The first three books in this series: Book 1~
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As if he’d heard Stephen’s thoughts, Russ straightened and turned his head before hopping in a half circle to face him, smiling widely. “Hey. Didn’t hear you come in.”
Stephen realized he still hovered in the doorway and he stepped forward and let it shut behind him. “Hi. How was your day?”
Russ leaned back against the counter, all of his weight on his uninjured foot. “Once I got over being pissed at you, not bad.”
Stephen gave him a wry smile. “I am sorry; I didn’t mean to come off heavy-handed.” He set the bags in his hands on the counter and walked closer to Russ. “I was worried about you.”
Russ laid a hand on Stephen’s chest, fingers curling around his tie. “I’m a big boy; I can take care of myself.”
Stephen nodded, stepping closer so his feet were between Russ’ but careful not to bump the injured ankle. “I am sure you can,” Stephen said calmly. “But I feel at least somewhat responsible for your accident.”
“I don’t blame you for it.”
“I know you don’t.” For a few heartbeats, they looked at each other until Russ tugged at the tie. Stephen didn’t lean in, but it didn’t take a genius to decipher his intention. He looked up at Stephen and spoke quietly. “It feels strange to be wearing your clothes and sleeping in your bed when we haven’t so much as kissed.”
Stephen’s voice was husky. “Was that a hint?”
“No.” Russ wet his lips. “But this is a demand: I want you to kiss me.”
“I can do that.”
Book 2:
After a rocky first few months, Stephen Parker and Russ Bishop’s relationship is at a crossroads when the death of Stephen’s father forces them to visit Stephen's hometown in southern Georgia.
Estranged from his family, Stephen must find a way to come to terms with his past and say goodbye to the father whose expectations he could never live up to. The small, conservative town provides its own challenges as Russ realizes providing emotional support is one part of being a true partner for Stephen.
---
After the dishes were done and the kitchen was clean, the three of them sat on the front porch, Russ beside him on the creaking swing as Miss Esther knitted and told Russ stories about Stephen growing up. "Before you leave I’ll show you the photos I have,” she promised Russ and he enthusiastically agreed. Stephen’s gaze flew to the elderly woman.
“You have them?”
“Sure do,” she said easily, the clack of the needles never pausing. “Your daddy tried to throw them out when your momma passed but I wouldn’t let him. I’ve been hangin’ onto ‘em for you.”
“Oh,” Stephen replied, feeling strangely shaky. He’d thought every memory of his childhood had been tossed out.
“They’re in a box in the blue bedroom,” she said. “You can get them down from the shelf in the closet for me tomorrow.”
“I’d love to see them,” Russ said, his tone eager as he leaned forward. Stephen was less sure of how he felt. On one hand, he was relieved to know it hadn’t all been destroyed. On the other, he wasn’t sure how much of his past he could face this weekend. Then Russ’ knee nudged his, their thighs pressing together. As the katydids droned in the background, Stephen felt himself relax, remembering he didn’t have to face it alone.
Book 3:
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Peter clapped him on the back. “I’ve known you for a lot of years, Stephen. I saw you with Jeremy and after his accident. I saw you when you believed you’d never fall in love again. This relationship with Russ—it’s made you a new man. You may not see it, but it’s changed you.”
“I know it has,” Stephen acknowledged. Peter left, and Stephen sought Russ again. He was in line at the bar now, and he held up his empty glass, mouthing “be there in a moment”. Eager to go to him, Stephen set down his own empty glass on a deserted table as he crossed the distance between them. Russ, distracted by something the person in front of him said, didn’t notice Stephen’s approach.
Stephen leaned in, whispering in Russ’ ear as he rested his hands lightly on Russ’ hips. “Dance with me?”
Russ turned to look at him, surprised. “Are you sure?”
“Sure I want to put my arms around the man I love? Yes.” The earlier doubt he’d felt was gone. Peter had some valid points, and what Stephen wouldn’t give to feel Russ in his arms right now. Over the years, he’d conditioned himself to expect less than others, simply because he was gay. Straight couples didn’t think twice about dancing with each other during the holiday party. Why should he?
Are also ALL available and you can win that AND book 4 in the giveaway below! Let's look at book 4 now:
Husbands
Russ is ready to make a lifelong commitment to his partner. That means marriage to him, but Stephen grew up believing that was out of the question. With marriage equality still not recognized in Georgia, Stephen is only concerned about the legal protection available to them.
Someone from Stephen's past reappears and drives a wedge between them as Russ and Stephen struggle to agree on their future. Russ tries to understand Stephen's complex feelings about marriage, but the differences in their background stresses the relationship further. Can the relationship they've built overcome the issues they face?
Russ had been fourteen when Vermont became the
first state to legalize same-sex marriage. State after state joined the ranks,
and in the last few years it seemed to be gaining momentum. It was only a
matter of time before marriage equality swept the nation. He'd grown up with
the idea that someday he'd have the right to marry the man he loved. If he
wanted it--and right now, he wanted it more than anything else in the
world--there would be nothing to stop him.
Except, his partner--the one he'd been so sure wanted the same thing--apparently didn't.
Except, his partner--the one he'd been so sure wanted the same thing--apparently didn't.
"How'd you know I was up here?" he
asked hoarsely.
Stephen's gaze lifted, his smile sad. "Because I know you."
Russ' tongue felt thick all of a sudden, unwieldy in his mouth. "I thought I knew you."
The look of hurt in Stephen's gaze was shattering, but no more so than the earlier rejection. "Can we talk?"
Stephen's gaze lifted, his smile sad. "Because I know you."
Russ' tongue felt thick all of a sudden, unwieldy in his mouth. "I thought I knew you."
The look of hurt in Stephen's gaze was shattering, but no more so than the earlier rejection. "Can we talk?"
"I'm not sure what there is to say."
Russ walked out of the pool, limbs heavy after the grueling swim and time spent
floating in the water. It was almost like the feeling of being back on land
after spending a day on a boat. Except that made him think of sailing with
Stephen, which was too painful to consider right now. "I asked you to
marry me, and it's not something you want. There really isn't a
compromise."
Word Count: 44,434
10% of the proceeds from Husbands will
go toward Atlanta's Lost-n-Found Youth center.
INTERVIEW:
You are releasing Husbands which is book 4 in your
Equals Series. Will this be the end of this series or will there be revisiting?
-
There will be a spin-off novel about Evan (the
young man working in Putnam at the funeral home in Partners) called Connection.
After that?
I don’t really know. The betas are
pushing me for more, but we’ll see. I’ve
considered another short holiday novella for some time next fall/winter and I
considered doing a freebie short I would probably only release on my blog. It would be a flashback scene of when Jeremy
and Stephen first meet. I am not sure how much interest there would be for
either though. And honestly, I have A
LOT of other characters talking to me and demanding their stories be told.
1
Every author has a story about how a book or series
came to be. What was yours for this series?
-
Two things came together. I had a plot bunny about a guy who slips on
coffee, sprains his ankle, and his co-worker comes to the rescue. Kind of a “meet-cute” scenario that never
really went anywhere. And then I saw
this picture.
That gave me the May/December
romance idea. I’m not sure what clicked
exactly, but I thought, “Hmm, what would happen if I put these together? How would they go from the encounter at the
office to this point in bed? The story
unfolded from there.
You self-publish, can you tell us some pros and
cons to going about it this way?
-
Cons? The sheer amount of work that needs to be
done for each book: writing, getting a good editor to work with, creating the
title/blurbs/picking the excerpt, making or acquiring a cover, formatting and
creating the mobi/ePub/PDF files, choosing pricing, figuring out promotion,
etc. And most of all, not knowing if
you’re making the right choices or going about it all wrong and hurting your
sales.
You attended GRL last year for the first time. What
was your favorite part about the retreat?
-Trying something new. It was so far out of my comfort zone but I am
really glad I did it. It was a
completely new experience for me and I feel like it gave me a chance to broaden
my horizons. Plus, I got to meet so many
incredible people there.
From your first published book to your most recent,
what has been the biggest revelation for you in this business?
-Probably how much work it
is. That sounds funny but I am not sure
I really understood what I was getting into when I started. I never thought writing was easy but I am not
sure I grasped how mentally taxing it is until I was in the midst of it. And at the same time how rewarding it is to
finally do something that I truly, deeply love.
Do you work on a strict writing schedule?
-I think everyone probably has a different definition
of what strict means, but no, I wouldn’t call mine strict. Because I’m doing so many things (designing
my own covers, formatting the books myself, etc.) there are times I have to set
aside the writing and focus on that. For
example, right now, it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve had any real time to
write. I am working on book related
things (updating my blog, promo for the book, edits for upcoming books, etc.)
but I am not actually getting words down on the page.
When I am in writing mode, I have to be
somewhat flexible about it. I have a
full time day job so I often write at work when I have time. I rarely write in the evenings (usually too
tired) but often on weekends I’ll either work 4-6 hours each morning or one
full 8-10 hour day and take the other day off depending on what else I have
planned. I’ve done a few back to back
10-12 hour writing days and they can be amazing but they’re also very draining
and leave me wiped out and unproductive for days after.
I’ve written in the car on trips, on my lunch
at work, basically anywhere I can manage.
Maybe someday I’ll be able to have a more structured writing schedule,
but for now this seems to work.
Every author has their “Too Taboo For Me” topic.
What is yours?
-
Hmm. I’m not
sure. I don’t know that I would ever
rule anything out completely as part of a story. There are some subjects (such as rape) that I
would never use for titillation but I might incorporate them into a story if I
felt it was needed as part of a plot/backstory.
If you could cast your MC’s in this series, what
two actors would you love to see play them?
-Well, Ryan Guzman is who I’ve always pictured
as Russ. I’ve never seen him act so I
have no idea if he’d be able to pull off the part but he has the right look.
-And I always pictured the model Michael Justin as
Stephen. Again, no idea if he can act at
all, but he absolutely has the confidence and handsome, silver fox looks to
pull it off.
Can you tell us about your future work?
-
Connection will be
out in early June (I think). There’s no
set date for that yet. Here’s a little
snippet from it:
Evan was waiting just inside the entrance, leaning against
the wall with his hands behind his back, staring at the floor. Jeremy watched
him for a second, took in the carefully-pressed, blue button down shirt and the
neatly combed hair and wondered if he’d made a huge mistake.
This wasn’t a date, damn it. So why did he think neither he
nor Evan quite believed that?
Evan looked up, glancing at Jeremy through his lashes and
Jeremy felt a hot surge of desire go through him. He could picture Evan on his
knees, staring up at Jeremy as he leaned forward to take Jeremy’s cock in his …
Evan smiled, face lighting up, and the fantasy dissolved,
replaced by a warm feeling that was far more dangerous.
“Hey there.” Jeremy’s voice came out huskier than he
intended and he cleared his throat. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Nah, I was early. I’m still getting used to Atlanta’s
traffic and I keep leaving earlier than I need to.” Evan straightened and
closed the distance between them. “I thought you might change your mind
though.”
Jeremy nearly had, but Evan’s self-esteem seemed so fragile
and he didn’t want to hurt the kid. Maybe he’d let him down easy after tonight,
tell him that that he didn’t think being friends was such a great idea. For
now, he changed the subject. “Want to grab a table?”
-After Connection, I have a novel called Bully & Exit that I’m
finishing. It’s gone through one round
of beta edits *waves at Posy Roberts for her help with it* and I’m tightening
it up and getting it ready for another round of edits. I am thinking I will probably release it in
early August.
It’s about
a hockey player, Nathan, and a theater student, Caleb. They’re in their final semester of college
and run into each other at a party.
While Nathan tries to win Caleb back, you see their relationship in high
school unfold through a series of flashbacks and what Nathan did to break
Caleb’s heart the first time. I am
really excited about sharing it with you guys.
Here’s a slightly longer snippet from Bully & Exit:
Caleb rested the bottle on his knee and
wiped his mouth, eyeing the bottle in the sickly yellow light that filtered
through the trees by the fence. How much would he have to drink before he
stopped thinking about the guy he’d alternately crushed on and hated for four
years of high school? The guy who’d broken his heart. He wasn’t sure there was enough
in the bottle. Maybe not even enough in an entire liquor store.
He lifted the bottle to his lips again
but movement out of the corner of his eye made him inhale and he sputtered and
choked when the booze went down wrong. He coughed into the crook of his elbow,
eyes watering as he looked up at the figure standing beside him. The man was
tall and his broad shoulders blocked what little light there was in the
backyard. All Caleb could really see was his silhouette. He was bigger than
he’d been in high school, dwarfing Caleb’s 5’10” frame even if he’d been
standing, but Caleb had no doubt that it was Nathan in front of him.
Nathan’s voice was soft when he spoke,
gentle like it’d always been. “Caleb Stockwell. I’ve been looking for you.”
Caleb cleared his throat and ignored
him, tipping the bottle up for another long drink. He licked the spiced rum off
his lips as he debated making another run for it. There was a shrub blocking
his way in one direction and a hockey player in the other. Even if he hadn’t been
drinking, the odds weren’t in his favor. “Nathan Rhodes,” he managed.
“Damn I can’t believe it’s really you!”
Nathan leaned in and Caleb pulled back, uncomfortable with him being so close.
Caleb laughed bitterly. “It’s me. Now
that you’ve satisfied your curiosity, you can run along now.” He motioned with
his hand, encouraging Nathan to leave.
“It’s really good to see you,” Nathan
said, ignoring him. He took a seat on the pile of discarded construction
materials, his knees brushing Caleb’s as he lowered himself down. Caleb pulled
away as if scorched.
“Yeah? Too bad I can’t say the same,”
he muttered, his head swimming as the alcohol began to hit him. He eyed
Nathan’s long, long legs and the way he was pinned in by them, remembering the
way they’d felt tangled with his as they came, panting shallowly against each
other’s skin. It brought it all back; the scent of Nathan’s cologne, the taste
of his skin, the way Caleb’s heart raced in his chest when Nathan held him
close. It brought back the memories, the ones he’d worked so hard to run from.
The good and the bad. The sharp, intense happiness of falling for Nathan. The
aching, crushing hurt that paralyzed Caleb for months after Nathan was no
longer in his life. Everything he’d buried four years ago and vowed never to
touch again.
He caught the first glimpse of doubt on
Nathan’s face. “Are you okay, Caleb?”
“Oh, I’m mother fucking peachy,” he
snarked and took another long drink. “I’ve made it through four fucking years
trying to ignore the fact that we’re on the same campus and with barely a month
left in my senior year, I thought maybe I’d managed to pull it off. But no,
Lowell had to drag me to this goddamn party, and of course you showed up too.
Just my luck.”
He raised the bottle again, but Nathan
wrapped a hand around the neck and tugged. He was stronger than Caleb, so Caleb
let go, afraid he’d end up getting pulled into Nathan’s lap if he didn’t.
Nathan took a drink and passed the bottle back, licking rum off his lips before
he spoke. “You’re so angry at me.”
“Ya think?” Caleb snarled. “Didn’t it
ever occur to you that I would be? What the hell makes you think you can just
waltz in here and pretend like all the shit that went down between us didn’t
happen?” He tried to stand, but Nathan’s dark denim-clad knees were on either
side of his, pinning him in place. The bottle was pried from his suddenly limp
fingers and set aside.
“I don’t think that,” Nathan protested.
“I was just glad to see you and I… I wanted a chance to apologize. I didn’t… I
wanted….”
Caleb’s lips parted in surprise as cool
fingers framed his face and for the first time in four long years, Nathan’s
lips were pressed to his again. Involuntarily, Caleb’s eyes closed, feeling the
rush of heat that washed over him, taking him right back to the first time.
Before Nathan broke his heart.
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twitter…?
Email: brighamvaughn@gmail.com
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For the giveaway Brigham is offering one winner ALL 4 books in this series! AWESOME GIVEAWAY! Simply enter below on the rafflecopter. Contest runs until May 8th. Winner will be contacted via email so check your spam!
I want to thank Brigham for being here today and sharing her work with us! Make sure to pick up all her work and as always... Review! It matters!
Fairly new to me. Read Baby, It's Cold Inside and loved it! I have Equals on the kindle waiting!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new release! Looking forward to starting this series!
New to me author but already added this series to my TBR!! Thanks for the chance!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehavent read ant yet but cant wait to
ReplyDeleteI read and enjoyed Love in the Produce Aisle.
ReplyDeleteI was given Equals to review and I absolutely loved it. Ive been dyig to read the remaining books in the series but finances wont allow it right now so thank you for the chance to be able to read them all.
ReplyDeleteShe is a new to me author, but I enjoyed all the blurbs for this series. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI have Equals waiting for me to read. I really love the sound of this series and just need to read it and then get the others as well. :-)
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to drop a line and say I loved this series. Glad Evan is getting a story as well. I can't wait to read Connection.
ReplyDeleteI have recently read and enjoyed the first book in this series Equals, so have the rest of the series on my wish list. Thank you for a chance to win the rest of the set :)
ReplyDeleteI have only read Love in the Produce Aisle, which was really good!
ReplyDelete