Tuesday, January 31, 2017
A Face without a Heart Re-releases TODAY!
I'm excited to announce that DSP Publications is coming out today with a brand-new edition of A Face without a Heart, my award-winning modern-day and Chicago-set retelling of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Isn't the cover--by the hugely talented Aaron Anderson--gorgeous? Not only that, it really beautifully shows the duality of our main character.
BLURB
A modern-day and thought-provoking retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that esteemed horror magazine Fangoria called “…a book that is brutally honest with its reader and doesn’t flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away…. A rarity: a really well-done update that’s as good as its source material.”
A beautiful young man bargains his soul away to remain young and handsome forever, while his holographic portrait mirrors his aging and decay and reflects every sin and each nightmarish step deeper into depravity… even cold-blooded murder. Prepare yourself for a compelling tour of the darkest sides of greed, lust, addiction, and violence.
EXCERPT
He was beautiful. Beauty is so seldom ascribed to men, too often incorrectly attributed to men with feminine features—wavy blond hair, fine cheekbones, teeth cut from porcelain. But I’ve always thought of beauty as a quality that went deeper than the corporeal… something dark, dense, inexplicable, capable of stirring longings primal, longings one would be powerless to resist.
He was beautiful. I sat on a Red Line “L” train, headed downtown, bags of heavy camera equipment heaped at my side, one arm resting protectively over them. I watched the young man, unable to train my thoughts on anything other than this man who had blotted out the reality of the day, magical and transforming. Beauty, especially so rare a beauty, can do that. The young man was an eclipse, his presence coming between myself and the reality of the day hurtling by outside train windows.
He had come in behind three foreign people, a bright counterpoint to their drab clothes, colorless, already wilting in the August humidity. They chattered to one another in a language unrecognizable, Polish maybe, and I was annoyed at their yammering, unable to block it out sufficiently enough to concentrate on the book I was reading, a biography of William Blake.
I almost didn’t notice him. It wasn’t like me to pay much attention to what went on around me, especially when I was preparing for a shoot. Usually I used the time on the train to set up the photographs I would take, the way I would manipulate light and shadow and how it fell on my models, to arrange the props, set up and test the lighting.
But something caused me to look up when the doors opened—perhaps I was struck by the dissonance created by the unknown language—and I saw him. Close-cropped brown hair, a bit of stubble framing full lips, a bruise fading to dull below his right eye. The bruise did not detract from the man’s beauty but served to enhance it, making of the rough features something more vulnerable. The bruise was the embodiment of a yearning for the touch of a finger, the whisper of a kiss. He wore an old, faded T-shirt with a Bulls logo, black denim cut off just above his knees, and a pair of work boots, the seam on the left beginning to separate. In spite of the workman’s garb, there was something intellectual about the man, an intensity in his aquamarine eyes that portended deeper thought.
At that moment, I made a decision. I don’t know what caprice seized me. I have always led an orderly life, completely without surprise. But when the train pulled to a stop and the young man stood, I acted on an impulse that was as sudden as it was uncontrollable.
ORDER
Paperback
Ebook
Amazon ebook
Amazon paperback
Monday, January 30, 2017
Letting Go of Your Books
Letting Go
It takes two to tango. And it takes at least two to make
a book. Just like a play needs an audience to fully come alive, a book needs a
reader for precisely the same reason.
One thing I have to constantly remind myself as a writer
is that, once I have written the words, ‘the end’ to a story is that I must let go. As much as I labored over the
book, dreamed about it, had conversations with myself about it, agonized over
word choice, character hair color, continuity, repetitive words and phrasing,
the time comes when the book meets the public which signals that it’s time for
me to step aside.
A book is a
conspiracy between a reader and a writer. The reader has to bring it to life
through his or her imagination. The wonderful thing about that whole process is
that my story can become so many different stories when filtered through each
reader’s unique frame of reference. I have no doubt that no matter the care I
take in describing characters and setting, each reader sees them differently
because each of them come to the table with different experiences, biases, and
memories. All of those things have a bearing on the triggers my words pull in a
reader’s mind.
It’s really quite a lovely process when you think about
it. And maybe the readers out there reading this blog never really considered
the vital work they play in every book’s success or failure. Writers provide a
roadmap, signposts, but it’s really up to the reader to run with it, to make of
it something real, a mind movie for one.
What’s my point? I guess it’s to share with you a little
of what motivates me as a writer and what, for me is both a blessing and a
curse. See, when I am working on a book, which is almost always, I am alone
with those characters, immersed in their little world, consumed by their
passions, their fears, their desires, their comedies of errors. I have never
been one for sharing much of my unfinished work with anyone else. That would
somehow be wrong, at least for me. In order to create, I need to be able to
slip into a world inhabited only by my characters and me. It’s always a
bittersweet moment when I write the words, ‘the end’ and know I am moving on.
Sure, there will be editing, the thrill of seeing the cover design, the agony
of trying to help craft the blurb, but once you type ‘the end’ it means just
that. You’re giving your characters and their world away.
I think it’s very difficult for some writers to realize
that once they’ve ‘given birth’ to a book that it really no longer belongs to
them. It belongs to the readers, the reviewers, the world. If you create with
publishing in mind, it’s a harsh reality to accept—your book no longer belongs
to you alone, but it’s gone off into the world, much like a child finally
moving out of the house. Once you let go, you also must let go of trying to
control what happens (same for books, same for kids).
And that’s hard. You hate to see your book suffer at the
hands of people who don’t understand it, you celebrate it when someone ‘gets’
what you were trying to say.
But you must let go. The book is a piece of the world now
and takes on a life of its own. Remember what I said earlier? A book is a
conspiracy between a writer and a reader and the reader, each in his or her own
way, makes the story his or her own.
I guess what prompted all this was a discussion recently
at one of my publishers’ forums wherein authors were discussing, once again,
how to respond to negative reviews and downright nasty ones, and the prevailing
wisdom, at least to my mind, was with silence. I agree.
-->
It’s harsh but
true: writers must let go. Your stories are no longer your stories. If
you’re very, very lucky, they are many people’s. Take comfort in that.
Friday, January 27, 2017
10 Silly Questions with Joe Cosentino, Author of the Cozzi Cove Series
10 Silly Questions with Joe Cosentino,
Author of the Cozzi Cove Series
Rick: Hi, Joe. Thank you for
being my guest today.
Joe: It’s my pleasure, Rick!
Rick: First, if you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner,
what would you eat?
Joe: Buckwheat blueberry
pancakes. If Gillian St. Kevern is reading this, she’s smiling. Gillian told me
she really enjoyed my Cozzi Cove series of novels (NineStar Press). However,
she asked me why the owners of Cozzi Cove (a gay resort on the New Jersey
Shore), Cal and Michael, often eat buckwheat blueberry pancakes. As I explained
to Gillian, my spouse makes them for me and I love them. Buckwheat is good for
you. I also think buckwheat sounds very butch, like you Rick. Since Gillian
often writes about vampires, and since nothing is what it seems in Cozzi Cove, I
created a vampire character in book four, Cozzi
Cove: New Beginnings (releasing March 27). That should give Gillian
something to live for. Okay, I know I just put in a shameless plug when all you
asked me about was dinner. Sorry, but please keep in mind some of us aren’t
rich and famous like you, Rick.
Rick: Who do you think you are?
Joe: I’m definitely an entertainer
and storyteller. It all started when my older sister and male cousin wrapped
old sheets around us and charged neighbors a nickel to see our Nativity play.
When I realized the story was about me,
I was hooked! That morphed into full scale musicals created by my sister and me
in our neighbor’s garage. After college, I became an
actor in film, television, and theatre, working opposite stars like Bruce
Willis (A Midsummer Night’s Dream
onstage), Nathan Lane (The Roar of the
Greasepaint on stage), Rosie O’Donnell (AT&T Industrial), Holland
Taylor (My Mother Was Never a Kid,
ABC-TV movie), Charles Keating (Another World, NBC-TV), David Paymer (Ruffles
Potato Chip commercial), and Jason Robards (Commercial Credit commercial). It occurred to me that
acting and writing are storytelling, so I decided to give writing a try. After
writing some plays, I moved on to writing novels. My mother’s response was,
“Don’t you have anything better to do at night than write novels?” Hm, I wonder
if she’d prefer that I use the time to check out nursing homes?
Rick: What’s
your problem?
People
who demean and attack the rights and self-worth of others, including those who
hide behind their religious or political beliefs to do so. Religious freedom
means freedom to practice your religion, not to discriminate against others.
How sad that so many people have forgotten the old Bible stories where Jesus
served and loved everyone, especially the outcasts. And how terrifying that
some people in our country are using their vast wealth and high positions in an
attempt to take away people’s rights. That’s become a theme in some of my
books.
Rick: I agree. So if you
could have one wish, would you give it to me?
Joe: Of course! You’re Rick R. Reed, the author of so many dark and romantic novels I loved reading! The guy who travels
all over the US eating in exotic restaurants. However, I would whisper in your
ear a request to make your wish all about me.
Rick: I had the feeling. So
let’s talk more about you. Where you
at?
Joe: Unlike you, I don’t live in
a condo overlooking a beautiful lake. But my spouse and I did build our own
house (actually a contractor built it) upstate New York. Given what’s going on in
the country right now, I’m happy to say I live in a blue state. I’m a
department head/Professor of Theatre like Martin Anderson in my Nicky and Noah comedy
mystery series (Lethe Press). Unlike adorable couple Nicky and Noah, I don’t
impersonate others to solve crimes, however, like Martin, I have a beautiful cherry wood home study with a fireplace,
huge desk, bookcases, and window seat overlooking the woods. I know. Another
shameless plug for one of my series.
Rick: I think I caught that.
Joe: Sorry, it’s become a
vice.
Rick: Speaking of which, if
you had to choose only one vice, what would it be?
Joe: Taking vitamins. I’m a
total vitaminaholic, like Nicky Abbondanza in my Nicky and Noah mystery novels.
If there’s a vitamin, mineral, herb, or amino acid on the market, I’ll take it
after breakfast.
Rick: Speaking of breakfast—
Joe: Are you going to invite
me to have eggs benedict with you in Key West?
Rick: No. I was going to ask
what’s your favorite brand of cereal for breakfast?
Joe: Believe it or not, I
don’t eat cereal. My body is a temple. Though nobody wants to worship at it.
Rick: Good one.
Joe: Thanks. It’s
copyrighted. My typical breakfast is oatmeal and fruit (no pun intended) or of
course buckwheat blueberry pancakes in honor of Gillian.
Rick: Of course. When you
wake up in the morning, what celebrity do you most resemble?
Joe: If you invite me for a
vacation in your spiffy condo on the lake, you can find out first hand.
Rick: I’m booked up with
guests through 2030.
Joe: Okay, I resemble Kermit
the Frog. And that’s pretty much during the rest of the day and night too.
Rick: Here’s a strange
question.
Joe: And the others weren’t
strange?
Rick: I’ll ignore that. Do
you know your ass from a hole in the ground? And if so, how do you tell the
difference?
When
I ask my students to stop texting in class, they’ll tell you that I don’t know
much about anything. Actually, my sharpest time seems to be in the middle of
the night. I generally leap out of bed at about 3am with an amazing idea for a
new novel. I then jot notes on my nightstand. The next day, if I can read my
notes, I write a biography for each character and eventually a plot summary. Then
the fun happens as I let the characters talk in my head and type what they say.
I show the second draft to my spouse for his notes. After we argue and then I
finally admit he was right, the third draft goes to the publisher. The fourth draft
is after notes from the publisher’s editor.
Rick: Okay, now’s the time. Do
you have anything you’d like to plug?
Joe:
Haven’t I been doing that all along?
Rick:
I hadn’t noticed. (guffaws)
Joe:
I’m told my Dreamspinner Press novellas make readers laugh, cry, and feel
romantic. My In My Heart: An Infatuation
& A Shooting Star (Rainbow Award Honorable
Mention) are loosely based on my high school and college years respectively
experiencing first love. A Home for the
Holidays is about an American law student who, as I did, takes a trip to
the romantic and gorgeous island of Capri, Italy, where he embarks on a
relationship with his captivating third cousin. The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland is my comical gay
take on my favorite beloved fairytales like Cinderella, Goldie Locks and the
Three Bears, Pinocchio, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Snow Queen.
Rick:
Congratulations.
Joe:
But I’m not here to talk about them.
Rick:
No?
Joe:
No. My Nicky and Noah series from
Lethe Press are hysterically funny, gay, cozy, who-dun-its set in the world of
theatre academia and beyond. Drama Queen
won Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Mystery, Best Crime, Best
Humorous, and Best Contemporary novel of 2015. Drama
Muscle received a Rainbow Award Honorable Mention. Drama Cruise released last month. This year Drama Luau and Drama
Detective are set for release.
Rick: They
sound like fun.
Joe:
They are. But I’m not here to talk about them.
Rick:
No?
Joe:
No. My Jana Lane mysteries (the Wild Rose Press), with straight leading
characters and gay supporting characters, are set in the 1980’s world of
television, film, and theatre. They are Paper
Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, and Rag Doll.
Rick:
I’m afraid to ask.
Joe:
I’m not here to talk about them.
Rick:
Joe, what in the hell are you here to talk about?
Joe:
I thought you would never ask. As a kid, I spent my summers in my aunt’s
bungalow at the New Jersey Shore. In honor of those wonderful times, I created
the Cozzi Cove series (NineStar Press) featuring handsome and sexy ex-professional
football player Cal Cozzi managing his family’s gay resort on the New Jersey
Shore. Each novel offers us Cal’s story with his partner, family, and friends,
as well as intertwining stories about his bungalow guests. After Cozzi
Cove: Bouncing Back (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention/TBR Pile Book of the
Month) and Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward
released, readers and reviewers praised their romantic, humorous, dramatic, and
mysterious style. So I wrote Cozzi Cove:
Stepping Out, which just released. As with the first two books, romance is
everywhere on Cozzi Cove, and nothing is what it seems. It was like visiting
good old friends to further develop the characters in book three.
Rick:
Something tells me you’d to tell us a bit more about your leading characters?
Joe:
You twisted my arm. In book three, Cal and his partner Michael reach a plateau in their relationship. Connor, the musclebound
houseboy with a roving sponge, becomes the subject of a handsome young
psychologist’s/guest’s study on human sexuality with unexpected results. Tommy
(the bald, muscular, tattooed resident of Cozzi Cove who owns the local bar) and
George (Cal’s half-brother) both meet someone from their pasts and are off to
wild adventures. We learn something shocking about Cal’s
sister’s past. Lucky for Taylor her best friend, Cozzi restauranteur Carla
Mangione, is there for support. And a guest, Bill (a disbelieving pastor),
sees a vision of two sexy male angels on the cove, which leads him to start a
new life. What secrets, humor, tragedy, mysteries, and passions lie in the
magical place called Cozzi Cove? And we’re not done yet! Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings releases on March 27.
Rick:
So you said, already. Nice book covers by the way.
Joe:
Thanks.
Rick:
Who’s on them?
Joe:
Me, of course. Kidding! Cal is on the cover of book one, Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back. Book two, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, highlights Cal and Michael. Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, book three,
has George. The fourth book, Cozzi Cove:
New Beginnings, will feature a brand new character to Cozzi Cove, Billy
Dean. I can tell you he’s quite the looker, and he’s an amazing character as
well.
Rick:
Do you see Cozzi Cove as a movie or television series?
Joe:
I sure do! I can see Matt Bomer as Cal. Actually, I can see Matt Bomer in
anything. And I want to play Bill in this story. So let me know when you’d like
to produce it!
Rick:
On that note, I’ll say thank you for being intimate with me today, Joe.
Joe:
It was even more fun than I had anticipated.
Rick:
It was certainly…unusual. And best wishes with Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, book three in the Cozzi Cove series
published by NineStar Press.
Joe:
And all the best wishes with your amazing books too, Rick. I’ll read yours, if
you’ll read mine. And I love hearing from readers. They can contact me at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com. So grab your Speedos,
suntan lotion, and shades and head back to Cozzi Cove. Cal Cozzi has a bungalow
waiting just for you. I hope to see you there, Rick. Until next time.
Rick:
Next time?!
COZZI COVE: STEPPING OUT
the third novel in the Cozzi Cove
series
by JOE COSENTINO, published by NineStar
Press
It’s time for another summer
of sun, sand, suntan lotion, sandals, and Speedos on Cozzi Cove at the New
Jersey Shore. Cal Cozzi’s seven bungalows are once again open for love. This
summer, sexy Cal welcomes back his brother and sister, who are confronted with
people from their pasts. Connor, the maid packed with muscle and mayhem,
becomes the subject of a handsome young psychologist’s study on human
sexuality. Tommy, the strapping, bald and tattooed local bartender, is
captivated with guest Cory Magnum, a police officer with a secret. Another
guest, Bill, a disbelieving pastor, is inspired by a vision of two sexy male
angels on the cove. And Cal and Michael reach a plateau in their relationship.
What secrets, humor, tragedies, mysteries, and passions lie waiting to unfold
in this magical place called Cozzi Cove?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bestselling
author Joe Cosentino wrote Cozzi Cove:
Bouncing Back (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, and Cozzi Cove:
New Beginnings (NineStar Press); Drama
Queen (Divine Magazine Readers’ Favorite LGBT Mystery Novel and Humorous
Novel), Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award
Honorable Mention), Drama Cruise, Drama
Luau, Drama Detective Nicky and Noah mysteries (Lethe Press); In My Heart/An Infatuation & A
Shooting Star (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland (Open Skye Book
Reviews Favorite Audiobook of the Month), and A Home for the Holidays (Dreamspinner Press); and Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, Rag Doll (The Wild Rose
Press) Jana Lane mysteries. He has appeared in principal acting roles in film,
television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell,
Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Head of the
Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married.
He was voted 2nd Place for Favorite MM Author of the Year in Divine
Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and his books have received numerous awards.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Excerpt of Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out by Joe
Cosentino, published by NineStar Press
A soaring golden orb turned
the violet, pink, and tangerine sky into a canvas of blue. Early morning was
Cal Cozzi’s favorite time. Treading water in the cove that had boasted his
family name for generations, Cal felt as if his blood was the bay water, his
flesh was the sand, and his soul was the sun. And Michael Rodgers was his
heart. Michael swam over to him and wrapped his stocky arms around Cal’s neck.
Cal cupped Michael’s firm bottom and squeezed him in closer. As Michael
caressed Cal’s muscled back, they shared a salty wet kiss.
Cal looked up at a seagull
gliding to the lighthouse in the distance. He pondered having the freedom to
fly away from Cozzi Cove, but there was no place he’d rather be than in the
confines of his legacy with the man he loved.
Cal’s great-grandfather,
Calvin Cozzi I, had built everything in the sleepy town on the New Jersey
shore, including the eight bungalows on the cove. This beautiful spot was the
result of sun and salt water wearing away softer rocks more quickly than the
harder rocks surrounding them.
Cal’s legacy was passed down
to him from his great-grandfather through his grandfather, Calvin Cozzi II, and
finally by his father, Calvin Cozzi III. Cal’s father, sensing his son’s sexual
orientation as a boy, had opened Cozzi Cove as a gay resort.
Though Cal had dabbled briefly
as a professional football player, and then as a restaurant owner, neither was
a good fit. It wasn’t until after the unfortunate death of his parents in an
automobile accident that he found his true calling: managing Cozzi Cove. The
previous summer, Cal had been united with his half-brother, George, an architect,
and the two of them had recently completed renovations on the bungalows,
expanding them to add modern amenities while maintaining their grandfather’s
nautical theme.
The tip of his head only
reached Cal’s chin, so Michael had to stretch up to kiss his nose. Cal’s
Italian and Scottish heritage had given him height, auburn hair, emerald-green
eyes, an olive complexion, a strapping build, and a wide nose, which, as noted,
Michael liked to kiss. “Should we be skinny-dipping at the start of a new
summer season?”
“Probably not.” Cal ran a
strong hand through Michael’s chestnut hair and gazed into his exotic eyes.
“What if a guest comes early?”
“He can get his own
boyfriend.” Cal pressed his tongue inside Michael’s welcoming mouth. It felt
warm, and Cal wanted more. As Michael stroked Cal’s broad shoulders and round
pectoral muscles, prominent from working out at Cozzi’s gym, Cal pressed his
nose against Michael’s thick neck and enjoyed the scent of vanilla. Michael’s
African-American and Swedish heritage awarded him smooth golden skin that Cal
loved to caress. Cal thought about the eleven-year difference in their ages,
how they had met when Michael, still in the closet, tried to gay bash him in an
alley, and the year Michael still had left to finish college. It was illogical
and improbable for Cal and Michael to be together, yet it felt incredibly
right. At that moment, he couldn’t be more in love with Michael.
George Valis, wearing a violet
polo shirt and white shorts that accentuated his muscular legs, stepped out of
Bungalow Seven and met them at the cove. “Hey, my ex back in Maine dumped me,
remember? Stop rubbing in your happiness, you two.”
“Have breakfast with us.”
Michael’s dimples appeared. “Cal is making a feast.”
“And Michael is cleaning up
after me.”
“As usual.” George winked at
Michael.
They got out of the water and
put on the terrycloth robes they’d left on a rock at the water’s edge. Cal
smiled at the sight of his brother’s height and eye color, which was exactly
the same as his own. Cal and George shared the same father, with George being
the result of Cal Cozzi II’s infidelity. They had met for the first time last
summer when George looked Cal up, and Cal couldn’t have been happier to have a
brother like George. He mussed George’s dark hair affectionately. “After
breakfast, I’ll pack a lunch for your ride back to Maine.”
Michael’s shoulders slumped.
“Do you have to go?”
Cal put his arm around
Michael, recalling the brother Michael had lost two summers ago to suicide.
“Bungalow Seven is always here for George.”
“Good.” George grinned like a
kid with a secret. “It looks like I’ll be staying for a while longer.”
“Yeah!” Michael gave George a
hug. “Cal will make a special celebration dinner tonight.” He kissed Cal’s
cheek. “My favorite is surf and turf.”
“How about I leave my turf and
throw you in the surf at the main beach instead?” Cal kissed Michael’s neck and
then turned to his younger brother. “What’s up, bro?”
George looked at them and
giggled. “Clearly you two, just before I arrived.”
Cal moved in and placed
George in a playful headlock. “Look, little brother, the guests will be here
soon. If you want breakfast, spill it.”
-->
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
I was just at the Romantic Times convention in Las Vegas this past weekend. For those of you who might not be aware of the gathering, it...
-
I met with Eric Arvin in a steam room to ply him with my ten silly questions and to see if I could get him to show me what was under that st...
-
UPDATE: I'm happy to announce that Linda Reilly is the winner of the autographed book. Congratulations, Linda! I'm happy to announ...