The five novellas of the Duo Ex Machina series are full of song lyrics I wrote to go with the stories. Some are by the two-man band Duo Ex Machina (comprising the two lead characters, Frank Capriano and Milo Bertolone, who are also boyfriends). Others are by their friend, Gabriella Valli, and yet others are…
Read moreTag: MM romance
Review: The Sugared Game by KJ Charles
I discovered KJ Charles in March 2019 – a friend had raved about The Henchmen of Zenda, and when someone whose taste in books allies very closely to your own, you listen to their raves. I actually began with a few other books first, but five books later I was ready to be a lifelong…
Read moreReview: Ghost Story by GV Pearce
The latest book from Improbable Press gives us a piquant blend of love story, character study and spoooookiness. This Holmes/Watson tale has an original contemporary London/York setting and opens with John and Sherlock, married for several months now, on what ought to be a belated honeymoon but which John knows to be a case –…
Read moreLockdown Fiction: Tumble
I wrote this brief piece in response to the Improbable Press prompt of last week. Tumble His eyes were green, his skin pale. A right Irish honeypot, and everyone wanted a taste of the sweet lad. His hair was his glory: golden red, which burned like a holy fire when the sun caught it. When…
Read moreReview: The Case of the Misplaced Models by Tessa Barding
Improbable Press, recently acquired as an imprint by Clan Destine Press, has released two new books already under the new banner. I’ve reviewed the first – A Question of Time, a collection of 50 short stories with illustrations – and have just finished this new novel by Tessa Barding. The Case of the Misplaced Models…
Read moreCover Reveal: Duo Ex Machina – Kiss and Cry
I’m delighted to reveal the cover for my upcoming fourth Duo Ex Machina novella, Kiss and Cry. Set in 2014, Kiss and Cry sees musicians and life partners Frank Capriano and Milo Bertolone facing new challenges. Milo is taking part in a celebrity ice dancing show for charity; Frank is a busy music producer. They’re…
Read moreResearch: A home in Carlton
When Duo Ex Machina‘s Frank and Milo first appeared in a story, they’d just returned from Amsterdam – they were kinda big with the Dutch – to attend a funeral in Fremantle. They had no home but a hotel. By the second story in 2004, they were on a publicity tour, and still no home…
Read moreMelbourne Research: Brother Baba Budan
This cafe, at 359 Little Bourke St, Melbourne , is named for the man who reputedly first smuggled coffee beans out of Yemen (and consequently brought joy to the world). A version of BBB appears in the first chapter of Number One Fan. The cafe isn’t identified by name in the story, but the cosy,…
Read moreCover Reveal: Duo Ex Machina Book 3 – Number One Fan
I’m delighted to reveal the cover for my third Duo Ex Machina novel, Number One Fan. Duo Ex Machina Book 3: Number One Fan It’s 2009 and Frank and Milo are in a new phase of their music career. They’re not where they thought they’d be: the violence they’ve witnessed and been subjected to has…
Read moreReview: My Dearest Holmes by Rohase Piercy
In 1988, author Rohase Piercy did something remarkable and controversial. She published a book in which Dr John Watson was in love with Sherlock Holmes. (Whether Holmes reciprocates is the grand question of much of the rest of the book.) Boy, did some people find that idea challenging. The Daily Mail seemed to think it…
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