Read Around the Rainbow | What I’m Looking Forward To

~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 2 Comments

It’s Read Around the Rainbow time!!! On the last Friday of every month, we’re a bunch of authors who get together and blog on the same topic. Since it’s a new year, we figured we should focus on something positive and talk about what we’re looking forward to in 2025.

At first, I thought I’d skip this month because with the world falling apart, I’m not really seeing anything worth looking forward to. Bleak, I know, but I feel like we’re balancing on the edge of the precipice of something truly horrendous. Remember the feeling when covid rolled in? That’s how I feel right now.

But I gave it a few days, and do you know what? I look forward to the gardening season. Where I live, I have an estimated 138 frost-free days. It’s a challenge 😅 When Mum passed away, I promised myself I’d buy a greenhouse for the money I inherited when everything was done with the estate. At first, I imagined a fancy one, but we’re not sure we’re gonna live here for more than a few more years (hubby is a military man, and his contract is running out), so I bought a polytunnel.

This will be the second season I’ll grow anything in it, so yeah, I’m excited about that.

My second thing… There is no evil that does not bring something good. We had a mink, weasel, stoat, or something along those lines, get into the chicken coop a couple of months ago.

Several days in a row, I came out to find headless chickens. Not fun at all. Quite traumatic, I have to admit. Both for the chicks and me. I have now moved my chickens to the first chicken coop we built when we moved here. It’s smaller, but they’ve been fine ever since, so we must’ve done a better job building it.

Anyway, my flock is smaller than I want it to be, which means baby chicks!!! I think I’m gonna buy myself some eggs from fun breeds and put in the incubator. Soon. I might hold on for a few more weeks since January and February are the coldest months in Sweden, and baby chicks don’t do well when it’s too cold and they don’t have a mama to look after them.

Then I have a parental failure I feel I have to fix. My youngest is quite fascinated with sharks. We watch Jaws, The Meg, and films like that quite often. She asked me one day if I’d ever seen a living shark. I chuckled a little and told her ‘Yes, and so have you.’ Then I realised, she hasn’t. When we lived on the West Coast, we took the kids to Gothenburg quite often, and there is an aquarium with some sharks. And while I’m against animals in cages, we went there a few times. We moved here when I was pregnant with her.

Then we went to Copenhagen to their aquarium, but she was just a small toddler, so we left her with my MIL over the day and took the three oldest. Then covid hit, and we went nowhere. Then my MIL passed away, and then my mother passed away only two months later, and we’ve had no one to look after the animals to go on any trips since, so… Perhaps not something I look forward to as much as a goal I have. To get my daughter to a shark.

That’s about what I have now. There are always books I want to read, stories I want to write, series to watch, things to do with the kids, and so on, but the garden and the chickens are the ones I look forward to.

I’m sure the other have much cooler plans, so check out what they have to say!

Fiona Glass

Ellie Thomas

K.L. Noone

Nell Iris

Guest Post | Dressing for the Occasion by Ellie Thomas

~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 2 Comments

The lovely Ellie Thomas is back on the blog! This time she’ll tell us about her latest release, Dressing for the Occasion. Welcome, Ellie!

Thanks so much, lovely Ofelia, for having me as your guest again! I’m Ellie, I write Gay Historical romance and I’m here today to chat about my brand-new release, Dressing for the Occasion, a short addition to my Town Bronze series.

This 8k word short story continues the romance of Barney and Ross/Rose, the couple from Pantaloons and Petticoats, the second novella in the Town Bronze trilogy. It was wonderful to return to this most loving connection and steer these two towards a definite HEA.

This story is about Barney introducing Rose (as she’s now become) to his parents with a view to becoming betrothed. As Rose gets ready for this very special and nerve-wracking occasion, she recalls her transition from her previous daytime persona of Ross. Particularly, how she prepared for her first formal occasion as Rose, at a dinner party hosted by Sir Mortimer Cleverly, who has his own love story with Jasper in Town Bronze.

When writing about this transformation, I had planned to have Mortimer’s good friend and business partner Blanche help Rose in dressing for a formal party. Until now, Blanche has been a very minor if sympathetic character in the series. I suddenly realised I had an already fully-formed character who would be perfect for this role.

I’d already made the link in my mind between Blanche (known to her friends as Dulcie) and Lucy Pengelly, Abe’s wonderful mum in my An Unlikely Alliance series. Blanche now runs her own establishment in Covent Garden Piazza and Lucy is a retired courtesan, but given they spent Abe’s formative years working together in the same superior brothel, it seemed likely that they would remain friends.

As we know from the three MMM An Unlikely Alliance stories, Lucy is entirely unshockable. She accepts that Abe is gay and positively encourages his romance with Clem and Humphrey. She’s kind, motherly and wise and I couldn’t think of a better person for Rose to take into her confidence as she makes her first visit to buys her first custom-made dress, especially as they only live a few streets away from each other in Soho.

As Rose gets ready for her important evening, she recalls all Lucy’s advice over the past year, their many shopping expeditions and the poise that Lucy’s support had given. Naturally, Lucy dashes round to help Rose into her beautiful new dress and also arranges her hair.

In this way, Rose is surrounded by love and support as she faces an evening which could change her and Barney’s future plans, hopefully for the better.

Blurb:

After two years of a loving relationship with Barney Marshall in Regency London, Ross Webster has gradually transformed into Rose on a permanent basis.

Rose has planned her transformation carefully, with the help of her redoubtable landlady Grace, and is now able to live an independent life free from male trappings.

But there are still challenges to face before Rose and Barney can reach their happy ever after. Their dream is to live as man and wife, but Rose dreads reconciling Barney’s wealthy parents to the idea of their betrothal.

Can the young lovers overcome this final barrier to their lifelong happiness?

Excerpt:

Barney paced restlessly up and down, as if determined to wear a hole in the carpet that lined the entrance hall to Mivart’s Hotel.

This is worse than any business meeting.

The prospect of the meal ahead filled him with dread. Admittedly, he wasn’t the most patient of men, except when influenced by his dear Rose, whose calm sweetness always had a beneficial effect. Waiting for her arrival was painfully frustrating.

He almost regretted taking Julian up on his kind offer to collect Rose, although it seemed a blessing at the time.

I should have gone myself. Anything’s better than hanging around here.

He caught sight of himself in the hall mirror and smoothed out his ferocious scowl.

That would be a fine welcome for Rose.

He appeared respectable enough for the hotel dining room, understated but unmistakably a gentleman. He had long eschewed the kicks of fashion he had adopted in an attempt to keep up with his social superiors when adjusting to life in London.

It’s certainly a good deal more comfortable, he thought, regarding his modest cravat.

Nowadays, without exaggeratedly high shirt points, Barney was able to turn his head without any restriction. His gaze fell on his white piquet waistcoat, and he automatically pulled in his stomach. He couldn’t help his naturally stocky build, which was skilfully disguised by his tailor.

I’m lucky that Rose loves me as I am, paunch and all.

Barney smiled in the mirror like the lovesick fool he indubitably was. He had no fear that Julian, liberally endowed with good looks and charm, was closeted in a coach with Rose. They were both unflinchingly loyal in character. And anyway, Julian, Barney’s childhood friend, was the first of their intimates to learn Rose’s secret. Since then, he had done everything in his power to further the romance.

Barney thanked heaven that tonight coincided with one of Julian’s rare visits to London, when he inevitably stayed with Barney. Julian had rallied to the cause, even digging out his seldom-worn evening togs.

When he accompanied Barney to the hotel, Julian had resembled his former self. Every inch of his athletic six-foot frame embodied the pink of the ton he used to be, rather than the provincial school teacher he had more recently become.

Barney had been by Julian’s side in the first painful months when he had deliberately eschewed his rank and privilege to pursue an uncertain course. His attire must be a reminder of that period of struggle and uncertainty.

So Barney wasn’t remotely envious of Julian’s trim physique, displayed perfectly in his evening wear. In fact, he was encouraged that Julian had made such an effort on his and Rose’s behalf.

I suppose we’ve all changed with time, Barney mused.

After Julian’s departure to pastures new with his constant companion Rafe, their other friend Jasper had retired to the country. Subsequently, Barney’s pursuit of London high life had palled considerably without his closest cronies.

With Rose firmly embedded in his life and his heart, Barney had no inclination to seek amorous entertainment elsewhere. So when his father, the proprietor of a Leicestershire hosiery manufacturer, suggested liaising with a London wholesaler, Barney jumped at the chance to try his hand at something new.

He was sufficiently established in society that his business interests didn’t tarnish his reputation. Also, perhaps as his long-headed father had intended, Barney had become aware of the hypocrisy of those who might disdain his birth but gladly helped him spend his fortune. He found he was no longer swayed by their opinions.

Barney had the support of his closest allies who, in their different ways, had become men with occupations and responsibilities.

I’m surrounded by teachers and farmers, Barney thought with a snort of amusement.

A gust of cool air from the hotel door announced the new arrivals.

At last, Barney thought as if Julian had been gone an hour rather than a matter of ten minutes. He smiled absently at his friend but Rose commanded his full attention.

She was always beautiful in Barney’s eyes. Tonight, she was simply magnificent.

Her dress was a slender column of pale turquoise, with subtle embellishments at the hem and sleeves, exhibiting her figure superbly, crafting a false impression of subtle curves beneath.

The glowing silk complemented the red tints in her hair, gathered on top of her head with a few loose curls allowed to frame her oval face. Barney caught the gleam of the aquamarine earrings he purchased for her last birthday.

Rose looked elegant, ladylike and quietly assured.

Julian stepped aside with an indulgent smile as Barney took both her satin gloved hands in his, bringing them to his lips.

“You look wonderful. Dinner is about to be served. Let’s go through to the dining room and join my parents.”

Buy Links:

JMS Books :: Amazon :: Books2Read :: Add to Goodreads :: Add to Bookbub

Bio:

Ellie Thomas lives by the sea. She comes from a teaching background and goes for long seaside walks where she daydreams about history. She is a voracious reader especially about anything historical. She mainly writes historical gay romance.


Ellie also writes historical erotic romance as L. E. Thomas.

Website: https://elliethomasromance.wordpress.com/

Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8308047409266947

Twitter/X: @e_thomas_author

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/elliethomas.bsky.social

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19835510.Ellie_Thomas

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ellie-thomas

Release Day | Love is Free

~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

It’s released day!!! 🥳 Love is Free is out today, and I’m one of 52 authors who’s written a short story for this charity anthology. ALL the proceeds will go to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to support their work for protecting the freedom of the American people. 

Only a day or two after the US election, JMS Books put together an in-house call with the ambition to have the anthology ready for the inauguration week, and we did it! Authors, editors, and publisher have all been working for free to make this happen. 

It’s surreal, isn’t it? 2025 and we have to try to save human rights in the US. I’m still stunned at how we got here. How the hell could we end up here?! Has history taught us nothing? Tragic, but if you’re looking for an escape, here are 52 stories to help distract you for a bit. 

Love is Free

It’s hard to believe we have entered the year 2025 with so many of our civil liberties, which we fought so hard to achieve, now on the cusp of being taken away.

The political scene in the United States, as well as in many other countries, has become more polarized in recent years. In the aftermath of the US 2024 presidential election, many of us have found it difficult to express our fears and concerns. Regardless of nationality, the authors of JMS Books sought an outlet for their emotions; thus, this anthology of short stories was created.

Love Is Free celebrates queer love in all its forms, proving love can survive despite adversity. Whether a quiet night in or a loud night out, in this world or another, in the past, present, or future, this collection embraces how enduring same sex love can be, in any and every shade under the LGBTQIA umbrella.

Featuring never before published work from 52 authors, Love Is Free is a collaborative effort whose entire proceeds will go to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to help with their work protecting the freedoms of all people in the US. All the work in the collection, including the editing, has been donated. This stunning anthology will be a charitable keepsake whose message of love regardless of gender will endure beyond the current political strife threatening to tear us apart.

Authors included in this anthology are: Adam Carpenter, Alexandra Caluen, Amy Spector, Anne Russo, Becky Black, Carol Holland March, Charles Payseur, D.J. Fronimos and Elke Lakey, David Connor and E.F. Mulder, Dianne Hartsock, Drew Hunt, E.M. Schenker, Ellie Thomas, Emery C. Walters, Eule Grey, Feral Sephrian, Gareth Vaughn, Gordon Phillips, Hannah Morse, Holly Day, J.D. Walker, J.M. Snyder, J.T. Marie, Jordan Demaine, Justin James, K.L. Noone, K.S. Murphy, Katey Hawthorne, Kim Davis, Kris T. Bethke, La Toya Hankins, Mere Rain, Michael P. Thomas, Mychael Black, Nell Iris, Ofelia Gränd, Pat Henshaw, Patrick Bryce Wright, Pelaam, Rafe Jadison, Ray Hatch, Red Haircrow, Sarah Hadley Brook, Scarlet Blackwell, Sean Cunningham, Shawn Bailey, Shawn Lane, T.J. Blackley, T.K. Dane, Teal H.S. Fields, Vivien Dean, and Warren Rochelle.

Buy Links:

LGBT Romance: 190,790 words

JMS Books :: Amazon

Excerpt:

(From The Gloves Are Off by Ofelia Gränd)

They’d been best friends since Hector had moved to town when they’d been nine. He’d been a scrawny kid, and his dark eyes had bounced around every room he entered as if he suspected a monster would jump out of the walls at any time.

Trae had wanted to hug him.

It hadn’t stopped. He still wanted to hug him.

They’d hung out almost every day since the first time Hector entered the classroom, and Trae didn’t think he could function without him. These last couple of years, he’d been forced to. They’d had periods before when school or work had forced them apart, but then they’d spent hours on the phone every day to make up for the physical distance.

It had stopped when Hector met Kaden King.

Alliterations in names was a huge red flag, and Trae was shocked Hector didn’t know.

He blamed himself. He’d been away when it happened. Teagan, his sister, had slipped on the ice and broken her leg, so he’d taken time off work to help with the kids, but she lived in Hartley, so he hadn’t been able to see Hector.

Instead of the visits Trae had counted on, Hector had hooked up with Kaden fucking King, and ever since then—going on two years now—Trae had tried to come up with ways to kill someone without getting caught and without making Hector sad.

The last thing he wanted was to make Hector sad. That was Kaden’s job. And a great job he did. Fucker.

Trae wanted to grab Hector’s shoulders and shake him until the scrambled pieces in his brain fell back into place. The Hector he knew was cautious, but not to the point of trembling at the risk of making a mistake. He double-checked things, but he didn’t fifteen-check them. He dressed to blend in, not to be invisible.

Kaden fucking King had turned the brilliant treasure that was Hector Cyr into a quivering ghost, and Trae was powerless.

Every time he tried to talk to Hector about it, he made excuses. Claiming Trae imagined things, insisted Kaden was stressed about work, swore he’d forgotten to cancel the date he and Hector was going on and hadn’t meant to leave him waiting at the table at the restaurant. And so on.

If Trae squinted, he believed he’d be able to make out the invisible claws Kaden had buried in Hector’s brain.

Sometimes he’d get Hector to admit things weren’t great, but he was loyal to a fault, and he’d write it off as a rough patch in the relationship.

Trae was aware all relationships had their ups and downs, but they shouldn’t be as much work as theirs was.

Hector gave and gave and gave, and Kaden sometimes dropped a breadcrumb of affection. Watching Hector treat the dried-up, discarded scrap like a treasure twisted something inside Trae.

He wanted Hector. Wanted to make him his. And he’d never ever make him doubt his worth. Fucking Kaden.

Trae growled in the dark of the car and signaled to turn off the highway toward Landown. Only a few more minutes. He glanced at the clock. He’d have time to swing by his apartment and change clothes. He liked the suit he wore, but he was more of a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy.

His boss would be pissed about him leaving the conference early, but he didn’t care. Hector’s birthday was more important.

He took another turn as his phone rang. Hector. A glance in the rearview mirror showed a car in the distance. He flicked on the indicator and turned out on the shoulder of the road and accepted the call.

“Happy birthday!”

“Oh… eh… thanks.” His voice was off, and Trae instantly went on alert.

“What’s up?”

“I’m… eh… Can I borrow some money?”

Trae wasn’t sure he heard him correctly. They weren’t rich, neither of them, but they weren’t on the brink of starving either. Since they’d finished school, there had always been room for emergencies in Hector’s budget.

When Trae didn’t reply, Hector hurried along. His words coming so fast, Trae had to concentrate to make them out. It didn’t help when he spoke in a whisper that got eaten by the background noise. “It’s okay if you can’t. I might be able to get an invoice or something.”

“What’s going on?”

Hector sighed. “I’m at The Harbour. I took a cab here, and now I don’t have enough to pay for the food.”

Trae ground his teeth but turned back out on the road again. Hopefully, he wouldn’t come across any cops.

He checked his mirrors and used his elbow to steer as he shifted gears. “What about Kaden?”

Silence.

Trae checked the phone to make sure the call hadn’t cut off.

“Ugh, this is so humiliating. The waitress walked past my table again. It’s the third time in like two minutes.”

“Where is Kaden?” He stepped on the gas pedal a little harder.

Hector sighed. “He booked the table, said he wanted to take me out for my birthday. Do something nice, you know.”

“Mhm.”

“Then earlier today, he texted and said he’d be late, so could I get there on my own.” Silence followed. Hector didn’t have a driver’s license and lived outside of town in the opposite direction of the harbor.

“And?”

Another deep breath. “And I took a cab.”

“Okay.”

“I assumed he’d drive me home… or we’d walk to his place.”

Trae nodded and steered toward town. Kaden had an apartment right in the middle of Landown. He’d drive past it on his way to the restaurant.

He made a sound to get Hector to continue.

“When I’d waited for forty-five minutes, the waitress said I had to either order or leave since there were others who wanted the table after us.”

Trae winced. He’d waited for the dickhead for forty-five fucking minutes. “And now you need money for a cab back home?”

“No. Or yeah, I guess, but I ordered.”

“You ordered?”

“I was sure he was gonna show. I called several times, but he either sent it to voice mail or I’d get one of those default texts saying he’d call me later.”

Trae’s hold on the phone tightened.

“But now they’re making me leave, and I have to pay for the food. And I had a glass of wine while I was waiting.”

Trae was too pissed to come up with anything to say.

“Trae?” Hector’s voice broke on the one word.

“I’m here, I’m here, babe.” He winced. They didn’t call each other babe or any other endearments.