Saturday, January 31, 2015

Thank you for the amazing reviews!

I'm so grateful for the incredibly positive reviews I've gotten for Against the Wall! Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to leave a review on Amazon!

I got a 5-star review today at Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance that just blew me away. You can find it here, and I'm reprinting it below just because I was so totally floored by it and wanted to share it with you:

Alan’s Review from Sinfully Addicted

 

I don't know how she does it, but she does it over and over again, each time a little bit better! 

If Ms. Land hadn't already become one of my all-time favorite authors, this book would have cemented the deal.

The latest in her "The First And Forever Series", she pulls together another insane (and totally lovable) crew of eccentrics ranging from the hot graffiti artist, Christian, to the 80-year-old Mrs Dambruso. Ms. Land is particularly noted for finishing each book with a happy ending for its main characters, but one or two of the secondary characters left dangling just enough to become the focus of the next one. At the end of the previous book (Skye Blue), Christian (whom we knew little about), had intriguingly announced that he'd be leaving in six months, upon graduation from art school. But somehow, it sounded so final, like some huge obligation (or a band of terrorists) was going to spirit him away, never to be heard from again. It left me intrigued and anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Well this is it, Christian's book.

I won't disclose the main mystery (it would be a major spoiler), but I can reveal that it's absolutely devastating. Along the way to the resolution of that one, other mysteries are revealed, including who Christian's parents are, and why he seems to have an endless supply of funding without ever working.

As usual, there's a whole crew of new, intriguing characters, starting with Shea, whom Christian falls for like a ton of bricks - no matter how hard he tries not to. Shea is a huge, muscled God, a cop, who also happens to be a shy, virgin nerd and budding cartoonist (all of the characters in this series have some connection to art, music, dance or fine-dining). His three friends are also quintessential gay nerds (though not as gorgeous), leading to some interesting evenings together playing board games while wearing crazy theme hats. Then there's Chance, the street hustler whom Christian meets as he flees from the police trying to arrest him while painting his newest mural - on the back of a warehouse building. Chance, as it turns out, is also a brilliant photographer, and I have no doubt that he will show up at the center of Ms. Land's next novel. I can't wait for that one, either.

There is illness, there is agoraphobia, there are parents who tossed away their gay kids, there is "pushing away someone you love", which, on paper, sound like the standard (and trite) gay romance themes. But in Ms. Land's talented hands, there's nothing trite or unoriginal about any of it. At several points, she had me in tears, at others, spewing loud guffaws, and there is one scene, starring Mrs. Dambruso, that, literally had me grabbing my sides, laughing out loud, uncontrollably. It has to do with a wedding cake with too many layers, and the unfortunate addition of a pink-frosted, domed, princess cake at the top, which gave the cake the inevitable profile of - well, you can just imagine, a long, pink cylinder with a dome on top. You just can't read that scene without falling on the floor.

This combination of humor and pathos is unique to Ms. Land. She almost always has scenes like this in each book, scenes that lighten the angst and set you up for the next salvo. For example, "Against The Wall" features what may be the best-ever "meet-cute". Christian meets Shea, the big guy, when their eyes link across a dance club. The shy Shea, pushed by his friends to go over and talk to Christian, finally sets out across the dance floor, at which time he stumbles, falls flat on his face and causes a domino affect of falling, half-naked, dancing bodies across the packed club. Another time, when they meet unexpectedly, Shea falls backwards, which wouldn't be such a great problem, except for the fact that they're on a cruise ship, and the end result is "man overboard"! Slapstick? You bet. Funny slapstick? The funniest. I'll leave it to you to discover what happens when Shea finally meets Christian's famous father. It's perfect.

What propels Ms. Land's novels, without exception, is love. Between that, humor, and great writing, all else falls by the wayside. She is an extraordinary writer and this is an extraordinary book.
Against The Wall is a charming, beautifully-moving, uproariously-funny few hours with great characters in wildly inventive situations, treated with tenderness, affection and humor. What more could one ask for?

I recommend this one with all my heart.



Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Later this year

A lot of you have asked (the moment you finished Against the Wall, LOL!) "When's the next book coming out?!" I set some goals for myself for 2015, and I thought I'd share them with you.

I plan to release four books in the Firsts and Forever series in 2015. Against the Wall was the first. The next book will be Gianni's story. That's going to be a lot lighter than Against the Wall, with loads of fun Nana moments since Gianni is currently living under her roof. I want to get that one to you in April.

After that, I'm planning to write Chance's story. I should be able to bring it to you in August. I've just begun conceptualizing that one, and I can see part of the story taking place back home in Wyoming, which will be a good change of scenery.

The main character for the fourth book of 2015 is yet to be determined, but I'd like to publish it in December. We'll see who leaps out at us for that book as new characters are developed over this year!

So, that's a full-length novel every 4 months! Can she do it?! A better question is, can she do it and remain sane? :)  I'll say this: I'm sure as hell going to try. Sometimes life implodes and plans have to shift a bit, we all know that. But this is what I'm shooting for.

Thank you to everyone who's been contacting me to let me know how much you enjoyed Against the Wall! I'm really looking forward to bringing you new characters and revisiting your favorites as we work our way through 2015!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Number One in Gay Romance!

Thank you to all my readers! Because of you, Against the Wall is currently the number one book in Gay Romance on Amazon!!


You can find the book on both Amazon and Smashwords by following those links.

A million thanks again!! <3

Monday, January 12, 2015

It's Live on Amazon!!!

After a mere 26 hours from the time I uploaded it (what the hell, Amazon?!!) Against the Wall is finally LIVE! You can find it here. I really hope you enjoy it!!

Aaaaaand we're waiting....

...and waiting, and waiting!

The book is in Amazon's hands. In fact, it has been since about 2 p.m. Sunday, which was the moment I finished my beta edits and uploaded it. I'm watching and waiting for it to go live with the rest of you! As soon as it appears on their site, I'll post a link here and on facebook. I have such a love/hate relationship with Amazon. On one hand, they're awesome because they let me bring my book to thousands of people all over the world. On the other hand though, what the ever loving FUCK Amazon???!! It shouldn't take this long!!! ***Bashing head on keyboard.***

As we're waiting, here's a link to a sneak peek of Chapter One in its entirety, just to help pass the time! 

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Tomorrow!!

I'm so excited! Against the Wall will be going live on Amazon tomorrow sometime and Smashwords shortly after that. Christian's story is the seventh book in my best-selling Firsts and Forever series.

In the meantime, I've put together a book trailer to show you Christian's world. Since he's a graffiti artist who paints murals with messages of hope, I'd been researching street art from around the world for this book. I was blown away by the beauty and poignancy of many of the images I found and wanted to share some of them with you. To watch the video, click here. That link will take you to YouTube.

Here's the book description that will appear on Amazon:


Don’t start something you can’t finish.

It’s a cliché, but 22-year-old graffiti artist Christian lives by those words. He’s going away when he graduates from art school in just six short months. With so little time left, getting involved with gorgeous Shea Nolan has to be a mistake. If only he could make himself stay away from the sweet, sexy police officer.

Christian has a decision to make. Are a few months of happiness worth the inevitable heartbreak when it’s time to walk away?

Against the Wall is the seventh book in Alexa Land’s best-selling Firsts and Forever series, but each book can stand alone, so jump in anywhere. PLEASE NOTE: This male/male romance is for ADULT READERS ONLY. It includes explicit language and graphic sex.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Monday, January 12th!!

I'm thrilled to announce that Against the Wall will be available on Amazon.com this Monday, January 12th! Christian's story is the seventh book in my best-selling Firsts and Forever Series. I'll also make it available on Smashwords for those using other ereader platforms.

You met Christian in Skye Blue, and you'll finally learn the secrets the young graffiti artist is carrying around as he falls hard for sweet, sexy police officer Shea Nolan. Many of your favorite characters from the series are back in this book, including Skye and of course Nana! You'll be meeting some new characters as well, and I hope they find a place in your heart!

I've been eating, sleeping and breathing this book for the past few months. It's been quite a journey! I can hardly wait for you to travel this road with Christian and Shea!


Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Coming soon!!

I'm on final edits of Against the Wall right now, the next book in my Firsts and Forever series. It'll be out next week, but I still need to pin down a release date, based on how long these edits take. Just wanted to give you a heads-up! I'm so excited to bring you Christian's story! :)