Thursday, November 7, 2013

THE LOVERS & LIARS GAY ROMANCE TOUR

It's an honor to welcome author and editor Paul Alan Fahey on my blog today. Welcome, Paul!



Hi, Iyana, and a warm hello to your readers and writers at Iyana’s Rainbow. I’m Paul Fahey and I write the historical gay romance series, LOVER’S & LIARS WARTIME SERIES. I also dabble in gay nonfiction so thought I might start off by telling you about THE OTHER MAN: 21 Writers Speak Candidly About Sex, Love, Infidelity, & Moving On.

Please don’t forget if you comment on my post, you’ll stand a good chance of winning an e-book of THE OTHER MAN and also put your hat in the ring for a copy of BOMBER’S MOON, the first novella in my series. (BTW I don’t write novel length books. All of my books in the series are novellas.

Since it’s November, I’m participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), so I just might make a novel happen. We’ll just have to see how far I get. Stay tuned.

I really enjoy getting email, so if you’d like to visit my website, http://www.paulalanfahey.com, I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s a short synopsis of THE OTHER MAN. Not to brag, but our anthology is a “2013 Rainbow Award Finalist” in the UK, so I’ve got fingers crossed for the 21 writers who contributed to the book, myself included. Oh, all of my books are published by JMS Books, a wonderful LGBT publisher. Do take a look at the wonderful writers, Iyana included who are published through JMS Books.



THE OTHER MAN anthology is a collection of personal essays by and about gay men and their relationships. If you’ve ever been the other man, had him invade your life, or if you’re just plain curious about this beguiling, sexy and unpredictable creature, then this anthology of personal essays is for you. Twenty–one of our most acclaimed authors--many Lambda Award Winners and Finalists, such as Rob Byrnes, Jeff Mann, Tom Mendicino, Erik Orrantia, Felice Picano, and David Pratt, write candidly about either being the other man, suffering the other man or having their relationships tested by infidelity. What we learn from these gifted authors is we must take heart, that it does get better and one day our luck is bound to change. We’ll survive the bumps and detours in our relationships and weather the storms, or we resolve to move on. Hopefully, along the way, we’ll meet someone new and simpatico, maybe even our long awaited soul mate, and life is indeed good again. Or is it? 

Want More? Here’s a short excerpt from “Husbands” by Austin Bunn:

This is how I find Daniel in my memory: naked, in my closet, on the phone with his wife.
“Are you in a tunnel?” I heard her ask. “You sound strange.”
“I’m driving with the windows up,” Daniel said. “Love you.” He flung the phone onto the pile of his clothing and slid next to me on the bed, his eyes closed, an over-eager smile warming his face.
Daniel’s photograph, the one he emailed yesterday, showed him wearing a bad tie and seated in an office chair, the ghostly slap of a computer spreadsheet paling his face. He claimed to be a photographer, for God’s sake. Yet the total inhibition of his picture, the complete lack of self-awareness, was somehow the attraction. Or challenge. Or maybe this was charity. I still don’t know. Here was a man who couldn’t see himself. At least he laughed easily. When he did, he barked upwards, revealing a top row of teeth that came to a point, like the prow of a boat.
Initially, Daniel proposed I visit him at his office building during his lunch hour. This was to be my first encounter in a new city, and the thought of sex on industrial carpeting depressed the hell out of me. Driving to him, anyway, was out of the question. So I invited him over after work. An amuse bouche, I called him. An appetizer. He didn’t get the joke.

He was slim and shorter than me, with tremendously bushy eyebrows. A pelt of black hair covered his body, which I saw as some certification of masculinity, however imaginary. On his Manhunt profile, he said he had “suckable” balls—a straight man’s idea of a gay man’s idea of sexy. I felt like I was providing material to Daniel, fuel for his fantasy life, which I couldn’t help but think, judging by his greediness, occupied increasing real estate in his actual life.

More info, including a longer synopsis of THE OTHER MAN, a different excerpt and buy links for the e book and print versions can be found here:



On to the LOVER’S & LIARS WARTIME SERIES:

I really enjoy writing this series, mainly because I can explore what it might have been like to be a gay couple during the 1940’s in wartime Britain. I have two couples, one gay, one straight, and they get themselves involved in all sorts of trouble. I suppose you can guess by the title of the series, that the couples are spies for the British government…well one character isn’t a spy, but is in love with one who is and he joins the others when things get rather dicey. The first book, BOMBER’S MOON is set in London during the Blitz.

Here’s a short synopsis:

After losing his lover in a tragic motorcar accident, Leslie Atwater goes about the motions but doesn’t really feel alive. Not without Edward. In a time where “one of us” was a euphemism for being gay, Leslie and Edward managed to live a quiet, private life together, but nothing prepares Leslie for a world without his partner. During the day, Leslie works as a clerk in a modest bookshop in central London. By night, he’s an air raid warden in his district responsible for the safety of his “flock.”
In an effort to feel closer to Edward, Leslie spends evenings in his flat reviewing Edward’s portfolio of sketches. Edward had worked as a freelance artist, and his depiction of Londoners suffering through the Blitz appeared daily in The Globe. Leslie discovers irregularities in the sketches from Edward’s final assignment that he simply can’t explain. He begins to question what he was told about Edward’s death, and his investigation leads him down a tangled trail from the center of London to the coast of Great Britain. Tension mounts and nothing is what it seems.
In a showdown with German spies at a lighthouse overlooking the English Channel, bombs fall, people die, and Leslie gets more than he bargains for in his search for the truth behind his lover’s untimely death.


A Short Excerpt from BOMBER’S MOON:

Leslie climbed the stairway to the flat he once shared with Edward. On the landing, he glanced at his reflection in the large, beveled mirror. A thin, haggard-looking
face stared back with blond hair combed straight back, and bifocals, offsetting his deep blue eyes, making them seem more brilliant, larger than they actually were.
“You’re just my type, Les,” Edward had said the night they met. “Sweet, unassuming and sexy as hell.” Leslie was equally drawn to Edward’s olive complexion, his hazel eyes, and jet-black hair. As a couple, they were indeed a study in contrast and once again proved the time worn adage that opposites did attract.

Leslie had learned over the past weeks—were they months? —to make his way in the dark with the aid of a small pocket torch. Lately, he felt as if he were being guided along through the darkness by some unseen hand. How many times had he and Edward come home tipsy from the pub and found the light burned out in the hallway? They’d had to hold on to each other for fear of banging into a table or knocking over a vase, and waking the other tenants from a deep sleep.
Leslie pointed the torchlight at the door lock, turned the key, and heard the click of the latch. He was home.
Everything in Leslie’s world these days was defined by sounds; he was tuned in,
constantly aware of what was happening around him—another gift from the Blitz. With his hand still on the doorknob, he paused and listened. Was that the rumble of a train in the Underground? An ambulance siren in the distance? Simple, everyday, taken for granted street sounds also became magnified. What kind of world was this where even birdsong could seem menacing?

More info, including a longer synopsis, a different excerpt and a buy link for the e book can be found here:


I’ve really gone wild with LOVER’S & LIARS and enjoy the characters so much, especially Caroline, my female protagonist. Caroline is witty and sophisticated and great fun to spend time with. I hope you’ll agree.




I have two sequels in the L & L series published through JMS Books: WEEP NOT FOR THE PAST and A MANX TALE. Both are available as e-book novellas. There’s also a short Christmas story, A CHRISTMAS IN KENT, that continues the storyline through December 1941 and is due from JMS next month.

Info, synopsis and excerpt for WEEP NOT FOR THE PAST:


Info, synopsis and excerpt for A MANX TALE:


Well, more information than you probably needed, but do comment and take a chance on winning e-copies of THE OTHER MAN and BOMBER’S MOON and/or drop me a line on my website.

Thank you, Iyana, for letting me chat today with your readers. And here’s to all the lovers and liars everywhere, and I mean that affectionately.

My best,

Paul

13 comments:

  1. Thank you again, Iyana, for hosting me today. Do appreciate it. Just want to tell readers to comment. It's a win win situation. I love hearing from all of you and also want you to have a chance to win a copy of THE OTHER MAN or BOMBER'S MOON. Talk to you soon. Paul

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    1. Hi Paul. The winner will be so lucky to have your book. :) Have fun!

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  2. How have I missed these books? I didn't want the excerpts to stop! Big kudos to you and all the authors on your Rainbow Awards nomination. Being a finalist earns you definite bragging rights. :) As for the Lovers & Liars series, I haven't read many wartime romances, so I'm very intrigued. Can't wait to hear and read more about it and all your future books. Thank you for sharing today! peachescon(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. Hi, Peaches and thank you so much for your lovely comments. I'm glad you liked the excerpts and hope you won't be disappointed if you're a winner. I love new fans and sure hope you'll be among them. Thank you so very much. Paul

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  4. Wow! Lovers & Liars sounds great - spies, history and romance. Thanks for the blog and the giveaway.

    jen.f(at)mac(dot)com

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  5. Hi, Jen, thank you so much for your comments. Spies, history, romance and hopefully humor are all there in Lovers & Liars. My best,
    Paul

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  6. Hi Paul, just wanted to stop by and say how much I loved The Other Man. Since I already have both books, please don't include me in this giveaway. I'm looking forward to reading your other books!

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  7. Hi, Nancy, and thank you for being here. I'm so happy to hear that about The Other Man. It was a three year project. I hope you like Bomber's well enough to give the series a try. All my best, and thank you again. Paul

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  8. Three years is a long time. Was it difficult to find writers willing to contribute? I really liked how the stories were told from a variety of different perspectives.

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  9. Finding the writers wasn't the difficult part. I had read quite a few of their books before and invited most of them personally to contribute. Given that a portion of the profits from The Other Man went to the It Gets Better Project, most everyone was more than willing to come on board. I contacted a lot of writers. Some were busy with other projects and since the book took so long to find a home, some had dropped out but a good bunch of them stayed with me over the three year period. Finding the right publisher was the problem. When I started publishing with JM Snyder @ JMS Books, it all fell into place. Right off she knew this was a book worth doing. I'm so glad she did. I wrote a post on how the book came about. I'll see if I can find the link. It gives a more detailed story of how the book actually happened. Thanks so much for this question, Nancy. Paul

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  10. Nancy, here's the post I was talking about.
    http://jms-books.blogspot.com/2013/05/paul-alan-fahey-on-other-man.html

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  11. Thank you for sharing, Paul. I didn't even think about the difficulty in finding a publisher. After reading, it was evident to me how much thought and preparation went into your work. I'm happy you finally found the right publisher.

    I'm curious about the companion essays, The Other Woman. Do they feature same-sex relationships or mainly straight?

    Good luck with your stories, Paul. I hope they find many readers.

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  12. Hi, Nancy, and great hearing from you again. The Other Woman, edited by my friend, Victoria Zackheim, includes similar essays written by women. The stories involve mainly straight relationships but I seem to remember one or two that are same sex relationships. Here's the link to her book. It was a huge bestseller in Canada. http://www.amazon.com/Other-Woman-Twenty-one-Deception-Betrayal/dp/0446698822/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384113066&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=the+other+woman+by+zachheim
    Thanks so much for dropping by. Paul

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