Tag Archives: Christmas

“Happy Holidays”

flying santaThis is re-posted from last year.  Not to be boring, but I find that the topic will keep cropping up…

I bought my Christmas tie at Hong Kong’s Stanley Market ages ago for like two dollars, and have worn it to work (in strict accordance with my company’s uniform guidelines, I might add, cuz that’s how I roll) for the whole month of December pretty much ever since. We celebrate Christmas, but I am not a Christian, and my tie, as befits a Christmas tie from China, is very generic; no Jesus, no Santa, just a bunch of snowmen and gold star-topped trees. Mostly I wear a holiday tie because it is my one and only opportunity to vary the uniform that I wear every day. The very same uniform, come to that, that, at my broke-ass company, I’ve been wearing for my entire career. Lots of pilots wear them, too, and it’s fun, for two or three weeks, to start pre-flight briefings with a compliment, even one as bland as “Nice tie.”

When a passenger tells me, “Nice tie,” I used to say “Thank you. Merry Christmas,” figuring that if you were going to take the time to comment on my Christmas tie, then you were probably someone who celebrates Christmas, too. But lately, the Nice Ties have been delivered more and more with a certain sly tone that implies a knowing wink, and I have dropped the M.C., sticking with a bland and pleasant “Thank you.” While I hope the tie is able to impart a small amount of General Cheer on flights at a time of year when travel can be high-stress and hassle-full, I do not wish to be implicated in anyone’s personal, FOX-fueled war on the phrase Happy Holidays. Continue reading →

They’re Here!

Advent AdventureMy November vacation is often the highlight of my year, and this year’s was no slouch.  I had quality time (think wine, s’mores, Indian food) with some of my favoritest friends, Thanksgiving with some of my favoritest cousins, I wrote a novel and my first theatrical monologue, my husband performed like a SuperStar at Drag Nation, and we watched a lot of Wings.  It was pretty much the best vacation ever, and yesterday, which was both December First and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I strapped on my Christmas tie and went off to work with something of a magnanimous, goodwill-towards-all attitude.  Strollers, grandparents, and college kids were out in droves, boarding was a Very Big Deal, and a rather pointed reminder was issued: the Holidays are here.

And lucky us, because alongside the Annual Overhead Bin Space Smackdown, JMS Books is ushering in the Holiday Season with a cavalcade of Holiday Romance releases.  Four or five a week, in fact, between now and the 22nd, including mine, The Gift of the Gay Guy, on December 15th.  They’re of the short, electronic variety, perfect for bumping up your Kindle’s Christmas cred or stuffing those Nook-shaped stockings; heck, with most at the $2-$4 price point, you can decorate your tablet with sexy guys in Santa hats like it’s a little electronic tree.

We’ll start with mine:Gift Gay Guy Cover

‘Tis the night before Christmas when Derrick Halvorson’s flight to Minneapolis is diverted to a tiny municipal airport out in the sticks. Grounded by a blizzard, he lucks into the last hotel room in town, which he offers to share with Lee, a tall, tempting twink from his flight with nowhere else to go. The sex is awesome, but when Derrick catches Lee stealing what little cash he has in his wallet, he naturally tosses him out on his ear. When Lee resurfaces in the morning, Derrick resolves to stay mad, so no one is more surprised than he is when Derrick turns up at the Halvorson Family Christmas with Lee in tow. When his cop brother recognizes Lee, Derrick fears the worst. Is Lee actually a career criminal? Or was taking the money a desperate one-off? Lee can always pay back the sixty dollars, but will the punishment fit the crime if he steals Derrick’s heart?

And here are the rest, in weekly batches.  The first set came out yesterday, so you don’t even have to wait around for those.  Check ’em out, especially if you’re looking for ways to support queer writers, independent businesses, or those most unsung of Holiday Heroes, Sexy Guys in Santa Hats.

The Firefighter in the Snow | Vivaldi in the Dark | Bad Secret Santa | Yule Be in my Heart

Nowhere to Hide | Holy Xavier | Christmas Deception | And We Will Live Happily

Thanks, JMS Books!

Thanks, JMS Books!

Christmas Comes to Kiss Me, Straight

XMAS KMSInto every life a little Christmas must fall, and Our Hero Todd is no exception to this rule.  What with being a hopeless romantic and a little bit of a drama queen, he finds himself with some feelings to sort through, and he drags himself home to his childhood home in Ogallala, Nebraska to sort through them.  OK, well, maybe to use the chaos of Christmas with his brothers and nieces and nephews as an excuse not to sort through them, but give the boy time; it’s a process, as Todd will go on to appreciate.

You won’t be needing excuses, though: just in time to brighten your own holidays (or those of the queer fiction fans on your Holiday Shopping list), JMS Books is having a sale!  ALL eBooks on the site are 30% off, which means Kiss Me, Straight can overflow from your digital stocking for only $5.59!  The print version is also on sale if you’re looking to get a few snapshots of the book under your own tree. You can snag a copy on Amazon, and it’s not too late to enter to WIN a copy on Goodreads (although it will be too late on January 1).

Christmas preparations here continue apace; Jared is baking loaf after loaf of yummy pumpkin bread, I’ve bought my Rudolph-themed wrapping paper at the Dollar Tree, as you see, and had my Xmas pedicure (oh yes, I am that fancy), and Chris Isaak and Stevie Nicks assure me that Santa Claus is coming to town.  Will he make it to Ogallala?  Scoot back off the edge of your seat and find out in the Kiss Me, Straight Christmas Excerpt: Continue reading →