Author Archives: CC

CC

About CC

A finalist in numerous writing contests, C.C. has had his work appear in such collections as Brief Encounters, Frat Boys, Best Gay Romance 2012 and 2013, Wild Boys, Steam Bath and also the forthcoming Big Man on Campus, all available from Cleis Press; The Love That Never Dies: Affairs with the Undead, available from Renaissance eBooks - Sizzler Editions; as well as Lust in Time: Erotic Romance through the Ages from MLR Press, described by one reviewer as "the best anthology ever."

Hump Day Hook – 22 May 2013

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Greetings, all!

Posting really late, but it’s still Hump Day!

We are continuing with Ark!

12 Sept 217 ARY

Luk lovingly fingered the cool pieces of metal in the pocket of his jumpsuit. Eighteen months of archival research had paid off. He hoped.

Doors had loks, which he had known, of course, but his door—that was how he thought of it now—had a mechanical lok. Pins and tumblers kept the handle—the strange metal piece, he’d learned—from turning and allowing the door to open. They required a mechanical kee, which could be inserted to make the handle move. The fact that he had no kee had disappointed him for months.

Until he learned about lok picks.

lock_picking

Luk had discovered this fact in an ancient document about crime on Old Erth—apparently people used to take things they wanted and didn’t have from other people who had them. So, it was theoretically possible to defeat the pins and tumblers with small metal tools called picks.

Luk was about to find out.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out more Hooks here.

‘Til next time!

Seductive Studs – 18 May 2013

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 Greetings, all!

It’s time once again for some Seductive Studs! (BTW: be sure to check out the Hop Against Homophobia which is going on as well.)

We are continuing with Summer of History. If you need some catching up or a refresher, click here. Today we get a glimpse at another character, Conall Shaughnessy. Friend or foe? Love interest? We’ll see…

Ryan read the email:

Professor MacDonald:

Please allow me to introduce myself! I am Conall Shaughnessy, head guide of Wexmeade Historical Tours. I am native to the Chollerford area and have a diploma in History from Cambridge University with a focus on pre-Norman civilization.

I read your post on the Northumberland Tours message board and feel that my services, combined with my educational background, would be of immeasurable assistance to your research. As you may note from the photo, I have suitable transportation, which would be at your disposal. In addition I can offer assistance with your lodgings while in the Wexmeade area. My brother and sister-in-law are proprietors of the Wexmeade Arms, our local inn, and offer a discount on services to clients of Wexmeade Historical Tours.

Please feel free to investigate further: you may access my Web page through the above link; there you will find complete information on our services, as well as numerous testimonials. You may also wish to check my references with the Northumberland Guides Association; you will find a link on my site.

Please feel free to contact me by email or phone with any additional questions. I feel that Wexmeade Historical Tours is exactly what you need to accomplish your goals in Northumberland.

Yours

Conall Shaughnessy

Roman ruins

Mithraic Ruins near Carrawbrough, Northumberland.
CC-BY-SA Michael Willis via Photographers-Resource.co.uk

Ryan shivered as an excited thrill ran up his spine. It was all becoming real. He was actually making plans to do real research on the ground in England. No more dusty libraries, no more banal dissertations, no more shallow conclusions—honest to goodness field work where he’d find what he knew was out there.

Thumbing the touchpad, Ryan clicked on the email’s hyperlink. While he waited for the page to load, he enlarged Conall’s photo. The guy leaning against the SUV looked to be in his mid-thirties; curly, black hair framed a face dominated by dark eyes and that broad smile. His smile wasn’t just for the camera: it continued to his eyes which sparkled with humor along with a look of intelligence. Ryan wanted to meet him.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out more Studs here.

‘Til next time!

Hop Against Homophobia 2013 – Post 1

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HAHAT 2013 2 logoGreetings, all! Welcome to my first post for the Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia!

In conjunction with the International Day Against Homophobia, the hop runs from May 17th through the 27th. Over 170 LGBTQ authors, publishers, reviewers and artists have joined together to increase awareness of the ongoing issues regarding homophobia and transphobia. Visit everybody throughout the Hop for great information and cool prizes!

So I’ve been racking my brain about what to write for this Hop post. What can I add to the mix that is new or informative or interesting? I mean—come on—everything that has needed to be said has been been said, right?

Well, apparently not…

Today (Thursday) I came across this article on glo.msn (yes, it’s originally from Cosmopolitan) about punk rocker Tommy Gabel from Against Me!, who is now Laura Jane Grace. Great articles, both on glo and Cosmo, with lots of supportive comments and brouhaha about pronouns (the Cosmo article uses “he” when referring to pre-transition Tommy and “she” when referring to Laura–some people didn’t catch on to the chronology.)

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Tommy with daughter, Evelyn.

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Laura Jane Grace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet, the VERY FIRST comment on glo reads as follows:

Norman Nonnweiler · Concordia University Chicago

Woopie! Another mentally ill person being coddled by the medical industry. The people who perform this surgery are the real criminals. Is this man so despirate(sic) that he needs to become a fake woman to advance his music career? Well yah got your name in the news. Let’s hope it never appears there again. A man can not become a woman even if you do turn his thing inside out. It’s sad that this nonsense even is news.

So apparently we do need to continue to educate, inform and generally shout down the ignorant people of the world. It was nice to see the number of scathing reactions to Norman’s comment (if you scroll down far enough, you’ll see mine).

Many best wishes to Laura as she continues her journey…

Now part of this Hop is, of course, PRIZES! Leave a comment below with how you would respond to Mr. Norman (along with your valid email address) to win an e-copy of my most recent release, Side Effects, a contemporary M/M romance. The winner will be chosen from comments to this post (other prizes will be forthcoming on other posts) and notified through their email, following the conclusion of the Hop on the 27th.

Good Luck!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Hop participants—and enter to win other fabulous prizes—here:

‘Til next time!

UPDATE: (05/27) – I have a second post with its own drawing here.

Hump Day Hook – 15 May 2013

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Greetings, all!

It’s Wednesday and time for Hump Day Hook! I’m continuing with my dystopian work in progress, Ark.

Luk’s thumb again found its way to the corner of his mouth. If the schematics were at all correct, there was no reason for this door in the first place—yet there it was. Hence, it must lead someplace. But to where? Cru-member spaces were restricted; to trespass was to invite disciplinary action. Clearly the door was unused, but Luk suspected that would not be an argument in his favor, should he get caught.

He glanced over his shoulder. Master Jon would not come to check on him; there would be no question in the Tutor’s mind that Luk was focused on his task—his reliability distracted from his differentness.

Now his curiosity warred with his caution. The schematics. XAP. The hidden door. The dust.

oxidization-in-its-prime

4BlueEyes Pete Williamson / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Curiosity won. Luk stepped forward, pushing on the door. It shifted in its frame and sent an avalanche of gray powder over Luk’s hand. But it did not open. The metallic protrusion moved a little—maybe it was key to getting through the door. Luk could turn the piece left and right, only to have it spring back to its original position. Frustrated, he shook the piece and pounded on the gray metal. To no avail—the portal remained closed.

Clearly he had a lot to learn about doors.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out more Hooks here.

‘Til next time!

Seductive Studs – 11 May 2013

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Greetings, all!

It is time once again for Seductive Studs and Sirens! We are continuing along with Summer of History,  my contemporary M/M romance with suspense and bad guys thrown in the mix. To catch up, click here.

Glancing again at the letter, Ryan’s eyes fell on the signature line: it was Ryder H. Forsyne, Junior, not Doctor Ryder H. Forsyne. The letter was from the great man’s son. Ryan thought back to the lecture; he vaguely remembered a young man helping Dr. Forsyne with his presentation. At the time he’d thought that the rather cute guy was just some AV geek from the university, but now he realized there had been a strong resemblance between the two men—father and son. The same dark hair and narrow face, one older, one younger; and neither had been unattractive, at least not to Ryan’s inexperienced eyes.

His home is a stress free work environmentDa-ding! Ryan’s email chimed, calling him back to the present. Moving the letter aside, he scooted his chair up to the desk and maximized the mail window. He quickly scanned the subject lines; two were from colleagues in the department offering congratulations—Myra must have sent out a bulletin; the third was probably spam, but the last subject caught his attention. The line read, “Chollerford Area Guide with Extensive Roman Knowledge: Available 1 – 20 June.”

Intrigued and excited, Ryan clicked the item. A custom-designed stationery page opened, headed with Wexmeade Historical Tours; accompanying the header was a photo showing a young man leaning against a Range Rover and smiling broadly at the camera.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out more Studs and Sirens here.

‘Til next time!

Hump Day Hook – 08 May 2013

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Greetings, all!

First off, congratulations to Mandy Earles who won the drawing for the $5 Amazon gift card  in last week’s giveaway.

We are continuing with Ark this week. To catch up with Luk and his world aboard the Ark, click here.

At least he thought it was a door—there was no keypad, only a weird piece of what looked to be metal sticking out of one side. Fine gray dust filmed its surface and had piled up on the odd protrusion. Luk could see words on the door, faint letters beneath the layer of forgottenness. He reached out to brush the dirt away. The surface was cold and rough, so unlike the smooth regular plastinel found everywhere else in the Ark. A cloud of dust tickled his nose. He sneezed.

Photo credit: adrazahl / Foter.com / CC BY-ND

Photo credit: adrazahl / Foter.com / CC BY-ND

Authorized Personnel Only.

Luk didn’t know what authorized meant—it sounded like it had something to do with writing. But he did know what personnel meant. Personnel meant cru-members. Cru-members were the elite, the upper-most class on the Ark—only the healthiest, smartest, and strongest people were chosen to join the cru. Once admitted, cru-members lived separate lives; rarely were they seen among the bulk of the people aboard, unless there was an emergency. Everybody aboard had responsibilities on the Ark; cru-members were responsible for the operation of the Ark.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out more Hump Day Hooks here.

‘Til next time!

Seductive Studs – 04 May 2013

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 Greetings, all!

It’s time for our weekend wander amongst the Studs and Sirens of LGBT fiction.

I am continuing with Summer of History, my contemporary M/M romance WIP. For those who would like to catch up—or need a refresher—click here for the previous snippets. Today’s piece (which is a bit longish) offers some insight into Ryan—our protagonist’s—background:

Ryan sat back, gazing at the letter propped up against his laptop screen. Honestly, he could hardly believe what he’d read: he had been promised over $40,000 to tramp around Great Britain and prove his theory! For years he’d followed scraps of information, scattered here and there in history books or journals or someone else’s research. He’d chased rumors and gossip, reading poorly written little books on local legends, guide books of local histories, always looking for the smallest piece of the puzzle and never finding what he needed to make all the parts of his premise work. Now he could afford to do the groundwork for himself—he was going to England in order to look, to search, to find exactly what he needed, exactly what would prove his dream and make them all understand.

Ryder Forsyne understood what it meant to have a vision.

Attractive young man lying down

Photo credit: photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ryan recalled his early college years. God! They seemed ages ago! As an undeclared sophomore he had attended a lecture by Doctor Forsyne. Ryan had been enthralled by the famous anthropologist’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of pre-Norman England; following his presentation, he’d fielded question after question, many from Ryan himself. Ryan’s own interest in England had been sparked by storybook tales of Arthur and Robin Hood; but English literature and history had proved too dry for Ryan’s taste, he had craved to know about the real people and what they’d been like: the Druids’ religion and Celts’ culture were the soil from which the other stories sprang. Forsyne’s seminar had sated his craving, but fueled his curiosity; after that fateful lecture Ryan had joined the anthropology department. Now years later Doctor Forsyne was helping him, guiding him once more.

Thanks for stopping! Be sure to check out more Studs and Sirens here.

‘Tl next time!

Hump Day Hook – 01 May 2013

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Greetings, all! It’s Hump Day! And even better—it’s a giveaway day!

Yep! Each author on the HDH loop is hosting a giveaway, so be sure to visit everybody for lots of chances to win!

For today’s hook, I’m continuing with my WIP, Ark. If you would like to catch up with Luk and his world, click here.

Luk dropped down and sat on his haunches, a thumbnail trapped between his teeth. The misteree called to him. What was behind the rack? Why wasn’t it in the schematics? He glanced from the shelves to the hallway and back.

With a sharp nod, Luk crept across the room, quickly looking up and down the companionway. Master Jon was occupied out of sight, whistling tunelessly as he worked. Luk keyed the lock code, and the entry slid closed with a soft shush.

Quickly he unloaded the contents of the shelves, piling the containers wherever they might fit. Next went the entire section of shelving, each piece stacked neatly to the side. The exposed bulkhead resembled every other section of wall in the Ark—gray plastinel squares joined to more gray plastinel squares. Luk examined the segment and could find no irregularity, hearing only a hollow thump with every tap. He poked and prodded along the connections and was rewarded with a snick. A section had come loose.

Photo of old Door with lock

Image courtesy of nuttakit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Luk let out the breath he’d been holding. Grabbing hold he pulled, and the entire section swung out to reveal a door—a really strange door.

So, what’s beyond the door?

Leave a comment with what you think lies beyond the hidden door—along with your valid email address—to be entered in a drawing for a $5 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out more of the Hump Day giveaways here.

‘Til next time!

Saturday Seductive Studs – 27 April 2013

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Greetings, all!

Yes, I have again been somewhat AWOL from the blogosphere—but I assure everyone it has been for good reasons! In my absence Saturday Seductive Studs has morphed into Seductive Studs and Sirens—we’re taking on a broader focus, which can only be a good thing!

Have no fear though, I am continuing with my work in progress, A Summer of History. If you’re new, you can catch up with Ryan MacDonald and Scott Jackson’s clips here.

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komehachi888 / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Scott just didn’t seem to get it—a little kiss and tickle didn’t make up for what he’d done. He’d violated their agreement by violating their home. Ryan wasn’t jealous of his affairs; secretly, he’d resigned himself to that aspect of Jackson years ago; but he was jealous of his home, his personal space with Scott—that was his alone. Why was it so hard for Scott to exercise any sort of self-control?

A thought crept up from his subconscious: Why are you accepting second place? Ryan worked to squelch that line of inquiry. Nothing lay in that direction except to rehash a lot of old hurts. But he was worthy of first place, wasn’t he? At least in his own home, right?

Not seeing anything positive down that road, Ryan topped off the mug of coffee and headed for his laptop to continue planning his field research.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out more Studs and Sirens here.

‘Til next time!

Hump Day Hook – 17 April 2013

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 Greetings, all!

Today we find out a little bit more about Luk and his world:

Stuck in Customs in Space

Stuck in Customs / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Grabbing his compad, Luk accessed the internal schematics of the Ark. Master Jon’s laboratory was located in the third Ring, making the storage room one of the outermost spaces in the Ark. According to Luk’s Engineering class, that meant there were no other spaces beyond except superstructure, then exoskin, then…nothing. The schematics confirmed it. The back storage room was a rectangular space, labeled Storaj Lokker 3-3-639677—XAP. Luk didn’t know what an XAP designation meant—and neither did the schematic legend, apparently—but the schematics showed no irregularity in the room.

Curiosity poked at Luk. He knew he should alert Master Jon to the inaccuracy, but this was something different. Like him, it was not quite the way it was supposed to be. An Old Erth word came to mind—misteree.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out more hooks here.

‘Til next time!