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Emmi Lawrence

~ MM Fantasy Romance Writer

Emmi  Lawrence

Tag Archives: Romance

Canvas Blues – XCV: Present

29 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Contemporary, Fantasy, M/M, Serial

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author, Fantasy, Fiction, gay romance, M/M, mm romance, murder mystery, Mystery, Novel, prose, reading, Romance, writer, Writing

CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

XCV: Present

Brendon drove to his studio, the morning humid and bright. The studio itself was cool though, the stone floor echoing softly underfoot as he straightened up the strewn papers and logs he’d been sifting through yesterday evening. Then he found himself sitting on one of his paint-splattered stools, sketchbook in front of him, like so many others before it.

There’d been four. Four pictures so many years ago. He sketched a rudimentary set of four rectangles offset from one another.

There’d been Dmitri’s painting, the one he’d given the man as a gift after a year’s worth of attempts to teach sports to an artist. That one had sat in the upper right, but slightly lower than its left counterpart. The trajectory of the ball had it going down, aimed at the bottom left painting. That one had been of Brendon’s mother.

And the other two, they’d been—

Twack. Plunck.

Brendon started, a black smear streaking across his sketchbook. But it was just his phone announcing a text message from one Orion Livesey, a hunter with a bow.

“Did you change your mind?”

Brendon typed back that he was at his studio, and only hesitated for a brief moment before pushing send.

Orion’s response came in seconds: “I’ll be right there to fetch you.”

Brendon looked again at the series of four rectangles he’d sketched. Then he closed the sketchbook and shoved it away. That didn’t stop the reminder of those paintings though. Didn’t stop them from staring back at him every time he closed his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~

Next Chapter Coming January 5th

Canvas Blues – XCIV: Present

22 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Contemporary, Fantasy, M/M, Serial

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author, Fantasy, Fiction, gay romance, M/M, mm romance, murder mystery, Mystery, Novel, prose, reading, Romance, writer, Writing

CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

XCIV: Present

Orion was up and making coffee in the kitchen before Brendon opened his eyes. He could hear the light taps of ceramic against laminate countertop, the sizzle and drip of the machine. He squeezed his eyes closed tighter, then finally dragged himself up.

They took their coffee standing against the kitchen counters, both of them half-dressed, both of them not quite looking at one another. At least, Brendon didn’t much look up at Orion so he couldn’t be sure where Orion looked.

“I’ve got to head back to my hotel room to get changed,” started Orion. “Would you like me to pick you up after?”

Pick him up? Oh…

“You’re going to the Yert house this morning?”

“That’s the plan.” Orion sipped his coffee, his gaze never leaving Brendon.

“I have a lot of work to get done.”

“Then I’ll see you later.” And Orion was not asking, not with that tone, not with the heavy layer of intention underneath the words. He took another swallow of his coffee, then rinsed the mug out to leave sitting in the sink.

As he passed Brendon in the tight quarters, Orion’s palm grazed across Brendon’s bare stomach. “If you change your mind, you’ve got my number.”

Brendon lasted through Orion fetching his shirt. Through him pulling his shoes on. Through him giving a sly sideways smile as he tugged open the door.

And then he broke.

“I’ll go.”

Orion didn’t even have the decency to look surprised. He merely nodded, flipped his sunglasses down over his eyes, and left.

~~~~~~~~~

Next Chapter Coming December 29th

Canvas Blues – XCI: Present

01 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Contemporary, Fantasy, M/M, Serial

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author, Fantasy, Fiction, gay romance, mm romance, murder mystery, Mystery, Novel, prose, reading, Romance, writer, Writing

CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

XCI: Present

Brendon lowered his head as he gasped and strained back against Orion. They fit in a mature, slow way. The sort of way that came of experience, of methodically working their bodies in ways they knew would pull the most pleasure, give them the most relief.

This was no fumbling fuck in the backseat of a Mustang.

This was sweet and slow, with Orion whispering in Brendon’s ear all throughout.

“How’s here? Going to keep it steady. No, don’t push. I got your rhythm. I got you.”

Brendon would respond with sighs that were meant to be “yeahs” and grunts that were meant to be directions. And somehow, Orion always understood. Shifted them just enough so that he’d slide in easier, rub against Brendon’s insides with a little more friction in all the right spots.

His hands were gentle, but very, very firm, when he pressed Brendon into position, held him there by the small of his back. His thrusts too, were as methodically blunt as he was, getting right to the point, pushing Brendon to the brink and keeping him riding there for long minutes, their thighs slapping together, the slight squelch of the lube matching the tap-tap-tap of the bed frame against the wall.

And all the while, as thrusts quickened incrementally, as Brendon’s breathing ramped up, becoming a huff that shoved from his lungs, Orion insisted on Brendon’s presence. On his engagement. Refusing to allow Brendon to fade, slink away, shudder with only pleasure abstracted from Orion himself. There would be no orgasm without Orion right here, his scent, his voice, his body overwhelming Brendon. Continue reading →

Canvas Blues – LXXX: Present

15 Wednesday Sep 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Contemporary, Fantasy, M/M, Serial

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author, Fantasy, Fiction, gay romance, M/M, mm romance, murder mystery, Mystery, prose, reading, Romance, writer, Writing

CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

LXXX: Present

Orion broke the kiss first, but kept himself close, their lips still touching, Brendon’s heart battering against his chest and his mind a wash of color that refused to take on shapes that would make sense of this moment. He resisted the moan that wanted to escape his throat. Resisted the urge to grab Orion and drag him backward on the bed. Resisted even the urge to shove his tongue back into Orion’s mouth.

Because Casey stared down at them knowingly, watching their clothing get tight.

“I’m sitting here, in your bedroom,” said Orion. “Which means you know, you believe, that this painting of this old car did something to someone you cared about.”

Brendon twisted his neck slightly, just enough he could see the wall out of the corner of his eye where Casey’s shining smile grew ever more glorious. Youth and freedom and hope. That was why he’d hidden the painting in the back of the closet, behind a dozen others. Youth and freedom and hope, all things that had felt so possible then. Impossible now.

Guilt seized him.

“You want to tell me about it. About the pain,” said Orion.

“Is this why you kissed me?” asked Brendon dryly as he set his glass down on the carpet at his feet. “Seducing the man you think powerful enough to kill through his paintings so I shed some secret?”

“I’m seducing a man I find handsome.” Orion’s hand slid up further till the crotch in Brendon’s jeans forced a stop. But there he curled his fingers so they pressed against the underside of Brendon’s balls, thumb landing casually against the base of Brendon’s cock. “Could tell you how incredibly attractive you are, especially when you get that look in your eye, the one that says you’re not quite seeing what I’m seeing. There’s a part of me that wonders… Wonders just how powerful you truly are.” Orion murmured those final words directly into Brendon’s ear, then dragged teeth against his lobe, a tongue along his neck, while his fingers massaged a gentle rhythm against his jeans. “I am sorry about your friend though.”

“My friend…” whispered Brendon. Continue reading →

Canvas Blues – LXXIX: Yesteryears

08 Wednesday Sep 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Contemporary, Fantasy, M/M, Serial

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author, Fantasy, Fiction, gay romance, M/M, mm romance, murder mystery, Mystery, Novel, reading, Romance, writer, Writing

CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

LXXIX: Yesteryears

The inside of Dylan’s house was a mausoleum of white and ivory granite and tile. Folded tables and oak cabinetry were staples of the décor, while old, knitted rag dolls stared down from the hall shelf. One of his parents must have been military because paraphernalia dotted the walls—giant photos of airplanes, spread eagle wings, a service award.

Though Robbie’s nose leaked blood between his fingers, he held his head back in a solid attempt to keep from splashing a mess across the floor before Brendon could help him to the bathroom. There, Brendon wet down a gray washcloth and helped to wash the blood away, smearing it so much that it painted Robbie’s freckles and poured into his mouth to line his teeth when he smiled grimly.

“What set him off?”

As if Casey was a bomb with a fuse that could be lit by just any passing stranger. A fuse shrinking over time, getting tired of flaring, traveling that same, well-worn path to an inevitable explosion.

But that was Casey’s Dad. Not Casey. Casey wasn’t a bomb; he didn’t have a fuse.

“Other than you?” asked Brendon, admittedly annoyed because of course there was something to see in Casey. There was everything to see. And Robbie’ question over what Brendon saw in Casey hadn’t been one that deserved an answer.

Robbie shrugged and leaned further forward over the sink, letting fat, blood-tinged drops dribble out against the porcelain. “I’d been talking to you. Not him.”

“I know.”

“I meant it too.” Robbie turned his head sideways to look at Brendon. “Why are you with him?” Continue reading →

Coffee & Conversation: What writing website do you visit the most?

10 Monday May 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Coffee & Conversation

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answer, FAQ, non-fiction, question, reading, Romance, Short Fiction, tools, Writing, writing resources

What writing website do you visit the most?

There are a lot of great sites out there for writing-related topics. Some of them are kept up by writers who have been in the industry for a long time. Some of them are kept up by people with almost no experience or knowledge (looking at you, random youtubers who pretend to be grade A agents or successful authors yet have no examples of their work).

But for the most part, at some point, whether you realize it or not, advice sites are a sinkhole rather than a help.

The absolute best writing site I’ve found is called: 4the words.com.

I remember writing about a site called Fighter’s Bloc before, but if you aren’t aware of what it was, it was a site crafted where you fight a little monster by finishing words. Every time you stopped writing, your avatar took damage. Too much damage, you die. But if you go until you accomplish your target word count, you win!

4thewords is a similar site, except in all way better. It essentially gamifies writing.

You have an avatar you can customize. A map you can travel through. A quest book. There’s a main story line. Side quests. Basically anything you tend to see in an easy app game, this site has crafted. Your job is to travel into the wilderness and battle monsters, each with a different target goal and different drops, leading you to craft better weapons, better armor, etc.

There’s also an Inn that works as a forum, but I really don’t recommend going there. Forums are time dumps generally. Ignore them as best you can. I’ve never actually read a single post on 4thewords and haven’t started my own despite there being a quest to do to because that’s not the purpose I want for my account.

On the writing side, the site allows you to create as many files as you want, which you can organize into different projects. Each project can be divided into different sections, holding whatever files you need. All the files and projects can be customized, by color and shape, allowing you to easily see at a glance the files you’re looking for.

In terms of actual productivity, the monsters you battle each give a different incentive. Some are word count battles, where you are given a certain amount of time to accomplish a certain amount of words. For instance, the Wignow makes you write 250 words in a 30 minute time frame. Each monster is a different type of challenge, some giving you a relaxed time frame, some giving you a tighter one. There are also monsters who are endurance battles, more similar to the little 2-bit monsters you would have battled on Figher’s Bloc. These fights are really good for brainstorming sessions or dumping sessions where you’re just trying to get words out in order to push yourself into the zone.

All in all, I find the site really helpful as a writer :)

~Emmi

Canvas Blues – LXII: Present

31 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Contemporary, Fantasy, M/M, Serial

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Canvas Blues, Fantasy, fantasy romance, Fiction, gay romance, LGBT, long-reads, Love, M/M, Mystery, Novel, prose, reading, Romance, Short Fiction, Writing

CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

LXII: Present

They walked the downtown streets. Brendon waited patiently—mostly patiently—while Orion peeked into shop windows and made inane, yet safe comments on their contents.

“What’s this one then? A gallery. ‘Local Artisans.’ A lot of crabs, I see. Marylanders seem to like their crabs. Always blue ones.”

“You’d rather dead ones?”

At the caustic tone, Orion cast him a glance, but didn’t engage with a response. “And here we’ve got herbal remedies for the soul and spirit,” read Orion off one of the plaques in the next window.

He put the last of his ice cream into his mouth and tossed the cup into the trashcan that sat at the base of the banner pole behind them. Then took his painting from Brendon with a nod of thanks.

“Rosemary for remembrance and yarrow root for protection. Should I buy you a bundle of dried herbs to hang in your studio?”

“I’d rather a coffee.”

“In this heat?”

Brendon lifted his gaze heavenward for a moment. “Why are you here?” Continue reading →

Canvas Blues – LXI: Yesteryears

24 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Contemporary, Fantasy, M/M, Serial

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Canvas Blues, Fantasy, fantasy romance, Fiction, gay romance, LGBT, long-reads, Love, M/M, Mystery, Novel, prose, reading, Romance, Writing

CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

LXI: Yesteryears

Freshman year waxed long with changes, from Casey’s arrest, to Becks sudden conservative behavior, to Robbie and Tori Kel growing lukewarm and distant before finally drifting from one another over the holidays, to Casey’s two new half-siblings, to Aunt Laurel finding a man of worth (as she called him), to Brendon’s father being in and out of doctor’s appointments for heart checkups, to his mother’s increased volunteer work at the church.

His only constant, what he gravitated toward in the slow, dreary days between new school ebbing and flowing friendships, was art. He received a handheld device for Christmas with digital illustration apps already in place and though he never became proficient, he toyed around, detailing pachycephalosaurus feathers and giganotosaurus teeth.

The idea of becoming a tattoo artist cemented into his brain on January 7th after one particular comic where the tattoos rose to life off a man’s arm. The thought became a focus for the rest of the school year. He bought gel pens and watched streams of ink being done, then hid his obsession when his mom walked by because he didn’t want another lecture about how “desecrating your body is for the nonpious among us.”

Rumors abounded around the school that April, starting on Fool’s Day and picking up the ugly sort of steam that gossip accumulates. Brendon didn’t think much of it at first, for pronouns were used in place of proper names, lending an air of mystery to the whispered drama. And a Mr. Tallir wasn’t exactly on Brendon’s scan since the man was a senior teacher of American history and government.

But the comments grew lewder and less wary and Becky’s name began to spill around the edges, a couple boys using their hands to indicate larger breasts while their mouths spread cruel tales about an already-used-up part of her. Brendon sank against his locker and tried to not listen, but there’s something about trying to not listen that makes one’s ears that much more astute, picking up the sounds even a cat might notice. Continue reading →

Lost Isle Published & Giveaway!

23 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Publication

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

adventure fantasy, fantasy romance, Fiction, gay romance, giveaway, LGBT, long-reads, Lost Isle, Love, M/M, Novel, Paperback, prose, reading, Romance, sea stories, Series, The Ocean's Aviary, Writing

Let’s celebrate the publication of Lost Isle!

I’m ecstatic that it is complete and beautiful and out in the wide, wild world. The story does NOT end on a dreadful, horrible, no good cliffhanger, but there are hints that there is more story to come.

Firstly, I have a New Release Alert Newsletter going live tomorrow and within it is a small teaser story about the day Edwin Vlaris meets Captain Nirothe. It isn’t necessary in order to read the book, however, this will be the only way in which to read this teaser. So if you would like to read it you have only today to sign up for my newsletter!

(The New Release Alert option is exactly what it states—you will only get newsletters alerting you about publications going on sale, not about anything free I publish on my blog.)

Secondly, this is the first time that I’m publishing a paperback copy along-side of the ebook. Every previous time, the paperback has come out long after (sometimes looooong after). I’m stoked that I’ve done things the “proper” way this time around.

Which brings me to thirdly, A Giveaway! Because I actually have a physical copy to give away! :)

In order to enter:

Go ahead and drop a comment below telling me your favorite bird (or least favorite!) and why. I’ll pick a random person to be sent a signed physical copy of the book!

I’ll go first. My favorite bird is the mourning dove. I love the way they sing this haunting melody, this coo-coo-coo repetition that sparks emotional responses in me. Some runner-ups are wood thrushes, red-winged blackbirds, herons, and of course, all the magical types, like phoenixes!

And, publication day wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t do my typical list! Continue reading →

Chapter One of Lost Isle (Launch Day T-4)

19 Friday Mar 2021

Posted by Emmi Lawrence in Excerpt, Fantasy, M/M

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

adventure fantasy, Fantasy, fantasy romance, Fiction, gay romance, LGBT, long-reads, Lost Isle, Love, M/M, Novel, prose, reading, Romance, Series, Short Fiction, The Ocean's Aviary, Worldbuilding, Writing

CHAPTER ONE

Where I am is where I’ve always been,
but what I see has changed.

They cut us free somewhere near the Gulf of Caines. The water dark, the moon nothing but a sliver and the stars clouded as the ship’s canvas swelled with an easterly that took it far into the distance within precious little time. Left me rocking in a skiff, alone, but for the limp form of my companion—a man weathered by the sun and salt with a still-seeping gash under his left eye.

I calculated I had three days. If I were lucky. Though, luck had never been on my side, especially not recently.

That first long night, shivering in the unfettered ocean wind and my hunger for revenge keeping the pangs in my stomach at bay, I resisted the urge to dump that man overboard. I wasn’t sure why. Could just be I was so preoccupied by that fading black smudge on the horizon. Plus, I’ve never been one to handle loneliness well. And even a man condemned by his brothers for a traitorous nature was better company than the tang of salt spraying into my face whenever the skiff smacked on the downside. The fact he was also attractive despite the cut didn’t hurt either and I admit to dreaming of wringing a few good moments out of life with him before we succumbed.

Besides, I figured a dead man in the water brought sharks faster.

Dawn found me hunched in the stern, tired because I’d kept jerking awake, sore, since finding comfort in the wooden edges of the skiff was impossible. I gingerly raised myself high enough so I could scan the horizon. Nothing but morning color on one side and the violet haze of a relenting night on the other.

The boat pitched then, slamming my head into the side. I cursed like the sailors I’d been traveling with, calling out to that living, breathing leviathan believed to be responsible for every death upon the waves. My voice cracked, loud enough I must have woken the other man.

He groaned and twisted, his knee rising and his hand moving for his head. I settled within the stern once more and observed him as he fumbled his way to a sitting position, his hand missing the edge of the skiff once before he focused. As intelligence sparked in his eyes, the fog of unconsciousness slow to release him, he narrowed his gaze at me.

“Yer the cartographer? The grunt who made the star charts that led us astray?”

I shrugged, striving for a carelessness, but my heart hammered behind my rib cage like a fleet-footed deer and I reminded myself that not every sailor took up with men simply because their prospects were slim.

His stare turned more intense, as if he could see right past my feeble attempts to project some form of unconcern. “I’m curious,” he said, in a tone that said he wasn’t truly curious, but wanted an excuse to mock me. “Was ya purposefully leadin’ us wrong or are ya simply that inept?”

Affronted, I said, “My charts were fine. And considering they’re left in the care of the sailing master instead of dumped in here with us, I presume he knows that.”

The man cracked a sliver of a smile. “Ya’d argue ta the death over their accuracy despite sendin’ us so far from the Giant’s Belt. So tell me, where are we?”

“Given you likely know the ocean currents better than I, I was hoping you’d be able to answer that.”

“The stars did nah speak ta ya all night?”

“It was cloudy.”

He laughed bitterly. “Of course it were.”

“It was,” I protested, though I sounded like a petulant child, insisting on an excuse to free myself from punishment. I quickly staunched my whining and pressed my lips together in a thin, insincere smile.

The man hefted himself onto the thwart at the bow end of the skiff, the position putting him at an angle so I was forced to look up at him. At least with the sun at my back he was mostly within the light, which gave me a full view of the tattoos running along his shaved head. On one side the black markings were of a wicked looking sea serpent, crudely done, and low on the other curled smoke-like lines that I assumed represented the misty maidens who populated the sea between the continents.

He had a number of small scars across the side of his neck, as if shrapnel from a shattered bulkhead had embedded there once. His pale eyes were hooded from too much squinting in the sunlight, but had a piercing quality to them that only added to his intensity. His hands, rough and weathered like the rest of him, gripped the sides of the skiff as if he were prepared to launch at me at a second’s notice.

We were opposites, him and I.

Me with my hands soft and stained with ink rather than callused from rope burn. Me with none of the hardness he possessed. None of the decades’ worth of experience of facing down the fickle nature of the sea and its deadly inhabitants.

“What’s yer name?” he demanded. Continue reading →

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CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

A serialized novel begun Jan 29th 2020. Here you can find links to the beginning and the most recent additions.

I: Prologue
II: Present
III: Yesteryears
IV: Yesteryears
V: Present

……….

L: Present
LI: Yesteryears
LII: Yesteryears
LIII: Present
LIV: Yesteryears

New chapters published every Wednesday!
Next up: Jul 7th 2021

FREE SHORT STORIES

THE BAYWATER & THE HURRICANE
(fantasy M/M)

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(fantasy M/M)

TALL, DARK & HANDSOME
(contemporary M/M)

THE IMMORTAL LOVER OF LAKE PHANTA
(fantasy M/M)

ACROSS THAT OCEAN OF SAND
(fantasy M/M)

MY LIFE, HIS BREATH
(contemporary M/M)

POET’S BANE
(fantasy M/M)

What’s Up!

  • Canvas Blues – XCV: Present
  • Canvas Blues – XCIV: Present
  • Coffee & Conversation: How to keep your plots/stories from being repetitive?
  • Canvas Blues – XCIII: Yesteryears
  • Coffee & Conversation: How to critique someone else’s work?
  • Canvas Blues – XCII: Present

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