C.H.B. Kitchin (October 17, 1895 - April 4, 1967)

Clifford Henry Benn Kitchin (17 October 1895 – 4 April 1967) was a British novelist of the early twentieth century. He was best known for his mystery novels, notably Death of His Uncle and Death of My Aunt, but his other novels were also highly regarded, especially by other writers. His best known novels are The Auction Sale, Streamers Waving, and Mr. Balcony. He was one of Francis King's two mentors, the other being J. R. Ackerley. His other works include Book of life and Jumping Joan.

Kitchin attended Exeter College Oxford and became a barrister. He was a gifted chess player, bridge player, and pianist. Kitchin led a varied and colourful life. He was born into wealth and increased his wealth through investment in the stock market. He used his wealth to take part in many different fields, including the breeding and racing of greyhounds, in which he was briefly an important figure.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._H._B._Kitchin

( Further Readings )

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Marshall Thornton - Boystown 5

Boystown 5, Murder Book by Marshall Thornton

In the fifth book of the award-winning Boystown mystery series, it’s fall 1982 and Chicago is gripped by panic after five people die from poisoned Tylenol capsules. Amid the chaos, the Bughouse Slasher takes his eighth victim, this time striking close to private investigator Nick Nowak. With the Chicago Police Department stretched to its limit, Nick takes matters into his own hands. But what will he do with the Bughouse Slasher once he finds him?

“Thornton’s crisp, terse style and smart, cynical observations make for a refreshing change in the current crop of tough guys and private eyes.” — Josh Lanyon, author Adrien English Mysteries

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Heidi Cullinan - Dirty Laundry

Dirty Laundry (A Tucker Springs Novel) by Heidi Cullinan
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing; First edition (January 20, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937551792
ISBN-13: 978-1937551797
Amazon: Dirty Laundry (A Tucker Springs Novel)
Amazon Kindle: Dirty Laundry (A Tucker Springs Novel)

The course of true love doesn’t always run clean. But sometimes getting dirty is half the fun.

Entomology grad student Adam Ellery meets Denver Rogers, a muscle-bound hunk of sexy, when Denver effortlessly dispatches the drunken frat boys harassing Adam at the Tucker Springs laundromat. Thanking him turns into flirting, and then, much to Adam’s delight, hot sex over the laundry table.

Though Denver’s job as a bouncer at a gay bar means he gets his pick of geek-sexy college twinks, he can’t get Adam out of his head. Adam seems to need the same rough play Denver does, and it’s damn hard to say no to such a perfect fit.

Trouble is, Adam isn’t just shy: he has obsessive compulsive disorder and clinical anxiety, conditions which have ruined past relationships. And while Denver might be able to bench-press a pile of grad students, he comes from a history of abuse and is terrified of getting his GED. Neither Denver nor Adam want to face their dirty laundry, but to stay together, they’re going to have to come clean.

2013 Rainbow Awards: Heidi Cullinan & Marie Sexton - Second Hand

Second Hand (Tucker Springs) by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
Paperback: 162 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (August 28, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937551520
ISBN-13: 978-1937551520
Amazon: Second Hand (Tucker Springs)
Amazon Kindle: Second Hand (Tucker Springs)

Paul Hannon moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend, but she’s left him with a house he can’t afford and a pantry full of useless gadgets. All Paul wants is to get back to normal, even if he's not sure what that is anymore. When he wanders into Tucker Pawn for a gift to win her back, he meets El Rozal, pawn shop owner and all-around cynic.

El Rozal doesn’t do relationships, especially not with clueless straight boys still pining for their ex. El may make his living dealing in castoffs, but that doesn't apply to men. Still, when Paul starts clearing out his old life, pawning kitchen equipment he never wanted in the first place, El is drawn to Paul in spite of himself.

Paul and El have nothing in common except a past full of disappointments. There's no reason to believe the two of them could fit, but in El’s line of work, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. When it comes to love, El and Paul may learn that secondhand doesn't mean second best.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Heidi Cullinan & Marie Sexton - Family Man

Family Man by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (March 12, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: Family Man

Sometimes family chooses you.

How does a man get to be forty without knowing whether he’s gay? That’s a question Vince Fierro is almost afraid to answer. If he is gay, it’ll be a problem for his big, fat Italian family. Still, after three failed marriages, he can’t help but wonder if he’s been playing for the wrong team.

There’s only one way to settle it, once and for all—head for Chicago’s Boystown bars, far from anyone who knows him. Naturally, he runs smack into someone from the neighborhood.

Between working two jobs, going to school, taking care of his grandmother, and dealing with his mother’s ongoing substance abuse, Trey Giles has little time for fun, let alone dating someone who swears he’s straight. Yet after one night of dancing cheek-to-cheek to the sultry strains of Coltrane, Trey finds himself wanting to help Vinnie figure things out—no promises, and no sex.

It seems like a simple plan, until their “no-sex” night turns into the best date of their lives and forges a connection that complicates everything.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Marie Sexton - Never a Hero

Never a Hero (A Tucker Springs Novel) by Marie Sexton
Series: A Tucker Springs Novel
Paperback: 156 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (February 20, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937551954
ISBN-13: 978-1937551957
Amazon: Never a Hero (A Tucker Springs Novel)
Amazon Kindle: Never a Hero (A Tucker Springs Novel)

Everyone deserves a hero.

Owen Meade is desperately in need of a hero. Raised by a mother who made him ashamed of his stutter, his sexual orientation, and his congenitally amputated arm, Owen lives like a hermit in his Tucker Springs apartment. But then hunky veterinarian Nick Reynolds moves in downstairs.

Nick is sexy and confident, and makes Owen comfortable with himself in a way nobody ever has. He also introduces Owen to his firecracker of a little sister, who was born with a similar congenital amputation but never let it stand in her way. When she signs the two of them up for piano lessons—and insists that they play together in a recital—Owen can’t find a way to say no. Especially since it gives him a good excuse to spend more time with Nick.

Owen knows he’s falling hard for his neighbor, but every time he gets close, Nick inexplicably pulls away. Battling his mother’s scorn and Nick’s secrets, Owen soon realizes that instead of waiting for a hero, it’s time to be one—for himself and for Nick.

This title is part of the Tucker Springs universe.