~M
The
debut M/M sci-fi thriller by Mann Ramblings is available on April 17. Buy links
are below!
THE LUXORIAN
FUGITIVE
Book One: Ship Logs
of the Santa Claus
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-luxorian-fugitive-mann-ramblings/1121637747?ean=9781925222388
Blurb:
Sergeant
Liam Jacks is the security chief of transport vessel, The Santa Claus. He
travels the planetary cluster with Marc Danverse, his best friend and captain,
seeking to escape his tortured past and find some peace of mind.
Having
been through a civil war together, Danverse and Liam are close. Maybe too
close....
All that
changes when mysterious stranger, Hadrian Jamison, an escaped Adonirati, books
passage to Alpha Centauri. Can he be trusted? Can the
stories of his past be believed?
As
Liam's fascination with Hadrian grows, jealousy threatens to tear apart his
friendship with Danverse.
When
Hadrian's owner shows up, Liam is forced to go against orders in order to
launch a rescue mission to save him.
The
ensuing conflict may be more than any of them expected.
Excerpt:
“Liam, are we going to be all right?” Danverse
hadn't stopped fidgeting since he returned to the dock. The air of unease was
so out of character for the captain; Liam didn't like it. Danverse not being in
charge would upset the sense of order to his universe.
Liam sighed. “Yeah. We'll be fine. I'm just a little
embarrassed by it all. I wish I could find a better way to bury the past.”
“You will. And you let me know if you need help with
anything.” Liam snorted. “Pervert.” “Not just that.” Danverse laughed. “I mean
with anything you need.” “I know.” It felt like the first time he’d smiled in
days.
Soon after that the first passenger came aboard. Dr.
Davis Cellus was a professor in his fifties who had been on sabbatical and
would be heading back to his regular life. He was heavyset, with a thin goatee
and shaved head, dressed in comfortable clothing that spoke of a meager wage,
but his manner indicated a modest lifestyle. Liam was convinced his accounts
were heavier than he let on.
They turned the second passenger away. Clearly she
had ignored the “No Hetero, No Female” rule. She had to be escorted off by
station security when she started arguing.
Danverse maintained that Mrs. Claus insisted she
would be the only female on the ship. Liam knew better.
Danverse hadn’t always placed such restrictions on
passengers, but the ship wasn't designed with separate facilities. Privacy
wasn't a focus on a military vessel and he didn't want to spend the currency on
making the changes. Voyages lasting easily six or more weeks at a time became
tedious with complaints from hetero passengers unhappy about walking in on crew
members having sex in the shower room or other areas. Danverse had no interest
in changing the men's habits. Non-hetero passengers complained less or joined
in. Since they didn't have passengers on every trip, removing orientation and
gender issues made the whole process a lot easier. The captain liked it that
way.
Marley Keyes was next. He was a rough-looking man
with a medium build heading for a new job opportunity on Alpha Centauri. He
seemed uncomfortable and maintained an iron grip on the satchel strapped around
his shoulder. Marley claimed to have never been off planet before. Liam was
suspicious of the twitchy man, but the background check came up clean, so
another passenger joined the ship.
The boarding period was almost over before the last
person on the manifest appeared. Liam had to remind himself not to stare. It
was the hooded man from the café.
“I am Hadrian Jamison. I should have a reservation
for passage to Alpha Centauri. I hope I am in the right place.” The man’s rich
voice bore a subtle accent. Liam checked his list and scanned the man's hand.
He seemed hesitant to be registered. Liam gave the data a cursory glance and
then turned the pad off. Danverse threw a questioning look in his direction.
“I'm Captain Marc Danverse.” He shook Hadrian's
hand. “And this is my security chief, Sergeant Liam Jacks.” As Hadrian turned
and traded greetings, Liam got his first proper look at the hooded man. Hadrian
was above average in size, just a little shorter than Danverse. His hand was
veined and strong. He sported wild, long, dark hair and dark facial stubble
over an olive complexion, and had the most entrancing eyes Liam had ever looked
into. Thick dark eyelashes outlined the white in stark contrast to ice-blue
irises ringed in sapphire. It was otherworldly, and he was gorgeous. Liam found
a heat rising in his chest as those beautiful eyes looked up at him through the
locks of hair falling haphazardly over his face.
“Do you have any other belongings to load?” Danverse
asked, glancing at where Liam’s and Hadrian’s hands were still touching.
“No, thank you. The bag I am carrying is all I
need,” Hadrian said, nodding to the pack slung over his shoulder. He hesitantly
removed his hand from Liam's.
“Then I can show you to your quarters,” Liam
offered. With one outstretched hand and the other lightly at Hadrian's back, he
directed the last passenger up the steps. He noticed Danverse watching them
with a cocked eyebrow as they passed. His mouth was slightly open but he didn't
say a word as they stepped on board. What the hell was that odd look about?
Bio:
Like
many gay men, when MANN RAMBLINGS grew up, there weren't any heroes he could
relate to. The world held him back while he tried futilely to hide the real
person inside. So much has changed since those hollow days. He finally found
his voice, the voice that says it’s all right to revel in the so-called inappropriate
joys, laughs, and loves that storm inside a man's head. It took a long time to
find that courage and now that it's here, he plans to use it well.
While
spending years more focused on visual arts, he never let go of his innate
passion for storytelling—he wanted to write and draw comic books when he grew
up. Once he discovered M/M fiction, a whole new world opened with new
possibilities. Why couldn't you have fantastic and dynamic tales with an M/M
cast? He started reading the online tales of authors like, Night Tempest, Rob
Colton, and Alicia Nordwell, which only fueled within him the need to create.
Eventually he found GayAuthors.org, and with a little coercive nudge from Night
Tempest, started sharing his tales with an unexpected level of positive
response. That experience and support gave him the courage to cross his fingers
and aim for the world of M/M publishing.
Born and
raised in Michigan, Mann Ramblings continues to type away, wishing it was
practical to use a noisy, old fashioned keyboard that clacks with each strike,
if only to annoy his loving partner and spoiled miniature dachshund.
MANN
RAMBLINGS can be found at:
And now for the interview!
Question 1: If you were a candy bar what would you taste like?
I hope it would be something
really decadent like a rich, dark chocolate bar with a touch of vanilla you
couldn't get enough of, but with my luck it would be like eating Skittles. LOL
I never had problems getting dates back in the day, so maybe there's something
to be said for chocolate.
Question 2: Who would you want to have as a
stripper at your birthday party?
Oh, man... There are so many well built guys with ink that
appear on Facebook posts (and other sources **cough**) that I'd like to rub up
against, I'd never be able to pick just one. Can I get a rugby team or two?
Question 3: Do your characters ever take
over your writing and make the story go somewhere you didn't originally have in
mind?
I'm pretty good about plotting my stories out in advance. A lot
of time is spent planning the hows and whys that get me from point A to point
B. While situations and inspirations have come up that made me realize how to
improve the story, I've been fortunate enough that my characters developments
haven't derailed my plans. So far... **crosses fingers**
Question 4: If you could snap your fingers
and have an invention to do anything you want, what would you want it to do?
Subjugate that rugby team into stripping for my birthday...
Question 5: Do you use real actors/people
in order to get the perfect look for your characters or stick with your own
imagination?
My background is in visual arts, so my imagination seems to take
on a life of its own. There aren't many real life actors that fit my character
profiles to my satisfaction. Some of my characters are more rugged than the
standard Hollywood variety. I know some writer design their characters around a
model/actor they find, but I usually have the character in mind first then
build their appearance around it.
