One Night in December by Terry O’Reilly

I like the little bit of personal life details Terry O’Reilly sometime introduces in the stories: in this case it’s a news on the paper about an homeless man who died for exposure in a particularly cold winter; what could have been if someone had stopped and offered him help? That is what David does for Andrew.

David is a more or less 50 years old widower living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He had a plenty a satisfying life as a married man and father of 4 kids; satisfying above all since his wife knew about him being gay and conveniently closed both eyes in front of his “escapades”. To the reader David reports he was in love with his wife and that he went with men only for sex, but I found it difficult to believe, my idea is that David was simply not in love with his wife, but probably had a strong friendship and common interests, i.e. their family and life together as perfect parents.

But once his wife died, David has accomplished his task as perfect parent, and now maybe he wants something for himself. And Andy, the homeless guy with the beautiful blue eyes is like the answer to his prayers; truth be told, in an ordinary situation, middle age David would have probably had not so many chances with around thirty Andy, but Andy is on a downfall, he lost his wife, his job and his life and now has no option open in front of him. Yes, I’m probably a little hard with David and Andy, I’m not saying David is for Andy the last chance, but what I probably believe is that, being deprived of everything allowed Andy to reconsider his life.

The story is probably a little bit too optimistic, and sometime I found it a bit too “gay”: not only David and Andy were gay, but also one of David’s sons and also another relative I cannot say to not spoil the story… all in a family. But aside for the that, I truly enjoyed that the story spans for a long period of David and Andy’s life together, giving the reader plenty of time and chances to know them better. Actually at the beginning I thought it was strange, they seemed to rush into their relationship, almost from the first moment they met and I did wonder how the author would have filled all the following pages. The answer is easy, this is not only the story of how they met, but also of the aftermath of that meeting and the life they build together and also a little glimpse in their far away future.

http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=409

Amazon: David and Andrew Book 1: One Night in December
Amazon Kindle: David and Andrew Book 1: One Night in December
Paperback: 148 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (December 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1467907502
ISBN-13: 978-1467907507

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Fay Robinson (September 25, 1952 - December 2, 2002)

Carmel Parsons Thomaston (Sept. 25, 1952 - Dec. 2, 2002) was the founder and editor of Painted Rock and the free online magazine for writers, The Rock.

Carmel wrote under the pen name Fay Robinson, penning several novels for Harlequin. Her first book, A MAN LIKE MAC, won the Rita award for Best First Book from Romance Writers of America in July. Her second, Coming Home To You, won a Maggie award from Georgia Romance Writers as an unpublished manuscript and a Rita award for Best Long Contemporary Romance.

Fay believed in love at first sight, happily-ever-after endings, and that some hearts are destined to be together. How can she not? Her English mother and American father married by transatlantic telephone six months after their first and only date. Fay had her own rendezvous with destiny while doing a story on a firefighter for her local newspaper. That night she told her best friend, "Today I met the man I'm going to marry." Carmel and Jackie Thomaston were married 26 years and produced a son Casey.

Fay lived in Alabama within one hundred miles of the place where her paternal ancestors settled in the early 1800s. She spent her spare time canning vegetables from her husband's garden and researching her family history.

( read more... )

Fay Robinson's Books on Amazon: Fay Robinson

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carmelsloop/

"I had the honor of being one of Carmel’s critique partners. Carmel was an amazing lady. She was creative, insightful, and generous both as a writer and a friend. A day rarely goes by when I don’t think of her." --Barbara Pierce

"Carmel Thomaston, who wrote as Fay Robinson, was my dear friend. We met through the Internet, on the AOL bulletin boards to be precise. We were the first ones to begin posting on the romance bulletin boards there. Soon after, we became critique partners. Barbara Pierce, Ellen Morrow, and Barbara Hannah were also in our critique group. We called ourselves the Musketeers. Our small group taught me a lot about writing. Carmel taught me about perseverance and giving back.

Carmel believed and demonstrated in every way that the journey toward publication is more satisfying when we reach over and give someone else a foothold on the rocky climb. Many writers knew her through the classes she taught on the Internet. Her devotion to helping other writers resulted in her establishing the first readers and writers colony on the Internet: Painted Rock. She was incredibly proud that Writer's Digest named it one of the Top 101 Best Web Sites for Writers in 2002. She sponsored the PRock-Research List and published The Rock, an e-zine for writers with more than nine thousand subscribers.

While managing all this, Carmel held onto her dream of publishing her own novel. Using the skills she developed as a journalist, she researched extensively to provide the details she believed necessary to weaving memorable stories. Undaunted by numerous rejections, she continued to write, submit, and hope that her stories would one day touch readers in a meaningful way. Her perseverance was rewarded. As Fay Robinson, a name she chose to honor her mother, she published five books for Harlequin Superromance. She was elated and honored when A Man Like Mac earned her a RITA for Best First Book and Coming Home to You earned her a RITA for Best Long Contemporary and a Maggie.

Carmel left us with many stories still to be written. Yet for many people, long before her first book was published, her continual belief in our abilities and her unrelenting encouragement etched her name in gold upon our hearts. She gave tirelessly and unselfishly of her talents and knowledge. She possessed a wonderful laugh that I can still hear and a terrific sense of humor that still makes me smile. A devoted wife and mother, a trusted friend, an inspiration, she touched us all, and we're remarkably richer because she journeyed with us for a short while.

I still deeply miss her." --Lorraine Heath

Fay Robinson (September 25, 1952 - December 2, 2002)

Carmel Parsons Thomaston (Sept. 25, 1952 - Dec. 2, 2002) was the founder and editor of Painted Rock and the free online magazine for writers, The Rock.

Carmel wrote under the pen name Fay Robinson, penning several novels for Harlequin. Her first book, A MAN LIKE MAC, won the Rita award for Best First Book from Romance Writers of America in July. Her second, Coming Home To You, won a Maggie award from Georgia Romance Writers as an unpublished manuscript and a Rita award for Best Long Contemporary Romance.

Fay believed in love at first sight, happily-ever-after endings, and that some hearts are destined to be together. How can she not? Her English mother and American father married by transatlantic telephone six months after their first and only date. Fay had her own rendezvous with destiny while doing a story on a firefighter for her local newspaper. That night she told her best friend, "Today I met the man I'm going to marry." Carmel and Jackie Thomaston were married 26 years and produced a son Casey.

Fay lived in Alabama within one hundred miles of the place where her paternal ancestors settled in the early 1800s. She spent her spare time canning vegetables from her husband's garden and researching her family history.

( read more... )

Fay Robinson's Books on Amazon: Fay Robinson

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carmelsloop/

"I had the honor of being one of Carmel’s critique partners. Carmel was an amazing lady. She was creative, insightful, and generous both as a writer and a friend. A day rarely goes by when I don’t think of her." --Barbara Pierce

"Carmel Thomaston, who wrote as Fay Robinson, was my dear friend. We met through the Internet, on the AOL bulletin boards to be precise. We were the first ones to begin posting on the romance bulletin boards there. Soon after, we became critique partners. Barbara Pierce, Ellen Morrow, and Barbara Hannah were also in our critique group. We called ourselves the Musketeers. Our small group taught me a lot about writing. Carmel taught me about perseverance and giving back.

Carmel believed and demonstrated in every way that the journey toward publication is more satisfying when we reach over and give someone else a foothold on the rocky climb. Many writers knew her through the classes she taught on the Internet. Her devotion to helping other writers resulted in her establishing the first readers and writers colony on the Internet: Painted Rock. She was incredibly proud that Writer's Digest named it one of the Top 101 Best Web Sites for Writers in 2002. She sponsored the PRock-Research List and published The Rock, an e-zine for writers with more than nine thousand subscribers.

While managing all this, Carmel held onto her dream of publishing her own novel. Using the skills she developed as a journalist, she researched extensively to provide the details she believed necessary to weaving memorable stories. Undaunted by numerous rejections, she continued to write, submit, and hope that her stories would one day touch readers in a meaningful way. Her perseverance was rewarded. As Fay Robinson, a name she chose to honor her mother, she published five books for Harlequin Superromance. She was elated and honored when A Man Like Mac earned her a RITA for Best First Book and Coming Home to You earned her a RITA for Best Long Contemporary and a Maggie.

Carmel left us with many stories still to be written. Yet for many people, long before her first book was published, her continual belief in our abilities and her unrelenting encouragement etched her name in gold upon our hearts. She gave tirelessly and unselfishly of her talents and knowledge. She possessed a wonderful laugh that I can still hear and a terrific sense of humor that still makes me smile. A devoted wife and mother, a trusted friend, an inspiration, she touched us all, and we're remarkably richer because she journeyed with us for a short while.

I still deeply miss her." --Lorraine Heath

Rainbow Awards: Cover Contest - Final Round

The winner of the ebook giveaway is:

lotrfan1020

Ebook Giveaway: Michael Willhoite - The Venetian Boy, kindly offered by JMS Books

The Most Voted covers of Round 5 were:

1-tie) Moonlight, Tiger, and Smoke by Mara McKennen



Visible Friend by Anne Cain



( 2 )

( 3 )

- in the final round there will be only 25 covers, 10 covers will be the finalists and winners of the cover contest.
- in parallel with the poll, a special jury will vote the covers; the jury is composed by: Debra, Dylan Rosser, Jack Mackenroth, Jesse Archer, Julie, Max Rhyser, Mitzie, Tammy.
- you can vote ONLY 3 covers, and you have to pick 3 covers for your vote to be valid. You have to leave a comment on this post, stating your 3 choices. As soon as your vote is recorded I will screen the comment, so don't worry, it will be more or less anonymous. You can vote/comment only 1 time.

All the 25 covers are here:

http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/2011CoverContest_01_6.htm

Enjoy and please, fair play!

Rainbow Awards: Cover Contest - Final Round

The winner of the ebook giveaway is:

lotrfan1020

Ebook Giveaway: Michael Willhoite - The Venetian Boy, kindly offered by JMS Books

The Most Voted covers of Round 5 were:

1-tie) Moonlight, Tiger, and Smoke by Mara McKennen



Visible Friend by Anne Cain



( 2 )

( 3 )

- in the final round there will be only 25 covers, 10 covers will be the finalists and winners of the cover contest.
- in parallel with the poll, a special jury will vote the covers; the jury is composed by: Debra, Dylan Rosser, Jack Mackenroth, Jesse Archer, Julie, Max Rhyser, Mitzie, Tammy.
- you can vote ONLY 3 covers, and you have to pick 3 covers for your vote to be valid. You have to leave a comment on this post, stating your 3 choices. As soon as your vote is recorded I will screen the comment, so don't worry, it will be more or less anonymous. You can vote/comment only 1 time.

All the 25 covers are here:

http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/2011CoverContest_01_6.htm

Enjoy and please, fair play!