I'm so excited about this project! LOVE IS ALL: An Anthology is out in the world today!
Here's the official blurb:
Six sexy stories to celebrate that love is love is love! Love Is All includes novellas from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Megan Hart, USA Today Bestselling authors Xio Axelrod, Peter Dawes, and Susan Scott Shelley, award-winning author Vivien Dean, and a brand new short story from Wendy Gold. Proceeds from this anthology will be donated to the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
The project was the brainchild of my dear friend Xio Axelrod, and I'm so lucky and grateful to be a part of it, and to be donating the money to such a vital resource in the LGBTQ community.
What stories are awaiting you? Read on.
Taking the Leap by Megan Hart
Sam Donovan and Jenna Monroe have never met, but when both are asked to be bridesmaids in the wedding of Sam's sister to Jenna's brother, the electricity between them is immediate. Fierce. Electric. Sam's been out for a while, comfortable with the fact she dates women exclusively even if being queer makes her mother crazy. Jenna, on the other hand, has always felt that it's never been her family's business to know about who she's dating, whether it's a man or a woman. Still, their attraction to each other is undeniable, and it's Jenna who starts off determined to get to know Sam as something more than a fellow bridesmaid. Trying to keep a low profile so they don't upstage the wedding is important to each of them, but soon it becomes clear that moving forward means coming out - for them both. Love is love, but sometimes you don't know it until you find yourself taking the leap. *** Mad Scramble by Susan Scott Shelley
Everson Montgomery's entire life is devoted to ensuring the success of his pro football career. Strict rules about his diet, sleep habits, and training schedule keep him running like a well-oiled linebacker machine. There's zero room for distractions... until he meets his teammate's brother and is instantly smitten with the friendly, gorgeous, generous man. Ryan Brennan has had a crush on the gridiron giant for years. When the opportunity arises to work together on a charity drive, he's all in. Spending time with Everson, he sees the sweetness and vulnerability beneath the stoic exterior, and opens up his heart and his home. He's learned the hard way that getting too close, too fast isn't smart, but something keeps drawing him to Everson. Everson doesn't do relationships and Ryan doesn't do hook ups, but they can't stay away from each other. When chaos on the field spills over into everyday life, and past ghosts return to haunt them both, will they chase after their hearts or will their relationship be tackled before they have a chance to score? *** The Wedding Guest by Wendy Gold
Enzo Romano loves everything about weddings--the flowers, the music, the family, the food. But his brother's big, fat, Italian Catholic wedding is hardly the best time for him to come out of the proverbial closet. When old flame Diego Rodriguez shows up as a guest to the wedding, Enzo knows it will be impossible to resist those honey-colored eyes and charming smile. Diego's no longer the playboy Enzo remembers. Seven long years have passed and changed them both from awkward boys discovering their sexuality to grown men ready for to explore something much deeper. But can Enzo move past their history and the gap between them to discover this new side of Diego? Can they keep their attraction a secret from the gossipy Romano family when the lights do down and love is in the air? *** Temptation in Neon by Peter Dawes
Danny Turner had sex last night. At least, he's pretty sure that's what happened. Memory gaps, strange wounds on his neck, and blood-stains on his clothing lead him on a quest to recreate a wild night spent at his favorite club, Nocturne. When his journey brings him to a vampire feeding den, he finds out that you only get one chance to walk away - and his curiosity blew it. The vampire who marked him is a two-hundred-year-old man named Liam Quinn. Together with his immortal child, Mari, Liam struggles to determine what to make of the headstrong human. After all, you only survive for two-centuries if you have rules. Something about Danny tempts Liam to bend more than a few, though, while Mari determines to break some entirely. Whatever happens next, Danny's life as he knew it is over. He just needs to stay alive long enough to show Liam that he's worth the trouble. Set in the backdrop of 1980s Philadelphia, Temptation in Neon brings the dark, Gothic subculture of the late 80s into the queer struggle of the time. In this setting, Danny Turner comes to recognize that the very shackles which bind him to Liam and Mari also have the power to set him free. *** The Naked Remedy by Vivien Dean
From the moment he finds the blog, The Naked Remedy, Noah Booker is enthralled. Not because Fisher, the blog owner, is gorgeous--though he is. Not because the nude photos are hot--though they are. But because the brave ex-firefighter uses his online platform to face his fears about the accident that nearly crippled him as well as the aftermath of putting his life back together. Brave is the last thing Noah feels. He copes with his awkward shyness by staying in his comfort zone. That means, at age twenty-six, he still hasn't come out or left his conservative hometown. Finding the blog offers a light in his otherwise solitary existence, but when he summons the nerve to leave a comment, he never expects Fisher to respond. The two men strike a friendship. Though sparks fly from the start, dating isn't easy. Noah lives in California. Fisher's in Florida. Making it work takes more than coordinating schedules. It means taking risks--not Noah's strong suit. For Fisher, though, he'll try. Because if he's learned anything from Fisher and his blog, it's that change only happens one step at a time. *** Take Two (A Falling Stars Novella) by Xio Axelrod
As kids, Aaron and Rudy were part of Skedaddles, a popular children's show where they sang silly songs and did even sillier dances (in equally ridiculous costumes). For eight years, they were inseparable. The best of friends. Then the show ended. Well, for them. They were replaced with younger actors. Afterwards, Aaron and Rudy didn't just drift apart, they fractured. For Aaron, being a skedaddle had been a dream come true, and the first step on his rise to the top of the acting A-list. For Rudy, it had been an embarrassment. Something to forget as he's tried to move on to more serious things. But he never could quite forget Aaron, even though Aaron seems to have forgotten him. When Rudy gets the call to join an edgy TV drama, one very far from his kiddie-show origins, he reluctantly takes the chance. Then he learns his co-star will be none other than Aaron himself. Will they be able to recapture their friendship? More importantly, can Rudy work side-by-side with Aaron and not reveal his biggest secret, that Aaron is the only person he's ever loved?
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Love Is All will be available for a limited time. To read an excerpt from my story, and for more about the anthology including links to take it home with you, click right here.
