Tag Archives: Zahra Owens

Zahra Owens writes: a Fran and Jay flashfic

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This is the last of Zahra’s promtfics from when she was blogging here last week. I hope you’ll all join me in saying a big thank you to her for being such a wonderful sport and writing all this for you :D

Now over to Zahra:

Katherine Halle asked for: a jealous possessive man staking his claim on his lover

She didn’t give me any characters, so I chose them for her. Fran and Jay are my characters from
and
(that first one is written for charity. $1.20 for every copy sold will go to It Gets Better)

A little back story: In You Can’t Choose Your Family, Jay and Fran are pushing forty, in You Can Choose Your friends, they’re eighteen. This snippet they’re that age too.

***

In public, Fran was always in control of himself, always calm, always even and level. He’d learned that the hard way, having to sit in his father’s church while he endured hearing his father preach against homosexuals. Fran had learned not to react while his father was sowing hatred against his own son, and people like his son, but this was different. This had nothing to do with hatred and everything with love.

Jay had taken him to a party that was a little unusual for them. Normally they went to frat parties full of scantily clad cheerleaders and sports jocks, where beer was funneled into throats and the party-goers couldn’t get drunk fast enough. This party was only men. Gay men. And Fran had never felt so out of place. In his mind he knew he was a part of this community, and that he should feel safe and appreciated, but after trying not to belong for so long, this took some getting used to.

Jay certainly felt at home. He was smiling and flirting with the guys who gravitated toward him like a magnet, just like everyone else who came into contact with them. But some of those guys were tall, muscled college guys like Jay, and all Fran could think about was that they fit Jay better than he did.

Fran had never understood what Jay saw in him. Yes, they were going to move in together in a room in Jay’s brothers’ flat and yes, they spent every free moment together. The sex, frankly, was mind-boggling, even if they had to sneak around roommates, and Fran couldn’t wait for them to have their own room, but he was still waiting for the realization to set in with Jay that Fran was just a repressed runt who wasn’t worth Jay’s adoration.
Fran stood on the sidelines, watching as Jay returned from the bar carrying two glasses of beer. He wasn’t getting far. He had to snake between hordes of guys, and most of them turned around and started chatting him up. Jay seemed to enjoy the attention, and Fran felt a knot starting to form in his stomach. On more than one occasion, he wanted to walk over and deck the guy trying to get his hands on Jay, but he knew he’d never win the fight and besides, he didn’t have the nerve to claim Jay. All he could hope for was that Jay would return to him quickly.
In the meantime he clenched his fists, feeling his nails dig into his flesh, even though he liked keeping them neat and short. His throat was dry and his vision blurred. He wanted to run, but couldn’t. He wanted the wall to swallow him, but knew it wouldn’t.
It felt like it took forever for Jay to reach him and once he did, Fran grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and turned him around before pushing him against back the wall.

“Hey, easy, loverboy,” Jay shouted out over the dance music, holding up the two glasses as he tried not to spill too much beer.

“I thought those guys would never stop.”

“What guys?”

“All the college kids, and the dirty old men trying to get their hands on you.”

“They’re just guys trying to have a good time, Frannie. They can flirt here, which they can’t do at the other parties we go to.”

“Horny men. Eyeing your butt.”

Jay giggled. “You’re jealous.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Jay was laughing. “I see the green-eyed monster.”

“I just…,” Fran let go of Jay and took a step back, but Jay put his beers down and pulled him closer again.

“You just what?”

Fran shook his head, his shoulders low.

“Frannie, you know I love you. You’re the man for me.”

“I’m not much of a man,” Fran sulked.

“You’re plenty man for me.”

“But they’re all so buff and blond and so much more like you than me.” Fran wasn’t whining, but he came close.

Jay gave him a compassionate look. “I don’t want guys that look like me. I want guys that look like you. One guy in particular.”

Fran wasn’t convinced.

“I haven’t even as much as looked at another guy since I met you, Fran. I don’t need to. I can’t wait to go home and spend time with you, and I’m counting the days until we can move into the apartment.”

Fran didn’t know how to channel his feelings. He looked into Jay’s eyes and saw nothing but love. And it was all directed to him. So he grabbed Jay again, pushed him against the wall, and kissed him until they were both starved for oxygen. For the first time in his life, he dared to do this with other people present. Jay was right. It was allowed here. And as he felt Jay rubbing up against him, he knew they’d do this again, just to be able to feel this free.

Update Monday: birthday week

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Writing:

Didn’t quite achieve my goal of 15k – but I managed 10.5k, and I know why I didn’t manage so much on two days of the week (Zahra Owens’ guest blogging, birthday hangover plus all the behind the scenes stuff involved in planning the UK Meet and issuing the press release). I also prepped this week’s Storm and Lightning, and have interviewed Edmond Manning about his truly amazing book, King Perry (released today!) – I’m hoping to post that here on Wednesday.

I’ve had a few reviews too. First Impressions got a whopping five stars over on Jessewave, and Tailor Made had favourable reviews over on Romance Around the Corner and Guilty Indulgence.

Real life:

Yeah, there was my birthday. It’s been fairly busy, but fun. I even had cakes :D

Also, it’s been great to feel spring in the air. I got out in the garden for the first time since autumn and got tidying. Everything has turned green as it’s a little courtyard that gets no winter sun, but I’m hoping I can get it looking good again before too long :)

This week:

I’ll be aiming to write 15k on The Hot Floor again. The rest of my week will be taken up with preparing for Eroticon on Saturday – I’m so excited (and a little bit nervous, but I’m trying not to dwell on that!)

Zahra Owens writes to order: a Trust flashfic

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Lillian Francis said: I really enjoyed Trust and would really like to see a snippet out of the boys’ future. I don’t think life will be easy for them.

A little back story: Matt is an ex-Marine turned deep undercover FBI agent, who has been living with a New York mafia family for six years. One night he is picked up off the street by a man who moves in the higher ranks of the Family. Nick Castro stands out since he’s heavily tattooed and likes wearing ostentatious jewelry. Nick seduced Matt into switching jobs to work for the second in command of the Family and Matt is let in on a secret. Nick is even deeper undercover than him, and for the same outfit. Together they bring down the Family and against all odds, are enrolled into the Witness Protection Program together.

Continue reading →

Zahra Owens writes to order: a Santangelo story

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This is for Nicki, who asked: I’d like to see Michael and Gabriel from “Santangelo” a few months into their relationship when Gabriel is more confident about making love.. Well, you asked for “more confident”. Doesn’t mean he’s Casanova all of a sudden…

A little back story for those who haven’t read Santangelo or who need a reminder: Gabriel is a doctor who no longer practices because he was fired for being HIV positive in the nineties. He has a foster daughter, severely disabled Mia, who was never supposed to live past her birth, but who miraculously did. In “Santangelo” part of the A Brush of Wings Anthology, he rescued Michael, a tough looking but soft spoken tattoo artist, from a gang of gay bashers. They start a tentative relationship when Michael points out that, like Mia, Gabriel deserves love too.

“Santangelo” was written from Mike’s POV, so this one is from Gabe’s. Continue reading →

Amazing Author book reviews: Zahra Owens

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Zahra’s published a lot of stories over the last few years, with an impressive range of subgenres covered. Here I’ve sampled a crime thriller, a sweet holiday story and an angsty cowboy novel!

Trust (available as a free online read or in the free anthology: Don’t Read in the Closet vol 4)

This story was written as part of the Goodreads M/M Romance groups Hot Summer Days event, in response to the following picture and prompt:

I’m really a cop who’s infiltrated a notorious gang. This evil mob boss thinks he owns me. I’ve been under cover for so long I’ve forgotten who I really am. There’s a new guy in the gang who’s always watching me but for some reason I think I can trust him. Maybe we can bring down this gang together and get out with our lives and a HEA?

Review:

Trust is a tense mob thriller narrated by Matt Gianetti – a closeted mobster with many secrets. When the attractive and heavily tattooed Nick Castro takes an interest in him, life becomes simultaneously more exciting and incredibly risky for Matt. Managing two strip clubs for Nick’s boss is well within Matt’s talents, but what else does the man want from him, and why?

I really enjoyed the ride in this novelette – it covers a lot of ground and probably could have been even longer, but you’re given enough detail to enjoy the story. I particularly liked the way Zahra doesn’t shy away from showing more gritty sex (including a couple of horribly awkward scenes in which Matt is the reluctant voyeur), and gives us a strong sense of the power dynamic between Matt and Nick.

For a free read, you can’t go far wrong with this one!

 

You Can’t Choose Your Family

Jay and Fran have been a couple for twenty years. They have a great relationship with only one minor bone of contention: while Fran is very much a member of Jay’s extended family, to Fran’s family, Jay is just “his business partner.” It’s not that Fran doesn’t want to come out to his family; it’s more that they don’t want to hear it.

When Fran’s father, an evangelical minister, dies, Fran hopes the rest of his family will be more accepting. This hope is nipped in the bud by his very conservative older brother, so Jay’s mother steps in and invites Fran’s mother over for Christmas… but will joining Fran’s happy-go-lucky in-laws be too much for Fran’s mother, or will they help her see the truth of just how much Jay means to Fran?

Review:

You Can’t Choose Your Family had all the ingredients for a cozy holiday story: family get togethers, festive traditions and a gentle romance. I particularly liked the way we join a couple who have been together in a solid relationship for twenty years. Jay and Fran are excellent partners, and the conflict in this story comes from persuading Fran’s family to accept that, and in healing the wounds of the past.

This is a light and gentle novelette, but with surprising depth beneath the surface. Fran’s mother is a complicated figure and it takes her time to come to terms with her son’s relationship, but I thought this was handled with a deft touch. What’s more, there’s an endearingly cute motif running through the story about just how Jay and Fran always spend their free time while the rest of the family go carolling – naughty boys!

 

Clouds and Rain

Flynn Tomlinson has drifted for several years, working odd jobs when he needs the money and moving on when he doesn’t. He’s content with his freestyle life, not tied down, not responsible for anyone but himself. Then he comes across a Help Wanted ad in a post office in Idaho and meets Gable Sutton. Gable can’t pay Flynn until he sells his horses, but a serious accident has left him unable to work his ranch alone.

Working with horses beats stacking shelves at the supermarket, and so Flynn agrees to Gable’s terms. What Flynn doesn’t bargain for is being captivated by this gentle, lonely man who captures his heart and moves Flynn to take on an incredible burden: saving Gable’s ranch.

Review:

Clouds and Rain is a long novel, spanning a couple of years in the lives of Gable and Flynn. It’s also a May/December story, with a twenty year age gap between young Flynn and bitter, damaged Gable. I’ll admit, I didn’t warm to Gable straight away. He’s an extremely prickly character who keeps a hard shell around his vulnerabilities – pushing Flynn away when he tries to get close.

However, tragedy strikes and Gable is rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, and over his subsequent recovery we get to see an amazing growth in Gable’s character. The healing process spans a long period, but it was lovely to see him start to open up and work through the sorrows of his past, as well as embracing the opportunities in his future with Flynn.

This is a fairly intense novel, as while there are a few secondary characters, the bulk of the scenes revolve around the two MCs together or alone. It would be best suited to those readers who enjoy a long, angsty novel with a damaged hero – and if you’re partial to butch ranchers in cowboy hats, there’s a fair few of them!

Zahra Owens writes to order: Tim and Gable’s first kiss

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Connie wanted “Any of your cowboys kissing… in the rain (or shower : )” And Julianne wanted “a first-ever kiss”.

I thought they’d both fit something that is hinted at in my next novel Floods and Drought, which is that there is history between Tim Conroy and Gable Sutton.
Don’t think they’d mind sharing…

***

“Morning, Mr. Sutton,” Tim said, sticking his head inside the modest house where Gable lived. Gable ran his ranch by himself and occasionally asked his neighbors for help. Tim was always the first one to volunteer. He loved going to Gable’s ranch, because there he wasn’t just the foreman’s kid. Gable always treated him like a grown-up and gave him responsibility he usually didn’t get at the Blue River Ranch.

“How old are you now, Tim?”

“Seventeen, sir,” Tim lied.

Gable threw him a look that told Tim he wasn’t buying it. “Isn’t it about time you started calling me Gable?”

“My dad would have my hide.”

Gable chuckled as he finished his last gulp of coffee, put the cup in the sink, and turned to Tim. “Your dad’s not here. I think you’re old enough to call me by my first name, don’t you?”

“Okay, Sir…Gable.”

Gable walked past him, grabbing him by the shoulder as he led him outside. “Let’s go round up some horses.”

The weather was glorious and they worked up a sweat, but by the time they’d gathered all the horses Gable was intent on selling, it had started to drizzle, and while they rubbed down their horses and fed and watered them, a thunderclap announced the start of a real torrent. Pretty soon, Tim couldn’t hear himself think anymore. And maybe that wasn’t a bad thing, since his thoughts were all over the place. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the shirt clinging to Gable’s lean body and felt his hands starting to itch and his jeans grow tight. Damn, Gable couldn’t see him like this.

“We’ll have to make a run for it, but why don’t you come to the house with me so I can pay you for today?”

Gable disappeared outside and Tim hesitated. What would happen if he followed Gable inside? They’d both be wet by the time they’d run across the courtyard to the house. Would Gable take his shirt off? Would be ask Tim to do the same? Certainly, Gable wouldn’t let him go home looking like a drowned rat.

Tim stopped dead in the middle of the open plain between the barn and the house. Rain was streaming down, but other than providing him with some necessary coolness, he barely noticed. He couldn’t go into the house. He’d dreamed about this. Night after night he’d woken up sweaty and sticky after blistering hot images of Gable’s hands on him, of Gable kissing him and taking him to his bed. This feeling wasn’t new. He’d always known he wasn’t into girls. It wasn’t until he’d realized Gable was just like him that the dreams had started. He wasn’t alone. He wasn’t some sort of freak. Or at least he wasn’t the only freak. Gable could make him feel better.

“What’s wrong, Timmy? Did you hurt yourself?” Gable was shouting.

Tim looked up and saw Gable standing on his porch, rubbing his hair with a towel. He was smiling slightly and all of a sudden, the rain felt warm. All Tim could do was shake his head. Gable’s smile disappeared, and leaving his towel on the porch, he ran over to where Tim was standing.

“What’s wrong, Timmy? Did a snake bite you? Did you twist your ankle or something?” Gable put his hand on Tim’s shoulder, and Tim thought it would burn right through his shirt.

“No.”

“What’s wrong, then?”

Tim didn’t want Gable’s compassion. He wanted to kiss him.

“I can’t tell anyone,” Tim managed to utter.

“Can’t tell anyone what? What’s wrong, Timmy? You can tell me.”

“I want….” The words got stuck in Tim’s throat and he couldn’t look Gable in the eye. Gable’s hand moved to the side of his neck and then wiped the water off his face. It was such a tender gesture that Tim thought his knees were going to buckle. He knew he’d never get this chance again, so he grabbed Gable’s face between his hands and pulled him closer until their lips touched. Tim didn’t know what to do next. He’d never kissed a man before; in fact, he’d never kissed anyone and the longer they stood like that, the more the panic rose inside him. But he couldn’t pull away.

And then Gable’s lips spread just a little and enveloped Tim’s lower lip. Almost out of reflex, and because Tim was afraid Gable would pull away, he grabbed him tighter, crushing their lips together. He still didn’t know what he was doing, but he knew Gable was kissing him back and it gave him courage. Opening his mouth a little, he dared to taste Gable’s lips.

And then Gable pulled his mouth away from Tim’s. He didn’t let go of Tim’s neck, though. For the first time since he’d left the barn, Tim could feel the rain streaming down on them.

“You’re too young, Tim.”

“What?” The rain was only partially to blame for Tim not being sure he’d heard Gable right. Gable couldn’t do this to him. He couldn’t turn him down now!

Gable pulled him closer again until their foreheads were touching. It felt incredibly intimate, and Tim didn’t want it to end. He wanted Gable to take him inside, but he couldn’t move. Despite the rain washing away everything, Tim could still feel and taste Gable’s lips and he wanted them again.

Gable moved his face next to Tim’s so he could speak into his ear. “You need a guy your own age, Timmy. Someone who’s worthy to be with you. Don’t rush it. Take your time.”

Tim moved back just a little so he could look Gable in the eye. “But I don’t want anyone else! I want you!”

Gable nodded, telling Tim he understood, but at the same time, Tim knew Gable’s mind was made up.

Gable let go of Tim and walked toward the house. Just moments later he returned to where Tim was still standing. He pushed some notes into Tim’s hand and turned around. Tim didn’t want to take the money he’d earned that day, but he needed it.

“Gable?” Tim shouted over the torrent still streaming down.

When Gable turned back, Tim saw the sadness in the man’s eyes just before Gable kissed him again. He tried to enjoy it, knowing this wouldn’t happen again anytime soon. “Don’t just give it away to anyone, Timmy.”

Tim watched Gable walk inside his house without looking back. He waited, hoping against hope that Gable would return once again, but he didn’t. Tim was cold and wet to the bone. Eventually he returned to the old truck he was allowed to use from time to time now he’d gotten his driver’s license. Once inside he wiped his face, glad that the rain had masked his tears.

***

I know this is a bit of a sad story, but after reading Floods and Drought you’ll know that Tim has nothing but good memories about that time and the things that happened after this. He still has a strong friendship with Gable in the years that follow.

How important is a book cover?- guest post by Zahra Owens

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If you’ve ever manned a table at a book fair or convention, you will surely have noticed that some books get picked up more than others. And no matter how great your book is, you need to get people to pick it up to read the blurb and they need to read the blurb to decide whether they want to buy it.

For some reason, my first novel, Diplomacy, still gets picked up very easily. It’s a deceptively simple cover with a headless male torso, completely covered up by a shirt and a fancy suit. The only thing not so fancy is that his bow tie is undone and so is the top of his shirt, revealing just a little bit of chest hair. It fits in with the image of diplomacy (stiff upper lip, strict dress code, strong manly men), but offers a little bit of tease (want to know who got him to undo his tie, or if he let anyone else do it? Read the story!).
Even more than four years after publication, this book still sells and I blame the cover.

Although similar ideas work for electronic sales, standing out on huge sites like Amazon or Barnes and Noble is an art all by itself. Here the cover needs an additional something. It needs to look good as a thumbnail. So the next time your cover artist sends you a cover to approve (or you make your own) make it thumbnail size and see if it still looks good.

These things are pretty self-explanatory, but if you have a say in what your cover looks like I’m sure you’ve been asked some pretty standard questions like nudity/no nudity/partial nudity? Heads or no heads? Photograph or drawn cover?

How do you choose?

What follows are my personal guidelines. Some people might have different preferences.

The amount of nudity: I prefer no nudity for a print cover, for the single reason that I want people to be able to read my book in public. I’ve actually heard prospective buyers say: “Ooh, cute guys, but I’ll need to wrap it in brown paper to be able to take it out of my handbag!” Or “Yummy, but I can’t buy it in case my boyfriend/kids/inlaws/parents find it.” For that very same reason: no kissing or cuddling boys for me, no matter how enticing!

My standards for eBook-only covers are somewhat different.

Take my last two covers as proof:

Naked torso

Cuddly boys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heads or no heads? There are arguments for both. Some people prefer no heads, because it leaves something to the imagination and they can make up the look of the hero(es) in their heads. I like heads for some novels, but you need to take some time to help your cover artist find the right guys. There’s nothing worse than putting faces on a cover that don’t fit the description in the book. It can take readers right out of the story! (this has happened to me)

Photography or drawn cover?
I’m lucky enough to get that choice. Not every publisher has artists on board who can paint or draw. I’ve seen some very effective drawn covers and I think they work best for fantasy and sci-fi, but I’ve seen some very nice contemporary drawn covers too. In fact, Paul Richmond drew me a beautiful cover for Façade and it went a long way in the Rainbow Awards.

That said, generally I prefer pictures (again, this is just me), but then I’m mostly a contemporary writer, and I help my cover artist find the right guys. With every cover, my respect for cover artists grows, because it took me days to find these guys and that’s just for my covers. They do this every day!

Clouds and Rain is a bit of a May-September romance (as opposed to a May-December Romance.) Gable is about twenty years older than Flynn and the cover needed to reflect that.

 

 

 

 

My Earth and Sky boys are in the same age range, but Grant looks older because he’s been through the ringer more often than Hunter. Hunter’s the typical uber-healthy looking blushing farm boy, while Grant’s lived all over the place and had a much tougher life.

 

 

 

Floods and Drought is an Against All Odds story of the glass-half-full Tim and out-on-parole Rory. Rory isn’t pretty or beautiful and he hides behind an unkept beard and long hair, yet Tim (another blushing farm boy) can’t help falling for him like a ton of bricks.

 

 

 

All stories can be bought from Dreamspinner Press.
You Can Choose Your Friends is out now and $1.20 for every copy sold will go to charity (Dan Savage and Terry Miller’s It Gets Better project)
Isali Dreams is out February 22nd
Floods and Drought is out March 9th.
If you’d like to get the occasional newsletter from me, sign up here!

Introducing Zahra Owens – February’s Amazing Author

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My first encounter with Zahra Owens’ writing was when we were anthology mates in Necking. I enjoyed her raunchy story, along with the others she wrote for the Dreamspinner anthologies Sindustry and Sindustry 2. I remember thinking she had a real gift for writing short stories (not something every author manages successfully), but didn’t get around to reading any of her longer stories.

The next time I read any of Zahra’s writing was when she submitted a couple of stories for the British Flash and Tea and Crumpet anthologies. Her sensual, haunting prose reminded me again how much I’d enjoyed those shorts, and I was spurred on to seek out more of her writing.

What’s more, I met Zahra at last year’s UK Meet and she was an absolute delight to chat with. She’d travelled over from Belgium to attend, and I’m so glad she did! Today Zahra has a guest post about book covers (coming up in an hour), and later there’ll be three reviews of her stories from me. Most exciting of all, though: Zahra has promised a flashfic she’s written in response to your prompts, with more to come over the next week!

I hope you’ll all join me in giving Zahra a warm welcome here today :)

About Zahra:

Zahra Owens was born in Europe, just before Woodstock and the moon landing, and given a much less pronounceable name by her non-English speaking parents. Being an Aquarian meant she would never quite conform and people learned to expect the unexpected.

She started writing fairy tales in first grade; the same year she came into contact with her first group of English speaking friends, a group which would eventually grow to include people from all over the world. On the outside she was a typical only child, accustomed to being with adults most of the time. On the inside, she sought ways to channel her wild imagination.

During the daytime she earns a living as a computer specialist, but it’s her former career as an intensive care nurse that tends to seep into her fiction. Maybe this has to do with her weak spot for flawed characters and imperfect bodies, or maybe it’s just her sadistic streak coming through. You be the judge.

Check out Zahra’s website: http://www.zahraowens.com
Twitter: @zahraowens
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zahra.owens

And her publisher: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com where you can find her 4 novels and countless short stories in genres ranging from Contemporary to Fantasy/SciFi.

Zahra Owens writes to order!

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Okay, I know I’m meant to be having a week off but I’m just dropping by today to invite you all to leave prompts for the talented Zahra Owens. She’ll be guest blogging here next Wednesday and is keen to write some prompt fics for you all! Zahra asks you to give her “something along the line of : characters from any novel or short story of mine along with two or three words and I’ll write a flash fic.”

If you leave your prompts on this post, Zahra will choose the five that get her muse going, and she should have them ready to post next week – hopefully some of them on the Wednesday too :D

If you haven’t read any of Zahra’s work please do wander by next Wednesday to find out more. I had the pleasure of meeting her last year and she’s a thoroughly warm and lovely person!