Tuesday, January 29, 2013

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
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
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 novelJanuary 27, 2013
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
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 JockJanuary 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

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