Blog hops and bestsellers

Book News:

Just a quick reminder that I am taking part in the Scorching Blog Hop until 6 April, and there are loads of giveaways, as well as a grand prize. Leave a comment at my below blog and you'll be in with a chance to win a FREE ebook of gay romance Who Moved My Holepunch? Don't forget to visit all the other participants too. Good luck!

Indeed, already Who Moved My Holepunch? has received a lovely review from On Top Down Under Reviews, which included the following:

"I find Anne Brooke writes a mean short story … If you are looking for a witty, sexy, M/M office romp, then I highly recommend Who Moved My Holepunch? It is a great title and the content matches the cover, sexy and interesting." 

Thank you, Karen! Another review, this time a 4-star one, can also be found at MM Good Book Reviews, and this includes:

"It was a fascinating read. I laughed. I gasped. And I felt the exquisite chemistry this author achieved between her characters. The world they were put into was not something I anticipated, but even college administrative jobs can be fascinating with a creative mind. A lovely novella not to be missed."

Other reviews can be found at Goodreads, including a 4 star one and a 4.5 star one. Many thanks to all readers there for your comments. You can also now find this book at All Romance Ebooks, if that's your preferred shopping venue.

In addition, another prize giveaway that's running at the moment is for fantasy novel, Hallsfoot's Battle, the second in my critically acclaimed Gathandrian series.

At Goodreads, you have the chance to win one FREE paperback of this novel if you add your name to the list by 23 April. Whilst at LibraryThing, there are two FREE ebooks up for grabs (scroll down to view) if you request it by 7 April. Good luck to all!

I'm also happy to note that I was the No 5 bestselling author at Untreed Reads for 2012, well gosh. A BIG thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of my books there and put me in those charts.

Finally in this section, I'm thrilled to be included in an interview about gay romance and religion over at the Lambda Literary magazine. It's a pleasure to be there.


Life News:

Last week, I spent three fascinating days in snowy Edinburgh at a work conference, and got a heck of a lot out of it, I must say. Some very thought-provoking seminars indeed. The only down side was the pesky weather, but Edinburgh is of course still a beautiful city.

K and I also spent a day with Mother on Good Friday, accompanying her to the Hour of Remembrance as usual. And the Easter Service was of course packed and very enjoyable. I particularly appreciated the champagne and chocolate eggs after the service, but fear we're possibly not getting those every week, alas.

Over the last couple of days, K and I have visited Clandon Park, along with their lovely garden centre, where I succumbed to two gorgeous Senetti plants. And today we've visited Hatchlands, and come away with two very reasonably priced lupins. Sadly, though, both K and I are battling with a cold/flu-type thing, so haven't done as much gardening as we'd have liked. That said, I took out most of the wretched ground elder yesterday - a weed which I'm sure will survive a nuclear winter, should it ever come upon us. Hey ho.

Hope you're all having a glorious Easter week!

Anne Brooke
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Biblical Fiction UK
Lori Olding Children's Author

Signs of springtime amidst the sickness

Book News:

Later this year, all six erotic menage Delaney stories will be published in a paperback collection, The Dangerous Delaneys and Me. It will be available sometime around May, but I'll keep you posted.

And romantic comedy, Pink Champagne and Apple Juice, will be republished by Musa Publishing later this year, so that's something to look forward to also.

This week, I finally finished my BDSM story, Training Timothy, and have submitted it to Riptide Publishing to see if they like it. For the first time ever, I submitted actually on the day that particular anthology call was closing, so that was a bit scary, I can tell you. Usually, I plan way in advance, but I have the excuses of yet more illness (for which see below) and also lack of inspiration until very late on indeed to blame, hey ho.

I've also completed an interview for the Lambda Literary organisation focusing on Christian writers of erotic gay romance, but I'm not sure yet when or even if they'll use it. Still, always lovely to be asked (thank you, Richard!). And I've slowly begun thoroughly ripping apart and severely editing a literary gay short story I wrote last year, The Beginning of Knowledge. So far that means I've cut it from 19,000 words down to 5,000 words, so that leaves me with the sex scenes at least. I just have to work a rather different story around them and all will be well. I am indeed the Queen of the Scalpel ...

Life News:

Earlier this week, I succumbed with some sense of drama to the Winter Vomiting Bug. My dears, I really cannot recommend this, at any level (Squeamishness Alert!). Sunday night and most of Monday was therefore spent being gloriously sick every two or three hours and wondering if death might be the kinder option. The factor that utterly felled me was the fact that being sick also involved fainting (something I rarely do), so I had no idea where either I or the ... um ... err ... product would end up at any given session. All I can say is thank goodness we don't have carpets downstairs, toilet water is very cold indeed and blankets wash out very nicely, hurrah. Ho hum.

I tell you, every day I bless the fact that one of my mother's wedding presents to me was the huge and very tough plastic bowl I was always ill into as a child (well, I was very delicate, you know ...) and I swear I have had the most use of it over the last twenty years of married life than any other present I received on the day. How well my mother knows me indeed ...

So that was two days off work but back in on Wednesday, where I just about survived the day but felt extremely delicate. Eating commenced again on Thursday, however, which was great news as it was Valentine's Day, and so a definite Champagne moment.

K's presents included (a) The Piano Player Book 3 (and I've not yet had the courage to start Book 2 yet, yikes!), (b) The Pumpkin Muffin Murder (a novel of crime and baking - what could be nicer?...), and (c) a pair of fingerless gloves that I can attach to the memory stick ports on my keyboard and they heat up and keep my hands warm. Bliss indeed! I am indeed the archetypal icon of fashion here in the Surrey outback. The only thing I have to remember is the wires aren't long enough for me to reach for my dictionary so I have to unplug myself from my personal heating system if I want to look up a word or risk taking the whole computer to the shelf with me, ah well ...

So, this weekend, I've been well enough to bake Orange and Almond Cake, which is horrendously easy and tastes pretty good too. And it's been warm enough to sit in the garden, heavens above. There, we've been admiring the glorious crocuses across the front lawn, and also the honey bees browsing through the winter heather. Oh, and there was a pair of goldfinches flitting about yesterday, so spring must at last be sprung, even if only temporarily.

However, over at The Angry Anglican, I fear I am growing increasingly disenchanted with my lot. Hmm, perhaps we can blame the weather ...

Anne Brooke
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandria Fantasy Trilogy
Biblical Fiction UK
Lori Olding Children's Author