Ephemera & Tales

My corset-boys novella, Stay Tape, has been re-released today as a Torquere Single Shot Classic. That means that you can, once again, get your hands on it, if you haven't already.

Stay Tape is about Kit and Dirk, eyeliner and photography, kilts and corsets. It's about love, and trust, and doing the things that scare you because if you never get scared you're not growing.

Dirk loves his life. He has his partner, Kit, and he has a wonderful job at the local fetish shop, working behind the scenes. Panic sets in when Dirk's boss, Sukie, asks him to model some of the wares in the next catalog. He's not sure he wants to be on the front lines, where everyone can see him.

Kit is more than happy to help Dirk get over his case of nervous jitters. In fact, Kit might just be uniquely suited to the task. He sets out to make sure Dirk can do the job, helping Dirk ease his fears. Can they prove to Dirk that it's not so bad to be in the spotlight after all?

You can read an extract, reviews, and a bonus snippet over at Stay Tape's page on my website, and you can pick it up for your Kindle at Amazon, in a range of other ebook formats from your preferred distributor, or direct from the publisher.

Kit (from Staytape) has a favourite part of Christmas, and it's not going home to visit family, or even presents.

It's the annual Boxing Day Bash at the pub where he's the assistant manager. The Blackbird and Bait is the local alternative pub, and on Boxing Day - the day after Christmas, which is a public holiday here in the UK - they move the snooker table to set up a small stage and rearrange the tables to clear some space for dancing, and have a mini-festival, with a handful of local bands, and guest dj's and a late licence. Over the evening, if feels like everyone who's still in town drops in, and it's always a busy, happy, time. The pub doesn't have a food license, but they do have an agreement with a local pizza place, and about every hour or so
a delivery guy shows up with a stack of boxes. The taste of Rocket Pizza's All Star pizza may not be traditional, but it's the taste of
Christmas for Kit.

(Okay, so I'm about a week late posting that, but - oh well. Here's wishing you all a fabulous 2009! Happy New Year!)

This? Is me being stupidly happy. Emily over at Rainbow Reviews has not only reviewed Staytape (my corset-boys Single Shot) and given it five stars, she also absolutely got what I was going for in content and mood and tone.

http://rainbow-reviews.com/?p=521 <- - this review has pretty much made my week!


The main focus is on the interactions between the two lovers, and not simply on what type of clothes they like to wear. It is wonderful to be presented with two characters who are completely comfortable with who they are, and make no excuses or exceptions. They are men that like to wear makeup, corsets, and elaborate clothes but that does not detract from their masculinity in any way.


*twirls*

This one's going to run until midnight GMT on Sunday, to make sure that everyone's got time to participate.

For the chance to win a unique collection of 15 gay / corset / uk themed postcards, email me ( alex.draven.writes at googlemail.com ) with your name, and the answers to the following questions:

1) What's the name of the catalogue Dirk's boss wants him to model for?
2) What's the photographer's name?
3) What's colour is the kilt Dirk's wearing in that changing room scene.

All clear? Excellent!

Congratulations to Lee, our winner, and Syd and Claire, who get runner's up prizes.

Thank you all who entered.

Okay, so the Torquere Press site has an extract up from the start of Staytape, which I hope introduced the characters and the place a bit, and I've just posted a second, steamier, extract over here.

Happy reading!

I have a new story coming out through Torquere Press today! I'm posting about it early because I'm about to vanish offline for the weekend, but at some point during the day, the new e-book and an extract will appear on my author's page.

It's a Single Shot called Staytape. It's about Kit and Dirk, eyeliner and photography, kilts and corsets. It's about love, and trust, and doing the things that scare you because if you never get scared you're not growing.

I don't know yet which extract they'll put up on the site, so I'll hold back on posting one here, and save that for another day. Instead, I have a whole short story for you.

A version of this story - Fair - came out in an anthology called 'Naughty' a few of years back. I was writing Staytape at the time when Fair reverted to me, and it wasn't till I re-read Fair that I realised they could be connected. I still don't know who the narrator of Fair is, although I can see him crystal sharp in my mind's eye, but his friend, Kit? That's the Kit from Staytape, only about ten, years ago, when he was still in his hometown, still a teenager, still figuring out who he might be. The styles of the two stories are quite different, but I hope you can enjoy both.

******

Fair
By Alex Draven

Candy-floss is grainy sweet on your tongue and sweat pricks where the sun hits between your shoulders and Kit grabs your hand and pulls you up short, ducking down the quiet lee between two butcher-striped tents. Power cables roll under your feet and when you look down the grass is trodden flat and bedraggled and Kit's glitter-painted boot still manages to sparkle.

( read on )