NEW RELEASE: The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone by C.L. Beaumont!
Available NOW: http://getbook.at/sea
For James Campbell, winning the 1976 International Surf Competition is the ticket to his future. It's his chance to finally reclaim his life, move on from the war, and make a living doing the only thing that keeps him from walking away from it all.
But his best laid plans are upended completely when two-time Billabong Pipeline Masters Champion Danny Moore steps up next to James on the starting line. The young, mysterious, unbeatable big wave surfer is the man that nobody on the surf circuit can stop whispering about.
For the first time since being shipped back home from Vietnam, James is captivated.
Danny is infamous, and intensely private. He also finds himself desperately wanting to see James Campbell again, even more than he wants to drop in on the North Shore's tallest wave. That first fleeting moment turns the tide for both men, setting them on a path that crosses oceans and defies all odds.
C.L. Beaumont’s gorgeous debut novel is available in ebook, paperback, and for FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Click here to get your copy now!
(Here is a direct link to the paperback, if Amazon is not showing it on the product page at the time of this post!)
Follow the author on Twitter @CL_Beaumont
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A tangled web ensnares an unlikely group of New Yorkers unaware that they are connected, from cops to criminals to corporate shills, in this thrilling tale…
New York City Detective Lily Sparr is stunned when she is inexplicably moved to the very same precinct that once upon a time handled her own father’s murder. There, she is assigned to the case of a women's motorcycle club which has been committing acts of violence all over the city. Despite missing her former partner, Miri, and fighting the ghosts of her past, Lily dedicates herself to the case, unaware that her own sister is mixed up in the swirl of violence and chaos.
After secretly reopening the file on her father’s death, Lily slowly unravels threads of history, discovering that both cases lead to corruption and betrayal at the highest levels.
Featuring an ensemble of characters as diverse as its New York City setting, Loud Pipes Save Lives is a thriller-mystery with a twist of queer representation.
This is author Jennifer Giacalone's (@jen_giacalone on twitter) debut novel. Jennifer recently took 3rd Place in the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest with her short story, "Les Masques."
Loud Pipes Save Lives is available for $2.99 or for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
AVAILABLE NOW: How to Talk to Nice English Girls by Gretchen Evans!
Now Available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and in paperback! CLICK HERE!
In the aftermath of The Great War, everything is changing. But not for Marian Fielding.
Marian’s life is quiet and predictable in the solitude of the English countryside, where she plans to remain and care for her parents. But Marian’s world is turned upside down when she meets brash, confident Katherine Fuller.
Katherine arrives at the Fieldings’ estate for the wedding of Marian’s sister and immediately shakes things up. Instead of keeping an eye on the ill-mannered American girl and keeping her out of trouble, Marian finds herself magnetically drawn to Katherine’s vivacious nature, and they are swept into a whirlwind romance that will change both of their lives.
But will Katherine’s unconventional behavior ruin their chance at happiness? Can Marian leave her old life behind? Will two women from different worlds find a way to be together against all odds and expectations?
Gretchen Evans’ debut novel, How to Talk to Nice English Girls is available now! This sexy f/f romance takes place in post-WWI England, set against the backdrop of a country estate. Marian Fielding and Katherine Fuller meet and fall in love over whispered drawing room conversations, long afternoons in rolling English fields, and across a crowded barn dance. Sweet, sexy, at times heart-wrenching (but ultimately with a happy ending), How to Talk to Nice English Girls will sweep you away to another time and place.
This gorgeous love story will be available for $0.99 for a limited time only so get your copy today: http://getbook.at/englishgirls
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Our newest release. How to Talk to Nice English Girls by Gretchen Evans, is available now! For a limited time, we are offering this ebook at only $0.99!
This novel is our first release to feature a f/f pairing, and we are so excited to share it with all of you. Set just after the first World War in the English countryside, How to Talk to Nice English Girls introduces Marian Fielding, a young woman who has accepted a fate which has been laid out for her. But when Marian meets the confident and unconventional Katherine Fuller, everything changes. The story that unfolds is one of self discovery, overcoming fear, choosing happiness, and making one’s own way. We are absolutely in love with Marian and Katherine, and we hope you will be too!
Still not sure if you want to get yourself a copy? We’d like to share an excerpt with you! If you enjoy it, hurry and buy your copy of How to Talk to Nice English Girls here: http://getbook.at/englishgirls.
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From Chapter 2 of How to Talk to Nice English Girls:
When Katherine Fuller stepped from the back of the sleek black Wolseley, Marian was momentarily stunned. She expected someone who lookedyounger. Who looked less well put together. She planned for a young woman who lacked experience, who just needed some smoothing around her unpolished American edges, not a woman who looked like she’d seen much more of the world than Marian ever had.Katherine Fuller looked positively dangerous. Her dress was too tight, her face was painted with lipstick and rouge, and her hair was so short it bounced around her ears. Her hips swayed gracefully as she walked toward Marian. A reputation, indeed.
Some instinct buried deep in Marian’s gut told her to run toward that destructive flame rather than away. Good sense told her to hide in the kitchens until Cecilia’s wedding was over and the Fullers had gone back to America.
Introductions were made, but the words sounded like they were coming from underwater. Marian’s eyes focused on the inappropriately red shade of Katherine Fuller’s lips as she smiled. That bright, blood red colour against the shocking white of Katherine’s teeth was too much and she couldn’t look away.
Lady Denbigh led the party into the house and directed the staff to take the Fullers directly to their rooms.Marian followed dutifully behind their guests, watching the way Miss Fuller’s entirely too snug dress clung to curves Marian had never even dreamed of having. After the Fullers were led to their rooms, Marian made a quick escape to her own room and leaned heavily against the closed door. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and her palms were damp with sweat. That black pit of longing she felt when she looked at Cecilia and Henry opened just a bit wider in her stomach. She was not prepared for the kind of trouble Miss Katherine Fuller seemed ready to stir.
Marian needed to reformulate her strategy for dealing with Katherine Fuller, and quickly. She had planned to befriend Miss Fuller, to show her through example the proper way for a young woman to behave. Marian no longer
thought a gentle, friendly approach was the best tactic. She needed to be more direct. She needed to employ a stronger hand with the obviously willful Miss Fuller.
There was a seed of admiration in Marian’s response to Miss Fuller’s arrival, but the threat of her father’s disapproval was too strong. Remembering how Miss Fuller looked when she stepped from the car, how her tinted lips pulled in a smile, made butterflies take flight in Marian’s stomach. She quashed them. That admiration would need to be held down for the next few weeks, and then Miss Fuller would be gone and Marian wouldn’t need to worry about her again.
Luncheon went smoothly. The men discussed business while Lady Denbigh and Cecilia attempted to pull Miss Fuller into conversation about the wedding preparations. Marian watched as Miss Fuller nodded and smiled politely at all the correct places in conversation without actually joining in. Marian knew what pretending to be interested in a conversation looked like, she did it often herself, and it seemed to be a skill Miss Fuller had in spades. Marian caught Miss Fuller sliding glances her way during breaks in conversation, but was quick to look away. It was best not to encourage such behaviour, even if Miss Fuller’s looks had all been subtle. But even subtle made Marian’s stomach clench in a way that didn’t quite feel like fear.
The men retired to Lord Denbigh’s study shortly after finishing their plates while the ladies moved to the family sitting room. Cecilia, by force of will, pulled Marian and Miss Fuller to a sofa near the center of the room to finish a conversation she had started with Miss Fuller over luncheon. Marian had overheard bits and pieces of talk about Cecilia’s wedding over dessert but hadn’t paid enough attention to join in now. But it seemed as if Miss Fuller was in no hurry to continue the conversation either.
Miss Fuller’s smile was bright. Those impossibly red lips were barely dulled by the punch served at luncheon. “I’ve heard quite a bit about your grounds actually. I wonder if Lady Marian would take me for a tour since the weather is so nice?”
Cecilia was far too wrapped up in her own world, as always, to see the request as an outright refusal to participate in any more wedding conversation. Miss Fuller was good at this. Better than Marian expected.
“I’d love to, Miss Fuller. The garden is not at its best this early in the year, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Marian had no choice but to honour her guest’s request. That it had the advantage of getting her out of any more wedding planning was fortuitous. Marian couldn’t be too upset over that.
“Wonderful. I’ll grab a shawl and meet you outside.” Katherine Fuller left the room as if she never intended to wait for a response.
Marian tried very hard not to compare of the glint in Miss Fuller’s eyes to that of a cat with a canary in its sights.
*********************
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t take another moment of wedding talk.” Miss Fuller looped her arm through Marian’s as they exited the house. She was shorter than Marian, her shoulder brushing against Marian’s upper arm.
Marian tried to shift away, to leave more space between them. “It’s quite alright, Miss Fuller. I would prefer to walk than spend more time in the house this afternoon.”
“Please, call me Kitty. Everyone does.”
“That seems very informal for someone I’ve just met,”Marian tried to make her tone like a stout matron handily setting down a young upstart. Instead it was more of a sputter. She’d have to practice that. It wasn’t necessarily improper, especially among young women, to use given names or nicknames, but Marian felt a creeping sensation along her spine when she looked at Miss Fuller. A polite distance needed to be maintained.
“Katherine, then. At least until you’re convinced that we’re friends. And we’re going to be friends, right?” Katherine slid back into the space Marian had created between them, letting her shoulder rest along Marian’s arm again. “My father said you were given strict instructions to keep me in line while we stay here.”
“My father thought it was best you have someone to keep you company you while you stay with us.” Why would Mr. Fuller tell his daughter that? Why would Father have told Mr. Fuller that either?Marian prided herself on being able to think quickly on her feet, to avoid social faux pas, but Katherine Fuller was proving to be a challenge.It didn’t help that Marian felt off balance, like she was tilted slightly to the left all the time, around Katherine. Nothing she said sounded confident enough.None of her actions seemed decisive enough. She led them to the garden entrance, head held deliberately high.
They entered the gardens with Katherine still holding her arm. The gardens definitely were not at their best. The winter blooming plants were drooping and dry but the spring flowers had not yet broken through the soil. The garden looked washed out, dead, and not at all the kind of place one wanted to spend an afternoon. Katherine didn’t seem to take notice of the plants at all.
“Can they see us here? From the house?” she asked.
Marian took a quick glance back at the looming building. If all parties were still in the rooms they retired to after lunch, they should go unseen. “No, the sitting room and Father’s study are both on the opposite side of the house.”
“Thank God.” Katherine quickly pulled a cigarette case from the front of her dress. Marian wasn’t sure where Katherine could have hidden that in a dress so tight. “Smoke?” Katherine said, holding the open case out to Marian. Inside were two rows of neatly arranged cigarillos.
“No.” Marian was deliberately short with Katherine while she struck a match.
“Daddy has such a problem with me smoking cigarillos. He thinks they’re too masculine. I don’t think he’d care if they were regular cigarettes.” Katherine turned her hungry smile back on Marian, this time quirking only one side of her mouth but still giving off the same aggressive feeling. Back to being the cat and the canary. It made Marian shiver. “But where’s the fun in that, hm?”
“You’d upset your father purposely just to smoke cigarillos over cigarettes?”
Katherine blew out a long trail of spicy smelling smoke. “Yes, of course. They taste like clove and oranges and
anise. I like them, so why should I give them up? Just because he says I should?”
“That’s generally how daughters should behave, yes.” Marian’s annoyance rose at Katherine’s obvious disrespect for her father. She took a deep breath, willing her voice to stay neutral and calm.
Katherine only laughed. “Oh, I do like you. You and I will be friends.” It was as if Katherine were needling her on purpose.
“You’re very sure of that.”
“Yes, we’re very much alike.” Katherine took another drag from her cigarillo.
Marian gave her a very deliberate up and down look, channeling all the coolness she could muster and taking in the short, dark hair neatly curled around Katherine’s face, the stain of lipstick and rouge on her skin, the dip in the front of her dress that framed her collarbones, and all the way down the outline of her curves to where her shoes peeked out beneath her hem. “No, I don’t think so.”
Katherine was quiet until she finished her cigarillo and flicked the exhausted stub to the ground. “Trust me. I’m never wrong about things like this. And we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.” Katherine turned and headed down the garden path leading farther away from the house. “Now show me the best of this dreary collection of plants.”
It was as if Katherine didn’t care at all about the distance, the very necessary distance, Marian was trying to build between them. The realisation that Katherine was getting under Marian’s skin but not the other way around was aggravating. Marian had to suck a deep breath through her nose before going after Katherine. She would not trail behind in her own family’s garden.
Marian’s longer stride caught up to Katherine quickly. “The wedding is only a few weeks away. The time will go by faster than you think.”
Katherine glanced at Marian but kept walking forward. “Do you know why we’re here so early?”
Marian paused. The quick turn in conversation caught her off guard. She did not know how much Miss Fuller knew about their situation, how tenuous it might be. “I was told that our fathers have business to discuss.”
“Yes, that’s right!” Katherine beamed with pride up at Marian. “After a fashion, anyway.” Katherine stopped again, checking back over her shoulder to make sure the house was out of view completely. “Our fathers are planning to expand their operations here in England. They’ll buy at least one factory and turn it over to your new brother-in-law to manage. I’m sure my father and I will be staying in England long enough to get it up and running before heading back to New York.”
Marian’s mouth opened in shock and her eyes went wide. Henry had no experience in business, and expanding when money was tight seemed like a reckless strategy.
“Don’t worry. I doubt we’ll be staying at Warwick Paddox House that entire time. Once the factory is secured, I’m sure we’ll be moving to wherever it is for the rest of our time in England,” Katherine threw in before walking away again.
“That’s not what I was worried about.” Marian called after her, staying rooted next to a mostly-dead rose bush. Katherine turned but didn’t walk back to Marian. “Then what were you worried about?” Her voice rose to be heard
across the grass and stone path separating them. It was a bit unladylike, but Marian couldn’t say she minded.“How do you know all of that?”
“Because I refuse to stand idly by. Women like you and I must make our own futures, Marian. Our fathers won’t give it to us and we won’t marry into it.”
Maybe that was too much to shout across the garden.
Marian could feel her brows come together and etch a deep V above her nose. Katherine walked back toward her. She didn’t stop until she was close enough to Marian that she needed to tilt her chin up to look Marian in the eye properly.
Marian looked down at her for a moment before licking her lips and saying, “You intend to go into business instead of marrying?”
The question felt too judgmental even as Marian said it, but she had no words for anything else she wanted to ask. She wondered how Katherine could make her own future without a husband, or maybe even her father supporting her. Certainly women did that all the time, but not ladies or the daughters of the nouveau riche. Poor women who lived in reduced circumstances and who had no other choice lived that way. Marian wanted to ask how it was to be done. She was too afraid to ask why Katherine thought she was that kind of woman too.
“I intend to make my own way.” Katherine slid her hand along Marian’s arm and took a step to the side. Marian was still trying to gather her thoughts from Katherine’s outrageous declaration of independence but the trail of gooseflesh Katherine’s fingers left along her arm made that difficult.Katherine looped her elbow with Marian’s again and pulled them close. They walked in silence past several rows of withered roses and hydrangeas.
Those moments of silence gave Marian time to calm the riotous emotions churning in her stomach. It was unlike her to be so ruffled. It felt as if something was going unsaid, something she almost understood. She pulled them to a stop in front of a manicured flower bed where a few brave daffodils were beginning to peek through the soil. She dropped Katherine’s arm as they stopped. “I thought, perhaps, your father was bringing you here to look for a husband.” Marian remembered her father’s words about Katherine alienating all good company in New York and it seemed logical to assume Katherine would be on a husband hunt while in England.
Katherine’s laugh was loud and unrestrained. Marian couldn’t help but smile along with her, pulled into some sort of agreement not by the topic but by the freedom in Katherine’s laugh. “No, my father is wise enough to leave me to my own personal affairs.” It seemed like an odd deflection of Marian’s question, but Katherine sobered quickly and pressed on before Marian could ask anything else. “What about you? Do you think you’ll marry? After all, your older sister is just now tying the knot. There’s plenty of time for you, if you want it.”
Marian sighed. “I prefer things the way they are. Cecilia was lucky to find a good man who loves her. I can’t begrudge her that.”
Katherine made a face. “Of course you’re happier the way you are. You have your own life, your own pursuits. Who wouldn’t want that? Maybe women like you and I are happier without husbands.”
“Maybe.” It was the first time Marian had let herself think of her impending spinsterhood that way. It was always an eventuality, never a choice she was making because it was the best one for her. But what would happen to her if Warwick Paddox House needed to be sold? If her parents couldn’t afford to keep her on anymore? Being unmarried was suddenly more daunting than before. Katherine was not going to make Marian’s task easy.
“See, I told you we were alike.” Katherine’s smile was bright and sharp again. “Come on. I’m tired of your dreary garden. I think I can put up with polite company again.”
“Aren't I polite company?” Marian almost giggled, suddenly feeling light headed, as they turned back on the path leading to the house. Katherine Fuller made her unsteady. She felt impish and wary in rapid turns.
“No, I don’t think you are. But that’s all right. I prefer it that way.” Katherine slipped her hand into the crook of Marian’s elbow again. The warmth from Katherine’s fingers sunk through the damp spring chill. This time, Marian was the one who brushed their shoulders together.
“I never told you that you could call me Marian.” She wanted to sound stern, to pull them back to their purpose and to propriety with one sharp reminder. Her words came out much more like teasing. One walk in the garden and she felt close to failing at her task.
“No, but I fully intend to anyway.” Katherine glanced at the vacant space where flowers would soon grow. “Do you grow violets in your garden?”
Marian’s step faltered. “I don’t know. Maybe in some of the shadier spots. We may have walked past some and not noticed.”
“Oh, I would have seen them. I always notice violets.” Katherine tilted her head up to watch Marian’s face. “You should grow violets. You’d look lovely in them.”
Everywhere With You: A Midwestern Gay Holiday Romance
[Image description: Two young men kiss under New Year’s Eve fireworks, the Chicago skyline in the distance.]
We're so very proud to announce the release of CWB's newest book, Everywhere With You!
Sam and Will are in love. And by the end of winter break, everyone in Chicago is going to know it.
After the summer that changed their lives forever, they've spent an entire semester apart. Now they're finally home for the holidays. For two college guys who are still new to this whole "first romance" thing, spending Christmas with their small-town families brings an unexpected set of challenges. But support can sometimes come from the most surprising places.
An escape to nearby Chicago proves to be the perfect way to spend their first New Year's Eve together. The Windy City's vibrant gay community introduces farm boys Sam and Will to a world they'd never even imagined. New experiences and new choices give them the most memorable experiences of their life together...so far.
But the biggest obstacle in the way of their happiness might just be Sam himself.
Everywhere With You is a direct sequel to CWB's first book, the erotic romance novella Just Like That (Gone and Changed). Reviewers are calling Just Like That (Gone and Changed) "passionate," "heartbreakingly vivid," "heartwarming," "uplifting," and "really (REALLY) hot"--read the reviews for yourself!
Both books are available for Amazon Kindle, and you can read them for free if you've got Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have Kindle Unlimited, sign up using this link for a free trial month: Free Month of Kindle Unlimited!
If you don't have a Kindle device, you can read the book on the Kindle app for your smartphone, or read on your computer (online or offline)--get the links to the apps on our Kindle Unlimited page here: Carnation Books + Kindle Unlimited
Stay tuned for the release of the paperback edition and the audiobook, coming from Carnation Books in January!
CWB is hard at work on her next novel for Carnation Books! Follow CWB on Tumblr here, and subscribe to our newsletter here to be the first to find out about our next books and upcoming sales, and get free, exclusive content--starting in January, we'll be sending deleted scenes from Everywhere With You exclusively to our newsletter subscribers!
Just Like That (Gone and Changed) and Everywhere With You were edited by @mazarin221b and the book covers are both by @lodestaras !
We Are Seeking a Publicity/Marketing Professional!
Good evening followers!
As we gear up for the release of our first commercial works, we are in search of Marketing and/or Publicity wizards to help us make each book a success!
We are seeking someone with professional experience in the area of marketing and/or publicity. Fandom experience is a plus (because we are all about supporting fandom!), as is a love for fan fiction. This is a paid, part-time consultant/contract position. The ideal candidate is adept at digital marketing strategies (SEO/email marketing/social media/etc.) and is willing to help establish a strong promotional plan for our first releases. Experience with promoting novels, particularly ebooks, is a major plus and will be given preference.
If you would like to join our team and help us launch the original works of some of our favorite fan fiction authors, please email us a short cover letter and your resume to [email protected].
We hope you all were able to check out our big, exciting announcement about the release of Just Like That (Gone and Changed) by Clara W. Barrow. We are incredibly proud and so excited for you all to read this lovely romance!
We would also like to offer you, our amazing followers, the chance to prompt our immensely talented authors. We’d like to post snippets and fun bits of delicious fiction here for you to enjoy.
So what do YOU want to read? Person A/Person B do X, Y, or Z? Person A meets Person B on this planet in this star-year with the airship and the android and the etc. etc.? Person A and Person B in Victorian times? In the Roaring 20′s? Backwoods of Maine? Mean streets of [city]? Under the sea? On a train?
Hopefully you get the idea! Send us your prompts (stick to “Person A/B,” please, we won’t be able to fill prompts with characters from other media for this) and perhaps you will get a response in the form of a bite-sized story from one of our authors!
We just got a question in our ask box. We won’t post it publicly because it details a story premise that the author wanted to run by us and ask if we would be interested.
In the interest of keeping their idea under wraps, I replied to them privately. But here’s the answer, just in case anyone is wondering “Hmmm…I have this idea for x, where y and z happens! I wonder if the folks at Carnation Books would want to read that?”:
UM. YES? WE WOULD?!
In all seriousness, though — please submit your work. Check out http://www.carnationbooks.com/submit for details and a link to our submittable portal.
If your story fits our guidelines (queer romance, positive endings for your queer characters, length requirements and other specifications as listed on our page), SUBMIT IT! We want to see it. If you’re not sure if your story fits our guidelines, or if you have questions, get in touch at [email protected].
