Guest Post | Ghosts of Oaklight Hall by Max Beeken

October 14, 2022September 28, 2022 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

October is the month for ghost stories, is it not? I’m glad to announce that we have Max Beeken here today to help you add more ghosts to your TBR. Welcome, Max!

Guest-Post

Who the hell am I?

I’m a British writer living in Nottingham. Yep, Robin Hood country! Ghosts of Oaklight Hall is my first properly published book through jms-books.com although I have self-published a couple of stories, which anyone interested can find on Amazon, courtesy of that nice Mr Bezos.

I live with my husband, and two cats, and, probably to the disapproval of Robin Hood was once a tax inspector, but am now retired. Writing is something I’ve always been drawn to do, although having left school at the age of 14 barely able to write my name that may strike some as a bit presumptuous of me.

My alma mater was briefly famous as the worst school in the country, and it was after this dubious accolade they reduced it to a pile of rubble, and all that remains of it now is the 10-foot razor marking its perimeter!

My main intention in writing Ghosts of Oaklight Hall was to write a victorian ghost story along the lines of M R James. However, I am not M R James or anyone remotely in his league. And the result is probably closer to Scooby Doo than Stephen King. Ghosts of Oaklight Hall is a ghost story and a romance too, but me being me, I couldn’t help adding a bit of humour to the mix. Something, I feel is lacking in a lot of contemporary gay fiction. Whether readers will appreciate my sense of humour of course is another matter.

I’ve set my story after a war between the British Empire and the United States, but for the record, I’m not anti-American, but I needed a war as backstory for my character, and in the period it’s set we didn’t have a full war unless you count shooting at a bunch of poor spear chucking natives, and I thought the idea of a third war between the US and us Brits might be quite fun to explore. I intend to explore this further in the next book.

Ghosts of Oaklight Hall

A gay ghost story guaranteed to give you the willies!

Following a disastrous war between the British Empire and the United States, Edward Grubb leaves the Royal Navy mourning a dead lover after his ship was sunk. A death for which he blamed himself. Desperate for work, Edward is sent to investigate the troubled Oaklight estate.

It isn’t long before Edward discovers that what’s going on at Oaklight Hall is a lot more than what the sinister Pastor Kid and Lady Flora who run the estate are letting on. Edward finds there isn’t just one ghost plaguing the troubled hall; there’s also the one he has brought with him.

Together with the handsome but reclusive young heir to the estate, can Edward solve the mystery behind the restless spirits as well as find peace for his own guilty conscience?

Buy links:

Gay Historical Paranormal Romance: 93,568 words

JMS Books :: Amazon

Guest Post | A Trick of the Light by Ellie Thomas

October 4, 2022September 29, 2022 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 2 Comments

Today, Ellie Thomas is back on the blog, yay! She’ll be talking about her new story A Trick of the Light, so read on! Welcome, Ellie 😊

Trick of the Light Promo 2

Thank you so much again, lovely Ofelia, for having me as your guest. I’m Ellie Thomas, I write MM Historical Romance, and I’m here today to chat about A Trick of the Light, my October release for JMS Books.

I’ve written before about how I like to set stories in locations that are familiar to me. A Trick of the Light is not only set in Bristol like last year’s Trick or Treat story, A Tricky Situation, but also in the same area and even the same house! This wasn’t a continuity slip-up on my part, as Kit, my 18th-century character from A Tricky Situation appears as a ghost to my main character Kenneth in A Trick of the Light, which takes place in 1957.

Bristol went through rapid expansion in Georgian times, spreading beyond its medieval confines, leading to smart planned suburbs, the first of which was Kingsdown. In 1785, when Kit meets his future life partner Ned, there was only a scattering of houses on the hilltop of the district, surrounded by green fields. This was very much a fashionable area for wealthy merchants, like Kit’s father, to build their statement homes.

But roll on two hundred and fifty years, and the fortunes of this inner-city suburb were fading, not helped by extensive bomb damage in WW2. By the late 1950s, much of the area was rundown and scheduled for redevelopment, making it an ideal place for Kenneth, thrown out of his family home after a row with his dad, to find temporary accommodation.

As I lived in Kingsdown many years ago, I found it easy to visualise not one but two stories set on Kingsdown Parade. It also gave me the excuse to buy Kingsdown: A Vertical Suburb by local historians Penny Mellor and Mary Wright, packed with information, illustrations and photos of Kingsdown through the ages.

I could imagine the once grand townhouse, split into two, and rented out as bedsits, where Kenneth not only finds respite but echoes the experience of the other young man who lived in that room centuries before. Close to Halloween, the spirit of Kit attempts to help Kenneth as he struggles with his ambitions and a growing attraction to Gino, the son of a local café owner, with the hope of a similar happy ever after.

A Trick of the Light

atrickofthelight Kenneth Taylor has bright plans for a future as an engineer. In the summer of 1957, as soon as he returns home to Bristol from two years of National Service in the Royal Signals, a furious row with his dad means he’s thrown out of the house, and his prospects are in jeopardy.

He finds lodgings in the hilltop, bomb-damaged suburb of Kingsdown, determined to be independent and juggling night school with his humdrum day job. He soon meets Gino, the good-looking son of a local café owner and is thrilled when the attraction proves to be mutual. As their romance blooms, Kenneth finds unexpected encouragement from an apparition in the mirror who inhabited the house in the late 18th century.

When the ghostly vision of Kit also appears to Kenneth in his dreams, it seems they have much in common when Kit reveals his dilemma at a similar age, concerning his growing attachment to a young man, Ned. Past and present intermingle as Kenneth faces parallel and difficult decisions. But can he trust Kit? Or is it all merely a trick of the light?

Trick of the Light Promo 3

Extract:

Kenneth got in the habit of dropping into the café when not in a rush for the bus. It wasn’t only the charms of the waiter but the hospitable atmosphere of the family-owned establishment that helped him pine less for his mum and sister.
Despite unprepossessing beginnings, his room on Kingsdown Parade was starting to take shape. The hilltop area might be a bit worn and battered, but he had all he needed nearby and was grateful for the convenience of the Co-op store at the top of the road. Also, his mum had sneaked a few items to give to Pamela to pass on to him, so his digs looked a bit more homely.
But as autumn began, he had to admit he was cold. He only switched on the two-bar electric fire for a short while in the evenings as he couldn’t afford to keep the electric meter ticking over too fast. One blustery Saturday afternoon, when his fingers nearly froze as he sat at the desk in front of the draughty windows trying to complete his homework, he decided he needed a change of scene.
Grabbing his bag of dirty washing to take to the launderette, he snagged his satchel and required textbooks and headed off down the hill. Once his laundry was in the machine, and the woman on duty kindly promised to put the wet load into the drier, he crossed the road to the café. He hoped that by now, he was enough of a regular customer to get away with ordering only the milky coffee he’d acquired a taste for.
He’d missed the lunchtime rush and was glad he’d had a sandwich at home beforehand since the scent of hot food was always tempting. Instead of the waiter, it was a girl who served Kenneth today. She looked young enough to still be in school, most likely expected to help out at the weekends, the resemblance to her brother evident in her dark eyes, olive skin, and wide smile.
She didn’t quibble at his order of coffee, so Kenneth arranged his books on the table and started to study. He was so focused on his calculations that he was taken aback when a voice asked, “Would you like a top-up?”
He looked up from his exercise book to see the waiter smiling down at him. Hesitating, he started to scrabble in his pocket for any change remaining from his trip to the launderette when the waiter said, “It’s alright. It’s on the house.” With another smile, he took the cup and saucer, allowing Kenneth to admire his departing backside.
When the waiter returned, he seemed inclined to chat further, asking, “What are you studying, then?”
“Engineering,” Kenneth replied. “Well, the bare bones of it anyway.”
“Smart fellow,” the waiter retorted, raising his elegantly arched eyebrows. “Dad would like me to study,” he said with a nod to the man behind the counter. “But I’m flat-out here most days, and anyway, I’m not brainy enough,” he added with an eloquent shrug of his shoulders. It seemed unfair to Kenneth that someone so attractive and personable should lack confidence in his ability. Without pausing to feel self-consciously tongue-tied, Kenneth replied, “If you can remember every order and give the right change all day, every day, then you must be savvy. There’s plenty of education growing up and working in a café.”
“Maybe so,” the waiter agreed with that charming smile.
He seemed about to continue the conversation when a call came from the counter. “Gino, service for table two!”
“Speak of the devil,” he said. His smile deepened as he lingered.
“Doesn’t your dad need you?” Kenneth asked. As soon as the comment was out of his mouth, he wished he hadn’t spoken aloud.
“Nah, my sister’s helping too, so there’s no rush,” Gino replied. “Dad would soon let me know if it’s urgent. And anyway, I’m not usually in the habit of dawdling at the tables chatting up pretty boys, so I’m sure he’ll let me off this once,” he added with a dazzling grin as Kenneth felt a blush rising over his face to his hairline.
“Arrivo, Papa,” Gino called over his shoulder, before sauntering back towards the counter with a distinct sway of his hips.

Book Links:

Publisher: https://www.jms-books.com/ellie-thomas-c-224_420/a-trick-of-the-light-p-4479.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG9RRF51/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NVT1RVVXQBTN&keywords=a+trick+of+the+light+by+ellie+thomas&qid=1664034360&sprefix=%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/3kYPvL

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: https://www.facebook.com/elliethomasauthor/

Twitter: @e_thomas_author

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

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

Guest Post | Queer Relations by Ellie Thomas

September 10, 2022September 4, 2022 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 3 Comments

Ellie Thomas is back on the blog, yay! Welcome, Ellie.

Queer Relations Promo 1

Thank you lovely Ofelia for having me as a guest on your blog again! I’m Ellie Thomas and I write MM Historical Romance and I’m here today to chat about Queer Relations, my September release for JMS Books. When I finished writing Twelve Letters for the submission call to celebrate JMS Books’ 12th Anniversary in July, I had no intention of writing a sequel. I was already in the middle of my August story, One Summer Night, when Percy Havilland, the Regency himbo from Twelve Letters, sauntered into my head and demanded his own story (because he’s so beautiful!)
What made this all the more infuriating was that as complete chunks of dialogue kept popping into my mind, I couldn’t even ignore Percy, but had to scribble down the lines in between turning my attention to my much better-behaved MCs in the story I was supposed to be writing.

Percy was only a minor character in my Twelve Letters ensemble cast, as a briefly misguided love interest for Jo Everett, before he comes to his senses and chooses the far less decorative but much nicer Daniel as a partner. Although Percy was so much fun to write as an impossibly vain, spoiled and outrageously selfish character in the first story, I realised that as a main character, someone so two-dimensional and unsympathetic would soon become dull for both the writer and readers.

So I racked my brains and eventually came up with a storyline that suddenly turned Percy’s privileged and inviolable lifestyle upside down and forced him to change and re-evaluate himself and his relationships, especially his somewhat rocky liaison with his new lover Nathaniel Brooks.

Percy is still Percy, of course, and always the prettiest person in the room. But I thoroughly enjoyed taking him on a journey towards realising his potential as a better, kinder and more thoughtful friend to the other characters and partner to the frequently infuriated Nathan as their relationship deepens into trust and love.

Queer Relations

queerrelations In the autumn of 1814, the Honourable Percy Havilland is generally content with his sheltered existence in London’s exclusive Mayfair. As a society beau, renowned for his fair and youthful beauty, an object of desire to other well-born gentlemen, Percy is slightly miffed that his personal life is not running as seamlessly as he might wish.

His good-natured lover from the spring Season, Jo Everett, has inexplicably lost interest, and his replacement, Nathaniel Brooks, is far too hard-headed to be cajoled and manipulated into pandering to Percy’s every whim.

But these trifles are cast into proportion when out of the blue, a family scandal of immense proportions threatens Percy’s peace of mind and his standing amongst the ton. Fearing rejection or even social banishment, to his surprise, Percy discovers a small, unconventional band of friends, including Jo, who are prepared to stick by him. And more importantly, he finds Nathan is utterly reliable in a crisis.

Will Percy remain spoiled, immature and pampered? Or can he grow from this disaster to appreciate the value of true friendship? And might he even learn to love?

Queer Relations Promo 2

Extract:

While standing amongst a group of partygoers but not actively conversing, Percy pondered the state of his liaison with Nathan with a habitual twinge of frustration. Of course, he always had the option of drawing back and ending the affair, which he knew Nathan would respect and accept without question or fuss.

But for some unfathomable reason, even when he and Nathan were at odds, Percy vacillated over making such a drastic decision. Both men were accustomed to getting their way, and Percy found that their frequent battles of will had an unexpected bonus of adding a piquant frisson that Nathan seemed to appreciate, given the resulting spark in his eye. Also, although Percy would never admit this to Nathan, there was something oddly restful about occasionally ceding responsibility and control to another.

As his thoughts roamed, he found his gaze had drifted towards Nathan, standing next to Jo, both of them listening intently to Captain Harding. While considering his two lovers, past and present, Percy felt that an independent observer would judge Jo the better looking, being nearly a decade younger, slimmer, and with clean-cut regular features crowned with thick chestnut brown locks and smiling grey eyes. Percy could appreciate that viewpoint, but all the same, he could not help but feel that familiar sizzle of attraction as he surveyed Nathan.

Although the same height as Percy, with Jo only slightly taller than them both, Nathan’s heavier build made him appear shorter, emphasised by his dark hair neatly cropped in a no-nonsense style, with no attempt to disguise a slightly receding hairline. His features were rugged, and his eyes, an indeterminate brown, could appear flat, cold, and expressionless when considering a matter of high finance or if exasperated with Percy, but could dance with lights of warming caramel when amused or aroused.

Percy’s eyes wandered over Nathan’s body, slightly too thickset to be shown to best advantage by the current slim-fitting fashions, but as Percy knew from experience, was solid muscle beneath the covering cloth. Nathan was widely admired as having a very fine seat on a horse, and he practiced this exercise daily on Rotten Row, hours before the polite crowds came to trot and dawdle and chat.

This constant discipline resulted in those magnificent thighs that Percy now beheld and could enthusiastically vouch for their undoubted stamina. With a little shiver of appreciation, Percy’s focus moved towards Nathan’s face, now looking at him with undisguised amusement.

Before turning back to answer a query from Jo, Nathan favoured Percy with a salacious wink and a distinctly wicked grin.

Given this encouragement, especially as Percy had been thoroughly distracted by idle speculations about thighs for the remainder of the evening, when in Nathan’s carriage after the party, Percy was distinctly disappointed when Nathan mentioned dropping him off at Mount Street.

“Can’t I come home with you?” Percy protested.

“I have an early engagement tomorrow morning,” Nathan explained calmly.

Percy batted his eyelashes and delivered his prettiest pout, sliding his hand onto Nathan’s temptingly rock-hard upper leg. “Please?” He entreated.

Nathan retorted, “You are the most incorrigible hussy!” But as the carriage passed the end of Percy’s street, Nathan did not give the order to stop, and as they bowled along the street-lit roads of St. James’, Percy could see he was smiling.