Faded Love released - buy links!

Hey, everyone! As of last night I rereleased Faded Love. This is a short story I wrote in 2012 for an anthology centering around scars. I got the rights back when I demanded the rights back for The Harvest: Taken. 

Recently did I decide to do something with it. I haven’t added to the story, but it has been re-edited, which it desperately needed. It also has a new cover, thanks to the wonderful Kris Norris. 

Blurb:

People often say that the true perfection of the human form is in its imperfections. 

Obviously those people never lived a life of a model. Perfection is flawless. Desired. Demanded. Superstar model Ashley is living the dream. As one of the top models in the world, anything he desires is at his fingertips. Perfection on the surface hides human flaws, though. The one thing Ashley fears? Commitment. If it isn’t broke, why fix it? He and his lover, Will, have the perfect relationship. Or so Ashley thinks until Will starts pushing for more. 

Then a moment in time shatters the illusion of his perfection, and Ashley finds the very basis of his existence torn. Bruised. Wrecked and destroyed. Scarred. 

A near-fatal car accident leaves Ashley permanently disfigured, his career in a tailspin. Only his lover, Will, has a chance to pull him out of his depression. Can Ashley see there is more to him than just a perfect face? Scars can fade, but true love never will.

 Excerpt:

Chapter One

It was late evening when Ashley stumbled into his apartment and dropped his bags next to the door. The California shoot had gone well, but the flight back had been a nightmare. He had to jog the length of a concourse, while doing this incognito, and barely made it to the gate on his connecting flight. The damn attendants were closing the doors as he got there.

Then they ran into turbulent weather, which his stomach hadn’t appreciated. Plus his in-seat video monitor was malfunctioning and inoperable. Good thing he brought a book. But it did irk him that everyone else could watch movies and TV shows.

Ashley lurched to the bedroom and glared at the clock next to the bed. “Shit. I should call Will.” Ashley scrubbed at his face. He was stressed and tired. What he should do was go to bed, but he was too tired to sleep… if that made any sense.

He jumped when his cell rang and, recognizing the ringtone, fished it out of his pocket. Should he answer it? He missed Will, but lately things had been tense. He cared for the other man, probably more than anyone else in his life. The sex was good, and they enjoyed each other’s company.

Things between them were easy and loose. Open. Ashley liked the hands-off approach they were taking toward their relationship, which was why he couldn’t understand why suddenly Will was pushing for more. It stopped ringing, and he sighed.

Standing around staring at his phone certainly wasn’t going to relieve his tension. He could either get drunk then have to sweat the calories off tomorrow, or he could call Will and work off the tension that way.

It was a no-brainer. He unlocked his cell and called Will back.

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Faded-Love-M-Church-ebook/dp/B01KR0AMRI

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-fadedlove-2090291-149.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/659768

Author Bio:

M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!

When not writing, she’s on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two grown children.

She was a finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, runner up in the 2015 Rainbow Awards, and is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Author Links:

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * The Harvest FB fan page * Goodreads * Amazon * E-mail*

Faded Love repub - Coming Soon

cover by Kris Norris

NOTE: This is a previously published work.

~No buy link as of yet, but it's coming soon. There hasn't been any words added, just a very thorough editing to make it read smoother.

Blurb:

People often say that the true perfection of the human form is in its imperfections.

Obviously those people never lived a life of a model. Perfection is flawless. Desired. Demanded. Superstar model Ashley is living the dream. As one of the top models in the world, anything he desires is at his fingertips. Perfection on the surface hides human flaws, though. The one thing Ashley fears? Commitment. If it isn’t broke, why fix it? He and his lover, Will, have the perfect relationship. Or so Ashley thinks until Will starts pushing for more.

Then a moment in time shatters the illusion of his perfection, and Ashley finds the very basis of his existence torn. Bruised. Wrecked and destroyed. Scarred.

A near-fatal car accident leaves Ashley permanently disfigured, his career into a tailspin. Only his lover, Will, has a chance to pull him out of his depression. Can Ashley see there is more to him than just a perfect face? Scars can fade, but true love never will.

Word Count: 13K

Faded Love (from the Carved in Flesh anthology) released from Storm Moon

http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Faded-Love.aspx

 

Faded Love 

A drive home in the wee hours in the morning after a modeling job… then a moment’s distraction and a twist of Fate puts an end to one way of life for Ashley and opens the door to another.

 

 

Hey everyone! If y'all remember I was part of the Carved in Flesh anthology from Storm Moon Press that came out a year ago. Now my story, Faded Love, has been released as a single title. This anthology caught my eye because of the subject matter. In a society that worships beauty and is filled with everyday images of what’s ideal, I had to wonder what would happen to an internationally well-known model who ends up scarred.

Then throw in his lover, Will—who is a sports model. To make matters even more interesting, Will just happens to have given Ashley an ultimatum before the car accident: he wants an exclusive relationship with Ashley. The mere thought of a commitment sends Ashley into a tailspin. And there you go, lol, a swirling brew of pain, anger, fear, regret, and… one man’s determination not to give up on the man he loves. In other words, Will has a hot mess on his hands, lol. Can he prove to Ashley that scars fade, but love doesn’t?

This anthology, in a lot of ways, strikes very close to home for me. Twelve years ago I had back surgery, and I have a pretty big scar on my back. Granted, over the years it’s faded, but when I tan in the summer, it’s noticeable. In my late teens and early twenties I also modeled regionally. *Laugh* It wasn’t anything to write home about, but modeling did teach me one thing. The old saying that models are nothing more than ‘coat hangers’ is so very true.

So imagine how a world-famous model would react to a scar on his face—the very face that made him a living, that he was known by. Yeah, Ashley’s emotions run the gamut from disbelief, anger, and self-loathing to fear—fear that without his looks, he’s worth nothing. Thank goodness for Will  and his stubborn nature. Not long after the accident, Ashley learns Will has been offered an opportunity that’s the chance of a lifetime… on the opposite coast. Ashley, my spoilt little diva, has a hard choice to make.

My favorite scene in the story is where Will and Ashley kiss on a beach near the end. The message that comes through by the end of the story is Scars fade, but love does not. There's so much truth to that. The harder times of life might stick with us, but the ache of them usually fades over time; true love doesn't fade away. I wholeheartedly believe that, and it's where the title of my short story came from too.

~M

                              

Blurb:

One moment in time can change your life, especially a life that revolves around your face. A near-fatal car accident leaves a world famous model's face scarred and his career in a tailspin. The life Ashley knew is over and he wants to do nothing but fade away into nothingness. Only his lover, Will, can pull him out of his dark depression and make Ashley see even scars can be beautiful.

 

Excerpt:

The first thing Ashley noticed when he woke was a feeling of disconnection. He was floating, drifting. His eyes weighed a ton, as did his body, and his faced itched. Trying to lift his hand to scratch at the insistent itch, he struggled to get the limb to function. Nothing seemed to work right. Was he home in bed? He didn’t remember getting home. A soft beep caught his attention. What was that annoying sound? His mind was fuzzy and his mouth was as dry as cotton. Seriously freaked out, he fought to open his eyes, and his body jerked as he twisted. Pain exploded, greeting him unmercifully, biting at him.

“Ashley? Can you hear me?”

That voice. He knew that voice. With a herculean effort he opened his eyes. Or tried to. One side of his vision was pitch black, and the other side was blurry. Sickly fear coated his body. He flung his hands up, searching. What the hell was covering the left side of his face? Clawing at the covering, he whimpered as an out of focus face bent over him.

“Hey, hey now, ease up there. It’s okay.”

“Will?” Ashley’s hand was gently held and pulled down. Why did Will’s voice sound so funny, like he was hoarse? “Will? What’s going on? Where am I? What’s on my face?”

“Listen to me. You’re in the hospital.”

“Hospital? Why the hell am I in the hospital?” Straining, he was finally able to make out the pale walls, and smell a scent he had always associated with hospitals: cleaners and sickness.

“You don’t remember… anything?” Will bent over Ashley, still holding his hands. God, Will’s skin was so warm, and his was so cold. “Tell me what you remember.”

“Was on my way home from that shoot. You called. I was going to call you back… Will?” Ashley’s voice rose and cracked. “Then, nothing until now. What—what… Will?”

One of Will’s strong hands managed to loosen itself from Ashley’s death grip and brushed Ashley’s hair back from his face. “You’re in the hospital. There was an accident, a bad accident. You were hit on the way home two days ago.”

“Fuck me! Two days ago?” Ashley bit his lip as pain spiked in his ribs. “How bad? Who hit me?”

“It was pretty bad. You have bruised ribs from the impact with the steering wheel, your arm is bruised—not broken—and more bruises over your body. I forgot the driver’s name. They hit you on the passenger side, slammed you into a street light. Two people in the other car died.”

“Died? Jesus.” Every time Ashley tried to lift his hand to his face, Will stopped him. “What’s wrong with my vision? Why can I only see out of one side?”

Gripping his hand, Will hesitated. “You were struck so hard your head hit the driver side window.”

Ashley gripped Will’s hand. There was more, he just knew it. What little he could make out of Will’s concerned face told him that. “And? Tell me, dammit!”

 “The window busted. There was glass everywhere. Oh God, Ashley, I’m so sorry. You were cut. On your face… and—and… there’s going to be a scar.”

“A scar?” Ashley whispered, and then his voice gained in strength as horror stabbed at him. “A scar, on my face? My face? No! Oh my God, no! How bad, Will? How fucking bad?”

Tears soaked Will’s voice. “From the hair line to under your chin. Jesus, Ashley. I’m so sorry.”

The screams from Ashley’s room brought most of the nursing staff at a dead run.