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In honor of the re-release of Family Unit I'm holding a special contest for a signed copy of the print version. All the information you need is in my latest newsletter, which you can subscribe to HERE.

To view a copy of the current Newsletter, you can go HERE.

Family Unit Is Back!

I have a funny story about writing the book Family Unit. Originally, I wanted to tell the story of mature men. I enjoy writing about teens, or college age students, I love describing firm six pack abs and the desperation of youth. But for once I wanted to give a shout out to mature singles, men who might be seen by the modern dating market as a little past their prime.

I talked to one of my best friends about it and we compared notes on the minute changes we'd noticed in our bodies -- the ones we could chalk up to aging. My hair was greying, I needed reading glasses. When my friend (who is five years younger than I am) and I are in the yarn store, I have to hold a skein more than an arm's length away from her so she can read the dye lot. My skin is changing. I noticed I had pigmented and unpigmented spots on my hands. I don't consider myself old, or rather I do, but I don't think of myself as decrepit. I created the characters in this book and gave them all my age-related characteristics. I described those changes in what I thought was humorous detail and the number one response I got from readers was Wow! These guys are so OLD. It isn't something I feel like I should respond to or anything, but I don't see myself as all that old! The fact that I've had four kids may have fast-forwarded my aging clock a little, but anyway, this is a romance for the rest of us -- those of us who aren't in the first blush of youth, because as I said in the dedication to my dear friend Mark C:

Let's just say I believe no heart is safe from Cupid's arrows as long as it's still beating.

Family Unit

A retired marine, Logan is methodical and conservative. Richard is a liberal pacifist who is pathologically afraid of guns. Yet the minute Logan sets eyes on Richard, his heart turns over like an old car engine and it isn't long before his motor is revved and Richard is in the driver's seat—even if it seems like each man is driving a different car.

Richard Hunter is parenting his grandson, and the kid— Nick—has had it rough. Richard vows nothing will stop him from creating a loving and stable home. Not even a tempting, red-hot relationship with a very attractive man. However, when Richard looks into Logan’s blue eyes it’s tough to stay focused. It’s never easy to become a family, what with a temperamental eight-year-old, disapproving outsiders, and outright extortion attempts.

But when push comes to shove, both Logan and Richard are committed family men who want to make a loving home for a little boy who needs them. Together, they're planning to form a Family Unit, and they won’t let anything stand in their way.

~*~

Family Unit is now out as a slightly revised e-book. You won't find it's very different from the original version, but I cleaned up some language and got a new cover from my pal Lex Valentine. I'm even going to release it for the first time in print as soon as possible, so stay tuned.

You can purchase it right now, at Amazon HERE.

At a loss...

I just found out that author William Neale, a man I was lucky enough to meet last year at Authors After Dark and Gayromlit passed away yesterday.

To say that he was one of the kindest men I've met sounds like hyperbole at this point, but I believe I am being perfectly truthful. I could say so much more. He listened well, he spoke intelligently and with reserve. He nurtured the newbies and spoke well of his peers. He gave people individual attention -- I think it's possible that everyone who knew him will feel a tremendous personal loss.

We were enriched by his presence among us, and I will miss him so much. The world will be less without him.

Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Tour!

Be sure to keep up with the rest of the tour at this link and keep leaving comments to win the grand prize!

http://heidicullinan.wordpress.com/beat-your-winter-blues-blog-hop/

It’s the Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Tour! I’m Heidi Cullinan, your co-host this week, and thanks to ZA Maxfield for putting us up on her blog. This is a very late February getaway, which is my fault because I got caught up in stuff. So it’s a March getaway now.

I’ve been dealing with food issues, so I’ll send you all to a magic restaurant where you can order anything you want, it won’t upset your body/tummy/system, and you won’t gain any weight. You’re welcome!

Andrew Grey: If it’s a getaway, I love to send my readers to someplace warm, sunny and tropical.  I love cruising so I generally choose on board ship.    Although I have an idea for a story, so readers will be transported to Australia at some point.

Kate McMurray: I'd have everyone come to New York City. But not the tourist-y parts; the way to really get to know a city and its people is to spend some time in the quieter residential neighborhoods, which are maybe less sparkly than Times Square and less cool than the West Village but, to my mind, no less wonderful. The photo is of a row of brownstones on 3rd Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. 

JL Merrow: It’s a bleak, grey time of year here in Britain, so I’d like to get away to an Austrian summer.  I just love how lush and green the mountains are in Austria’s Salzkammergut, and the profusion of wild flowers and butterflies you find there. The region is perfectly set up for mountain walks; there’s no need to wear yourself out climbing the slopes; you can just take a cable car up and wander round the tops, enjoying the scenery.  On the way down, perhaps, pick some wild blueberries and eat them—or stop at one of the many mountain Alms for an Almdudler, the Austrian answer to Coca-cola. Perfect!

Marie Sexton will send you to Iowa, because that’s where she’s going right now, coming to my house!

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Be sure to check out the people who are on time this week: Clare London hosts and the March authors talk about St. Patrick’s Day.

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Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there.  When she isn’t writing, Heidi enjoys knitting, reading, movies, TV shows on DVD, and all kinds of music.  She has a husband, a daughter, and too many cats. Find Heidi on the Web: Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, and her website.

Andrew Grey grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation. Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle,, Pennsylvania.  You can find out more at www.andrewgreybooks.com , on facebook, twitter, or email him at andrewgrey@comcast.net

When Kate McMurray is not writing, she works as an editor with a decade of experience in the publishing industry. She has a BA in English lit that she’s still amazed translated into an actual career. Among other things, Kate is crafty (mostly knitting and sewing, but she also wields power tools), she plays the violin, and she is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Visit her at www.katemcmurray.com.

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea.  She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again.  Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway. You can find out more about Marie at http://mariesexton.net/.

Notes from the wreckage...

On A Personal Note...



Many of you probably heard we had a pretty significant house fire at the end of January. It's hard to conceive of how much something like that can change your life! If I used to take for granted that I had a nice home to live in, that my kids could walk to school and to visit with their friends, and that as long as I worked hard and kept things up very little would change, I am now thoroughly disabused of that notion.

We've been living in a residence hotel for about four weeks now, and have taken a lease on an apartment (small, but it will suit our needs) for about six months while they make repairs to our house. Between asbestos abatement, having to rebuild the garage entirely and de-smokifying the house itself, it's a huge project, as smoke apparently moves through the attic and walls and pours out like water from behind things like outlets, medicine cabinets, light and faucet fixtures, and it saturates everything with this toxic miasma that has to be got rid of before we can move back.

There is a staggering amount of work to be done. Thank heavens I'm not the one to be doing it! Thanks to everyone who expressed their best wishes, and all the kind notes I've received about this. My family is pretty adaptable so far, the kids treat these things like adventures and not crises, but I imagine our enforced captivity into a space half the size of our house might prove to be complicated over the long haul. Wish Us LUCK!

P.S. I'm registered for GayRomLit in Albuquerque! I hope to see you there!

On A writerly Note:

Lots of you noticed that two books are missing from my backlist, Family Unit, and The Long Way Home. The rights to those two books reverted back to me, so I'm re-editing (I have honed my skills since I wrote those, I hope, and I'll be giving them a critical once over) and commissioning new covers for them, and then I'll be re-releasing them sometime this spring. Stay tuned for those! To find blurbs, excerpts, and buy links to all my available books CLICK ON THE BOOK COVERS OR THE TITLES ON MY BOOKS PAGE.

In the meantime I'm working on three different projects (One of which I'm co-writing with the knockout talent of none other than Heidi Cullinan, so that should be something!)

A Picture Perfect Holiday, released by MLR Press in November, and Secret Light from publisher Loose Id in December, are my latest releases. Secret Light is the #3 Top Ebook at Fictionwise today, 3/1/2012, and they've both been getting some great reviews, including a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick, so thanks to everyone who helped in making this book a success.

Among other things, Night Owl said:


"Secret Light is, for me, about trying to fit in at a time when certain differences can not only be unhealthy, but deadly. It is also a story of finding your way to happiness, love and friendship.

A truly wonderful read."

I'm also expanding The Artist's Model and giving it a virtual facelift. It will be re-released by MLR press, who is also releasing a single print book containing my two novellas, Stirring Up Trouble and All Stirred Up. Look for something a little bit extra (and fun) there.

As always, thanks to you, my readers and friends. Your letters and comments keep me on my toes and working hard. Thanks for your support!