Entries tagged with fairytale

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story release - In Perfect Time!

It's a book release day!! "In Perfect Time" is out now - and 45% off if you buy it directly from JMS Books this weekend, for the Memorial Day sale!

It's about 12k words, it's MM contemporary (but fairytale-esque, deliberately so), and it's got...

~a *very* loose modern-day Cinderella retelling
~some of my favorite dialogue I've written

~baking as stress relief

~a truly terrible fancy party

~a gorgeous stranger, lonely on a balcony

~a one-night stand (might be the best thing that’s ever happened to either of them)

This was an interesting one to write - I've had little pieces and moments and scraps of it done for years, but it hadn't really come together...and then I started thinking about it again...and for some reason I thought, oh, well, but it's a Cinderella retelling, isn't it, not exactly, but the story beats are there...and then it clicked.

So there are scenes in here that I've had done in draft form for literal years, and also new pieces, and lots of layers, like a cake Kyle might bake - I think it came out fairly delicious, so I hope you enjoy it!

Pick up a copy at JMS Books here (remember, on sale!) or at Amazon here, or all the usual book-buying places!

In Perfect Time

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release day! featherbeds and happy endings!

It's release day! Actually release evening, because Awesome Husband and I spent the day at a pumpkin patch and sunflower garden, which I've decided is an excellent way to celebrate autumn and a new release!

So...The Featherbed Puzzle is out today! Rain, chocolate pastries, jigsaw puzzles, far too many featherbeds, and an m/m retelling of "The Princess & the Pea"!

Also this one has one of my favorite covers ever, for one of my stories. I love it – it matches the mood and the theme so effortlessly.

Grab it at JMS Books here!
Or at Amazon here!

The Featherbed Puzzle by [K.L. Noone]

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so I have two releases this month that I keep forgetting to mention...

...but, er, I probably ought to do that! Especially since the first one's out in three days, on the 9th! (And for some mysterious reason I can't find it on my Amazon author page yet, though it IS up on JMS Books for pre-order, for 20% off!)

So...

First up, this Sunday - the 9th! - we get "The Featherbed Puzzle," which is roughly 47,000 words of pure weightless confectionery fluff, honestly! - but I needed that, so perhaps other people do as well? It's an m/m rom-com retelling of "The Prince(ss) and the Pea," set in a sort of vaguely alternate-history 18th century (there're artificers and self-warming serving dishes and such, but no real ~magic~), and it's got, oh, a dark & stormy night, and far too many prospective suitors to juggle, and breakfast pastries, and accidental falling in love over a jigsaw puzzle, and definitely too many featherbeds, and of course a fairytale happy ending.

Also this one has one of my favorite covers ever, for one of my stories. I love it - it matches the mood and the theme so effortlessly.

Grab it at JMS Books here!

Next, "October by Candlelight," my autumn-themed story, will be out from JMS October 20! Also currently on pre-order sale at JMS for 20% off! This one's just under 12,000 words (literally - it had to be <12k, and mine's...11,988 words...not counting the author's note... *laughs*)

"October by Candlelight" might've ended up somewhere among my favorite things I've written, honestly - it just flowed so well, and I knew Wes and Finn as soon as I started writing them, and I knew what the next scenes were, and before I knew it I'd written so many words... Anyway, it's essentially a soft candlelit "we've only just moved in together and we're working things out" domestic story, low angst, maybe a bit of emotional hurt/comfort, but not even really much hurt, just something they need to talk about, and it's full of candles and autumn decorations and tidbits about medieval history research and tender romantic sex scenes and a whole lot of love and wanting the other person to be happy.

Also in my head this story exists in the Character Bleed universe, though it doesn't explicitly tie in anywhere. But Wes and Finn have absolutely gone on a date to see Jason and Colby in Steadfast, and Jason and Colby would probably recognize Finn's name, less from the teen idol days and more from the more recent character work and indie films, though they've never worked together, for reasons of timing of their careers, mostly. I like to think they'd all get along.

Find all the candlelight at JMS Books here!

Finally, a book rec! I finished Lee Welch's Seducing the Sorcerer a few days ago, and I ADORE this book. It's a delight - m/m high fantasy romance, sparkling and heartfelt, by turns atmospheric and funny and sexy (oh yes) and emotional and clever and intricate and kind, and I want a worple horse now (go read it, it'll make sense). You absolutely need this book in your life. In fact I'll probably go read it again very soon, just to bask happily there.

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Good Sex Awards Runner-Up, an Ink cover reveal, and more!

Oh, gosh, I’ve been neglecting this blog! Lots of Things happening. Let me share some of them…

First, Seaworthy is officially the Runner-Up in the Sexiest Consent category in the Good Sex Awards! It’s such an honor – and I’m so glad it’s that story and that scene; it’s one of the first scenes I wrote for Jason and Colby, and it’s very much them. And also it’s the scene I’ve described as “the best sex scene I’ve written in which no one touches anyone” and also “THE TEA IS A METAPHOR”. So I’m just delighted, and still smiling about it! You can find all the winners, runners-up, etc over here: https://goodsexawards.com/winners/

Second, a cover reveal! I mentioned that my flash fiction short “Openings” has been selected for the Ink anthology of queer science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction – our release date is August 10! They’ve sent over the cover, and it’s lovely! Here’s the Amazon buy link (it’s available other places, like Kobo and such, too): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099QBY988

May be an image of text that says 'INK (NOUN) Five definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1)A colored fluid used for writing deal 2) The action of signing 3) black liquid ejected by squid 4) Publicity the written media 5)A slang word for tattoos Ink features 300-word speculative flash-fiction flash stories from across-the.rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi. Ink SeT OWI. OWI. QUEER SCI FI Eighth Annual Flash Fiction Contest'

Third, the contract is all signed for the m/m retelling of “The Princess and the Pea,” which has grown to 47k and is now called The Featherbed Puzzle. It’s got jigsaw puzzles and Terrible Suitors and a lot of soup for some reason and a dark & stormy night and one True Love who is a prince who also rescues homeless puppies and kittens, and a rose garden, and too many featherbeds, of course, and it’s pure fluffy frothy ridiculousness and I had such a good time writing it. I think there’ll be a bonus/spin-off story for Arthur’s best friend. He deserves it.

Fourth, I am over on A.L. Lester’s blog chatting about Magician today! And book playlists, and naming characters, and my firm belief that Gareth would get along with Peter S. Beagle’s Prince Lir from The Last Unicorn. You can come read it all over here (despite my name being spelled slightly wrong in the url; but that’s all right, no one ever gets it right): https://allester.co.uk/kristen-noone-magician/

Fifth, One Night in London – the three-novellas-in-one Regency m/m novel I co-authored with K.S. Murphy and Shelly Greene – is now out in paperback! You can find it at Amazon here (https://www.amazon.com/One-Night-London-Shelly-Greene/dp/B098WDC6CG/ ) or at JMS Books here (https://www.jms-books.com/paperbacks-c-86/one-night-in-london-print-p-3923.html ), where it is on a very small sort of sale – 9% off!

I think that’s everything, unless I can think of a sixth… I’ve been doing a lot of rereading of Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar novels lately – they were so fundamental to my teen years, and I was chatting with someone about Vanyel and Tragic-But-Also-Kind-Of-Happy-Ending? Early Gay Fantasy Characters, and then I ended up doing a massive nostalgic reread. They mostly hold up, if not entirely, I think, but I do see why I started finding some of the later books repetitive. The newest one, though, Beyond, the one that just came out, is actually really good – a return to the strengths of the series, exploring some unanswered questions of the history of that world plus morally complex characters, and it made me happy. So that’s sort of a book rec?

Also I’ve had an academic book chapter proposal accepted for a Very Neat Thing, about which more later. (It’s related to Supernatural, let’s say that.)

I have a LOT of thoughts about KJ Charles and how much I love the Will Darling Adventures (there, a proper romance book rec!) but that’ll have to be a separate blog post, because THOUGHTS, I HAVE THEM. (Pretty much all incoherent delight and pure admiration for the skill, mind you. I love Kim. And Will. And KJC for writing them.)

I have just found a note to myself on my phone that says, "you made Leo allergic to kiwi - press tour allergy attack?" because apparently my sleepy late-night brain really wants to torture Leo in that Character Bleed spin-off some more...

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a teaser of things

Here's a little Rainbow Snippet post for this week - it's the opening of the m/m "Princess and the Pea" retelling! I was in a light and fluffy mood...

#

“Mother,” Arthur said patiently, “that’s the eighth princess. And the fifth prince. It’s only been two weeks.”

Queen Tatiana of Starskeep set down her teacup with a tiny porcelain clink and a frown gathering between her eyes. Sunlight laced the breakfast room with gold, flying like bird’s wings over pale blue-striped wallpaper. The paper was new and delicate and perfectly in fashion, as were the chairs and the paintings and her gown. “And you’ve liked none of them. You did say you were willing to consider marriage, darling.”

“Consider,” Arthur said. “Not propose on the spot. And this last one informed me that she’d overlook my unfortunate literary tendencies because of our money. While her brother tried to put a hand on my thigh under the table at dinner.”

Tatiana considered this. “Did he say it was only about the money?”

“Mother…”

“I want you to be happy, you know.” She reached for his hand, patted it, gave him the melting smile that charmed courtiers and diplomats into agreement. Starskeep sat at the intersection of three gently flowing trading-hub rivers, and had blossomed into a wealthy marzipan confection of a city-state, full of tulips and prosperity and Tatiana’s chess-master mind behind negotiations and import-export arrangements. Arthur adored his mother, and sometimes thought it was a good thing she’d never harbored ambitions to conquer the world.

He said, “I know. And I love you, you know that. But I don’t actually need to meet every eligible person on your list in the span of a single fortnight. How long is your list, anyway?”

“Extensive,” his mother retorted happily. “And exhaustive. Darling, I want the best for you. A proper match. Someone utterly lovely. Someone with impeccable royal bloodlines. Someone who knows how to direct a household and whether the Duke of Oakenwood or the Marchioness of Vervian should have the order of precedence. Someone who brings you a dowry of gold and jewels and roses carved from rubies.”

Arthur sighed.

“Wouldn’t you like rubies?” his mother inquired hopefully. “I’ve always thought one can never have too many.”

“I just thought,” Arthur said, while the sunbeam stretched out to touch the tip of his boot, “that I’d like someone I can talk to. Someone who might be interested in books. Or at least curious about…I don’t know. The world.”

“What could be more interesting than ruby roses?”

Someone who could carve roses out of gemstones would likely be interesting to talk to, at that; Arthur sighed again, but found himself smiling. His mother meant well. And he did need to start thinking about marriage, as an only son and prince and heir.

He’d managed to put it off until his twenty-fifth birthday, two weeks ago. That’d been the catalyst for the onslaught of prospective spouses, beginning the night of the birthday ball his mother’d thrown. There’d been six flattering sugar sculptures of his head, and an entire wall of rare blue orchids.

He said, “I’ll consider whomever you invite, but no promises, all right?”

“That’s all I ask.” His mother picked up her teacup again. “That and you settling on a perfectly faultless and advantageous match, of course.”