Independence Day news!

First of all, a very happy Independence Day to all US readers, and anyone else who's celebrating today too - I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I've certainly got some treats in store for you! As they say.

My erotic short story, The Boilerman and The Bride, is published today at Amber Heat Press, and you can also read extracts at both those links. Enjoy!

I also have a wide variety of sale opportunities for you: Dancing with Lions is in the Amazon Kindle sale on a limited basis, so now's a very good time to buy this one. In addition, all books from Untreed Reads, including my own, are in the Coffee Time Romance sale this weekend ONLY. You can also get 30% discount for this weekend directly from Untreed Reads, plus if you use the code Untreed30 you can get 30% discount from All Romance eBooks. Neither does the good news stop there: the sale continues over at Smashwords where you need to use the coupon code SWS25. Happy shopping!

I'm also very happy to announce that I have a brand-new cover and indeed a brand-new webpage for upcoming comic short story, Rosie By Name. This is to be published by Bluewood Publishing at a date to be decided, but ain't that cover marvellous. I love it! And it's perfect for my heroine.

In terms of ratings and reviews, The Delaneys and Me found itself briefly but proudly at No 62 in the Amazon Kindle Gay Fiction chart, and The Secret Thoughts of Leaves reached the dizzy heights of No 30 in the Amazon Kindle Surrealism charts for a while.

Martin and The Wolf received a very nice review from Literary Nymph Reviews and even managed to get to No 4 in the Amber Allure June bestseller lists - well, gosh, I've never been that high in those listings before, so thank you to everyone who's been buying the book and I really hope you enjoy it.

I've also been delighted that (in some way) my "poor relation" book, The Hit List, gained a really thorough and totally lovely 5-star review at Goodreads - many thanks indeed for that, Holly! I particularly enjoyed this quote from the review: "Jamie is the most wonderful character. I love him to death. He can be mean and hurtful and generous and inarticulate and dreamy. I want to shake him when he's being exasperating and hug him because he's got sad, difficult times ahead. I wish books didn't have to end. This isn't really a love story. And I would have liked to know more of the secondary characters. But I'm putting Anne Brooke on my list of favorite authors." Gosh, and thank you again!

Not to be outdone, The Delaneys and Me received a 5-Angel review at Fallen Angel Reviews, and (keeping the angel theme - aha!), Angels and Airheads received two 4-star reviews at Goodreads, which you can read here and here - many thanks to Serena and Andy for both those.

And my Hot Fiction Tip for July can now be found at Queer Magazine Online - don't let the dreadful title and cover put you off, as it's a fascinating, humane and very deep read!

Finally, here's this week's poetry:

Meditation 378
Sometimes all you can do
when the storm sweeps over

is cling to the altar
of God and wait

for the mercy of men.


Meditation 379
On his deathbed
he’s not concerned

with the hereafter
but with the mercies

and vengeances
he leaves behind:

an inheritance
of shadows.


Meditation 380
A quiet death
brings its own beauty
to the earth:

stars, moon
and silence.


This week's haiku:

A sudden rainfall
washes clean the parched garden:
air-bright, glittering.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal