Fridays at Ofelia’s | A Sonnet for a Thunderstorm

Guest-Post

Today, fellow JMS Books writer K.L. Noone is on a visit. Welcome!

Hi, I’m K.L. Noone, and I write a lot of historical and paranormal m/m (and sometimes f/f) romance! Ofelia has been kind enough to let me drop by to introduce my new flash fiction short story, “A Sonnet for a Thunderstorm,” available now!

Sonnet” is historical m/m, set in 1770, and very loosely steampunk, in a way—featuring poet Tom and his retired pirate Ellis, with a domestic moment at home, and discussions about thunderstorms and submarines. The seeds of this story actually came from a conversation with a friend, many years ago, and a discussion about my writing inclinations and a J.D. Salinger quote—the one about how “poets are always taking the weather so personally,” from Nine Stories. The immediate image in my head involved Georgian waistcoats and dressing gowns, an ex-pirate and his poet standing together at a tall rain-lashed window, keeping each other warm and gazing out over a storm-whipped lake…entirely Romantic, and irresistible!

The submersible ideas that Ellis is pondering in “Sonnet” were already circulating around this time period—both the Dutch and the American colonies were coming up with promising designs, and the first military submersible appears in 1775, during the American Revolutionary War. It’s called the Turtle (sometimes the American Turtle) and there’s a fascinating history of it by Roy R. Manstan and Frederic J. Frese: Turtle: David Bushnell’s Revolutionary Vessel. The idea, of course, is even older—some of the medieval Alexander romances describe Alexander the Great traveling under the sea in a glass vessel! I love imagining what that might’ve been like, and what those inventers and poets of centuries ago would’ve imagined, in their time and for the future.

I always write with music in mind, and two of the songs on my playlist for this one are Live’s “Lightning Crashes” and Cary Brothers’ “Blue Eyes”—both so evocative of mood and emotion. I think Tom, my poet, and Ellis, my pirate, would like both.

Like all the JMS Books flash fiction shorts, “Sonnet” is under 5,000 words and only 99 cents—a bargain! I hope you enjoy reading this one—I absolutely enjoyed writing it!

Buy links

Amazon :: JMS Books :: Barnes & Noble :: Kobo

Opening Excerpt:

Ellis had been watching waves through the bedroom’s storm-lashed windows when he heard the step, felt the presence behind him. He turned, a reflex. A year or two ago, ignoring those pirate’s instincts might’ve got him a quick dagger to the back. These days, and this day especially, he knew Thomas’s step.

Tom, as usual, blithely ignored whipcord muscles and danger and the very real possibility that Ellis could kill a man with a piece of rope or that painting to their left, and instead slipped arms around him.

Ellis Eden, former pirate, had not often been held and comforted by anyone.

Blurb

a sonnet for a thunderstormEllis Eden retired from a career of piracy on the high seas to settle down with the man he loves: Tom Winleigh, youngest son of a wealthy merchant family. Ellis has tried hard to make a place for himself in respectable society, and he knows Tom loves him, and he’s happy.

But when a fever nearly claims Tom’s life, Ellis is faced with a foe he can’t fight … and even though Tom’s recovering, the ordeal has left Ellis shaken to the core.

And in the aftermath, on a storm-tossed afternoon, Ellis and Tom will face the tempests of their own emotions, and find safe harbor in each other.

Author Bio

K.L. Noone employs her academic research for writing romance, usually LGBTQ+ and often paranormal, fantasy, or historical! Her full-length romance novels include the Character Bleed trilogy (Seaworthy, Stalwart, and Steadfast), Cadence and the Pearl, and A Demon for Midwinter, available from JMS Books, and A Prophecy for Two, available from Inkshares. She’s also the author of multiple romance novellas and short stories with JMS Books, and previously with Less Than Three Press, Circlet Press, and Ellora’s Cave. Her non-romance fantasy fiction has appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress and the magazine Aoife’s Kiss.

With the Professor Hat on, she’s published scholarly work on romance, fantasy, and folklore, including a book on Welsh mythology in popular culture and a book on ethics in Terry Pratchett’s fantasy. She is happily bisexual, married to the marvelous Awesome Husband, and currently owned by a long-legged black cat named Merlyn.

Twitter :: Instagram :: WordPress :: Amazon

#WhatToReadWednesday | It Will Make You Laugh

Did you know that April is National Humour Month? As always with these national holidays, I have no idea what nation we’re talking, but those living in that nation are meant to have fun LOL.  

Nah, the purpose is to inform people of the value of humour. How laughing increases our well-being and improves the quality of our lives. And aren’t we all in need of a laugh these days? So I figured I’d recommend a few books I find funny. 

Think of England (Think of England 1) by K.J. Charles 

You won’t laugh your way through the entire story – or I didn’t – but it has its moments. I love this one and can’t recommend it enough! 

Think of EnglandLie back and think of England…

England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage.

Curtis’s search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.

As events unfold, Curtis realizes that Daniel has his own secret intentions. And there’s something else they share—a mounting sexual tension that leaves Curtis reeling.

As the house party’s elegant facade cracks to reveal treachery, blackmail and murder, Curtis finds himself needing clever, dark-eyed Daniel as he has never needed a man before… 

books2read.com/ThinkofEngland


Shut Your Face, Anthony Pace! by Claire Davis and Al Stewart 

One of my all-time favourite stories! I laughed and I cried and laughed and did the ugly cry. Amazing! 

Shut Your Face, Anthony Pace!First love – coming of age – family – acceptance

When Charlie was eight years old, his mum bought him a microscope for his birthday. Since then, he’s known how he wants to spend his life. There have been trials, and challenges, but now – finally – the day is here for him to start college with his lifelong friend Anthony Pace.

Anthony is a red-haired force of nature. He writes poetry about their enemies and eagerly participates in all Charlie’s science experiments without understanding a word. Every morning, he waits at the end of their street so they can get the bus together.

But things are changing.

Families are important, and complex. Charlie’s mum hasn’t been well, and his relationship with Anthony begins to shine like a different star in the sky.

Can everything come together in this explosion of physics and chemicals that Charlie calls life? Will Anthony Pace ever share his poems with the world, and can the Chihuahua, Princess Arabella, ever learn to stop licking?

books2read.com/AnthonyPace


Cold Fingers (Cold Fingers 1) by Amy Spector 

This entire series is great! And Cold Fingers has one of the best prologues I’ve ever read. Read it! 

58061156._SY475_A paranormal romance.

Christopher Minnick is at a bad place in his life. Turning thirty and newly out of the hospital, the last thing he wants to do is attend a birthday dinner, even one thrown in his honor.

When he is introduced to a friend’s godson, things just might be starting to look up.

Or are they?

Victor Polidori seems like the perfect man. He’s clever, attractive and interested. But, even as Christopher finds himself falling in love, there are some things that just don’t add up. And when bodies start disappearing, Christopher knows he must get to the bottom of it.

Will Christopher find his happily ever after or is it true what they say? All the good ones are either married or straight. Or they’re necrophiliacs.

books2read.com/ColdFingers1


Ten Simple Tips for Surviving the Apocalypse by Cari Z. 

Purple zombies – that’s enough to make me laugh LOL This is great (and free) and I love Conrad. 

Ten Simple Tips For Surviving the ApocalypseDo you have what it takes to survive the apocalypse? Are you sure?

Let Javi help!

Ten Simple Tips For Surviving The Apocalypse is a handy guide for anyone who wants to weather the end of the world’s mayhem, misery, and mutants with flair. Javi Lipschitz, survivor extraordinaire and all-around lucky bastard, lays out his game plan for making it to safety when everything you own fits on a pink Huffy bicycle.

From how to pick the perfect travel companions (badasses definitely preferred) to the necessity of personal hygiene-seriously, dude, it might be an apocalypse but that’s no reason not to wash your briefs-you’ll get detailed ideas, personal anecdotes and, most importantly, a sense of hope that not all is lost.

Most is lost, maybe. But not all.

Download it here


Hell & High Water (THIRDS 1) by Charlie Cochet  

This entire series – or I’ve only read the first four, so I probably shouldn’t speak for more than those – is funny. It’s not that you’re laughing through the entire book, there are some pretty serious scenes, but there are many funny too.

Hell & High WaterAction. Comedy. Romance. And that one weird guy.

When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences – and the media frenzy – aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father – a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS – pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.

Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer – and every bit as dangerous.

books2read.com/HellHighWater


 

The Party Boy’s Guide to Dating a Geek (Clumsy Cupid Guidebooks 1) by Piper Vaughn and Xara X. Xanakas  

It’s been ages since I read this one, but I remember it as funny, and who doesn’t like an IT nerd with tech toys? 

The Party Boy's Guide to dating a GeekAshley Byrne only wants one thing in life: to finish his tattoo apprenticeship and fulfill his dream of owning his own shop. In the meantime, he spends his nights partying, flirting, and having sex. After all, what else is there for him to worry about? Aside from his hair and his clothes, not much. He’s hot, and rest assured no one knows it better than him. He’s also used to getting what he wants—until he meets Felipe Navarro.

Fee Navarro has everything he needs: a great IT job, a nice apartment, and all the high-tech toys his geeky heart could ever want. He doesn’t do casual, and he knows guys like Ash are nothing but. Ash may burn hot for Fee, but Fee isn’t willing to take a chance on a vain, little party boy with too many tats and an oversized ego. He wants someone to share his life with, and he won’t settle for anything less. Too bad Ash has never been the type to give up easily. He has a plan, and he’s not stopping until he proves he’s more than just a pretty face—he’s someone worthy of winning Fee’s heart.

I can’t find a link to an ebook, so I guess it’s not around anymore.


Tell Me It’s Real (At First Sight 1) by T.J. Klune  

This is a bit over the top, lots of slapstick humour, but if you’re in the mood for that kind of entertainment it will make you laugh. 

Tell Me It's RealDo you believe in love at first sight?

Paul Auster doesn’t. Paul doesn’t believe in much at all. He’s thirty, slightly overweight, and his best features are his acerbic wit and the color commentary he provides as life passes him by. His closest friends are a two-legged dog named Wheels and a quasibipolar drag queen named Helena Handbasket. He works a dead-end job in a soul-sucking cubicle, and if his grandmother’s homophobic parrot insults him one more time, Paul is going to wring its stupid neck.

Enter Vince Taylor.

Vince is everything Paul isn’t: Sexy, confident, and dumber than the proverbial box of rocks. And for some reason, Vince pursues Paul relentlessly. Vince must be messing with him, because there is no way Vince could want someone like Paul.

But when Paul hits Vince with his car – in a completely unintentional if-he-died-it’d-only-be-manslaughter kind of way – he’s forced to see Vince in a whole new light. The only thing stopping Paul from believing in Vince is himself – and that is one obstacle Paul can’t quite seem to overcome. But when tragedy strikes Vince’s family, Paul must put aside any notions he has about himself and stand next to the man who thinks he’s perfect the way he is.

books2read.com/TellMeItsReal


Too Stupid to Live (Romancelandia 1) by Anne Tenino  

I ended up re-reading this. At first, I planned on doing a list of books with my favourite scenes in them, and Sam with this highlander fantasies cracks me up, but then I decided on humour, and it fits the bill for that too. 

Too Stupid to LiveIt isn’t true love until someone gets hurt.

Sam’s a new man. Yes, he’s still too tall, too skinny, too dorky, too gay, and has that unfortunate addiction to romance novels, but he’s wised up. His One True Love is certainly still out there, but he knows now that real life is nothing like fiction. He’s cultivated the necessary fortitude to say “no” to the next Mr. Wrong, no matter how hot, exciting, and/or erotic-novel-worthy he may be.

Until he meets Ian.

Ian’s a new man. He’s pain-free, has escaped the job he hated and the family who stifled him, and is now—possibly—ready to dip his toe into the sea of relationships. He’s going to be cautious, though, maybe start with someone who knows the score and isn’t looking for anything too complicated. Someone with experience and simple needs that largely revolve around the bedroom.

Until he meets Sam.

Sam’s convinced that Ian is no one’s Mr. Right. Ian’s sure that Sam isn’t his type. They can’t both be wrong . . . can they?

books2read.com/TooStupidToLive


Know Not Why (Know Not Why 1) by Hannah Johnson  

It’s been a long time since I read this, but every time I see the cover, I grin. I mean, who doesn’t like a guy who’s selling yarn and … stuff? LOL 

13614864Howie gets a job at Artie Kraft’s Arts ‘N Crafts hoping to score with his lady coworkers. After all, girls love a sensitive guy, and what’s more sensitive than dedicating your life to selling yarn and … stuff? (Okay, so maybe it’d be a good idea to actually learn what one sells at an arts ‘n crafts store.) But things don’t go exactly according to plan. Coworker #1 is Cora: tiny, much-pierced, and way too fierce to screw with in any sense. Coworker #2 is Kristy: blonde, bubbly, unattainable perfection. And Coworker #3 is, well, Arthur. It goes without saying that he’s not an option. Right?

… Right?

Yeah, Howie’s life just got straight up confusing.

Pun intended. 

books2read.com/KnowNotWhy


 

El Presidio Rides North by Domashita Romero  

More zombies! It’s a bit surprising because I tend to avoid zombie stories and yet I have two on my list of funny books. This is funny! 

El PresiOn the verge of death by zombie in a public restroom, a young man is saved at the last minute by a shovel—and the intriguing man who wields it. A man who doesn’t really want company, and definitely isn’t interested in sharing names. But ‘Mercury’ also comes with an RV that doubles as a zombie-proof fortress, and almost any company is better than none—even if that company has a cute nickname for his nailgun, and inflicts him with the name ‘Gaga’

Don’t seem to be available anywhere, I’m afraid.


Take My Picture by Giselle Ellis 

Ah… I laughed and I cried. It’s about two screwed up and very blind but lovable characters. Love it! 

Take My PictureAaron has no idea what he’s walking into when he shows up to pose for a famous—and famously bad-tempered—photographer. He certainly doesn’t expect to end up working as Jake’s assistant for five frustrating, thrilling, and crazy years instead of in front of the camera.

It all works until Jake realizes Aaron has become the focus of his life, a life that’s threatened when Aaron actually leaves him to start a relationship with someone else. Though it breaks his heart, Jake realizes he has to set his beloved muse free to have any chance of winning Aaron back.

books2read.com/TakeMyPicture


I’ll Be Your Drill, Soldier by Crystal Rose  

Another one I haven’t read in years, but I smile every time I see the cover. I laughed and I cried. Awesome! 

I'll be you drill, soldierRyan Gracin had a good life until he told his parents he was gay. Since they yanked their support for college he had to find a way to pay for it. Little did he know that joining the Army was going to change his life forever. Especially when he was introduced to a Drill Sergeant who was nicknamed ‘Big Daddy’.

Phillip Grabowski had joined the Army to follow in his father’s footsteps; by the time Ryan entered, he had already made a name for himself. He was a soldier’s soldier, but Ryan was making it really hard for him to remember that.

books2read.com/IllBeYourDrillSoldier


Who Moved My Holepunch? (Office Affairs) by Anne Brooke  

Short and funny! That poor holepunch LOL 

Who Moved My HolepunchDarren Fording works as a Senior Timetabling Officer for his local college. When Max Sheldon arrives to take over as Acting Registrar, Darren finds himself consumed by lust for his new boss and making the kind of decisions he as a stuck-in-his-ways administrator has never made before.

When Darren initiates a full-on kiss during a meeting with Max, the enthusiasm of the Registrar’s response takes him by surprise. Max is reluctant to pursue a relationship with an employee, but Darren is equally determined not to take no for an answer. Can he prove his worth to the man he’s beginning to love and show him he’s a dab hand at educational politics as well?

books2read.com/WhoMovedMyHolepunch


If you’re looking for something I’ve written that I find funny, check out the following: 

pictabook (small)

Jules Rose leads a quiet life working as a librarian. He’s happy to spend his spare time reading books and talking to his homicidal cat. What more could he wish for? But when his cozy Friday night is shattered by a friend request on his book community app, politeness gives him little choice but to accept. Jules doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but he can’t be rude. Besides, if he had to talk about something, books is the topic he’d pick.

Phoenix Ford is dyslexic and avoids everything that has to do with the written word, but when the colleague he’s trying to impress calls him stupid, he decides to convince the other man, he’s mistaken. All he needs is the right book to make him look smart, a perfect balance between intelligent and short. And who better to ask for help than a guy who loves books so much, he labeled one boner-worthy on a book app?

When Jules finds out Phoenix never has read a book from start to finish, he’s on a mission. He will find the right book, the book that will make Phoenix fall in love — with reading. Phoenix’s plan might have been to listen to the book Jules picked for him to impress his colleague, but that was before he got to know him. Talking about books is a sure way to Jules’ heart, but is it enough for him to agree to go on a date?

books2read.com/PictaBook

ninestones

The only thing worse than having a hot neighbor you’re too intimidated to talk to is accidentally hitting his cat with your car.

Felix Lane was perfectly content to spend the rest of his days with Sunny, his canary life companion, in their quiet little corner of the suburbs. But then Kirk Shoo with his unusual eyes moved in across the street, and Felix’s carefully constructed life is starting to unravel.

When your every bad-boy fantasy lingers at the mailbox, stands too close and smells too damn good, what’s an under-appreciated administrative assistant to do? Besides sneak out the backdoor to go to work? But when Kirk’s cat runs out in front of Felix on his way home, he has no choice but to face the music and his dream man. Unless …

What starts as a tragic accident turns into something far more bizarre. And when Felix’s backyard begins to look like a pet cemetery, he has no choice but to come clean. That is, if he can manage to find his sexy neighbor at all.

books2read.com/NineStones

quinnyfocus

Quincy Dean is one lucky guy. After months of virtual flirting, he’s convinced the man of his dreams is living next door. True, they’ve never spoken face-to-face, and William Johnson has never posted a picture of himself, but how many William Johnson’s could there be?

Quincy is positive the two of them would be great together. But if he’s ever going to get the chance to convince Will of that fact, he’s going to need to do it before his perfect man figures out he’s too good for Quincy’s little corner of Whiteport and disappears from his real life forever.

But how do you woo someone when you have to stay six feet apart? Direct messages are great, but they aren’t very romantic. And when Quincy begins to notice that Will’s messages don’t always match up with what he’s seeing through his blinds, he worries that even online he and his dream guy are drifting apart. Six feet or not, it might be time to ask Will out on a date.

books2read.com/QuinnyFocus

Bat Appreciation Day | Elevator Pitch

Today, it’s International Bat Appreciation Day, and I feel like these little fellows have had a rough couple of years. Many a finger has been pointed in their direction, blamed for a pandemic they know nothing of and so on.

I predicted the apocalypse…or almost. On the 25th of September 2019, I posted this in my Facebook group:

Four Bat Day

And then on June 6th 2020, Elevator Pitch was released. I’m not sure how big of an impact my four-bat-day had on the story, but we have a bat shifter. Some stories you write, and then you’re done. Some stories stay with you forever, they might not be your best stories, but they touch something inside of you. Elevator Pitch is one of those for me.

I love Bjorn and Cecil!

Excerpt:

A panting young man was standing in the middle of the lobby. His dark hair was pointing in every possible direction, and not in an artfully styled way. His jeans were paint-stained and tattered, his black shirt had a T-Rex tangled up in Christmas lights and the text Tree Rex in large block letters despite it being April. His black-rimmed glasses sat askew on his nose. He was on the thin side, shorter than Bjorn, but most people were.

Bjorn grinned, but then a pack of wolves pushed through the door, and the grin died a quick death. What were they doing in a bear hotel? It didn’t matter if they were low ranking and only in their twenties, they should know not to set foot in a bear establishment uninvited.

The man made a shrieking sound before diving for the shrinking opening into the elevator. Bjorn braced himself for the impact. The wolf in the lead reached for the man and would’ve caught him if he hadn’t looked up at Bjorn. The moment Bjorn allowed his bear to peek through his eyes, the wolf dropped his arm.

By some miracle, the human—he had to be human, Bjorn had never met a shifter with glasses—managed to squeeze himself through and only brush up against Bjorn’s arm for the briefest second.

The wolf took a step closer, his eyes locked on the man, and the naked hatred on his face shocked Bjorn.

Fucking fag.”

Bjorn rolled his eyes. So he liked dick, why did every fucking shifter in this city have a problem with that? The door finally slid all the way closed, hiding him and the panting human from the world.

Friends of yours?” Bjorn sought eye contact without success. Instead of his breathing evening out, it became more and more frantic. The scent of paint, panic, and coffee overtook the small elevator.

Easy, man.”

Wide, frantic eyes snapped to Bjorn’s. Yeah, definitely panic there.

Hey, slow your breathing. You got away from them, you’re safe.”

The eyes, if possible, got wider. “Bear.” He could hardly make out the word between the breaths, but when he did, he frowned. How could he know?

The light flickered and the elevator came to an abrupt stop. Bjorn groaned. They stood still between floors.

Everything went black.

The man made a keening sound and a wave of magic washed over Bjorn. What the fuck? The sound of clothes hitting the floor made him roar. He’d assumed the man was human.

Fur exploded out of his body as his bones and muscles changed form. What could he be? Spider? Fear clouded Bjorn’s mind. Snake? His clothes tore, the seams fighting to hold everything together as the fabric shredded.

Bjorn hit the wall, tried to sidestep and hit the other wall. Something shattered under his paw—glasses. He winced and his behind hit the door. As a bear, he had excellent night vision, but the elevator was pitch black. He couldn’t see the man anywhere.

Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to change back into human shape. It didn’t happen. Something bounced against the ceiling and Bjorn tried to duck, but the elevator was too damn small for him not to hit the walls with every little motion.

A clicking, high-pitched sound bounced off the walls and Bjorn flinched. Bat? It was the sound of a bat, right? Bats couldn’t kill bears, could they?

He took a nice, deep breath and slowly his body responded to his demand, and changed back to human shape.

Come on, man, change back.”

Nothing happened except the flapping and bouncing.

JMS Books :: Amazon :: books2read.com/ElevatorPitch

elevator pitchBjorn Ritter only wants one thing—to live his life away from nosey, demanding bears. That’s easier said than done when you’re the son of the female running the Bayside Bear Community. Cecil Baxter might be a bat, but he grew up away from shifter communities and he’s doing his best to continue to keep his distance. Shifters aren’t an accepting bunch and Cecil has never fit the norm.

Already facing a dreaded meeting with his mother, the last thing Bjorn needs is a stranger using his elevator to escape a pack of werewolves. And Cecil, whose day just seems to be getting worse and worse, could really do without the added stress of finding himself trapped in an elevator with a huge bear shifter.

Still, what could go wrong in three minutes?