Hello and happy Friday! It's been a bit since the last reading :o Today, we return with a excerpt from J. Scott Coatsworth's second novel in his Oberon Cycle. Lander, in the middle of its grand book tour, launched February 13. Stay with us to the end of the post for the giveaway!

Lander
Oberon Cycle 2

Dreamspinner eBook
Dreamspinner paperback
Amazon US
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
iBooks
QueeRomance Ink

Sometimes the world needs saving twice.
 
In the sequel to the Rainbow-Award-winning Skythane, Xander and Jameson thought they’d fulfilled their destiny when they brought the worlds of Oberon and Titania back together, but their short-lived moment of triumph is over.
 
Reunification has thrown the world into chaos. A great storm ravaged Xander's kingdom of Gaelan, leaving the winged skythane people struggling to survive. Their old enemy, Obercorp, is biding its time, waiting to strike. And to the north, a dangerous new adversary gathers strength, while an unexpected ally awaits them.
 
In the midst of it all, Xander’s ex Alix returns, and Xander and Jameson discover that their love for each other may have been drug-induced.
 
Are they truly destined for each other, or is what they feel concocted? And can they face an even greater challenge when their world needs them most?
 

Author Bio:
 
Scott lives between the here and now and the what could be. Indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine, he devoured her library. But as he grew up, he wondered where the people like him were.
 
He decided it was time to create the kinds of stories he couldn’t find at Waldenbooks. If there weren’t gay characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.
 
His friends say Scott’s brain works a little differently – he sees relationships between things that others miss, and gets more done in a day than most folks manage in a week. He seeks to transform traditional sci fi, fantasy, and contemporary worlds into something unexpected.
 
He runs Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink with his husband Mark, sites that bring queer people together to promote and celebrate fiction that reflects their own reality.
 
Author Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com
Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworthauthor/
Author Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jscoatsworth

Gravitational Attraction has been translated into Italian! *muppet arm flail* Up for pre-order now at Dreamspinner, releasing March 7, 2017! (For anyone curious, this title is also available in French.)

Attrazione gravitazionale
 Attirato da una misteriosa richiesta di soccorso, l’equipaggio della nave mercantile Hermes trova alla deriva nello spazio un vascello militare in apparenza vuoto. Al suo interno, sangue e resti umani imbrattano i corridoi e vi è un unico sopravvissuto, rinchiuso in una cella di custodia. L’uomo, bellissimo ma traumatizzato, attira l’attenzione dell’addetto alle comunicazioni della nave, Isaac Ozawa, che decide di prendersene cura, offrendogli la gentilezza e il calore di cui l’altro ha bisogno dopo gli orrori vissuti.

Isaac ha imparato sulla propria pelle cosa significhi essere diverso, essere un emarginato, e questo rafforza il loro legame. Un tempo pilota promettente, ha subito dei danni fisici dopo che il suo cervello non è riuscito a fondersi con l’impianto necessario a pilotare i potenti caccia della Flotta. Il cervello di Turk non è da meno. Come risultato di un esperimento militare fallito, le sue naturali capacità sono state aumentate a livelli pericolosi.
​

Quando un ammiraglio senza morale e assetato di potere rapisce Isaac, usandolo per convincere Turk a diventare l’arma catastrofica che ha sempre sognato, saranno necessari tutta la forza di Turk, l’ingegnosità dell’equipaggio della *Hermes*, l’aiuto degli enigmatici Drak’tar e la testardaggine dello stesso Isaac per riuscire a salvare l’intero universo.

Cover Artist: Anne Cain

Translator: Victor Millais                                             

Hi everyone! Recently I was privileged to be able to interview debut novelist BA Brock and talk a little bit about, you guessed it, the debut novel in question, King of the Storm. Thank you for joining us, BA!

Thanks, Angel, for having me on your blog today! I’m happy to be here.
 
1. Let’s start with the obvious – King of the Storm and subsequent books in The Godhead Epoch follow the growth and adventures of demigods from Greek legends. What attracted you to the Greek pantheon specifically? 

The Ancient Greeks had an interesting idea of sexuality, which I wanted to explore in my writing. I chose the Greek gods because they interacted with the common people. They laughed with them, cried with them, punished them, and procreated with them. That familiar mixing of the divine with humanity was supremely interesting to me, even if I gave my own interpretation of those gods a bit more of a hands-off approach.
 
2. The Godhead Epoch appears (from the blurbs) to focus on themes of destiny vs. choice. Greek heroes didn’t appear to have much choice (though, let’s face it, a lot of them bring on their own dooms by being jerks…) Do you have a personal, real life take on that theme? 

Sadly, I do not believe in destiny. Rather, I rely heavily on statistics and chaos theory. Perhaps my boring beliefs are what made the idea of writing about destiny fascinating to me, and it’s probably why my characters struggle with the idea of fate.
 
3. Do you have a series map all drawn (and if yes, how many stories?) Or do you prefer to let the current project inspire the next? 

My series isn’t chronological, nor does it focus on the same main character in each story. The series arch is about a demigod’s negotiation between their humanity and the divine, which I will explore with at least one more protagonist, but beyond that, I don’t know.
 
4. Your bio states that you first considered writing when your D&D character wanted stories told. Now, you know you can’t tell an old geek that and not expound. Can you tell us a bit about the character? 

Before Perseus was a character in my book, he was a character in my campaign in Dungeons and Dragons! I chose Perseus from legend to use as a model for my roleplaying character, because he had a flying horse. Seriously. I was always hoping my Dungeon Master would give me a horse. (He didn’t.)

I made Perseus a Paladin in D&D Next, so he could lead and tank, and I role played him a bit like Captain Jack Harkness, because that’s sort of how I envision the Greek heroes. They are confident in their abilities, they can be fun-loving, but as you said, they can also be jerks.

Roleplaying aside, when I wrote Perseus as part of a story, he emerged differently. Part of my process was giving up that idea I had from his legend, and in a way that became a minor theme, of giving up your expectations of someone, and the expectations you have of yourself.
 
5. Process – every writer has one. Sometimes we’re not even aware that we do. Are you conscious of having a process and does it change from long-form story writing to short form? 

When I come up with an idea, I write it down, sit on it, and see if it develops. Depending on how much is there, I’ll flesh it out into a longer story, or—if it’s made to evoke a certain feeling or singular idea—I’ll leave it as a flash fiction. It all depends on what the bones of the story can hold.
 
6. I really enjoy your reviews, and that sometimes authors send you work to review. How do you handle it when you’ve been sent a story and you really can’t connect to it? (Or perhaps it was terrible?) 

Thanks! I love reviewing novels, and I feel it’s a great way to give back to the community. My strategy is to never write a bad review. First reason being, what’s the point? There are so many scathing reviews out there, so why add to the drama and negativity? Also, I’m an author, so writing a bad review seems unfair, and an abuse of my position. But how do I handle it when I’m sent a story I can’t connect to, or maybe just don’t have enough to say about? Easy. I don’t write a review. It sounds blasé stated like that, and to be honest, I’ve made mistakes. It’s part of being human.
 
7. Aside from intellectual theft, what do you consider the worst sin authors commit? 

Turning on your fans, or other authors. Other authors make up a good part of your readership, and we’re all on the same team.
 
8. You’ve done both non-fiction and lit fiction writing previously. Is the new series a move away from those or do you want to continue to publish in all three venues? 

I’ll probably continue to publish in those genres. I enjoy exploring aspects of each.
 
9. Is your writing linear or episodic (from start to finish, or random scenes that eventually pull together?) And how many projects do you typically have going at a time? 

I actually wrote the last half of King of the Storm before the first, but I think I’m mostly a linear writer. However, my inspiration can be episodic. As for how many projects I have going on at one time? Let’s see. I have two projects that I’m actively working on, two stories that are half finished, and I have many story ideas that are sitting in a folder marinating. Is that normal? I don’t know. Add me to the data pool!
 
10. Do you have writerly influences you can cite? Anyone you want to be like when you grow up as a writer? 

If I could be the Matthew Woodring Stover of LGBTQ+ fiction, I’d consider that a lifetime achievement. His work is gritty and bloody and profane. I love how deep he goes into point of view, and how he challenges ideas with his satire. It’s not really something you’d think about in gay romance, but the genre is changing.

I grew up with horror and mystery novels: R. L. Stine, Christopher Pike, Patricia Cornwell, and Robert Ludlum. I still love those gory details, and frankly, I enjoy crass diction. Sex in literature makes sense to me, because it’s a part of life, but I don’t require it to be romantic. Part of me is always struggling to balance those themes, and bring them together.

Thanks again, Angel! I had a blast.
 

Our very first Story Time with Angel! Rebecca Cohen was kind enough to be the first volunteer - a little excerpt in the video and book info below :) There's magic and mayhem afoot here...

Servitude
Reagalos: Book One
By Rebecca Cohen
Amazon
All Romance
Barnes and Noble

Lornyc Reagalos, future High Lord of the city of Katraman, enjoys his life as a student, even if he has to keep his relationship with Methian Hadral, heir to the throne of Xenetra, a secret. Unfortunately, Lornyc isn’t just any royal student—he’s also the grandson of an infamous magic user named Romanus Reagalos, and his grandfather’s wild youth is about to catch up with him. Unknown to anyone else, Romanus saw fit to sign his grandson into the life of a valet. Specifically, Methian’s valet.

The contract—and the strain it puts on his relationship with Methian—is just the start of Lornyc’s troubles. Though the Reagalos family was once famous for its magic, Lornyc’s father never showed any aptitude, and Lornyc hasn’t either—though that doesn’t make the next contract, the one that says Lornyc must learn to use his latent powers, any less binding. When Lornyc learns of a plot to remove his father from power, he finds himself racing against time. If he can’t master his magic and identify the leader of the plot, he stands to lose everything he knows and loves: his parents, his rank, and Methian.

About Rebecca Cohen:

Rebecca Cohen is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and baby son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cup of Darjeeling in the other.

Find Rebecca on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.cohen.710
or visit her blog at http://rebeccacohenwrites.wordpress.com/.