The m/m community (I think like most communities) is often the breeding ground for drama and infighting. As much as we’d all like to avoid it, people say and do things that cause hurt feelings, whether intentionally or not. Some of those things are incredibly shitty, and some are forgivable. In any case, I feel like maybe those incidents are amplified because of how tightly knit our community is.

Maybe because the community is expanding, and maybe I’m just more sensitive to it now, but it feels like there has been more going on in the last year than in previous years. I’ll admit, more than once I considered whether writing another genre would leave to a more drama-free existence.

And then something happens to remind me why I started writing gay romance and why I love this group so much.

Last week, Nico Jaye, Jayden Brooks, Sandra Walsh, J.H. Knight, and I met up on Camano Island in Washington to spend five glorious days together. Just looks at this house. Look at it! It has everything you could want or need for a writer’s retreat. There’s a gorgeously landscaped front yard, a back yard that backs onto a pond that comes alive at night with frogs singing, a fire pit, a hot tub, and so many trees you forget there are neighbours.

Our days there were completely relaxing. Some of us slept in, some of us got up early to write by the fire pit. We plotted new novels and a couple of new series (trust me when I tell you there are some majorly cool books coming out from this group this year). And we ate our bodyweight in junk food.

Seriously.

The menu included churro waffles, carnitas with pineapple margaritas (for Cinco de Mayo, of course), cheesecake stuffed french toast, beef dip, garlic cheesy bread, and chicken and waffles to name just a few. I honestly gained four pounds while I was away and it was worth every ounce. (Message me if you want any of the recipes. The food was SO good).

Some of us got a bit of writing done, and some of us took the opportunity to do absolutely nothing. It was glorious. But mostly it reminded me why I love this genre. If I hadn’t taken a chance by sending in my manuscript to Dreamspinner all those years ago, I wouldn’t have met these people. These women, they’re my family. They’re the best friends I’ve ever had. I am so incredibly lucky to have found them.

Now to start planning for next year!

The Heartsville series was the catalyst for me getting to know this fabulous group. In honour of our writer’s getaway and to celebrate Mother’s Day, Bloom Box is discounted to 99 cents until May 18th!

Pick up your copy here!

If there’s one thing William Sullivan knows less about than how to run a business, it’s flowers. When Will is left carrying responsibility for the flower shop he’d leased for his cheating ex-boyfriend, he is sure it will lead him into financial ruin.
Just when he’s about to abandon all hope, in walks Milo Hart—young, overflowing with energy, and perhaps best of all, a genius when it comes to flowers. Will hires him on the spot and they begin a working partnership that might be Will’s only saving grace. The more time they spend together, the more Will’s feelings for Milo evolve and Will must choose between keeping things strictly business, or taking a chance to let love bloom.

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Cate discovered her love for books of all kinds early on, but romance is where her heart truly lies. She is addicted to the happily ever afters and the journey the characters take to get there. Currently residing in White Rock, B.C, Cate loves living just a stone’s throw from the ocean. When she’s not writing, she can be found consuming coffee at an alarming rate while wrangling her children, her husband, and their two cats.

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