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Lost In Indigo by V.L. Locey: Exclusive Guest Post, Blog Tour and Giveaway

July 13, 2018 by Denise

Mathieu Beresford was so close to seeing his dream come true.

The thirty-eight-year-old captain of the Buffalo Surge had led his team to the final round of the playoffs with his aggressive defensive play and leadership. During the first game of the championship series, he was taken down, and his leg snapped upon impact with the boards. From his hospital bed, Mathieu watched his team go on to win it all.

Adrift in anger, resentment, and the new direction of his life, he returns to his mansion along the St. Lawrence River. Alone and sulking, Mathieu is not prepared for Indigo Neu to enter his life. The genderflux twenty-year-old botany major signs on to play nursemaid, confidant, and groundskeeper over the summer and slowly leads Mathieu out of his confusion––one tender smile and touch at a time.

The deeper Mathieu falls, the more he wonders if being lost might not be so bad after all.

Cover: Designs By Sloan

Length: 70,695 words approx.

Amazon US

Hi there! My name is V.L. Locey and I’m thrilled to be here today! In case you’re not familiar with me I’m an MM romance author, primarily hockey romance, but I do also write non-sporty contemporary, paranormal, and mythological gay romances. Today we’re going to talk a bit about when I knew I wanted to write.

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I think that I always had the inkling that I was an author. Way back in the day I always loved English classes, and was the only happy student when essays or book reports had to be written. As far back as I can recall there had always been stories inside my head, I just had no idea that I could put them down and paper, let alone that people would want to read them!

What a shock that was the first time I penned a Marvel fan fiction story umpteen years ago! It was a monstrous mess of tangled grammar and sloppy punctuation – I still have comma issues – but those problems aside, people read it. And they liked it! After a few years of writing tons of fan fiction, I decided to try my hand at novel writing and I’ve never looked back. I believe that people are born creatives. They either have the love of writing, painting, dancing, making music, or any of the other creative outlets or they don’t. I’m so eternally grateful that I have a profession that I adore.

Thanks for dropping by!

Skate hard and love deeply,

V.L.

July 10 – Love By tes, We Three Queens, OMG Reads, July 12 – The Blogger Girls, Kimmer’s Erotic Book Banter, Jen’s Corner Spot, Bookaholic & Kindle, Wicked Reads, July 13 – Two Chicks Obsessed, July 14 – Katie’s Book Corner, Megan’s Media Melange, July 15 – My Fiction Nook, July 16 – Urban Smoothie Read, Xtreme Delusions, Mainely Stories, My Book Filled Life, July 18 – Wicked Faerie’s Tales, Jessie G Books, Mirrigold, Bayou Book Junkie, Lillian Francis, Making It Happen, MM Good Book Reviews, July 19 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, July 21 – Bayou Book Junkie

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, Dr. Who, Torchwood, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, two Jersey steers and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.

When not writing lusty tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand.

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Day of Wrath (Taking Shield Series Book 5) by Anna Butler: Exclusive Guest Post and Giveaway

July 13, 2018 by Denise

In less than a week, Bennet will finally return to the Shield Regiment, leaving behind the Gyrfalcon, his father, his friends… and Flynn. Promotion to Shield Major and being given command of a battle group despite the political fallout from Makepeace the year before is everything he thought he wanted. Everything he’s worked towards for the last three years. Except for leaving Flynn. He really doesn’t want to leave Flynn.

There’s time for one last flight together. A routine mission. Nothing too taxing, just savouring every moment with the best wingman, the best friend, he’s ever had. That’s the plan.

Bennet should know better than to trust to routine because what waits for them out there will change their lives forever.

Length: 106,470 words

Amazon US

Amazon UK

KOBO

Smashwords

The Bitter End

More than a decade ago, I started writing oddments—bits of scenes, action sequences, short stories—that would eventually grow into the five Taking Shield books. At that time, the idea of codifying those bits and pieces into a series telling one big story was just a twinkle in the eye and a mental ‘Someday, maybe’, but even then, I knew how the series would end. Indeed, one of those scraps of a scene held the eleven words that I thought would make the perfect last line.

A couple of months ago, I wrote “The End” at the bottom of the final page. Not just the final page of one of the books in the series, but the final page of the entire series. And I still don’t quite know what I feel about that.

Yes, I’ve only seriously worked on the series for the last four years, but it’s been a part of my writing life for at least the last ten. That’s a big chunk of time. Of course, there’s a real sense of achievement when, close to half a million words after I started, Bennet and Flynn have reached the end of their story. Not to mention the surge of relief that I did it with sanity (mostly) intact, marriage still strong and without ignoring most of my RL responsibilities to family, friends and the dogs. I’ve done it. Finished it. Bennet and Flynn have reached their final paragraph.

So. Yes. Of course I feel some elation and satisfaction. Triumph, even.

And then there’s the regret. The ‘oh no, it can’t be over!’ feeling that wells up from somewhere down near the solar plexus every time I contemplate a future without Bennet, Flynn, Caeden, Cruz, Quist… . The slight feeling I have of being rudderless, aimless, whenever I look at the Shield book covers on the wall and realise there won’t ever be another one. It is one ginormous, universe-wrenching pang of sorrow to write those final words on the last book of five, and send my boys off to editing for the very last time. I feel quite lost, actually, as if someone’s taken all my navigation computers off line. It’s a species of empty nest syndrome, I expect.

A bit of me is dancing and singing at finally finishing. Another bit is very triste and bitter-sweet and woebegone. I shall miss this series both terribly, but it has to be done. I have to let it go. All I can hope is that it gets a good reception and that others come to love Bennet and Flynn almost as much as I do.

There is one thing I’m very proud about. The final line I planned all those years ago? Exactly where I ended up. I was right: those eleven words make the perfect full stop to the Shield series. The adventure getting there has been wonderful. I’ve learned so much about writing, about characterization and plotting—and myself!—en route, and I’m both elated and regretful that the story of Bennet and Flynn is finally done.

Taking Shield Series

Gyrfalcon (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK

Heart Scarab (Book #2) Amazon US | Amazon UK

Makepeace (Book #3) Amazon US | Amazon UK

The Chains of Their Sins (Book #4) Amazon US | Amazon UK

Anna Butler was a communications specialist for many years, working in various UK government departments on everything from marketing employment schemes to organizing conferences for 10,000 civil servants to running an internal TV service. These days, though, she is writing full time. She recently moved out of the ethnic and cultural melting pot of East London to the rather slower environs of a quiet village tucked deep in the Nottinghamshire countryside, where she lives with her husband and the Deputy Editor, aka Molly the cockerpoo.

Website and Blog

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The Butler’s Pantry (Facebook Group)

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June 28 – Gay Book Reviews, June 30 – Bayou Book Junkie, July 2 – MM Good Book Reviews, July 9 – Love Bytes, July 11 – Queer SciFi, July 13 – Two Chicks Obsessed, July 16 – The Novel Approach, July 18 – Making It Happen

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Smoke in the Mirror by Aimee Nicole Walker: Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

July 12, 2018 by Denise

Memphis Sullivan thought he was coming to Blissville to help his cousin out, but instead, he gained three meddlesome females, a tribe, and a permanent home. More than a year later, he owns a popular comic book and vinyl record store and doesn’t think his life could get any better. That all changes when the star of his favorite television show and bad-boy fantasies rides into town and spices up his vanilla world.

Lyric Willows’ decision to visit an old friend in Blissville will change his life in ways he never dreamed possible. The paranormal investigator is immediately drawn to the mysterious disappearance of the town’s founder in 1850 and rumors that his former home is haunted. More alluring to Lyric than the history of Bliss House is the immediate connection he feels to the adorably geeky owner of Vinyl and Villains, who also happens to be his friend’s cousin.

Lyric becomes Memphis’s houseguest when he decides to stay in town to conduct a paranormal investigation. Tight spaces lead to sexy encounters, and before long, ghosts aren’t the only things that go bump in the night. The more they unravel about Anthony Bliss’s disappearance, the more tangled in one another they become. How is it possible for two virtual strangers to feel like they’ve known each other for their entire lives? Was their love written in the stars, or is it nothing more than an illusion?

Smoke in the Mirror is the fifth book in the Road to Blissville series. Each book can be read as a standalone book or part of the series. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older.

SMOKE IN THE MIRROR

A ROAD TO BLISSVILLE STORY

AIMEE NICOLE WALKER

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 07.12.18

COVER DESIGN: JAY AHEER/ Simply Defined Art

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: WANDER AGUIAR

MODEL: TRAVIS

Amazon

Memphis’s entire body tensed, but he didn’t turn around. “Oh my God,” he said for the second time. His head fell forward and hung like he was ashamed, and I felt horrible for saying anything.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” I said, trying to smooth things over. “We all need to come.” Memphis released a strangled groan-sigh combo, letting me know I failed to ease his worry. “At first, I thought it was part of the amenities at Casa de Memphis, but then I remembered you weren’t expecting me last night.” Memphis’s shoulders began to shake, and I worried that he was crying. “Fuck, I really know how to screw things up.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and turned him around to look at me. I got lost in his big brown eyes and forgot what I was going to say.

“I should be humiliated but remarks like ‘we all need to come’ and ‘amenities at Casa de Memphis’ just won’t let me.” I relaxed a little when I saw the tears in his eyes were from laughter and not humiliation. “Thank you for that.”

“Don’t thank me,” I replied dryly. “If I were a good person, I would’ve pretended not to see it, not hung my washcloth over it and cracked jokes the next morning.”

Fun, fun, fun. Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Especially when the story isn’t scary at all?

This is part of a series that includes a traditional male/female romance but the author wrote them in such a way that you can really read this one as a stand alone. Just a head’s up.

Everyone has a famous person crush- Shannon Leto, I’m waiting for you- but Memphis has the distinction of crushing on someone who will be helping his good friends with a ghost. AND he somehow offered up his spare bedroom to the guy.

Chemistry is IMMEDIATE with Memphis and Lyric and it is HOT. Neither man wants a relationship and they are very open about that. But fate, of course, has a different plan.

As fans of both the Curl Up and Dye series and the Road to Blissville series, we couldn’t wait for Memphis and Lyric to get their story. And it didn’t disappoint. They were FUN. I think that is one of the reasons I like these books so much. When they are in a super hot sex scene, they are still having fun.

We also finally get the entire story of the ghost. Who his is, what happened to him and how to help him. It was so sweet and not nearly as tragic as was hinted at earlier in the story.

All of these books were really good and even though they are a spin off of the Curl Up and Dye series, those characters aren’t used as a crutch in this series. In fact, I think we only saw one of the originals once in this story.

This is a fun vacation/beach read. Dive in and enjoy.

4 pieces of eye candy

I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees. I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever- after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.

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Ricochet by Reese Knightly: Excerpt and New Release Review

July 11, 2018 by Denise

WITSEC victim Noah Bradford knows secrets that could get him killed, and staying hidden seems like a good plan. What he didn’t plan on is losing his heart to a man who is sworn to protect him.

Battle scarred US Marshal Robert “Mac” Mackenzie has a job to do, and guaranteeing the safety of Noah Bradford is at the top of that list. Mac will do whatever it takes to keep Noah safe, even if it means walking away.

Mac and Noah, brought together during extreme circumstances, have been separated by evil. It’s been six years, give or take, and Noah is coming for vengeance against the men who killed his mother. He’s on a collision course with Mac, who has no idea of the man Noah has become. Sparks fly and the heat sizzles when these two powerful men are reunited, but will they survive the passion the past created?

RICOCHET

Out for Justice, Book 1

REESE KNIGHTLEY

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 07.07.18

COVER DESIGN: Morningstar Ashley @ Designs by Morningstar

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

After the day at the beach, Mac would steal him out of the house to eat burgers and fries or go to the lake, if not the beach again. Sometimes, Noah imagined he saw affection in Mac’s eyes, but the look would disappear as quickly as it appeared. The man certainly didn’t realize he starred in every one of Noah’s fantasies.

“How long do I have to stay in WITSEC with you?” Noah shifted in his seat, keeping his voice low. They were currently sitting at a coffee house, hours from the safe house.

“You’ll need to stay until you can testify. Then you’ll get a new identity. But all that won’t be until we catch Stevenson and Manning,” Mac said.

“So I won’t always be Noah Bradford?” Noah tested out his new last name. It felt funny saying it, but it wasn’t too far from Brown, so it grew on him quickly.

“No, not if you go to the trial.”

“Well, at least I get to keep my first name.”

“Mmhmm,” Mac agreed.

“And I really have to testify?” Noah licked the whipped cream from his lips and swallowed more mocha.

“Yes,” the man replied, nodding and shifting in his chair. “You’re the only one.”

“I’m the only one willing,” Noah pointed out since Jenny was wavering on testifying. Currently, his best friend was with Jake, trying to find a new outfit to wear to the movies. She’d stopped using heroin and the withdrawal had been brutal. Jake had taken her to the doctors and they had a plan to help people like her. As a result, Jenny had gained some much-needed weight, and to stop her from complaining about her clothes being too tight, Jake had offered to take her shopping today.

Mac sighed and pointed his straw at him. “Quit that. I have a surprise for you.”

“What?” Noah couldn’t help the feeling of excitement.

“Come on.” Mac smiled and stood.

A short drive away, Mac parked the SUV and entered a small warehouse-style building through the back entrance.

“Whoa,” Noah drawled, walking into the wide room until he stood beside a thick wrestling mat. The room was a massive gym, but only a few people were using machines in the far end of the room.

“Ever learn any self-defense?”

“Nope.” Noah grinned, putting an extra emphasis on the P, causing Mac to grin back.

“Well, you are now.”

After that, Mac brought him there as much as possible and taught him street fighting.

Noah loved every minute of it. Even though he got his ass handed to him more times than not, at least he got to do some hands-on with Mac. And hands-on with Mac made Noah’s day.

The day Noah knew he was getting better at fighting was when he managed to trip Mac to the mat and get the marshal in a headlock. Mac tapped out and Noah jumped to his feet and bounced on his toes, doing the Rocky Balboa dance.

“That was good. Let’s do it again. Remember, stay focused.” Mac’s deep voice grounded him, and Noah drew in a long, slow breath and then just as slowly, pushed it out. Mac cautioned him to stay calm and not get overexcited. The man said that keeping his cool would help him win a fight.

“Mind over matter,” Noah stated, reciting Mac’s words back to him.

Mac chuckled. “That’s right,” he agreed, and then lifted one hand and gave Noah a come-at-me gesture.

Noah willingly dodged in and then jumped back. They circled each other, waiting for the other to show weakness. Or, as Mac had told him many times, wait for your opponent to take the step that would put him off-balance.

Noah craved the times they were close. The sweaty marshal was so freaking hot. He smelled so good; like sweat, soap, and masculine power.

Frustratingly, Mac never gave any indication that he was interested in having more with him than a friendship. Mac pointed out that a nine-year age difference separated them. Plus, he was a minor. It wasn’t a big deal to Noah. In fact, he preferred older guys. Well, he hadn’t actually dated any guys, but when he looked at pictures, he had always been drawn to older men.

This one was tricky for me….I’m not sure how I feel about it just yet.

Noah, had a very messed up start in life. After his mother was killed and his step-father, the leader of some drug running, compound living, very abusive situation, camp… I was surprised Noah had survived it. Everything happens so fast in the beginning and there are a lot of people to try and keep straight. It was abuse and gunfire straight away. It kind of made me sick to my stomach if I’m honest.

However, US Marshall Something Mackenzie, I honestly don’t remember his name and I just finished it; they just called him Mac, was on the SWAT team that rescued Noah and his friend Jenny, who’d also been held captive by this life on the compound. She was just as abused as Noah… I believe they were seventeen, but when Mac first looked at him, he guessed 14, which was kind of weird because he had this instant attraction to Noah….. why would you if you thought he was 14? I mean, 17, I get it, but I found that a little weird.

Now, because it was a surprise raid, they didn’t catch Noah’s step-dad or the people who helped keep him captive, they all got away… so Noah stayed in Mac’s custody until they could get him into witness protection…. Then we somehow jump to 2 months later, then 2 years later then the next chapter five years later, where now Noah isn’t this twinky little abused kid, he’s now a BA, super secret elite team member fighting war crime, named Ghost?? Seriously?? I found that incredibly unbelievable and way off character from the kid I’d been reading about for the first third of the book….

All the while… Noah and Mac had no communication for six years but were still in love with each other. Mac dreaming of Noah and Noah saying he let his love for Mac go, but, he’s all he thinks about, ever….Then, we get more people that we have to keep straight, different characters just popping in and out, I couldn’t keep them all straight….and then Mac’s ex Ben and his boyfriend were around popping in and out and it all just seemed to unbelievable and far-fetched with them, I was glad to see the karmic kick-back that they got. I wish Ben would’ve gotten a bullet in his head too.

Meanwhile, while Noah and Mac just forgot years of being apart and get together, they go on the hunt for all the bad guys together and with the help of both teams, and a surprise visitor…. They get them all and it’s all over. For a long book, it really went by quickly.

I believe there will be other books in the series, probably with the super secret elite team that Noah is on, but I honestly don’t think I can be bothered to keep up with them….even if Frost seems kind of broody hot….we’ll see I guess….

All’s well that ends well, and I can’t hate a happy ending…so…

3 pieces of eye candy

A native Californian, Reese spends her time creating stories from the characters rattling around in her head, which has caused her to talk to herself on more than one occasion. Her love for reading mystery, fantasy, action and adventure, and contemporary romance led to her love of writing, which keeps her up day and night. Next to writing comes her love for coffee and wine, in no particular order. When not writing, Reese can be found working a part-time job where she day dreams of writing. She loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted at Reeseknightleyauthor@gmail.com

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Reese_Knightley

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/reese.knightley.90

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/reeseknightleyauthor/

WEBSITE: https://reeseknightleyauthor.blogspot.com/?zx=f0f192b0bec208c

Fire and Granite by Andrew Grey: Exclusive Guest Post and Release Day Review

July 11, 2018 by Denise

The heat is growing from the inside, but danger is building on the outside.

Judge Andrew Phillips runs a tight ship in his courtroom. He’s tough, and when he hands down a sentence, he expects to be obeyed. So when a fugitive named Harper escapes and threatens his life, Andrew isn’t keen on twenty-four/seven protection… especially not from Deputy Clay Brown. They have a past, one that could cause problems in their careers.

But with Clay assigned to Andrew and the two of them together every minute, there’s nowhere to hide from their attraction—or from the fact that there’s much more than chemistry blooming between them. As the threat intensifies, Clay knows he’ll do anything it takes to protect the people who are taking their places in his heart: Andrew and his young niece and nephew.

Title: Fire and Granite
Series: Carlisle Deputies: Book Two
Author: Andrew Grey
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 193

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

I have said it before and I’ll say it again. I love this blog, especially the name because I’m just as obsessed with books and eye candy as you are. And for me, its hard to beat cop eye candy. I almost giggled to myself out loud. Maybe I should have. The last few days have been some of the hardest of my life with losing my mom. I have tried not to be maudlin, but the thoughts are everywhere, so I’ve been reading a lot. I know my mom would love that. She was a reader and the most book obsessed person I know. She and I rarely read the same books, though she did love what I wrote. So I thought we’d see how this book would do on the mom scale. (At least the my mom scale.)

Strong men with vulnerabilities, who can be relied on – check

Children, mom loved stories with kids. – check

Heat – Yeah, mom loved her some heat and tension – check

Passion – Oh yeah, mom loved that big time – check

Action and drama, something to keep the heart pumping – check

A happy, warm wash over you ending – check

Yes, I think mom would have loved Fire and Granite. I hope you will too.

Hey, hot cop!

I’ve really enjoyed this series so far… some maybe more than others, but anyone who follows any of my reviews, know that I’m such a sucker for hot dads, or….hot uncles even. In this one, we have Judge Andrew Phillips who’s being threatened by a criminal he had a few rocky run-ins with before finally making an example of him when sentencing him to prison… It seemed the felon didn’t take to kindly to the way the judge handled him or their run-ins, so when he planned an elaborate escape, he wanted revenge on the judge….

That’s where Officer Clay Brown comes in… now, this is where the water gets a little murky for me. See, Harper Grange – the felon that’s after Judge Phillips, is Clay’s cousin. Granted, they didn’t have much to do with one another’s sides of the family, even though their mothers are sisters… it still seemed like a huge conflict of interest or something… I understand that Clay is a cop and a good one too, but that’s his family… I would think that he’d be off any case pertaining to his family, and especially NOT the one and only one in charge of protecting the guy that his cousin is after. I can’t be the only one who thought that, can I?

But, if you can get over that fact… the hot cop wants to look out for Andrew, and watching them fall for one other is sweet and such a given… they’re so good for each other. Everything is so up in the air, waiting for more threats from the cousin and trying to hide out and be safe, and then Andrew gets some devastating news about his sister and her kids, making him need to jump in while everything is so crazy and take care of his niece and nephew.
They were adorable, and we all know how I feel about kids in stories… I know some don’t like it, but really… how can you not melt when somebody is so good with kids? Puppies and kids…. Throw the cold water over me, I’ll need it.

As these guys juggle a new relationship, learn how to be there for two kids who are suddenly without their mama, and a deranged lunatic just waiting to jump out and hurt you… it’s still such a sweet, somewhat angsty read. I’m looking forward to more!
And of course, we get our HFN, with snibbits from all the other hotties from this series.

4 pieces of eye candy from me on this one.

Like Breathing by Tia Fielding: Exclusive Guest Post and New Release Review

July 10, 2018 by Denise

A love as easy as breathing.

Life started out rocky for Devin Rice, but it’s turned out pretty well. He has adoptive parents and a brother who love him, and he works as a coder for his dad’s video game company. Romance is scarce, but a chance encounter leads to more than he ever expected.

While dropping off an assignment for his sick brother, Dev meets his mentor. Art history professor Seth Kent is brilliant and gorgeous, just what Dev has been looking for. Except that he’s in a long-term committed relationship.

Seth’s partner, Leaf, is older and sees the world differently due to his unusual upbringing. To him, the clear attraction between Seth and Dev isn’t a problem, it’s an unexpected gift. After all, Leaf is often on the road, going wherever rescue dogs need rehabilitation.

When Leaf meets Dev, all the missing pieces fall into place, and three men from different worlds and at different points in life fill each other’s empty spaces. For them, building a future together is the most natural thing in the world. But their unconventional love causes waves in their careers and family dynamics, and each man has his own doubts and fears to overcome.

Title: Like Breathing
Author: Tia Fielding
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Category: Contemporary, M/M/M
Pages: 240

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press ebook

Dreamspinner Press Paperback

A Gamer Writes Stories

It’s not a secret to anyone who follows me on social media, that I’m a gamer. Occasionally in my stories, my characters are gamers too. Usually that’s not a huge part of them, after all, who wants to read a romance where one of the guys is mainly sitting at his desk, playing games on his computer (or couch, on his console.)

I’ve been thinking about writing a story that’s about two guys meeting in an online roleplaying game, though, but we shall see if that ever happens. Anyway, I’m here to talk about how it is for a gamer to write stories.

Basically, it’s exactly the same as if a non-gamer would write them, I suppose. But there are differences too. For one, my gaming time is always time away from writing, and sometimes, I get sucked into a game for days at a time.

See, gaming is a hobby like anything else. Some people marathon series, others read a whole series of books at once, and others, well, go run that marathon, I guess. For me, while I definitely watch series and read books and pointedly do not run at all, gaming often takes first place.

Funnily enough, gaming often also helps me write more. No, not because inspiration, but because it helps me focus. Let me explain how. See, I have ADHD, and my mind gets to bee pretty damn annoying some days. It’s a lot of “look squirrel!” this and “oooh, shiny!” that, which doesn’t a good environment for writing make.

That’s where gaming comes in. If I’m, at that time, into a game that allows pausing, I’m using that to my advantage. (By the way, this also works with TV-shows and movies just as well.) When I’m writing, I have the game running on my computer as well. Then, whenever my brain starts to do its thing and my concentration starts to slip, I switch from my manuscript to the game. I play for a few minutes or so, and then pause the game again, and go back to writing immediately. If I can go back and forth like this, it prevents me from staying on Facebook or whatever else I might get up to online. Because that kind of distraction really… distracts me. For hours sometimes.

When I do the same technique with a TV-show, I often have them open on half my screen and the manuscript is open on the other half. Then I watch the show for anything from seconds to twenty minutes before going back to writing. Works just as well for me.

So why gaming? It’s always been hard to explain gaming to a non-gamer. But here are some of my reasons for the type of games I like to play.

There are many different kinds of games from Mario Kart to World of Warcraft to Fortnite to dozen others. Some you play alone, others with many people connected to you via the internet. When I play a solo game, it’s often like getting to live out a movie at the safety of your own home. You get to be the hero, make the decisions, run a whole country, rescue kidnapped people, or ride that dragon, maybe. What’s not to love about that?

It’s a bit different with online games. I’ll use World of Warcraft as a personal example here. WoW was first “pushed” on me by my best friend in 2006 sometime. I didn’t want to do it then, we had a bit of a crappy internet connection and I knew it would suck my life into the black hole of gaming, so I resisted for a few months.

In January 2007, though, the first expansion for WoW, called Burning Crusade, came out, and I was house-sitting for my parents for two weeks and I had time and… yeah. The rest is history. I still buy every expansion and play for a few months each year, until I get bored of it. It’s been 11 years, which blows even my mind a little.

The thing about games like WoW for me is the community. People form guilds inside the game (and many others) and find new friends there. Hell, I even introduced two of my friends from different parts of the country to each other through the game because I wanted to hang out with them both. They played together for a while, met offline, and have now been married for years.

I’ve met many of my closest friends—some who I still have, others I’ve lost over time—online and in gaming. In fact, that best friend who got me into WoW, I met in another online game over fifteen years ago.

After a long day, it’s a nice thing to log into a game and be greeted by people asking about your day and wanting to hang out with you, even when they’re sometimes on the other side of the world. Sure, there are negative things about online games, but for me, the positives have always been more important.

Where it all started from for me, then? Well, it might be the Mario Bros games when I was little. One of my best friends at the time had a Nintendo Entertainment System (yes, I’m that old…) and we used to play Mario when we were hanging out at her place.

I got my first computer in my early teens, and it was one of those grayscale ones that didn’t really have games. The one after that did, though, on floppy discs. I got those computers whenever a family friend’s work office upgraded to a newer model and they gave me the old one. So I was always behind on them, not that they were much to talk about back then anyway.

When I was eighteen, I met my first partner. They and their brother were gamers. They’d also just gotten a new gaming computer, and we got sucked into a game I’d seen a review of somewhere and wanted to play (incidentally, their brother had the game in his shelf, and they’d never noticed!)

Through the next few years we were together, we played so many computer games. We still reminiscence about the games, and yes, we still play together online sometimes.

It was during those years when I finally got a computer that could run some games, and I never looked back. Now, at 37, I’m sometimes the oldest person in a group of gamers online, but often I’m actually not. I’ve been in a WoW guild a few years back, when a sixty-something lady played too, for example. Gaming shouldn’t be about age anyways, because neither is reading or watching movies.

In my July 10^th release, Like Breathing, there’s a scene where Dev, a gamer who works in the gaming industry, shows some games to Seth, who is an art history professor. He does that because he instinctively knows that Seth will find the art in the games fascinating—and he does.

There are so many facets in gaming that most people don’t even think about. The next time you see someone you love playing a game, maybe ask if you can watch for a while? And if your kid plays too much Fortnite, talk to them calmly, ask if they could teach you how to play so you understand better, and for goodness’ sake, don’t forbid them from playing before you actually know what you’re banning them from. We all know why you’d want to limit a child’s computer time (and I agree wholly that there should be a limit, feel free to contact me if you want more of my thoughts on that), but I also believe you should know what it is exactly they’re playing.

In any case, there are many kinds of games for many more kinds of players. It all takes finding the right one for you, if you’re brave enough to open your mind a little and look.

Tia Fielding is a thirtysomething Scandinavian who is a lover of witty people, words, cats, sarcasm, autumn, and the tiny beautiful things in life. Tia struggles with stubborn muses and depression, but both are things she has learned to live with. Tia identifies as genderqueer, but isn’t strict about pronouns. Why? Because luckily, in her native language there aren’t gender-specific pronouns. Being a reclusive author living with her fur-babies is another fact of life for Tia, among the need to write that seems to be a part of her psyche by now. In 2013 one of Tia’s novels was recognized by the industry’s Rainbow Awards in the Best LGBT Erotic Romance (Bobby Michaels Award) category.

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