Newsletter-like Update #1

Welcome to me new newsletter like post, it will either run each fortnight or monthly, I haven’t get decided, but its me, talking about, well, myself, and what I’m working on – along with a giveaway

WIP – New Release like Facts

I got my proofing copy of LWKI aka, Love Without Knowing It back on Sunday night and will be spending a big chunk of today going over that before getting it ready for formatting.

I’m so excited about this one it’s making it hard for me to concentrate on anything else. But it’s getting closer, all I need to do now is create a promotion post and send one off to a blog that’s already accepted it. And one that said they would, but it was casual-like, A handshake, which I’m going to take advantage of when they may have only been polite.

But it basically means, bar something major happening, I’m going to be ready for this book to come out by the end of the week.

I’ve still stumped on Running Scared so it seems another promise I break this year. I’m so fucking disappointed in myself, it’s not funny, but unless I can get it done by the end of the week, and I can clean it up well enough that it doesn’t need any major things edited to it then maybe, just maybe, I can get it out for the end of Oct.

And yeah I know if I had an editor, like one I trusted and who knew me and my writing, I would be able to pull it off, but I don’t. I’m going to be working with someone new, which also means I’ll be waiting behind a line of well known to them authors.

Which I’m fine with, but it makes for a quick edit, well, a little tough.

This is all beside the point as I’m still staring at 2K needing to be written and my fingers frozen in hatred of myself and the words on the screen. It sucks but I’m hoping I’ll get over myself and pull off a miracle.

Lastly, I’ve found myself a Christmas story.

 It came to me while reading “Waiting for You by KC. Wells”, and for a lot of reason, it follows that storyline, because there was just something about it that called to me. Yet it’s not really going to be anything like it.

Ok, so it’s about a boy who runs away from home because he’s gay and his best friends ends up finding him, and maybe, just maybe, if the friend is extremely lucky, save him.

It’s and adults story and it’s harsh and I’m hoping I’ll be able to get a really sweet ending to it, I’m not sure I can even truly pull that off. So it may be a harsh ending but the love will be there, I know I can do that.

Its working title is: It Started With Rain

I already have a blurb, but I’ll wait for a bit, see how it actually goes before showing it off. However, for you guys, I’ll put up a rough (from the first draft) excerpt at the end up at the end of this

In The News

**may be a slight rant, in this section, I hope I don’t lose any friends because of it

Facebook is all up in arms about the fact that they are going to strip entertainers of their facebook pages in 2 weeks.

I am right there with them, though I find that it just seems like a way for them to get on the news again because out of everyone in the whole world, Drag Queens aren’t the type to go scurrying off into the darkness. No, they get pissed, loud, and we will all be in for a brilliant show as they make their discuses and annoyance clear when they are all shut down.

You can’t silence a Queen, fuck no, you just make them louder, and more than likely get them on your front lawn.

The truly sad thing about all this is that they probably have rights to sue facebook for discrimination or something bull like that, and more than not, they will shut them down and after a few weeks they will be up again. Because let’s face it, they don’t have the time to go to their lawyer’s and then change on paragraph in their terms and conditions, they ain’t going to have the time to actually monitor the half a million or so new accounts that are open daily, but the same half a mil that opened on last week.

Anyway, I’ll either lose my account, though I’ll find it hilarious as I’m using my ‘real name’ and my ‘real name’ account now has a fake one, but it will be mine that goes because there is no way in hell I’m going to give my ID over to facebook.

But if I lose my account I’ll probably open a new one, and just not point myself as an artist, and as I do that I’ll jump ship with the rest of the authors and figure out how Google + works.

But like I said, the Drag Queens will all be shut down in a week, but it will take a little longer to have people click that tiny little button that reports to fb and gets us closed down. Most probably by trolling million mothers, or some other wanker who can’t handle our success in the face of their own failures, because who else has to the time be bothered, really.

Up Coming Gossip

Ok, so this is more of a thought I quite like, but at the moment I don’t actually have any that I can think of – it’s late, when I came up with this idea, and wrote this first one out.

My 2015 Valentine’s story called A Reason to Hate Valentine’s and it’s starting paragraph goes like this

The box on the doorstep was leaking. Maybe not the first thing Mike should have noticed, but the icky substance had soaked into most of the bottom and had started to pool along his front step. The step he’d cleaned this morning, but then wasn’t that life.

How creepily fun is that?!!

 

Flashes – In Progress

I have a flash fiction from the facebook group up, here

I have also started a prompt series, which is, well, basically something so that when my heads to full and confused I’m able to take a bit of time away from the WIP and write something I don’t have to really think about. 2K of fun, shit that come from what you guys suggestions. The funniest part at the moment is that I’ll have to put my two characters into those places, or give them those moments. Which I think, in the long run, will be interesting to say the least.

Anyway, you can find the first one here, and I’m going to try and get one out a month, but then it’s for fun so I’m not going to push myself into it.

Giveaways

For this month’s giveaway, and that’s how these will go, I might put up a newsletter each fortnight but the giveaway will only last the whole month. Just comment, say hi, tell me what you’d like to see out of my newsletter or whatever you’d like to say, include your email, and at the end of the month (which is only a week away) I’ll pick a random person to win.  

The prize: 1 ebook copy of Love Without Knowing it.

 

Current or WIP Excerpt

**unedited first draft excerpt

It Started With Rain

            Chapter One

 

Summer was a horrible time for street kids, just in general. They had to take the heat like a friend letting it seep into every nook and cranny without too much complaint, it wasn’t as if anyone was going to listen if there was one, anyway, so what was the point in bitching about a predicament that couldn’t be helped.

All he could do was wait for winter, but then by the time it came around he was wishing for summer again, wishing for the opposite extreme.

The air tunnelled into the alley Jeff had managed to set himself up in, it wasn’t home, but it was his, to make money, as he saw fit. A nicer spot then other he’d had over the years, and one he’d had to fight on a regular basis to keep.

Street kids in generally might look out for each other, but only the ones that clicked, and even then, in the middle of winter is was a free for all. They all needed money, they all needed that ideal spot, and Jeff had it.

The nook he’d taken possession of, was hidden away enough that getting fucked up against the brick wall would keep both him and the John hidden from passing cops, and when he wasn’t making money, he just had to step a foot around the edge and he was on the street, able to sell his wears to any passers-by.

It also had a loss brick, one that he could stash his shit in through the night, and no one would find it. it had taken him nearly a week to find, and he probably wouldn’t have if he hadn’t been taking a rough customer and needed the added stretch to brace himself, because the John wanted to put his head through the brick wall. He’d wanted to see blood. Not that he hadn’t paid before he’d not seen that, nor had he whispered any such thing into Jeff’s ear. However, it didn’t take long to know which ones got off on hurting and which ones just needed the relief.

“Ack,” Piper said as he walked past, his singlet hanging off him in the most alluring way. He was a beauty, the one all the John’s wanted, but he was also a junky. Not a addicted like the rest of us, needing the fix just to get past the idea of tomorrow, but one that couldn’t got for hours without a needle between his toes, and an anger that would kill you if you got in his way. It was rumoured, in that way, of knowing it was true, but hell, if you pretend its just street talk the cops wont hall your arse in to answer stupid questions. It’s said Piper killed a mark because he needed a fix and couldn’t get it up for the John.

It may be weird, and some, the ones that like to hurt, don’t give a shit, but a lot of John, even if they are fucking him up against a wall want to know he’s getting off on the act. It’s brutal sometimes, because it’s hard to get it up that much, especially if you’ve not eaten or you’ve been in a turf fight. But it’s almost like they want him to be there date, not the guy they were paying to fuck.

“Nice spot you got there,” Piper said, circling back towards Jeff.

“Yep,” he replied, shifting his stance, making sure he’d whole attention was on Piper and as well as the rest of the street, and his spot. It had taken time to be able to see everything at once, but one the street, it doesn’t take long. Even with closed eyes, a person can still see everything that’s going on. It’s that or be robbed of all your shit.

“I want it,” Piper said, he’d eyes danced, bloodshot with blown pupils, his fingers fidgeted against his thigh.

“Not happening,” Jeff told the arse. He didn’t give a shit if they guy slit his throat, its the only fucking way he was giving up his spot.

The biggest problem with turf fight was that the person wanting in didn’t have anything to hold onto they try to drag it out onto the street. As far away from the area as they could, because that way, they aren’t getting blood in the area and so cops won’t want a closer look, or tell them to fuck off.

When a guys up against a junky there’s the added bonus of them thinking there fucking invincible and they fight like it too. Lots of death happen this way, mostly because both are willing to die for the real estate and are generally as junked up as each other.

Hell, it was another con to getting a person off his or her turf, and that was to share a bit of blow, generally lacked. OD junky is taken away, and he’d got himself a spot.

No one said this life was a fucking dream. Jeff knew war heroes who have seen more living on the street then they did in the fight, and those fuckers were the ones that came back broken. There was no sorority of bums. Not gang of misfits, everyone was out for themselves, and that was the bottom line, a person thinks different and they aren’t going to last long.

“I want it,” Piper showed off an evil grin, it was wide, letting Jeff see the missing and rotted teeth. There was a reason no one kissed a whore and it wasn’t just because they were paying for it. Or that the whore didn’t want to give that part of themselves up. Mostly because that was a cop of shit, if a mark wanted one, they’d bloody get it or he wouldn’t get paid. Simple as fucking that. But those jobs were the nice, in motel room kind of jobs. Ones he’d not done in nearly 6 months, the call girl types ones that would land his arse 6 foot under quicker than a blow job or, well, quickie in his little nook would any day of the week.

He preferred those odds.

The flash of a knife started it, Piper, being the junky he was, pulled in out from behind his wife-beater and lunged at Jeff,  being that Piper was high on, Jeff’s guess, heroin and Jeff hadn’t had anything but a bit of speed and deco. So, Piper’s his reflects worked where Piper’s were sloppy making it easy for him to push the knife so his arm scraped against the brick corner, then pulled him the rest of the way, slamming the bastards face into the wall.

Then things got wired, as something come in behind Piper picking him up under the arms and throwing him off Jeff.

Jeff blinked up at his savour, the word sneering through his mind, he didn’t need no one fucking saving him, he did just fine on his fucking own.

A man stood there, no, fucking NO! Boyd stood in front of him, it may have been nearly five years, if he calculated right, but there was no way he’d forget the guy he thought he’d loved with all his soul.

Jeff wasn’t stupid enough to think he still did, no, he’d grown up from those fantasies and wished, but it was still a shock to his heart to see the voice boy who took then broke his heart standing between him and a junky.

“Is there a problem gentleman?” a voice of authority said getting Jeff’s attention. they’d come in a two different direction so no matter was probably going for a little trip down to the station, great just what he fucking needed tonight.

“No problem gents,” Piper said, his voice like a rattle snake, thinking it was sexy and clean but really just made him want to back up slowing and hope the fucker didn’t jump.

“So that wasn’t a knife I saw you’re holding.”

“Course not, officer,” Piper said

“Yes it was,” Body spoke, his voice deeper than Jeff remembered, more adult than the kids they had been.

“And you are?” the officer eyes Boyd, his jock style clothing’s, and his clean breath and eyes and them both questioning what he was doing there.

Jeff stepped forward, his hand hovering over Boyd’s arm but he didn’t touch. “He’s no one, officers, just a random citizen thinking he’d be a fucking hero.”

“That so,” they eyes Boyd up again, where they thinking he’d be that hard of for a fuck that he’d need to come to Jeff. Seriously, if only Jeff looked a tad like the other man, all his problem would have vanished, a hundred times over.

“Yeah,” Boyd said, for some reason reading off Jeff. He wasn’t sure why, but then again he wasn’t sure why he even stopped in the first place. Did he remember Jeff was him? Had too, really, if Jeff could pick out Boyd after all this time, Boyd would be able to do the same; it wasn’t as if he’d changed much. Other than circumstances, he was still that slim five-foot-eight kid he used to be instead now he could just barely call himself a man.

“I saw these two dudes fighting so I thought I’d stop it.”

“And what if you’d been hurt,” one of the copa’s asked.

Boyd just shrugged. “Wasn’t really thinking, was I.”

It didn’t take long for the cop’s to finish questioning Boyd, and cart Piper and himself down town. which sucked for Jeff as he really needed the fucking money tonight would bring in, God new he wouldn’t get half as much working tomorrow.

 

***

 

Boyd had found him. Jeff, in the flesh, looking like he’d aged three times as much as Body had in the same many years.

Boyd sat himself down in the little nook he’d found just around the corner to were Jeff had stood. A body, and a jacket that Boyd hadn’t seen since the last time he’d seen Jeff, told him everything he needed to know.

It wasn’t a bad place, as well hidden, which was probably the point. A roof over the top so he wouldn’t be getting saturated. Or he would, Boyd’d seen places like this get flooded in the rain. Though at least he thought, the guy would definitely be out of the sun.

It wasn’t the point. He thought as he sat himself down with all of Jeff’s stuff.

After five years of searching he’d finally found him.

 

 

End Note

 

This is the first addition to my Newsletter. I hope you enjoyed and that you’ll be back for more.