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Category Archives: playing ball
Monday Music: Put Me In, Coach
With the blog tour for the Playing Ball just getting under way and the regular baseball season wrapping up this week, I thought today would be the perfect day for the perfect baseball song. John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” is, put simply, a love song to the game, and the video makes it just that much better. What could be more appropriate? 🙂
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Posted in anthology, monday music, playing ball
Playing Ball: Excerpt from Home Field Advantage
It’s almost here! The Playing Ball anthology releases next Wednesday, September 25, and we’re really excited for everyone to get a look at our stories. My story, Home Field Advantage, is about Toby, the grandson of a team owner, and Caleb, a ballplayer who’s just arrived in the major leagues. In this excerpt, after a single night together, the two have decided to try to build a friendship instead.
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Sunday was…. Well. After it was over, Toby felt like he’d been through a war. Three hit by pitches, one on-field brawl, six ejections, and on top of it all, the Braves lost. Good thing it was a getaway day and the team headed for the airport almost as soon as it was over. Toby had seen the aftermath in the clubhouse from a game like that, and it wasn’t pretty.
As it was, the mess the disgruntled players left in their wake took a good half hour longer than usual to clean up. If they hadn’t had a ten-day road trip ahead of them, it would’ve been even worse. Thank the baseball gods that the clubhouse staff had plenty of time to restock and reset for the team’s return, so Toby just made his usual towel-and-trash rounds and headed home.
He found a note stuck under the windshield wiper of his car. Frowning, Toby pulled it free and slid inside before opening it.
Toby—
Hotel rooms on the road are bad enough with a roommate. Looks like I’ll be on my own for this trip, so I could use a friendly voice to talk to. Give me a call if you want.
Caleb
Underneath Caleb’s name was his number, though Toby already had it from Caleb’s call earlier in the week. Toby smiled. Maybe this friendship thing could work out after all.
Instead of calling, he pulled out his phone and sent Caleb a text message: Got your note. Call or text anytime. My schedule’s light with school out and the team on the road.
His phone buzzed before he got out of the parking lot. He glanced down to read it before he pulled out onto the street.
Will do. Plane’s about to take off. See you when we’re back.
Toby smiled again and drove off into the dusk.
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Naturally, we have a giveaway! We’re offering two prizes. The grand prize is a print copy of Playing Ball signed by all four authors, a unisex BBQ apron featuring hot athletes from Originals by Lauren, and swag from all four authors. The runner-up will get an ebook copy of Playing Ball and swag from all four authors.
The giveaway will run from 12 AM Central on September 21, 2013, to 12 AM Central on October 11, 2013. To give an opportunity for the authors to get together to sign the book and gather swag, the winners will be picked and the prizes shipped after the end of GayRomLit 2013.
Rules: You must be a resident of Earth, 18 years or older, who lives in a place where the viewing of adult material is legal. By entering the giveaway, you are indicating your agreement to the rules. Winners must provide a physical mailing address to receive their prizes. If a winner does not respond to the prize notification within 48 hours, the prize will be re-awarded.
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“The one constant through all the years… has been baseball.”—Field of Dreams
Baseball, America’s Pastime, carries with it a mythology like no other sport, entwined with the ups and downs of the nation. In Playing Ball, authors Shae Connor, Kerry Freeman, Marguerite Labbe, and Kate McMurray explore the love for baseball and among the men who play it, from the 1920s through modern times. These four stories tell the tales of baseball men who find love off the field, whether with the heir to a baseball empire, a sports reporter, a fan, or even each other, after their playing careers come to an end.
Posted in anthology, blog tour, excerpt, home field advantage, novella, playing ball
Playing Ball Blog Tour Schedule
Tomorrow begins the blog tour for the Playing Ball anthology. Here’s the full schedule for your reading pleasure! 🙂
9/21: Marguerite Labbe
9/22: Shae Connor
9/23: Kerry Freeman
9/24: Kate McMurray
9/25: The Armchair Reader
9/26: Literary Nook
9/27: Joyfully Jay
9/28: Elisa’s Reviews and Ramblings
9/29: Andrew Gordon
9/30: Paisley Smith
10/1: Southern Magic RWA
10/2: P.D. Singer
10/3: J.P. Barnaby
10/4: Naima Simone
10/5: Aidee Ladnier
10/7: The Blog of Sid Love
10/7: The Novel Approach
10/8: Zahra Owens
10/9: Tempeste O’Riley
10/10: Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
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“The one constant through all the years… has been baseball.”—Field of Dreams
Baseball, America’s Pastime, carries with it a mythology like no other sport, entwined with the ups and downs of the nation. In Playing Ball, authors Shae Connor, Kerry Freeman, Marguerite Labbe, and Kate McMurray explore the love for baseball and among the men who play it, from the 1920s through modern times. These four stories tell the tales of baseball men who find love off the field, whether with the heir to a baseball empire, a sports reporter, a fan, or even each other, after their playing careers come to an end.
Posted in anthology, blog tour, kate mcmurray, kerry freeman, marguerite labbe, playing ball
Playing Ball Cover Reveal and Pre-orders!
I am thrilled to be able to show off the gorgeous cover for the Playing Ball anthology, which comes out from Dreamspinner Press on September 25. It’s simple and elegant and perfect.
So pretty! Big thanks to cover artist Aaron Anderson.
Even better, you can pre-order the book now! GO RIGHT HERE!
My story in the anthology is a novella called Home Field Advantage. The blurb:
Toby MacMillan, grandson of Atlanta Braves owner Ray MacMillan, lives for baseball and loves his team. When he meets new team member Caleb Browning, an innocent welcome-to-the-big-leagues dinner leads to a not-so-innocent night together. Toby quickly calls things off, afraid of the ramifications of their tryst, but the two men develop a friendship that soon becomes more. After Caleb takes a fastball to the head, their budding romance hits the news—and Toby’s grandfather hits the roof. When Ray MacMillan demands Toby deny the relationship, Toby must choose between the team he’s loved all his life and the man he could love for the rest of it.
To read about the other stories in the anthology, visit my co-authors’ websites:
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Posted in anthology, author, blurb, coming soon, dreamspinner, home field advantage, kate mcmurray, kerry freeman, m/m, marguerite labbe, novella, playing ball, preorder, publishers, release date, romance
Life and Other Complications
As those of you who follow me on social media may have noticed, I’ve been off my feet for the past few days after dropping a flute case on my foot from a height of about six feet. (Protip: put on shoes before you start a whirlwind cleaning effort.) Nothing is broken, but I didn’t stay off it for the first few days after it happened, so now I’m on day three of doctor’s orders to do so. Thankfully, it’s much better now, which is good, since I have three days in the office at the EDJ starting tomorrow, and that entails a walk of about a quarter mile from parking deck to cubicle.
After that, though, I have a long weekend for Independence Day, so I’ll be able to rest up more. I can even watch fireworks right from the comfort of my sofa! LOL
I’ll also be able to spend the long weekend writing. I’m working on two main projects right now. One is a best-friends-to-lovers story about high school football players. It would be the first in a trilogy to take them through their senior year of college. All three books are generally planned out, so now all I have to do is write them. The easy part, right? HA. In an attempt to focus, though, I’ve set an initial deadline of July 15 to have a rough draft of book one, so I’ll have something to talk about (if not actually pitch) at RWA. It will probably be VERY rough, but at least it’s something!
The other story is an erotic novella based around fetish play. So since the trilogy is a sweet romance, this is pretty much a 180-degree shift. It’s based on some observations from my trip to IML in Chicago last month, but since it’s not my kink, I’ll definitely be running it by some friends who are involved in that kind of play. (I wrote the first sex scene yesterday, and boy, that thousand words went by FAST.)
Unlike a lot of authors, I always have two (occasionally more) projects going at a time. I just get too bogged down trying to work on one at a time. I try to mix things up, though—in theme, length, style, content, etc.—so they work like palate cleansers for each other. My last two submissions were a sweet contemporary romance novella and an erotic scifi short story, written mostly at the same time.
Speaking of which, those stories are both in the editing/production pipeline. The short is due out later this summer from Wilde City Press, as part of their Charlie Harding Presents line. The novella will be part of a baseball-themed anthology with Kate McMurray, Marguerite Labbe, and Kerry Freeman, coming in the fall from Dreamspinner.
As far as longer-term planning, in addition to RWA, I’ll be in attendance at Dragon*Con (of course) and GayRomLit here in Atlanta, and I plan to be at both North Georgia/Marietta Pride (last weekend in July) and Atlanta Pride (second weekend in October). I’m also on the case for 2014 already, signed up as an author for RainbowCon in Tampa and with a hotel reservation for the RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans next May. I haven’t decided for sure about RT, but it looks very likely at this point. The dates for Outlantacon aren’t final yet, so I’m hoping for no conflicts!
(Speaking of which, I had planned to go to the Folsom Street Fair against this year, because I had an amazing time in 2012. However, a family event may fall on that weekend, so it looks like I might have to miss it.)
Otherwise, well, life goes on. The EDJ is still there (and really, not particularly evil, except as jobs generally are). Family is doing well. Friends visited last weekend and we had a wonderful time. The weather is hot. Our apartment still needs work. My to-read list is extensive, and my book spending too high (not that that’s going to stop me). And it’s the last day of the quarter, so go out and buy stuff from your favorite authors so their royalty checks will be nice and fat, and they’ll keep on writing. 🙂
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Posted in anthology, appearances, conventions, dragon con, dreamspinner, fringes, gayromlit, home field advantage, musings, novella, outlantacon, playing ball, pride, publishers, real life, short story, Wilde City, works in progress, writing
New Contract: Playing Ball Anthology
I’m happy to announce that three writer/baseball-fan friends and I have signed contracts with Dreamspinner Press for a new anthology of baseball-themed stories. Playing Ball features novellas from me, Kerry Freeman, Marguerite Labbe, and Kate McMurray. The tentative publication date will be late September. To say we’re excited is an understatement! 🙂
Brief descriptions of the stories are after the cut.
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Posted in anthology, contracts, dreamspinner, fiction, home field advantage, kate mcmurray, kerry freeman, m/m, marguerite labbe, novella, playing ball, romance
shaeconnorwrites 