exclusive

Love in Spades by Charlie Cochet: Exclusive Excerpt, Audio Book Tour, and Review

July 27, 2018 by Denise

Ex-Special Forces soldier Anston “Ace” Sharpe is fighting a different battle these days—one involving the world of private security across the state of Florida. As part owner of Four Kings Security, Ace and his fellow Kings tackle everything from armed transport and investigations to cyber intelligence and executive protection. Cocky, fearless, and brash, Ace isn’t afraid to take risks.

After years of working alongside his father, Colton Connolly is ready to take the helm at Connolly Maritime, but his father’s retirement is put on hold when Colton begins receiving death threats. If that isn’t bad enough, his father signs a contract with Four Kings Security to provide Colton with round-the-clock protection, despite his adamant refusal. Colton’s life has been turned upside down, the last thing he needs is a shadow, especially in the form of infuriating, sexy-as-sin Ace Sharpe, who seems to be on a mission to drive Colton mad.

Sparks fly the moment Colton and Ace meet on a sultry night club dance floor. But getting involved with a client, even one as fiery and beautiful as Colton Connolly, is a line Ace is unwilling to cross. Colton might be attracted to Ace, but he’d been burned before. He might be willing to put his life in Ace’s hands, but not his heart.

As the Florida nights heat up, so does their passion, and Ace and Colton are faced with a difficult choice—take the plunge and risk it all, or play it safe and walk away?

If Ace can keep a deadly threat from robbing Colton of a future….

Love in Spades: Four Kings Security, Book 1

Author: Charlie Cochet

AUDIO RELEASE: 06.20.18

COVER DESIGN: REESE DANTE

NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux

https://www.facebook.com/GTremblayVoice/

Listening Length: 7 hours and 53 minutes

Audible

Amazon ebook

iTunes

“Do I get a gun?” Colton asked.

“Have you ever fired a gun?”

“No. I’m not really a fan.”

“It’s amazing how many clients believe we’re going to arm them. Even if you were an expert marksman, you wouldn’t get a gun. You get a pen.”

Wait…. “A pen?”

“Yep. Titanium.” Ace handed Colton a silver pen, and Colton hesitantly took it from him. He held it up in front of him and peered at it.

“I’m supposed to fend off an attacker with a pen?” Was it a Bond pen? If he clicked the end or twisted it, would it release a toxic gas or set off an explosive? He clicked the end, and the ink nib popped out. Nope. It was just a pen.

“It’s a tactical weapon,” Ace assured him. “With the right amount of force in the right place, it can cause some serious damage.”

Colton eyed him skeptically. “You’re messing with me.”

“No.”

“What if they have a gun?”

“That’s a different lesson.”

Colton sighed. “Okay, show me.”

“Not if you’re going to give me attitude.”

“I’m not giving you attitude.”

Ace held his hand out. “Give me the pen.”

“No. It’s my pen.” Colton clutched it to his chest. “You gave it to me.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. This is the only defense I have. You’re not taking it from me.”

“Colton, you do realize I could take it from you without you even realizing.”

“Oh yeah, Mr. Hot-Shot-Green-Beret? Then do it.”

“Colton,” Ace warned.

“Come on. I want to see your super-secret moves.”

“I don’t even know what to say to you right now, other than you’re being ridiculous. And I have your pen.” Ace held up a silver pen.

“What the hell?” Colton gaped at his empty hands before his head shot up. “How’d you do that?”

“With years of practice. Now, are you going to pay attention?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Can I have my pen back?”

Ace pressed his lips together like he was trying to keep from laughing. The guy was so fucking sexy. Colton wanted to climb him and do terrible things to his body. Instead he took the pen Ace handed him.

“Thank you.”

“Okay, put that in your pocket. First I’m going to demonstrate the moves.” Ace pulled his own pen from his pocket.”

“Ooh, yours is black. It looks very serious.”

“It’s the same as yours, but black.”

“It camouflages with your clothes.”

“Yes.”

“Does it come in different colors?”

“You should know that I’m two seconds away from putting you in a sleeper hold.”

There are few things that make a book that you’ve already read and loved better than having a good narrator do the Audible. If you are going to choose to listen to the audiobook, after having read the ebook, for me, you need to have an amazing narrator, to give the reader/listener that much more than they took from the first read. Fortunately, Charlie Cochet only ever has the best narrate her books. With this new self-published series, Four Kings Security, choosing Greg Boudreaux was fantastic. He is one of my top three narrators…if you want to know the other two, that’s a story for another day. 😉 Greg’s voice just resonates so well with me for any book he narrates. He moderates well, can change voices, and is able to carry a more steady pace when there isn’t character dialogue.

This book is sexy, with characters who are smart a**es, has action, and a family that won’t quit on each other. That is one of the things that I have always loved about Charlie’s books. Her books ALWAYS have family as integral part of them, and that family is so often a family of the character’s choosing, rather than (or in addition to) the bloodline they are born into. Family is about the people you keep close to you, through thick and thin, not necessarily the ones who raised you. The Four Kings? They are their own family, with some blood family thrown in there as well, and they have been with each other through the hardest moments of their lives, and will be there for the best times, as well.

With Ace, his family is what has gotten him through, and yet he can be the one who pisses off their boss, and laughs through it, knowing that their “King” will murder him if he gets dead. Colton has a family that adores him, and has never cared about his sexuality, and continues to extend love to everyone he meets. These two together create a dynamic that will carry through the entire series, I think, as they show the other Kings, the ones who have been burned by those that they loved, that love is possible for each of them.

Greg does a fantastic job of creating the character’s distinct voices (loved hearing him speak Spanish for Lucky!), and giving them all the personality he saw for them in the words. When there was sassyness by Ace or Colton…or really many of the characters…he portrayed that so well, with his voice. Creating urgency, as well as showing those tender moments, all are points that can be lost with some narrators, but never with Greg. He allows his characters’ to shine through, without making it about any “acting” voice, but simply the voice of what he sees for the characters. That fine line is never crossed with him (hence one of my top 3 narrators!). This is one of the many things I love about listening to his narration. He portrayed Ace and Colton with very distinct and separate characteristics.

Story: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: Also 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From adventurous agents and sexy shifters, to society gentlemen and hardboiled detectives, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

Website: http://www.charliecochet.com

Blog: http://www.charliecochet.com/blog

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/charliecochet

Facebook Author Page: http://facebook.com/authorcharliecochet

Tumblr: http://charliecochet.tumblr.com

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/charliecochet/

Twitter: @charliecochet

Instagram: http://instagram.com/charliecochet

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/charliecochet

Exclusive Monthly Author Column: Victoria Sue talks about Heroes and Babies

July 16, 2018 by Denise

As always, we LOVE having Victoria Sue join us for her monthly guest column. This month, she is talking about her new branding and babies! Make sure you check out her giveaway at the bottom and let her know what you think about her column, her rebranding, her books, her hair, whatever! 🙂

Heroes and Babies

For those of you that have seen my rebranding by the super talented Jay Aheer, I wanted to explain and answer a few questions!

Does that mean you are going to have babies in every book?

Probably not in the way most people think! Its not suddenly going to become about milk and diapers, night time feeds, or saving for college – its more a narrowing down of themes.

Let me explain…

My two best selling series are The Enhanced – an x-men type paranormal, definitely a romantic suspense with guns, action, the odd dead body… and The Kingdom of Askara – wolf shifters MPreg fantasy.

You couldn’t get much different.

But the themes of heroes saving the world either for the younger generation or the younger generation being hands on are crucial.

For example – In my fantasy MPreg book The Alpha King, the baby is actually delivered by the very competent thirteen-year-old younger sister of the Alpha King.

In Five Minutes Longer the key to making the world a better place is by saving the enhanced kids, and there are quite a few talented teenagers involved. Obviously, all of the books are about the enhanced adults falling in love while battling prejudice and the odd serial killer…but you get the idea.

I’ve even thought about writing a young adult in the series.

Heroes?

And not in the way most people think. In my series Sirius Wolves the first ever human to become a pack Alpha wasn’t even a wolf. He was a bilateral amputee and he definitely didn’t need physical perfection to save the day or the pack, he just needed a big heart. Amputees feature in my books frequently because of my dad. He served in the Royal Navy and was an amputee, and growing up he was my biggest hero.

But heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The next “team” enhanced book is called The Strength of His Heart. This is a direct quote from the Disney movie Hercules. “A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.”

And for those of you that have read the series I think this sums up Vance perfectly.

Guns Blazing?

Sometimes, okay probably more often than not to be honest. The next enhanced book to be released is called Guarding His Melody – and yes with a bodyguard who brandishes a very large gun. (!) But the real hero is Sebastian who has been deaf since he was six years old. His battle for independence is every bit as fierce as any war.

Future Plans and a Giveaway! 😊

Guarding his Melody (enhanced) is to be released September 25^th

The Strength of His Heart (enhanced) is to be released in December

Matt’s Rainbow (Rainbow Key) somewhere in between I hope.

In Safe Hands – book one of my new series containing – yes you guessed it, heroes and babies will be out early next year. In Safe Hands is the story of an ex-military bilateral amputee who has to be a bodyguard to an actor who is being stalked, threatening not only himself but his seven month orphaned niece.

I have a special give-a-way this month. An audible code for a copy of Beneath This Mask the third book in the enhanced series featuring Gael and Jake, and a very special enhanced child, or any ebook from my backlist. Leave a comment to be entered!

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Facebook

The Butler’s Pantry (Facebook Group)

Twitter

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Social media:

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/authortiafielding

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tiaf/

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/tiafielding