A warm welcome to author B.G. Thomas joining us today to talk about his new release “Do You Trust Me”.
A few months ago, I was lucky to get to spend a lot of time with Elizabeth North while she was in Kansas City at the World Science Fiction Con. While out to dinner with her, Amy Lane and Anne Reagan, she made a comment that I was a real romantic.
“Really?” I asked, surprised.
The ladies all rolled their eyes and assured me that, yes, I was a very big romantic.
That made me happy.
The recently I did a poll over at my blog asking for people’s favorite tropes. To my happy surprise, the top picks didn’t involve young guys barely out of their teens. No! The were May December romances. That one is close to my heart. J
Well guess what? My newest book, “Do You Trust Me?” is all about both the topics above. It is about two men who have more than a decade’s difference in age, and it is very romantic. I think perhaps my most romantic book to date.
Now I should warn you, if you don’t know already, that this is a second edition. But what I am happy to say is that it really very much is a second edition. This book isn’t just a case of me going through and cleaning it up. Oh no! This book was a novella, and now it’s a novel. It’s not padded with extraneous words either. It is romance romance romance!
First, check out this blurb and I will see you on the other side….
The path to happiness starts with acceptance, and sometimes the chance for a bright, loving future means letting go of the past.
All his life, Neil Baxter has buried a large part of himself—the part that’s attracted to other men. He married a woman and denied that side of him existed. And he plans to keep right on pretending to be straight after his beloved wife has passed away.
To help him deal with his grief, Neil’s sister-in-law convinces him to vacation at a dude ranch. There, Neil meets Cole Thompson, a young, gorgeous, unabashedly gay wrangler—who is unabashedly attracted to Neil. And try as he might, Neil cannot deny he feels the same way. But desire soon becomes something more profound as the two men get to know each other. Cole is much more than a sexy cowboy: he’s kind, spiritual, and intelligent. In fact, he’s perfect for Neil… except he’s a man, and Neil isn’t ready to let go of a lifetime of denial. If he cannot find the courage to be true to himself, he might let something wonderful slip through his fingers.
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Part of why this book is close to my heart is that I was thirty before I truly came out. I mean I did the first time at right around twenty-one. But worried by several very scary verses in the Bible, I tried to go back in the closet. I found a woman who loved gay men and she became one of the closest friends I’ve ever had in my life and we gave the relationship thing a change.
It didn’t survive me realizing that God didn’t make junk. I came to believe that God wasn’t going to send me to hell for the person I loved. That was when it really hit me. The person I loved. God, the creator of the Universe, didn’t care if that person I loved was male or female. Only that I loved. It was that realization that made me see that ever time I’d ever been in love in my whole life—even kid crushes—were always with guys. Sure I loved the lady I was with for six years. But in love? Nope. That had always been reserved for males. Suddenly the words of Gordon Merrick became crystal clear.
“I say it’s love and the Lord won’t mind. There’s too much hate in the world.”
It was bittersweet when my lady and I split, but it was the only way I could be who I really am. I came to see that I was gay. That I was fulfilled with I was with a man. That if I was paralyzed from the waist down and could never have sex again, I would still want my companion to be. Simply waking up with my husband in the morning is so vitalizing. So ratifying and endorsing and being joyful of who and what I am. Empowering
I my book “Do You Trust Me?,” that’s what Neil has to learn. He is a gay man. And as wonderful and amazing as the women in his life have been, are, and always will be, he needs to be with a man. It’s the only way he will be who he is really supposed to be. It takes leaving the world he is comfortable with and going to a dude ranch in the middle of nowhere to help him discover that. And meeting a beautiful young man. And day by day, letting his heart show him the way.
I am so proud of my book “Do You Trust Me?” and I hope you will give it a read. Especially now that it has over an additional twenty thousand words. It is now the book it was always supposed to be. So even if you read my novella, “Trust Me,” check the new edition out. It really is more. More soul searching, more romance, more empowerment, my spirit, more love, and more romance!
Namasté everyone. Hopefully I will see you at Black Bear Guest Ranch!
BG “Ben” Thomas
I woke up with a start, not knowing for a moment where I was. It was the birds that had awakened me. I could hear them chattering and singing, and I rose naked from the bed.
Hmmm…. I usually wore boxers to bed, at least. How much did I drink last night? I didn’t feel hung over, so it mustn’t have been too much.
The alarm clock read just after seven thirty, and I thought it was at least nine before we were scheduled to do anything. I had an hour and a half to kill.
I found my jeans on the floor by the kitchen sink—how had they gotten there?—and my underwear in the bathroom. I put them both on and walked barefoot out onto the porch. Something buzzed by my face, and when I looked around, I saw two hummingbirds at a feeder, their throats glowing ruby red in the morning sunlight. The tiny creatures were hovering midair, and the sight took my breath away. I’d never seen hummingbirds so close before, and as a third one joined them, I could actually see it had a glistening green throat. I stepped closer, and they shot away, one seeming to scold me as it did so. I couldn’t help but laugh in delight.
It was a stunning morning.
Coffee. Sit on the porch and drink coffee, I thought. Did I have a coffee maker in the cabin?
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a horse, and soon I saw it wasn’t one, but two. Cole sat atop his horse, and he was leading Mystic.
“You’re up,” he said. “Good morning!”
I suddenly realized I wasn’t wearing a shirt and Cole was looking at me. Not rudely or anything, but looking all the same.
Once again, Cole made me blush.
“Morning,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest. I felt so exposed. But why? I had pants on. What was the big deal? I’d been around men when I wasn’t wearing a shirt all my life.
But were they looking at you like that?
“I come bearing coffee and bagels,” he said, holding up a Thermos and a brown paper bag.
He brought me breakfast.
“Let me get a shirt,” I said before I headed back inside.
“Bring a mug,” he called after me.
I pulled a shirt from the duffle bag I still hadn’t unpacked. The baggiest T-shirt I had. I found a coffee mug next to the sink and went back out. Cole was sitting in one of the rockers and pouring steaming coffee into the red lid of his Thermos. It smelled wonderful. He held it out as if to pour, and I offered my mug.
“Cream? Sweetener?”
“No, thanks,” I said and sat down next to him.
Cole was wearing tight jeans again, a pale blue cowboy shirt—the top few snaps were undone, and I could see his chest looked totally smooth. Would he have a few stray hairs tucked between his pecs or surrounding his nipples? His black cowboy hat was perched slightly forward on his head.
I looked away and saw he’d tied the horses to a railing set away from the porch. Mystic—the horse I’d been assign to for the week—was pulling at some grass.
I heard the bag crinkling and turned as Cole held it out for me.
I peeked in to see a large bagel and some packets of cream cheese.
“I toasted it for you, but I didn’t know if you’d want anything on it,” he said.
“Thanks,” I replied, and after taking the bagel, I smeared it with a good two packets of the Philadelphia brand. “Something that wasn’t grown or made here,” I said, holding up an empty packet.
Cole laughed. “Not the bagel either. Comes from a great little shop in town.”
“How far is town?” I took a huge bite of the bagel. Delicious.
“About twenty miles,” Cole said. “Not far.”
“I wouldn’t want to walk it.” I stuck out a foot and flexed my toes.
Cole pointed. “Hobbit feet!”
“Huh?” I looked down at my foot.
“Hairy on top,” Cole explained. “Like a hobbit.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know if it was a good thing or not, so I asked him.
“I think it’s good,” he replied, and his cheeks turned pink.
I followed suit and tucked my foot under the rocker—and felt naked once more. You’re only barefoot. Why the hell are you embarrassed?
Because he likes my feet!
That’s not exactly what he said.
Time for a subject change.
I took a careful drink of my coffee. Damn, it was terrific coffee. Had it been so good last night?
“It’s fresh ground,” Cole explained, and I realized he meant the coffee. He must have seen the appreciation on my face.
“Definitely not a commercial blend,” he continued. “And no, we don’t grow coffee here either.” He chuckled.
“So why this?” I said, holding up the bagel and coffee.
“Hmmm?” he asked.
“Breakfast in… porch,” I answered, then fought a blush at the connotation.
“Oh!” He rolled his eyes. “Your family’s up already and eating the continental breakfast, and they asked if we could go riding this morning. I said yes, and since I already had Madrigal saddled, I went ahead and got Mystic ready for you.”
“Okay,” I said. “When do I need to be up there this morning?”
“Well, about an hour ago,” Cole answered.
“An hour ago?” I jumped up.
“Finish,” he said with a wave at my breakfast.
I sat and took another monstrous bite.
“We need to get you a hat,” Cole replied.
I shook my head. “I never was much of a hat guy,” I said through a mouthful of bagel.
“Well, you got a little sun yesterday.”
“I did?” I touched my face and maybe felt a little heat there.
“You need something,” Cole explained. “You’ll fry.”
“I guess,” I said.
“At least a cap. Why don’t we check the gift shop when you’re done? They’re pretty reasonable.”
I nodded, gobbled the last of my breakfast, and went inside for my boots. I peeked in the bathroom mirror while I was there, and sure enough, my cheeks were a rosy red. Not too bad, though. Knowing me it would tan out by the next morning, as long as it wasn’t made worse today. At least it’d cover my blushing.
Then it was time to try to get on Mystic again. Would Cole help me?
Turns out he didn’t need to. I did better the second time. And when Cole swung up onto his horse, I couldn’t help but notice how the muscles in his thighs and ass flexed in his skintight jeans.
I looked away.
Why? Look. What’s looking going to hurt?
No! It was the first step on a slippery slope. Do not look!
Of course this was only Monday. How did I not look for the whole next week?
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You can find “Do You Trust Me?” right here….
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B.G. Thomas lives in Kansas City with his husband of more than a decade and their fabulous dogs Sarah Jane and Oliver. He is blessed to have a lovely daughter as well as many extraordinary friends. He has a great passion for life.
B.G. loves romance, comedies, fantasy, science fiction, and even horror—as far as he is concerned, as long as the stories are character driven and entertaining, it doesn’t matter the genre. He has gone to literature conventions his entire adult life where he’s been lucky enough to meet many of his favorite writers. He has made up stories since he was a child; it is where he finds his joy.
In the nineties, he wrote for gay adult magazines but stopped because the editors wanted all sex without plot. “The sex is never as important as the characters,” he says. “Who cares what they are doing if we don’t care about them?” Excited about the growing male/male romance market, he began writing again. He submitted a novella and was thrilled when it was accepted in four days. Since then the romantic tales have poured out of him. “It’s like I’m somehow making up for a lifetime’s worth of story-telling!”
“Leap, and the net will appear” is his personal philosophy and his message. “It is never too late,” he testifies. “Pursue your dreams. They will come true!”
Website/blog: bthomaswriter.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bgthomaswriter
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