Book Blitz & Excerpt: The Vanishing of Owen Taylor + Giveaway

Book Title: The Vanishing of Owen Taylor

Author:  Kyle Michel Sullivan

Publisher:  KMSCB

Cover Artist: JamTheCat

Release Date: April 28, 2016

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Murder Mystery/Suspense

Trope/s: Anti-gay conspiracy, intolerance, corrupt legal system

Themes: Cost of unconditional love

Warning: References to rape

Heat Rating: 3 out of 5

Length: 121 070 words/ 355 pages in PB; 274 in HC

Is it a standalone book? Somewhat. Jake Blaine is the MC in this book, and it’s a semi-followup to Rape in Holding Cell 6, a book I wrote with his lover, Antony, as the MC…but it’s not absolutely necessary you read that book to follow this one (tho’ it might help, at the beginning).

Add on Goodreads 

Book 1 – Rape in Holding Cell 6

 

Buy Links

Author’s Blog   |   Smashwords

    

When his uncle disappears, Jake goes to Palm Springs to find out why only to get caught in a web of fear, hate, betrayal … and what looks more and more like murder … with Jake targeted as the next victim.

 

Blurb 

Was it murder? Suicide? Or did Owen Taylor vanish to avoid prosecution for rape? Everyone had their own idea, but the only note he left behind was sent to his nephew, Jacob Blaine, in Denmark … which was crazy, because Owen knew Jake was currently living in the States.

Of course this happened at the worst possible time for Jake. He was helping his lover, Antony, fight bogus criminal charges; his estranged, anti-gay mother was battling cancer; his job in Copenhagen wanted him to return there — now; and worst of all … Antony was pushing him away. It was tearing him apart.

But Uncle Owen had backed him up through some rough times, so Jake made what he thought would be a short trip to Palm Springs, to see if he could find out what happened. He re-connected with Dion, his first true love, and then he discovered other men had also disappeared. On top of that, an organization called PSALMS was spreading hate and distrust of the gay community as part of their plan to turn back gay rights.

The more Jake dug into Owen’s disappearance, the more he found lies, deceit and treachery by members of the police force, people in the DA’s office, and even some of Owen’s friends. And behind it all was someone who would do everything they could to keep their true motives hidden.

Even have Jake vanish, as well.

Excerpt

This is from the end of Book 1, Part 4, where Jake has Antony and their techie-roommate, Matt, do some research:

They read the message and Matt did some cross-referencing on his diamond-sharp laptop as I spoke, popping in with, “Okay, got that here,” and, “It fits.” He also found a chart showing Warren Philby had a ninety-five percent conviction rate and was talking about running for Riverside District Attorney in the next election. As a Republican with a Tea Party bent.

Already I hated the prick.

That’s when I noticed Tone looking at me with his quiet, wary expression, so I snarled, “You don’t believe my uncle’d molest a kid, do you?”

“No.” He frowned like he was insulted I’d even asked him that question.

“So what…is…it?”

“I dunno. It just doesn’t line up with…well, your father called your mother, asking about your uncle’s condos and — “

“Condos? He had more’n one?”

“Four. One he lived in; three he rented out. He also owns some other property.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, how d’you know my father called mom?”

“She…she told me.”

I nearly fell off the chair. “My mother called you?”

Tone blinked and looked away. “Uh…looking for you. I…I told her you were…you were out of the country.”

“When?”

“Day before yesterday.”

Man, I should’ve gone to see her the second I got back.

“What’d she say to you, Tone?”

He sighed. “She knows why you’re here. And she…she said stuff like, That’s just like you, to let people drag you down. Then she gave me her number and address — “

“I know that shit,” I said. “I’m goin’ straight over.”

“She’s moved, Jake,” said Matt.

“She sold her townhouse? She loved that place.”

“Just telling you what she told me,” Tone said. He gave me a slip of paper with a phone number and address.

“This is south side,” I muttered.

Tone shrugged. He wouldn’t know, but my mother was one of those types who only want to live around acceptable people. In her eyes, Southside was…borderline…at best.

“Matt, we’ll be right back.” I went around the counter, took Tone by the arm and guided him up into the bedroom, then closed the door, sat him on the bed and kneeled before him, looking hard into his eyes.

“Y’know, I had lunch with Mira. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

He hesitated then looked straight back at me, his eyes sharp as cut diamonds. “That therapist I’m seeing…that the state’s making me see. I…I asked him to talk with her. Told him she’s a psychologist and has a clinic in Paris and…and I wanted her to know everything that happened was on me. Not you.”

“She already knew that.”

“…Maybe. This verified it.”

“And you talk about me not tellin’ you things?”

“I…uh…I didn’t think she’d let you know.”

“Great defense. So what’s in those notes?”

He looked away. “You already know everything in them.”

I took a deep breath. “Tone…what. The fuck. Is goin’ on, here?” He just stared at the wall. No expression. I took his face in my hands and made him look at me. “Okay, whatever it was that my mother said to you — keep in mind…that bitch kicked me out of her home when I was seventeen. I haven’t seen her since, so what she knows about me and who I am is zero. Zip. Nada. Anything she says is just her messin’ with us.”

He shrugged me off and said, “But she’s right. You wouldn’t be here except for me.”

“You’re right, you little shit — I wouldn’t. I’d be fresh out of jail. Or still livin’ in Nana’s house. Barely existing. I’d never have met my brothers and sisters in Paris, or gotten to work with my Uncle Ari, or become a Danish citizen. I’d be an ex-con. But I’m here, alive, because of you. So what. Did. My mother. Say. To you?”

“Just…just what I told you.”

“Bullshit!” No response. I sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor. “You don’t wanna talk, don’t. But this is a woman who told her only child that she hates him bein’ queer.”

“Maybe…maybe you shouldn’t go see her…“

“I got to. Somethin’ is goin’ on with my uncle and the only way to get the truth of what she knows is a face-to-face.”

He ran his hand through my hair. God, I loved it when he did that. Then he whispered, “Should I stock up on alcohol?”

I sighed from the emotion in his voice and nodded. “Twelve-pack. No, fuck it — Tequila.”

“I’ll get some mixers and we’ll make a nice queeny night of it. A Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew had a party…“ He snorted. “Sounds like the setup for a joke.”

I made him look at me. “Hey, I’m half Catholic.”

His hand whispered over my cheek and his eyes grew hurt, again. “My all-American mutt.”

All I could think to say was, “Don’t let mom mess with us, Tone.” He ruffled my hair then got up and left the room.

I leaned against the bed. He’d lied to me. My mother’s crap comments weren’t bad enough to rip him up. There was definitely something else going on in his head, and he’d used them as a wall to hide behind.

Well…sitting on the floor wasn’t getting anything done. I got up, got dressed, and headed over to the insurance company where she worked. I wanted a professional environment around us, in case things got nasty, because she was damn well going to explain to me what the hell she was pulling.

Only it turned out she hadn’t worked there in nearly three years.

Man…I had a lot of catching up to do, with her.

 

About the Author 

Kyle Michel Sullivan is a writer and self-involved artist out to change the world until it changes him…as has already happened in far too many ways.

He has written books that range from sunshine and light (“David Martin”) to cold and dark (“How To Rape A Straight Guy”, which has been banned a couple of times) to flat out crazy (“The Lyons’ Den”) to mainstream (“The Alice ’65”). He has now ventured into SF-Horror-Suspense with “The Beast in the Nothing Room” and taken Capitalism to its logical extreme in “Hunter”.

He is currently working to complete “A Place of Safety”, his Irish novel; “Darian’s Point”, a gothic horror story set in Ireland; and “Dair’s Window”, about an artist trying to rebuild his world after the death of his lover.

Kyle uses Tolstoy as his guide, and is trying to build characters as vivid and real as possible. He has a lot of fun doing it mixed with angst, anger, and amazement… but that’s the lot of a writer.

Author Links

Blog/Website  |  Facebook  |   Twitter  |   Instagram

 

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win  a signed hardcover copy of The Vanishing of Owen Taylor or a signed paperback set of Rape in Holding Cell 6 & The Vanishing of Owen Taylor 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

 

Follow the tour and check out the other blog posts and reviews here

Spotlight & Excerpt: Hunted + Giveaway

Hunted
Atlanta’s Finest Book 6
by Sharon C. Cooper
Genre: Romantic Suspense

 

She’s everything he never knew he wanted…
 
Former CIA spy Myles Carrington experienced enough danger in his clandestine days. The last thing he needs in his life right now is trouble, but that’s what he gets when salon owner Geneva Ramsey crosses his path. She’s combative, fierce and the sexiest woman he’s ever met, but he’s not looking for anything serious. He promises himself only one night with her and nothing more.
 
Geneva kissed him on a dare. A dare that altered her carefree life, and she’s conflicted. Myles is an enigma, a puzzle she can’t piece together. Yet, she’s addicted to him—which is just crazy. She never gets serious with any guy, but after one night with Myles no other man will do. Now, she just needs him to cooperate.
 
When an unknown enemy from Myles’s past begins hunting him, the hunter becomes the hunted. Myles will destroy anyone who dares threaten those he loves, but will Geneva become a casualty of his past? Or can Myles save her and begin a life he thought he never wanted?
 
Book 6 in the Atlanta’s Finest series. All books in this series can be read as a standalone.
 

atlatas finest hunted teaser 2

huntedaf - excerpt

Geneva’s heart thudded against her chest, surprised that Myles would know something so personal about her. Something she rarely shared with anyone. But her initial surprise quickly spiraled into anger. If there was one thing she hated, it was people reminding her of the biggest mistake she ever made.

“I’m not going to even bother asking where you got that information,” Geneva growled under her breath, her pulse still racing, thinking that someone had stolen her gun.

For a moment, she wasn’t concerned about the bastards who had vandalized her car. All she could think about was that Myles knew about her past. Laz, her brother-in-law, probably told him. Or as resourceful as Myles was, he could’ve easily found out on his own. That was one of many problems in falling for someone with his background.

God, what he must think of me.

She usually couldn’t care less what people thought of her, but him? This was Myles. A man she cared about more than she dared to admit.

What was it about this night? First, her sister threatened to send her back to jail. Then she learned that Myles knew about her stint behind bars. Both pissed her off.

“What were you thinking?” he asked in that cool, calm way that grated on her nerves.

As a convicted felon, it was against the law for her to purchase or possess a firearm. If caught, she’d be tossed back in jail, and her parents would kill her. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint them again.

“Carrying this around is asking for trouble, but what I want to know is why you have it in the first place,” Myles said in a low voice. The teens were nearby but not close enough to hear the conversation.

Silence fell between them as they stared each other down. He was still in the driver’s seat while she stood inside the opened passenger door.

Geneva didn’t bother telling him that she’d been having trouble with some punk kids who had been terrorizing the area. She only recognized one of them on the ground from a couple of weeks ago.

“Listen,” Myles continued, but Geneva lifted her hand to silence him.

“No. You listen. Hand over my gun and get the hell out of my car. Better yet, leave. I’ll deal with the cops myself. I don’t need your judgment right now or your help in locking up.”

Without a word, Myles ejected the magazine, made sure there wasn’t a bullet in the chamber, then handed her the empty gun. He climbed out of the car and slammed the door, causing more glass to skitter to the ground.

Anger propelled Geneva around to the driver’s side of the vehicle. Before she could get to Myles, he had his cell phone to his ear and stared her down. It was as if he was daring her to try and take the ammunition from him.

“Myles, you’re crazy in your head if you think I’m letting you leave here with my—”

“Yeah, this is Myles. I need a favor,” he said to whoever was on the other end of the call. He didn’t take his eyes off of Geneva, and his voice remained calm as if she weren’t glaring at him. She half-listened as he told the person on the other end of the line about her car and how she needed the vehicle towed.

Geneva heard sirens in the distance, and they were getting closer. She glanced down at the gun in her hand. He was right. Bullets or no bullets, she couldn’t be caught holding a pistol.

Award-winning and bestselling author, Sharon C. Cooper, is a romance-a-holic- loving anything that involves romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. Sharon writes contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense and enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She’s been nominated for numerous awards and is the recipient of an Emma Award for Romantic Suspense of the Year 2015 (Truth or Consequences), Emma Award – Interracial Romance of the Year 2015 (All You’ll Ever Need), and BRAB (book club) Award -Breakout Author of the Year 2014. When Sharon is not writing or working, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work or reading a good book (a romance of course).

To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
 
 
$20 Paypal Cash

Spotlight & Excerpt: Smoke Screen + Giveaway

Smoke Screen
K. Nilsson
(The Blue Trilogy, #2)
Publication date: October 29th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

She was a distraction. He was a mistake.
Now they’re in each others’ way.

Rookie investigator Devyn Foster knows the pain of losing family. It’s what drives her to do what she does – finding the missing and the lost and returning them to their families.

Her latest assignment is no different, finding the computer a whiz who disappeared while working on a mysterious project. Even though his case has gone cold, she won’t let his elderly parents suffer. She will find him and return him back to them.

But that was before the one-night stand that changed everything…

Private Investigator Max Carson has never let anything—or anyone—stop him from getting the job done. So when he’s hired to track down a software program that could change the world, that’s exactly what he’s going to do… until he finds himself in a dead heat with a woman who’s just as determined as he is to get the job done on her own terms.

Now Max has to deal with two problems: how to get Devyn out of the way… and out of his heart.

Goodreads / Amazon

Excerpt:

Devyn Foster
New condo, Marina del Rey

In an empty hallway, a middle-aged Asian couple faced a picture window. The woman held a tissue to her nose as the husband wrapped his arm around her. The blinds riffled open. The sight so shocking; he gasped, and his wife slid to the floor in hysterics.

The alarm clock awakened me from the nightmare and the aroma of coffee from my programmable percolator enticed me from the bed.

Ben, my boss, granted me a new case that meant a lot to me—help the Lins reunite.

Kai’s parents were desperate. Unable to leave China to recover their child, the parents called the Los Angeles police. They filed a report for their boy. He was an exchange student, sponsored by Nathan Miller, CEO of TechKey.

The sponsor’s lack of concern raised suspicions. Miller didn’t tell anyone Kai hadn’t returned from his vacation. The employer could face a penalty for not reporting the absence.

The detectives dropped the case. With no sign of foul play, they surmised he disappeared into the social fabric of the undocumented.
I reached for my phone to message Ben.

Me: Have you heard if they granted the Lins an emergency visa?

Ben: No, I have gotten no news. The paperwork could take months.

I was familiar with loss. I was an orphan. When I was a child, my father, a Green Beret, died in Afghanistan. They sent him home in a box. His brothers came to the funeral, promising to watch and protect us. It was the last time we saw them.

Growing up without my dad was difficult. After his death, my mother didn’t date. Along with other widows, she gave moral support to individuals who lost family in action. Mirroring her empathy, I accompanied her. Their stories helped us deal with our loss. My grandparents moved to LA to help Mom. She raised me to have self-confidence, fostering my independence by taking chances. I would learn something valuable, no matter if it were successes or failures.

Mom didn’t discourage risky activities. Because I was so much like my dad, if she forbade me these outlets, she knew I would do it anyway. But as long as I was in the hands of experts, she relaxed her grip. I learned to ride a motorcycle, skydive, and compete in skiing events.

I reminded her of Dad. With his brown hair and her blue eyes, I was a mix of both. My dad’s fearlessness was in my nature, especially when I dove into unfamiliar situations. Because of my people, I knew unconditional love. But she was my anchor.

When she died, I lost my way. Shortly after, my grandpa passed away from a broken heart and Grandma, two months later. The loneliness manifested itself in my behavior. All the familiar guideposts shifted. With no one to tether me, I floundered.

To distract me from depression, my best friend, Candace, suggested we travel over the semester break. We backpacked through Mexico and South America. I took in the dystopia of poverty—loss of individualism, family, and fundamental freedoms. My survival would mean something. I would continue my parents’ legacy and chose a career path serving people.

Reuniting the Lins with their son would somewhat assuage the pain in my heart.

My long-time friend, Candace, advised me to seize life’s little pleasures when and where I could.

All work and no play would drive me toward a crisis point.

She explained her philosophy about the zipless fuck. There was an “honesty” in enjoying sex with someone you didn’t know—providing all the cards were on the table.

I considered the idea, “no fuss, promises, or expectations” appealing, and it propelled me to engage in a one-night stand. When I opened up to Max, I enjoyed the liaison so much, I felt like unzipping the zipless fuck and offering up a repeat. It wasn’t in the cards—Max walked away without looking back. It was a big hit to my ego.

Fate is a fickle bitch. The fairy godmother of the spurned intervened. I took my vengeance in a public bathroom in a high-end hotel.

Max was a heartthrob, incredibly handsome—a drop-dead James Bond. The sight of him startled me. When a woman stopped in her tracks and threw him her room key, I grew angry and gave him hell. He did not offer excuses for his boorish behavior nor did he diminish my feelings. The rake tried to appease me—then made a ridiculous suggestion that bit him in the ass—a bet involving sex. I wanted him—more so, I needed revenge.

My mind flashed back to the angry red cock. The frustration on Max’s contorted face was priceless. I controlled his orgasm. While he thrashed and hollered and I exploded like a firecracker—afterward, I gloated. On my signal, Max emptied himself—it was a tidal wave.

I held on tight while his body shuddered. The endorphin-drunk sex god trembled. I reduced him to an object for my pleasure. He was hard moments after and pleaded for an encore with a pained expression. I ignored him. Once dressed, I left the restroom and never looked back.

Did I feel vindicated after coldly topping him?

Yes. But fate reared her ugly head. I took a job at a high-tech company where I expected to find Kai.

When I attended the orientation for new employees, my eyes met Max’s. He sat at the conference table looking as stunned as me.

 

Author Bio:

K. Nilsson’s love of reading began with the Bobbsey twins. When she ran across some Italian True Romance novellas stashed in the attic, the musty serials hooked her on adult fiction. Though black and white photos were dramatic enough to know what the stories were about, she taught herself to read in Italian and translated them to her friends. She’s an unapologetic reviewer of books, restaurants, and vacation destinations. An amateur photographer, K. loves taking editorial photos and documenting her travels. Her personal philosophy, sleeping is a waste of time.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:
XBTBanner1

Scroll Up