L.A. Witt

Three Stupid Weddings by Ann Gallagher: Exclusive Friday 5-ish Questions and Pre-Release Day Review

September 7, 2018 by Denise

On the heels of a painful and long overdue breakup, what Victor Nelson needs is time to lick his wounds. What he doesn’t need is everyone in his family trying to play matchmaker so he can find someone new… which is exactly what they’ll do at the three stupid weddings he has to attend this summer.

Fortunately, it’s Dominic Lowe to the rescue. Dom is more than willing to come along to all the weddings as his best friend’s “boyfriend”… even if he’d much rather be there as Vic’s real boyfriend.

Convincing people they’re a couple is easy. The charade is miserable for Dom, though, after years of being madly in love with Vic. But maybe those three weddings are a rehearsal for the relationship he knows they could have for real.

This asexual M/M romance is approximately 38,000 words long.

Trigger warnings: eating disorder, discussions of verbal/emotional abuse

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Thank you to Ann Gallagher, AKA L.A. Witt, for stopping by and answering my Friday 5-ish questions. Her answers are just AMAZE-BALLS!!!!

You seem to have plot bunnies, that make more plot bunnies. They seem to replicate like real bunnies! 🙂 Tell us about your inspiration for Three Stupid Weddings.

They really do replicate like real bunnies. I literally have rainbow plot bunnies tattooed on my arm because, well, plot bunnies are my world. I am constantly sending emails to myself with story ideas, jotting notes in my phone’s notepad or on scraps of paper–there are bunnies everywhere, and they always find me.

Three Stupid Weddings came from seeing some tweets from readers who enjoy the “fake boyfriend” trope, and I realized it was one I’d never written before. I’d also been wanting to write another asexual romance, so I started playing with the idea of an ace fake boyfriend. The story pretty much fell together after that.

You have several pen names. You chose Ann Gallagher as the pen name for Three Stupid Weddings, even as it is M/M. What makes you choose one pen name over another? Is there a method to this madness?

LOL Oh yeah the pen name madness. It’s…well, madness is a good word. There is a method to the madness, though if I had my career to do over again, I might have done things differently. I didn’t foresee writing so many genres, or that I would branch out into pairings beyond M/M and M/F. Initially it was L.A. Witt for M/M and Lauren Gallagher for M/F, and then I write an M/M/F and realized it wasn’t that simple anymore. So when a book blurs the line between two names, I have to make a decision. In the case of Three Stupid Weddings, it was actually easy: Ann Gallagher writes sweet romances. Since Three Stupid Weddings has no on-page sex (none off-page either), it was clearly an Ann Gallagher book. Where it gets tricky is when I’m writing a sweeter — but not 100% sweet — romance, and it feels more L.A. Witt than Ann Gallagher. Because heaven forbid I make things easy for myself.

Following you on twitter (Peeps! If you don’t you should!) I know you have been doing research on incel, as well as terrible bosses. What can you share about your current WIPs?

The terrible bosses research is for a non-fiction book that I’m hopefully not botching too terribly, and as for the incel research…Oh Lord, I am so glad to be done researching that “community”. That was SUCH a toxic experience. In the end, though, I’m pleased with the resulting suspense novel, INCEL, which will be out later this fall. It’ll be under my fourth pen name, Lori A. Witt, because of course it will. That name used to be exclusively for more mainstream SFF, but I decided to expand to mainstream suspense too; INCEL has a romance subplot, but it’s not really the focus of the book. That and by its very nature, the subject matter meant delving into some hardcore misogyny and rape culture, and I decided the book (and the other books in the series) should be under the name that focuses less on romance.

Anyway, that book is in edits right now. I’m currently working on a historical novella to go with a Christmas-themed multi-author series later in the year, as well as the final book in my Cruising trilogy (a fluffy M/M trans vacation romance). My main WIP, however, is a M/M contemporary that will also be playing with the fake boyfriend trope, and I’ve assembled A DREAM TEAM OMG of narrators for the audio version, so I’m basically writing it with their voices in my head. No details on that one yet. 😉

Is there a plot bunny that you’ve had that you were afraid/concerned to write, or maybe felt you couldn’t do justice to it, if you did write it? Why?

Oh, there have been a few. Once Burned involved a character who’s an undocumented immigrant at risk of deportation. When I wrote Static waaaaaaay back in like 2012 I was terrified I’d screwed up the genderfluidity, trans characters, etc. I literally had nine trans* beta readers for that one. Lead Me Not, a Christian M/M romance, was definitely a risk for me because I had no idea how anyone — the Christian community, my readers, my Christian readers, etc — would take it.

So yeah, sometimes it’s scary diving into a book, but I’ll usually write it anyway, and just make sure I have someone else read it.

Always the fun questions! What cartoon character best represents your personal philosophy?

I’m probably some very weird mix of Sterling Archer and Stewie Griffin…

Ah-stinkin-dorable!

This was short, but oh so sweet. The fake boyfriend trope will just never grow old with me. And because these guys are asexual, there was no drunken sex that they felt guilty about after even though they both wanted it.

Instead it was like a slow romance. Building with each wedding they went to. Best friends who slowly acknowledge that they really are in a relationship and love each other.

The book was separated by wedding, which was fun. Besides the beginning of the story establishing character, the rest of it takes place at each of the three weddings.

There is a little bit of angst with Vic dealing with the repercussions of a caustic relationship he is newly out of, but nothing that bogged down or turned the story serious.

This was the perfect, fluffy, sweet, romantic book that is short enough to be a nice fast read, but in depth enough to make you care about the characters.

4 Pieces of Candy

The Master Will Appear by L.A. Witt: Audiobook Tour and Review with Giveaway

August 10, 2018 by Denise

Dr. Mikhail “Misha” Budnikov takes one look at fellow fencer Ryan O’Connor and instantly knows his type. The undisciplined hothead is all ego with no finesse and even less control. In short, Misha’s pet peeves personified. To put the arrogant kid in check, Misha challenges him to a sparring match, which he predictably wins.

Not so predictably, Ryan asks him to be a mentor and show him how to fence. Startled by the moment of humility, Misha agrees.

What begins as fencing lessons becomes something much hotter, and before they know it, Misha is giving Ryan an entirely different kind of education. Dominance, submission, pain, pleasure—at the hands of an older, experienced man, a whole new world is opening up for Ryan.

As the trust deepens and their bond strengthens, though, Ryan retreats because that sham called love left him jaded long ago. Cynical beyond his years, he’s not letting his guard down, least of all for a thrice-divorced man twice his age.

Now Misha has to find a way to crack through those defenses…or accept defeat and walk away from the submissive who might just be the love of his life.

Length: 12hrs 59mins

Narrated By: Michael Ferraiuolo

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Audible

I have this book on paperback (stick with me here…) that I purchased and had signed by the awesome L.A. Witt at GRL last year, but I never read it, even though I REALLY wanted to. The reason was simply because for some reason the size of the book (Amazon estimates at 447 pages) intimidated me. So when the Audible version came out, I jumped at the chance to listen to it.

And as usual, L.A. Witt rarely disappoints. This author writes across genres (she has several pen names), across age, race, religion, political issues, as well as across sexual orientation. That is one of the things that I love most about this author. She does not write the same group of 20 something gay, white males, living in San Francisco (as an example) for each book. While I enjoy those books, I also very much appreciate that this author realizes that this is a very diverse country, and world, and her writing reflects that.

In the case of The Master Will Appear, Witt takes on a Russian college professor and fencing. I’d imagine that took some serious research. Misha, the Russian college professor, and a Dom, meets and clashes instantly with Ryan, a college student at a different university at a fencing club, and Ryan asks Misha to teach him more about fencing. As they take on a teacher/student relationship, they also quickly learn that not only are they attracted to each other, but Ryan wants to learn more about being a submissive. I love that this didn’t turn into a story about Ryan becoming the best fencer, and winning-or losing-a huge match (a la Karate Kid), while falling in love with his teacher. It really was a story about not just the relationship that developed between Misha and Ryan, both romantic and D/s, but also about the relationships that these men had with their families and friends.

All that helped the story flow from a realistic perspective, and explained so much about Ryan’s outlook on love and life. With Misha clearly being a romantic (he’s being married and divorced three times) and Ryan being as anti-romance as possible, it left room for Ryan to learn what love was, when he had not seen any examples of it in his life before Misha. It took time for Ryan to transition to that point, but Misha was patient, even as Ryan didn’t realize he was falling in love. He realized he loved being a sub, and the sex, but missed the part where he fell in love. I do enjoy it when characters are clueless about their own feelings. J

Witt took her time showing us all the levels of these men, just as it would take time in a real relationship. We learned new things about their pasts, how they became the men they were, winding it all together to allow the reader to learn who they were slowly.

The narrator, new to me as an audiobook listener, was engaging to listen to, and was able to perfect the Russian accent (at least to this untrained ear) so that the listener didn’t always need to know by the words who was speaking. Yet, he didn’t overdo the accent. It was only apparent while Misha spoke, not in his thoughts while it was in his POV, and it wasn’t so thick to make it difficult to understand. I tend to listen to my audiobooks at 1.25X, and had absolutely no problems dicephering the words.

All in all, a book I would definitely read and listen to again.

Story: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 4 pieces of eye candy

August 1 – Dog-Eared Daydreams, Mainely Stories, Gay Book Reviews, August 6 – Gay Media Reviews, August 8 – Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, Love Unchained Book Reviews, August 10 – Lillian Francis, Momma Says To Read Or Not To Read, Bayou Book Junkie, Xtreme Delusions, Two Chicks Obsessed, Wicked Reads, United Indie Book Blog, BFD Book Blog, We Three Queens

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut…

Website: http://www.gallagherwitt.com

E-mail: gallagherwitt@gmail.com

Twitter: @GallagherWitt

Blog: http://gallagherwitt.blogspot.com

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Sink or Swim, an Anchor Point title by L.A. Witt: Blog Tour Spotlight, Quick Review and Giveaway

July 20, 2018 by Denise

When need meets fear, can two very different men find common ground?

Alhazar Bukhari spent his Navy career in the closet. Now he’s retired, divorced, and hungry for the love he’s never had a chance to experience. He tries to put his faith in Allah to bring the right man into his life, but it’s hard to be patient after all this time.

Chaplain Dylan Pedersen spends his days counseling Sailors, and his nights with men he doesn’t know. Months after finally escaping an abusive relationship, he’s terrified of anything more than a physical connection. Maybe it’s a sin, but he’s too lonely to not let men into his bed, and too scared to let them into his heart.

When Alhazar’s civilian job brings him aboard the USS Fort Stevens, and his daily prayers bring him into Dylan’s chapel, the chemistry is instantaneous. Sex and friendship quickly evolve into more, but Dylan’s too haunted by his recent past to be the man Alhazar wants. Alhazar needs love, Dylan needs time, and if they can’t find some sort of balance, they’ll sink before they ever have a chance to swim.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

Welcome to Anchor Point!

Nestled on the northern coast of Oregon, this small town is home to Naval Air Station Adams. On base, you’ll find freshly minted Sailors who’ve just graduated boot camp, salty officers counting down till retirement, grounded pilots who’ve landed behind desks, and everyone in between—and they’re all looking for love. Well, not all of them, but that won’t stop love from finding them.

So pull up a barstool, grab a beer, and get ready for some sea stories as these men in uniform—or not—navigate the waters of love and life in the military.

Anchor Point stories can be enjoyed in any order. Hop in wherever you’d like!

I finished this book by Lori Gallagher Witt today, and I was so astonished at all I learned. In the Midwestern suburbs, it is very difficult to connect with people of the Muslim faith (and to be honest, people in the Navy-cause “fly over country”) and it was so fascinating to me to read a gay romance with someone of the Muslim faith as an MC, where his faith was a vital part of the story-but not in the way people might think. Knowing how Lori researches (follow her on twitter, and you will absolutely see), I can imagine this was not cobbled together from several blog posts someone wrote 6 years ago in passing. This turned how I thought of Muslims living day to day lives on its ears. I cried, for sure, but I also left that book feeling like I gained an, admittedly small, understanding of the good, the bad, and the oh so ugly (the things they deal with-my heart broke at some of it) of people who are Muslim. This book hit me hard, and I am left knowing that I have much more to learn. I’m not sure if that was what Lori was going for, but if she was, she hit it on the head for me.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

To celebrate the release of Sink or Swim, L.A. is giving away reader’s choice of two eBooks off of her backlist and a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 21, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Wash Out (Anchor Point #7) by L.A. Witt: Exclusive Excerpt from Sink or Swim (Book 8), Blog Tour, and Giveaway

May 25, 2018 by Denise

Casey Olson has always known he was destined to be a Navy SEAL, and the best day of his life was when he was accepted into training. The worst day was when a snapping bone ended his dream.

After three combat tours in five years, Logan Carter left the Marines and self-destructed. Now he’s sober and, thanks to a forgiving ex with friends in high places, has a promising job as a civilian contractor. All he has to do is stay on the rails and out of a bottle, even when his demons won’t leave him alone.

Logan likes his job, and he really likes the gorgeous man at the next desk. Casey tries not to check Logan out, but who is he kidding? From the start, despite their best efforts, neither man can resist the other. Sizzling chemistry leads to sex so hot they can both almost forget why they’re stuck in this office to begin with.

It would be perfect, except Logan can’t stop reliving wars he’ll never forget and Casey can’t stop grieving the SEAL he’ll never be. And they’ll never have a future together until they can make peace with their pasts.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

Calm and ready to face the snarl of corroded wires I’d been working on before lunch, I carefully rolled-up the mat and collected my misbaha and Qur’an. As I rose, I nearly dropped everything, though.

When had Dylan come into the sanctuary? I’d been distantly aware of movement and footsteps, and I’d heard someone take a seat in one of the creaky pews, but somehow hadn’t realized it was him. Which was stupid. He was the chaplain. Of course he was in here.

For whatever reason, though, my heart was suddenly racing. Had he been watching me pray? Did it bother him even though he’d insisted he had no problem with it?

Dylan wasn’t watching me, though. In fact, he was staring straight ahead. Elbows on his knees, hands clasped under his chin, he just . . . stared. Probably not at anything in particular.

Or rather, probably not anything that was actually in this room.

I swallowed. I knew that look. No one served in the military or even lived within spitting distance of a base without becoming familiar with the thousand yard stare. Even the fluorescent glare on his glasses couldn’t hide the blank look in his eyes.

It had been jarring the first time I’d realized chaplains weren’t immune to combat-related PTSD. Intellectually it made perfect sense, and I’d never thought they were immune to it, but actually seeing a chaplain fighting off a flashback had hit me hard. They were the counselors of every command. The guy you went to see when separation from your family was getting to you, or if you’d been to combat, when the nightmares and flashbacks caught up.

So who does the chaplain talk to when he’s the one with PTSD?

Maybe the other chaplain? Or . . . I didn’t know.

I stepped a little closer, moving cautiously, and kept my voice soft. “Hey. You all right?”

Dylan jumped, but then he nodded. He shook himself and wiped a hand over his face as he sat back in the pew. “I’m sorry. Did . . .” He blinked a couple of times. “Did you need something?”

“No, I just, uh, thought you were kind of . . .” I waved my own hand in front of my face.

“Oh. Right.” He dropped his gaze as his cheeks darkened. “I’m fine. Just distracted.”

You’ve been somewhere with bombs dropping, haven’t you?

Who do you talk to?

I cleared my throat. “Hey, um. This might be out of line, but . . .” I hesitated, muffling another cough, then blurted out, “Do you want to get coffee later?”

Dylan blinked. “Coffee?”

“Yeah.” With a cautious smirk, I added, “You know—hot bean water?”

He actually laughed, and the color in his face deepened. “Cute. But I mean, you’re . . .” He looked in my eyes. “Coffee, together?”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “You look like you could use some company. Maybe someone to talk to.” The words were out before I could stop them, and now that they were, I wanted the deck to split open and swallow me up so I wouldn’t have to be here for his reaction.

To my surprise, though, he smiled. Faintly, but genuinely. “That would be nice, actually.” He paused. “Did you have any place in mind?”

“Not really. There are a few cafés in town.”

Dylan’s eyes lost focus for a second before meeting mine again. “What about the O-club on base?”

The officers’ club? For coffee? Wasn’t exactly the first place that sprang to mind, but I supposed if they catered to officers, they would have decent coffee.

“Sure.” I matched his smile. “I clock out at four, so I can meet you any time after that.”

“I’ve got a meeting at 1700, so why don’t we say 1830?”

I nodded. “Great. I’ll see you there.”

Welcome to Anchor Point!

So pull up a barstool, grab a beer, and get ready for some sea stories as these men in uniform—or not—navigate the waters of love and life in the military.

Anchor Point stories can be enjoyed in any order. Hop in wherever you’d like!

L.A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

To celebrate the release of Wash Out, L.A. is giving away reader’s choice of two eBooks off of her backlist! (Excludes Wash Out.) Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 26, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Out of Focus by L.A. Witt: Retro Review with Excerpt and Giveaway

April 11, 2018 by Denise

For the last twelve years, Ryan “Angel” Morgan and Dante James have been partners in every sense of the word. They’re lovers, they run a successful photography business together, and couldn’t be happier. The only problem? They’re both dominants who crave submission. Solution? Bring in submissives for sizzling hot threeway action.

When Jordan Steele hires the photographers from his sister’s wedding to shoot some promo pictures of his stallions, the sparks fly. There’s something about them, something that’s anything but vanilla, and he wants a taste of it. He’s inexperienced, but curious, and Angel and Dante are more than happy to show him the ropes.

Jordan is exactly what they need and they’re exactly what he needs, but when emotions come into play, he may be more than they bargained for. After all, the one thing Angel and Dante can’t give each other is submission. If one of them can get love and submission from Jordan, will the other be pushed out of the picture?

Length: 100,000 words

Amazon

I slid my hand onto Angel’s knee under the table. As he often did, he’d been tapping his foot against the chair leg, but he stilled beneath my hand.

“You get a look at the brother of the bride?” I asked.

He whistled, sliding his hand over mine. “Oh God, yes. I got several looks at him.”

“You and me both.” I shook my head. “That man is liquid distraction.”

“No shit.” He ran his thumb back and forth along my wrist. “Imagine how I felt, trying to focus on the bride when I had that standing there being all gorgeous and entirely too dressed.”

“Too dressed?” I glanced in Jordan’s direction, then turned back to Angel. “He’s in a tux.”

“I know.” He shrugged. “He should be naked in our bed.”

I chuckled. “Pity he’s already got someone.”

“Seriously?” Angel released a sharp huff of breath. “The good ones always do, don’t they? It’s a crime, I’m telling you.” He clicked his tongue. “And his other half probably doesn’t share, either.”

“I don’t know; I didn’t ask. He was pissed enough that I interrupted their little lover’s quarrel.”

He blinked. “You did?”

“Well, I didn’t have much choice.” I turned my hand over under his. “I needed Jordan’s help with something.”

“Yeah,” he said, lacing our fingers together, “I’ll just bet you did.”

“Okay, so I didn’t.” I shrugged. “But things were getting a little heated between them, so…”

“Eh, I’d have done the same.”

That much was true. We had our subtle ways of separating people when tensions got too close to a breaking point. Situations like that, particularly with the way alcohol and grudges made frequent appearances at weddings, could too easily erupt into a screaming match or a fistfight. So, we’d long ago devised ways to casually intervene. Moderately intrusive? Yeah, probably. But if it kept a wedding from turning into a brawl—and that had been known to happen—then it was worth a little social faux pas.

The bride and groom were making the rounds, saying hello to guests while Troy’s and Phoebe’s cameras flashed. Normally I wouldn’t leave assistants to cover anything without at least one of us shooting as well, but these two kids were damned good. They were going to be some serious competition for us when they were out on their own. Assuming Troy ever got a decent pair of shoes, anyway.

So, we didn’t worry about them while they trailed the newlyweds and we took a break. Ah, it was good to be the boss.

As dinner wound down, the cake cutting and such were coming up. Almost time to get back to work. While I did a quick battery check and changed out my memory card, fabric rustled behind me.

“Enjoying yourselves?” Jennifer asked.

“Absolutely.” I started to turn around. “This food is—” The words stopped in my throat. That wasn’t the groom standing next to her.

She gestured at him, as if I hadn’t noticed his presence. “This is my brother, Jordan.”

I smiled. “Oh yes, we’ve met.”

“We haven’t.” Angel stood and extended his hand. “Ryan Morgan.”

Jordan shook his hand. “I—it’s…” He paused, moistening his lips as a hint of pink appeared on his cheeks. “It’s nice to meet you.”

To her brother, Jennifer said, “I need to go pretend to like my in-laws, so I’ll leave you alone with them.”

He chuckled. “Okay, thanks.” She picked up her skirt and headed back toward some of the other tables. After she’d gone, Jordan said, “I, uh, my sister said you guys do pretty much any kind of photography?”

I’m dreaming. I’m totally dreaming. Oh God, please tell me he wants—

I cleared my throat. “What did you have in mind?”

“I breed and train horses,” he said. “And I’m campaigning a couple of stallions this year. I need a few more up-to-date photos for my website and some ads.” He raised his eyebrows. “Is that something you guys would be interested in doing?”

“Well, we’re always happy to help someone flaunt a stud,” Angel deadpanned.

Jordan blushed even more, dropping his gaze as he muffled a cough of laughter. “Right. Well. I haven’t had great luck with my last couple of photographers, so I’m very much in the market for someone new.” He paused, the color in his cheeks deepening slightly. “A new photographer, I mean.”

“Can you handle two?” Angel asked.

If the poor man’s cheeks got any redder…

“I’m sure we can help.” I shot Angel a glare, and he widened his eyes as if to say “What?” I rolled mine and looked at Jordan again. “We haven’t done any equestrian work in a few years, but show us some examples of what you have in mind and we should be able to give you what you want.”

A shy smile played at his lips. “Good. Then—”

His teeth snapped together as his significant other materialized and put a hand on his shoulder. Jordan’s hackles went up, his eyes narrowed, and judging by the way his cheek rippled, he must have been tightly clenching his jaw. The two men exchanged the coldest glare I’d seen at a wedding since the last time we put divorced parents into one picture, and the hand on his shoulder lifted away.

Then Jordan shook himself back to life and made a sharp gesture his companion. “Sorry, I’m being rude. This is Eli. My—”

“Just Eli is fine.” He didn’t offer a handshake or any other greeting, and neither of us made any attempt to do so either. Awkward silence descended, and I had a feeling Jordan was once again seconds away from lashing out at his…just Eli.

“Anyway, you were saying?” I asked Jordan. “About your photos?”

“Right.” Jordan cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’d like to sit down and discuss what I’m pricing, scheduling, all of that.”

“When would be a good time?” I asked. “If you’d like, you can come by the studio, and we’ll sort out the specifics.”

He nodded. “I can do that. During the week would be best. My weekends are usually shot.”

Angel pointed at his camera. “So are ours.”

Jordan laughed. “Yeah, I guess they would be.”

“Would Monday be good for you?” I turned to Angel. “We’re there all day this Monday, aren’t we?”

He nodded. “All in-studio shoots that day. Last one’s at four thirty, and we’re usually there until six or seven.”

“Why don’t I swing in around five, then?” Jordan asked.

“Five works,” I said.

Angel pulled out his wallet and took out a card. “That’s the address. Just give us a call if anything changes.” Jordan took the card, but jumped like Angel had shocked him. Knowing Angel, he’d made sure their fingers brushed, and Jordan’s blood pressure was probably all over the place now.

Jordan recovered quickly though, sliding the card in his back pocket as he said, “Will do.”

Eli shifted beside him. “Good, now why don’t we go grab a couple of drinks?”

“Okay, okay.” Jordan exhaled and added a muttered, “Like you need another fucking drink.”

“Hmm?” Eli asked.

“Nothing.” Jordan looked at us. “I’ll see you guys on Monday. Thanks.”

“Not a problem,” I said. “See you then.”

We watched the happy couple wander toward the bar with a good arm’s length of frosty distance between them.

“You know,” Angel said, “I take back what I said earlier about it being a crime that a man like that is taken.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” He turned back toward the table and picked up his glass. “It’s a crime a man like that is taken by a douche bag like that.”

Out of Focus is one of my all time favorite menage books. Menages are one of my favorite tropes but it has to have that special connection between all three MCs. I, unfortunately, am hard to please when an established couple of years decides to bring in a third.

L.A. Witt is an auto buy for me but I was still nervous about how she would bring all three men together. Angel and Dante have been best friends, work partners and lovers for years. They run a photography business. While shooting a wedding they meet Jordan, the brother of the bride. Their relationship starts out as business associates but morphs into a sensual relationship.

Without giving spoilers….Angel, Dante and Jordan come together during an erotic photoshoot which leads to wanting more. Witt does an outstanding job with telling their story of discovery, longing and persuit of happiness. Angel and Dante need Jordan for more than his submission so we get to see their story unfold into a loving, committed menage. It is so beautifully written you’ll wish for it to continue.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great menage story. If menages are not your thing I beg you to try it…..You won’t be disappointed.

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut…

Website: http://www.gallagherwitt.com

E-mail: gallagherwitt@gmail.com

Twitter: @GallagherWitt

Blog: http://gallagherwitt.blogspot.com

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April 9 – Mirrigold, Mainely Stories, SLLY, Dreams & Screams Bookaholics, The Way She Reads, My Book Filled Life

April 10 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BooksLaidBareBoys

April 11 – Books To Get Lost In, Momma Says: To Read or Not To Read, Two Chicks Obsessed

Apirl 12 – RAM PA Group, Drops Of Ink, Reading In Sarah’s Corner, Queerly Reads, Blazing Zane Book Blog, MM Good Book Reviews

April 13 – Thorns & Ink, Twinsie Talk, Mean Girls Luv Books, MJ’s Book Blog & Reviews, Book Review By Virginia Lee

Going Overboard by L.A. Witt: Exclusive Guest Post and Giveaway

February 6, 2018 by Denise

Second-class petty officers Dalton Taylor and Chris Ingram have been best friends since coxswain’s school. Now they’re stationed together in the Harbor Patrol Unit of NAS Adams. They’re content as friends, but secretly, they both ache for more. Neither makes a move, though; while Dalton is out and proud, Chris is closeted—even from his best friend.

Then another coxswain’s negligence nearly drowns Dalton. After a taste of how easily they could lose each other, neither man can keep his feelings hidden anymore, and it turns out love and sex come easy when you’re falling for your best friend.

Things aren’t just heating up between the friends-turned-lovers, though. The Navy is investigating the accident, and the Harbor Patrol chief isn’t going to let his star coxswain go down for dereliction of duty, even if saving him means throwing Dalton under the bus.

As the threats and gaslighting pile up, Chris and Dalton need each other more than ever—as shipmates, friends, and lovers. But if their chief prevails, the only way they can save their careers is to let each other go.

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Fact, Fiction, & Creative License – Military Characters

One thing I’m asked about a lot is how much of my characters—particularly military characters—are based on reality, and how much I’ve made up.

The short answer is—a lot of both.

I grew up around the military, and I’ve been a Navy spouse for the last 15 years. As a result, I’m around a lot of service members and their families. Particularly when we’re stationed overseas (we’ve spent 7 of the last 10 years overseas), the majority of my face-to-face interaction comes from other people living on base.

So, when it comes to creating my military characters… they’re pretty much people I’ve encountered in real life. Obviously not exact clones, but very much inspired by reality. Whether it’s someone’s speech pattern (especially their cursing), the challenges they’ve faced in their careers, their pre-military background, the after effects of being in combat—chances are, it’s something I picked up from real life. I don’t really have to make up a lot of it.

The self-medicating deeply-traumatized drone pilot who can’t talk about what happened and no one will take him seriously? Real person.

The ex-Marine who drank himself stupid at the expense of his jobs and relationships because he couldn’t cope with his trauma? Know him.

The Sailor who put her life on the line to save a shipmate, only to find herself under the command’s microscope instead of getting an award, and pretty much overnight deciding she’s done with the Navy? At least three people.

The gay man who married a lesbian so they could safely stay in the closet during DADT? Officers and senior enlisted with deep regrets over using women as beards, only to wind up having their wives hate them later? Higher-ranking older service members who feel compelled to come out to set an example for their younger subordinates—both to let the queer people know they’re not alone, and to let the homophobes know they won’t be tolerated? You guessed it.

A lot of other things come from real life, either from general observations of military life or from specific experiences/anecdotes/etc. For example, when people read Conduct Unbecoming, the single most frequent question I get is if I made up the following:

“Oh, look, a cheater’s house.” He gestured out the window.

I pulled up to a stop sign, then looked at the house he’d indicated. “What? How can you tell?”

He shot me an incredulous look. “You don’t know this shit?”

“Well, on my last base, the my-husband-isn’t-home signal was a mop next to the front door.” I craned my neck but didn’t see the incriminating mop propped up next to the door.

“Not here. All the husbands found out about that one. Here, it’s a detergent box in the dining room window.”

I glanced up just before I pulled through the intersection, and sure enough, peeking down from the window of one unit’s dining room, was a box of Tide.

I shook my head. “Every fucking base.”

“Yeah, get used to it,” he said. “It’s way worse out here than it is in the States.”

The answer? No, I did not make it up. The Tide box was a thing when I was on Okinawa, and it’s one I personally witnessed. The “signal” varies, and it changes constantly—the mop against the door, a towel in a mailbox, even a red light in the kitchen window, which I thought was a little on the nose. Things like this aren’t as common anymore now that Tinder is a thing, but it is absolutely real, and that’s why it wound up in a book.

I try to work in a lot of those real details from life on a military base, whether it’s things from base housing or the rank dynamics on the job. As I said, I don’t really have to make it up—real life offers plenty of material!

Going Overboard gets into a lot of the, shall we say, unsavory aspects of being in the military. When Chris and Dalton find themselves butting heads with a chief, and they’re afraid to go to another chief or a senior chief for help because “chiefs protect chiefs”? That’s absolutely a thing. When their chief gaslights and threatens them? When one of the heroic Sailors is threatened with an investigation and chastised for losing a weapon while saving her shipmate’s life? Seen it happen.

Without getting into spoilers, there are a number of moments in Going Overboard where my editors said—and my readers will likely say—“Can he really do that?”

And the answer is “On paper, no. In practice, yes. Because it definitely happens.”

So yes, when I write military stories and military characters, I do sometimes take some creative license, but more often than not? I don’t have to. Because in this odd little world, fact really is stranger than fiction.

Welcome to Anchor Point!

So pull up a barstool, grab a beer, and get ready for some sea stories as these men in uniform—or not—navigate the waters of love and life in the military.

Anchor Point stories can be enjoyed in any order. Hop in wherever you’d like!

Check out Anchor Point today!

To celebrate the release of Going Overboard, one lucky winner will receive their choice of two eBooks off L. A. Witt’s backlist (excluding Going Overboard) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 10, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!