Seeking Pleasure and an Unexpected Gift

Book News:

Much to my delight, fantasy novel The Gifting (featuring gay scribe Simon Hartstongue) received a lovely review at Goodreads from Tahlia Newland (many thanks, Tahlia). She comments:

"The character development is exemplarity. It’s rare that you see characters grow so deeply and well supported by the action ... I recommend it for anyone who likes something different and especially if they like a bit of psychological depth in their reading."

All this for only £1.91 at Amazon UK, and also available at Amazon US. Naturally it also comes as a paperback, so the choice is yours. In the very near future, the book will also be featured on the Awesome Indies website, so watch this space. In the meantime, if you buy now and pay very special attention to Chapters Four, Six and the Third Gathandrian Interlude, then you could be in with a chance of winning a brand-new Kindle when the anniversary book tour starts next week! Further details to follow very shortly ...

Turning to my gay erotic fiction, The Delaneys at Home (Delaneys *5) received a review today from Brief Encounters, so thank you to Jen for that one. Over at Goodreads, it's also gained two 5-star reviews, one from Judianna and one from Kazza, and a 4-star review from Sandra. Many thanks to all for reading and commenting. There's one more book in the series left: The Delaneys, My Parents and Me, and I hope to start writing that one at some point later this year.

In addition, Where You Hurt The Most has just been reviewed at QMO Books, so thank you, Serena, for that.

Today, I'm also officially blogging at two other locations: my review of Richard Mason's wonderful rush-out-and-buy-it-right-now novel History of a Pleasure Seeker is now up at Vulpes Libris; plus you can find out just how big a step living with someone actually is over at the Amber Quill Press blog. Happy reading!

I'm also very pleased to say that new British Gay Romance website is now up and running, and you can even find me there, amongst other authors who also write UK-based gay fiction. Come over and browse, and you're guaranteed to find something to your liking - all visitors welcome.

The most recent meditation poem is:


Meditation 664
In returning
to what we did not know
was lost

we grasp
our inheritance
no matter the cost.


Life News:

Happy work anniversary to me! Today, I've been at the University for 8 years, which is the longest I've worked anywhere, to be honest. I'm quietly pleased and hoping they keep me on for a little while yet. Really, it's the most fun I've had in a job since I went to work in the first place.

K and I have had a good couple of bank holiday days earlier this week - we love the Jubilee! We spent a happy morning at The Savill Garden (where else on such a royal weekend?...), then moved on to a local garden centre followed by an afternoon's planting in the garden. We've discovered a new love of alliums (so alien and so beautiful), and plan to get more, definitely. Apparently, as an added bonus, deer hate them so I don't have to worry about spraying the Brut deodorant on them as a deterrent, hurrah.

This morning, I have had the first session on my brand-new exercise bike (the pedal fell off the old one - no, please don't comment on that ...), and honestly it's so quiet even I don't know I'm using it. Though, as always, the seat needs a towel or two before the essential comfort is achieved, deep sigh. Plus the car has had its MOT and service at Chandlers the local garage - who were very good indeed. Thank you, Caroline, for being so efficient and so lovely. I do so love a garage I can actually walk to, and now the car is acceptable for another year - I hope!

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Deer, dreams and devious goings-on

Book News:

Today at Vulpes Libris, you can read all about dreams, dementia and devious goings-on in my review of Richard Mason's marvellous The Lighted Rooms. Definitely an author to get acquainted with, and I'm a long-term fan indeed.

Speaking of books, if you want to read about "a fantastical place where almost anything is possible" (as one reviewer puts it), then this book is the one to go for. It also has its own webpage too, which may well prove of interest to you. Live dangerously!...

Meanwhile at Untreed Reads, their literary romance line has big discounts until the end of October, and includes some of my own books, so buy early buy often. And I hope you enjoy the reads.

Recent meditation poems are:




Meditation 577

Better than wealth
or treasure or fame
or victory or life
is the quiet clarity
of wisdom.

The trick
in these shallow
delirious days
is to know
the difference.




Meditation 578
The richness of horses
is more valuable
than silver or gold.

They are as firm
as stone,
and as joyful as cedars

when they gallop
through the Egyptian fields,
encompassing the sun.


Life News:

It's been a very difficult two weeks at work, I have to say, due to an unfortunate accident involving two of our students, some of which, sadly, came to a head earlier this week. Our Director and a lot of the support team have been working all the hours God sends and more to offer the support and guidance needed, but it's not been easy. Most especially for the students and people concerned. As part of my job, I've been fighting a rearguard action behind the scenes to try to preserve the boss's time and put him where he's most needed when it's needed, and I think on the whole we've struggled through it all, but it's certainly taken its toll. Stupidly, I came off a difficult phone call yesterday when I was alone in the office as everyone else was out at an assortment of necessary meetings, and then started crying myself. Not a great position to be in. At that point, the new chaplain walked in - poor chap, he probably thinks he's come to a mad-house as he's only been here a month and has had to be part of the team dealing with more bad stuff than we've faced in the seven or so years since I've been here. He was very sweet though, and proved to be a great listener, so thank goodness he did come in, really. When I was back into my normal kick-ass-and-let's-get-this-done-now persona, I did try to convince him that things weren't usually this tricky and our biggest problem was usually students not exiting the building during fire drills, but I'm not sure he believed me. Hey ho. Anyway, huge respect for all the teams that have been working flat out recently, and I hope next week things start, slowly, to arrive at a more even keel ...

Back in the non-University world, my Tesco shopping has been delivered today (hurrah!) but I appear to have misunderstood the amount of kitchen rolls I've ordered. We now have enough to clear up the whole of the Lake District if it flows this way, but hey, as the lovely delivery man said, at least they don't go off. And I do appear to have moved on from over-ordering on the cheese, so I suppose it's progress.

I've also been fighting womanfully with the complexities of the British Gas customer service system. Yesterday they sent me an email asking me to read our meter and send them the numbers online. I jotted them down and then tried to log on, but their system refuses to accept either my Home Care number or my Customer number as valid, so I couldn't complete the task. I then tried to contact them using the Contact Us If You're Having Trouble button - but (grrrrr!) that won't work either if it won't accept your Home Care or Customer numbers. Deeeep sigh ... So I then tried to ring them but their message said they were too busy to answer my call and could I ring back tomorrow. Ho hum.

Today, I tried to ring again, but got the same message saying they were too busy to take my call. This time, I refused to be put off and hung on in the hope of some kind of resolution. Eventually the automated system suggested I key in my telephone number and they'd ring me back. I tried to do this but got the number wrong by mistake and it took me back to the position I'd just been in, saying it "wasn't a valid number." Hell, I know all about those - none of my numbers in relation to British Gas appear to be valid. After a while, I got through to a chappie and tried to give him my meter reading but he said he wasn't the right department and he'd have to send me elsewhere. So once again I was at the bottom of the pile and in a call waiting queue. Sigh. This time however, the automated system said I'd have to wait for ten minutes until I could speak to someone. As I'd already been struggling to contact British Gas for an evening and a morning, this seemed like a mere drop in the ocean of eternity, so I held on. Finally I reached someone in the meter reading department and he took my reading down. He then (bless his courage!) had the audacity to ask me why I didn't get our electricity through British Gas as well (which we don't). I told him that we used a separate provider for electricity as they were far easier to contact than British Gas and appeared to have a computer and phone system that worked, so why should I struggle with having to contact British Gas for two readings and bills when I could minimise my existential pain and only have to contact them about one. Well, he did ask ... He ended the call shortly afterwards - funny, that ...

I have then spent a lovely afternoon chatting to the neighbours, S & K, and taking tea and biscuits - as one does in Elstead, you know - so that definitely made me feel more human, hurrah.

And this week's nature highlight has been the wonderful sight of a roe deer running and bounding (literally) across the frosted field at the bottom of the garden while K and I were having breakfast. Total bliss. That really made my day.

Anne Brooke
The Thoughtful Corner