September 2018 Update

For the next few months, I have three new stories coming out.

Coming October 27 is Dexter's Haunting for Dark and Stormy story for Halloween. It's not scary but it is ghost themed.

Coming in December (not sure what date yet) is my Christmas offering, A Sutter's Bay Christmas. This concerns a new couple but many of the guys from previous stories in the series make an appearance.

In January 2019 I have Snowed In: Sam and Lincoln coming. This one is basically Sam and Lincoln stuck some place together during a snowstorm. This was a JMS Author themed series so you can expect other versions of Snowed In: Name and Name.

Brand new, never before published stories.

I hope to have a couple of stories out in 2019. I'll keep anyone posted. 

  

Covers to Love Part 1

Sometimes covers come along that I just love. Two of my recent covers are those covers. I've seen the cover for California Dreaming and I love it. As soon as I have the final version I will post it.

But in the mean time I got the cover for my upcoming re-release of Can't Be His and I just adore it. It's what the cover should have been the first time. It fits the story so well. I had to post it here.

At Long Last and Until the End of Time Update

Well now that the contracts have been signed and officially acknowledged I can mention that I have sold the rights to At Long Last and it's sequel, Until the End of Time, to be re-released by Loose Id sometime later this year. Since Scott and Preston hold a special place in my heart this is good news that they will be out in the publishing world again once the closing of Amber Quill concludes later this month. There will be some edits on At Long Last and Until the End of Time but not sure to what extent at this point. I do know the plan is to package them together when the time comes.

At this point I have no other news on the fate of my other Amber Quill work including Most Likely to Succeed or Car Wash. When I do I will post here.

The Latest

Making a Wish, my next work in progress story for Amber Quill is taking shape. This story is part of another PAX, this one called Getting Connected.

Basically my main hero is Marty Brooks, an astronomy professor with a thing for Sci-Fi, particularly a fictional set of Sci-Fi moves that has an annual convention. Marty will be attending this convention where it turns out one of the main stars of the movies is his old pen pal from when Marty was boy. Marty and his pen pal will hook up at the convention and then agree to stay connected afterward. Things could get complicated as the star is a big one and is not exactly open about his sexuality.

We shall see where it takes me. The story is due September first and once it has been submitted I will have a better idea of a release date.

In the meantime, Unobtainable, my Cops Pax story has a release date of August 09, 2015. That will be here before you know it.   

May Update

I've submitted, Unobtainable, to Amber Quill, with a week to spare as it was due June 01. Once it has a firm release date, I will update the site.

Here is the blurb (tentative) for anyone who might be interested:

Scott O'Hara and Edgar Lopez have been partners in the homicide unit of Haydon Cliff’s Police Department for the last couple of years. Edgar is openly gay and a bit of a player. Though Scott is also gay he keeps it to himself. Even from Edgar. Until one night, a slightly drunk Scott initiates sex between them. Scott doesn't expect the sex to be repeated. He doesn't do one-night stands or fuck-buddies. But Edgar has other ideas and Scott can’t seem to resist his sexy partner.

While they try to solve the mystery of who is murdering Haydon Cliff’s homeless, they also try to solve the mystery of whether Edgar’s heart can really be obtainable.  

Next up I have one more Pax story due by September 01, and this one is supposed to be involved in "Stayed Connected"(dating sites, email, chat rooms, etc) My idea is just taking shape now but the tentative title is Making a Wish. This is subject to change.

What comes after that? I don't know. Maybe an extended writing break for me. We shall see..

In the meantime, Just His is available from Amber Quill and All Romance eBooks. To my knowledge it has yet to make it to Amazon.

Last Days to Enter

Just a few days left to enter the contest to possibly be one of two winners of Loving the Boss. I'll post the winners either on September 25 or 26. I will be on my second mini-vacation until sometime on September 25, so the winners may not be posted until the following day.

In other news, I wrote a related story to Loving the Boss called Loving the Assistant. This story involves Alan's best friend. Alan is the main character from Loving the Boss. I've been offered a contract for Loving the Assistant, which I have accepted, but I have no further details at this time as I've not yet seen the contract. Once I have a release date and all that good stuff I'll have the site updated.

So go ahead and leave a comment here if you are interested in winning Loving the Boss and you haven't already entered.

Just Another Day

I'm working on More Than Enough, which is my second college story (not sure if it's part of the college daze series or not) and the companion piece to the already completed and scheduled, More Than Anything (coming October 30).  It's going pretty well and I'd say I'm about half done with it. It's got to be done by the end of this month.

Lo and behold, my entries for a contest arrived this past weekend. I am a judge. I have to have five books read by September 07, 2011. Um, yeah. This might be comptelely reasonable save for the above paragraph mentioning the work in progress. Note to Shawn: do not volunteer to judge contests.

Also, I am going away for a few days a couple of times this month. Little summer trips. During which my laptop will be staying behind.

So yeah, no pressure or anything.

The good news is this is the last story I must have done this year. I will be working on adding a little bit to a free story I will be putting out on ARe in time for the holidays, but that should be fairly easy as the bulk of the story is written.

I'm fairly certain I know what I will be working on for the end of the year, but I am fickle and change my mind frequently so it could change. I won't mention it now for fear it will.

The Latest News

Was busy writing over the previous weekend and managed to sneak in another "His" story, Can't Be His. Didn't want to spill the beans ahead of time in case I couldn't get it done. I did. It's a short one but I had loads of fun writing it and I think you will find the characters, Roach (an exterminator) and Alexi (an ice skater) appealing.

Now I will admit originally I had Can't Be His for another couple but well they will just have to deal with a different "His" letter title.

Now before anyone squawks at the name Roach I actually know TWO people in real life that go by the nickname Roach. One is a female co-worker and she asked me to write a gay romance with a guy named Roach. I said I would and did. 

I Got Nothing

Nothing to report.

Still waiting for the cover for Manfred's Curse and The Naughty Ones (I think Naughty's cover will be a generic Christmas cover and will probably be a while before I see it).

I did get the first chapter of The Impersonator done so I made progress there. But really, not too much going on.

With The Beach House coming up in October, Manfred and Naughty in November and December, those will be the three books closing out 2010 for me. Everything else I am working on will be seen in 2011.

So, that's a pretty good year for me really at ten total releases. Can't complain about that. What I can complain about is how many stories I still have coming up to be written! Oy! LOL.

PS. The black kitty looks like Manfred in the story.

Thursday Updates

Wracking my brain for something to write for the blog. It kind of sucks not really having news to report.

Going over my galley for Twice in a Lifetime. At 28,000 words it's now the longest Shawn Lane offering.

At the moment I am working on sex (the first one) on my short Christmas story, The Naughty Ones. It takes me longer to write sex scenes than it takes my characters to have sex. Much longer. What amounts to a few pages in a story, sometimes a few paragraphs, takes me days to get it on the page. Truly pathetic.

The Christmas story isn't going to be terribly long. I'm making it short on purpose because while I want to write it, I have too many other things to write to devote a lot of words to it. Still, I think most readers will like it. Once it is finished, I'll hopefully have news regarding it.

I was working on it and Accidentally His at the same time, but I think I'm going to finish off The Naughty Ones first and then get back to finishing Accidentally His. I vow to have The Naughty Ones done by the end of the month, and that's the real end, not Ava March's idea of the end of the month (she is sneaky with the dates). Hopefully even before, but at the moment I'm not too hopeful on that score.

In case anyone is interested here are the blurbs for the next upcoming work in progresses. They aren't official blurbs and, as always, are subject to editorial whim.

Accidentally His

Kirk rides the bus to work several times a week, intriqued by the quiet bespectacled man he sits behind. When the bus crashes during a storm, Kirk finally meets the shy man, Elijah. Though an unfortunate event brought them together, Kirk is determined to show their love is no accident.


The Naughty Ones

Being a Christmas Elf is hard work and when Christian's best friend and the man he crushes on talks of marriage to his new girlfriend, Christian wonders if the end of the Christmas Season also means the end of his time at the North Pole. But when acting out earns him some dentention working for the Head Elf, Gabriel, Christain learnd what it really means to be naughty.

The Impersonator (Masquerade)

Benjamin Pomeroy thinks his older brother's request for him to take his place at a Masquerade Ball given by their new boss at the Las Vegas Hotel they both work at is harmless enough. After all, he'll be wearing a mask the entire time and the only part of him that will be visible is his eyes, eyes just like his brother's. Benjamin hasn't met the new boss yet. All he knows is the boss is from New Orleans originally and is very fond of Mardi Gras, thus the Masquerade Ball to introduce himself to the more important employees of the hotel. Something Benjamin is not. His job is to impersonate Elvis at the front entrance of the casino. But during the ball, he'll be impersonating his straight brother while trying to ignore his attraction to their extremely attractive and openly gay boss, Maxwell Orton.

Monday Updates

I've finished the first chapter of my new work in progress, Accidentally His. The guys, Kirk and Elijah, meet when the commuter bus they both take to work crashes in a rain storm. Should be a slightly lighter book than Pieces and my next two releases are (Twice in a Lifetime and The Beach House).

I'm also toying (pun intended) with the idea of working on a Christmas story titled, The Naughty Ones. It will involve two naughty Christmas Elves (think adult full sized elves ala Lord of the Rings elves rather than Hermie from Rudolph).

Those are my updates for now.

You Know How I Feel About Tuesdays

A couple reminders first.

Don’t forget to enter to win Only In His Dreams being released this weekend.

Don’t forget to send me any questions you have for Ashtyn. A few of you have but not as many as I thought would.

The work-in-progress is going pretty well, I think. My intention is to have it done no later than the end of March and hopefully before. Then I will be sending it off for review.

His One and Only, the fourth and final story in my only series, is on temporary hold while I finish the story noted above. Once it’s off I will finish His One and Only.

Most of you are aware my bff is Shayne. He has been strongly suggesting an idea for a story that he would very much like to see me write. I am afraid I indulged him and agreed to do it.

Now I don’t know whether you are aware, but Amber Quill’s Allure line has opened for submissions for certain themes. The information can be found on the website but one of the themes is Hot Summer Daze and is supposed to involve summer love affairs (that become much more). The story Shayne wants me to write fit in well here, therefore, I will be releasing a story as part of the series and my story is called, The Beach House.

I will provide more details as to content later when I begin to write it.

Progress Update and Only For Him Teaser

Barnaby's making progress and getting it on with Nathan right now. I hit the 10,000 word mark. I really have no clue what the word length will end up at for Only For Him. I'm thinking novella which starts at 18,000 but it might end up under that and make it to Extended Amber Kiss which is what Only In His Dreams was. This one will be just a smidge angsty but hopefully in the end you will all feel that Barnaby and Nathan deserve their Happily Ever After.

I still intend to keep my self-imposed deadline of having it done January 23/24. Wish me luck!

Before I get to Calvin and Matt's story, which will be the third "Only" book, I will then be working on the sequel to The Best Gift with Dusty and Malcolm five years later. That one will be called Still the One and should be part of a best friends/lovers Amber Quill sort of anthology (called Pax) in early summer.

Here is a teaser for you. The opening pages of Only For Him.


Barnaby Lassiter thought perhaps if he squinted his left eye and tilted his head a bit to the right the guy leering at him from the other end of the bar could pass for him. The man at the other end had dark hair and glasses like him. Maybe if he had another drink or two or three he could pretend.

The man, apparently feeling encouraged by Barnaby looking at him, got up and made his way toward him. Barnaby shook his head and took a sip of his chocolate martini. Nope, not even close to looking like Nathan.

“Hey, gorgeous,” the man said as he reached Barnaby. His hand smoothed over Barnaby’s jean covered knee. “Can I buy you another one?”

Barnaby smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m meeting someone here.” Which was not a lie, actually. And he was glad of that.

The guy’s smile turned brittle. “Sure, whatever.” He moved away, but not before digging his fingers painfully in Barnaby’s leg.

Dickhead.

He sighed and glanced at his digital watch. Calvin was already thirty minutes late. Stood up by his older brother had to be the height of patheticness. Um…that probably wasn’t even a damn word.

The bell above the door jangled and Barnaby once more turned to look hopefully.

At last.

Calvin Lassiter, his older brother by seven years, was an emergency room doctor. Barnaby had dyed his hair bleached blond whereas Calvin’s was still milk chocolate brown. His brother, dressed in dress slacks, shirt and a tie, was the picture of conservative. No hair out of place, no earrings, no nose stud.

All more than he could say for himself of course. He had gone home from his work as an admin assistant at the Law Offices of Anderson, Llewellyn, and Stevens, and changed into jeans and a blue tank top, and a leather jacket. He had three diamond studs in his left ear and another one in his left nostril. He’d also applied eyeliner, mauve blush, and mauve lip gloss.

Calvin noticed him at the bar and walked over. He was already frowning. Not a good sign. His brother slid onto the stool next to him.

“Hey, I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

“I’m busy, Barnaby. I had a meeting at the hospital this afternoon and it ran late.” Calvin ordered a red wine from the bartender and then turned to Barnaby. “Did we have to meet at a gay bar?”

“You’re gay, too.”

“I don’t hang out at bars,” Calvin said, with that note of superiority he usually had when speaking to Barnaby. “And neither should you.”

“I feel comfortable here.”

Calvin glanced around the bar. “I don’t see why. All that these guys want is to get laid. None of them are looking for anything serious. And you have no idea if they have diseases or are serial killers.”

Barnaby felt the muscle in his jaw tick but he said nothing and took another sip of his drink.

“If you’re looking for someone, why don’t you try one of those online dating services?”

“Oh, yeah, right.”

“They have some for gay men, you know.” Calvin looked at him critically. “I can see how some of them might find you attractive.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Calvin sighed. “I just don’t like you in places like this. You aren’t careful, Barnaby.”

He drummed his fingers on the bar. “Look, I didn’t ask you to meet me to get a lecture on how I am going to be murdered by a serial killer.”

Upcoming Characters

For those of you who might be curious about Barnaby and his brother, Calvin, who is also coming up in 2010 I thought I’d tell you a bit more about them.

Barnaby and Calvin were raised by their grandmother, who also named Barnaby after the Buddy Ebsen character from the 1970 show, Barnaby Jones. How they came to be raised by their grandmother will be revealed in Only For Him.

Barnaby is the younger brother, in his early to mid-twenties (I haven’t given him a specific age, lol). He is dramatic with spiky anime character hair, eyeliner, lip gloss and earrings. A born flirt. He works as the admin assistant for one of the lawyers of a law firm.

Unfortunately for Barnaby he has fallen for another partner of the firm, shy, Nathan, who wears Buddy Holly glasses (Drew you can google Buddy Holly, lol) and can’t think why someone as vivacious as Barnaby would give him the time of day.

To learn more about their relationship you will need to wait for Only For Him.

Calvin is five years older than Barnaby and an ER doctor. He has made himself quite clear that he would never get involved with anyone from the hospital nor does he find guys with makeup and earrings the least bit appealing.

Therefore, it stood to reason that his hero is Matt, a new nurse at the hospital who wears makeup, earrings, and drives a motorcycle. Trust me, Calvin needs just such a hero.

There you have it, my other two stories coming up in the Only series. First is Only In His Dreams, an interracial romance involving Travis (Barnaby’s boss) and the firm’s business manager, Darrell.

Only in His Dreams

Yes, my friends, I finished Only in His Dreams and submitted it to Amber Quill. As my BFF would say, "go me".

I have a release date of March 14, 2010.

Three months seems like a long time but in the publishing world it really is not long at all. As soon as I have a cover I'll post it.

No resting for too long though as I have way too many stories that need to get done.

I'm nearly finished with part two of the Christmas freebie too so I will be posting that sometime today.

What I'm Doing

As I've made clear here, I have no "official" releases in October and November. Sort of weird for me to go two months without a release, but that's just how it ended up happening.

Anyway, as you know I'll be posting free stories in November and December, as well as my official releases in December.

So, you may wonder (or not), what the heck I am doing in the meantime.

I am still writing Twice in a Lifetime, Jude's story, and the second book in the Sutter's Bay series (Sweet Reunion being the first). I just broke the 6,000 word mark and am on the third chapter. Have no idea what the length will be on this when it is finished.

And also, I am working on a medieval paranormal story with good versus bad and all that. I don't have a concrete name for it at this point. It's called "Sinful" but I suspect that is a temporary name soon to be changed.

Barring any major difficulties these will be out early 2010.

Friday Updates

I'm not sure I know anymore than I did before what story to work on next but I definitely appreciate everyone's participation. You gave me something to think about.

I'm going to say that Barbara, Amy and the Falconer have all earned themselves a free ebook of mine of their choice. Ava has read everything being my CP and Devon has won before.

So the three of you, please email me and tell me which of my books you would like to receive. It can be a future book if you so desire but keep in mind you might have to remind me when the book you have chosen comes out.

Now, that brings me to a new announcement. My little Christmas story featuring new characters, Malcolm and Dustin, titled The Best Gift, has found a home and will be released from Amber Allure in December. Woo hoo! This will mean two releases from me in December.

You Decide

I'm making progress on the current work in progress, Twice in a Lifetime (I finished the first chapter). And already am looking to what comes next. Inspired by recent posts about future plans from my two good writer friends, Ava and Devon, I decided to pose the question here to whoever cares to vote on what should come next after I have completed Twice in a Lifetime. I'll leave this post up for the remainder of the week. On Friday, I will choose a random commenter to win a copy of whatever ebook of mine they would care to win.

Now please keep in mind these are very rough descriptions and they are subject to change:

Pieces: Three years ago, Patrick's lover commited suicide. He's had trouble coming to terms with it, but he's ready to take a chance on love again with the man he's always loved, his dead lover's cousin.

The Same Side (Other Side 2): Dr. Ray Carmichael and his lover, Nick Sorenson, have been involved in a relationship for months. Nick's working in a new department of the LAPD and working a dangerous undercover assignment. Ray's not thrilled, but keeps his mouth shut until Nick is seriously hurt. As Ray's dad has a heart attack and the family begins to fall apart, he pressures Nick to quit the force, which only pushes the man away. Maybe for good.

Undeniable: Lord Christian was a war hero, but he's emotionally broken and prefers isolation. His family sends him to the family country seat to recover where the butler, Hollington, is charged with his care. Hollington has always been in love with the sexy, smoldering and achingly vulnerable Christian, but love for another man is not done. Until one pain filled night, Hollington can no longer hide his need for Christian.

Never the One: Tyler Vanderholt and Eric Boone have been best friends and partners for years. They're both gay, but have never been more than friends. When a seriel killer strikes Wind's Canyon's elderly population, the two must find the killer and fast. As the murderer strikes again and again, the pressures wreak havoc on their personal life and they're turning to each other. (I need to have this done by March)

Waking the Prince: When an evil sorcerer threatens the life of the tiny baby prince he knows will kill him someday, the baby is hidden from all who would see him destroyed. Prince Roland is raised in poverty, kept away from all knowledge of his true identity. Until he is old enough and a warrior, Octavius, is sent to train him for his destiny. Roland falls in love with Octavius, but before he can learn the truth of who he is the sorcerer's minions discover him and he is put into a deep sleep. Who can wake the prince before it is too late?

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are you working on now?

I am working on Ticket to Ride. The story premise is that just as a has-been rock star is looking to make his come back his boyfriend announces he is leaving him. Then the boyfriend ends up being murdered. I have no idea of the length. It’s supposed to be finished by September.

2) Anything else?

I’m also working on Pieces. It’s a story of depression and moving on from grief and finding or re-finding new love. One hero’s boyfriend killed himself and he’s having trouble moving on from that and it’s going to take him falling in love all over again with his first love to get his happily-ever-after.

3) Sorcerer’s Lover 2 just released, do you have any more sequels in the works?

Sorcerer’s Lover will definitely have a third installment. In the third one, the war between Benedict’s brothers, James and Henry, will heat up and at least one of them will look to using Warin’s powers to become king. I am anticipating late 2009 or early 2010 for that one.

I am also intending to conclude Nick and Ray’s story from The Other Side 2 as well as get out Ray’s brother, Devon’s story at some point. Those are the only sequels planned at present.

4) You seem to write pretty fast. How do you do it?

I don’t know, really. It’s something I’ve always been able to do when forced but lately I have been slowing down a bit. Which is why I have only got Until the End of Time to release at the end of July for Amber Quill and Beyond the Norm to release in September for Dreamspinner Press. Nothing else is completed but as mentioned I am working on it.

5) Do you read reviews of your work?

Sometimes. I am learning the painful lesson some people just won’t like your work. I’ve gotten great reviews and bad reviews, but honestly I don’t see either kind affecting the sales for my books much. I know for myself, as a consumer, I don’t really pay attention to reviews on review sites when choosing books for myself.

I pay more attention to reader reaction than review sites and for the most part I have gotten very positive reader reaction to the majority of my stories. It’s always lovely getting an email from a reader or a comment on the blog from someone who loved my story. That always makes me very happy.

Any person who puts out their work whether it is writing or acting or painting is going to be subject to criticism. There are millions of people in the world and we don’t all like the same things.

6) Do you have a writing routine?

No. I don’t write for so many hours or force myself to work on any given day. I try to write every day but it just doesn’t work for me. I usually write at the day job at lunch during the work week. Sometimes at night when I come home and I am vegging in front of the television I can get a little more done. And on the weekends I might get 500 words done for the entire time. But if I am determined to write and finish something I will work a lot more and a lot faster. When I decided to do Until the End of Time I got 2,000 or more words done on that per day.

7) Do you plot or just write as it comes to you?

Well, every story is different. Right now as I am working on Ticket to Ride I am just writing it. Don’t know who the killer is or why or anything. I know the killer is not Chad or the cop-love interest, Jack. But for Beyond the Norm I pretty much knew where I wanted to go with that story when I started. Same with Trust. Those were both plotted in my head before I wrote them. I rarely ever sit down and write down a plot even when I do have the plot in mind. I store them in my brain.

8) When are you going to write the Regency lord and butler story?

I have visions of myself starting that in late summer or early fall. But it’s also entirely possible it will have to be pushed to early 2010.

9) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers of the m/m genre?

First, please read and enjoy the genre you are writing. Don’t just start writing it because you hear it is the hot thing. If you don’t enjoy the genre readers will know. I was reading m/m well before I ever penned the first one (Another Chance). The other thing is join writing groups, on line chapters are good if you can’t find a local one, RWA now has a Rainbow chapter, find a critique partner you mesh with, and finish the story. Endless re-writes of your beginning chapter will get you no where. In order to get published you have to submit. If you can’t find a critique partner, enter a few contests that will take the genre and get some feedback that way. Also, research publishers who publish what you write. Read their stories and get a feel for what they like.

10) Since your first published erotic romance, The Squire, came out a year ago is there anything you’ve done to promote your books that you think has worked?

Actually, I joined a reader’s site called, Goodreads. I was talked into it, really, by Ava March, but I am glad I did. I have been able to talk about different books we’ve all read or wanted to read in the genre and gotten some great recommendations I might never have known about without them. I’ve also met some really wonderful readers that I have become good friends with, Shellie for instance, and my favorite person in the universe, Shayne. I’m extremely grateful for their kindness and friendship. And I know both have convinced other readers to try my books and I can’t thank them enough for their support.

Ticket to Ride Excerpt

So today I decided to post an excerpt from my current work in progress, Ticket to Ride. Probably to be released in December. I think.


“Holy shit, do you know who that is?”

Lieutenant Jack Reeves paused his pen in the middle of a notation about the crime scene and eyed Detective Albert Ramirez who stood beside him.

He followed Al’s gaze to the man sitting in the white plastic patio furniture chair. The man leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. He had short blond straight hair done in some fancy salon fashion. Jack still visited barbers himself. Jack estimated the blond to be in his mid to late thirties and though he admitted the guy was pretty he was also a total stranger.

“No, should I?”

Al shot him a look as though he were a complete idiot. He supposed he was to the much younger detective. Jack, who had turned forty-three on his last birthday, felt positively ancient compared to thirty-three year old Al. He started jotting down his notes again.

“Chad Storm,” Al said.

A soap opera name if ever he’d heard one. He shrugged. “Actor?”

Al groaned. “No, lieutenant. Chad Storm.”

Like saying it again would clue him in. He shrugged again.

“The lead singer of Lightning.”

“Oh.” Jack nodded and closed his spiral notebook. “Rock music, right?”

Al tsked. “Yes.”

“I’m not really into that sort of thing.”

“Fifteen years ago Lightning was the hottest group out there.”

“Hmm. What about now?”

“Well, they broke up a few years ago, actually,” Al admitted. He turned to watch the body of the victim being lifted out of the bloody swimming pool. Then he turned back to Jack. “Can I question him?”

“No way. You’re too much of a fan boy. I’ll talk to Mr. Storm. You go talk to the maid.”

Al grimaced. “All right.”

Jack patted Al’s shoulder and walked past him toward the rock star. He grabbed a nearby plastic chair and brought it over next to Storm. He sat down and cleared his throat.

Storm straightened and looked at him. He had killer blue eyes, Jack quickly noted. “Hello,” he said softly.

“Chad Storm?”

“Yes.”

“Lieutenant Reeves, homicide.” He opened his notebook again. “Is Chad Storm your real name?”

“Yes. Well, it is my legal name. I officially changed it when I formed Lightning.” Storm smiled a little crookedly. “You know, it went with the band name.”

“Uh-huh. What’s your real name then?”

Storm shifted uncomfortable and stared out at the reddish pool. “Do you really need that?”

Though it wasn’t a funny situation, Jack found himself smiling just a little. “It can’t be that bad.”

“It is.” He sighed. “Lester Chadwick.”

Jack blinked, wrote it down, and cleared his throat. “Okay, Mr. Storm, how did you know the victim?”

“We were…you know, a couple.” Storm looked away from the pool and bit his bottom lip. “Not anymore. I mean even be-before this.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Years ago when he’d began his career as a police officer he practiced those words. Practiced making them sound almost casual. A police officer wasn’t supposed to have any feelings. Or at least that’s what his first partner told him. He no longer needed to practice. The words just came out, though they still sounded hollow to Jack’s ears. “How long ago did you and Walters end your relationship?”

“I didn’t,” Storm said softly. “Mark did. He wanted his freedom, I guess.”

“To see other men?”

Storm only nodded.

“How long ago was this, Mr. Storm?”

He met Jack’s gaze and his baby blue eyes were filled with an almost unbearable sorrow. “Last week. I found a plane ticket in the desk drawer. It was a one-way ticket to Baltimore. I asked him about it and he said he was flying there to meet someone.”

Jack made notes. “And when was his ticket for?”

“Um, tonight actually. He was supposed to leave tonight.” He studied his folded hands a moment before looking up once more. “Do I need a lawyer?”