Category Archives: Out Of The Blue

It’s a New Year!

I’m late, I know. Sorry. My time hasn’t been my own and I’m up to my neck with edits and pushy characters that simply won’t wait their turn.

This will be a quick post, as – if you’ve been following me on social media – I just haven’t had the time to scratch myself.

New Year’s resolutions aren’t really my thing. I could say I will eat more healthily, exercise more or be kinder to strangers. But we all know that after the first week we forget about the new things we said we’d do and just get on with life. That’s usually how it works for me anyway. (Oh, BTW, I’m not unkind to strangers, so that’s a moot point. The eating and exercise bit, that’s a different story.)

Christmas was a mixed bag for me. I spent some time with my sisters and their families which is always a lot of fun, but I also had to spend time with my father in law and sister in law which I was dreading. Needless to say, I’m not in a hurry for them to return. (FIL is still here *insert sad face*)

Anyway, I don’t want to talk about them. That’s not why I’m here.

2015 was huge for me. I self published my first book Out of the Blue in March with the second in the series, Black & Bluhe releasing in July. Two short stories happened as well, thanks to Wayward Ink Press. I finished the year off with Indigo Road.

The writing part is fun. I mean a lot of fun. Publishing and promoting is hard work so I was quite chuffed when I saw Out of the Blue, Black & Bluhe, and The One That I Want be nominated in the Goodreads MM Members Choice Awards. All up I received 10 nominations! How’s that for cool? I can’t thank you guys enough. You make all the blood, sweat and tear-jerking tantrums worth it.

Nominations

If you wish to vote, click here but you must be a member.

So, 2016 huh? What have I got planned? I resigned from my EDJ to concentrate on my writing, as, lets face it, it’s a hell of a lot more fun. I will definitely have three releases this year and I’m hoping for a forth, possibly a fifth. It depends on how much time I get to actually write the words. If I could conjure up a perfect first draft, that would help.

So be sure to keep your eye out. This new author is far from done.

I hope 2016 is everything you hope it will be. Take care of each other and be kind.

❤
RJ

What I’ve been working on and what you can expect to see…

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I thought I’d take a small time out to let you know what you can expect to see coming up.

First, I have a small short story that was published in Wayward Ink Press’s Encore Anthology. The One That I Want will be released as a standalone on Oct 9th with a short sequel Hopelessly Devoted released on Oct 23rd. Both are sweet reads that you can enjoy while having an afternoon cuppa. I hope you like Jason and Paul as much I do.

Late November, early December will see the introduction of Josh and Alex in the release of Indigo Road, a full novel where two best friend take a year off to travel the country after graduating from college. While both MC’s may not consider themselves gay, they’re a long way from straight when they realise their feelings for each other run deeper than they first thought.

That rounds out 2015 for me, but I’m far from finished.

2016 will see the release of True Blue, #3 in the Out of the Blue series with Mason finally getting his man and Brandon realising he’s not as straight as he first thought.

Sometime in the year I’ll introduce you to Aiden and Noah in As The Leaves Fall, my gorgeous British architects who try very hard not to have an office relationship. I won’t have a release date for them for a while as I’ll be relying on the publisher for that one rather than publishing it myself, that’s if they accept it, of course. (I’m so excited for this one, I could burst!)

I’m hoping to round out 2016 with Bluheprint, #4 in the Out of the Blue series. I’ve had quite a few of my readers asking for Jet’s story and to be honest, I love him so hard, it was difficult trying to tame him in Black & Bluhe as the little shit thought it was his story, instead of his brothers. LOL.

I have a couple of others that have been started but have been shelved for various reasons. One I’ve titled Solid Rock and is a story about an Australian tour guide working at Ayres Rock/Uluru. He meets a shy British boy who comes to the rock to scatter the ashes of a father he never really knew. The other is a series of BDSM novella’s which I’m not sure will ever see the light of day, but we’ll see. I don’t like to see a project unfinished so it may surface one day.

Till next time, here’s another hot man to keep you company. :)

❤

The Perfect Size for You by Lily G. Blunt

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I don’t review books anymore. TBH, it’s just too damn time consuming. I may post a plug on FB if I really enjoyed a story, but my reviewing days are done. I’ve made an exception for this hot little number, though.

As some of you may know, Lily is a fellow author with Wayward Ink Press. She’s helped me with some promotion for Out of the Blue and I was biding my time until I could return the favour. Well, when I saw this cover pop up on my FB feed my tongue fell out of my head and I jumped at the chance to help her out with a bit of promo. She offered me a copy of the story, which I was more than happy to accept. See below for my review.

The Perfect Size For You

Lily G. Blunt

After updating his Rent Boy blog profile, well-endowed porn star Ty, receives a text requesting an appointment with a sexually inexperienced client. Andy asks Ty to provide him with the necessary knowhow, so if he ever goes on a date with the guy he’s attracted to he’s fully prepared.
Little does Ty know this hook-up will lead to a friendship that will subsequently change his life. Can Ty remain friends with Andy or will he always want more? And how will Ty react when Andy finally goes on a date with another man?

This story is also available in the Take It Like A Man Anthology.

Buy links:

ARe / Amazon.com / Amazon UK / Torquere Press

Excerpt:

Not even counting the money, I shoved it in my back pocket. “So, what do you have in mind for this afternoon?”

He flushed again and shrugged. “I’d like to talk for a while and kiss and cuddle, if that’s okay?”

Geez! Easy money.

I didn’t wish to hurt his feelings. “Umm… couldn’t you find a guy from school to do that with?” That would certainly be cheaper for him. Not that I was complaining.

He shook his head, looking embarrassed, and leaned against the kitchen counter. He was so fucking cute.

“Are you even out yet?” I took a step closer to him.

He shook his head again, glancing at my lips. “No, no one knows I’m gay.”

I ran a finger up his arm, and placed my hand gently on his shoulder. “So, have you done anything with a guy before?”

His head tilted down as if ashamed, his wide brown eyes peering up at me. “No, that’s why I called you. So if I ever get to date this guy I really like, I’ll know what to do.” His voice was just above a whisper.

We were close now, our bodies practically touching. He smelled nice, of soap and shampoo. His breath was hot and coming out in quick pants.

“Relax for me, Andy.”

I slid my hand behind his neck, and teased the soft hair at his nape. Our lips met softly for a first sweet kiss. His eyes fluttered closed, and I swept my mouth over his, my lips parting slightly. His mouth opened for me, his tongue peeked out and lapped teasingly against mine. He tasted minty and fresh. It didn’t take long before it became a passionate lip lock, with Andy moaning into my mouth.

I nibbled on his lower lip. “Mmm… you’re a quick learner.”

Reviews of The Perfect Size for You:

“This book had me driving with one hand on the wheel. I want more of this erotic sexually charged, and FUN book.”

“Finally got a chance to read this. Quite adorable. I love a geeky little twink with his shyness. This was an adorable story.”

“Ty is a porn star who is branching out to become a rent boy because he is nearing the end of his career. He advertises on a website where he ends up meeting Andy, a sweet eighteen year old virgin who wants to gain some experience so that if he can ever manage to hook the guy he likes, he’ll know what to do.

Ty really enjoys his time with Andy and the more time they spend together, the more he doesn’t want Andy to end up with Evan. He breaks the rule about caring about his tricks and ends up biting off more than he can chew emotionally.

I really enjoyed this short story. I’m a sucker for rent boys/porn industry stories and this hit the spot wonderfully! I really loved Andy and Ty together.

The sexy times were sweet and then hot! I’m really anxious to get to this author’s other porn industry book!

A definite must read!!”

“I just love this writer, she is a dear friend. This storyline was well written and I loved each page. I wish it had gone on longer too damn short!!”

So what did I think?

This wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought Andy would fall for Ty. After all, you always remember the person who took your virginity, so to read about a porn star come rent boy falling for the shy twink was nice and refreshing. Lily’s writing flowed well for me. She combined a nice mix of sweet and hot but neither guy came across as needy or desperate. I would have like a bit more character depth but it’s a good short story you can read while having a cuppa. I’ll definitely be reading more from Lily.

About the Author:

Lily G. Blunt writes contemporary gay romance and erotica. She loves to explore the relationship between two men and the intensity of their physical and emotional attraction. Angst often features in her stories as she feels this demonstrates the depth of the men’s feelings for each other. Lily is forever writing imaginary scenes and plots in her head, but only a few ever make it to the page—there never seems to be enough hours in the day despite having left the teaching profession to concentrate on her writing!

Lily discovered the wonderful world of m/m romance novels four years ago via fan fiction and went on to write stories in her spare time. With the encouragement of her friends and readers she decided to publish some of her work.

Lily has several self-published stories available on Amazon. She is also published with Torquere Press and Wayward Ink Publishing.

Easily distracted from her writing, Lily makes videos using clips from gay-themed movies and posts gorgeous pictures of men kissing or making out on her tumblr and Facebook pages. Lily is also an avid supporter of GLBTQ rights and advocates equality for all.

Lily lives in central England with her rather bemused husband, two twenty-something children, and a ‘mad as a bag of frogs’ Shetland Sheepdog.

Check out Lily’s other stories

via her Amazon Page or Wayward Ink Publishing.

Social Media Links:

WordPress / FB Author Page / Tumblr / YouTube / Twitter / Goodreads

Black & Bluhe Cover Reveal and Discount!!

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Here it is!! The cover for my second novel Black & Bluhe. It was created by the wonderfully talented Meredith Russell.

In celebration of this gorgeous cover, I’m offering my first novel Out of the Blue for only $.99 for the entire weekend.

Buy Links here…

Amazon ARe

Release date July/August 2015

The blurb…

(unedited and subject to change)

Grayson Black has never forgiven himself for not being able to save his identical twin brother, Jet from a savage beating. Gray was usually the target of his father’s wrath so he shoulders the blame for Jet’s near death. He has sworn to protect his brother ever since. Gray can’t afford a distraction, the type of distraction provided by a gorgeous blond who has been showing up at their gigs.

Kris Larson is a firefighter with the San Francisco Fire Department. Since the split from his girlfriend he’s spent time watching the Black Brothers play in the bars of San Francisco. It’s not until the brothers are left homeless after a fire at their apartment building that he realizes just how much he’s attracted to the brooding guitarist.

Before Gray and Kris can have a lasting relationship, Gray must learn to forgive himself, let go of the past and lay more than one demon to rest.

A couple of thoughts from a busy couple of weeks.

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I’ve had quite a busy couple of weeks.

First there was the release for Out of the Blue and my stomach was in knots waiting for the first review. Well, the first one wasn’t great, but as far as bad reviews go, it was pretty good. From what I can tell, the story just wasn’t for her. That’s cool, we can’t like every book we read. Since then, I’ve had some lovely comments and have made new friends who seem to friend me on Facebook just to say how much they enjoyed the story. That, right there, makes my day. To know a story that came out of my brain has touched so many people is just so awesome I can’t put it into words. It’s been quite humbling to know that Cam and Jake have been embraced by so many.

I had a few problems (I use that term loosely; the original release date was January) in the creation of this story and those near to me know how close I came to ditching the entire thing in the bin and not letting it see the light of day. I dedicated the book to the one person who had more faith in me than I did, and for that alone, I will be eternally grateful.❤ I love you. You know who you are.❤

To everyone who has bought my book and took a chance on a newbie, indie author – there’s a ton of love coming your way. I’m very humbled.

There’s been quite a few questions about a second book, or what I’m working on at the moment. So at the mention of a second book, yes. Black and Bluhe will be coming your way soon. I have a tentative date set for June but it will depend on how my edits and real life treat me. This will be Kris’s Story (remember the hot blond bisexual, Cam works with?) Uh huh. Thought you might. Here’s my image of him:

Hot right? As soon as he showed up in Out of the Blue, I knew I had to give him a happy ever after. But… he has to work for it. His story won’t be as heart wrenching as Cam’s, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to have it easy either. Keep your eye out for it. I’ll announce a cover and blurb closer to the date. Stay tuned for him.

I’ve also just finished a short sequel to the story that featured in the Encore Anthology. If you read The One That I Want, you’ll know that Jason and Paul got their HEA in the form of a proposal. Want to know how the wedding goes and what the reception would be like? You’ll have to wait a little while. The MS is currently with my beta’s then it goes to my publisher. I’ll let you know how it goes.

That’s all from me for now. I have the house to myself as the boys have gone camping. I need to bask in the serenity while they’re gone. :)

RJ
❤

Out of the Blue is coming in two weeks and there’s a giveaway!

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Out of the Blue
By
RJ Jones

Release: March 27, 2015

Release day is looming and to say I’m nervous would be a gross understatement. Sleep has become non-existent and my stomach’s all twisty. <— not even kidding. LOL. So to make myself feel better, I’ve set up a Rafflecopter so you can win a copy of Out of the Blue. We all like free stuff, right? And they say giving is much better than receiving.

The Blurb…

When everything happens Out of the Blue…

Lt Cameron Cooper has been with the San Francisco Fire Department for fifteen years. He’s seen and dealt with a lot of horrifying situations. He’s always considered himself mentally tough, but when he attends a multi-vehicle accident and sees a dead boy with features remarkably similar to his long-time boyfriend, his mental health takes a hit.

All Jake Montgomery wants is to propose to his boyfriend on their ten-year anniversary. He’s already bought the perfect rings, but when Cameron struggles to look at him after a tragic accident, he has doubts about their future. Cam is withdrawing, and Jake doesn’t know why.

With heated arguments and cold shoulders, Cam and Jake’s life starts to fall apart. Just when Cam thinks he can overcome his issues and finally talk to Jake, memories from Jake’s past threaten to push them apart forever.

The Excerpt…

I turned on the shower without stepping in and waited for the water to warm up. I looked in the mirror above the sink, I looked like hell. Yeah, it was a tough night—one of the worst—and my body ached all over. The mirror fogged up as I stared blankly at myself, which was my cue to move. I adjusted the temperature and stepped into the shower, bracing my hands against the tile. I closed my eyes as the warm water sluiced down my back, offering relief to my aching muscles. All I wanted was to shower and climb into my comfortable bed with Jake’s nice warm body.

I’d never needed anybody as much as I needed Jake. He kept me grounded when my job made me want to fall apart, like it did last night. Being a firefighter in a large city could take its toll on your mental health sometimes, and I’d seen some things that no one should ever see. From car wrecks to suicides, house fires to machinery accidents, some images never left you.

I felt Jake’s presence before I heard him. I knew he stood outside the shower and watched my shadowy form. I’d always been able to tell when he walked into a room, always sensed when he was near, even when I couldn’t see him. Ever since the first time I saw him on campus over nine years ago, the awareness had never gone away. And after almost ten years, my heart still skipped a beat every time I saw him. Every time.

I heard Jake’s footsteps a second before he opened the shower door and climbed in behind me. I didn’t move. Jake wrapped his body around mine, pressing his sculpted, hairless chest to my broader back. Tightening his arms around my waist, he rested his cheek against my shoulder blade.

“Hi,” he whispered. “Bad night, huh?”

I didn’t say anything. My voice had left me, and all I could do was hang my head lower and release a quiet sigh. Grabbing one of his hands, I entwined our fingers together, letting them rest on my flat stomach. Jake held me for a long minute, and I relished the feel of his body against mine. Jake sighed and tried to release my hand, but I didn’t want to let go—he’d always been my anchor and I needed his touch to ground me.

“Let go, Romeo. I’m not going anywhere, just let me take care of you before I go to work.”