Leta Blake

author. human. working hard to become stellar at life.

Leta

“I don’t know how Leta keeps doing it!” Roger Grace’s review of Smoky Mountain Dreams #mmromance #gay

by

“I don’t know how Leta keeps doing it, each time I read one of her books, I have a new favorite by her. I just can’t stop getting pulled into the story and enjoying it so much. This book should be read and enjoyed. can’t say enough just know that the origami swan on the cover is there for a reason. there is a lot of pain and a lot of redemption in this moving story. And each of the stories are different from each other.”

read more via Amazon.com: Roger G Grace’s review of Smoky Mountain Dreams.

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

“My first Leta Blake book, and I’m so glad I read it.” Alan Katz’s Review of Smoky Mountain Dreams #gay #romance

by

“My first Leta Blake book, and I’m so glad I read it.

Ms. Blake is a talented author – in other hands, all the heartache might have turned into melodrama, which it did not. In fact, the book was very moving, the characters highly empathetic and it grabbed me from the very first page. I read it in a single sitting.”

via Amazon.com: Alan Arthur Katz’s review of Smoky Mountain Dreams.

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

Santa Wishes from Characters – Jesse & Christopher – Smoky Mountain Dreams

by

Now it’s Jesse and Christopher’s turn!

From All About the Writing:

It’s that glorious time of year when everyone whispers sweet nothings in Santa’s ear, hoping for a little extra something in their Christmas stocking. Fictional characters are no different.

So this is what I posed to my writer friends:

One of your characters is sitting on Santa’s lap, and whispers something in Santa’s ear. Who is it, and what did they say to ole Saint Nick?

(- See more at: http://www.allaboutthewriting.com/donna_j_cummings/2014/12/santa-baby.html#sthash.yzR7PW7c.dpuf)

Jesse: I’m not a big believer in Santa Claus but if I could have anything this Christmas it would be some sort of legal way to take over my wife’s care from my sister-in-law. The lack of resolution for everyone is still hard, though having Christopher in our lives makes it easier.

Christopher: I got everything I wanted for Christmas, Santa. Thank you. You really delivered this year. You’re the best. Now, if you’d maybe fix my family up a little that would be–no, never mind. I’m good. I don’t really need any of them nosing around in my life. So thanks anyway. I hope you have a nice holiday break, Santa, after all the presents get delivered. Thank you again. You’ve been so good to me.

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

SERIOUSLY SPOILERY Deleted Epilogue for Smoky Mountain Dreams #bonusmaterial #deletedscenes

by

Here is a VERY SPOILERY epilogue for my book Smoky Mountain Dreams. I wrote it and it just didn’t fit as an ending, so, snip! It was cut from the book itself. But as a Christmas gift, I’ll share it here on my blog for those who might be interested.

I’m going to put it behind a Read More cut. Hopefully that will work, so those who don’t want to be spoiled can look away now.

Okay, here we go, everything below this? SPOILERY!!!

 

[Read more…] about SERIOUSLY SPOILERY Deleted Epilogue for Smoky Mountain Dreams #bonusmaterial #deletedscenes

Civil War, Slavery, History from a Non-Southern Perspective| @Darrah_Glass #nashville

by

“In summer 2013, I finally roused myself to take an interest in Nashville and the Mr. agreed to accompany me to visit Civil War sites in and around the city. It wasn’t so much that I was interested in the Civil War specifically, but I like history, and I like research, and that’s really what there is to be interested in around here besides the music industry. I was apprehensive when we started visiting battlefields and house museums, expecting to be presented with a lot of pro-Confederate opinions and romanticizing of the Southern cause, but that hasn’t been our experience at all. All of the surviving antebellum mansions were occupied by the armies for one side or the other at some point, and most served as hospitals, as well. The history everywhere is a combined Union/Confederate history, typically presented by people who are passionate about the facts and delighted to share their knowledge. So far, it’s always been a presentation of American history, of intimately human history, and not a politically-motivated interpretation, and I’ve definitely appreciated this.”

read more interesting observations about the Civil War and the South from the perspective of a non-Southerner via Nashville history | Darrah Glass.

 

 

Santa Wishes from Characters – Zach & Leith – The River Leith #christmas #gay

by

In our second installment of Santa Wishes from Characters, we’ll hear from Zach and Leith from The River Leith.

As I reported the other day, I saw the following quote on All About the Writing:

It’s that glorious time of year when everyone whispers sweet nothings in Santa’s ear, hoping for a little extra something in their Christmas stocking. Fictional characters are no different.

So this is what I posed to my writer friends:

One of your characters is sitting on Santa’s lap, and whispers something in Santa’s ear. Who is it, and what did they say to ole Saint Nick?

(- See more at: http://www.allaboutthewriting.com/donna_j_cummings/2014/12/santa-baby.html#sthash.yzR7PW7c.dpuf)

Leith: Well, Santa,  I’ve been a pretty good guy this year. And, all in all, I’m not sure what to ask for. Maybe Daggi’s cheese in my stocking and Zach in my bed. Otherwise, I’m pretty good right now. There was a time I would have asked for my memory back but I don’t know if I really want that. Part of me would like to remember the boxing championships and meeting Zach the first time, but another part of me is happy with how things are now and doesn’t want to rock the boat. What if remembering everything about boxing made me miss it more than I already do? What if remembering meeting Zach the first time somehow made our coming together again despite the odds less beautiful? If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s how to let go of the past. So I guess I’ll just keep moving forward. Oh, I know! I’d like to have a good idea for a career I’d love. If you’d drop that down my stocking along with that cheese, I’d be grateful. I’m not really into my studies and I feel like there’s something I should do instead. Maybe psychology? I could help people like Dr. Thakur helped me. Oh! And a puppy. I’d like a puppy, too. Just convince Zach that it won’t piddle in the house, okay?

Leith’s idea of a perfect Christmas.

Zach: Hello Santa! Aren’t you looking dashing all in red like that? *waggles brows* Now, let’s get down to business. *counts off on fingers* First, I’d like Leith in a sexy Santa suit, reclining back in my bed, surrounded by candles and fake snow. Second, I’d love to have a little extra time off to write a novel. I’ve been thinking about telling the story of when Leith and I first met. He’s wanted to know the details for awhile now and what better way? So could you drop an extra three hundred hours into the year for me? I’d absolutely love that! And lastly I’d love it if you convinced Leith that a puppy is a bad idea. Though the one he showed me from that rescue site was awfully cute…still, it’s an awful idea. Maybe talk him into a slightly older dog instead–one that’s already housetrained. And that’s all I’ve got! Signing off, Santa! Talk to you next year!

Zach’s idea of an ideal Christmas Evening with Leith. He’s a little ridiculous and over the top at times.

The River Leith is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

Memory is everything. After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain. For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach's choices may come back to haunt him. Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.

Can a Master Belong to a Slave? – A Master’s Fidelity (GQ Book 2.5) released! | Darrah Glass #free #gay

by

“Can a master belong to a slave?

It’s a season for celebration, and Martin is falling in love. Henry has always been adamant he won’t share Martin with any other master, but when Henry accepts an invitation to a friend’s New Year’s Eve party, Martin wonders if Henry has changed his mind. Certain that this will turn out to be one of the masters’ notorious swapping parties, Martin resolves to do whatever Henry asks of him, with whoever Henry chooses, without question. But faced with the idea of Henry being intimate with any other slave, Martin despairs, wanting Henry all to himself. A good slave would never ask for a master’s fidelity, but that’s just what Martin wants to do.

This story is told from Martin’s point of view and runs parallel to events that take place in the final scenes of A Proper Lover, the second book in the Ganymede Quartet.

PLEASE NOTE: It is my intention to offer this story for free, but some retailers don’t allow authors to set a price of zero. If you want to pay $0.99 for this story, I won’t stop you, but I do encourage you to let Amazon know it’s available elsewhere for FREE. If they get enough requests, they should eventually match that price.”

via A Master’s Fidelity (GQ Book 2.5) released! | Darrah Glass.

AMF @ Amazon

AMF @ B&N

AMF @ Smashwords

AMF @ Kobo

AMF @ Scribd

“Leta Blake is not afraid to take risks in her storytelling” Review: Smoky Mountain Dreams by Leta Blake – Im With Geek

by

“Leta Blake continues to be an author who both surprises and delights, and is not afraid to take risks in her storytelling. This book tackles controversial topics with ease, and this is what makes it stand out from others in the genre. Quite frankly, Smoky Mountain Dreams is a must-read for romance fans everywhere.”

Review: Smoky Mountain Dreams by Leta Blake – Im With Geek.

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

Christmas Songs – Dec 20, 2014 – Holly Jolly Concert #sufjan #cheers #music

by

I’m pretty sure that being drunk at a Sufjan Steven’s Christmas concert would be pretty freaking awesome and go a long way toward giving almost anyone some Christmas cheer. It’s just that ridiculous. And it’s probably best to be buzzed while listening/watching, too. I dunno. I just like it.

Santa Wishes from Characters – Matty & Rob – Training Season #gay #sequel

by

A few days ago I saw this on All About the Writing:

It’s that glorious time of year when everyone whispers sweet nothings in Santa’s ear, hoping for a little extra something in their Christmas stocking. Fictional characters are no different.

So this is what I posed to my writer friends:

One of your characters is sitting on Santa’s lap, and whispers something in Santa’s ear. Who is it, and what did they say to ole Saint Nick?

(- See more at: http://www.allaboutthewriting.com/donna_j_cummings/2014/12/santa-baby.html#sthash.yzR7PW7c.dpuf)

Matty jumped up and down in my mind saying, “Oh, me! Me! I want to tell everyone what I want for Christmas.” And then all the other characters that that would be fun, too. So, here’s Day One of Santa Wishes! We’ll do Matty first since he’s impatient to tell all. Imagine him sitting in Santa’s lap–glitter, feathers, a tiara?–whatever he’s wearing it’s definitely shiny.

Matty: Dear Santa, I have been very, very, very naughty. I’ve blown our budget, lost my best skater, failed to eat lunch kind of a lot, fought with my employer and been a dick to Rob because I’m in a panic-spiral. I think that a punishment is definitely in order. Truly. I really deserve it. *taps glitter-polished fingernail against front teeth* Let’s see, I like horse whips and restraints and spankings and anything kind of rough. Oooh, being gagged is good. And a blindfold is never wrong. Of course, we already have all of those items. So, be creative, Santa. I love a good surprise! Just send me something deliciously naughty and kind of painful and I’ll be happy. Or, um, punished. Probably both. Psst, also, if you’d turn back time and make me win the gold at the Olympics, either time really, that’d be excellent and I’d swear to be a better boy next year. Maybe. But in the meantime, bring me something kinky! And really fucking difficult! *dreamily* Yes, that would help keep me in line.

Author’s note: Stay tuned this spring and you can find out what Santa brings because Matty’s kinda serious. 😛

Matty’s idea of a good present. Himself.

Rob: Dear Santa, I’ve been good this year. Again. And Matty’s been better than he thinks he has. For example, he’s been very good for me in bed. The budget thing…yeah. That’s a problem. The rest? Problems, too. But we’ll work it out. We always do. I guess if you really want to bring me anything, a winning lottery ticket so I can keep Matty in the style he aspires to would be great. *chuckles* But I guess that’s pretty damn unlikely, so just making Matty happier-than-not would do it for me. So bring him whatever he asked for and I’ll consider us square.

I think Matty would die of Christmas joy if Rob wanted to use a length of sleigh bells on him in some aggressive, sexy, strappy manner.

Training Season is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

Look out for Training Season’s sequel coming Spring 2015.

Christmas Music – Dec 19, 2014 – Happy Holidays #lovespirals #music

by

I was listening to this album (Ornamentals) for the first time the other day and kept thinking this was a Madonna song from the 1990s or something. I was kinda tripped out to see it was by Lovespirals and not Madonna at all. My brain has a hard time accepting that. Listen and tell me if you hear 90s Madonna, too. Or am I insane? Wait…don’t answer that! 😉

 

” I am just amazed by this book.” DiverseReader’s review of Smoky Mountain Dreams #gay #romance #amreading

by

“Brilliant! The love I have for this story is gigantic. Right from the start I was pulled in. Christopher broke my heart. Tore it to shreds, then dipped it into lemon juice. Then he met broken Jesse. They pulled through all the darkness because they had each other. They experienced loss and they are true fighters. I loved how Leta Blake took all these avenues and placed them perfectly so when they met it was a smooth road in the end. There are always battles, whether it be not only falling in love with someone but falling in love with their kids, or realizing the road to forever is paved in shards of glass only true love can heal. I am just amazed by this book.”

via Amazon.com: DiverseReader’s review of Smoky Mountain Dreams.

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.