-
Author Dave Hughes Offers Complimentary Short Story ‘Cruise Virgins’ for New Subscribers
I’ve been both a friend and fan of Dave Hughes for quite a few years now. He’s the founder of RetireFabulously.com, a recurring guest on my One Thing or Another Podcast, and now a fiction author with an upcoming release, Maybe Next Year:
“Bryan and Chris are high school juniors who have been inseparable best friends for three years. Now, they are discovering that their feelings for each other run much deeper than mere friendship.
Chris, whose open-minded family is completely supportive, is ready and able to live his life out and proud. For Bryan, whose father is the pastor of a very conservative mega-church in a Kansas City suburb, being gay simply isn’t an option. Bryan hopes that maybe next year when they leave Kansas to go to college together, he will be able to live more openly. In the meantime, they must learn how to navigate their conflicting family dynamics and boundaries if they are to fulfill their dream of spending the rest of their lives together.
Everything changes when Bryan is outed. His father will stop at nothing to force Bryan to “leave the homosexual lifestyle,” requiring Bryan and Chris to make some very difficult choices.”
-
The Twist Podcast #186: Biden Unites NATO, FL Students Say Gay, Chocolate Frogs, Weed Snacks and More!
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we salute Biden’s wartime leadership, thank the Florida student walk out, check the latest weeds snacks and chocolate frogs, and scan the week in headlines! Twist Top picks, listicles, and video edition, too!
-
And the Winners Are: 5 Lucky Entrants Win a Copy of ‘Cupid Shot Me’!
Congratulations to Raj, Terri, Andrea, Lawrence, and Kirsten. Each of them has won a paperback edition of the recently-released ‘Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense (A Queer Mystery Anthology Book 1).’ The anthology includes my own ‘Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller.’ Winners were selected at random and notified March 1. Want a chance to win the next giveaway? Subscribe and the chance is yours!
About ‘Paper Hearts’
It’s now or never, as Marshall decides to search for the love of his life thirty years after he’d been told they were finished forever. Mac McElroy was an LAPD homicide detective back when Marshall lived in Hollywood and trouble came calling for him once, twice, three times over. The third time was not the charm: it nearly got Marshall killed, and it put their love on ice for the next three decades. Will he find Mac? Is Mac even still alive? And exactly what happened that Valentine’s Day, 1992, when it all came crashing down? Find out in ‘Paper Hearts.’
-
On the Map: A Day Trip to Chester, NJ
By Mark McNease
On the Map is a travelogue of places, restaurants and landscapes for your travel considerations. Sometimes near, sometimes far, always interesting.
My husband Frank and I have been enjoying day trips for several years now, especially since we moved to our New Jersey house full-time almost five years ago. And while we also like to take short two night getaways, which have fit well into my three-day-off weekly schedule, there’s a lot to be said for just getting in the car—or on a bus or train—and exploring towns and destinations that have you back by dinner.
This past Wednesday we headed to a city just an hour’s drive away: Chester, NJ. We found a town that’s perfect for short-term exploring and meeting friendly locals. This isn’t always the case, by the way. Heading off into the unknown for an afternoon means risking that you may not be so thrilled with the place when you get there, but that’s part of the fun. A surprise is what you’re looking for when it’s somewhere you’ve never been.
Chester is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 1,649, not counting tourists and day trippers! Chester is completely surrounded by Chester Township, making it part of 21 pairs of “doughnut towns” in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The borough’s name is derived from the township, which was named for Chestershire in England. (Wikipedia)
-
Q Audiobooks: Where to Find Free Audiobook Codes
Welcome to the return of Q Audiobooks, a regular feature offering audiobooks of interest for the LGBTQ+ listener.
As someone who has published 12 audiobooks, I understand the attraction of providing free download codes for audiobook fans and the authors and narrators who keep them listening. I’ve given away well over 1,000 audiobook codes over the ten years I’ve been making audiobook editions available for my books, and I have two sites to recommend. I’ve used both of them to great effect, and if you search “LGBTQ” you’ll even find a lot of the audiobooks in your favorite not-so-mainstream genres. Codes are specific to each book and can only be redeemed at ACX/Audible links provided when you get the code (US or UK), or on the Authors Direct app if you’re getting a code from Findaway Voices.
-
Valentine’s Day eBook Sale! ‘Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense’ Just $2.99 on Kindle
It’s a one-day-only sale on Kindle for ‘Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense (A Queer Mystery Anthology Book 1).’ Show yourself or someone you love a little murder for this special day! The anthology includes my own ‘Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller,’ along with 10 other short stories from some of the best writers in the genre. (You can read about my story here.)
Eleven award-winning queer authors come together to spin tales of murder, horror, and suspense all during a Valentine’s Day you won’t soon forget!
From the Introduction by Michael Nava, celebrated author of the Henry Rios mysteries:
The stories in Cupid Shot Me fall somewhere between the classic Richard Rodgers tune “My Funny Valentine” and the gangland Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. You’ll find bushels of red roses but some may be lethal, and watch what you eat at that romantic dinner because that exquisite morsel on your fork may be poisoned. You’ll definitely want the bomb squad to inspect that enormous box of chocolates before you open it.
-
The Twist Podcast #183: Pence Pulls the Pin, Active Shooter Highlights, Super Bowl Funday, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we give props to former VP Pence, weigh in on the new workplace norm (look! it’s an active shooter!), dish up the Super Bowl, and scan the headlines. Twist Top picks and our listicles, too!
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2021 MadeMark Publishing
Join Mark’s email list for updates, podcasts, giveaways, and his monthly newsletter! Reach us at: TheTwist @ TheTwistPodcast.com
-
Release Day Has Arrived! Love is a Mystery 11 Times Over in New Anthology, ‘Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense’
Nothing says ‘I love you’ quite like murder! Prepare for a bloody Valentine’s Day with a heart stopping new collection of LGBTQ mysteries, thrillers and suspense short stories – mine included! With an introduction by iconic gay mystery author Michael Nava, and including eleven top-notch short stories from some of the best writers in the genre, ‘Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense’ will keep you on the edge of your seat with each journey into love and homicide. NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON and at select locations listed below.
-
Love is a Mystery 11 Times Over in New Anthology, ‘Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense’
What better way to start the new year than with a thrilling new collection of LGBTQ mysteries, thrillers and suspense short stories – mine included! With an introduction by iconic gay mystery author Michael Nava, and including eleven top-notch short stories from some of the best writers in the genre, ‘Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense’ will keep you on the edge of your seat with each journey into love and murder. NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER.
-
A Subscriber Starts My Year Off Right!
I don’t often get responses to my subscriber emails, unless you consider unsubscribing a response, so this one made my day:
“Just want to say that your newsletters are among the most entertaining things in my inbox. Thanks for helping me (and others) get through these very challenging times.Cheers,DCAn expat in Flanders, Belgium” -
The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show Album Available for Streaming
We just saw The Skivvies at the Bucks County Playhouse last week for my birthday and LOVED THEM! The band is tight, the voices amazing, the energy infectious. And they’ve made their first album, recorded during the pandemic, available for streaming free. You can also purchase it, which I did to support them. We will absolutely see them again when we can.
The Skivvies are Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, singer/actor/musicians performing stripped down arrangements of eclectic covers and eccentric originals. Not only is the music stripped down – cello, ukulele, glockenspiel, melodica – but the Skivvies literally strip down to their underwear to perform.
-
AudioFile Magazine Recommends ‘Reservation for Murder: A Kyle Callahan Mystery’
Made my day! AudioFile Magazine recommended the audiobook edition of ‘Reservation for Murder: A Kyle Callahan Mystery‘.
“This contemporary cozy mystery will please listeners who enjoy a well-constructed story delivered by a promising voice actor. The story takes place in idyllic Lambertville, New Jersey, in The Passion Inn, which is owned by a gay couple who have left the violence of New York City for a life in a community of art galleries, bistros, and charming shops. Then the couple discover that murders can happen alongside picturesque bridges and peaceful canals. Narrator Sean Rhead speaks authoritatively and animates the inn’s guests. The arrogant, deep voice of the first murder victim, a successful gay mystery writer, is especially well delivered. This title is Book 6 in the Kyle Callahan mystery series. It’s worth hearing as an LGBTQ literary work and a clever mystery.”
You can listen to my interview with AudioFile Magazine founder and editor Robin Whitten HERE.
And listen to my interview with narrator Sean Rhead HERE.
-
Restaurant Review: Talula’s Garden Gets 5 Philly Yums (and a Best of 2021)
By Mark McNease
This review is crossposted from LGBTSr.com
Restaurant reviews are based on a 5 Yum scale, 5 meaning put it on your must list, 1 meaning avoid at all costs.
Talula’s Garden
210 West Washington Square
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 592-7787
Website: talulasgarde.com
Spend Meter: $$$$
Service: ExcellentImagine finding a new favorite boutique hotel in Philadelphia’s Center City. Then imagine discovering one of the city’s best restaurants barely a block away. It sounds improbable, but that’s exactly the situation we found ourselves in, waking up in that very hotel, having enjoyed what my husband Frank calls “the best meal of 2021.”
The Morris House Hotel is a true gem nestled in the heart of the historic district. Its designation as a historical site means this beautiful, 18th century structure can’t be torn down. It sits like a jewel from another era amid hospital and office buildings, and there’s a quiet defiance to it: I’m old, I’m elegant, I’m not going away. Note: if a modern aesthetic and a streaming vibe are more to your liking, this hotel may not be for you. But if you enjoy a bit of a staid colonial feel decorated to suit the times it was built in, this is a must-try. You can see my full review and slideshow from our last trip HERE.