Featured Guest: Susan Hawke ~ What Christmas Means To Me

Diverse Reader is so happy to have author Susan Hawke aka Susi Hawke here today with a lovely post and a look into her holiday book Rules for Santa. Get some cocoa, relax, and enjoy.

What Christmas means to me…  

A few holiday thoughts from Susan Hawke

While I was writing Rules for Santa, I thought a lot about Christmas. I wanted to write a sweet, fluffy story... kind of like a gay Hallmark movie in book form, if you will. This naturally required the watching of several Hallmark movies, listening to hours of Christmas carols, and consuming gallons of cocoa. Hey, we all have our methods, right?

Rules for Santa is part of Davey's Rules, a series I'm writing that features different "Daddy" types. In this one, the Sugar Daddy is a "Santa Daddy" and I let myself go over the top with the sweetness level. I have to say, writing it definitely put me into a holiday mood. I found myself doing a lot of thinking about the holidays in my free time, and the happiness of Christmases past is still making me smile, even now. So what does Christmas mean to me?

First, there's the whole expectation of a white Christmas. Having grown up on the West Coast, I’ve never experienced a white Christmas. I’ve had many wet ones, and more than my share of holidays spent in shorts because the weather was warm and sunny… but never have I had a snowy one. 

And yet, I think of snow in the air when I picture Christmas, how weird is that? It’s so real in my mind that I can almost smell it, along with all the other glorious sights and scents that make up the day. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, candles burning around the clock, the tree filling the room with its fragrance, and food. So much food. 

But wait… most of those are also manufactured scents for me. I’ve never seen a chestnut in my life, let alone smelled one roasting. I’m too nervous about fire to ever leave a candle burning unattended. My allergies are so bad that I can’t do real trees, so that’s one more fake scent memory. As for the food, well… okay. I’ll give you that one. Holiday cookies, anyone?

So if most of my scent memories are lies, where did they come from? Songs! Those kitschy, classic, hummable, unforgettable songs that we all know and love… or love to hate. The day after Thanksgiving is the best day ever for me because that’s when my season of music begins. I may not have the best voice, but I will cheerfully sing each and every one of those carols at the top of my lungs and smile while I do it. 

As you may have guessed by now, I’m a Christmas girl. I love every little part of it. Whether the trees of my childhood when we were so poor that my family decorated it with school pictures of all four of us kids and a string of popcorn, or the ones I’ve had as an adult with more lights than the Vegas Strip… or so it feels. The decorations aren’t what makes the tree—its mere existence is enough for me. What other time of year do we willingly put an actual tree in our home? 

To me, Christmas is about remembering the happiness of the past, enjoying the gift that is the present, while hoping for tomorrow. And for each of these things, there’s a song to help me feel it. Christmas isn’t about how much money is spent, whose house is decorated best, or whether or not my husband finally gets me that Roomba I’ve been hinting at for a decade.

Christmas is about nostalgia and recapturing the magic of childhood when it made sense that Santa would somehow visit my chimney-free home. Christmas is about remembering the family I’ve lost while focusing on the ones that are here. Christmas is about taking one part of the year and making it special whether with old traditions or new ones I’ve made. Christmas is about food and family—whether the one you were born to or made along the way. And woven through it all is that precious music that highlights the season and makes me smile.

Rule #18: Daddy’s boy will always believe in his Santa Daddy.

Homeless, alone, and now jobless, Cameron Evans is lost… until he’s found after a prominent local attorney literally trips over him when the boy is passed out from dehydration.

Scott Hendrickson has two things in life: his job as an assistant district attorney, and his son Davey. Other than that, he lives alone in a house that’s too big, too empty, too… lonely.

It’s not just Cameron’s life that might change for the better when Scott takes him in. Scott can provide material things and security, but Cameron returns the favor by breathing fresh air into Scott’s stale life.

Two men who need each other… one magical holiday season. Could a little Christmas magic be all that’s needed to bring the biggest gift of all? Maybe Cameron doesn’t need a Sugar Daddy… because he already has a Santa Daddy.

This is the third book in a series about not-so-perfect Daddies, adorable “boys,” and one sassy brat with an insane list of rules. Get ready for all the squishy holiday feels you’d want from a Susan Hawke book.

Rules for Santa  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YRYC69D

Contact me links:

my website: www.susihawke.com

facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheHawkesNest

GRL Spotlight: Susi Hawke

GayRomLit— or as some refer to it as GRL— truly is the must-attend event for people who create and celebrate LGBT romance. For those who are unfamiliar with what GRL is I can try and summarize it. Every year in October (this year it’s the 17^th to the 20^th with pre-events on the 16^th) the LGBT community consisting of authors, narrators, readers, and professionals gather to share in their love of LGBT romance. There are signings, author lounges, many events, spotlights, it really is hours of fun.

The location changes every year and on the opening night of each year the spot for the next year  is announced. During this time at GRL there are two signings. One for Registered Authors and one for Featured Authors.

At these signings you can go to the authors’ tables, talk, have them sign swag they have, books you’ve brought, pick up pre-orders, and they will even sign something you brought from home.

Lounges are set up as well these are outside the signing times. Registered authors have one and featured have two lounges.

There will also be spotlights with readings, Q&A’s and so much more.

Now until October 14^th Diverse Reader is spotlighting authors that will be at this years GRL. And if you want to know more about it simply head over to the site by clicking here:

https://www.gayromlit.com/home

Now for our Spotlight Author of the day!

Hi, I’m Susi Hawke and I have a confession to make… I’m equal parts excited and terrified about GRL! I have a featured author spot, how awesome is that? This will be my first time at GRL—my first ever public appearance in fact—and that is… wow. It’s coming soon, and I have so many people to hug, greet, and thank for their support. I’m going in with the attitude that I’m going to have a fantastic time and just make this first GRL about connecting with my readers. 

Speaking of connecting with my readers, I have two special activities I’ll be a part of, in addition to my lounges and signing time. First, I’ll be joining two women I both admire and adore—May Archer and Lucy Lennox—for a storyteller’s panel on Friday afternoon. We’ll be discussing everything audio. Do you wonder how whispersync works? How we pair the perfect narrator with each individual book? Why it takes so long to get an audio version sometimes? Come to our panel and get those questions answered and more. Between the three of us crazy ladies, it should be a fun time.

For my second special event, I’ve joined forces with Victoria Sue and Nora Phoenix to plan an amazing fun fair event on Saturday afternoon. In the spirit of mpreg, we’re having a baby shower. Isn’t that cute? We’ve pulled in seven other authors and all ten of us will be there to party with you! We’ll be playing games and giving amazing raffle prizes. We have swag bags for the first 150 guests, and everyone will receive a code for a free ebook from each and every author present. These books are all brand-new stories—we wrote them specifically for this event. My book is a Christmas story from my popular series, MacIntosh Meadows. 

As for my books, I won’t be selling any onsite. I offered pre-orders that I’ll be delivering. Among the books I plan to display are four that will be given away, along with some other special prizes. Since I write under two names, Susi and Susan Hawke, I’ll have books displayed to represent each catalog. These are the books I’ll be highlighting at my table. I will offer a chance to win a signed copy of one of these four books when you visit me at the lounges. Hollydale, please!, Walk Tall, How Not to Blend, and Rules to Follow. 

If I’m a new author to you, please check out my GRL author page for more information about me. https://gayromlit.com/author/susi-hawke

This is my schedule for the week, I hope I get to meet you at least once! 

Author Lounge Times: Thursday Only at Noon & 4pm

Storytellers: Heard Any Good Books Lately? Audio panel with Lucy Lennox and May Archer Friday 2:30-3:20pm

Official Signing: Saturday 10am-12:30pm

Hollydale, please! Tom’s Fabulous Guide to Food and Entertainment by Susi Hawke

This is a unique unicorn of a book that could only have been told by Tom Samuels. While putting together a portfolio for his event planning business, Tom decided he needed to share the behind-the-scenes events that happened each month over the course of an entire year. His personal life had a few curveballs, but Tom persevered as he always does... fabulously.

This is so much more than a cookbook or a lifestyle book—it also contains a complete story, told throughout the months. The book itself is PG, but the recipes may have naughty jokes that aren't suitable for younger chefs. If you're cooking with your little ones—something Tom says he heartily approves of—please be aware and pre-read the recipe before showing it to your junior sous-chef. Or don't... but Tom wants us to warn you that he takes no responsibility for the questions that might pop up from such a foolhearted move.

This book includes:

~A twelve-month journey of living, laughing, and eating Hollydale style.

~A full story spread out over twelve months. Each one features Tom and a familiar couple from this fun, quirky little hotspot for supernatural love gurus.

~Tom has been kind enough to share thirty-five recipes from the Hollydale archives. We have yummies from Sweet Ballz and Salty Stix, savory foods from Kamasouptra, smoothies from Nut Juices, and so much more!

~This book is fully illustrated with original drawings of famous Hollydale points of interest, and fun food images to go along with each month’s theme. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RVCHNNS

Walk Tall by Susi Hawke

Watch out for the Assassin’s Claws…

Clay Moreno is a paid killer, just like his four brothers. It’s the family business—they fight together, they die together. Whether they’re working as a group or alone, they are a tight unit who protect their own.

Clay drew the short straw on their latest mission: assassinate the American president. He knew the case was going to be tough, but the last thing he expected to find was his mate… the president’s own son. The fact that he began the case with plans to seduce his way into the White House via that same son is beside the point. What his mate doesn’t know shouldn’t hurt him…

Nick Jackson is lonely and ordinary in a family of overachievers. He doesn’t want to do photo ops for the press, prep for the next year’s tests over the summer or any of the hundreds of other things his mother hassles him about. All he wants is to relax after his first year of college, work on his tan… and maybe find a boy to flirt with.

This is the first in a new series of short reads. Note: While mpreg exists in this world, we won’t have a birth in every book. This book contains killer cats, ninja bunnies and a life-changing mating bite. Get ready for naughty-knotty fun and low-ball humor as only Susi Hawke can provide.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W1BMXS6

How Not to Blend by Susan Hawke

One clueless single dad…

Dr. Corbin Davis is a busy guy just trying to do his best as a single parent. He may be oblivious to a lot of things, but surely he would’ve noticed something as important as his fifteen-year-old son, Grayson, being bullied, right? And what the heck is non-binary, and why hasn’t Gray shared this all-important part of himself with his own dad?

Plus one sassy Southerner…

Andy Ferguson, or Kandi as the Thursday night drag community knows him, is just trying to get along in a small town and hold things together while he takes care of his beloved Gam-Gam. If she’d just get off his back about finding himself a man, that would be fantastic, thank you very much. He’ll get around to love… one of these days.

Equals a pair of fake-boyfriends who will keep you in stitches.

When Corb gets the wild idea to ask Andy to pose as his boyfriend to let Gray know that his dad is bisexual and open-minded enough to talk to about his nonbinary status, Andy is amused and just intrigued enough to say yes… especially since he seems to be in the market for a fake boyfriend himself, if it will get Gam-Gam to quit nagging.

This is the first book in the LOVESTRONG series about finding love and being yourself in a small town. Intended only for 18+ readers, this is an mm romance filled with all the fun, fluff, and feels you’d want from an S. Hawke book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5BM89V

Rules to Follow by Susan Hawke

Davey’s Rule #86: A good Daddy will never lie to his boy… even by omission.

Travis Miller has a pretty solid life in the small California beach town he calls home. He’s working his way up in the district attorney’s office, he owns a home with an ocean view, and he has close ties with his family. Life is good. If only he could find a sweet boy to call his own, life would be… perfect.

Adam Nichols’ life has never been easy. Growing up in foster care taught him to be strong, so finding himself in a violent relationship was a shock. Now that he's finally free of it, he faces new problems. He's jobless, homeless, and terrified of starting from scratch.

With a little help from an old friend, Adam discovers a whole new world. He goes from rock bottom to renting a room from a hot assistant DA and working at Daddy’s Lap, a kink club that opens his vanilla eyes to things he’d never imagined. His new roommate is a balm to Adam’s damaged soul. The tender way Travis cares for him is almost like the Daddy kink community he’s seen at the club. But Travis isn’t a Daddy… right? If he were, surely he’d have said so.

What happens when a lie by omission threatens to bring their budding relationship tumbling down around them? Will Travis ever be able to earn Adam's trust again?

This is the first book in a new series about not-so-perfect Daddies, adorable “boys,” and one sassy brat with an insane list of rules. Grab your fan and tissues because this series comes with both a high heat advisory and all the squishy feels you’d want from a Susan Hawke book. Possible trigger for references to domestic violence.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T3PGJ4N