Easter Eggs
My first gay novella was published in February 2020. My Past, Your Future was part of the Deerbourne Inn series with The Wild Rose Press. The next year I wrote another novella for that series, my sweet gay romance, If Only for Today. I didn’t own the series or the characters and so considered those stories as isolated. Since then, I’ve published twenty novels, fifteen more novellas, and over thirty short stories. Plus, I’ve put many of my stories on audio and have two other pennames under which I’ve been publishing as well.
In other words, I’ve been busy.
I never forgot my first MCs – Callum the history professor from Scotland or Elijah the Black Civil War soldier ghost who haunted a cemetery in Vermont.
I wrote a young adult novel for the publisher which came out in January 2025. Didn’t See You Coming is a story about a gay teenage couple, a lesbian/bi couple, and two ghosts. One ghost is a teenager who died in the 1980s and the other is a Black Civil War Soldier – both of whom haunt Pinedale High in North Carolina. I had a great time writing that story – and desperately hope it might get into the hands of teenagers. Especially queer teenagers.
The Easter egg? Duncan, the Civil War soldier in Pinedale had a crush on Elijah from that cemetery in Vermont. Duncan mentioned Elijah only once in passing – but I made a connection between my first novella and my first YA published five years later. A proofreader made the connection. She was tickled.
Did any of my other readers? I have no idea. But someone who might come along in the future and start reading might. Regardless, I know it’s there. I made that connection. I found a way to tie two stories together – even if only with three sentences.
I love Easter eggs. I delight in finding them when I read. The latest Nicky James Doyle and Valor book has characters from another of her series. (I won’t share because I don’t want to give away who.) I grinned from ear to ear when I made the connection – quite proud of myself. Impressed with Nicky. If a reader hadn’t read or didn’t remember the previous book, that was fine. If they had, and their realization came about the same time as mine, they probably smiled as well.
Some Easter eggs have flashing neon signs saying: Here! Look at me! Others are a word, phrase, or something else so subtle that they’re easily missed. The key, for me anyway, is that a reader isn’t disappointed if they don’t catch it. Because they don’t know it’s there. Occasionally a reader might say they felt they missed something. More often than not, they’ve landed in a series with connecting secondary characters. My job as a writer, when I use a character who has been previously introduced, is to provide a brief introduction of that person without pulling the reader out of the current story.
Do I hope their curiosity is piqued enough to go back and find that previous story? Of course. That said, I truly try to make my stories standalones (Except Caressa’s Homecoming plus Cole’s Reckoning as well as Catch a Tiger by the Tail plus Solstice Surprise – both of those pairs are about the same couple). If you pick up book 5 of my Love in Mission City series, you meet Archer and Gideon. Now, might a reader remember that Archer was Hugo’s lawyer in Grindstone’s Edge? That book was my contribution to Rocktoberfest 2024. Possibly not. Probably not. But the connection is there. Readers aren’t missing out if they don’t make the association. Nothing Archer did would telegraph him as a future main character in a book in another series. I knew, though. And a reader might pick up on it.
When I cross series, and even pennames, I call it cross-pollination. Do I expect that someone has read all the published Gabbi Grey, Gabbi Powell (small town MF) and Gabbi Black (dark erotic BDSM – MF and ménage)? Of course not. Have I met a unicorn who has? Yes. Did that reader make my year? Also, yes. She’s one reason I do this. Plus, frankly, it’s fun. These Easter eggs keep me sharp. Help me remember previous stories. Encourage me to look forward. I had Archer and Gideon appear as an unnamed couple in another of my Love in Mission City books. I knew their story was coming up, and I found a spot to slide them in. Will any readers pick up on it? Possibly not. Probably not. But the mention is there for anyone who might be curious.
Which brings me to the end of my visit here. I’d love to hear from readers if they enjoy Easter eggs. Do they make you want to read more by the author or do you find them irritating if they’re too blatant?
To thank you for reading my blog, I have two gifts. The first is a link to my free Love in Mission City short story, Rayne Check. This short is available on all platforms. And there might be an Easter egg (or two) in it. Love in Mission City is a sprawling series with lots of short stories, a few novellas, and several novels. I have yet to sit down and create a reading order – on my list of things to do. Ace’s Place, another connected short story, is also free.
The second gift is a short story from my unnamed Vancouver Film world series. I self-publish about half the books and about half are still with my publisher, so the books aren’t in a planned series like Mission City. Ginger in the City is a short story with an Easter egg from a forthcoming novel. I hope you enjoy it as a standalone as well. I also have Solstice Surprise which is also free.
(Reading order for Vancouver Film world: Catch a Tiger by the Tail, Solstice Surprise, Valentino in Vancouver, You See Me, Caressa’s Homecoming, Cole’s Reckoning, Ginger in the City – as well a boxset and hopefully an MMM novel that are forthcoming. Possibly next year. Probably next year.)
Thank you!
Gabbi Grey
Rayne Check Synopsis
Everett
I meet an intriguing man at Quinton’s annual Halloween Extravaganza. That wicked smile and the tawny-brown eyes behind his mask hold my gaze. Under his costume, the restless energy of his body promises to do explosive, unexpected things to me. So we indulge in a little fun, but when the clock strikes midnight, the man I know only as Rayne disappears into the crowd.
My straitlaced Mission City friends tell me to chalk it up to experience, but I can’t get that man off my mind, or stop hoping we’ll meet again one day.
Rayne Check is a smoking-hot 7k word short story about a buttoned-up lawyer who lets go of his iron control for one night, the man he can’t forget, and the friends who have his back. The story is set in the Love in Mission City world.
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USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
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Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
