Yolande Kleinn

Anticipation
M/M Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Friends-to-Lovers
[22 Pages / 6,800 Words]

Jason may be a lot of things (stubborn, arrogant, occasionally oblivious), but he's got no delusions about his hopeless and long-secret infatuation with his best friend. The night he tells Max the truth, Jason worries his confession will ruin everything.

But he should know better than to underestimate Max. Maybe his crush isn't so hopeless after all.

[Information and excerpt: HERE]

Available at:
Amazon / Apple / B&N / Kobo / Smashwords

 

A couple days into 2019, it's hard not to be a little introspective. I'm not going to make a list of last year's accomplishments, or come up with resolutions for the coming year. Those aren't really traditions I go in for, not least because I'm competitive as hell. The last thing I need is a string of posts I can find and compare myself to year after year, which will inevitably leave me feeling disappointed when I don't hit new milestones or write as many words as before or or or…

But I've got a lot of things right now that I'm grateful for:
* A day job I sincerely love, where I get to work with books every single day
* A supportive family who will always have my back
* Incredible, kind, talented, indescribable friends that make me feel lucky as hell
* Time and energy to keep writing, even when the query/submission process is overwhelmingly daunting

At the moment, I've got one manuscript in submission limbo. Took a while (not an unreasonable amount of time, just longer than my brain and heart wanted to wait) to hear back from my absolute top choice agent. The good news is, I got farther than I expected. She liked my query enough to request a partial manuscript. The bad news is, the partial didn't win her over. Obviously I'm going to try again… And obviously I'm going to sell this manuscript elsewhere… But rejection stings no matter what.

One thing I will say for this coming year: I have more stories than ever reverting to me after their contract terms expire. Historically, I've been slow as hell about revising-reformatting-rereleasing old stories. The very few I've done so far (Sage & Sand, Wonderly Wroth, Especially at Christmas) have taken me ages to get done. Not because they're long or especially challenging, but because every time it's like starting over with no knowledge of the process.

I'm going to try and stay more on top of this going forward. I already have covers designed for the next couple stories. That still leaves additional editing and then the dreaded formatting-to-publish (not to mention questions of what to do with two or three more stories I haven't touched yet). But I'm determined to stay on top of my back-catalog and get things wrangled so that nothing stays out of print too long.

And of course, there are things I'm writing right now. I can't wait to finish and share them with you, guys, they're going to be so good!

In the meantime: Happy New Year! May you find luck and safety and wonderful friends on your own forward path. Let's make 2019 excellent!

Hello, my friends! I finally got off my butt and formatted this short story to re-release, and I’m here to let you know: it is here! Revised and polished but mostly unchanged.


Sage & Sand

[Historical Western, 8000 Words, M/M, Explicit Content]

When Bram Caldwell is given a three-day stage route of his own, he thinks he's ready for the responsibility. But the open road is dangerous, and he quickly finds himself in a tight spot with no way out.

Marshall Maddox is no one's hero. Right place, right time, nothing more than that. Still, something about Bram makes him want to stick around once the shooting has ended.

Purchase at: Amazon / Apple / B&N / Kobo / Smashwords

 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter navigates between the poverty-stricken neighborhood she has grown up in and the upper-crust suburban prep school she attends. Her life is up-ended when she is the sole witness to a police officer shooting her best friend, Khalil, who turns out to have been unarmed during the confrontation – but may or may not have been a drug dealer. As Starr finds herself even more torn between the two vastly different worlds she inhabits, she also has to contend with speaking her truth and, in the process, trying to stay alive herself.

Why you should read it: Look, there's a reason this book conquered the NYT bestseller list and then lived there for months. It's one of the most powerful stories I've ever read. An incredible main character that captured my heart, an honesty that got under my skin, a whole world of grief and rage and love and people fighting to live. Starr's family is wonderful, and every character in this book felt absolutely real. I could spend this post trying to explain the reasons everyone should read this book, and still not fit it all in. Stunning.

- — - — - — - — -

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming… The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

Why you should read it: This was a quick read, and so full of feeling it took my breath away. An incredible study of grief. I don't want to say too much about it, but it's excellent.

- — - — - — - — -

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise.

Why you should read it: This is another one where I don't feel like I can coherently explain all the reasons you should read this book. YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. The characters are wonderful, the writing is perfect, and the world building took my breath away. The descriptions of magic are some of the best I've ever read, and I love how well the internal mechanics of it all work. The scope of the story (which is huge and expansive) never trampled the compelling character details, which is an impressive balance to maintain. I adored this book.

Hello, my friends! I finally got off my butt and formatted this short story to re-release, and I’m here to let you know: it is here! Revised and polished but mostly unchanged.


Sage & Sand

[Historical Western, 8000 Words, M/M, Explicit Content]

When Bram Caldwell is given a three-day stage route of his own, he thinks he's ready for the responsibility. But the open road is dangerous, and he quickly finds himself in a tight spot with no way out.

Marshall Maddox is no one's hero. Right place, right time, nothing more than that. Still, something about Bram makes him want to stick around once the shooting has ended.

Purchase at: Amazon / Apple / B&N / Kobo / Smashwords

 

Covet

M/M/M, Contemporary, Erotic Romance
[268 Pages / 71,000 Words]

Jack Mason—graphic designer and unrepentant player—has never been interested in monogamy. He certainly isn't looking for romance when he meets Professor Colin Sloan.

Newly single and not looking for anything serious, Colin is intrigued by Jack's offer of a physical affair with no strings attached. Becoming friends wasn't part of the plan, but as accidents go, this one's pretty great.

Peter Mason is Jack's identical twin. In a long-term relationship himself, Peter tells no one that he's falling for his brother's newest favorite, even as the secret creates tension with his girlfriend.

When Peter's relationship falls apart, he seduces Colin, fully expecting Jack to forgive his transgression. But Jack is keeping secrets too—he hasn't told even Colin that he's fallen in love. Suddenly the twins are feuding, and Colin is caught in the middle, blindsided by the revelation that he doesn't want to choose between them.

Now all three must find a way to share, or they'll tear each other apart.


Available for Purchase at:
Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo / Smashwords

 

Covet

M/M/M, Contemporary, Erotic Romance
[268 Pages / 71,000 Words]

Jack Mason—graphic designer and unrepentant player—has never been interested in monogamy. He certainly isn't looking for romance when he meets Professor Colin Sloan.

Newly single and not looking for anything serious, Colin is intrigued by Jack's offer of a physical affair with no strings attached. Becoming friends wasn't part of the plan, but as accidents go, this one's pretty great.

Peter Mason is Jack's identical twin. In a long-term relationship himself, Peter tells no one that he's falling for his brother's newest favorite, even as the secret creates tension with his girlfriend.

When Peter's relationship falls apart, he seduces Colin, fully expecting Jack to forgive his transgression. But Jack is keeping secrets too—he hasn't told even Colin that he's fallen in love. Suddenly the twins are feuding, and Colin is caught in the middle, blindsided by the revelation that he doesn't want to choose between them.

Now all three must find a way to share, or they'll tear each other apart.


Available for Purchase at:
Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo / Smashwords

 

When the Moon Was ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseperable. Roses grow out of Miel's wrist, and rumors say she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel's skin, and they're willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Why you should read it: This book is strange and gorgeous and touching. The magic woven through the story makes it feel like a dream that's connected to our world but doesn't quite take place here. There's so much nuance to both that world and the characters, and an overwhelming amount of heart. I really loved the writing—language right on the edge of flowery—crafted to fit perfectly with all that magic and strangeness. A beautiful read.

- — - — - — - — -

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

San Francisco, 1906: Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from the poverty in Chinatown, and an education at St. Clare’s School for Girls is her best hope. Although St. Clare’s is off-limits to all but the wealthiest white girls, Mercy gains admittance through a mix of cunning and a little bribery, only to discover that getting in was the easiest part. Not to be undone by a bunch of spoiled heiresses, Mercy stands strong—until disaster strikes.

On April 18, an historic earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying Mercy’s home and school. With martial law in effect, she is forced to wait with her classmates for their families in a temporary park encampment. Mercy can’t sit by while they wait for the Army to bring help. Fires might rage, and the city may be in shambles, yet Mercy still has the ‘bossy’ cheeks that mark her as someone who gets things done. But what can one teenaged girl do to heal so many suffering in her broken city?

Why you should read it: God, the things this book did to my heart. It's an incredible piece of historical fiction, and Stacey Lee does a terrific job crafting both world and characters into something completely immersive. With all the tragedy in this story it would have been easy for the result to be bleak and gritty and crushing—and there ARE glimpses of terrible things—but there is also love and community and the very best aspirations of humanity striving to do better. All without ONCE feeling preachy or unrealistic. I absolutely adored this book.


- — - — - — - — -

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

The only way to get her family back is to travel to a land in between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland...

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation...and she hates magic.

At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she's not sure she can trust, but who may be Alex's only chance at saving her family.

Why you should read it: I absolutely love the characters in this book—the connections, the loyalties, the absolute heart of the story. Alex's relationship with her family is complicated and wonderful, so believable in the way it's full of both love and frustration in equal measure. Her crush on her best friend Rishi was also a high point for me; those feelings were such a lovely theme running beneath the heavier action. The world building is also excellent, and the magic beautifully portrayed. I enjoyed this enormously.

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.

Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer?
Is that even possible?

Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle? With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself.

Why you should read it: Gabby Rivera's book is beautiful and sharp, and it got me RIGHT in my heart. I cried multiple times at the writing and feelings in this story. Juliet is a character who is SO EASY to get attached to and fall in love with. This isn't a romance, but it's packed so full of love my heart was bursting by the end. Strange and difficult at times—Juliet's story isn't always an easy one—but also gorgeous from start to finish.

- — - — - — - — -

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti’s stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself - but first she has to make it there, alive.

Why you should read it: I love science fiction that manages to balance a galactic scope with a more tangible world. Binti is beautifully written, and I loved how vivid everything was. I also adored the main character, how deeply she felt, and how important her family and history were even while she was traveling so far away from them. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel to this novella (though it definitely stands alone just fine).

- — - — - — - — -

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Why you should read it: This was haunting and morbid, and also full of heart. I enjoyed a lot of things about this novella, most especially (and personally) the fact that the asexual main character isn’t treated like a problem to be solved. It’s a quick read, and well worth it.

Wonderly Wroth
M/M, Fantasy, Erotic Romance
[36 Pages / 8,100 Words]

Arthur knows he is destined to die at Camlann. But when the Lady Merlin enlists a powerful enchantment to save him—an enchantment to tether Arthur's life to Lancelot's—the magic carries unintended consequences. Lancelot's strength could be Arthur's salvation, but what of the deeper connection that now binds the king to his most loyal knight? The connection is only temporary, but when Arthur learns the truth of Lancelot's feelings for him, their friendship could change forever.

[Information and excerpt: HERE]

Available for Purchase at:
Smashwords / Apple / B&N / Kobo / Amazon