Fame and Fortune
An All Cocks Story book #2
Victor Dimir moved to America with his traditional Romanian parents when he was just a child. His Romani parents taught him their traditions and how to be a shrewd business man. But it was the attention of a classmate at school that taught a teenage Victor about his sexuality. When he came out to his parents he knew it would be difficult for them to understand, but he never expected them to disown him.
Andrew Jones grew up with a single mom and his grandmother teaching him about life, he had an absentee father at best. The only thing the man ever did for Andy that stuck was buy him a camera for his thirteenth birthday. When Andrew went off to college on a scholarship to study photo journalism, he wound up falling in love with his Romanian roommate.
They became inseparable and wound up starting their own business together; a gay porn website where people could go and watch romantic gay porn instead of the rough and tough, or wham bam thank you man crap that was flooding the internet at that time. After ten years together they were still perfectly happy, they didn’t even realize something was missing, until they met a broken young man that needed a family.
Matthew Carlson was homeless, jobless and broken. He’d been on his own since he was sixteen when he ran away from home after being brutally assaulted by several other young men that he thought were his friends, and then being told he brought it on himself for being gay by his parents. Matthew has done a lot of things these last few years just to get by. When he finds the flyer for All Cocks, he decides to call and see where it leads. What has he got to lose?
Matthew has deep rooted scars that aren’t usually visible on the outside. But when he walks into All Cocks, both Victor and Andrew see them, they also see him. Can three men that didn’t even realize they needed each other get past the stigma of society to find a place of happiness, together?
*Advisory warning: This story contains a scene of sexual assault.*
This is one of my favourite stories in this series, probably as it is because it is M/M/M.. I love the character of Victor., I think it is due to how he gets phrases wrong when he says them, as he is Romanian. Although he comes across as a total hard man, when he is with Andrew he becomes a big softie, and this is even more evident when Matthew joins them. There. is something special between Victor and Andrew, and even though they seem like total opposites, they gel together wonderfully.
When Matthew comes on the scene, you then see many sides of Victor., but also Andrew shows his true colours, and I see him as someone who has a core of strength running through him, also someone who knows when to push but also when to back off. Now when Matthew first comes on the scene, it is the caring side of Andrew that draws Matthew to them, and funnily enough a softer side of Victor comes through too.
This story was a steep learning curve for all three. It all begins with Victor and Andrew asking Matthew to stay with them, to give him a safe place to stay, and even enable him to finish school. Matthew is determined to pay his own way and starts working behind the scenes at All Cocks, but what he is determined to do is film a scene - although Victor and Andrew are not sure about this, Matthew wears them down and so the scene is put in the diary. The assault on Matthew to begin with was in the background, and he just couldn't tell anyone - until the day he suffered a horrific flashback while filming the scene for All Cocks. He then went on to have a complete meltdown, and this is the part of the audio I was listening to with tears in my eyes.
Will Matthew stay with Victor and Andrew after he confesses his assault? Does Matthew actually have feelings for Victor and Andrew, and want to act on them? Do Victor and Andrew want Matthew to become part of their relationship, or is this something that will destroy their relationship? Listen and find out.........
The narration of this audio book (wonderfully done by Joel Leslie), was totally spot on. I adored the voice used for Victor, and when Matthew had his flashback, the emotion in the voices then was totally out of this world (hence listening with tears). I have to say I have only listened to one other story narrated by Joel Leslie, but I can guarantee that I will be looking for others. This is also an audio that I will be listening to again and again - brilliant story and narration.
When Matthew comes on the scene, you then see many sides of Victor., but also Andrew shows his true colours, and I see him as someone who has a core of strength running through him, also someone who knows when to push but also when to back off. Now when Matthew first comes on the scene, it is the caring side of Andrew that draws Matthew to them, and funnily enough a softer side of Victor comes through too.
This story was a steep learning curve for all three. It all begins with Victor and Andrew asking Matthew to stay with them, to give him a safe place to stay, and even enable him to finish school. Matthew is determined to pay his own way and starts working behind the scenes at All Cocks, but what he is determined to do is film a scene - although Victor and Andrew are not sure about this, Matthew wears them down and so the scene is put in the diary. The assault on Matthew to begin with was in the background, and he just couldn't tell anyone - until the day he suffered a horrific flashback while filming the scene for All Cocks. He then went on to have a complete meltdown, and this is the part of the audio I was listening to with tears in my eyes.
Will Matthew stay with Victor and Andrew after he confesses his assault? Does Matthew actually have feelings for Victor and Andrew, and want to act on them? Do Victor and Andrew want Matthew to become part of their relationship, or is this something that will destroy their relationship? Listen and find out.........
The narration of this audio book (wonderfully done by Joel Leslie), was totally spot on. I adored the voice used for Victor, and when Matthew had his flashback, the emotion in the voices then was totally out of this world (hence listening with tears). I have to say I have only listened to one other story narrated by Joel Leslie, but I can guarantee that I will be looking for others. This is also an audio that I will be listening to again and again - brilliant story and narration.
Where are you from, and where do you call home?
I was born and raised in Georgia until I was 24. I was born military and married military so when my ex got out of the Army, we moved to Texas and I’ve been here ever since.
What inspired you to start writing?
I love to read, and the more I read fiction and fantasy, I started coming up with different outlandish stories in my head. One day I decided to sit down and try to turn it into something. The rest, as they say, is history.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing Opposites in 2010. So, 6 years now.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
Be very sure that this is what you want to do, because for every fan you find, there will be a hater lingering in the background. Overall, the LGBT writing community is an amazing group of people. There has to be a few bad apples though, and the negativity occasionally hits you where it hurts. You just have to let it roll off and keep going. There is one rule to live by if you want to be an Author, never engage the crazy. Comment and leave praise for those positive reviews all day long. But do not, I repeat, do not comment on a negative review, ever! It never ends well.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
Oh hell yes, don’t we all? Sometimes I have to make myself write, I might trash 90% of it in the end, but that 10% I get to keep is pretty fucking amazing. Other times I have to walk away and recharge. I have hit a wall a couple of times trying to take the story in a direction it didn’t want to go, or trying to force a character into a story. I’ve learned that if the character stops speaking to you, you’ve probably pissed them off, so figure out why and fix it. And if you can’t, either scrap them all together or kill them off and make it intense.
What Author’s in the genre do you read?
That list would take all day to complete. Some of my very favorites though, I’m talking auto buy just because of who wrote it, or books I have re-read multiple times… Sandrine Gasq-Dion, Andrew Grey, Mary Calmes, Morticia Knight, AE Via, Cardeno C and Amy Lane… just to name a few.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
That is a trick question, both. Sometimes someone just starts talking and I start writing and I mold his or her part of the story around them. Then there are times I come up with an amazing storyline in my head and I have to work the characters into it.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?
I am actually, lots of goodies for 2016! Gay for Pay is out now in audio, but I’m also having it translated in French through Juno Publishing. My editor is pouring over the Opposites series books as I type, helping me clean them up and I’m going to re-release that series. Opposites was the first book I wrote and I did it without an editor, don’t do that people. I think that cleaning them up is going to give the series new life and that makes me happy, I love the dichotomy of that series so much.
Describe the perfect writing space.
Sitting at my desk with my headphones in and a Mimosa next to me. I think I might like sitting on the beach with my laptop and a drink with an umbrella in it as well though.
Do you do research for your books? If so, what does that entail?
I do actually. I like to have an element of reality in my stories. For the Opposites series I had to research high points of elevation, water lines, fault lines, different cultures and economies. For the All Cocks stories I have had to endure hours upon hours of sexy, sweaty, hot man sex. I know, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Then there are aspects to some of my stories that aren’t as much fun to research, but I’m afraid if I don’t, someone that has lived through it would be offended at my ignorance.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
5 novels and 2 novellas. You might as well ask me to pick my favorite child, that is a no win scenario.
Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?
I do actually, I love to stay in touch with my readers. 99.9% of my emails from fans or messages on facebook is hearing what they liked or didn’t like about the books, asking when the next book is out, things like that. I remember about a week after Fame and Fortune released, I got an email from someone that was a survivor of sexual assault and she was telling me how impressed she was with the reality of the situation that I got right while not going too far or downplaying what happened in the book. She said while it was hard for her to read, it was very well written and conveyed. Brought a tear to my eye it did.
I was born and raised in Georgia until I was 24. I was born military and married military so when my ex got out of the Army, we moved to Texas and I’ve been here ever since.
What inspired you to start writing?
I love to read, and the more I read fiction and fantasy, I started coming up with different outlandish stories in my head. One day I decided to sit down and try to turn it into something. The rest, as they say, is history.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing Opposites in 2010. So, 6 years now.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
Be very sure that this is what you want to do, because for every fan you find, there will be a hater lingering in the background. Overall, the LGBT writing community is an amazing group of people. There has to be a few bad apples though, and the negativity occasionally hits you where it hurts. You just have to let it roll off and keep going. There is one rule to live by if you want to be an Author, never engage the crazy. Comment and leave praise for those positive reviews all day long. But do not, I repeat, do not comment on a negative review, ever! It never ends well.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
Oh hell yes, don’t we all? Sometimes I have to make myself write, I might trash 90% of it in the end, but that 10% I get to keep is pretty fucking amazing. Other times I have to walk away and recharge. I have hit a wall a couple of times trying to take the story in a direction it didn’t want to go, or trying to force a character into a story. I’ve learned that if the character stops speaking to you, you’ve probably pissed them off, so figure out why and fix it. And if you can’t, either scrap them all together or kill them off and make it intense.
What Author’s in the genre do you read?
That list would take all day to complete. Some of my very favorites though, I’m talking auto buy just because of who wrote it, or books I have re-read multiple times… Sandrine Gasq-Dion, Andrew Grey, Mary Calmes, Morticia Knight, AE Via, Cardeno C and Amy Lane… just to name a few.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
That is a trick question, both. Sometimes someone just starts talking and I start writing and I mold his or her part of the story around them. Then there are times I come up with an amazing storyline in my head and I have to work the characters into it.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?
I am actually, lots of goodies for 2016! Gay for Pay is out now in audio, but I’m also having it translated in French through Juno Publishing. My editor is pouring over the Opposites series books as I type, helping me clean them up and I’m going to re-release that series. Opposites was the first book I wrote and I did it without an editor, don’t do that people. I think that cleaning them up is going to give the series new life and that makes me happy, I love the dichotomy of that series so much.
Describe the perfect writing space.
Sitting at my desk with my headphones in and a Mimosa next to me. I think I might like sitting on the beach with my laptop and a drink with an umbrella in it as well though.
Do you do research for your books? If so, what does that entail?
I do actually. I like to have an element of reality in my stories. For the Opposites series I had to research high points of elevation, water lines, fault lines, different cultures and economies. For the All Cocks stories I have had to endure hours upon hours of sexy, sweaty, hot man sex. I know, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Then there are aspects to some of my stories that aren’t as much fun to research, but I’m afraid if I don’t, someone that has lived through it would be offended at my ignorance.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
5 novels and 2 novellas. You might as well ask me to pick my favorite child, that is a no win scenario.
Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?
I do actually, I love to stay in touch with my readers. 99.9% of my emails from fans or messages on facebook is hearing what they liked or didn’t like about the books, asking when the next book is out, things like that. I remember about a week after Fame and Fortune released, I got an email from someone that was a survivor of sexual assault and she was telling me how impressed she was with the reality of the situation that I got right while not going too far or downplaying what happened in the book. She said while it was hard for her to read, it was very well written and conveyed. Brought a tear to my eye it did.
A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; TM Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. A Texas transplant, she now calls DFW her home. Most days she can be found curled up with a good book, or ticking away on her next novel.
Smith is a single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Besides her writing, she is passionate about Autism advocacy and LGBT rights. Because, seriously people, Love is Love!
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Tour Schedule...
August 15th –
Embracing My Crazy {Spotlight & Excerpt}
AO Chika Books {Spotlight & Guest Post}
August 16th –
August 17th –
The Purple Rose Teahouse {Spotlight & Excerpt}
August 18th –
Gay Book Reviews {Review & Playlist}
Morticia Knight {Spotlight}
Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy {Review}
Morticia Knight {Spotlight}
Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy {Review}
August 19th –
August 22nd –
Cathy Brockman Romance {Review}
August 23rd –
August 24th –
The O’Raven Chronicles {Spotlight}
Triple A Author Promotion {Facebook Spotlight}
Happily Ever Chapter {Facebook Spotlight}
Triple A Author Promotion {Facebook Spotlight}
Happily Ever Chapter {Facebook Spotlight}
August 25th –
Making It Happen {Review & Excerpt}
Sinfully Gay Book Reviews {This or That with Author and Narrator}
Prism Book Alliance {Review &Narrator Interview}
August 26th –
Gay Media Reviews {Review & Guest Post}
Jennivie Writes {Review & Spotlight}
Wicked Fairy Tales {Spotlight}
Jennivie Writes {Review & Spotlight}
Wicked Fairy Tales {Spotlight}
