Sunday, December 13, 2015

Virtual Book Tour: A Cook's Tale

Please welcome fellow author and friend Mann Ramblings, who is here to tell us about his new release, A Cook's Tale!

The Questions

1)         You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?
WWE Wrestler John Cena and a bottle of whiskey. The big son of a bitch will give in eventually. A lack of options will eventually wear him down and the liquor can’t hurt to reduce my timeline. (Don’t tell my hubby…)
2)         Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?
I grew up with the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Given the chance, I’d be Frank N. Furter. Sometimes you just have to let it out: sing, seduce your guests, and be larger than life… and be more than a little bit wrong while you’re at it.
3)         Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them:  hammer, saucer, traffic lights
With all the slurs the Baptist pastor hurled in my face, you’d think he believed his faith granted him some kind of perfect armor. It failed to protect his teacup and saucer as I wielded my own righteous hammer and dragged him into a busy intersection while I marveled at the pretty traffic lights.
How’s that?
4)         You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?
Considering the main cast of my book The Luxorian Fugitive covers a large portion of my preferences in men, I’d probably run rampant through the crew. Some of them one at a time, some all at once… I’d run through every inappropriate fantasy in my head and never have to worry about being rejected, because they’d share them all.
5)         What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
We’re very boring together actually! My favorite nights all surround the fireplace ambience with a drink in hand, snuggled up watching whatever program has struck our fancy this month on Netflix. Outside of that, a nice shower together can lead to great fun!
6)         When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?
Plot almost always comes first for me. From there, I build the cast based off of what I need, throwing in an unusual characteristic or type to complicate the plot. I prefer my characters to be real and flawed. How else can they be dynamic?
7)         If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?
I think it’s more of would rather than should. I’d like to believe Vin Diesel would play a hyper-cool machismo driven rendition of my life, but in reality it would be more of Michael Cena. And not the coked-up, sex freak version from the movie, The End. No, it would be the neurotic, annoying type no matter how much I try to reinvent myself. LOL
8)         Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?
Dracula. And I mean the real bloody, predatory, sadomasochistic character, not the misunderstood Interview With A Vampire rendition we’ve been fed under the current genre. (I actually happen to love Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, by the way, but Drac doesn’t fall into that category.) As a villain he’s been muddied down into something very different from the type I grew up with, which saddens me a bit.
9)         Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Historical crush? You’re assuming I stayed awake through those classes. All right fine. The dude who sculpted all the hot naked dudes. He had to have to have shagged all the best models. LMAO I really don’t know how to answer this. Next question…
10)       Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?
Last year for Gay Authors.org I wrote a Christmas story that is currently beginning featured in a group of favorite Christmas tales, titled Rudolph’s Tijuana Christmas. Most of my 17 reviews for the story are some form of “OMG! What The Fuck did I just read?” I’m capable of just about anything. The only thing keeping me from writing stories is a lack of time.




A COOK'S TALE
Book Two: Ship Logs of the Santa Claus

by Mann Ramblings



M/M Sci-fi Romance by Wayward Ink Publishing

Giveaway for Book One – The Luxorian Fugitive below!

Buy Links:








Blurb:

The trials and tribulations of the crew and passengers of interplanetary transport vessel, The Santa Claus continues in A Cook’s Tale.

After a horrific breakup, Erron Murfin is bitter, homeless, and friendless. When the cook’s position on the Santa Claus presents itself, Erron decides to escape his current circumstances and join the crew. On board he reconnects with family friend Gamin Wells, whose own secrets and issues begin to surface upon Erron's arrival. The least of which is the reason the pair haven't laid eyes on one another in over twelve years.

As Erron settles into his new duties, the men on board take an interest in their newest crew member. Among those intrigued by Erron are polyamorous couple, Barrus and James. Despite Erron's cautious nature, he’s drawn into a triad relationship with the pair.

But there’s something about Gamin…

Is Erron too damaged to confront his own feelings?

Will his past prevent him from finding what he needs?



Excerpt:

Beta Deck was situated like a large dormitory. All the rooms ran in a loop with a central facility containing a gymnasium, lockers, lavatories, and shower room. On a non-hetero vessel, the layout was dubious to say the least.

Since the majority of the crew was off-ship, Erron felt bold enough to enter the locker room. In his quarters, he'd stalled for a bit, deciding how to proceed. What was considered normal on the Santa Claus? Did the men walk around half-dressed? Less than half? There were a lot of factors in fitting into an established community. Towel over his shoulder, he stepped through the doorway into the locker room. The gymnasium could be seen down one end and the shower room was visible down the other. He wondered what it would be like with a dozen men all stripping down and showering together in one room together. The likelihood for something tawdry to happen seemed high.

Gamin's clothes lay over the bench and the sound of water running told Erron the chef beat him here. Not surprising really, Gamin had been on the ship for years, this was his home, and Erron hoped he'd soon feel the same.

Stripping off, Erron dropped his garments in the same fashion as Gamin. Peeling off his briefs, he felt a sudden surge of awkwardness. He was about to get in the shower with Gamin. The nervous giggle tried to rip out of his mouth, so he choked it down. He was being childish.

“Took you long enough.” Gamin said. The chef hadn't looked in Erron's direction as he held his head under the spray.

“I had to find my towel.”

Erron hung his towel on the hook near the doorway, and selected a shower with a buffer of one nozzle between them. The control panel beeped as Erron touched it, but nothing happened. Over and over, he touched the pad only to be mocked by the same tone.

“It's voice activated,” Gamin said, barely looking over his shoulder. “Just tell it the temperature you want.” Erron's face heated up; he couldn't bring himself to admit he couldn't muster the nerve to use the shower last night after they turned in. The ship was too quiet, and too new.

Ducking his head slightly, Erron leaned forward and spoke to the black panel. “Forty- two degrees Celsius.” A torrent of heated water rushed over Erron, the delicious heat the first step in washing away what felt like months of grime and sad reminders of his derailed life. The cheap inns he'd been forced to rent after being evicted had lousy facilities. This... this was a small piece of chocolate decadence.

“Like your showers pretty hot?” Gamin continued to face the wall as he soaked himself.

Erron angled his hips, keeping his privates out of view. “I'd forgotten how nice it feels.”

For the first time he could remember, Erron felt self-conscious. The fitness membership expired shortly after the breakup, but Erron hadn't lost too much tone. He'd never be large and imposing, his frame didn't allow it. A lean body and smooth skin could still turn heads. The treatment responsible for his hair growing in green made all the rest on his body the same color. Jade colored hair on his arms and legs was too odd and a green pubic zone made him feel like a perverted clown, so it had to go. There was nothing wrong with him, but why he felt the need to hide himself, he couldn't say. He certainly never acted this shy in front of the troops during the war. It was more than a bit hypocritical when he peered over his shoulder at his showering partner.

Tall and thick, with coarse hair on his arms and legs, Gamin's size and sturdiness were a stark contrast to Erron's smaller stature. Wisps of fur reached around the sides of the chef's rounded belly that matched the meaty globes of his behind. Everything about Gamin was solid and manly. The peppering of gray on his head and beard fit him as well.

It was true, he probably shouldn't be looking, but Erron had never seen Gamin this way in all these years. Not even shirtless at the park when he was growing up. From what he could see, the view wasn't half bad; Gamin had nothing to be ashamed of. What he did notice was how deliberate Gamin was being at not looking at him.

“You're a lot bigger than I remembered.” Erron couldn't help watching Gamin soap his body while continuing to face the wall. It had been a long time since he'd had any opportunity to be with a man. While it wasn't his plan to be with Gamin, as long as he didn't turn around, Erron could enjoy the show. He prayed Gamin wouldn't turn around. That would be mortifying.

“Yeah well, I've had time to eat a few good meals.”

“It looks good on you.”

Gamin chuckled as lines of lazy suds followed the contours of his back and between the crevice of his haunches. “Thanks. You've changed a lot over the years too.”

“I'm not a kid anymore.”

“No. No, you're not,” Gamin said, drenching his head under the spray.


Giveaway:


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About the Author:

Like many gay men, when MANN RAMBLINGS grew up, there weren't any heroes he could relate to. The world held him back while he tried futilely to hide the real person inside. So much has changed since those hollow days. He finally found his voice, the voice that says it’s all right to revel in the so-called inappropriate joys, laughs, and loves that storm inside a man's head. It took a long time to find that courage and now that it's here, he plans to use it well.

While spending years more focused on visual arts, he never let go of his innate passion for storytelling—he wanted to write and draw comic books when he grew up. Once he discovered M/M fiction, a whole new world opened with new possibilities. Why couldn't you have fantastic and dynamic tales with an M/M cast? He started reading the online tales of authors like Night Tempest, Rob Colton, and Alicia Nordwell, which only fueled within him the need to create. Eventually he found GayAuthors.org, and with a little coercive nudge from Night Tempest, started sharing his tales with an unexpected level of positive response. That experience and support gave him the courage to cross his fingers and aim for the world of M/M publishing.

Born and raised in Michigan, Mann Ramblings continues to type away, wishing it was practical to use a noisy, old fashioned keyboard that clacks with each strike, if only to annoy his loving partner and spoiled miniature dachshund.

MANN RAMBLINGS can be found at:
      Blog: http://mannramblingsblog.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mannramblings
Twitter: @mannramblings


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