet together – 5 hearts from The Romance Studio.

(And it’s not even out yet! *g*)

Five stars from Jessewave!

The romance was well paced, imaginative, incredibly funny, hot, and so heartfelt and sensitive in the way that Larry and Al dealt with their own insecurities I marvelled at the author’s skill in writing such well crafted characters…I can’t express how much I adored it.

You can read the full review here.

Hurrah!  Recently Josephine Myles, Alex Beecroft, Charlie Cochrane, Clare London and I were interviewed by Wave about our role as acquisitions team and editors for Tea and Crumpet – and the interview is now up on Wave’s blog!

  So if you’d like to know a bit more about where this celebration of all things queer and British comes from – and for a chance to win a copy – head on over to Wave’s blog, where we’ll all be popping along later to answer comments!

For those of you not on Goodreads: the m/m romance group is doing a series of FREE stories by m/m authors posting throughout the summer, called Hot Summer Days.  (You’ll have to join the group to see them, as it’s strictly for over 18s.  And be aware that they are very, very fond of NSFW images!)  Over one hundred authors are involved, including some HUGE names, and the total word count is over a million!  *is staggered*

And yesterday, my story posted!  It’s called Bear Naked, and is based on an adorably sweet picture-and-letter prompt provided by one of the group members. 

Summary: Hal’s a shy guy who’s never had a boyfriend – and now he’s on vacation in a gay resort.  A gay nudist resort. How’s he going to survive the week?  Hell, with the cute guy sitting opposite him, both of them in their birthday suits and Hal with only his cereal bowl for a loincloth, how’s he going to survive breakfast?

You can read it here – but watch out for the NSFW image at the top!

Yes, it’s finally out!  Available from JMS Books in paperback or ebook.

Raise your rainbow umbrellas high and celebrate!

Enjoy this enchanting, entertaining and thought-provoking collection, a heartfelt expression of what it means to be queer in Britain, past and present. All these stories reflect the iconic sights and national character of the British Isles: a taste of our idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, but also an unashamed representation of the love, loyalty and laughter of our people.

Contributors include: Alex Beecroft, Jennie Caldwell, Stevie Carroll, Charlie Cochrane, Lucy Felthouse, Elin Gregory, Mara Ismine, Clare London, Anna Marie May, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, Zahra Owens, Jay Rookwood, Chris Smith, Stevie Woods, Lisa Worrall, and Serena Yates. Edited by: UK MAT (UK Meet Acquisitions Team).

And here’s a little snippet of my story, Good Breeding, a light-hearted look at that most British of preoccupations, class:

"Mummy," Giles said next morning, hovering by the Aga as his mother did something complicated with the pressure cooker, "am I a snob?" He’d made sure Oz was safely occupied with the PS3 and out of earshot.

His mother turned, a picture of elegance as always. He’d spent many happy hours, as a child, trying on her wardrobe of frothy chiffon dresses and crisp linen jackets. And the shoes… High ones, and low ones. Shoes of every style and hue, some of them custom-dyed to match particular outfits. Delicate strappy sandals, and cheeky little peep-toed courts… Really, it was quite astonishing that it’d taken him until he was seventeen to realise he was gay. The fact that his mother had given him tickets for a Kylie Minogue concert for his birthday—and suggested he invite a rather nice young boy who worked at her hairdresser’s to go along with him—should probably have given him a clue, too.

"Darling, you’re our son and we love you unconditionally," she said, laying a kiss on the top of his head.

Giles sighed into her Chanel-scented bosom. "That’s a yes, isn’t it?"

"I’m afraid so, Giles. We’ve known for some time, but I think your father’s still hoping it’s just a phase and you’ll grow out of it."

I write deep third/first person POV pretty much all the time.  So even the describey bits of my stories are from a character’s POV – not mine.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I can’t describe anything until I know who’s looking at it.  To take a simple example, where I might see a medium-size blue car with a baby-on-board sticker in the back window, my male character might see a three-year-old Citroen with some damage to the rear bumper. 

But what if I’m writing from the POV of a racist character? Or a homophobic one?

Should I still describe the setting, the other characters from that person’s POV, prejudices and all? 

Isn’t there a danger those prejudiced views will be ascribed to me, the author?

And in case you’re in any doubt, the answer to that is, Yes.  It’s happened.

So what do I do about it?

Delighted to say that Dulce et Decorum Est has been reviewed on Speak its Name here.

Merrow writes the stiff upper lip and youthful breeziness of English young men very well. They don’t slip into stereotype either, nor wallow in too much angst or emotion, and in this it is nicely balanced…Highly recommended. – Erastes

And I’ve just heard from the editor of New Sun Rising that my story Ice Maiden will be included in the anthology.  This is a charity anthology, 100% of the proceeds of which will go to the Red Cross to aid the relief effort in Japan.

More details about the anthology when I have them! 

Camwolf may not be released until the 17th, but it’s already had its first review!

From Whipped Cream Reviews: “Camwolf is an intense and interesting werewolf tale that definitely stands out from the pack…Julian is quirky, flawed, interesting, and definitely an easy scene stealer while Nick’s more gradual change is subtle but as important. Together they make a compelling couple”

Camwolf is available to pre-order at a reduced price from Samhain Publishing here.

And to whet your appetite: download a FREE short story in the Camwolf ‘verse:

Blurb: Sex with a stranger can be riskier than you know… particularly if that stranger turns out to be a werewolf. A companion to — or appetiser for — my novel Camwolf, now available from Samhain Publishing.

Two years ago a casual encounter in Stuttgart left Carl changed forever. He thought he could handle being a werewolf—until he passed the curse on to his English lover, Nick Sewell.

Now Carl’s come back to Germany to look for answers from the man who made him a monster. But Dieter’s disappeared, and in his place Carl finds Christian, who may have as much to hide as Carl does—or even more.
Download this multformat ebook free from Smashwords.