Guest Post | Five Year Author Anniversary

Today, the lovely Nell is back to visit the blog, and it’s a very special day for her – she’s celebrating five years as an author 🥳

Hello again, it’s me. Nell. I’m back here at the lovely Ofelia’s place, but this time, I’m not here to talk about a new release, but an old one. But before I start, let me just blow some cyber kisses to our lovely hostess for her generosity. ❤️

So, I’m here to talk about an old book, and not just any old book but my first ever published story, Unconditionally. Since I was just a kid, I’ve dreamed of being an author. My mother was very sick when I was little, she had very severe and difficult asthma which meant she didn’t have the energy levels to run around and play with me. So instead, to keep me occupied, she taught me very early how to read. I think I was around four when I read her my first story, and I still remember how proud I was the first time I read to my mother instead of the other way around. And at that moment, a lifelong bookworm was born.

In school, I fell in love with writing, too, and I wrote essays and stories and started dreaming of becoming a writer. For a hot minute, I considered journalism, until I landed a part-time job at a local newspaper, writing for the arts/music/theatre section until I realized that while I’m a very inquisitive person who asks a million questions, I don’t particularly enjoy the in-your-face aspect of journalism, so I walked away from that particular avenue.

And then life happened; there were bills to pay and I temporarily forgot about my dream, until one day when I was way up in my forties and suddenly had lots of time on my hands. So I decided to try and write a story.

I never thought someone would say “yes please” to my story when I submitted it. And I definitely never expected to be celebrating my fifth anniversary as a published author today.

And I never thought my first little story would be included in an anthology that will be published almost five years later to the day. But more on that a little further down.

Blurb: 

Flamboyant book café owner Luca Moretti and geeky doctor Gus Hansen have been together for six years when the Supreme Court ruling makes same-sex marriage legal in all states. On June 26, 2015, Gus gets down on one knee and Luca screams yes.

On their wedding day, shortly before the ceremony, Luca’s mother explodes in anger, calling him a freak. The reason? He’s wearing a white veil, sprinkled with crystals.

Their relationship has been strained for a long time, and her words trigger traumatic memories. Instead of walking down the aisle, Luca runs.

Away from his mother. Away from Gus.

Gus counts down the minutes when Luca’s mother comes knocking. He realizes something’s wrong, but when he goes to talk to Luca, his husband-to-be is nowhere to be found.

Can Gus find Luca in time and manage to convince him to come back and get married?

M/M Contemporary / 16 981 words

Buy links: 

JMS Books :: Amazon

A few months back, my publisher JMS Books informed me that they planned on releasing an anthology with the best-selling Love Wins (a submission call to celebrate marriage equality in the US) stories. And they asked me if I wanted my story to be included. 

Of course, I said yes. Much like Luka in Unconditionally when Gus proposed to him.

And when they told me it would be released on March 5, it felt like it was to celebrate my anniversary, and no, I’m not diva enough to think that’s the actual reason, but what I secretly believe in the privacy of my own home is my business, right? 😁

Blurb:

In 2016, JMS Books released a series of stories celebrating the US Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage. This anthology features eight of the best-selling stories in the series.

With stories by Lisa Gray, Drew Hunt, Nell Iris, A.R. Moler, K.L. Noone, Terry O’Reilly, Tinnean, and J.D. Walker, these tales of M/M romance and erotic romance feature gay couples who finally get the chance to formally declare their love for each other!

Contains the stories: I Do, I Don’t by Lisa Gray, Married Cowboy by Drew Hunt, Unconditionally by Nell Iris, For the Last Time by A.R. Moler, A Demon for Forever by K.L. Noone, First and Goal by Terry O’Reilly, Ace-High Royal Flush by Tinnean, and Paulie and the Wedding Bell Grouch by J.D. Walker.

Pre-order links:

JMS Books :: Amazon

About Nell

Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bonafide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies’ room), loves music (and singing along at the top of her voice but she’s no Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (Make it so). She loves words, bullet journals, poetry, wine, coffee-flavored kisses, and fika (a Swedish cultural thing involving coffee and pastry!)

Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.

Nell is a bisexual Swedish woman married to the love of her life, a proud mama of a grown daughter, and is approaching 50 faster than she’d like. She lives in the south of Sweden where she spends her days thinking up stories about people falling in love. After dreaming about being a writer for most of her life, she finally was in a place where she could pursue her dream and released her first book in 2017.

Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angsty, short over long, and quirky characters over alpha males.

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