Guest post by Drew Hunt ...
It was with mixed emotions that I said goodbye to Colin Rogers and Martin Kellam. Remaining with the same characters over a series of stories (four in this case) tends to stunt my creativity. I thought I’d struggle to find something new and interesting for them to do. From the events of the third book Colin and Martin’s Australian Christmas, I already had a basic outline of what would happen -- they will leave Great Britain to begin new lives down under. But when I sat down and began to type, things went in a direction I didn’t expect.
Colin and Martin’s Goodbye Christmas is, as you might guess, about saying goodbye. No, neither man is on his deathbed. Recently my sister and her family emigrated to Australia and I found myself exploring my feelings surrounding that. It made the piece a little darker than one would expect for a Christmas story. Goodbyes are bitter-sweet, yes, there’s the excitement of beginning something new, but there’s also the pain of parting from loved ones.
As always, I had fun describing Colin’s child-like enthusiasm for Christmas, and how Martin has to go to increasingly elaborate lengths to keep Colin and his presents away from each other until Christmas morning.
Because Martin is totally blind, Colin always struggles to find interesting gifts for his man. Plus this year whatever they give each other has to fit in their suitcases.
Each man deals differently with the prospect of leaving Great Britain. Martin is estranged from his family, so there’s little holding him back. Colin is the centre of Martin’s world, so wherever Colin is, that’s where Martin wants to be. However, leaving is harder for Colin. He’s close to his parents and when his mother confesses a secret at the Christmas dinner table, the two men’s plans to emigrate are thrown into doubt. To be honest, as I wrote out these scenes, I didn’t know whether Colin and Martin would go or stay. You’ll have to read the story and find out what they decided.
For a chance to win a free e-book copy, leave a comment here OR on our Tumblr blog. Don't include your e-mail address in your comment. We'll post the winner's name on Thursday, December 6, and you can check back to see how to claim your prize
Drew Hunt
drew-hunt.co.uk
December 3, 2012
Saying Goodbye to Colin and Martin
Drew Hunt on Colin and Martin
Guest post by Drew Hunt ...
A few years ago I thought I’d try and do
something different with the age-old finding love at Christmas type of story.
Martin Kellam is blind and lives alone save for his guide dog. Christmas is
rapidly approaching and Martin isn’t relishing the thought of spending it by
himself.
Londoner Colin Rogers delivers Martin’s
groceries every week and enjoys the brief times he spends with Martin, marvelling
at how well the man copes with his disability.
Colin tells Martin he will spend the day
avoiding his housemate and the housemate’s amorous girlfriend. So, before he
can chicken out, Martin offers to cook Christmas dinner for the two of them.
Food isn’t the only thing they share.
Like Martin, I am legally blind. I got the
idea for the story from my dealings with the Staples delivery guy. He had such
a dreamy London accent. I ordered way more stationery than I needed, just so I
could talk to the man for a couple of minutes on my doorstep. Eventually the
man changed routes, got another job or something, so I ceased my purchases. That
was about six years ago and I’m still using up all those envelopes, boxes of paper,
and packets of plastic wallets.
Download Colin and Martin's First Christmas for free today only at the JMS Books website!
Drew Hunt
drew-hunt.co.uk
Colin and Martin's Goodbye Christmas by Drew Hunt
Colin and Martin's Goodbye Christmas by Drew Hunt is now available in e-book format!
The fourth and final Colin and Martin Christmas story sees the two men leaving Yorkshire to begin new lives in Australia.
Martin Kellam has no qualms about saying goodbye to what remains of his family, while Colin’s parting gift to Martin’s brother is a well-deserved punch in the nose.
Before leaving, the two men have one final Christmas in London with Colin’s parents, who are pulling out all the stops to make it an occasion to remember.
Martin enjoys teasing his husband. He knows Colin can never resist going in search of presents before Christmas Day. As this is their last winter Christmas, Martin boxes up a lump of coal and puts it somewhere where Colin will find it.
The festivities are brought to an abrupt halt when Colin’s mother reveals disturbing news that throws Colin and Martin’s emigration plans into turmoil.
Despite Martin’s much-needed comfort and reassurance, Colin is torn between family obligation and the future he and Martin have longed for. Can Martin show him that he can have both?
Read an excerpt or buy a copy today!
December 2, 2012
2012 Rainbow Award Winners!
Congratulations to all the JMS Books authors who placed in the 2012 Rainbow Awards! Be sure to check out these amazing books ~ you can purchase the e-books directly from our website at jms-books.com for 30% off the list price. This special discount is available only through the end of the year, so pick up a copy of these books today!
Best Gay Contemporary General Fiction:
Honorable Mention ~ Lashings of Sauce edited by UK MAT
From marriages to reunions, via practical jokes and football matches, to weresloths and possibly the oddest Tarts and Vicars party in the world, join us as we celebrate the UK Meet in the best way we know: telling the story. As a follow-up to the critically acclaimed British Flash and Tea and Crumpet anthologies, our talented writers bring you sixteen stories about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and genderqueer characters enjoying what Britain and mainland Europe have to offer, with their wonderfully diverse range of cultures and landscapes and some incredibly colourful and quirky people.
Best Lesbian Historical:
Third Place ~ The View from 16 Podwale Street by Paul Alan Fahey
April 1939. Warsaw, Poland. Within 16 Podwale, the walls hold secrets that could destroy the lives of its inhabitants as they witness the city's ever-mounting tide of Nazism. Elwira Malinowska is content to watch the world pass by her home until Raz Zielinsky comes to work as a housemaid for her father. The two women become lovers. Elwira believes Pope Pius XII will intervene to save Poland from the rumblings of a maniac and an imminent invasion. But when the Pope fails to mediate peace and the political situation worsens, Elwira and Raz plan their escape to freedom. Will they succeed? Or is it already too late?
Best Bisexual/Transgender Fiction
Third Place ~ A Cowboy's Heart by J.M. Snyder
Ranch hand Tommy Prout meets Lila, an enterprising saloon girl who takes a liking to him. She isn't like the others, and when she discovers Tommy is more scared of her than attracted to her feminine charms, she lets him in on a little secret. Her real name is Stephen Marsh. He lives as a woman, moving from saloon to saloon, pleasing men for money. He loves men and enjoys his work, and what others don't know about what's under his skirt doesn't bother him. In all his years on the prairie, he's never met someone quite like Tommy. When he discovers Tommy is sweet on his ranch boss, he suggests teaching the cowboy just how to please a man. He doesn't mean to lose his heart to Tommy in the process.
Best LGBT Young Adult/Coming of Age:
First Place ~ Renfred's Masquerade by Hayden Thorne
Best Gay Novel/Book:
Honorable Mention ~ Renfred's Masquerade by Hayden Thorne
Tragedy strikes when young Nicola Gregori turns sixteen. Gustav Renfred, a friend of his father, whisks Nicola away to an isolated islet filled with empty mansions and bordered by a bluebell forest. There Nicola learns about the tragic story that weaves together the fates of his father, Gustav Renfred, and Gustav's sister, Constanza. Magic, impossible dreams, and unrequited love come together in the Renfreds' mansion, where Nicola is caught in a world of haunting portraits, a ghostly housekeeper, and the mysterious disappearance of Davide, Constanza's adopted son. When Nicola's invited to one of Renfred's magical masquerades, he discovers the answers to riddles as well as the mounting danger the Renfred family faces with every passing hour.
One Perfect Score:
Bergdorf Boys by Scott Alexander Hess
When Neal Tate, a just-out-of-rehab NYC party columnist falls for Dewalt, a Harlem drug dealer he meets at a gay bathhouse, he discovers that navigating an honest relationship is a lot more difficult that chasing down the perfect pair of skinny jeans. Neal finds support from his fashion-loving friends: Rowdy, a blond boy-toy married to the owner of Pop magazine where Neal works; Nick, "It-boy" Style writer for the New York Times; and Annie, straight-girl Art Director who gives Neal's life balance. The success of Neal's Bergdorf Boy column, and his growing love for Dewalt, lead him to question his capacity for intimacy, his obsessive commitment to both the latest trend and anonymous sex, and to wonder if a monogamous gay marriage could be in the cards.
December 1, 2012
The Positions of Love series is on sale!
This weekend only, you can purchase all 12 of the titles in my best-selling Vic and Matt series, The Positions of Love, for only 99¢ each!
Vic Braunson is a city bus driver who falls in love with Matt diLorenzo, a swimmer he meets at the gym. When they finally hook up, there's no denying the energy between them. Something about Matt brings out the best in Vic -- literally. Every time they have sex, Vic gains new superhuman powers from his lover. Can they learn to live with these abilities without losing each other?
In The Positions of Love, Matt gives his lover Vic a copy of the Kama Sutra for Gay Men as a Christmas gift. They soon discover it doubles as a handy reference guide to Vic's super powers. All they have to do is test out the positions to see which one gives him what ability ...
Normally the twelve e-books in this series cost $2.99 each, but you can grab all of them for this one-time sale price of 99¢ each! But hurry ~ the sale runs through Monday, December 3, and then it's gone!