Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Author Extra: My Life as a Myth by Huston Piner

My Life as a Myth by Huston Piner

1969 freshman Nick Horton has problems. He suffers from bouts of
depression, he’s a high school social outcast, and he doesn’t understand why
he’s not attracted to girls. So when a series of misunderstandings label him
a troublemaker, he’s delighted to have Jesse Gaston and Jesse's gang
befriend him. Nick wants to explore his attraction to Bobby Warren, but
Jesse promises to give him a new image and soon transforms the shy loser
into an anti-establishment student hero.

Thanks to his new reputation, Nick finds himself besieged by would-be
girlfriends and expectations that he live up to his public image. As Jesse’s
PR campaign becomes more and more outrageous, Nick’s road quickly becomes
littered with ridiculous misadventures and unexpected psychedelic
explorations. Meanwhile he struggles to understand his emerging romance with
Bobby while dealing with the Vietnam War’s continuing impact on his family
and the dangerous goings-on at school.

Nick’s freshman year is a remarkable journey of struggle with his unwanted
reputation and his deepening passion for Bobby. Is a world still reeling
from the sexual revolution, Acid Rock, and the illicit pleasures of underage
drinking and pot smoking ready to accept two boys in love? Will Nick and
Bobby’s love survive or will the world’s prejudices drive them apart?

buy link:
http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=64

Author Extra:

I woke up sometime after dawn. I was on my back and Bobby lay on his side
with his left leg draped over me and an arm wrapped snuggly around me. As I
came to, I realized we were both uncovered, he was naked, and we both had
hard-ons. His rested on my thigh. Completely embarrassed, I began a slow
delicate process to untangle us without waking him. 

After I freed myself, I hurried to the bathroom, quietly closed the door,
and raised the lid just in time to explode. I stood there shivering until I
was completely drained and flushed the toilet. The bathroom had a small
walk-in shower with a sliding door. I got in before the water fully heated
up and let it flow over me to ensure I was fully awake.

I dried my hair with the damp towel. Bobby had rolled over and snored
quietly, now clutching a pillow. I finished dressing and watched him sleep
for a minute, taking in how perfect he is from head to toe. My God, he's
beautiful, I thought, and I felt myself stiffen. It took me a couple of
minutes to tear myself away from just admiring him. There are some things
you just know you'll remember all your life and I knew right then that even
when I'm a hundred, remembering him sleeping like that will bring out the
same feelings in me. 

The fridge had no juice, but I did find a pitcher of tea. Outside on the
landing at the top of the stairs, the morning air was brisk but not too
chilly. I left the door open both to let in a little fresh air, and so Bobby
would see me when he woke up. 

The morning light dazzled me. The tea had a nice calming effect. My mind
wandered as I took in the activities of the squirrels and the birds that had
not flown south yet. I tried to make myself one with the morning, to
experience cosmic awareness, but I ended up daydreaming. 

Sometime later Bobby hurried for the bathroom like I had after I became
vertical. He also showered and when he came out he unabashedly rearranged
himself as he came to where I sat on the landing. He either didn't notice me
staring or didn't care.

"Good morning, starshine," I said. 

"Good morning. You sleep okay?" He smiled and leaned against the doorpost.

"Like a rock."

Bonus Author Extra:

Friday, September 5, 1969.

Second period is undoubtedly the class I dread the most -- Physical
Education. I'm not very coordinated, and I've never been very good at
sports, even jacks. And PE is different from just playing a game with other
kids; you actually get graded on it. And that's not the worst of it.

PE students first gather in the locker room to change into workout clothes.
For me, this is awkward. See, in my family, nudity just doesn't exist. I'm
pretty sure my parents were both born fully clothed and still shower that
way. 

If a guy thinks you're looking at him too long, or in the wrong place, he'll
go out of his way to humiliate you. If you blush easily, it's open season,
and if your … uh … body reacts the wrong way, God help you. The trouble is
sometimes when a guy makes me nervous that's exactly my problem. I tend to
be nervous enough as it is, but we have thirty-three guys in our class. The
way some of them show off makes me very nervous. Talk about embarrassing!
You'd think "faggot" was my name! Today, I just tried to keep my head down,
change fast, and get out of there.

The right teacher could put a stop to this kind of thing. But there are only
two kinds of PE teachers in the world. The first kind is like Jack Lalanne,
super fit, and a firm believer that everyone should eat enough fiber to
orgasm every time they shit. 

The second kind is descended from the Marquis de Sade. These guys get off
pushing the athletic types to the limits of their abilities while they
humiliate the rest of us lesser beings. 

Our PE teacher, Mr. Starkman, is the second kind. 

I've already suffered through a week and a half of his taunts and put downs
so far. I just can't throw, catch, kick, hit, or keep up with the rest of
the guys. And the more I fail, the more he pushes, and the worse I get.

Today was the perfect example. While I attempted to shoot a hoop for the
fifth time, Mr. Starkman yelled at me. Needless to say, I missed the hoop
and backboard completely. Instead, the ball bounced off the wall and hit
Jason Sullivan in the back of his head so hard his glasses flew off and
broke on the floor. After that, Mr. Starkman banished me to the weight room.

Solitary. Just what I need, more "evidence" for everyone that I'm a
troublemaker. 

What I wouldn't give to be one of the jocks or Straight-A students; the
popular kids get all the breaks. Everybody loves them and they get to do
what they want. Everything I do backfires so I spend most of my time just
trying to avoid embarrassing myself.
Oh, on a positive note, my black eye is looking better. 

New Release Day

New this Week from Prizm Books...

My Life as a Myth
By: Huston Piner
225 pages / 66000 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-477-8
$6.99
Buy Link: http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=64
Blurb:
1969 freshman Nick Horton has problems. He suffers from bouts of depression, he’s a high school social outcast, and he doesn’t understand why he’s not attracted to girls. So when a series of misunderstandings label him a troublemaker, he’s delighted to have Jesse Gaston and Jesse's gang befriend him. Nick wants to explore his attraction to Bobby Warren, but Jesse promises to give him a new image and soon transforms the shy loser into an anti-establishment student hero.
Thanks to his new reputation, Nick finds himself besieged by would-be girlfriends and expectations that he live up to his public image. As Jesse’s PR campaign becomes more and more outrageous, Nick’s road quickly becomes littered with ridiculous misadventures and unexpected psychedelic explorations. Meanwhile he struggles to understand his emerging romance with Bobby while dealing with the Vietnam War’s continuing impact on his family and the dangerous goings-on at school.
Nick’s freshman year is a remarkable journey of struggle with his unwanted reputation and his deepening passion for Bobby. Is a world still reeling from the sexual revolution, Acid Rock, and the illicit pleasures of underage drinking and pot smoking ready to accept two boys in love? Will Nick and Bobby’s love survive or will the world’s prejudices drive them apart?

Refrigeration Blues
By: Richard Natale
19 pages / 5500 words
$2.49
Buy Link: http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=65
Blurb:
When you have the perfect lover and he’s suddenly taken from you, what’s the point of going on?  I mean, really. Might as well go out in a blaze of glory, or in this case, a chill of glory.  Of course, something could go wrong, and in Matthew Robins’ case, it almost always does.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Coming Soon

Coming next Week from Prizm Books...
My Life as a Myth by Huston Piner

Prizm Pinch:

Refrigeration Blues by Richard Natale

Friday, May 10, 2013

Review Round-Up April 7 - May 10, 2013

Enjoy our latest review round-up. If you have any unmentioned reviews please post them in the comments or email them to kristi@torquerepress.com.

If you are a review house or blogger that is interested in reviewing our books please let us know at reviewcoordinator@torquerepress.com.


Hearts on Fire Reviews

The Easter Bunny (Prizm Books) by Charlie Purcell 
Happy Birthday, Klutzface (Prizm Books) by Foxglove Lee 



Brief Encounters

Monster Town (Prizm Books) by Dakota Chase



Affair de Couer Magazine AdC

The Shroud Eaters 
Alyx J Shaw
Torquere Press 
ebook
feb 2013
***1/2

    Deirdre is a proper lady and behaves as such. She does not want to attract any unwanted attention. She is a vampire and is trying to pass to avoid trouble. Thomas is her husband who wants a heir that Deirdre is trying to provide. Can she give him what he needs in her vampiric state.

    This was an overall story. What really got me down about it was the old fashoined nature of it. The language with lords, ladies, and servants was not my thing. This is a personal preference on my part but it was something that just got me. The pacing was also a little slow for me.

Lenore Lovecraft

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Author Extra: Shel's Moor by Jessica Ennis

Shel's Moor by Jessica Ennis

buy link:
http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_7&products_id=63&zenid=0081c41e95882c3e2410817821e9ea9f

Cedric and his best friend and schoolmate Brigham can't resist the mysteries
of the Moor near Cedric's house, especially after hearing tales of a
monster. The monster they seek turns out to be a young werewolf living in
isolation -- who cannot risk word of his existence getting to the
superstitious townsfolk. In order to assure his continued safety, the
werewolf takes Brigham as a hostage. While Brigham faces confinement with a
monster, he will soon discover the young man underneath the legend.

Author Extra:

To celebrate the end of Garrison's first full year at Harper Adams, Brigham
decided a holiday was in order. The two boys finally managed to wheedle away
from Cedric and his girlfriend Harriet for one full week and absconded to a
beautiful seaside shack in Blackpool. The week was spent in delirious
ecstasy; they lay on the beach until their noses were pink and their
shoulders threatened blisters. They showered together, keeping the water
cool. The shower stall filled with grains of sand, and their too-gangly
mens' feet on boys' bodies kicked at each other as they laughed and reached
in the tiny stall. Soap smeared from body to body, at first accidentally,
and then intentionally. Next came lotion to soothe the fresh day's burns,
hands and mouths roaming, and breath on ears in the summery delight of
scents as salty as the ocean. Finally, they always had dinner out. 

Garrison and Brigham together possessed very little in the way of money, so
they made due with meals from a fish and chips stand, or a back alley curry
joint. It hardly mattered. Afterward, the beach was waiting again, and now
they smelled of patchouli and drank cheap wine that made Garrison's aches
ease and Brigham's eyes grow wide with lust. At night, they often slept on
the beach, rivaling the waves with their own sounds. Before dawn, before
anyone could catch them, they came inside for a breakfast of wine, toast,
and berries. Then they wandered back onto the beach to sleep all day in the
sun, until their noses were pink and their shoulders once again threatened
blisters.

"This is what I want to be when I grow up." Brigham sighed into the
shorebirds' calls.

"What, a lazy berk?" Garrison asked.

Brigham pouted in mock offense. "I want to be on the beach, in love."

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

New Release Day from Prizm Books

New this Week from Prizm Books...

Shels Moor
By: Jessica Ennis

25 pages / 6400 words
$2.49
Buy Link: http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_7&products_id=63
Blurb:
Cedric and his best friend and schoolmate Brigham can't resist the mysteries of the Moor near Cedric's house, especially after hearing tales of a monster. The monster they seek turns out to be a young werewolf living in isolation -- who cannot risk word of his existence getting to the superstitious townsfolk. In order to assure his continued safety, the werewolf takes Brigham as a hostage. While Brigham faces confinement with a monster, he will soon discover the young man underneath the legend.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

New Release Day

New this Week from Prizm Books...

Ink~Blood~Fire
By: K. Baldwin and Lyra Ricci

224 pages / 70000 words
$6.99
Buy Link: http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=62
Blurb:
When Piper decided that she needed a better life for her and her sister, she packed them up, took what money they had saved, and headed off the desperately depressing downward spiral of drugs, booze, and violence of the Reservation. They took off to see the world. Fate had plans for them after being helped on the road by the kindness of a stranger. Little did they know that the man named Flynn had more in store for them than they could ever imagine.
Once they got back on the road Piper met a charming young up-and-coming tattoo artist named Nigel. After they said their goodbyes in Vegas, Piper realized her true feelings for Nigel, and, making a massive leap of faith, took a one-eighty to followed Nigel to the tropical paradise of Hawaii.
Piper found out soon enough that even in beauty, there were dangers waiting for her, that maybe Prince Charming wasn’t always a clean-cut boy on a noble steed, but a man with long hair, tattoos, and a fierce protectiveness for those he loves.
Coming Next Week...


Shels Moor by Jessica Ennis