by B. G. Thomas
The crowd roared and clapped and stomped and cheered and Kevin lifted Wyatt even higher than Peni and Wyatt cried, “And that’s what I call magick!”
And it was.
THE TORCHES still burned but most of the crowd had gone.
It had been a hell of a party.
The bearded young man had played and shocked Wyatt when he realized that he was the Joe Donovan. And yes, he sang “Fly,” and some jubilant happy-themed songs as well. The lines of one in particular stood out for him….
Of all the people, you coulda won
Despite the craziest things I’ve done
Billions of hearts beating under the sun
You chose mine….
So, through every problem, take me along
Set with my suns and break with my dawns
We could go on the run or you could just sit on the lawn
By my side….
Oh, so let me be crystal, let me be clear
I want you with me for all of my years
So put on your nice clothes
We’re gonna walk down the aisle…!
The crowd had gone wild at that point. They liked the sentiment too!
Peni and his brothers leapt and spun and wove in their brightly colored sarongs to powerful drum beats in traditional Samoan dances.
Cyan Carrington put on a concert that brought neighbors from blocks away—
“My God, is that…?”
“Holy shit! That’s Cyan Carrington!”
“Oh! I hope she sings ‘Dark Witch.’”
“How the heck did they get her here?”
—and yes, Cedar sang a song or two with her.
There were fireworks. Of course there were. Peter Wagner was there, by God, and he was famous for his fireworks (although these were a bit more contained than his giant annual Fourth of July party).
And so much more.
Dancing and music (Michael DJ’d well into the night and nary a cop showed up—Peter Wagner was there, of course) and hugs and kisses and congratulations and lives changed and prayers given and blessing made.
Taxis took those who were too drunk to drive to local hotels.
Oliver barked.
A lot.
And then four best friends, tired and overjoyed and loved, came together and held each other and marveled at how much their lives had changed in a year and a half.
They cried.
They hugged.
And finally they vowed.
The Extraordinary Eight was born this day.
But at the heart of them, the Fabulous Four ruled and were blood-bonded forever.
AND THEN….
“Okay, guys,” Wyatt said. “Stop me if you’ve heard this one before….”
“Oh no,” Scott cried.
“Are you sure?” Sloan asked.
“Because this has got to be a good one,” Asher advised.
Wyatt paused. Then pouted.
“Gosh, guys. I like it. But it’s not like it’s great.”
They all sighed.
They all smiled.
And then they told him to go on.
Wyatt grinned. “Okay,” he said. “If there are two green balls in your hand, what do you have?”
They all admitted that they didn’t know.
Except for one guess about tennis.
“Nope,” said Wyatt. “You’ve got Kermit the Frog’s undivided attention.”
And after a few groans—deserved—their laughter filled the night.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
EVERY NOW and then a book comes along that makes an author bleed. For me, this was that book.
An author is often asked which character of theirs is most “them,” or did any part of a particular book happen to you?
Well, not exactly.
But wow, does this one come close.
I was with a man for many years who treated me very badly and hurt my heart, and I did stay with him long, long after I should have. I didn’t think I was worth more. But I finally learned that I was. I finally learned to love myself, and I came to see that I would rather live in a cardboard box in an alley in the snow than be with him one more day. I left him despite the fact that he had pretty much convinced me I would be alone for the rest of my life.
That was in July, and I met Raymond, my future husband, in November of that same year. As I write this, we’ve been together over fifteen years. Love does come. Love worthy of any of us.
And yes, out of all my characters, Wyatt is the most me, although a bit crazier and more flamboyant—the inner me, my inner Little Bear.
There were also some very rough hospital stays…. And more….
It took me about three to four months each to write the first three books in this series. It took me over a year to write Winter Heart. For that I deeply apologize. I know you were waiting, but I hope it was worth the wait. It’s a big book! I think even longer than Summer Lover.
My next few novels are going to be much shorter with much less hardship and angst, I promise.
(Although there will be some angst of course—after all, how could it be one of my books otherwise?)
As for those plot threads that you might feel I should have addressed and didn’t, I apologize for that as well. This tome already weighed in at well over 130,000 words. I had to stop somewhere!
And know this! There are always more books! I am never going to stop writing.
Meanwhile, remember…. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t. You can. You’re worth it. You’re golden!
And it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Leap! The net will appear!
Namasté,
B.G. Thomas
ONE LAST THING!
I WANTED you to know that Joe Donovan is patterned after Bobby Jo Valentine, who is a very real person. A sweet, adorable, supremely talented, kind young man. He very graciously allowed me to use some of his lyrics in this book.
I met him last year and got to hear him perform and then talked to him afterward.
See, the lyrics to “Fly” blew me away.
I knew it was Wyatt Dolan’s song.
So I asked Bobby if I could use it, and he said yes!
(He even called me “handsome man,” which startled me and made me blush. I mean, he’s gorgeous!)
“Fly” became intrinsic to this story.
If you want (and I hope you do) you can find his song “Fly” on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DUWHlblEm0&nohtml5=False And tell me he’s not gorgeous and heart-stoppingly talented! I dare you!
Then please check out his work at:
http://www.bobbyjovalentine.com/
Remember to support artists! It’s their livelihood.
Again, Namasté,
B.G.
More from B.G. Thomas
Seasons of Love: Book One
Sloan McKenna is going through a tough time. His beloved mother has recently passed away, leaving him her house and beautiful garden. But should he keep the house? Sell it? To make matters worse, he’s in love with one of his best friends, Asher, a man who can’t (or won’t) love him back.
Sloan’s neighbor, Max Turner, is married to an ambitious woman with far-reaching dreams, including moving the family to France. But Max is happy teaching at the local college and living in their nice, quiet town. Then he discovers his fourteen-year-old son is not only gay, but out and proud as well. That throws him into complete disarray, for more than one reason….
When Max’s wife leaves on a two-month business trip to Paris, circumstances throw the two men together. As they become friends, Sloan finds himself falling in love with Max, who is completely unavailable… just like Asher. As for Max, he is discovering that both his son’s coming out and his new friendship with Sloan are stirring up feelings he thought buried long ago. Spring is a time for rebirth—Is there any way the two men can find happiness and a new beginning?
Seasons of Love: Book Two
Scott Aberdeen doesn’t believe in Sant
a Claus, the Easter Bunny, or God. Or love—at least, he knows no one will ever love him. After all, he has carried a torch for his best friend Sloan for a decade, hoping his feelings will be returned one day. But when Sloan finds springtime love with another man, Scott’s fantasies are crushed and his skepticism confirmed.
Cedar Carrington, raised by rock star parents, leads a free-spirited, nomadic life, never staying in one place for long. Due to a dark past he refuses to share or even think about, he is willing to let men into his bed for sex, but never for the night.
When Scott finds himself camping in the middle of nowhere with over a hundred men who all believe in love—and faeries and a magickal gay brotherhood—he’s pretty sure he’s in the wrong place. And when Cedar connects with cynical, critical Scott, he wonders how he could be falling in for this man of all men. But hearts and lives have been transformed at the Heartland Men’s Festival before, and it might be just the place where two very different men can release their pain and find true love at last.
Seasons of Love: Book Three
Asher Eisenberg is a brilliant actor, destined for fame and fortune. But a traumatic incident in his past has caused him to reject his Jewish heritage and hide from everyone behind walls of arrogance and selfishness, and he blurs his loneliness with a lot of sex and alcohol. When he meets Peniamina Faamausili, however, he strangely can’t stop thinking about the young man.
Peni is struggling with his sexuality, the Mormonism he was raised in, and the Samoan heritage that calls to him. He longs to receive the pe’a—the traditional Samoan tattoos-- and learn more of his people’s ways. He has no interest in a man like Asher, who appears to use men and put them aside and whose drinking can’t help but remind him of the drunk driver who killed his father. But he can’t deny his attraction to Asher and finally agrees to a date if Asher can go thirty days without a drink.
Asher is about to go on a journey that will awaken him to his friends, his past, his future, and even to love. But that awakening could well demand the sacrifice of the dream he holds most dear.
Leslie “Red” Parks was pretty surprised to find he was considered attractive enough to be a male escort. And once he started and the money came rolling in, he found he didn’t want to stop. For the first time in his life, people truly want him, and he likes that. A lot.
Kirk Toliver has never thought of himself as desirable either—which is why he is single. That, and he has spent years of his life caring for his ill mother. Before she passed away, she made him promise he would splurge on something crazy with the money she left him. So what’s crazier than hiring a male escort?
But neither expected that one night together could lead to what was missing in both their lives.
The end of his marriage leaves Derek Newton hurt and confused, but it also grants him the opportunity to embrace who he really is: a gay man. While navigating his new life with the help of friends in the local GLBT community, Derek meets Marshall Kenworthy, a man who embodies all his fantasies.
To Derek’s surprise, Marshall is as interested as he is, and they make a date. But a failure to communicate leads to a misunderstanding. The party they attend is not what Derek expected—at all—but Marshall, ever the gentleman, makes sure Derek feels comfortable. As they get to know each other, they see how much they have in common. Derek begins to heal and soon realizes he might thrive in this new chapter of his life—and it just might be with Marshall by his side.
Readers love the Seasons of Love series by B.G. Thomas
Spring Affair
“This book is full of pain and hurt, but also hope and elation. It’s like coming back to life after a long, hard winter…”
—My Fiction Nook
“This book is very full, and it is the sort of story you want to read when you need to be filled up.”
—Prism Book Alliance
Summer Lover
“I highly recommend this to everyone, but especially to those of you that love a good story about finding oneself, sexy stories with a good story to them, broken men, and magick!”
—Good MM Book Reviews
“The story leads us by the hand and reminds all that we are perfectly made and no matter whom we love, the simple act of loving is a miracle in itself and should be treated as such.”
—Joyfully Jay
Autumn Changes
“There are so many wonderful elements, from the well-crafted plot to the range of emotions.”
—Inked Rainbow Reviews
B.G. THOMAS lives in Kansas City with his husband of more than a decade and their fabulous little dog. He is lucky enough to have a lovely daughter as well as many extraordinary friends. He has a great passion for life.
B.G. loves romance, comedies, fantasy, science fiction, and even horror—as far as he is concerned, as long as the stories are character driven and entertaining, it doesn’t matter the genre. He has gone to literature conventions his entire adult life where he’s been lucky enough to meet many of his favorite writers. He has made up stories since he was a child; it is where he finds his joy.
In the nineties, he wrote for gay magazines but stopped because the editors wanted all sex without plot. “The sex is never as important as the characters,” he says. “Who cares what they are doing if we don’t care about them?” Excited about the growing male/male romance market, he began writing again. Gay men are what he knows best, after all—since he grew out of being a “practicing” homosexual long ago. He submitted a story and was thrilled when it was accepted in four days. Since then the stories have poured out of him. “It’s like I’m somehow making up for a lifetime’s worth of stories!”
“Leap, and the net will appear” is his personal philosophy and his message to all. “It is never too late,” he states. “Pursue your dreams. They will come true!”
Website/blog: bthomaswriter.wordpress.com
By B.G. Thomas
All Alone in a Sea of Romance
All Snug
Anything Could Happen
The Beary Best Holiday Party Ever
Bianca’s Plan
The Boy Who Came In From the Cold
Christmas Cole
Christmas Wish
Derek
Desert Crossing
Grumble Monkey and the Department Store Elf
Hound Dog and Bean
How Could Love Be Wrong?
It Had to Be You
Just Guys
Men of Steel (Dreamspinner Anthology)
A More Perfect Union (Multiple Author Anthology)
Red
Riding Double (Dreamspinner Anthology)
A Secret Valentine
Soul of the Mummy
Editor: A Taste of Honey (Dreamspinner Anthology)
Two Tickets to Paradise (Dreamspinner Anthology)
Until I Found You
GOTHIKA
Bones (Multiple Author Anthology)
Spirit (Multiple Author Anthology)
SEASONS OF LOVE
Spring Affair
Summer Lover
Autumn Changes
Winter Heart
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Winter Heart
© 2016 B.G. Thomas.
Cover Art
© 2016 Paul Richmond.
http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribut
ion via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63477-777-3
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-778-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016913576
Published October 2016
v. 1.0
“Fly” lyrics and music by Bobby Jo Valentine. Copyright © 2011 by Bobby Jo Valentine. Used with permission of the artist.
“Nice Clothes” lyrics and music by Bobby Jo Valentine. Copyright © 2015 by Bobby Jo Valentine. Used with permission of the artist.
“Seasons Changing” lyrics and music by Christine Kane. Copyright © 2009 by Firepink music. All rights reserved. Used by permission of the artist.
“Open Road” lyrics and music © 2003 Heather Thornton. Used with permission of the artist.
“Cauley” words by Cameron Schneberger. © 2015. Used by permission of the artist.
“I Am Grateful for My Spiritual Path” by Malcolm Kane © 2015. Used by permission of the author.