Book Release: Aqua Follies!

Aqua Follies releases today, and I couldn't be happier. This has been a labor of love, and I'm so excited to get it into the hands of readers!

To celebrate, I thought I'd make a post that focuses on the real Aqua Follies, a variety show on water that was part of Seattle's Seafair celebration from 1950 until about 1962. The Aqua Follies had water ballet and dancers, a live band, clowns, divers, and guest performers who regularly sold out the 5000+ seats of the Green Lake aqua theater. 

From the 1962 Seattle Times

Seafair lasts a couple of weeks, from late July into early August, and culminates with hydroplane races out on Lake Washington. Over the years Seattle residents have done just about everything to celebrate. Recently I was nosing around Amazon and found a Seafair Cook Book put together by the women of St Andrews on the Lake Episcopal Church in 1951. According to my friend, historian Paula Becker (who pointed me at the Aqua Follies in the first place), the original St Andrews was sacrificed to the construction of Interstate 5, but the congregation lives on in a new church about 10 blocks north of the original.

Notice they've got Mount Rainier on the cover and not the Space Needle -
because the Space Needle wasn't built till 1962.

The recipes are pretty amazing. Many require the use of gelatin, and more than a few call for a handful of this or a little of that. Scanning the index, I saw a section of "cocktail" recipes and got all excited (because '50s + cocktails!), but they turned out to need shrimp and avocado, not bourbon. Oh well. There's a separate chapter for recipes contributed by men, one for holiday recipes, one for historic, and one for foreign recipes. Fun stuff!

You could bring Seafair Cream Puffs to your next party!

Or maybe you'd prefer Raisin Delight or Mystery Pudding? 

So next time you're planning a trip to Seattle, make it during Seafair. There's the hydros and the Blue Angels, a Milk Carton Derby and pirates. PIRATES! It's a lot of fun, and the weather almost always cooperates. And if you don't have time for an actual vacation, check out Aqua Follies. You can have a vacation-by-kindle! (Make sure you get to the end of this post to enter the giveaway Irene Preston and I are running to celebrate Aqua Follies' release!)

The 1950s. Postwar exuberance. Conformity. Rock and roll.
 Homophobia.
 

Russell tells himself he’ll marry Susie because it’s the right thing to do. His summer job coaching her water ballet team will give him plenty of opportunity to give her a ring. But on the team’s trip to the annual Aqua Follies, the joyful glide of a trumpet player’s solo hits Russell like a torpedo, blowing apart his carefully constructed plans.

From the orchestra pit, Skip watches Poseidon’s younger brother stalk along the pool deck. It never hurts to smile at a man, because sometimes good things can come of it. Once the last note has been played, Skip gives it a shot.

The tenuous connection forged by a simple smile leads to events that dismantle both their lives. Has the damage been done, or can they pick up the pieces together?

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Aqua Follies! It's here...and here....and here!

You might have heard me mention the fact that AQUA FOLLIES IS COMING 6/15/17! Er... and if you haven't before, consider yourself warned. I love the world that this story is set in, because the 1950s were such a complicated time. It was not for the faint of heart, the unconventional, or, you know, the gay.

The thing is, though, when you dig beneath any stereotype you find all kinds of different attitudes. I think there's evidence that not even the '50s forced conformity turned everyone into a cookie cutter. There have always been times and places where society was more tolerant, and while no one would ever accuse the '50s of being open-minded, from the 1920s until the '70s at least, the seedy red-light district south of Yesler Way in Seattle hosted a number of same-sex bars, coffee shops, and night clubs.

As long as the management paid the cops their stipend, they didn't get harassed...too much.

The world Skip and Russell live in is filled with friendship and music, with party lines and dungarees, and with secrets and fear. I hope you'll check out Aqua Follies soon. The $0.99 preorder price won't last for much longer!

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The 1950s. Postwar exuberance. Conformity. Rock and roll.
 Homophobia.

Russell tells himself he’ll marry Susie because it’s the right thing to do. His summer job coaching her water ballet team will give him plenty of opportunity to give her a ring. But on the team’s trip to the annual Aqua Follies, the joyful glide of a trumpet player’s solo hits Russell like a torpedo, blowing apart his carefully constructed plans.

From the orchestra pit, Skip watches Poseidon’s younger brother stalk along the pool deck. It never hurts to smile at a man, because sometimes good things can come of it. Once the last note has been played, Skip gives it a shot.

The tenuous connection forged by a simple smile leads to events that dismantle both their lives. Has the damage been done, or can they pick up the pieces together?

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Aunt Maude patted the director’s shoulder and strode downstage, mistress of all she saw. “Hop out, girls.” She clapped her hands briskly. “Grab towels if you need them. We’ll go through the last few numbers and go home.”

Right away, Susie scuttled over to Russell. “After all this, I’ll need a shot of whiskey to take the chill off.”

“Me too.” Russell smirked to temper the truth in his words. “Go get your robe.”

“Nah, you’ll keep me warm enough.”

He took pity on her shivering and draped an arm over her shoulders. She tucked herself in close, ensuring he’d be left with soggy spots on his sports shirt and khaki slacks, but he didn’t push her away.

He and Susie made a good team, and for the seven thousandth time, he wished the press of her curves put more heat in his veins.

No such luck.

“Thanks, lamb chop.” Her rubber nose clip gave her voice a nasal hum, and she trembled in the cool summer air. “Can we sneak out later?”

“Sure, but if Aunt Maude catches us, we’ll both be on the train back home.”

She faked kicking him in the shin. “I didn’t come all this way to worry about going home. You and me are going to have fun.”

He pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “Yes, dear.”

Their last hurrah. They had two weeks in Seattle, then another run in Detroit. At some point, Russell would give Susie the diamond ring he had tucked in the bottom of his suitcase. He snugged her closer to his side. He’d start his new job, they’d get hitched, he’d buy the house, and she’d give him babies. More importantly, the wedding would give his parents something to be happy about.

The feeling of dread wedged under his sternum had more to do with nerves than anything else.
The director called for the Night at Club Aqua number and counted off a fast tempo. His baton flashed in the floodlights blazing from the edge of the stage. From the orchestra pit, the band hit the opening bars of “In the Mood.” Susie took off, diving into action with the other Aqua Dears. They spun through the water in a synchronized display, while the dancing half of their traveling troupe, the Aqua Darlings, took the stage dressed in sparkling blue skirts, white blouses, and low-heeled black shoes.

The big band, a dozen musicians playing brass and strings and percussion, romped through the verses twice, their heads silhouetted in the stage lights. Then a lone musician stood, rising into the glare like Gary Cooper on the screen at a drive-in movie. He was tall and lean and handsome, with a curled pompadour and a five-o’clock shadow. Curiosity pinned Russell in place. Then the young man put a trumpet to his lips, and Russell had to close his eyes.

The music rang out over the lake and bounced off the rooftops in the surrounding neighborhood. The tone was cool, but the solo was hot, hitting Russell with the force of a pickax. The horn’s voice turned his insides to jelly, but the man—from the swoop of his hair to the curve of his bicep—swapped that jelly for lava.

He tried to tell himself his damp clothes caused the shivers chasing over his skin, but didn’t come close to believing it. He dug his fingertips into the bands of muscle running up the back of his own neck and dragged his gaze back to the swimmers, breathing slow and deep to force the flush out of his face. He’d just been surprised by the man, and exhausted from travel. He’d be fine. Everything was okay.

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I write romance: m/f, m/m, and v/h, where the h is for human and the v is for vampire … or sometimes demon … I lean more towards funny than angst. When I’m not writing I take care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether I’m at work or at home. My husband is a soul of patience, my dog’s cuteness is legendary, and we share the homestead with three ferrets. Who steal things. Because they’re brats.

I can be found on-line at all hours of the day and night at my website (www.livrancourt.com) & blog (www.liv-rancourt.blogspot.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/liv.rancourt), or on Twitter (www.twitter.com/LivRancourt). For sneak peeks and previews and other assorted freebies, go HERE to sign up for my mailing list.

Come find me. We’ll have fun!

#MySexySaturday Sexy Saves the Day!

Sexy saves the day! What a great theme! I hope you check out all the blogs this weekend, because there'll be all kinds of heroic action. The list is at the bottom of this post, so check 'em out, okay?

Today's 7-paragraph snippet is from Aqua Follies, my historic m/m romance that'll be published in June. Russell and Skip are both pretty sexy, and in this bit, the gang's gone out to hear a band play but the cops break up the party. Russell's college degree pulls Skip out of the fire...

(Murphy is a cop, and he & Skip have history. This snippet is from Skip's POV.)

Murphy flashed the light around the car again. Skip kept his gaze out the passenger window. The light passed him, then came back.

“Oh, this is good,” Murphy laughed. “Mr., um…” Murphy took another glance at the license, “Mr. Haunreiter, what are you doing with a pervert like Skip Johansen?” Another laugh, meaner, nastier. “And who you got back here? Are you two lezzies?”

“Russell.” Another plaintive cry came from the girl in the back.

“Excuse me, Officer, but as Mr. Johansen’s legal counsel,” Russell spoke with more poise than Skip could ever hope for, “may I remind you slander is a crime, and unless you want to charge us with anything, I suggest you go back to your car and let us go.”

Murphy’s look of surprised dismay made Skip’s lips twitch.

“You really a lawyer?” Murphy clearly didn’t believe what he’d heard.

Russell met his gaze squarely. “Yes sir.”

(He's not, but he will be when the summer's over and he gets a job....lol.)

The 1950s. Postwar exuberance. Conformity. Rock and roll.

Homophobia.

Russell tells himself he’ll marry Susie because it’s the right thing to do. His summer job coaching her water ballet team will give him plenty of opportunity to give her a ring. But on the team’s trip to the annual Aqua Follies, the joyful glide of a trumpet player’s solo hits Russell like a torpedo, blowing apart his carefully constructed plans.

From the orchestra pit, Skip watches Poseidon’s younger brother stalk along the pool deck. It never hurts to smile at a man, because good things might happen, but the timing has to be right. Once the last note has been played, Skip gives it a shot.

The tenuous connection forged by a simple smile leads to events that dismantle both their lives. Has the damage been done, or can they pick up the pieces together?

~*~

That's all for this week. Thanks for checking out my post, and keep your eye on my blog, because the cover reveal and other details are coming right up. Me and my writing partner Irene Preston have a giveaway for a $10 gift card. We're choosing a winner 5/1/17 and you may as well enter, because somebody's gotta win.

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Finally, don’t forget to check out Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. 

Release Day! Change of Heart!

Change of Heart

Release Day 3/1/17

I guess technically I should call this a re-release day, because Change of Heart first appeared in the limited-run anthology NOLA Naughty Nine. If you grabbed that anthology, you've got the story. All that's changed is the fancy new cover.

Fancy New Cover!



For those of you who're just getting to see this for the first time, Change of Heart is a distant prequel to the other Hours of the Night novels - with one or two differences. I co-wrote Vespers and Bonfire with the fabulous Irene Preston, but Change of Heart has been a solo project. It's a historical romance rather than a paranormal, set in the French Quarter in 1933. And, the romantic pairing is f/trans-f, rather than m/m.

I'm excited to be sharing Change of Heart! While it's different than the other Hours of the Night stories, a certain vampire does have a role. His true identity may be a secret, but I left hints and teasers to entertain readers who are familiar with the world. Secret identities is something of a theme in this story, and I hope you enjoy it. Also, be sure and enter the giveaway Irene and I are running for a $10 gift card!!

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Preacher always said New Orleans was a den of sin, so of course Clarabelle had to see for herself…

A body reaps what they sow, and Clarabelle’s planted the seeds of trouble. The year is 1933, and not much else is growing in the Oklahoma dirt. Clarabelle’s gone and fallen in love with her best friend, so she figures it's time to go out and see the world.

If she’s lucky, she’ll find the kind of girl who'll kiss her back.

Clarabelle heads for New Orleans, and that's where she meets Vaughn. Now, Vaughn's as pretty as can be, but she's hiding something. When she gets jumped by a pair of hoodlums, Clarabelle comes to her rescue and accidentally discovers her secret. She has to decide whether Vaughn is really the kind of girl for her, and though Clarabelle started out a dirt-farming Okie, Vaughn teaches her just what it means to be a lady.

I pushed through the double doors, swallowing hard on my nerves. Vaughn and her friends were so worldly, and while my peach crepe dress was pretty, she’d seen it a bunch of times before. Despite the heat, my hands had gone cold from nervousness, but I made myself walk in their direction.

“It took you long enough.” Vaughn jumped to her feet. A few of the waiters were still cleaning up, and even the musicians had already packed away their instruments. “Come on.”

She all but pulled me off my feet, leading me away from the table.

“Are you snatching your little wildcat away?” Leo lolled in his seat, a shade too close to Mr. Dupont.

Vaughn drew me close to her side. “Shut up, Leo.”

She caught my eye and I blushed, ignoring the way Momma and the preacher were yammering in my head. Vaughn had something in mind, and while I didn’t want to burn in hell, I followed along behind her.

“You boys are here to see the boss, right?” she said. “You don’t want a couple of girls listening in on one of your bull sessions.”

Leo brayed loud enough to turn heads, and for a scant second I wondered why Vaughn put up with him. Vaughn’s happiness could warm a whole room, while Leo’s harsh humor left a bitter taste in my mouth. I couldn’t tell about Mr. Dupont. Someone that quiet could be thinking any ol’ thing.

“Come on, baby doll.” Vaughn spoke low, right in my ear, sending off a wave of shivers. I kept hold of her hand and followed. “Mr. Dupont and the boss have business dealings.” She pulled me along toward the rear hall. The only things back there were the kitchen and the boss’s office. We stopped at his office. She drew me into the room and locked the door.

I breathed so fast my head got light, overwhelmed by the scent of roses and my own sweat. At some point the boss would have to put my cash drawer away. Nervousness swelled into fear. “What are we doing?”

“Now.” Vaughn leaned against the door, still holding my hand. “No one’s going to bother us for a while.” Her gaze traveled over my body, leaving a trail of heat. “Such a pretty thing.”

I hitched a hip on the boss’s desk, and she crossed the room, moving slowly, as if we had all the time in the world and the boss wouldn’t be banging on the door any minute.

“I’m just…” The slink in her walk dried my voice like a stream in July. Her soft rose scent washed over me, followed by the heat of her body. She didn’t stop till our knees were touching.

“So,” she whispered.

“We shouldn’t be hiding out in here.” Though nothing under the sun could make me leave.

She ran a fingertip along my jaw. “Why not?” Her smile got saucy. “The boys’ll keep the boss busy for a while.”

Vaughn eased closer, and I arched against her. “It’s a…” Sin. My words were cut off by the press of her lips against mine. Pretty soon I learned that the taste of another woman’s mouth drove the preacher’s talk right out of my head.

This kiss was better than our first one because I knew what to do. She got a hand around my neck and pulled me closer, and, God help me, I let her. Her hands travelled over my shoulders, and our bubs rubbed together, sending tingles to the pit of my belly.

Things blurred, my body lighting up. Too many sensations came at me all at once. She licked my lips, and when I parted them, the touch of her tongue on mine made me gasp. So new. So good. Her arm circled my waist, pulling me tight against her hip. Her fingers teased my nipples through the flowing fabric of my dress.

She only paused when I tried to return the favor by reaching for the buttons of her blouse. She caught my hand and drew it back down to her waist.

“Nope, when I get drunk I get bossy, and I want to play.”  She giggled, and I got it. I’d tasted gin along with the lipstick, smelled the booze on her breath. She wasn’t blotto, but she’d started well before they’d cajoled an after-hours pour out of our bartender.

“You”—she tapped the tip of my nose—“make me think all kinds of naughty thoughts.” Her lips tightened for a second, but then her smile brightened and chased away the passing dim. “Here.” She threaded our fingers together and drew my hands to the top of my head. “Now keep ʼem here.”

“What?” I let go as soon as she did. “I’m not going to—”

“Shh.” She grasped my wrists and returned my hands to my head. “I told you I want to play. Do you trust me?” She rested her forehead against mine. “Do you?”

My heart jitterbugged all the way up into my throat. “Yeah.” The word came out strangled.

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For Ellen: Top Ten Fave Reads 2016

For many of us, 2016 prolly ended up something like this...

Right?

It's much easier for me to find the lowlights from this year than the highlights. Well, except when it comes to reading. Losing myself in a book provides respite from the most horrible situations. (If you're interested, here's a post I wrote a few months ago on How Books Saved My Life.) I didn't keep track of how many books I read - probably in the neighborhood of 100 to 150 - but for sure I came across some standouts. There might be ten on this list....or maybe a few more...okay, more like 20, but...

Favorite Holiday: Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins

So normally I wouldn't expect a holiday read to make a best-of list. Holiday stories are just there to be warm and fuzzy and fun, right? Glass Tidings is all that, plus it's also a damned fine bit of storytelling. The two heroes are real and complicated, and they had to work for their connection. As soon as I finished this book I turned back to page one and read it again. It's that good.

Favorite Historical: The Society of Gentlemen trilogy by KJ Charles

The link will take you to A Seditious Affair, the second book in the trilogy and arguably my favorite of the three. Along with A Gentleman's Position and A Fashionable Indulgence, these books rank as one of the best trilogies I've ever read in any genre, ever. You could probably pick out one of the novels and read it as a stand-alone, but the way the plot weaves between the books makes reading all three so worthwhile. Really brilliant, on so many levels.

Historical honorable mentions... The Soldier's Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian and Kindred Hearts by Rowan Speedwell
These two novels are both Regencies, and in both, one character has recently returned from fighting Napoleon in France. Because they covered the same ground, it was fun to compare and contrast them. The Soldier's Scoundrel is sort of the Glee version of a Regency, where Kindred Hearts is a much more serious historical novel. Both of them had me turning the pages just as fast, though. Good times!

Historical honorable mention...again. (Hey, it's my list, I can have as many as I want.) Rite of Summer by Tess Bowery.
This one is hot enough I almost bumped it to the erotic romance category. Lots of healthy young men doing what healthy young men do...despite the fact they could hang for it. The stakes were SO HIGH in this one I almost had to stop turning pages because I was too tense. Fun stuff!

Favorite contemporary: His Royal Secret and His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace.

When I read the blurb of the first book, I wasn't sure someone could sell me on a gay member of the British royal family, and you know what? The author totally did. These books gave me an insider's look at what it's like to live in a fish bowl, with the whole world watching, and the characters' emotional arc was just as believable. Highly recommend!

Contemporary honorable mention... Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Bend or Break) by Amy Jo Cousins.
Okay, at the risk of coming across as a squeeing fangirl,  the two novellas in this duology are pretty amazing. Love Me Like a Rock and Hard Candy follow two guys who have appeared in earlier Bend or Break novels. Austin and Vincent are forced to move beyond their dysfunctional friends-with-benes relationship, and both earn their happily ever afters. I have to admit Hard Candy resonated with me a little more than the other, but they're both excellent.

Favorite thriller: Between Ghosts by Garrett Leigh.

I don't read much romantic suspense, but I thought this one nailed the reality of war when soldiers know they're fighting a losing battle. I was drawn to the main characters, Connor and Nathan, and if the ending felt a little bit too neat, the rest of the story was so good I forgave it.

Thriller honorable mention... Mr. and Mr. Smith by HellenKay Dimon.
This one is slick and twisty and fun, sorta like if James Bond were gay. Lots of action, snappy dialogue, and a solid, fast-moving plot. There's also a sequel - The Talented Mr. Rivers - that I'll definitely be adding to my (towering) TBR pile.

Favorite mystery: Spindrift and A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson.

Well-written and spookier than heck, I burned through these two and wanted more. I found the love story in Spindrift a little more compelling, but the ghost story in Frost of Cares was scarier. Either way, you can't go wrong. 

Mystery honorable mention... Transformed: San Francisco: Quirky Transgender Spy Novels by Suzanne Falter.
This was a great read, in which the gender of the transman MC is part of the story but not exploited or overly dramatized. The plot works, the mystery is intriguing, and the whole thing was a lot of fun. 

Favorite erotic romance: The Dark Collector by Vanessa North.

This book saved my life, or at least pulled me out of a really sucky place. It's a novella, and I read it in one evening, when I really needed to get my mind off whatever crap was happening. It worked so well, I read it again the next evening. The author packs a lot of characterization and emotion in a short space. It's well worth the read.

Erotic romance honorable mentions... The Back Passage by James Lear, Like a Lover by Jay Northcote, and Old School Discipline by Misha Horne.
Like a Lover isn't classified as erotic romance - it's a contemporary about college guys - but wow is it ever hot! The Back Passage is a tongue-in-cheek historical, and Old School Discipline takes on some very naughty high school boys. And yes, in all of them the sex is sexy, you know, but they're also great stories, with strong characters I came to care about.

And the sex is sexy.

Favorite paranormal: Priddy's Tale by Harper Fox

I love Harper Fox's writing style. She so completely captures the harsh and magical reality of life on the coast of Cornwall. The thing I loved most about Priddy's Tale was the gentle fantasy element, the way Priddy's weakness - an accidental overdose has fractured his reality - turns into something good.

Paranormal honorable mention... Death by Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswald.
This story hits so many of my weaknesses! It's a smart mystery set in a Victorian era where magic is real. I read both this one and it's sequel, Death in the Dionysis Club, in quick succession, and then sat around feeling sorry for myself because there's not a third. 

Favorite sports romance: Reading the Signs by Kiera Andrews

I DNFed more sports romances than I actually read this year, mostly because the characters weren't believable, or the reality of their supposed sport didn't work for me. This one made me wish it was baseball season ALL YEAR LONG!

So there you have it, my top ten(ish) list of favorite books for 2016. I hope your holidays were lovely, and that 2017 exceeds all our expectations!
Happy New Year!
Liv

(See, Ellen? There are almost as many books on my list as there was yours. :) )

Since you got to the very bottom of the post, check out the rafflecopter giveaway Irene Preston and I are running for January. There's a $10 gift card at stake!


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