Second Thoughts by Terry O'Reilly

Second Thoughts by Terry O'Reilly is now available in e-book format!

Previously published by Amber Allure Press.

What do you do when your boyfriend begins acting strangely, and at the same time, you meet someone his total opposite? Do you start having second thoughts?

Jesse Jamison must confront those very questions. After two years of living with his lover Dennis "Denny" Christopoulos, a charming flight attendant, the man starts taking on extra flights, making excuses for not coming home, and receiving private phone calls. During this time, Jesse also meets Nick Warden, a new neighbor. He immediately sees the contrasts between the two men and finds Nick attractive on so many levels.

Meanwhile, Denny has growing reservations about his relationship with Jesse, especially once a new man comes into his own life. Yet Denny isn't ready to give up the good thing he has going with Jesse since he isn't sure about the new man's intentions, or his own feelings.

Nick also struggles with his growing love for Jesse. While he would like nothing more than to claim Jesse for himself, his integrity prevents him from playing the home-wrecker. His hesitation to step in, however, nearly causes his undoing and a missed opportunity at love.

Each man has his own second thoughts. But who will act on them, and what will be the consequences?

Read an excerpt or buy a copy today!

Belea T. Keeney on Something in Their Eyes

Guest post by Belea T. Keeney ...

Something in Their Eyes was originally written for editor Maggie Estep's anthology, Bloodlines, released in 2006. I'd met her when taking an artists' residency class with her at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. It was a fabulous opportunity to work one-on-one with accomplished editors and writers; I can highly recommend this if you're looking for an intensive workshop. Bloodlines was a mixed anthology of fiction and non-fiction focused on the horse-racing world.

I knew a little about horse racing then (and know a little bit more now, ahem), and a group of us visited an off-track betting (OTB) parlor in Daytona so Maggie could get her racing fix in. The last race we watched, I don't remember exactly, but there were only three horses running, and I picked Rock Hard Ten to win. And he did.

But I hadn't betted. Damn!

So, for the story, I made a pleasant trek out to Tampa Bay Downs, and watched an afternoon's races just to get the vibe. I'd recently explored the Florida prison system and its program to rehabilitate both inmates and horses. It all came together in my story, Something in Their Eyes.

The idea of rehabbing both animals and humans in a corrections environment makes good sense to me. The Wild Horse Redemption is a good documentary about one program based out West. Many corrections systems are using dogs as they're easier to manage, but there are lots of opportunities to help horses as well. In fact, I just made contact with a corrections staffer to talk about this very idea. Maybe we'll be able to get a program going here in North Carolina!

Something in Their Eyes is free today only from JMS Books! Grab a copy!

Belea T. Keeney
beleatkeeney.com

J.M. Snyder on A Present for Daddy

Guest post by J.M. Snyder ...

My latest e-book release is a gay romance novelette entitled A Present for Daddy.

Some of my favorite stories to write are those about best friends who feel more than friendship for each other, but for whatever reason, don't act on those feelings. In this story, Bob and Dave were very close growing up, and Dave felt they might eventually have a bond stronger than friendship. He hoped they might ... at least, until Julia entered the picture. She interrupted their friendship senior year of high school when Bob fell for her, and Dave took a back seat to the couple's budding relationship. Unfortuantely, after graduation Dave lost touch with Bob completely, and it's only through a holiday coincidence they meet up again years later.

When they do, Dave is a successful ad-man at a local mall in the city where they grew up, and where Bob's parents still live. Bob's marriage with Julia went south -- she left him six months prior to the story, and served him divorce papers the day he left to visit his parents for Christmas. In tow is Bob's 7-year-old daughter Jenna, whose letter to Santa this year asked for something special Bob's afraid he won't be able to give her.

The connection between Bob and Dave is as immediate -- and as powerful -- as it was all those years ago. The two men spend the night catching up with each other, though the painful subject of his ruined marriage leads Bob to drink more than he should. Instead of driving home, he decides to visit Dave's apartment, where one things leads to another and ...

Well, here's an exclusive excerpt from the story that tells it a little better!

Excerpt from A Present for Daddy:

Terry O'Reilly on Being a Cowboy

Guest post by Terry O'Reilly ...

I am a gay man, I love cowboys, and I love to write romance stories. So it just seemed natural for me to write romantic stories about cowboys -- gay cowboys.

Being that I am a cowboy of sorts myself -- if owning and showing a quarter horse and wearing cowboy duds counts -- I have a base of personal experiences on which to draw whenever an idea for a cowboy story comes my way, which is pretty often. So it was when inspiration hit for Stallions & Studs: Shoulda Been a Cowboy.

As the writing commenced and I decided to set the story at a gay dude ranch, my friend and mentor Drew Hunt pointed out that a dude ranch would have a lot of people passing through its gates, plus permanent members of staff. Therefore, there’d be plenty of opportunities for side-stories. So the Stallions and Studs series was conceived.

Stallions & Studs: Shoulda Been a Cowboy is the first story and focuses on Charlie Bradley a tenderfoot with a cowboy fetish, who persuades his boyfriend to go on vacation to a gay dude ranch. While there Charlie finds reason to break up with his boyfriend and meets handsome and studly riding instructor Wade Connors.

The second story, Stallions & Studs: Back in the Saddle Again, is a prequel and centers around Mack MacIntyre and Seth Buchanan. Both men had been lovers before time, distance and societal pressures pulled them apart. They have a second chance and decide to go into business together and open Stallions and Studs.

A third book, Stallions & Studs: Rodeo Cowboy, is currently being written and should be available sometime about the middle of next year.

How many Stallions and Studs stories will there be? That depends on the unpredictable and capricious muse. You can never tell what those ladies are up to. But I’m enjoying the vicarious life of a cowboy while writing about them.

Download Stallions & Studs: Shoulda Been a Cowboy for free today only!

Terry O'Reilly
terry-oreilly.com

A Present for Daddy by J.M. Snyder

A Present for Daddy by J.M. Snyder is now available in e-book format!

Six months after his wife leaves him, Bob Jansen finds himself spending the holidays with his parents in the town where he grew up. With him is his seven year old daughter, Jenna, who sometimes seems to be handling her mother's absence better than Bob is himself. But he's worried that, in her letter to Santa, Jenna has asked the jolly old elf for something Bob knows he can't pull off. He's afraid she wants her mother back for the holiday.

While shopping for his daughter's Christmas presents, Bob runs into Dave Knarr, an old friend. They used to be best buds in high school, before Julia, Bob's soon-to-be ex-wife, came between them. The two men catch up over drinks, and before the evening ends, Dave makes his real feelings for Bob known.

If Bob is shocked to learn Dave has always been attracted to him, he's more surprised by his own reaction. Even if he's willing to take another shot at romance, what will his daughter think of his old friend?

Read an excerpt or buy a copy today!