Archive for Rupert’s Legacy
New Cover and book…
First of all, Finding Peace is out now. Yay! Click here to check it out. Also, it’s on sale. 😉 I did add more to it at the end after I took it down from the blog.
Second, I got the cover art for From Yesterday, Book 3 in the Rupert’s Legacy series. I love it. 🙂
Isn’t it pretty? This one was supposed to be out April 7th, but we pushed it back closer to the end of April. But it will be out next month.
Third, I finished Saint Petersburg, which is Book 8 (and the last book) in the Fallen series. This one is about Lucifer. He plays a part in a few of the other books, so I had to give him his own story. This series has taken me ten years to finish..lmao. It was the first series I ever wrote when I started writing and got published. Then I took a detour into writing m/m romance. But when I decided to write both, I figured I’d get the Fallen books done. Yay!
Now I’m going to be working on A Grand Prix Romance, which is Book 7 of the International Men series. Plus going to do my best to get you all three installments of Bodyguards. If I don’t quite make three, you’ll definitely get the usual two. 🙂
Once Grand Prix is done, I’ll be finishing up Losing Sight of the Target and starting Anywhere Tequila Flows, Book 4 of the Rags to Riches series and work on a special project. 🙂
All right. I hope you all are safe and warm this snowy Monday. (I was really hoping we were done with snow, but guess not.)
New Cover Art….
Just got this in my inbox. It’s so beautiful and exactly how I pictured Ion. 🙂 Remove the Empty Spaces is book 1 in my new series Rags to Riches that I’m writing for Totally Bound. 🙂 I don’t have an exact release date on it yet..though I’m thinking some time in February or March. As soon as I know, I’ll let you all know.
I finished up From Yesterday yesterday…lol. And submitted it to MLR Press. It’s the 3rd in the Rupert’s Legacy series, but features a different main couple this time. It turned out a little longer than I had originally planned, but that’s okay. I’ll post the release date on that as soon as I get it.
Devon and I are working hard on Canada (we really do need to pin down a title on this one…lol) I added some more to it yesterday and plan on working on it today, after I get my installment for Finding Peace done.
I also started my story for the 2014 Unconventional/GRL anthology. My story is titled No Bravery and when you read it, you’ll understand why. We’re doing something a little different for next year and I hope you like it. It’s going to be a fun antho to write.
Plus I’ll be starting my 6th Fallen book, Los Angeles, in the next couple of days as well. Hoping to get that one done by the end of the month.
Okay. I have to go out and run some errands, but when I get back, I’ll be writing the rest of the day. I hope you all have a great Monday.
Wednesday’s Work in Progress…
First of all, I have a post up at Amber Kell’s for her birthday bash. It’s a little snippet of Ronnie and Lucius from Embrace My Reflection and Bring Him Gold. Check it out here.
And secondly, I thought I’d post a little glimpse at From Yesterday, which is the third book in the Rupert’s Legacy series I have at MLR Press. The first two books are Joy of the Season and Replacing Memories. I think I shared something from this story once before when I started working on it, but it kind of got pushed to the back burner for some other stories. I decided to see if I can get it finished by the end of the year. (Which really isn’t that far off any more…lol)
So here you go:
From Yesterday copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase
Carlos tightened his grip as Miguel snuggled closer. He rested his cheek on the top of Miguel’s head. “I’m supposed to text him when I get done visiting you. He lives here on the grounds, so I’m having coffee at his place.”
“You’ll tell me everything, right?” Miguel’s low request touched Carlos’ heart.
“Within reason, hermanito. You know I don’t kiss and tell, plus I don’t think Phillip would like me spilling all his personal business to people he’ll see every day.” Carlos leaned back into the cushions, humming softly.
He understood why Miguel had asked him that. His brother was never going to get another chance at romance or a date. All the advances science had made in the medicines for HIV/AIDS didn’t matter if Miguel’s body rejected them. The doctors had told them it would only be a matter of time now. The only thing they could do was keep Miguel comfortable and as pain free as possible. He was happy that they hadn’t given them a timeline.
Putting a timeline to dying was a horrid practice in Carlos’ opinion. Too many people gave up hope when told they only had four months to live. Carlos saw it as a nurse as well. Yet there were people who, when told they were going to die soon, fought with every ounce of energy in them and they live longer than doctors thought.
He wished Miguel could do that, but his little brother had been fighting most of his life. He was getting tired and losing hope. Carlos wanted to beg Miguel to keep up the battle, yet he knew it was for selfish reasons. He didn’t want to lose his brother. Not this soon when they both had so much life to experience.
Closing his eyes, Carlos relaxed, enjoying being with Miguel, even if they weren’t talking. It was nice to spend time together without having to worry about their family causing problems.
“Carlos,” Miguel murmured, causing him to open his eyes.
“Yes?” He shifted a little, pins and needles racing along his arm like it had fallen asleep.
“How long were we asleep?” Miguel moved away from him.
Carlos rubbed his eyes before checking his watch. “About thirty minutes,” he relayed the information. “Not very long, but I feel better.”
Miguel laughed, then yawned. “So do I, though I think I’d like to go and try to take another one in my bed this time. Walk me to my room? Then you can go have coffee with Phillip.”
“I can do that.”
They walked to Miguel’s suite where Carlos made sure his brother had everything he might want near the bed. Before he left, he turned to say, “Don’t forget. I’m still here. If you need me for anything, just text and I’ll come back.”
“Get out of here. If it’s not too late when you leave, you can stop back by to say good-bye.” Miguel motioned him out of the room.
“All right.” He shut the door behind him before strolling back to the front desk. Sarah was still there. “Miguel’s lying down in his room. I’m still going to be on the grounds, so if something happens, you can text me.”
“No problem, Carlos. I’m sure everything will be fine tonight.” Sarah smiled. “Have fun and tell Phillip I said hi.”
“I will.” He rushed from the building, not wanting to have to deal with any more comments about Phillip, even the purely innocent ones, which he wasn’t entirely sure Sarah’s was by the way.
Leaning against his car, he pulled out his phone then sent Phillip a text. A minute later, a message appeared on the screen.
B there in 5.
K.
Carlos put his phone in his pocket, then let his head fall back as he soaked up the waning beams of fall sunlight. He’d been working a lot of hours lately, trying to store up time for when the inevitable happens.
“Are you okay?”
He jerked when a hand landed on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he saw Phillip standing in front of him. Carlos held his breath as Phillip reached out to rub his thumb over Carlos’ cheek. It was wet when he showed it to Carlos.
“I’m fine,” Carlos reassured him, wiping his face with his sleeve. “Just a momentary lapse. I can’t show them to Miguel yet.”
Phillip’s expression said he understood. “At some point soon, it’ll be time for you to share tears with him. When it comes, don’t hide them from Miguel. He needs to know he’ll be missed after he’s gone.”
Carlos threw himself into Phillip’s embrace. Burrowing his face into the man’s shirt, he sighed when Phillip wrapped his arms around him. They didn’t talk, simply breathed together, and Carlos discovered his heart easing away from the depth of despair threatening to suck him under.
Finally, he took a deep breath of Phillip’s clean scent, then stepped back. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Sorry about that….
I didn’t get to bed until 4 this morning, so I’m running a bit behind on everything…lol. But here’s a little eye candy to help your monday start out right.
I finished up Dream 4 last night, and got that subbed to my editor. Now I’ll be starting Dream 5 today after I write the next installment for Hearts. Once Dream is complete, I’m planning on going back to finish up From Yesterday, which is the 3rd book in the Rupert’s Legacy series, though this one features two different characters as the main guys. 🙂 It’s almost 2/3rds of the way done. I just need to do one last big push to get it ready to send to my editor at MLR Press. After that’s done, I think I’ll be finishing up Restoration Project for a submission call they have at MLR Press for Average Joes. While I don’t think any of my characters are average, Billy Joe is a blue-collar guy with grease under his fingernails and rent payments. Even though he falls in love with Axel, whose the prince of an automotive empire, he still stays pretty much the same guy he was before. 🙂
All right. I hope you all have an awesome day, because I have to get to work. lol
Wednesday Work in Progress…
I’m going to share a scene from a story I’ve been working on for a while. It’s the third story in the Rupert’s Legacy series. From Yesterday tells the story of Phillip and Carlos, two men searching for their way in the world.
From Yesterday copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase
Excerpt-
Shoring up his emotions, Carlos pulled away and smiled. “You’re right, hermanito. I’m just tired. It was a long shift, and I wanted to visit you before I go home.”
“Sit.” Miguel motioned to the empty space next to him on the couch.
Carlos flopped onto the cushion with a huge sigh. He let his head drop back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Miguel reached over and squeezed his hand.
“You work too hard, Carlito. You need to get some rest or you’re going to get sick, and not be able to visit me.” Miguel’s concern showed on his face and in his voice. “You are my only visitor.”
Pain hit Carlos’s heart and he pressed his hand to his chest. God, knowing that his happy laughing brother was cut off from his family and friends hurt Carlos. Yet it wasn’t Miguel’s fault. Being gay wasn’t something Miguel chose, and he certainly didn’t decide to go out and get AIDS.
The only thing Miguel chose to do was be out and proud of who he really was, and while the consequences weren’t what either of them hoped for, it meant Miguel didn’t have to hang his head because of hiding. Carlos wished he had his brother’s strength.
Carlos had known he was gay since he was fifteen, but he still dated girls through high school and college. Oh, he’d gone out and had sex with men as often as he could, but it was a secret and something he didn’t talk about with anyone.
The girls were for his father, to convince him his oldest son was a man in every way. He was expected to set an example for his three younger brothers. Yet when Miguel came out, Carlos silently cheered.
“It’s okay. I know why they don’t come, and it’s their loss. When I’m gone, they’ll have to remember how they treated me. And when they get to Heaven, they’ll have to explain to Mama as well.”
Carlos snorted. “You’re right, and I think that would be the hardest thing to do. Mama always was protective of you.”
“I was her baby. Of course, she loved me.” Miguel leaned slightly into Carlos’s shoulder. “I never told you what she said to me the night she died.”
“No, you didn’t.” Carlos wrapped his arm around Miguel, holding him close.
“You and Papa had stepped out of the room to talk, and Julio and Paul hadn’t gotten there yet. I was sitting beside her bed, holding her hand. I didn’t know what to say or do. I mean I was only seven and didn’t really understand death all that much.” Miguel plucked at a string hanging from the hem of Carlos’s T-shirt.
“I’m sorry, hermano.” Carlos rubbed his cheek along the top of Miguel’s head. “It was a hard time for all of us.”
Miguel chuckled softly. “It’s still hard for Papa.”
He nodded. “You’re right. He’s never gotten over losing her.”
“Anyway, she looked over at me, and told me to climb on the bed. I did it, though I was afraid of all the tubes and machines. I didn’t know if I would hurt her in some way.” Miguel paused and Carlos stayed silent. It was his brother’s story, so they would take it at his pace.
“I laid next to her, and she put her arm around me. She could only whisper, and I could tell her soul was getting ready to leave. She just had a look about her.”
More silence. Carlos understood what Miguel meant. He’d seen more than his share of patients die, and they all had a certain look like their souls were ready to go on to whatever waited for them on the other side.
“She told me she loved me, and it didn’t matter to her if I was different from Julio and Paul. I was still her baby. I didn’t understand what she meant at the time. She died soon after and all I remembered for months was the sadness.”
Carlos drew a sharp breath. How had his mother known about Miguel and had she known about him as well?
“Somehow Mama knew I was gay, and I’m pretty sure she knew about you as well, Carlito. When I realized I liked guys, I panicked and freaked out. I knew Papa wouldn’t accept me at all, and I risked being banished from the family. Yet I’d dream of what she told me that night. I knew I couldn’t be a coward because she loved me.”
“Mama always loved you best,” Carlos teased.
Miguel grunted in agreement. “Sure she did, man. I’m pretty awesome.”
Carlos laughed, but his happiness slowly faded. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stand up with you, Miguel. I should be more of a man, and not let you be the only one Papa hates.”
His brother pushed out of his embrace and glared at him. In that moment, Carlos was reminded of his mother. Miguel was the only brother who took after their mother.
“Carlos Mendoza, don’t say that. You’re more of a man than Papa and our brothers ever could hope to be. Just because you haven’t told Papa you’re gay doesn’t mean you’re a coward.” Miguel put his hand on Carlos’s chest. “It means you’re smarter than me. I should have waited until I could move out on my own. I knew how he was going to react.”
“Well, I’ve saved up enough money to get my own place. I’m going to look this weekend when I get off work. I was thinking I’d try to find someplace closer to here, so I can see you more often.”
“And so you can finally get a boyfriend,” Miguel commented with a gleam in his eyes.
“I’m not sure a boyfriend would work for me right now.” Carlos shook his head.
He’d never had a serious relationship with either sex. All of it was too big a risk when he was younger, and now he worked so much, he didn’t have time for anyone except Miguel.
“Oh, a boyfriend always works.” Miguel frowned. “I’m worried about you, Carlito. I’m afraid you’ll spend all your energy on me, and will be alone when I’m gone.”
“I don’t spend all my energy on you. I wish I could, but I just don’t have the money or the place to take care of you.” Carlos looked around the bright airy room they sat in. “That’s why I was so happy when a spot opened up for you here. This place’s got a great reputation, not only among charities, but among the medical field as well.”
Happy Monday
The weekend was productive. I finished The Occasional Prostitute and sent it in. I also did forms for three of my MF stories that are going to be contracted soon. I started a new story, Pray for the Thunder, which will go to MLR Press when it’s done. Also, I opened From Yesterday, which is the third book in the Rupert’s Legacy series. I stopped working on it because I needed to get some other stories done sooner. Well, I’m so close to finishing it, that I decided to see if I can get it done. I’d like to have both books finished and in to MLR Press by the middle of March.
Also, I have to add 15-20k to one of my short stories, filling it out so it’s around 30-35k when I’m finished. Remove the Space Between Us will be the first in a six book series titled Rags to Riches. Woo-hoo! Like I needed more series/books to write…lol.
I’m juggling a lot of stories, and hoping I get them all done in a reasonable amount of time without driving myself crazy…lol
Have a wonderful Monday, everyone. 🙂
Good weekend
Looks like it’s going to be a blah and dreary day. Good time to stay home and write. I’ve got a lot of stuff to do today. I have to finish up the Final Line Edits on Gypsies, then I have to write the next installment for Threadbare Gypsy Souls. Finally, I have to add at least 2k to From Yesterday to keep me on track for when I’d like to get it finished by. Of course, I think I’m going to have to make it a little longer than I originally thought. I’m over halfway done with it, and my heroes haven’t really even met yet…lol. Yep…definitely time to add to the goal. 🙂
Well, I hope you all had a great weekend, and have a good Monday.
Finally Done
Good news. Tramps is done and turned into my editor. It’ll be released on August 20th from Total e-Bound. It was a long road to hoe, but I managed to finish it. Yay!
Now I’m starting a short story that I’m hoping to have finished within the next two weeks. This one is the 3rd book in the Rupert’s Legacy series from MLR Press. It’s called From Yesterday, and features someone from Joey’s past who comes to Legacy House to try and heal from losing Joey. I think it’ll be a good one. (I hope…lol) After FY is done, I’m going to work on Demon Woods, which is my twist on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I’d like that one finished before the first of July. 🙂
After that, I’ll be working on Thieves, the 3rd and last book in The Beasor Chronicles. We’ll see how well my plans go…lol
I hope you all have a great Monday.
Happy Hunk Day
Hello everyone. Happy Wednesday…lol. It’s a grey and dreary day here, but I don’t have any plans except to stay home and write. Woot!
Tramps is rolling along, and I started a short story titled From Yesterday for MLR Press. It’s the third book in the Rupert’s Legacy series, but features two new characters for you to get to know. I just signed the contract for Ninja Cupcakes, my contribution to the Unconventional…at Best anthology coming out at Total e-Bound. It’s going to feature some awesome authors besides me…lol
Oh, and you might have noticed that Dreaming of Dragons is no longer available. I’m making plans to re-release it later on this year or at some time next year. I’ll let everyone know for sure when it’s finalized.
Well, I better get writing. Have a great day.
