Jeff Adams Stops by for an INTERVIEW!

Hi, Jeff, I’m happy to have you stop by the blog today. Why don’t we start out by talking a little bit about you? I know some things about you like you used to live in New York and you like hockey, but even I haven’t talk to you long enough to know more than the surface facts. So tell us, have you always liked hockey? Did you grow up in New York, or did you move there as an adult?

Jeff: Thanks for having me Wade, I'm happy to be here! I was born in Michigan and I have a memory from when I was five or six of going to a Red Wings game. I loved watching those guys speeding around the ice, colliding with each other. I've loved hockey ever since. Before I got to NYC, there was 15 years in Alabama, which included high school and college and then five years in Eureka, California, which is where I met my husband, Will. We returned to that area of California this past summer after fifteen years in New York.

WK: As a spin-off of the above, were the circumstances growing up similar to the gay hockey player controversy that you have in your Hat Trick series? I am reading Hat Trick (the original) now, and I was wondering how much content was from personal experience.

Jeff: None at all is from my personal experience. My childhood was nothing like Simon's. His story is pieced together from various things. There are stories in the media periodically of teens who have similar coming out experiences, especially with their parents. The idea of teammates becoming a couple grew from a thought I had watching three guys, who I got to know from a hockey practice I used to go to. They were tight friends and played on a team together. I wondered what would happen if two of them became a couple. None of that happened in reality, but it made a good story.

WK: I'm actually glad to hear that…

What is the perfect writing atmosphere for you? 

Jeff: Perfect is parked in front of my Mac in my home office. Sometimes with music, usually Broadway tunes but sometimes rock and pop. I can write almost any where. With my iPad I've written in Starbucks, waiting rooms, planes and on the subway. In fact, I'm answering these questions sitting in an airport.

WK: Wow, that is impressive. Not sure I could concentrate that well! But I DO like broadway tunes.

Was there someone who inspired and encouraged you to begin writing creatively?

Jeff: I had an awesome English teacher, Janice Winkour, who got me really going in to writing, and Shakespeare, in tenth grade. There'd been a little writing in middle school, but she really lit the fire. I've been writing to one degree or another ever since. I co-founded a literary magazine, The First Line, with a friend back in the late 90s and wrote and edited for that for several years. The magazine continues today, but I departed to focus more on writing longer form stuff.

WK: Why did you start writing M/M romance? I see that you have several books out like The Adventures of Jake #1, and A Bicycle Built For Two, along with a reprint of Rivals, so I wonder if they are all romance based? (Since I haven’t read the whole collection.)

Jeff: Jake and Rivals were the first things I wrote and had published. Jake was originally in a print anthology called Nerdvana and was later reprinted as an ebook from JMS Books. Rivals was done for a holiday anthology call from Dreamspinner. It didn't make the anthology, but it did become a standalone ebook. Eventually the rights reverted back and I put it back out, with a couple new scenes, with JMS Books.

Why did I do those? I'd been reading m/m romance and was encouraged by Will to write and submit.

WK: And you should always listen to Will! :)

You recently released the fourth book in the Hat Trick Series, Hat Trick Overtime: Summer Camp. Did you begin writing this series with the intent of writing more than one, or did it evolve into a series as the characters spoke to you?

Jeff: Originally Hat Trick was going to be standalone, and then one thing led to another and suddenly it was a series. I was working on the second novel when Hat Trick Overtime: A Classic Winter's Night came to mind. It was triggered by the events happening around the 2014 NHL Winter Classic, one of which was the Great Lakes Invitational playing outdoors at Comercia Park. Since Simon and Alex went to Univeristy of Michgian, they'd play in that event so why not have a short story that sends them there?

I decided to do another Overtime installment between books two and three because it's a great way to tell brief stories to show more about the guy's lives. Summer Camp takes places about 18 months after Hat Trick 2: Playing the Rebound and a couple months before Hat Trick 3: Penalty Shot will start.

WK: Cool… In Summer Camp, I see in the description that there is a camper, Dylan, involved. Have you contemplated writing another hockey trilogy either involving Dylan or another such student who may have been in the same summer camp that Alex and Simon are a part of? Sort of the “next generation” or hockey players?

Jeff: There are several spin offs that are possible. Some fans of asked for Leo and Matt's story to be written. They're from the first book. They show up again briefly in book two and Leo is along for the ride in Summer Camp. Characters that will be central to Hat Trick 3 have many, many spin off possibilities. As for Dylan, never say never...

WK: Many of your characters are in high school and early college.  What is it that draws you to characters in this period of their personal growth?

Jeff: Teenagers are so influx as they work to establish their identity while getting influences from parents, friends, teachers and others. There is a lot of material there to turn into stories.

WK: Is the Young Adult genre your particular favorite to write? Why or why not?

Jeff: It's certainly becoming that. I've loved reading the stories and have quite taken to writing them. Hat Trick transitions from Young Adult to New Adult. I'll have a new book out in February, called Flipping For Him, which is YA. Later this year I'm starting a new YA series, called Codename: Winger, which will be unlike anything I've written so far. Once I figure out if I can make that work, I'll talk about it more detail.

WK: Good. Because just the NAME has me wondering. I want to know! Codename: Winger just sounds cool.

Do you have a “day job”? Tell us about it and how you work writing into your schedule?

Jeff: I'm a project manager for a company that creates mobile websites, apps, tablet sites and more. Even though I'm West Coast based, I work East Coast hours. Most days I'm done with work by 2:30, and I use the rest of the afternoon to write. It's been a really great pattern to be in since we moved as it gives me more time per day to write.

WK: Are there certain topics that are problematic for you as an author? For example, some writers have difficulty writing sex scenes, where others have no problem at all. I was wondering if you have your own tough spots.

Jeff: Describing the place the characters are is something I need to improve in my early drafts. When Will reads he sometimes says it's like my characters are in a black box. I'm working to improve that with each new story I do so there's a more distinctive sense of place that I don't have to add in later.

WK: I’ve seen interviewers as things like, “Of all the characters you’ve created, do you have a favorite?” I believe that you’ve mentioned Simon was your favorite before. Does he still hold the #1 spot, and why?

Jeff: Simon continues to hold that spot. Telling so much of his story, and knowing where he's going to end up at--there is still Hat Trick 3 and one more Overtime installment coming this year to complete the series this year--has been great. He was a good teenager whose growing up into a pretty cool adult. Jackson, from book one, also has a special place in my heart because he's the ultimate friend.

WK: Is there anything else you’d like to add about Hat Trick, Playing the Rebound, or Summer Camp?

Jeff: It's been an awesome journey as readers discover Simon and Alex and I'm honored they've been embraced as they have. I hope people enjoy the brief glimpse at the guys' with the guys in Summer Camp and are ready to jump into their senior year at University of Michigan when Hat Trick 3 comes out this summer.

WK: Would you care to share a little bit of information on any of your current WIPs? 

Jeff: Coming first is Flipping For You, which will be out in February. It's the story of high school juniors Kevin and Shin who meet in Central Park one spring afternoon. They are very into each other, however Shin's parents want him to date only Japanese boys, which Kevin s not.
I mentioned Codename: Winger earlier. I've scribbled some things down for this already, including what might be most of its prologue. I'm super excited for this idea, which was birthed at GRL in Chicago. I'm not comfortable yet to go into too much detail yet. 
I think there'll be some other shorts in the works, too. There are a couple submission calls I've seen that I'd like to do, plus I've got another story I'd like to bring back into ebook.

WK: And, because you often have the random “Michael Kudo” question thrown at me, I added an off-the-wall one of my own that I was asked before and found interesting… “If you could sit down to dinner with one person, past or present, who would it be and what’s the one question you’d love to ask?

Jeff: I love how Michael is becoming a question brand.
Jonathan Larson, the writer/composer of Rent, which is my favorite musical. I'd love to ask him to discuss how he adapted La Boheme into the very modern story that he created.

WK: Where can readers find you on the internet?

Website: http://www.jeffadamswrites.com 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hockeyguynyc
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/jeffadams
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/writerjeff 
Email list (subscribe and get no more than two emails with updates each month): http://eepurl.com/7TJC9

WK: Would you like share an excerpt from Hat Trick Overtime: Summer Camp with us?

Jeff: Sure thing! Here's a excerpt from the beginning of the story.

"Simon, as many great summer trips as we've had, I think this might be the best one yet and it's only just started," Alex said right after he let go a contented sigh.

Alex and I went camping every summer. We'd spend at least a week at a campsite, as far into the woods and secluded as possible. Just us, a tent, and basic provisions. It was a blast. For our fourth summer trip, we mixed it up big time and so far I loved it. Neither of us went to summer camp as kids, but this year we decided to spend a month working at camp.

It was the end of the first day, and we were sitting on the steps leading up to our cabin. We were tucked in the woods near Muskegon, Michigan. The cool evening breeze, mixed with the wood smell of the cabins was perfect. It smelled like summer. Adding to the idyllic scene was sitting between Alex's legs with my head resting against his chest. We looked out across the campground. Other counselors were hanging out in front of their cabins while the campers were in bed since it was past light's out.

“You're right," I said, craning my head up to look at Alex. "Meeting the campers today was great. It's gonna be awesome coaching for the next month."

Back in March, we'd been approached by Carson Stilson, a wealthy Michigan alum, to coach at a new hockey camp he was starting. He transformed an abandoned arts camp into a hockey retreat with four half-sized rinks and one regulation one. Stilson invited college players to coach for camp's inaugural year. It sounded like a great way to spend part of our summer, playing hockey and getting some sun. We jumped at the chance to do it.

While Alex and I had jobs, I was still at the Ann Arbor LGBT community center and Alex was at EdgeTech in Detroit, we managed to negotiate time away to come up here.

I gave a contented sigh as I snuggled in closer to Alex. It was early June, so it wasn't super hot and there was a nice breeze blowing from the lake across the grounds. It made it very comfortable. The grounds were cool. There central area had six cabins for the campers and coaches arranged around a courtyard. Outside of that there were bathroom facilities and an administration building. There was also a boathouse, which I hadn't been to you, down by the lake. The new buildings on the grounds were the rinks. I can't imagine the investment to build the three buildings that housed the ice facilities. There were basic necessities in terms of locker rooms, but the ice was well kept. I'd played on much worse at private rinks over the years. 

"Hey guys," Leo said, coming towards us from the cabin next door. Recommending Leo as a coach had been easy for us. It was awesome we were going to hang out with him for a month. We hadn't done that since we'd all gone away to college. "I forgot how much I hated going to sleep when I was a teenager. I thought we'd never get everyone settled down."

I nodded. "We had slightly better luck. Maybe we just wore our guys out more."

Leo stepped over me and sat down on the step above Alex so we could easily see each other while we talked.

"How are your guys?" Leo asked. 

"We've got an interesting assortment of players," Alex said. "We saw some that are really good, but others who need a lot of work. I like that it's mixed though. It'll make the concept of working as a team that much more important so the stronger players support the weaker ones."

"I think it'll challenge our coaching, too," I said. "We've only worked with people of like skills before. Advancing players starting at different levels is going to be interesting. I'm glad we've got the daily coach's check-in so we can all learn from each other."

"I'm paired up with a guy who's going to coach college hockey," Leo said. "Kieran graduated a few weeks ago and got a gig as an assistant at Boston. I'm hoping to learn a lot from him."

Alex kissed the top of my head as I absently ran my hand over his leg. I considered shifting positions, but then decided not too. Everyone knew we were a couple, and there was nothing even PG-13 in what we were doing. 

"I was worried about using up our vacation for this," Alex said, "but I'm already sure it was the right choice."

"Me, too," I said. "We're out in the woods, and for longer than we would've been if we were on actual vacation. Plus you got to come along, too." I held up my fist for Leo and he bumped it.

"It's good for me too since Matt's working in California for most of the month," Leo said. "He'll be back just before we head home." 

The cabin screen door opened slowly and out stepped Dylan, holding a hockey stick in one hand and his skates in the other looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Dylan was fifteen and a good skater, but he needed to work on his aim.

"What's up, Dylan," Alex asked. With Leo, Alex and me blocking the stairs, he couldn't go easily around us. 

"Uh," he paused, obviously trying to decide what to tell us.

"Looks like you're trying to break curfew," I said matter-of-factly. "Since I doubt you're going to the bathroom with skates and a stick."

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it without speaking. He stared at us and we stared back, waiting for whatever he was going to say.

WK: Do you have a give away or to offer?

Absolutely! For one lucky commenter I'll giveaway an ebook. They can choose either Hat Trick Overtime: Summer Camp, or the first book in the Hat Trick series in case they are new and want to start from the beginning. I hope people leave comments, too. I'll check in periodically over the next few days to answer any questions that may come up. Make sure to leave your comments by Jan 30, 2015 so you'll be in the giveaway.

Thanks again for having me Wade... let's do it again sometime! And thanks to everyone for reading the post, too.

-------

BLURB:

Simon and Alex, now between their junior and senior years at The University of Michigan, decide to put their jobs on hold for a month and take the opportunity to coach hockey at a summer camp for teenagers.

They've got a cabin full of good players to work with and the focus is to get them ready to win the camp championship. One camper, sixteen-year-old Dylan, requests extra help because he needs to get a scholarship and the guys make it their mission to help him succeed. 

With their best friend Leo along for the trip, Simon and Alex are setup for a great time at camp, until another coach tries to seduce them. How they respond to the unwanted advances, while  balancing commitments to their campers, will test them both.

BUY LINKS: 

JMS BOOKS

AMAZON

BIO:

Jeff Adams caught the writing bug in middle school and finally became a novelist with the Hat Trick series. He's currently working on the final novel in the series, Hat Trick 3: Penalty Shot, which is due out this summer. He's also written a number of m/m romance shorts, including the recent re-release of Rivals. Jeff and his husband, Will, live in the peaceful, coastal beauty of Humboldt County, California. He also covers the Detroit Red Wings, as well reviews books that feature LGBT hockey players, for PuckBuddys.com. To learn more about Jeff, visit jeffadamswrites.com and follow him on Twitter at @hockeyguynyc.

WK: I was supper happy to have Jeff stop by. He is one of my most favorite people. I am working through Hat Trick (the original) and I'm on page 171 ish. He is being kind hand hasn't threatened to kill me yet since I am so freaking slow. So far, I love it!

Please comment below and let Jeff know what you think.

Hugs,

Wade

Am I a Professional?

Am I a PROFESSIONAL author? I am trying to be. To go from a "hobby" to a "career" takes practice, trial & error, and patience. Writing itself is hard, but that isn't even the hardest part. That is the easy part. When you start out they say it, but many don't believe it until you get deeper into the process. My advice to up-and-coming authors is to FINISH you book first. Finish it! No one wants to look at a proposal anymore. (that I know of) Publishers and agents want a complete story to work with. If you are having difficulties finishing it, imagine what will happen if they say, "Can you make some changes to *this section, or that section?" Or "Can you change the ending?" You need to have a good handle on what you are writing before you take the next step.

If you are unsure of your quality, then get an editor. Take a grammar class or two. Brush up on HOW to write. You need to do the very best you can before passing it on to a publisher or agent. They will then have to decide whether or not to publish it. You want the manuscript to be as clean as possible or you will not know if it was rejected on grammar or plot. Some publishers will reject it if they can not justify the cost of editing a poorly edited manuscript. If you can't edit it, they will have to pay someone. If it is really bad, then they may not want to spend the time and then you are left with a really great story that no one wants to take the time to polish. So polish it first. Or hire someone! Yes, editing costs money. But most things in life require money. The saying is, it takes money to make money.

It is true.

I often worry about my own professionalism because I am a terrible editor. I skip over the same mistakes and misspellings over and over again. To that end I want to say I'M SORRY that I am not better and my stuff is not cleaner. I am trying to do the best i can and sometimes I fall short.

Like Principle vs Principal …. Oh, my gosh!! What a big mistake to miss no less than 4 times. I feel so bad. And phrases like "maybe my fear we as irrational" is ridiculous, yet easily skimmed over when all those are words. It is supposed to be WAS. One word, but separated it looks like an unprofessional mess. I am not "beating myself up" about it as much as apologizing to the couple hundred people who purchased my book with spelling and grammatical errors. I mainly feel bad for putting out something that could be seen as unprofessional and dismissed by the next reader who doesn't want to take the time to read a self-pubbed work by a virtually un-known author when reviews say it is "not worth the read. So many typos and spelling errors in this book…." I personally feel like I let a reader down.

I want to give you quality. I DO! I want to look professional and create stories with impact. I know some readers don't like my style of writing. I get that. (Well, no I don't since I think I am awesome. LOL) I have read reviews that don't like my POV shifts or time jumps. That I also get. Some people don't like things about my books that are just ME. And I am okay with readers having opinions about my books that differ from other readers who love them. Typos though, I feel bad. I don't want to create a bad experience because things got over looked. Do you KNOW how many people read this manuscript? A lot. I promise to do better next time!

Do I regret doing this? No. I wanted the experience of self-publishing and I have it! I have learned lots about formatting and file conversion and graphic design. I am learning how to make my own covers and ads. I am reading about ISBN#s and copyright laws. There is so much learning that some mistakes are worthwhile. But I do still feel bad for publishing something less than perfect. Rest assured the mistakes and typos have been corrected and new versions have been uploaded to various platforms. Any new Kindle, Paperback, and eBook from probably tomorrow on should have a cleaner read.

I am also looking into uploading my book onto All Romance eBooks. This will be another platform to sell Misplaced Affection and I hope word gets out about it. Personally, I think it is a great book. However, sales died just about the time my blog tour ended. New books by other more popular authors come out and here I sit. I'm not asking for pity as much as help. Publishing is a lonely business. Even for authors who publish with traditional publishers you are virtually on your own. A publisher will advertise the "new release", but not long after that it is all up to YOU!! (And me.)

I rely on word-of-mouth. If you like it, talk about it. Write a review. Tell a friend. I seriously run out of ideas of how to tell people I wrote a book. Lately I create ads and post them on Facebook, but even that only reaches so many people. So tell me, kind readers, where do titles  catch YOUR eye? Do you see ads on blogs? I was thinking of advertising on ARe.

Can you comment below and tell me where you look for new titles? Blogs, Amazon, Ads on ARe, Ads elsewhere? I really would love to know. I need to widen my readership and I am at a loss HOW to do it.

In the meantime, I will continue to write. I am working on JOCK 2.

Tomorrow I host Jeff Adams here on my blog with an interview about his new book!

See you tomorrow,

Wade

Coming Soon

I'm gonna do one of those things that Matt and Brad do and give you a sign…

There! LOL

Coming soon: Title of my newest Work In Progress and the blurb. Soon after that might be excerpts etc!!! It will be exciting so come back and stay tuned….. Hint, it's JOCK 2 (but that's not the title)

:)

In the Works

It's been 10 days since I last posted. Ooops. I'd like to say that so much has been going on that I forgot to post, but that isn't exactly true. Much has gone on, but not out of the ordinary. I normally lead a very busy life with driving children places and taking care of animals and the house and laundry, cooking etc… There is never a dull moment in this house. We watched the Raven's play and lose to New England on Saturday. It was a really close game and exciting to watch.

I also gave thought to the cover of Names Can Never Hurt Me and decided to ask for a change. As much as readers LOVE the book who take the time to read it, it is also not a big seller and there are WAY TOO MANY readers I am losing simply by (possibly) having a cover that is too off-putting and controversial. This IS the cover I wanted. It is. I wanted a more neutral cover without cover-models, that basically captured my point in the book. It did. The cover below says it all.

Except that it also does NOT tell you it is a ROMANCE NOVEL. It also does't say anything about being a romance between two men. It is maybe TOO neutral. Ya see, I am not widely read to begin with. If I were Stephen King, and I use his name all the time because everyone knows who he is, I could put a puppy on the cover and nothing else and people would buy it. I could picture a tree or a xylophone and my readers would probably suspect what they were going to read without having a cover that spelled it out. Even before flipping a book over to read the blurb, Stephen King fans KNOW what he writes. No so with me.

For those Wade Kelly fans who follow my blog or read my Twitter Tweets, or have "Friended" me on Facebook, you already know what I write and although all my books are different, I suspect you know what you are getting yourself into. For the random people out there who have yet to experience the Wade Kelly Special, they don't know what to look for, they don't recognize the name, and they are more likely apt to pick up a different book on Amazon by a different author that they've maybe never heard of JUST BECAUSE there is a hot guy on the cover. I am not saying I am against guys on the cover. What I hoped I could do was widen my reader base by having a cover that was DIFFERENT. But mine was too different. Very few people bought it.

In the interest of trying not to slit my throat before I am even out there, I asked to have the cover redone, WITH GUYS ON IT! Dreamspinner was very accommodating and the cover is in the works. I am excited about it. Now, readers will get the chance to see what Nick and RC might look like. For those who read it, be warned, it is extremely hard to find a larger, hairy, italian looking dude with long curly hair and green eyes etc. The guy I picked was the best I could do. I think he's good enough. He makes the point that the one protagonist is not a typical twin or stud. (Although plenty of people will consider him a stud anyway!) My models will hopefully do the trick and catch some more reader's eyes. I need to or this awesome book will die. Personally I want it to take off so DSP will consider doing an audio version! Wouldn't that be cool? So, fingers crossed, we will have another cover on Names Can Never Hurt Me soon.

With the re-do, maybe I will give away a few paperbacks! ;) Stay tuned!

In other news, I've been writing. There was a LONG DRY SPELL where I didn't feel motivated at all. Then, I had about six different characters talking at the same time so three books started moving ahead. I have word-counts on:

Only Skin Deep - the sequel to NAMES
The Honorary Tooth Fayrie - a comedy about a male hygienist.
and ….. and….. the sequel to JOCK! Should I tell you the title yet? No, I'm gonna wait. Those in the Wade Brigade on Facebook have heard the title I'm leaning toward. I have been outlining this book and plan to hit it hard when I have some time.

My main issues are time… and um, TIME!

Did I mention I have kids? Yeah, well, last year I think I did a good job balancing the time between smily and writing. This year I hope to do an even better job and make a stronger commitment to really being an AUTHOR and not a part-time writer.

Goals… (I hate setting them because I always come up short)

1.  To have a good chunk of the new JOCK book done by the time I go to the Dreamspinner Writers Workshop in March. That is not a lot of time, but I think I can do it as long as the words flow. Fingers crossed and hope they flow like a waterfall during monsoon season! :)

Once JOCK 2 (Title coming soon) is done and submitted to DSP, I need to get two other projects working this year. So,

2.  Finish writing my vampire comedy/ horror My Lover Sucks because I want to submit this to a different publisher and spread my "eggs" out among other baskets. (To use a metaphor) I think having two works submitted this year will help jumpstart that ball rolling of having MORE THAN ONE publication per year! I was 2-3 a year! After I submit MLS, I will jump on another self-pub!

3.  Rewrite Sculpting Clay! and get it self-pubbed. Is that wise? I don't know. Self-pubbing so far is turning out VERY SLOW moving indeed. BUT, I think it is because I am not well known. Once I get my name out there, then hopefully readers will find my other stuff on Amazon like Misplaced Affection! I self-pubbed that so I could have another publication out within six months of NAMES. If I can self-pub Sculpting Clay before the year is out, then I can only hope that JOCK 2, and My Lover Sucks will be published in and around the time that Sculpting Clay make as reappearance.

Does that all make sense?

I'm trying to play the publishing game. Authors need to learn the rules of what works and what doesn't. I attended a seminar about publishing facts that was designed to inform self-pubbers, but the stats are helpful for anyone really! 3-4 books out a year is what the most successful authors do. More than that, well you are the bomb! (*ehem* Kade.) I don't see myself ever writing that fast. I simply don't take the time to do it because I have other priorities. Maybe as the kids are older and the words and ideas are flowing, I can do 3-4 a year, but for now I will be chuffed to get to 2-3 a year. (So far, it has been 1 per year! FYI)

So, I think that's all. I don't know where my day has gone. I am going to share this post, eat lunch, and write (JOCK 2 title here).

My main character is named Chris. I haven't had a Chris so I thought it was a good name. Chris is a soccer player! (Shocker) I'm thinking blond or dark blond hair, bright happy smile. Everyone's friend. Captain of the soccer team! This is a 1st person narrative from Chris's POV. I haven't come up with a last name yet. I DO have the love-interest's name, but I'm not sharing yet ;)

Anyway… talk at ya laterz….

Wade
xoxox

Don't forget to order your copy of my latest HERE!

Reviews of MA

In case some of you missed the "buzz" about Misplaced Affection, I thought I'd list a few reviews. :)

Since its release on January 1, 2015  have had several 5 STAR reviews and a couple 4's.

The first (5 STAR) review was from fellow author  Jeff Adams who said, "I love a book that takes me on an emotional roller coaster ride… I went back and forth between being delighted, angry, sad, and back again. … The story's multiple threads all wrap up nicely at the end and make for an extremely satisfying read." (Read the rest of the review on Jeff's Blog.)

Then Dan over at Love Bytes Reviews gave it 5 STARS & said, "Not surprisingly, another great book by Wade Kelly…. The characters in the book ran the gamut of emotions with me… I really liked this book and recommend it to all… You will love this book. Go one-click it right now while you are thinking about it." (Read the entire review on Love Bytes.)

Taryn Plendl, a fellow author of M/F romance, gave Misplaced Affection 5 STARS and posted on Amazon that it was "Another adventurous ride through the angst, pain, tears, struggles, and ultimately joy that Wade Kelly is known for… Wade has brought to the surface topics that will make you think and ultimately feel raw after reading, but she ties it up perfectly with an ending you'll love." (Read more on Amazon.)

Jason at Joyfully Jay Reviews probably gave the longest review I've ever had on one of my books that I can remember to date. He gave MA 5 STARS and dug deep into every thought it stirred up in him. He said, "Kelly doesn't pull any punches, that's for sure. Misplaced Affection is a complex look at coming out, God and religion, life, death, and moving forward with life. … I have been noticing annoying and flawed characters more often lately… and absolutely love it when the reason comes to light and shows how deep and complex the character ends up being… No one can say that Kelly goes for the easy stuff, nope, not at all. Worth reading? Absolutely! …" (full review at Joyfully Jay.)

The Multitasking Momma got her head "out of the oven" long enough to give Misplaced Affection 5 STARS and a "Recommended Read" badge. :) She said, "The best thing about this particular read is that even if the drama could twist and turn the reader's emotions up as could be expected from Ms. Wade herself, it can also be quite amusing and frustrating and hilarious, just like JOCK was…. Over all, this was not what I expected and must highly recommend it to all…" (Complete review here.) And though the review was very nice, I think the bit she added at the end about me was extra special and extremely kind :) "(Note from multitaskingmomma: I learned to read and love M/M books as written by the creative mind of W.K. and soon became a huge fan of both author and woman. What I love about her works is her ability to dig deep into the psyche of young men and women and through that, create characters who are very real and so can be terrifying to accept because of that 'realness'. Misplaced Affection is a surprise read for although it does come from the same writer, it is different from the rest of her works. Yes the writer is the same, but the style is different and so the impact is different as well.) "

Misplaced Affection has gotten 10 ratings on Goodreads so far:

I like where it says 100% of people liked it!

With the 2 4-STAR ratings coming from Jodi and Gwendolyn. I haven't seen Jodi's review, but it should be up soon on Smoocher's Voice as I am scheduled for a stop there today on my Blog Tour!

But Gwendolyn doesn't give out the stars easily, so a 4 from here is HUGE! She said, "I spend most of the book wanting to smack Flynn, but you redeemed him rather well. Really good story." Thank you so much!! :)

Also, Simone, whoever you are, THANK YOU for the 5 stars :)

I know I can't hang my hat on Goodreads reviews and ratings as they are generally listed by less than 10% of the people who buy the book. But I am grateful for those who take the time to list reviews online. Goodreads, AMAZON, Dreamspinner (if the case may be), AReBooks, etc. THANK YOU!

I have even found that I can find Amazon reviews on the UK site. I didn't know that before. I found a wonderful 5 STAR review over there from a lovely reader in London! She said, "Oh my gosh! I can't believe how amazing this book is… Every emotion felt so real, I can't describe it. Best I've read for a while, Wade Kelly is defo a force to be watched! Amazing author." (Read it all here!) Thank you sweet girl :)

And I will be on the edge of my seat waiting for a review from my sweet Aussie fan JezebelSpike who affectionately calls me "possum". :) (I love that!) She doesn't do Facebook, only Twitter, but I have found her reviews of WLINE and TCOL on the Aussie Amazon, which right now has Misplaced Affection on a best seller list. LOL… at #878  hahahha.

JezebelSpike's thoughts on my other books can be found here: When Love is Not Enough, The Cost of Loving. Where she says, "If you like your heart being pushed and pulled and being made to simply FEEL, then give Wade Kelly's (books) a go!"


That is all I have time for today. I will update you all if anything noteworthy goes on. I am on Smoocher's Voice some time today with an interview. Keep checking out the other stops on the blog tour!

Hugs.
Wade