Polly, want a cracker? *whistles*

Sometimes I feel like a parrot. I repeat the same boring information, yet without the cute little whistles and fluff of green and blue feathers. I am alas, featherless. OR, do you see me as a resounding gong, creating lots of noise with little purpose? IDK, you tell me? 

I am back, yet again, to herald the news (is that word used correctly?) that MY ROOMMATE'S A JOCK? WELL CRAP! is still #1 on Dreamspinner Press' Best Sellers list for the third week running! This is the 23rd day in a row!! I am stunned, shocked, and honored! Plus, "Jock" (MRJWC) is still hanging in there on Amazon.com! MRJWC was #1 on Amazon for Gay Fiction for a total of 12 days in a row! Then #2 a couple of days. Since January 24th it has fluctuated between 3rd and 6th, but today has dropped to #9. Regardless of a drop in popularity, it is still #2 in the "wished for" category which sounds good to me :)  AND, it is #9 on ARe's best sellers list and I think that says something since that list includes all the romance they sell. So, YAY!

Here are more great reviews for MRJWC in case you haven't read it yet...

5.0 out of 5 stars My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap!, January 29, 2013

By 

Kenneth J. Murphy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

It was a truly fun read. The characters are well developed and the story is entertaining. Cole is an OCD nerd and Ellis is a smart jock. They have a wonderful group of close friends that are just as quirky as they are. There were a couple of placed where I wanted things to move along, but again - just a couple. There is a lot of drama, but the characters are all young, so it is to be expected. This is not my first read by Wade Kelly; nor will it be my last. I come to him expecting a good story and he does not disappoint.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet read!, January 27, 2013

By 

Mark C. Helfrich - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

I Loved the play between the characters and twists to preconceived notions w e have about people. This was an easy read and captivating in its treatment of the characters. If you need a light love story on a cold night, this is it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic novel, January 27, 2013

By 

BMcCrea98 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

I plan on buying a copy for a friend for his birthday. An excellent read. Highly recommended by me. Absolutely.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect!, January 25, 2013

By 

Lazlo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

I thought this was absolutely wonderful! It hit stereotypes, romance, problems and it managed to hold to my attention throughout the entire story! Hazzah!

5.0 out of 5 stars My Roommate is a Jock, January 24, 2013

By 

Lena Grey (Stafford, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

Finding your way in the world is a complicated series of ups and downs, hits and misses, but sometimes...you get it exactly right. When this happens, it's the best feeling ever. Cole, of 'My Roommate's a Jock, Well Crap!' is one of those people with a dark cloud over his head. Almost everything he does goes wrong, so he's come to expect it. He's developed a pattern of rejecting people before they reject him. Cole has compensated for this by becoming a self-proclaimed Geek and as OCD as possible. He doesn't feel right unless he can control his environment and, let's face it, relationships are never easy and seldom under our control.

Cole, like many geniuses, is a complicated guy. In some ways, he's brilliant about coming up with solutions to problems, but give him a simple communication issue, and he's bound to mess it up every time. In other words, his people skills suck. Part of this is because he's withdrawn, become a recluse because it's less painful than getting hurt. When he loses his roommate, who was also his best friend, he's terrified of who will take his place. He doesn't take change well. He prefers his emotions to be kept in a specific place, just like the rest of his OCD life, contained, familiar. When his worst fears are realized and his new roommate, Ellis, also happens to be a soccer player, totally into sports, sociable, with lots of loud friends, the struggle begins. Surprisingly, Ellis is not just like the other jocks. As Cole tries to become more open-minded about Ellis and his world, even more internal struggle takes place. Cole, in his all or nothing kind of way, is ready to go forward with his newly awakened feelings and understandings and takes it too far, too fast. Life lessons are never easy.

I really loved Ellis. He's generous and trustworthy. He's a good friend and likes everyone and, consequently, people like him, not just because he's an athlete, but because he's a good person. In many ways, he's the opposite of Cole. Where Cole is closed and distant and often pessimistic, Ellis is open and affable. As wonderful as his feelings are for Cole, they are also terrifying. He loves Cole, but being with him means completely redefining himself and that's never an easy task. When he steps out of his comfort zone, he's overcome with feelings he neither understands nor is able to work through. In so many words, he's a mess. He knows how he feels but can't justify this with what it means to have it; so he retreats, but even he's not entirely sure what he's running from or even why. He has a lot of decisions to make and none of them are easy, but he has a good heart and a positive attitude and this influences his path to happiness.

This story had me cheering for Ellis and Cole from the start, even if I wanted to knock some sense into them at times. One thing I particularly liked was that Wade portrayed Christians in a positive light--open, generous, and accepting rather than the negative, bible-beating, bigots that we so often see in gay literature--a shining example of how unfair and unwise it is to lump any group of people together when presenting them. Cole and Ellis are symbols of what we can be without our prejudices and assumptions. I'd recommend this book to anyone who believes that love can have the endurance to overcome the multitude of problems that life throws in its way. Thanks, Wade, for creating this uplifting, although angsty at times, story; it will always have a special place in my heart.

In the interest of repeating MORE boring information, I am STILL editing The Cost of Loving! I'm on chapter 19. (I skipped 16 because it is harder to rewrite, and information there doesn't affect any information elsewhere. Hence, I can do it later.) In the interest of time, etc., I don't think I will resubmit and/or submit this book to a traditional publisher. I think 3 rejections was enough. Regardless of all the hours my editor put into it and the work I have done to make it better, I don't think my brain could handle another rejection for the improved version of the same MS. It is what it is and I am going to get help to format it for Create Space. Therefore, it will be in Kindle only for 90 days. (Sorry to those who read other formats.) Right now is the time to sell on Amazon, while my other book is HOT! 

And, note: To those who HAVE NOT READ When Love is Not Enough, this book may be read as a stand alone. (I think.) I am trying to write The Cost of Loving (TCOL) in such a way that you don't have to read the first one first! Although, if you read TCOL first you will more than likely WANT to read the first one! I know that "bitter sweet" tag is a stumbling block for lots of people. They see it and run! I do not think TCOL is a bitter sweet story. It is angsty at times, that is what I tend to write. It is somewhat preachy perhaps, but Matt came out in church! (Context, context!) Matt deals with a lot of sh** in this one. ...then... Remember there is a book #3! Darian's story has yet to be told and for ME, I think it is the most painful of all. 

So bear with me people! I want to deliver quality stuff. I am learning. I am writing. I am trying my gosh-darndest to be a good writer. I thank all of those readers out there who believe in me, and stand by me, and cheer me on as I stumble my way along these new and scary paths of WRITING!!

I need you all!

Wade

Release Date

I received a release date for the ANTHOLOGY I participated in. I wrote a short story for 50 GAYS OF SHADE, which was edited by Kiernan Kelly. (Not related to me.) Kiernan posted this yesterday, "Am I excited or what? The Fifty Gays of Shade anthology will be released on February 13th through Torquere Press! Edited by yours truly, it contains stories by some of the hottest m/m BDSM authors!" HAHHAHA. OMGosh! I'm in that book. Therefore it is implied that I am one of the hottest BDSM authors!! :p Yup, you heard it. Kiernan can't be wrong! No way! So here's me, the hot BDSM author, telling you about my up coming release. It is in the book, 50 GAYS OF SHADE. cover:

My little tid-bit is titled:   Shades of an Untamed Heart

Unquenchable desire has a new name: Darian Weston.

Matt knows his lover is a wild-child. He’s pushed the limits between them time and time again, yet Darian seems insatiable. When “pain” enters the equation, and Darian’s reaction is explosive, Matt concocts a kinky plan to visit a BDSM club he knows. Will a visit to the Shady Business Nightclub shed light on the limitations of Darian’s untamed heart, or will Matt come face-to-face with some revelations of his own?

 
(Chronologically fits into book 3 of the Unconditional Love series.) 3175 words. Submitted: 8/27/12, accepted 9/19/12
slated for publication on February 13, 2013!!

This is on my website although I am not sure how many of you readers out there visit it. (Fell free to let me know.) As you can see, this story falls into the THIRD BOOK! For die-hard fans you may want to wait, OR... this might gear you up for the release of BOOK 2. IDK. 

Book 2, The Cost of Loving is coming along. I am on chapter 12 / 37. Right now, editing is easy. After the long and grueling effort I did the past few weeks in correcting grammar, looking over chapters for content is MUSH easier. The chapters that need major change start at 16. So far, these 12 I've done flow fast and make me want to read more. I haven't gotten to a spot where I thought, "Oh, this is boring." Of course, this is the BIAS author talking. That can be good AND bad. Often I doubt what I write and think it ALL sounds boring, while other times it seems to roll along with excitement and drama. What will TCOL have? I HOPE excitement and drama! I like to make people think. I've said that before. This book is no less. I want to make readers laugh, cry, yell, stomp their feet, throw the book, and then crawl back over to it because they HAVE TO read the rest! 

Did When Love is Not Enough do that for you? I doubt My Roommate's a Jock did. That one wasn't very angsty. But hopefully it made you laugh!

Here's the blurbs for WLINE and TCOL in case you (reader of my blog) haven't read them yet:

When Love is Not Enough
A six-year downward spiral into a world of lies and deception leads to the end of one man’s life when self-discovery crosses the line between being the perfect son or following his heart.
Jimmy Miller never intended to lead a double life starting the day he fell in love with Darian, but his parents’ divorce, fighting in school, and constantly keeping secrets for his closeted best friend and protector Matt force his hand. Jimmy finds the demands too great to withstand and ends it all prematurely, leaving behind an angry best friend and a shattered lover.
Matt and Darian cling to one another in the aftermath of their loss, forging a new friendship immediately tested by the truths of their relationships with Jimmy that are hidden in the pages of Jimmy’s journals. Will Matt and Darian discover what truly happened to their friend? And will this tragedy birth something beautiful between them as they learn the balance between life, family, and friendship when love is simply not enough?

*Don't be afraid of this book. It has an HEA/HFN ending.* 
WARNING: This title contains abuse, drug use, strong language, and sexual intercourse of the male/male variety. Anyone offended by any of these should NOT read my books!   **this book is listed on Goodreads.com 

The Cost of Loving

Fear of wrath and judgment over his sexuality fueled Matt’s paranoia for twenty-three years until outing himself in front of the church congregation proves his assumptions true, and forces him to make the ultimate choice.
Matt Dixon is a Christian and has known for years where his church stood on homosexuality. Therefore, in order to avoid religious ridicule, Matt chose to live two separate lives, much like his friend Jamie Miller. However, when a self-righteous pastor prompted Matt’s impulsive nature to take a stand for his best friend’s honor—and at his funeral no less—Matt is forced to come to terms with his guilt, shame, and his very belief in God.
But Matt’s decisions affect all those around him. His family, his lover, as well as his friends, feel the impact of his public confession and the repercussions threaten to tear Matt’s world apart. Will exposing the truth lead Matt toward the same tragic end that Jamie faced? Or will his perseverance bring him closer to understanding the cost he’d be willing to pay in order to be with the man he loves?

And then there is BOOK #3 Love, Trust, and Learning to Live Again.

I wrote a blurb but it is in a notebook somewhere. I will have to post more about this book in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I'm excited that the anthology is finally coming out, but I feel even more pressure to get TCOL edited and published.

I'll keep you posted.

Over and out!

Wade

Characters on TWITTER, Cole has an account!

So, BRILLIANT IDEA, Cole Reid now has a TWITTER account! I thought I'd try something different. I'll tweet as Cole. That way my dour attitude will be appropriate at times. I thought I'd give it a try. If you TWEET, follow Cole! https://twitter.com/ColeAndEllis  @ColeAndEllis Do you have any thoughts on this? Do you think it would be fun to message Cole? And what about the other characters? Anyone you'd like to see tweet? This is actually NOT an easy thing to do. It involves more e-mail addresses and signing out of Twitter from my phone because I can't have more than one account signed in at the same time. ETC. I will probably tweet from my phone as Cole, and from the computer as myself. I'm trying to think of promo things to do. How does one promote a book? How do I promote my book in a unique way that stands out? CREATE A TWITTER FOR COLE REID!!! That's what I came up with. I'm an unconventional person. I'm quirky, and I enjoy reinventing the wheel. (Not really.) But I do seem to take on more stress and aggravation at times because I don't always follow the pack and do what everyone else is doing. I'm the one who thinks, "What should I write about? Oh, I know- SUICIDE! That will get people reading me." ME, an unknown writer that has practically NO experience, and sucks at grammar! Yeah, I think my wheels are square.

But I wrote about suicide anyway. When Love is Not Enough was my first adventure. It was a personal journey. 2010 was a painful year personally, so I wrote about pain because I felt much of it. (Again, because I have said this before, WLINE is not an autobiography.) I write out of what I feel because I think it helps my characters FEEL more real. If you can experience their angst, then I'm doing my job. If you are bored, then I'm not. Right after publishing WLINE through Dreamspinner Press, I wrote The Cost of Loving. I would have LOVED nothing more than to publish that novel right after WLINE so fans could have gotten the complete picture. But I failed. TCOL was rejected. And rejected, And rejected. (3 times) I really feel that it was not ready. The book is too long. The plot TOO complicated. And I ramble too often. However, I feel that NOW is the time to bust my ass and get it done! My editor spent 50 hours going over the manuscript. She could have spent more time, but I think she was trying to save me money. (Editing costs!) She was also kind enough not to bill me yet. She said she could wait. So awesome and kind of her!!! But after 50 hours she was only getting started. She went through it once and as I have gone through it also ONCE, I noticed things she missed. Hence, the several-step process! Phase 1 was going over all her grammar and word edits. I corrected my original manuscript and took notes one what I ALWAYS DO WRONG. I recommend this to newer writers. Make lists. Keep notebooks. Keep a log of comments that are GOOD about your writing, or BAD about your writing! We are human, and we make the same mistakes repeatedly! ...And in writing that, I would bet my editor would change the sentence to "We repeatedly make the same mistakes", or she might take out the adverb entirely. Regardless, TCOL went through lots of grammatical edits and now it is on to stage two! REWRITES! I say that like it is major, but it isn't that bad. There are 4 chapters that stand out as ones that need to change drastically. And maybe two other that need to be altered because of the other 4. TCOL has 37 chapters!! 4 chapter rewrites is minimal! But just in saying it has 37 chapters makes me think that some need to GO! I will condense it along the way. I am very happy with CHAPTER 1. One down - 36 more to go! grrr. 

The excerpt on my website is an abbreviated version. Chapter one (as well as the prologue) has a LOT of sexual content. I'm debating about putting that up on my site. Do authors do that? (I'm asking, because I'm too lazy to hop site to site and see what excerpts others list.) I know it is stereotypical in this genre to have sexual content, but I'm not sure it is necessary on a website. THOUGHTS? (I like reader's thoughts.) Anyway, The Cost of Loving is under rewrites and I hope to get it all ready soon. I'm e-mailing my graphic designer TODAY to talk formats. :) 

I DID start writing book three soon after I finished TCOL, but I haven't revisited it in a while. This is a three part series called Unconditional Love. Part one: When Love is Not Enough is Jimmy's part of the story. Part two is Matt's (The Cost of Loving). Part Three is all about Darian Weston. The title is long but necessary. (Necessary because I couldn't think of a short title that encapsulated everything that this book was about.) Love, Trust, and Learning to Live Again is only partially written, but a novel I hope to complete this year! Especially if TCOL is published soon, I can only imagine how many readers will be screaming at me for the last part!! Darian is my favorite character and I will not blame them at all. Readers, fans, I WILL write the rest of this saga! Although the challenge will be to write a blockbuster finale. I hope I can! 

After writing so much "pain" with Jimmy, Matt, and Darian, I needed a break! My Roommate's a Jock was my break. I needed lighthearted and funny. I wrote Cole. Cole now has a TWITTER, did I mention that? lol 

MRJWC was also a HUGE break in that it catapulted to the top of Amazon.com's list of Best Selling Gay Fiction. This is something that has never happened to me. It's a first! WLINE was not a huge seller! "Jock" as it is referred to, or MRJWC as I call it, spent 12 days at #1, 2 days at #2, and today it is #3. Not bad in the scheme of things. I never dreamt it would sell so well. It seems that for the most part people like it. It gets mostly 4-stars. I like 4 stars! :) There are some GREAT reviews on Goodreads.com, and on Amazon itself. I'm just trying to think of ways to keep it up near the top for a little longer. Marketing is huge, and timing. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for The Cost of Loving to hit Amazon / Kindle while "Jock" was still selling well. How do I do that? Well, obviously I need to edit TCOL faster. ha ha. I'm trying. The challenge is keeping "Jock" in the limelight just a little bit longer. Can you help me? (Those who read my blogs.) Word of mouth is a pretty fast conductor of wildfire. So, if you liked my book, tell people. 

I have this forum to talk. I blog. I tweet. I use FB. I'm on Goodreads. I'm new to the scene, but I don't know exactly how I WANT to do promotions of material. Blog-hop? Maybe. Time, is something I don't always have. That is all for now. Comment. Post reviews. Tell me what you think. E-mail. Whatever. I like talking to people. Sometimes. ;)

Wade


PS: To those who might wonder, I did not give TCOL to anyone to read ahead of time, except for two beta readers last year! ... just saying...

To the Fans, By the Fans, and For the Fans!

As some readers (on goodreads AND on blogspot) may know, I get e-mails from fans now and then. I like “fan mail” as it helps me connect a little bit with the people that read my books, and what they say means something to me. Now, I realize that I am more likely to get an e-mail from a reader who LIKES my books. Rarely, if ever, does a reader e-mail an author to say, “You lousy scumbag, I can’t believe I read that trash!” Personally, I have read books over the years that I didn’t like but I don’t slam the author like that, and the world at large has also been kind to me when they dislike my books. Thank you. If I got “hate mail” I probably wouldn’t mention it on a forum like this anyway. In THIS forum, on the ever popular “blog” as it were, I am posting my delight over my “fan mail”.

A reader wrote this to me today: “I read your book in 24 hours and the beauty and the intensity of the emotions your writing evoked in me was such an amazing gift. I just wanted to thank you.” This is not the first time I’ve heard this. What threw me, was that this e-mail was titled: “Just finished your book- My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap!” I sat staring at the e-mail for a minute or two and responded as I normally would, but included my shock that it was over THIS book. “Jock” is not one that I have heard comments such as “intensity of emotions” mentioned. No.  With “Jock” I hear words like funny, cute story, Cole is snarky… (I’ll write more about compliments on Jock in a bit.) But I was not prepared to hear how deeply I touched a reader, and even invoked tears – WITH MY ROOMMATE’S A JOCK!!!!! How cool is that?!?

This reader told me that she and her husband (yes, the reader was a woman) have a relationship much like Cole and Ellis. She in fact is almost exactly like Cole, and his character - with his quirks and insecurities - resonated deeply with her. Her husband is like Ellis, and he calms her OCD and abrupt sarcasm with his patience and love. The reader also said: “He saved me when I was a hostile and angry 18 year old, and made me feel safe and loved. That scene at the party when Cole realized he could trust in Ellis to make it ok and he could let go of his stress, hit home to me. I rely on my husband daily to do that same thing. I close my eyes and know it will be ok, because he said so. So the love that developed and a lot of Cole's feelings and insights and especially all the loneliness and alienation that he went through in his childhood, I really connected with all of that.”

I asked of I could share this. She said yes.

This is just one e-mail. I get several here and there, but this one stood out to me because this type of thing happens to me a lot. I write something, it comes out of MY HEAD, I use aspects about myself, I write characters…. AND THEN I meet people exactly like I wrote! Or an even happens… EXACTLY LIKE I WROTE!! Way back when I wrote WLINE (When Love is Not Enough) in 2009/10, I had JUST finished writing it, and submitting it (the first time) and 6 suicides happened in September. I freaked out. I thought, OMG I just wrote about that! (As a side note, this event is mentioned in TCOL)… Anyway….

I say all that to say this…. My one reader who e-mailed today validates my thoughts, feelings, and characters. There are people who will come along, read one of my stories, and say “This would never happen in real life! No one ever acts like that.” Or whatever. Well, here you go! At least ONE PERSON can relate to Cole and Ellis on a very deep personal level. And for that, I’m glad! So thank you reader for telling me that!

Jock MAY have dropped to #2 in sales on Amazon, but it is #1 with my fans! They are the greatest! And because of “Jock”, WLINE is getting a little residual attention. (which I love.) Readers are also begging for more and badgering me to finish edits on TCOL! (which I love.)

So, announcing here first, the first round of edits are done! WHOOHOO! And to re-cap: 1. Grammar and word corrections from editor throughout original document, 2. Second run through to rewrite bits (4 chapters in all) that are not up to snuff and, 3. Read back through for consistency after all edits are in. But getting this far is exciting. It is one step closer!

More from the fans:

Mack's review:

Wade Kelly, who I've never read before, really has a quirky way of putting a story together. Each character has his own voice in a way that I've never come across before but it really works.

Monika: Cole is my kind of character he’s snarky and a bit neurotic but sweet as pie he made me smile and chuckle more than once and Ellis was a perfect match for him one balancing out the other.

SueM:It's basically a sweet story that is saved from being overly so by some funny, snarky dialogue - particularly from Cole - as well as a small but healthy dose of drama.

Hans: (I had to include this because I rarely hear someone comment about the sex in this way.) “Oh btw, if you find sex descriptions offensive, don't do there... If you do, you'll find them oddly well written, not tacky or distasteful at all...”

Paul: What can I say? I loved this!! Wonderfully funny and touching characters that I couldn't help adoring.

Hrtnsoul28 I was expecting a funny silly book. What I got was a funny enlightening book.

Anyway… that is all for now. If you read Jock, and haven’t read WLINE, maybe give it a try. It’s emotional, YES, but worth the tears. So I hear.  ;-)

Thanks for dropping by. And thank you to ALL the fans who e-mail me. I love it! You’re the best.

~Wade

My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! > LISTS

The Best Humorous Gay Romances

112th out of 212 books — 474 voters

Best M/M Romance Published in 2012

311th out of 545 books — 1,021 voters

Best Gay For You Romance

179th out of 254 books — 566 voters

Best Gay Romance with a Coming-Out/In-The-Closet Theme

36th out of 88 books — 71 voters

Best Gay Romance with Bookish/Nerdy/Geeky Characters

93rd out of 114 books — 124 voters

Best Gay Winter'ish Holiday Romance

113th out of 127 books — 198 voters

FAVORITE GAY COUPLES

759th out of 942 books — 1,163 voters — you voted for 11 books

Best Gay Romance Featuring Characters Attending High School/College

260th out of 287 books — 406 voters — you voted for 8 books

No One Pays Attention Anyway

On Saturdays, I mean... The weekends seem to be the time when I receive the least amount of e-mails, notifications, and/or comments. Just makes me wonder what people get up to on the weekend. Do you all read? Family time? Yard work? Or what? The weekends seem to be when I have to most time to reply to e-mails or comment back about my writing, but readers are not that active. When do YOU have time to get on Goodreads? Or check your blogs? I try durning the week, but my time is more of a hop-on/hop-off thing. I've been trying to blog more. Twice a week. For a while I had nothing new to say and it felt boring. And lately I'm basically repeating myself. "My book this" and "my book that", are you bored reading about the reviews I get? I'm hoping that if I list some reviews and tell people out there about the success of my latest book, that maybe my book will get read by someone new. I'm hoping my comments and rambling monologue will catch the eyes of someone new and intrigue the person enough to read one of my books.

                 

My Roommate's A Jock? Well, Crap!     OR      When Love is Not Enough

Has that happened for you, Reader? Did you read something I wrote and think, "Hmmm, I think I'll check out Wade's book?" Or am I correct to think that no one reads my blog?

(I ask rhetorically, yet I know it's not true)

But seriously, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS are really slow around the Internet! Very few comments or reviews or ratings happen on Saturday. Just a thought that I had to throw out there.

So in the interest of writing something interesting for the one person (hahahaha) that checks my posts, I have been editing most of today so far! The Cost of Loving is coming along. I'm on page 212 of 332. Chapter 25! (out 37) The first stage of editing is correcting the grammar and changing words that my editor suggested. I look at her draft, and then I revert back to my original copy of TCOL and make changes. Here is an example of what I'm doing:

Why am I doing it like this? I hope that my repeated mistakes will sink in! Because, YES, I make the same mistakes over and over and over! After I cross of the words my editor changed, and put new ones in in red, I plan to start all over from page one. I'm going to keep the marked up copy, (like I would if it was a hard copy with real pages) and open a new document as I work on the content. So stage TWO will be content. I need to delete redundancies and condense information into a simpler form. That is, IF this book can become simpler when the topics and events in Matt's life are anything BUT simple.

So... show of hands, who is waiting for The Cost of Loving? (and reads my blog either on Goodreads, or on Blogspot) List a comment. Say HI. Bagger me to get the editing done. Knowing that you (the reader) are out there waiting is what spurs me on to write more. I need you. :)

Wade

PS: In case you are interested... There IS an excerpt on my website. ;)

PSS: "Jock" is Still #1 on Amazon!  (10 days in a row now!), WLINE was on Amazon's top 100, but has slipped away again, sadly. And Jock is #1 on Dreamspinner Press for it's 13th day in a row! :)

A STRONG 4 Star book

Hello readers. Me again. When I have nothing NEW to talk about, I guess I need to revert to talking about what I know. My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! is selling well. :) This makes me happy. It is still #1 On Amazon. One FULL week! For those who have not read it yet, it seems to fall into the strong 4-star category. But, as with When Love is Not Enough, I tend to get a RANGE of reviews. But as of right now: 59/ 5-stars, 101/ 4-stars, 53/ 3-stars, 7/ 2-stars, & 8/ 1-star. See- wide range. But 4 is more than likely what you'll feel after reading it. I have lots of reviews on Goodreads, but I tend to forget that people review it on Amazon too! I peeked there today and here is what I found:

Had to post a screen shot! I like the flag that says "#1 Best Seller"!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jock!?, January 15, 2013 By  Robert Heinbaugh - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition) This is a fun story featuring a delightful and frustrating nerd and a getting-it-together jock who learn that communication is the key to happiness.Fun-filled surprises await the reader.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I Knew People Like This, January 14, 2013

By 

AVIDREADER - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

I loved this book. What really did it for me were the characters. Everyone should have a lover like Ellis. He was so sweet, but not perfect and made his share of mistakes. Sometimes when I read about college kids, authors make them seem wiser beyond their years. Wade just let them learn about friendship and love through their experiences. I found Ellis so endearing and romantic. Cole was the opposite. Surprisingly the concept of opposites attract works here.

Most of the book is from the POV of Cole. Cole's seriously concerned with his studies and it could be argued displays some of the stereotypical behavior of a nerd. His OCD was crazy, but funny. Throughout his life he's learned not to expect too much out of life or people. Ellis in many ways is the typical jock with the exception of also being dedicated to his studies, a virgin, and a romantic. Of course the situation of this coupling would result in some angst, but the humor was both the laugh out loud and knowing giggles kind.

Additional enjoyment came from the secondary characters. I loved Rob and Russell. They were hilarious. Everyone should have friends like them. As the main characters progress through the story line, the variety of characters and their enteraction with Cole and Ellis is striking. It made the storyline interesting and unpredictable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, January 13, 2013

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PTR (Dallas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

I was hesitant to buy this because I thought is would just be another "formula" type novel. I was wrong. The author's style made this a very enjoyable story about two people coming to grips with their own fears and problems in order to get together. A very enjoyable story.

5.0 out of 5 stars made me laugh for hours, January 11, 2013

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KC - See all my reviews

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This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

This book is so funny and well written,I was really impressed. I don't write reviews often, but felt i needed to. If you are looking for something light and fun that still has a serious side, read this. I loved ALL the characters, and the polt was really well done. He needs to write another book with these characters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth the Read, January 9, 2013

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Morpheus814 (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! (Kindle Edition)

Coming out is a difficult process. In this book, we have two college students who could not be more opposite. Cole is cynical and reserved. He is fastidious and demanding. Ellis is open and friendly. But, Ellis is having issues. He is having a hard time coming out and only has Cole to help him. With supportive friends and family around him, Ellis realizes that he can have his Cole. This book is not about the ending but the interaction of people in order to get to a predictable conclusion. Now, here's the part that makes it worth reading. Ellis' friends, Rob and Russ, are devoutly religious and love Cole so much that they stand beside him throughout the process. There are parts that seem a little trite but they help to fill out the characters. The characters all have flaws and no one is perfect. But, the love and support of nearly everyone is enough to make you heart expand. As mentioned, contemporary social issues and some politics make their presence in this book but they are not onerous nor are they judgmental. The book puts these issues in to make the point that there are things in life that are unavoidable and there are ways to handle those issues. A gay bashing can be used to bring people together or tear them apart. Sex can be used to bring people together or tear them apart. I especially loved the part when Cole was trying to explain to Ellis that everyone has a role to play in intimate circumstance. When we play a part in the bedroom that is not the role we were meant to play, things get messy. Read the book and you will understand what I am talking about.
Going back to Rob and Russ for a second. These characters are really a couple of characters. They will have you in stitches and you cannot help but to adore them. I really did love this book, even barring the issues that it has. Some of the contemporary social issues could have been expounded upon a little deeper. The antagonist could have had a little more depth and explanation. He seemed to have been thrown in as an after thought. But, all in all it was was worth the money and I intend on reading it again in the future.

There are more reviews, 10 so far, and I am grateful for all the readers who took the time to post a review. And to those who posted in several places, THANK YOU! I know it is a pain to log in everywhere just to post the same comments. But not everyone is ON Goodreads. Ya know? I appreciate my readers telling the great wide world what they thought of my book. Even the people who hate it. You heard me! I learn from bad reviews, as well as good ones. Of course, ALL AUTHORS want good reviews. I'm a praise junkie. I LOVE to hear how much you liked my book. But to be fair, there are going to be people who hate what I write. Constructive criticism will help me know what doesn't work. Will I change the way I write the next one based on your 1-star review of my book? Um, maybe. You don't know. I'd rather have honest thoughts. If you read it (any book of mine) and love it, AWESOME! But if you hate it, that's okay too. Not every book is for every person. I'm learning as I go!

TTFN!

Wade

“Jock” is still going strong!

Yes, My Roomamte’s a Jock? Well, Crap! is STILL #1 on Amazon.com’s “best Seller” List for gay fiction! This is the 6^th day in a row! So freakin’ exciting for me. My novel is also still the #1 BESTSELLER on Dreamspinner Press!! No small feat either! It has stayed in that #1 position for the last 9 days! I obsessively check because I think “any day now it will drop to #2 or farther down the list.” YET, it amazes me by holding onto the #1 spot. Should I jump up and down and rejoice over this? Heck yeah! I’m a relatively new author! My first novel (When Love Is Not Enough) didn’t rise that high. People are intimidated by the “bittersweet” tag and have told me so. My Roommate’s a Jock? Well, Crap! is far from bittersweet. It is totally different, yet still has my personal flare of writing style and voice. (Which can also turn people off, fyi.) I think I’m an acquired taste. Or perhaps the readers that love my stuff are patient and know (hope) I will improve with time. 2 novels out! I’m just beginning to write the stories that are jumping in my brain!

So again, I am shouting out a BIG thank you to all my fans and readers for continuing to buy “Jock” and support my writing. If books don’t sell, publishers are less likely to want more from a writer. Your support helps me tremendously!

After the completely edits of The Cost of Loving, (TCOL) I may submit the manuscript one more time to TRY to get it published conventionally. Although, I AM using my awesome cover! (Determination there.)

“Jock” being more mainstream has helped me a great deal as well. My reader base has grown. Some readers have e-mailed me to thank me for “Jock” and told me they purchased WLINE as well. (When Love is Not Enough.) If WLINE grows in popularity than I can only imagine the spurt of sales from TCOL once it hits the stores! We shall see.

I guess that is all for now. I need to go EDIT!!

~Wade

Here are some reviews I’ve gotten lately on “Jock”:

Hearts on Fire Reviews

Reviewed by: Lucy


Rating:  4 hearts

Review: I think I would say the beginning of this book was a 4 and the last was a 3 or maybe a 2.5.  Cole is a sarcastic, OCD, spazzy sort of guy who protects himself after being bullied in high school.  He has a judgmental attitude toward jocks due to that time and so wants nothing to do with them.  Cole was really luck in finding housing outside regular dorms and even luckier to find a roommate, Jonathan, who turned out to be the best kind of friend, one who put up with him, cared about him and made him know that he wasn’t unlikeable.  Uh oh, but now Jonathan has graduated and is moving in with his girlfriend, leaving Cole to find another roommate.  Stan, the housing manager, gives him some time to do so but then takes over.  Cole makes Stan promise, NO JOCKS.  Whoops is in order when soccer player Ellis shows up, soccer playing buddies in tow.  Cole is losing it.

Cole remains sarcastic and OCD throughout the first half then he sort of softens some, getting lovey and sappy about Ellis.  He’s still all snarky at times, but he is so adorable, feeling special to be Ellis’ first.

Now Ellis is a change the other way.  I loved him at first, all shy, sweet, virginal and wanting special.  He hides from himself but is hopeful.  Then he has Cole, they make love, and he’s emasculated, terrified, helpless.  I wanted to hug him and make sure he knew, it’s going to get better. Even as he treats Cole absolutely horribly, due only to his own fear and insecurity, I was still with him.  When he purposely misleads Cole about Sara, he lost me a bit, intentional pain to someone you claim to care about isn’t cool, Ellis.  Where he lost me totally was at the end, when it becomes clear that whatever Ellis says, being the bottom is being emasculated.  It didn’t come across as a preference for me, since Ellis very nearly lost Cole due to his inability to deal with it.  He claims Cole wasn’t less manly for taking it, but to do so threw Ellis into asshat territory and threatened his self image.  No, Ellis, you aren’t worthy of Cole.

The book is written in various points of view and I have to admit I didn’t understand why Ellis’ mom’s POV was in there.  I liked that she was in it and that she was needy and imperfect.  And that her own insecurities didn’t allow her to see how much her son did love her, but that she got to grow into that knowledge.  This is I liked a great deal.

Besides Cole, what kept this firmly in 4-heart rating territory for me was Rob. He’s a great friend, he’s very religious and he’s reconciling it all without ever judging or moving away from his friends to do so.  (He’s way more comfortable than Ellis is, let’s face it).  He doesn’t want to know details, he wants his friends happy. If only every person could see that.  Russell as well is just a solid, loyal person.  Mike?  Well, it’s too bad he’s there but there are far too many “Mikes” in this world to be discounted, unfortunately.

This was a very character driven book in my opinion with well drawn characters who made me smile or want to shake them (*ahem, ELLIS) but who made me want to keep reading.

And from The ARMCHAIR reader:

REVIEW

This is the first book I’ve read by Wade Kelly, even though I’ve been shamefully putting off reading his earlier book that scares me, When Love is Not Enough (a Bittersweet book). So I’m not quite familiar with Wade’s writing. I will say though, that I think this is one of those books that gets wildly different reactions from reader to individual reader, and whether that’s indicative of his whole body of work, I’m not quite sure. So this review is more subjective than most. I do think, or at least guess anyway, that if you were going to try out this author’s style (and other readers can tell me if I’m wrong and they’re incredibly different) that you should go with this book simply because it is lighter in tone and I assume because of that has/will find a much wider reader base.

Playing on the ever popular trope of jocks and nerds, MRJWC introduces us to two characters with quite a few neuroses. On the outside, Cole fits the stereotype and his are blatant. He’s OCD, can barely socialize and has made very few friends, and is well, prickly. After Cole’s best friend and roommate graduates college and moves to live with his girlfriend, Cole is forced to accept a new roommate in the apartment he rents in college. He knows there’s almost no chance of finding someone he got along with as well as his last roommate, which is why he fights the housing Dean’s decision as much as possible. He does what he can, however, which is plead with the man not to assign him a jock. That’s the one thing he won’t be able to take.

He knows he’s doomed from the moment his new roommate (who is HOT) shows up with a pack of straight men who roll around on the floor like puppies. They’re on the soccer team, and it looks like the dean has ignored Cole’s wishes. But, was it for his own good? Ellis isn’t the dumb jock that Cole had assumed and is even harboring a few choice secrets of his own that might make them compatible in ways Cole has never found before.

My Roommate is a Jock? Well, Crap! is certainly a less than conventional title  but I think that it gives a clue to the reader right off about the author and the book. It’s a quirky title that suits Cole and I think also suits the author. I could be totally wrong about this, and I apologize in advance if I am, but by reading this book alone it seemed to me that Wade Kelly is an author who makes choices in a different way than is conventional. Of course, how readers respond to that is always different, but there are many authors who I could think of that have a stylized voice (Mary Calmes is one of those), whether it changes from book to book or not. I’ve noticed that many reviews and readers have also commented that they didn’t understand certain aspects of the story, or choices in the story. I could see that a few times. The POV changes are a stickler for some people, but without any hard and fast rules myself, I did find the addition of minor character’s POV somewhat disengaging. The writing seemed edgy to me at times. That might not be the right adjective, I’m not sure. It reminded me of reading fanfiction or self published works where there wasn’t a point for an editor to get in there and dull the sharp edges. To someone like me who reads so much m/m published by a handful of select e-publishers, that’s refreshing and often why I like to read online fiction. All of this came together for me as a book written by an author who seemed to make choices based less on the overall big picture and more on specific issues — the characters, the style, personal preferences, etc etc etc.

Take from that what you will. I’m not sure I got across what I was trying to say, but it was an elusive feeling I was trying to capture.

I suppose that overall and after finishing I had a few problems with the book, but as I was reading it I enjoyed it. Whether you will or not depends on whether you can get behind the characters and the style. I think most readers will, and from what I can see they are so far. I didn’t love it, but I did like it and I enjoyed the chance to sample Wade’s writing without reading his Bittersweet novel first.