Don't Tattoo an Unconscious Person Who Fell In a Hole

With only two days left until COLOR OF GRACE is released, I've been visiting a few blogs chatting about the book and characters.

My first stop was "Coffee and Porn in the Morning" (and isn't that a fabulous title for a blog?), where I talked about tattoos and the role they play in the book.  I also listed a few fun facts you might not have known about tattoos.

Then I jumped over to see the lovely ladies at Smexy Books, who not only reviewed COLOR OF GRACE, but allowed me to yammer on about "The West Wing" and guys falling into holes (not that, potty brain!).

I can't wait to ring in the New Year with Schuyler and Barrett!

New Books Coming in 2013!

Forgive me! It's been too long since my last update. I announced this on Twitter a few weeks ago, but it definitely needs to go here, as well.

I've sold two more books!

WEIGHT OF SILENCE (Cost of Repairs 3) will come out August 6, 2013 from Samhain. I don't want to say too much about this one yet, but this book features two younger heroes who've been mentioned in previous books, but not yet seen. I'll give a hint and say one is college age.  Other familiar Stratton favorites (*cough*ReySam*cough*) also make appearances.

UNEARTHING COLE will release from Dreamspinner Press in March/April 2013 (the exact date is TBD).  This is my first foray into first-person m/m and I'm excited to get to work with Dreamspinner. I've included the blurb I sent with my submission query to give you an idea of the story, but remember this isn't the official blurb so please don't reproduce it.

The last place Cole Alston wants to revisit is his childhood home in rural North Carolina, until his mother's sudden death leaves several acres of property to him. He hopes to sell everything and use the money to start over in Canada, far away from the abusive ex-boyfriend he's still running from.  But selling won't be easy, because Cole's mother was a hoarder. Every building on the property is full, including the house, and Cole has no idea where to start.

Jeremy Collins owns an antique store in town, and he makes good money selling locally and online.  He offers to help Cole sort the hoard, to market the valuable items to collectors, and to set up an on-site auction for the rest.  Cole is reluctant to allow a stranger access to his shameful family secret, but Jeremy is easy to trust.  He's also attractive, gentle, and kind, and the heat between them is difficult to ignore.  Their business partnership soon crosses the line into a personal relationship, and as the auction date looms closer, Cole's anxiety increases. Staying with Jeremy means being honest about his past and the relationship that almost killed him--but sometimes the worst secrets are better left buried.

Color of Grace (Cost of Repairs #2)

COLOR OF GRACE (Cost of Repairs #2) is now available from Samhain! The page also has a nice little excerpt for your enjoyment. 

Looking to the future begins with forgiving the past.

Cost of Repairs, Book 2

Barrett McCall once lived like there was no tomorrow. Now the reformed party animal savors each day as a gift. His short order cook job at Dixie’s Cup pays the rent, and he’s content with his sober—if solitary—life.

When a fire leaves him homeless, Dixie’s offer to let him move into her basement apartment puts him on a collision course with her nephew, art teacher Schuyler Rhodes. The heat between them crackles, but in Schuyler’s eyes Barrett recognizes the same demons he exorcised long ago.

Dixie’s kind-hearted offer couldn’t come at a worse time for Schuyler. It’s the anniversary of his teenage cousin Matty’s drowning. Everyone believes it was an accident, but Schuyler knows the truth—and so does the culprit. For fifteen years that truth has burned a hole in his soul…and now it keeps Barrett at arm’s length.

One lingering kiss melts away the barriers between them, but when the other witness to Matty’s death shows up in town, Schuyler is forced into a confrontation that could cost him Barrett’s love—and possibly his own life.

Amazon Link.
Edited 2/8/13

Cover Reveal: Color of Grace (Cost of Repairs 2)

COLOR OF GRACE, releasing 1/1/13 from Samhain, is the follow-up to COST OF REPAIRS, and it's Schuyler's story.

I absolutely love this cover! Barrett's tattoos are there, and the lake image is gorgeous.  I don't have an official blurb yet, but here are the broad strokes:  Schuyler Rhodes is an art teacher with a secret that sends him spiraling once a year, on that event's anniversary.  Barrett McCall is a former tattoo artist who's already hit bottom and is building his life back up again. When their lives collide in an unexpected way, Schuyler will have to learn to drop his walls and let go...in more ways than one.

News and Reviews

First, I want to say a hearty and heart-felt THANK YOU to everyone who has bought "Cost of Repairs" since its release last week. I never imagined the awesome response to the story (Samuel and Rey thank you, too).

Reviews by Jessewave has an amazing review posted, which just makes me giddy every time I think about it. CoR was also a weekend recommendation at the USAToday Romance blog!

A few folks have also commented that they hope to see more Stratton stories, specifically about Rey's ex Schuyler, and all I can say....you will. Samhain has contracted the second Dixie's Cup book, UNDER HIS SKIN*, which is Schuyler's story. It's tentatively scheduled to release in January '13.

More on that as it develops.

*The book has gone under a title change, and is now COLOR OF GRACE. Much more fitting, I think.

COST OF REPAIRS

Available now from Samhain Publishing!

Fixing the home can heal the heart—if you can find all the pieces.

   Police officer Samuel Briggs is getting to know the people on his new, third-shift beat, but he’d prefer they not know too much about him—or the painful past that drove him away from New Mexico to start fresh in small-town Stratton, PA.  All he wants is peace, a manageable routine, and time to fix up his project home. There’s no room in his broken heart for a new relationship. It’s crowded with too many memories. But there’s something about the Dixie’s Cup short-order cook, who’s flirty one minute, distracted the next, that piques Sam’s interest.

  

Part-time cook, part-time hardware salesman and full-time handyman Rey King lives to work—but not because he loves it. Relationships? No time. Until one glance at Sam’s haunted eyes sends a plumb line straight to his wary heart. One afternoon of impulsive, no-strings sex begins to grow into a cautious friendship. But when Rey is seriously injured protecting a friend, the cracks in their already shaky foundation begin to show. Falling in love wasn’t in either man’s recovery plan…and this time, the risk could be too great.

Frozen: A Prodigal Story

FROZEN is a follow-up story to PRODIGAL, set in the same world of demons and blood pacts, but with a fresh set of characters.  The novella is available from Musa Publishing, or you can buy from Amazon.

At fifteen, Lee Mitchell and Roman Carmichael are sure their fledgling relationship can survive any heartache or hardship--until a spring canoeing trip ends with Lee in the hospital and Roman missing. With his memories of that final, tragic trip gone, Lee spends the next ten years building a life around the river where he lost Roman, existing on the hope that one day he'll find a clue as the fate of his first love.

During a late March snowstorm, Lee finds a stranger wandering the road and offers him a ride. Lee's shock and confusion at discovering this stranger is Roman, older and confused by his long absence, is fast tempered by relief and joy. But Roman isn't back to stay, and as they work to repair the fractured pieces of their past, the emerging truth of the night Roman disappeared may be the one thing that their enduring love cannot overcome.