Champagne and cake

Book News:

It's Novel City here in the outback at the moment, I'm happy to say. I've now signed the contract for Musa Publishing to republish my chick lit novel Pink Champagne and Apple Juice, and that is scheduled in for 6 September. No cover yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how that looks.

In the meantime, I do have a cover for bisexual thriller Thorn in The Flesh, which will be republished later this year by Untreed Reads. I'm really very pleased with it, I must say.

I've also signed off the proof version of fantasy novel Hallsfoot's Battle (Gathandria *2), so Bluewood Publishing should be advising a publication date in the near future. Watch this space.

There've also been a couple of very nice reviews of other work this week. Gay thriller A Dangerous Man received a 4-star review at Goodreads, which included the following:

"A Dangerous Man is not a gay romance with a traditional happy ending, but it is a compelling work of gay fiction and a real page-turner. Things to praise include the flawless writing and the subtlety with which Michael's tragic past is revealed. The London setting is vivid and three-dimensional, and the author has a perfect ear for dialogue."

And gay short story Where You Hurt The Most also gained a review at Goodreads. Part of that review said:

"Anne Brooke always impresses me. I quite literally love her writing. There’s a sophistication and refinement to the clean, sparse prose that sets her apart ... Overall I’m pretty pleased with this short story due to the excellent writing, drama without being overwhelmingly intense, and engaging characters. The themes of pain, need, and longing are woven into the story in many different ways and skilfully deployed to add depth and nuance to even this short length. I’m pretty impressed with the level of skill displayed, but honestly I know to expect that from this author. I’d easily recommend this to newcomers and fans alike."

Gosh, many thanks indeed to both reviewers for your comments!


Life News:

A rather snowy few days here recently, which meant my game of golf on Friday was one of the coldest I've ever experienced. Didn't do much for my play either, but really the least said, the better ... The weather certainly put paid to my weekend plans of getting out into the garden and seeing what it was up to, though I did manage to buy a couple of new house plants while we were out and about.

Plus we've also given the garden bridge a fresh lick of paint as it's been looking rather shabby lately. I fear it will need quite a few extra coats too before it's ready to take its place in the garden again. Next DIY stop: the love seat - but only when the weather's better, as it's too heavy to move.

This week's cake has been Carrot and Mascarpone cake, and we're very happy indeed with the results. How I love a recipe where you just throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and mix them. Saves all that faffing around, you know.

Finally over at The Angry Anglican, I discover women are really and truly the secret weapon after all.




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

A kingly caper

Book News:

I'm delighted to be able to announce that gay thriller Maloney's Law will be republished by Amber Allure Press as an ebook on 7 April 2013, and then as a paperback in May 2013. I'm absolutely thrilled about it all as it's been a long dark tunnel of a journey with this particular book, and it's more than wonderful to be out in the light again. I can't wait till April!

I'm also very pleased indeed that out of the Top Bestselling Authors during 2012 at Untreed Reads, I'm at the No 5 position, well gosh. Thank you so much for buying a book last year - I'm very grateful.

Meanwhile, there's a 25% discount on all my books at Amber Allure during February, so if you fancy something to read that will get you through till March, now's the ideal shopping time.

Life News:

A very happy special birthday to my lovely husband for yesterday, and what a grand week we've had. I took him off to London for a birthday treat to see the new Man Ray exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and we also visited the Courtauld while we were up there. All wonderful stuff.

On Friday, I managed to rustle up a Chocolate Fudge birthday cake, which seems to be going down very well indeed, and in the evening we went for a birthday dinner over at our good friends, R&G, together with L&J. It was fantastic, and thank you very much to all for making a special weekend even better, and for providing an unexpected extra cake & champagne too - what could be nicer?...

K and I have also been continuing to sort out the garden and even plant some spring flowers, and we managed to pop across to Winkworth Arboretum yesterday, in spite of the rain. Great to see their new winter garden over there, and lots of winter daffodils too, hurrah.

Finally, the saga of the rediscovery of Richard III has been causing great excitement - I've always been rather fond of him actually, but anyone who dislikes children always gets my vote, eh ... Shows great sense, to my mind. So fabulous to know the rediscovered king is keen to pick up where he left off. I can't wait!...

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

Seed cake and the fallen woman

Book News:

I'm happy to say that the publication date for The Delaneys, My Parents and Me, the last in the gay menage Delaneys series, has been brought forward and it will now be available from 3 March. Moreover, later in the summer a paperback collection of all six stories (you lucky people, you!...) will be made available. The working title for that is The Dangerous Delaneys and Me: the Collection, and further details will appear in due course.

To keep you going till then, my literary lesbian short story, A Woman like The Sea, has a Valentine special 15% discount direct from Untreed Reads until 15 February. Buy now to avoid the rush.

I'm also pleased that, after a spate of 1-star reviews from people who found it "horrid" and the "worst book ever read" (Gawd bless 'em, and I honestly feel quite proud!...), my biblical short story, Dancing with Lions, has gained another 5-star review at Amazon US, where the reader in question said:

"Loved this book. Brings out what life was really like in Bible times and what heaven might be like. Something to look forward to."

Gosh indeedy. What a contrast.


Life News:

I have now gone all the way through my Keyboard Playing for Beginners book once, and have started going through it again to see if it makes any more sense and is becoming more do-able. The good news is it does seem to be coming slightly more easily to the fingers (as it were), though some of the chords are giving me pause for thought. Can one's fingers really ever be in that position? I'm not sure people are built like that ... But much-needed encouragement from the Internet world is getting me back in my keyboard seat and I'm going to keep practising - though I suggest that there's no need to buy those concert tickets just yet.

Other lovely news is that my neighbour's son, Rob Heanley (bottom left of pic), was in Death in Paradise last week, and it was very exciting indeed to catch a few glimpses of him at the start of it all, and later in flashback. My, what fun. And if you are going to get a small part in an ongoing series, you couldn't do better than choosing one filmed in a Caribbean Island. Well done, Rob!

Earlier in the week, I (literally) came a cropper when I attempted to sneak out of bed early in the morning without waking my beloved husband. This involved not turning the landing light on (as we have a glass panel above the bedroom door) and making my way by feel. Somehow I got utterly disorientated and manage to perform several illegal ballet manoeuvres down the first flight of stairs before landing in a heap. Ah, the spirit is willing but the flesh is incredibly noisy when rebounding off a wall or two. And he was certainly awake then ... Astonishingly, I managed to keep firm hold on my handbag all the way through so feel that my credentials as a bona-fide woman are now beyond question. Anyway, no harm done, though my hip is rather bruised, and the pattern it's formed would make a great tattoo, if I ever had the courage to add extra pain into my action-packed schedule.

This weekend, I have made seed cake, just like Grandma used to make - but, I have to admit it, far nicer, actually. Especially when it's fresh out of the oven. No pictures today, as it doesn't look very exciting, but the taste is pretty damn good, hurrah. Candied peel and carraway seeds - the hot ticket to bliss.

K and I also managed a trip to Wisley and admired their snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses, amongst other early spring plants. Sadly, the queue into the Butterflies in the Glasshouse event was over one-hour long so we gave it a miss. However, we've seen it before and I made up for it by having a Butterfly Cake as part of my lunch, so honour was satisfied. Back in our own garden, the honeysuckle is now in bloom, there's more blossom on the daphne tree and some of our aliums are coming up, well gosh.

As an utter contrast, over at The Angry Anglican, I take a look at same-sex marriage with just a touch of satanism (in the best possible taste). And there's Stop Press News: You'll be pleased to hear that the Church of England has taken the full opportunity of this important upcoming vote to look even more ridiculous than it currently does, thus fulfilling all our expectations, and distancing many more people from its centre, including myself. But the Angry Anglican will blog more fully about this later in the week ... Be afraid, be very afraid.

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

Conferences, covers and sheep

Book News

I'm thrilled with the book cover for my upcoming gay office romance, Who Moved My Holepunch? It's absolutely perfect for the story, which will be published on 24 March. Always good to have something in the spring to look forward to, eh.

Speaking of which, the cover for the last of the gay menage Delaneys series has now come through. Delaneys No 6 is called The Delaneys, My Parents and Me, and will be published on 17 March. That'll be a busy and exciting month for sure.

I'm also pleased to say that fantasy novel The Gifting now has its own BookPulse page, so I'm hoping it makes some new friends there.

Yesterday, I had a great time at the Elstead Writers Group and I for one can't wait till next month's meeting. And, talking of meetings, the UK GLBTQ Conference 2013 group now has its own Goodreads page, so do come along and say hello to us all there, and find out more about our July weekend. It's going to be amazing, I promise you.

Life News:

My lovely husband has repainted our dining room this week - it was previously a colour we can only describe as Prison Cell Grey, and it's now a lovely pale pink and really warms the whole room up. I love it. Moreover, in his mission to achieve sainthood, K also took advantage of the 2 hour nap I just had to have yesterday (well, I was tired, you know, and I'm very delicate. Honest ...) and secretly did the weekly clean by himself. Except for the Hoovering, which he did only after I woke up. I'm expecting the letter of confirmation of glory from the Pope any day now.

Mind you, I have done the ironing, so I'm not really useless in my own home. Not utterly anyway.

Meanwhile, this week, I have struggled with the concept of watches. I've bought 2 cheap ones from Amazon over the last few months and they've both died on me, as well as the straps wearing down. And I absolutely have to wear a watch as I'm obsessed with knowing the time - I feel lost in the universe if I don't know it, sad to say. Anyway, I decided to push the metaphorical boat out and buy a more expensive watch from good old Amazon with a bracelet strap that won't wear down. All very well and good, but I'd forgotten my stick-thin wrists, and it's rather too big for me. Oh well. At least I know the time, even though I can't always tell where on my wrist it is.

Yesterday, we celebrated the departure of the dreaded snow (at last - hurrah!) by tidying up the garden so K and I are both now feeling supremely smug, as there's nothing we need to do in it until February. Which of course is next week, so only a few days' grace.

I also made a Chocolate and Prune Torte which seems to have survived my ministrations very well, and we're both happy with the results. Heck, I can do posh! Whatever next?

And K and I have both been deeply moved by the tale of the Lost Sheep of Heathfield. I'm sure there's a parable there somewhere though I have to admit that if some farmer turned up to collect the sheep I'd been looking after unexpectedly on his behalf, I'd want a damn sight more than a miserly bunch of flowers. Hey ho.

Over at The Angry Anglican, I believe it's just about time for the tide in the increasingly wilted Church of England to start turning. When oh when will we start to be a prophetic voice for the world? Don't wait up, eh.

Finally, I know this is a lone voice crying in the wilderness (once one has these biblical analogies, it's really tough to let them go ...) but I have to say I do find Brian Cox the most irritating man on TV right now. He's just so infuriatingly smug that I can't listen at all to whatever words of knowledge he's trying to impart to me. I just want to push his face in a bowl of lukewarm custard and have done with it. Yes, I am a really bad person, but at least I'm a dab hand at custard. Every cloud, as they say ...

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

Celebrations and snow

Some good news this week as I received the letter telling me my mammogram was clear and I don't have to go back for three years, hurrah. I don't come from a breast cancer type family, but it's still a great relief, so I do encourage all you women out there to go along if you've got the invite. At the very least, it's a trip out, eh.

Earlier on, before the snow arrived, I popped up to London after work and had a few drinks and an Indian with Jane W (hello, Jane!) - we'd missed our pre-Christmas get-together due to illness on both our parts, so it was great to catch up now.

Oh, and we've had snow (did I mention that already?) - which looks very pretty but is really rather deadly if you want to drive or walk anywhere, hey ho. I'm not a great fan of snow, and I fear there's more to come ...

To calm my snow-infested nerves, I've baked a coffee and walnut cake this week. I forgot to add my usual spoonful of mayonnaise to ensure moistness, but actually it's turned out fine, but possibly more by luck than judgement. K's certainly not complaining, anyway.

Today, I was going to go back to church for the first time since the start of December, but snow has stopped play, so instead I've started writing a new gay BDSM story tentatively called Training Thomas. I suspect that title will change later on when I've worked it out however. And always a fun thing to have church and BDSM in the same sentence. Live dangerously indeed.

Speaking of gay stories, I'm happy to announce that all my gay fiction is currently running at a 25% discount at Amber Allure Press until the end of January - do feel free to browse and see if anything takes your fancy. Um, as it were.

I'm also quietly pleased that lesbian short story The Girl in The Painting made it to No 24 in the Amazon UK short story charts this week. Goodness me.

Looking ahead to later in the year, the GLBTQ Fiction Conference 2013 now has a draft programme of events online, all of which look great fun. Can't wait for the summer! Ooh, and K has got a part in the Elstead play in April, which is An Eye For An Eye, Darling. He's playing Colin, the second detective, and rehearsals start this week, so it's all very exciting.

Finally, over at The Angry Anglican, I'm blogging this week about sex, submission and Christ - enjoy!

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

Possible signs of Spring

Book News:

I've just sent the contract for bisexual thriller Thorn in the Flesh back to Untreed Reads, so am looking forward to getting the edits started on that one.

Meanwhile, lesbian short story The Girl in The Painting was briefly at No 31 in the Amazon UK lesbian short story charts, and office comedy Not A Shred Of Evidence found itself at No 30 in the Amazon UK Business Humour charts. Well, there's a strange blending, that's for sure.

Gay thriller The Bones of Summer gained a 5-star review at Amazon US and is called "an outstanding read", and I'm also pleased to say that the 6th & final part in the gay erotic menage Delaneys series will be published on 17 March.

Finally, to add an essential dash of mayhem, mystery and magic to the start of your week, don't forget the first of my Gathandrian fantasy trilogy, The Gifting, is still available at all good online bookshops near you. One reviewer recently described it as:

"a unique fantasy where mental and physical worlds merge in a flight of unrestrained imagination. Unlike much fantasy I've read lately, this book soars with hope. It's a story of redemption gained through a mystical journey through earth, air, fire and water that tests the deepest recesses of a man's soul."

Really, what more could one ask for? Please do feel free to take a chance and pick up a copy - thank you!


Life News:

This week, I had my NHS call-up papers and have been to have my first ever mammogram. Apparently, Surrey take women up to three years before they hit fifty, and I'm one of those lucky chosen ones. Actually, it wasn't as bad as I'd expected, and the nurses were great. I should expect the results sent directly to me in a couple of weeks or so, which isn't long to wait. And, hey, it's always nice to have a trip out.

Also this week, I've been well enough to get back into playing golf on Friday with M, which was great. A tad chilly, but I was well wrapped up and thank goodness for thermals. I played some pretty hot shots too, but sadly not often enough. Ah well.

Yesterday, K and I went up to London to see the quite magnificent Seduced by Art exhibition, which I can thoroughly recommend, but hurry - as there's only a week to go before it ends. It was also great to wander around afterwards and catch up with all those fabulous works of art we've not seen for a while. Honestly, the place is a riot of riches.

Whilst there, we popped into the equally wonderful National Portrait Gallery to see the first painting of our very own Duchess of Cambridge. Hmm, not a great work of art, by a long chalk, methinks.  I can see what the artist was trying to do and it was a bold decision to have her looking out so clearly directly at the viewer, but it's as if he wasn't really looking at her at all, somehow. The picture is very tense, the smile very false and she looks as if she's about to be sick, bless her. Perhaps it was painted during the early stages of her pregnancy, however? That would explain it ...

Thank goodness then for the fabulously classic Cinema Portraits by Fred Daniels and the ever luminous work of Mario Testino to enthuse us again. Great stuff.

Meanwhile, in the garden, there are veritable signs of Spring, hurrah! The snowdrops that failed us so badly last year have succeeded this year, and are starting to appear. Several shoots are coming up, plus both pots of narcissi are definitely on their way. Just hope they all survive the cold snap we're forecast later this week.

I've also made a Lemon Yoghurt Cake yesterday so am keeping to my Lemon Theme for the year thus far. Suspect I'll change that next week though. K and I had a sneaky slice still warm from the oven and it's not half bad, though I say it myself and shouldn't.

I'm also continuing to hammer away at my beginners' keyboard lessons, and I can now play "Love Me Tender" and "Mary's Boy Child" with two hands - at the same time, well gosh! Book now for the concert of the year - or possibly book tickets to avoid it, which may well be the wiser choice. I'm enjoying it though!

Tonight, I'm trying to psych myself up to watch the increasingly bizarre Ripper Street - there's a lot of vomiting on it this evening apparently, which doesn't really have a Sunday feel to it. I think the series producer might have rather gone overboard on the "no lighting, chaps" and "let's not explain anything of what's happening to the viewers at all" approach - as most of the time, neither K nor I have a clue what's going on. Mind you, spotting the anachronisms is turning out to be a fun game - moving pictures six years before they were invented! Teddy bears before World War One! Whatever next?... Perhaps someone will pull out a mobile phone and text the solution to the police - that would sort them all out.

Finally, over at The Angry Anglican, I'm musing on the question of just how gay a bishop in the Church of England is allowed to be before they stop being a bishop ... The plot, my dears, is indeed entirely lost to the church. Sigh.

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

Maloney revisited and the keyboard queen

I'm very happy to say that my literary gay thriller Maloney's Law is now available with this lovely brand-new cover at Amazon UK (where it briefly hit No 56 in the gay fiction charts earlier this week) and Amazon US. The blurb plus its credentials are:

Paul Maloney, a small-time private investigator from London, reluctantly accepts a case from his married ex-lover, Dominic Allen. Before he knows it, Paul finds himself embroiled in the dark dealings of big business and the sordid world of international crime. The deeper he pushes, the closer he comes to losing everything he holds dear.

Can he solve the mystery and protect those he loves before it's too late?

Maloney's Law was shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Prize 2006 (for novels set in London) and the Royal Literary Fund Scheme, and longlisted for the Betty Bolingbroke-Kent Novel Award.

The book has also just gained a 5-star review at Amazon which says the following:

"I don't read that many mystery novels but this one caught my attention and after reading a sample I had to read the entire book ... The plot was great and I couldn't turn my e-reader off."

That certainly put a smile on my face. I hope you enjoy the read.

Following on from that, The Bones of Summer (which is the sequel to Maloney's Law) has been chosen by a book group for their January read and they're enjoying it so far. Well, gosh.

Keeping to nice book news, gay short story Where You Hurt The Most gained a 5-star review at Goodreads, and my biblical short story collection The Betrayal of Birds reached No 82 in the Amazon UK Christian short story charts. So that was nice too.

Meanwhile, I've finally finished the first draft of the last story in the gay menage Delaneys series - so will need to get that edited over the next few days to see if it makes sense at all. Here's hoping, eh.

And I've booked myself into the UK GLBTQ Fiction Conference up in Manchester in July, so can't wait for that. Roll on the summer!

On the home front, I believe I'm at last getting well after about two weeks of cold/catarrh nastiness. I did go back to work on Wednesday last week, but that was a big mistake, and so I was off sick on Thursday. Start the year as you mean to go on, eh. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

The good news is that for the first time ever in my life, an orchid under my care and attention has actually grown two more flowers. Heavens above, this is indeed the Christmas miracle. The trick - at least for me - appears to be to do nothing that the orchid experts tell you to do, but simply to ignore the plant entirely, at which point it produces blooms to prove to you it still exists. Ha. That's my answer then.

Stirred by such unexpected success, I have this weekend got myself back into cake-making and have produced a Lemon Flower Cake. I cheated with the flowers - the recipe calls for me to go into the garden, pick edible flowers and then sugar-coat and dry them, but if you think there's a hope in hell of me ever doing that, then it's time to think again ... so the decorations are shop-bought and all the tastier for it.

Ooh, and my lovely husband has worked out how to make our electronic keyboard function properly - so I can now play When the Saints Go Marching In, The Banks of the Ohio and By The Rivers of Babylon, all with one hand only. How happy the neighbours are! Believe me, these long winter evenings are simply going to fly by, my dears ...

Finally over at The Angry Anglican, I take issue once more with homophobia and discover the real meaning of the TARDIS. You have been warned.

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

Coughing at Christmas

Life News:

Um, not much life news this week, I fear. I've been ill since last Sunday so everything else has sadly passed me by, alas. Christmas? Has it happened yet?... A lot of coughing, snorting and nose-blowing has happened however, so I've not been entirely idle. Haven't managed to get into bed to sleep (it's worse if I lie down, on the whole) but the plus side is I am now engaged to the living room sofa, hurrah. And I've read a hell of a lot of free Kindle books and solved (or, more accurately, failed to solve) a lot of crossword puzzles. K has been a total saint and really should be on the local New Year Honours list for Services to Sick Wives.

Astonishingly, I'm still not over it, and I'm told it may last another week - but hey at least that means I'm likely to enter 2013 in exactly the same way that I leave 2012, so top marks for consistency. Hey ho.

In the meantime, over at The Angry Anglican, I'm waxing lyrical about peculiar priests and same sex marriage. As ever.

Book News:

Here, there is good news, well gosh! I'm thrilled to announce that psychological thriller Thorn in The Flesh will be republished in 2013 by Untreed Reads, so I can't wait for that. Plus I gained my first 5-star review for Christian novella The Prayer Seeker at Amazon UK (thank you, Claire!), where it's described as:

"thought-provoking, helpful, interesting and (dare I say it) inspirational ..."

Well, gosh.

Not to be outdone, gay religious short story The Heart's Greater Silence gained a 4-star review at Goodreads (thank you, Edina Rose), so the season is evidently making its influence felt, ho ho. Apparently, Edina is making me one of her favourite authors on the basis of the story, so that's lovely too.

Happy New Year to you all - hope you have a healthy one!

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

Happy Christmas!

Book News:

I'm very happy to say that I've now completed the final read through of the second in my fantasy trilogy, Hallsfoot's Battle, and sent it back to Bluewood Publishing. So it should be published in 2013 at some point, but I don't know a date yet. Watch this space!

From now up until Christmas Day, there's 25% discount on ALL my Dreamspinner Press books, so shop early shop often. If you need some encouragement, one of them, gay romance Two Christmases, has just received a 4-star review at Goodreads, plus a lovely review at On Top Down Under Reviews. Thank you, both readers! I particularly appreciated this section of Karen's review, which definitely fits the season:

"If you have the ability to enjoy a story where one person has done the wrong thing but sets about bettering themselves. And if you can understand why someone might just love a person enough to give them a second chance, then this is a nice Christmas short about the power of love and forgiveness. I think it's a great little Christmas read." 

Finally, I'm slowly stumbling on with completing the last of the gay menage Delaneys series, The Delaneys, My Parents and Me, and am now at c12,000 words. I've had to leave them in the middle of a sex scene to do other things, but heck I think they might enjoy that, ho hum ...

Life News:

This week, the boss and I have moved offices again and are now safely installed on the 6th floor of our building instead of the 5th. We're slowly climbing up the ladder to the top, don't you know, though soon we will run out of floors ... Our new location has a great kitchen and a fridge with space (hurrah!) so I hope we'll be staying for a while. Being the true genius that I am (coughs shyly ...) I had unpacked all my 50,000 crates in a day and now apparently look as if I've never been anywhere else. It's all done by smoke and mirrors, you know ...

Meanwhile, over at The Angry Anglican, I have (once again) been in defiant mood. Hang on to your hats, my dears.

I have also been preparing for Christmas by having a seasonal haircut and watching my husband as he nobly put up the Christmas tree and the lights. What a superhero. I absolutely can't bear doing it myself as I get seriously stressed when confronted with a bauble (careful, people, careful ...) of any description, but I'm fine when it's all done. Well, we do all have our little peculiarities, and I am definitely more peculiar than most.

Yesterday, K and I happily attended a lovely Christmas dinner party at our neighbours' house - many thanks for a fantastic time, L&J. But, sadly, I now seem to have come down with a nasty sore throat, sniffles and the inability to talk at all - a blessing, some would say, apart from the fact that the only way I can actually communicate is through the medium of liturgical dance. And no (Hilary, I'm looking at you!...), you can't buy tickets for it. I must needs save you from yourselves.

As a result I have unfortunately had to skip the planned get-together for Sunday lunch with K's family, and had to squeak my best wishes for the season down the phone like a helium balloon on speed. Ah well.

However, I've delighted in Lynne Truss's definitive answer to those dreadful Round Robin letters, and I'm still chortling over them, as much as I can with a throat like mine, that is.

It only remains for me to wish you all a very happy Christmas and I'll catch you on the other side.

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

Anger and animals

Book News:

I'm currently taking part in a Christmas Blog Hop, and if you leave a comment on the blog below this one, you're in with a chance of winning a FREE ecopy of gay romance Two Christmases - which is of course suitably seasonal. The competition lasts until tomorrow (17 December) so there's still time to enter ...

In the meantime, surreal comedy Not a Shred of Evidence was briefly at No 79 in the Amazon UK Business Humour Charts (hurrah!) and the lovely Karen gave a great review to gay erotic short story The Heart's Greater Silence over at On Top Down Under Reviews. Many thanks, Karen.

Life News:

This week, K and I attended the Elstead Theatre Group Christmas Revue and party, which was great. I particularly enjoyed the Old Hookers' Lament, which proved beyond doubt what fine legs our local menfolk do indeed have. Say no more ...

I also had great fun at the Elstead Writers' celebratory lunch yesterday at which there was some gorgeous soup and a veritable plethora of chocolate cake, one of them made by my good self. We also has some fantastic pieces of writing to comment on, so a suitable end to our writing year.

Not only that but I have blogged about the local Guildford response to the women bishops' crisis over at The Angry Anglican, with a whistle-stop tour through the gay marriage debate also. My anger rating is currently 9 out of 10, hey ho.

I've also managed to upset the local RSPCA who for some reason known only to them came round during the week on a door-to-door visit asking for support. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Opens door, says "hello".

RSPCA Man: "My, you look lovely and cosy there."

Me: Thinks how rude and personal this idiot of a man is. Says (with my usual courtesy to unwanted callers), "what do you want then?"

RSPCA Man: "Do you like animals?"

Me: (truthfully) "No, not really."

RSPCA Man: "But you wouldn't hurt one, would you?"

Me: "If one was badly hurt, I'd kill it. It's the kindest thing."

RSPCA Man: Backs off and disappears without further comment, thank the Lord ...

Hmm, I doubt he'll be back, though I suspect the RSPCA might be keeping a close eye on me from now on.

And today, K and I have made our official Christmas visit to Mother and exchanged the required amount of gifts. Phew.

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

Christmas Blog Hop 14-17 December

Christmas Blog Hop

A happy Christmas to all! From today until 17 December, I'm taking part in the Christmas Blog Hop along with a range of other authors, and there are prizes galore to be won.

To keep in line with the season, I'm offering a FREE ecopy of gay romance Two Christmases to one lucky commenter on this post. The blurb is:

Danny Brigson makes a serious mistake when he sleeps with Marty, an old boyfriend, one Christmas. He tries to cover it up, but Marty tells all, and the love of Danny's life, Jake, throws him out.

Over the next year, Danny tries to sort his life out with the hopes that when the next Christmas comes around, Jake will give him the chance to put things right ...

Here's an extract of the scene where Danny first meets Jake at a business party he's helping to arrange. Hope it gets you in the mood!

I’d only just finished sorting out the crisis when the first of the guests started arriving, all management, out and ready to party. Couldn’t say I blamed them. A day’s worth of high‐maintenance team building would be a day’s worth too long for me. I clocked Jake at once, appreciating his long lithe body and that swept‐back hair. Eyes to sink into as well, I remember thinking, if I ever got close enough. I allowed myself the privilege of a few more glances on my way out and, to my surprise, at the last of them his eyes caught mine and he gave me a slight but unmissable smile. The heat flared in my skin and my heart beat faster. I didn’t pursue it though, not in front of a roomful of strangers and when attempting to look professional in front of a client. The boss would have killed me otherwise.

At the door though, my luck proved to be in. One of the waiters came racing toward me, his bow‐tie askew and his hair looking like it would need a good comb before the evening was out.

“Danny? Danny Brigson?”

“Yeah? That’s me. What’s up?”

“Chef says we’re still short of staff. Would you mind giving the barman a hand with the drinks? We’ve got two parties in tonight. We’ll pay you.”

I nodded. Frankly I could do with the cash and, even then, the chance to see a little more of Jake had brought the smile to my face.

I worked like a dog that evening. The crowd were eager to celebrate, and the empty glasses kept on coming back. And back. Every now and again, I saw Jake and, once, our hands touched when I refreshed his wine. A good Pinot Noir, which made me smile. He didn’t strike me as a Chardonnay man.

It was way past midnight when he finally gave me the eye. God knew I’d been making what I wanted obvious enough—serving him first when I could, even though that was a real no‐no in the secret Barman’s Code. Anyway, at a quarter past midnight, I looked across at my fellow barman, a bloke called Arnie who seemed like he’d been around the block a few times. And some.

“Is it okay if I...?”

He grinned. “Sure. It’s easing off now. I think I can cope. Besides, it looks as if you’ve got business to attend to.

I smiled back. “Yeah, if I’m lucky, but for God’s sake, keep it quiet.”

“My lips are sealed. Not my bag, but live and let live, eh?”

I made my way out of the bar, only needing to glance back once to make sure Jake was following. I wondered how long it would take him to talk to me and what he might do or say, whether I would need to take charge to get things moving.

I needn’t have worried.

In the corridor between the hall and the Gents’, I found myself being pushed back against the wall, and then warm fingers on my face, and Jake’s tongue in my mouth. He tasted of wine and lemons. I kissed him back. No, I did more. I pulled his shirt free and ran my hand up his spine, desperately seeking skin. I groaned into his mouth as if I’d been waiting for this for a lifetime and had almost given up hope it would ever happen, even though I’d only seen him for the first time tonight. I pulled his body toward mine and pressed my straining dick against his legs, feeling his answering hardness against my own.

I swear it was the best kiss I’d ever had up until that point. Better than any sex I’d had or even dreamed of. It lasted forever. It was way too short.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both gasping. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. While I wiped my mouth, my fingers trembling, still relishing the taste of him on my lips, he recovered enough to speak.

“Jesus,” he said, and his voice was shaking too. 

Don't forget - leave a comment here between now and December 17th and you're in with a chance of winning. Good luck!

Meanwhile, there are lots of other prizes to be won in the rest of the blog hop. Happy reading!

Anne Brooke
Gay Reads UK

Painting, Prayer and Anger

Life News:

Moved to existential rage by all the recent nonsenses perpetrated by the Church of England, I have started a blog called The Angry Anglican, so if you wish to find out my views on women bishops, gay marriage, the church and what's currently happening in it all, please do feel free to visit. You'll be more than welcome, whoever you are.

In the meantime, I have also been utterly horrified by the terrible death of that unfortunate nurse cruelly hoaxed by people who don't seem to have many brain cells between them. Honestly, if I were in charge, all public hoax calls would be illegal and the idiots who perform them would be forced to endure hard labour for some considerable time. I was therefore greatly heartened by Lord Glenarthur's strongly-worded yet polite response. Well said, sir. It does however annoy me that the radio presenters are said to be having counselling for their trauma. Trauma schmauma. I don't believe any of their family members have just died in very sad circumstances. It's not them who should be having the ruddy counselling, but the nurse's family (says she in a very unChristian manner, I know, but at least I'm being honest). I hope they're paying for the sessions but I suspect they don't possess the decency ... RIP Jacintha Saldanha.

Turning to other sad news, I'm sorry to see that Sir Patrick Moore has just died - I really liked him and he was one of a kind. RIP also Sir Patrick then.

It's not been all sad this week though. I've made an Apple and Cinnamon Cake, which turned out well, but doesn't look exciting enough for a photograph. Sorry. Maybe next week! I've also begun to receive the usual drift of Christmas cards from elderly relatives, quite a few of whom ask if "I'm still carrying on with my funny little hobby of writing." Deeeep sigh and bless, eh. As the question evidently portrays an overwhelming lack of interest in what means such a great deal to me, I wonder why they bother asking at all. I'm tempted to send said elderly relatives copies of my latest gay erotic work, but I don't really want to be responsible for a whole stream of RIP reports ...

It's also amused me that our local Citizens' Advice Bureau is apparently now over £40,000 in debt. Snort! Maybe they should make an appointment with themselves to try to sort it out? Hmm. Or maybe not.

Oh, and is it me or is it now compulsory to have a criminal sexual past if you want to be famous? The mind boggles ...

Book News:

Through the whole of this month, there's a 25% discount on all my gay erotic fiction at Amber Allure Press. So do feel free to stock up for Christmas - it'll be too cold to go out.

My new Christian novella The Prayer Seeker is now available very cheaply indeed at Amazon UK and Amazon US. Also ideal for Christmas! It was even briefly at No 58 in the Amazon UK Religious Fiction charts, so that was quite pleasing.

Gay literary short story Painting from Life has now been republished and is available at a far cheaper price than previously from Amazon UK and Amazon US. Interestingly, it has no sex in it, but a lot of hidden passion and paint. Happy reading.

I was also very pleased indeed by a lovely new 5-star review of fantasy novel The Gifting over at Amazon. Many thanks, Lynn - it's much appreciated. Meanwhile, I'm secretly rather thrilled that over at Musa Publishing, they're going to be taking on the work of the bestselling Roger Rabbit author, so I'll be sharing a publisher with someone famous, well gosh! They're lucky to be in the same publishing stable as me, of course ...

Finally, the cover art for the upcoming gay Office Affairs anthology from Amber Allure Press can now be revealed. My offering is comic story Who Moved My Holepunch? and is scheduled to be published in March.







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

The Prayer Seeker and Angry Church

I'm happy to say that my spiritual novella, The Prayer Seeker, is now published and available at Autharium. It should be distributed out to other e-retailers over the next few weeks. Here's the blurb:

Michael Woodthorpe hasn’t attended church for many years, not since his time as an evangelical in his early twenties. One winter he decides to take early retirement in order to search for the God he used to know. 

As he comes to terms with his new existence, he must face opposition from both his ex-girlfriend, and his ex-wife, whom he hasn’t seen for years. He must also find a way into discovering the riches of prayer and so he begins a series of religious encounters with a spiritual director. When his journey brings him face to face with the mistakes in the past which had made him walk away from God, he must find a way to resolve them if he is to fulfil his God-given potential at all.

Perfect for Christmas then, hey ho. Not that I actually have much energy for Christmas at all at the moment - the thought of it is giving me a headache and I suspect not many people are likely to get a card this year. I'm sure they'll cope though! It's probably all the angst and shouting about women bishops that's making things worse too. I'm considering starting an Angry Church website and seeing if anyone joins me, well there's a thought, eh. It'll be like Angry Birds, but more prayerful, amidst the existential rage.

What with all this, it was a great relief to skip church today as I thought I'd be better off away from it all. I think I was right too - K and I had a really lovely walk in Newlands Corner instead, which is stunning. Thank goodness God isn't always to be found in the pews.

Anyway, to continue to calm the nerves, I have gone back to cake baking and this week's effort is Smartie chocolate chip cake, which has proved a real success, hurrah. I did have some trouble trying to get the icing to set properly though - strangely, shouting at it and sobbing doesn't seem to help - but K suggested I put it in the fridge for 15 mins and it's fine now, thank goodness. What a superhero husband he is.

I've also had the week off from work this week - and though it's not proved to be the respite I'd hoped for, I have managed to get my National Novel Writing Month book finished in first draft form. So The Apple Picker's Daughter is now at nearly 64,000 words and I've started editing it.

Meanwhile, I've chosen a new cover for comic satire Not a Shred of Evidence, and very lovely it is too. A zillion times better than the old one anyway. Perhaps I'm learning, slowly ...

Finally, and bringing this blog back round to another spiritual note (must be the season ...), I'm pleased to say that biblical short story Dancing with Lions sold another 75 copies at Amazon US last month. Astonishing really for a book nobody talks about, only one person has reviewed, and which hasn't had any marketing at all for several years. The publishing world is indeed a totally mystery to me!



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

Life beyond the church

Thankfully (see the blog below this one), there were other things beyond the traumas associated with the Church of England that have happened in the last week, and here, in no particular order, is a brief round-up of them:

1. The Heart's Greater Silence gained a 5-star review at Goodreads, and a 5-star review at Amazon US.

2. Martin and The Wolf gained a 5-star review at Goodreads.

3. The Delaneys At Home gained a 4-star review at Goodreads.

4. Not A Shred of Evidence was briefly at No 48 in the Amazon UK Business Humour rankings.

5. The Betrayal of Birds was briefly at No 84 in the Amazon UK historical religious rankings.

6. I made a Victoria sponge cake, go me!

7. I enjoyed a lovely afternoon with L & R at Wisley Craft Fair and bought two beautiful pictures and a nice bag of chocolates. Bliss.

8. I became a Winner (hurrah!) in the National Novel Writing Month, and am now at c 58,000 words. I hope to make it to 60k by the end of the week, and I have 9 scenes to go.

9. Sadly, the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill looks set to be made law, which is horrific. I can only draw your attention to the Petition, which I urge you to sign, if you've not done so already.

10. The Origami Nun is being sold at a good discount at Amazon UK and Amazon US for today only.

11. All my books are half-price at Untreed Reads, also only for today.

12. All my books are also half-price at All Romance Ebooks for today.

Thank you.

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