This anthology has been out for about six weeks and readers are really loving it. This anthology will only be available to buy until 28 February 2023, when it will be unpublished and each participating author can release their story however they wish. Make sure you don't miss out and grab your copy now! 

Here are some reviews from Goodreads: 
 
Kinds Hearts at Christmas is an anthology to benefit HIV and AIDS charities in the UK and US. I don't think I've ever given five stars to an anthology before, but this one deserves every last one of them! Each of the short stories center around an act of kindness, and shows what results from someone going just a bit out of their way. With over 750 pages of marvelous authors, Kind Hearts at Christmas is a truly fantastic holiday treat!
 
I feel this anthology is a bargain. There are short stories and longer stories. These are some of the well-known authors getting together, providing a wide variety of stories that kept me busy reading. I found stories I normally would not have read, I really enjoyed. This opened up other type stories for me.
 
These are all great stories. I love that they were all put together in this anthology for this cause.
 
This is a lovely collection of short stories that made me feel hopeful and happy. The collection is well worth the price and the time to read. Bravo to each of the authors!
 
This is my favorite type of anthology. I love anthologies. It’s even better when they are in support of charities, especially ones I care so strongly about. Thank you to all the authors and all those who helped bring their stories together here.
 
The range and quality of the stories in this collection had me chomping at the bit to move to the next and the next and the next.... I expected romance but I got so much more. Some of these stories are more sharing and caring with strangers and those in greater need with maybe a lick of romance thrown in and they were just as satisfying as the romances both sweet and steamy. And all for a great cause. I am so glad I chose this collection😊.

The plots range from work romances to aliens; earthly magic to a bully repenting; a kind trucker who goes out of his way to rescue a child's Christmas; several focusing on helping the downtrodden find some companionship and joy during the holidays; a couple who form a bond at a terminal patient's bedside; a road accident in Wales; angels walking the city streets; and a police chief finding it a bit difficult to fit into village life. The common theme running through it all: helping and being kind to others. Some past school bullying and home child abuse and neglect is included but overall this is an HEA bonanza.
 
Several favorite authors in this one and a few new ones, but every one of these stories is a winner. There is a wonderful mix of tropes, settings, some with mysterious, haunting elements, some with genuine mystery. I got involved and read these straight through one after the other over a couple of days. I'd suggest treating this like a short story advent calendar and reading one story a day which is what I am about to do in a re-read. 
 
Kind Hearts at Christmas, a MM Romance Charity Anthology was seriously good. It features a variety of author and different troupes. Some stories are longer while most are shorter. Some authors are well known, and some were new to me. I loved that the anthology is for an excellent cause. 
 
I loved this set of MM stories! They cover a wide range of lengths, tropes, and characters, all perfectly set at the holidays AND supporting a great cause. I recognized most of the authors, but it was a fun Christmas surprise to be introduced to some new authors, too. These mostly contemporary romances offer something for everyone. 
 
A wonderful anthology. Lots of excellent and LONG stories, so you could really get into the characters and relationships. There were a couple stories which weren't my cup of tea but most were superb, and at over 750 pages, so very worth it. That the proceeds all go to two AIDS/HIV charities is the icing on the cake.
 
Firstly the Preface was in itself an acknowledgement of real people in real life crisis and seems to me reason enough for 5 stars for anyone with input into this anthology. This is a eclectic group of short stories with many different sub genres of LGBTQ+ romance writing. Some authors I have read numerous books written by them and others were new to me. I enjoyed this entertaining group of stories immensely. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
 
Proceeds of writing donated to HIV/AIDS charity organizations is noble! This collection of some of the best authors is the cherry on top of some amazing stories! The storylines are sweet and the characters are funny, romantic and hawt! Romance stories that keep us entertained and wrapped up in the best feelings. Fantastic! Well done! Very nice cover art! 
 
This is a wonderful Christmas Anthology. I read stories from authors I have not read before and found some keepers. There a 13 short stories in this anthology with some interesting plots. All of the authors did a great job with character development and pace. A wonderful collection Christmas stories.
 
This is a great compilation of short Christmas stories that benefit fighting HIV/AIDS. There is something for everyone in here: some angsty, some just sweet, and some a bit paranormal. Some of the stories are by known to me authors and also new to me authors. These are great quick reads for breaks or during lunch at work. I really enjoyed it all and would recommend as a quick holiday read.
 
There's nothing like a good Christmas story about sharing, caring and giving back, and this anthology is filed with them. This was such a feel good anthology, that I couldn't put it down. I usually don't read anthologies, because the stories aren't usually long enough for me, but I enjoyed this one. These authors knew what they were doing when they put it together. Five stars for sure.
 
A beautiful sweet cute and adorable Christmas stories by amazing talented authors. These sugary sweet stories have you hooked from beginning to end and keeps you interesting. By the time you have finished you feel heart warming Christmas feelings.
 
I so enjoy a good boxset and this was perfect. I loved them all and you get a little bit of everything in this set.
 
This is such a sweet compilation of holiday feel good stories. They all revolve around kindness or acts of kindness. It is a marshmallow and chocolate kind of read that makes you long for this kind of romances. Each story has special characters. I loved them all.
 
I loved these so much, they were so sweet & full of Christmas spirit! I’m so glad…this was put together for such an awesome cause! The authors are all amazing and done such a wonderful job!
 
Giving this anthology five stars mostly because I love the premise; stories that all revolve around kindness…at the heart of each story is good people being kind to each other. In this time of great turmoil and strife--who doesn't love that?!
 
What a wonderful collection of stories to warm the heart. You'll find something for every mood you find yourself in during the holidays.

These authors are some of your favorites, or they will be, after you read these romantic, thought provoking stories set during the holidays.

Last year was challenging for everyone.

After 2020 when I released 11 books, while working full time, I've realised that's unsustainable, so there were fewer books from me in 2021.

Three of my 2021 releases were written before, and I worked on the edits during that year. But Plus One Christmas Elf was written in 2021. 

I also wrote & submitted 2 books for my new publisher Hera, writing in a different genre as Charlie Lyndhurst. These added up to about 180,000 words. I'll share the cover for the first one (which comes out in April 2022) as soon as I can. 

This makes a total of about 200,000 new words written in 2021. Not to shabby, I hope you'll agree :) 

Love and light

Liam / Charlie xx

My first book of 2021 is here! Well, almost here. It's available for pre-order now, at a special reduced price. Once it's published it'll go up to normal price.

Lifelong friends, business partners—and lovers. What’s the catch?

Perfect Catch is a steamy, out-for-you / bisexual awakenings, small-town gay romance. Two tough, big-hearted fishermen work out how to love each other differently from anyone they’ve loved before.

I'll share the story behind this book in another post, but in the meantime, make sure you grab yourself a copy.  You don't want to miss this one it's so much fun!

Love and light,

Liam xxx

There's a little bit of swearing in this post, as it quotes pieces of my stories. There's some implied sensuality, but not on page sex. 
​
​Bjorn first turned up as Julian's friend-with-benefits and fellow backing dancer in I Should Be So Lucky. 

This is the first scene with Bjorn. It's narrated by Julian, who is one of the point of view characters of I Should Be So Lucky: 

 ***
And yes, if I’m being one hundred percent honest, I had slept with some of the other male dancers. One of them, Bjorn, was still my go-to at the end of the night if we’d both failed to pick up someone new. ‘It’s only sex’ we had both agreed numerous times. The first time Bjorn came over to my place to talk pensions—I had a private one, and he needed someone to talk him through the basics because he didn’t understand them—we ended up in bed together, and it had continued from there.

Now, I was backstage, watching the warm-up act—some girl group trying to sing live and failing miserably. Meow.

Familiar hands reached around my waist, and a pair of equally familiar lips planted a kiss on my neck. I turned to kiss him back.

Bjorn—blond, Swedish, full of Viking genes, square-jawed and bulging with muscles, with a wide grin—kissed me back. “Nervous?”

“First night of Sallie’s biggest tour in ten years, us on for every costume change and no understudies? Piece of piss.”

He laughed.

The opening of the concert involved Bjorn and I carrying Sallie—sitting on a gold throne and wearing a crown and an ermine cape—on stage. She started by singing one of her cheesy eighties hits. Naturally, the whole audience knew every word and sang along.

Part of Bjorn's journey is getting used to having Julian as only a friend, and not a friend-with-benefits, when Julian meets his boyfriend, Troy. If you want more about their story, you'll have to read I Should Be So Lucky! 

Next time Bjorn turned up was in The Regiment of Majestic Gays. This isn't a pure romance, it's more gay fiction with elements of romance. It's an ensemble book, focused on Kieran's birthday. It takes place over a weekend where Kieran's friends from university arrive, with boyfriends, husbands, and single. Bjorn arrives single - because he doesn't do boyfriends. It starts with a prologue and the men at university. Bjorn and Julian had a friends-with-benefits arrangement even in their twenties. 

***

2002—London, the last day of term at university

“Here’s to our futures!” Julian held his glass of wine aloft and looked round the assembled group of his friends.

“Whatever they may hold,” Kieran added. “Now, promise me none of you will change.”
This was met with peals of laughter, particularly from Bjorn—standing by the bar and chatting up the barman, who hadn’t realised Bjorn was doing anything of the sort. Bjorn handed his phone number over and joined his friends at the table.

“No luck?” David asked, brushing his hands through his spiky, highlighted, blond hair.

“With time, I could persuade him. But—” Bjorn shrugged. “Why waste time?”



 “When are you two going to just admit it and start going out with each other?” Kieran had always wondered why, when they ended up in each other’s beds six times out of ten, Bjorn and Julian didn’t simply start dating.

“Boring!” Bjorn said. “Why do I want the same man to come home to night after night?” He tensed his chest muscles and tried to make his pecs dance beneath his tight muscle-fit T-shirt.

***

Most of The Regiment of Majestic Gays is set in 2016, when Kieran turns 36. Bjorn arrives and watches his friends discuss issues with their relationships, or lack thereof. Yet he is very happy being single. 

***

His friends from the gym often asked him if he had a boyfriend, commenting that a good-looking guy like him could have his pick.

“And I do, and very often,” would be Bjorn’s reply.

Although he’d said he had never had a boyfriend when asked earlier, he’d told a little white lie. Not to protect his friends’ feelings, but to protect his own.

Bjorn had had one relationship, albeit briefly, while at uni in the late-nineties.

***

While writing this I hadn't thought too deeply about Bjorn's back story or his emotional wound. Since, although he's a larger than life character, he'd only ever been a supporting cast character to the other main characters' stories. 

However, when I wrote this, suddenly, *out of nowhere* I realised why Bjorn had taken his casual sex, I'm Bjorn Fly Me attitude to not having a boyfriend. And just like that, Fabian (who was absolutely splendid fun to write) arrived on the horizon of my unconscious, fully formed and more than a match for Bjorn. 

*** 

Bjorn had been early for one of his History of Dance lectures and was staring at his mobile phone when a man appeared next to him.

“Can I sit here?” he asked in a soft, slightly feminine-sounding voice.

“Yes,” Bjorn replied, not even looking up from his phone and already irritated at being interrupted.

“You always sit here. I’ve seen you. You don’t talk to anyone else.”

That was all true, as Bjorn chose to sit right at the back of the large lecture theatre, furthest from the door, in the knowledge that few people would bother coming that far and would therefore leave him alone.

“No,” Bjorn said, still not looking up from his phone and getting more annoyed by the conversation.

“Fabian,” the man said, holding out his hand.

“I need to read. I did not prepare for this. I read now.” Bjorn frantically opened his laptop and loading last week’s lecture notes, still not even looking in the direction of the other man. If he continued to do that, Bjorn felt sure the irritating man would leave. It usually worked with other people, he’d found.

“I’m kind of here as a dare. My girlfriend dared me to talk to you. She said no one else ever talks to you. And that I couldn’t. When I say girlfriend, I mean friend who’s a girl. Because obviously, I’m not into girls that way. As you can see.” After a sigh, he said, “Sorry, you can’t see cos you’ve still not looked at me. I didn’t think you’d really be this rude. But I guess Clare was right. I lose the bet.” And then, without saying anything else, the man closed the lid of Bjorn’s laptop.

Bjorn turned in his seat wearily. “What do you want?”

“I wanted you to look at me. I guessed that would make you. Besides, I’m on a dare, so I dared myself to do it. And hey presto!”

“What is this presto?” Bjorn asked, taking in the young, slim man with short, mousy-brown hair and deep, dark-brown eyes who was sitting next to him.

“Are you always this hard work?” Fabian put his hand over Bjorn’s, and Bjorn noticed how soft Fabian’s skin was and how hairless the arm attached to the hand was.

Bjorn had left the halls of residence of a guy he’d met on an app in the Students’ Union bar last night. He could practically still feel that man’s lips on his cock, and it had been less than a couple of hours since he’d come. But now, sitting here, in the lecture theatre next to Fabian, Bjorn felt himself stiffen.

Reopening his laptop, Bjorn resolutely turned away, removing Fabian’s hand from his own and focusing on the screen. He wasn’t going to be distracted by this rude man.

Rude. Cute. Man.

The lecturer walked in and everyone fell silent. During the lecture, the lights were turned down so everyone could see the slides on the screen, and despite wanting to walk away from Fabian, Bjorn remained put. He found himself listening to the questions Fabian asked and responding to them. Commenting on the slides and sharing a quiet laugh together. Nothing worth telling anyone about afterwards—most of the jokes were strictly in the ‘you had to be there’ category—but by the end of the lecture, when the lights came up and he found himself holding hands with Fabian underneath the shelf where their laptops rested, Bjorn didn’t want to walk away. Bjorn, and one particular part of him, wanted to stay with Fabian and see where it led them.

He knew where it was likely to lead them; as they walked from the lecture theatre to the main university building, Fabian whispered a few suggestions in Bjorn’s ear about wanting to kiss him.

So, when they reached the Students’ Union bar, Bjorn said, “We go to mine. And then I fuck you.”

Fabian laughed. “Will you now? Well, I’ve already won the dare, so anything from now onwards is a bonus. But, honey, I can tell you now, we’re not going to yours, and you ain’t going to fuck me. I’ll be the one telling you if that’s going to happen.”

“This is what you want, no?” Bjorn was very confused. Why else would someone come on to him so strong and then leave the place where they’d met?

“Let’s have lunch and some drinks.” Fabian grabbed Bjorn’s hand and led him into the Students’ Union where he ordered them both a burger and the cheapest bottle of white wine on the menu.

“What if I am vegetarian?” Bjorn said, shocked when Fabian returned to the table he’d found them in the corner and told him what he’d just ordered.

“You’re not a veggie.” Fabian blinked and smiled. “Not with a body like that.”

And just like that, Bjorn knew he was in so damned much trouble because his heart was fluttering.

Bjorn’s heart didn’t flutter. Bjorn didn’t do fluttering hearts. He did fluttering other parts of the body, when he was using his tongue expertly. But not hearts. Definitely not hearts. But Bjorn’s heart fluttered, and his cock stiffened, and his breathing sped up as they drank the wine, as they ate the burgers.

Fabian ghosts Bjorn and that's it. We don't find out why he does that in The Regiment of Majestic Gays. 

So once Fabian turned up I knew Bjorn needed his own book to his very own happy ever after. I thought long and hard about the sort of man who'd work for Bjorn, and why Bjorn would give up casual sex, which he loves, to be with one man. 

And then, I realised I'd not written a second chance romance and decided that the only man who would ever match up to Bjorn, would be Fabian. Obvs. 

So Bjorn's story, as told in Say You'll Be Mine, is his reconnecting with Fabian, finding out why Fabian ghosted him all those years ago, and working out their own special way to a forever relationship. 

Fabian's mental health wobbles are basically me. It was pretty emotional to read it again during edits. But I reckon no tears in the author, no tears in the reader, right? 

Say You'll Be Mine, is also the first time I've written a happy ever after (and it totally is forever) that includes an open relationship. I know this isn't for some people. But given Bjorn wanting to retain his freedom, and given both their jobs in the entertainment industry, travelling around the world for long periods of time, it felt like the most pragmatic and honest relationship for them to create. I have friends who've been together for years and have an open relationship, and without fail, it's always about setting some clear 'rules' and sticking to them, and maintaining open communication. 

Bjorn and Fabian were no different. 

Below is when they first meet properly in Say You'll Be Mine. 

***

“You disappeared almost twenty years ago. Poof, and you were gone.” Bjorn couldn’t believe he was having to see this man, never mind discussing all this crap with him. So much for Sallie’s suggestion.

Fabian shook his head in obvious confusion. “When?”

“We were at uni. Both of us.”

Fabian said nothing.

“We dated.” Until they didn’t. Until he’d been left wondering what had happened, and Fabian had disappeared off the face of the earth. Bjorn had moved on. Hurt, but stronger, and resolved never to put himself in that situation again.

“Which uni?” Fabian asked carefully.

“Goldsmiths.” What sort of game is this man playing?

“I left there part way through…” Fabian began and then gradually a look of horror covered his face. “You’re Bjorn.”

He nodded.

“I didn’t come back. I…wasn’t well. I. I went to another uni eventually.” Fabian swallowed.

“Where?” Bjorn found his anger subsiding, his frostiness melting a little. Clearly, Fabian had no memory of what had happened.

“Central. School of Speech and Drama.”

It was, arguably, more prestigious than Goldsmiths and probably explained how Fabian was in a band while Bjorn was still only a backing dancer. God, that was a bitter thought. Bjorn didn’t know what was coming over him.

“Good?” Bjorn asked.

“Better than Goldsmiths. I think. Like I said, I don’t remember much of my time there. Including you, it seems.” Fabian blushed, red rising up his cheeks above his dark, bushy beard.

Bjorn thought how different Fabian looked now. Still the same slight build but a softening around the edges. And the beard and tattoos weren’t what Bjorn would have expected back at uni. But twenty years is a long time. Even he had changed since then. A bit.

Fabian went on, stroking his beard, saying, “It sort of all got too much for me then. I was taken home by my parents. I wasn’t well—” He stopped suddenly as if he wished he hadn’t shared.

“I was worried about you.” Bjorn wanted to say more, but he didn’t want to frighten Fabian away.

“Why?” Fabian swallowed and wiped a stray tear from his cheek.

Bjorn handed him a tissue. “Do not cry. It is not worth crying.”

Fabian took a few minutes to compose himself. “I’m not a hundred per cent at the moment. Sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you. We’ve just met.”

Bjorn put his hand on Fabian’s where it rested on the table. “No, we have not just met. I know you.” Or knew him. He also realised he wanted to get to know Fabian once again. Because whatever had happened meant Fabian had completely forgotten being Bjorn’s boyfriend—forgotten he had left Bjorn—and now he was saying he wasn’t well. Bjorn’s cold heart began to thaw. “What happened?”

***

These books also link with the Kieran and Kev series, but explaining that can wait for another post! 

Hope you've enjoyed this, 

Love and light, 

Liam xx

This year has been a challenge for everyone, myself included. I’ve taken the opportunity of less travel to focus on my writing this year.

​I’ve reached December and I think it’s fair to say I’m tired, but when I worked out what I’d achieved this year, I think I know why…  

Re-releases
I've re-released five books. Some included a rewrite with additional content to the enhanced version. 

New releases
I've released six books. 

If you'd like to join my Facebook group where we talk books, I share snippets of my works in progress and much more, it's Liam's Tea and Chat. 

I have set up Liam's Lovely ARCs, for those who love reviewing what they read. You have early copies of my new releases. 

You can sign up to my newsletter through this website. I won't spam you and only email you when I have new books out, special offers etc. 

Here's to a brilliant 2021, 

Love and light, 

​Liam xx

So happy to announce my final book of 2020 is Fabian and Bjorn's super romantic celebrity-encrusted gay romance! 

Bjorn is a backing dancer. On tour, he sleeps his way around the world, no strings attached. Since his heart was broken by the one man he loved, Fabian, he doesn’t do romance. He doesn’t believe in people ‘having’ or ‘owning’ each other.

Fabian is a member of pop group, Moves. Single, mentally wobbly and heartbroken after his boyfriend cheated and sold the story to the press, he believes in romance and loving one man forever. Except he’s never met anyone who comes close to Bjorn, his university boyfriend.

Unknown to each other, they’re involved in this year’s big charity Christmas single. Snowed in, they’re forced to confront what happened twenty years ago. How can they grab their second chance, when one wants Mr. Right and the other wants Mr. Right Now…

Say You’ll Be Mine is a second-chance, snowed-in gay romance, featuring opposites attract, celebrity, an open relationship, and a guaranteed happy ever after.

​Grab yourself a copy now on Amazon, while it's reduced for the first few days after coming out! 

These two titles are now also available in paperback for those who prefer to read physical books. 

Silver Daddy Jingle Bells is a new release. If Pretty Woman and a Christmas movie had a gay romance love child... Grant and Matt were so much fun to write! 

Coincidental Christmas Boyfriend is a re-release of some novellas from 2013. They've got a new cover, blurb and the story has been combined from three novellas into one full length novel, revised and enhanced with about 23% extra content. ​

I hope you have a lovely Christmas, whatever you're doing! 

Love and light, 

​Liam xx

I love Christmas. The food, the music, the family and friends, everything. 

I love writing Christmas stories too. 

Here's all my festive stories, in one place. Except Silver Daddy and Coincidental Christmas Boyfriend, they're all reduced, (approx 40% - 50% off) so be sure to grab yourself a bargain! 

Silver Daddy Jingle Bells
If Pretty Woman and a Christmas movie had a gay romance love-child...

Silver Daddy, Jingle Bells is a steamy age gap gay romance, featuring opposites attract, bisexual awakenings and more festive sparkle than you can shake a large Christmas tree at. 
Please note: Grant and Matt go on a voyage of emotional discovery which they very much need to have sex about. ​

Grab yourself a copy on Amazon. 

A New Life For Christmas is a life swap, opposites attract story, inspired by the film, The Holiday. A house exchange between two single men leads to a romantic new life for both of them. 

​Grab your copy on Amazon.  

Coincidental Christmas BoyfriendDavid 
I’ve split-up with my out-of-work, cheating boyfriend. Missing the familiarity of spending Christmas with someone, I'm staying with friends and escaping my sadness in the gym.

Except I didn’t bank on slim, shy and oh-so-broken Christian. Rejected by his homophobic parents and uncommitted boyfriend, he’s spending Christmas with us too. He's suggested how to forget our hurts, which has me hot and tempted, but I've sworn off men.
​
Anyway, he’s far too good for me. A whizz in the kitchen, he has too much sass and is everything my ex-boyfriend wasn’t. I'm absolutely not imagining us making a life together. I’m definitely staying single.

Grab yourself a copy on Amazon now. 

Say You'll Be Mine is about Bjorn, a backing dancer and Fabian, a member of a pop group working their way to their very own happy ever after. ​It's a second-chance, snowed-in gay romance, featuring opposites attract, celebrity, an open relationship, and a guaranteed happy ever after. 

​Grab yourself a copy on Amazon now. 

Happy Christmas everyone, 
​
Love and light, 

Liam xxx

I’ve been writing since 2011 and I’ve evolved how I do this over the years. Sometimes people ask how I write so much, while working full time. Well, basically, I write quickly and edit slowly, in a series of stages. I find writing quickly is easier, helps me minimise continuity errors and keeps me in the heads of the characters and their story. Writing slowly and writing quickly aren’t better than one another, they’re just different ways of writing.
Using my last full length story Silver Daddy Jingle Bells, as an example, I’m going to describe how I write. The details of what needs fixing in edits, exactly how long it takes for each stage, all vary by each book. But overall the main ‘process’ of my writing has settled down to being quite consistent.
As with anything to do with writing, this is what works for me, I’m not saying this is how you should write.
I have friends who write into the mist, without outlining a single word, allowing the characters to come to them as they write. I know others who write and edit as they go along, so when they write the end, they’re at the end of my Stage 4.


1 – The Idea and Characters
I start with an idea – this is usually a character, or a situation, or a question about something. For Silver Daddy Jingle Bells, I was talking to an author friend about their Christmas 2020 story, which included a rent boy. She said, ‘It’s rough, and edgy, so it’s not like Pretty Woman.’ Which set off my brain wondering if I could write a gay romance with that fairy tale, perfect Cinderella vibe I love so much about Pretty Woman. That, plus current events where a famous TV presenter came out as gay earlier this year, and I had the germ of an idea.
I think about the main characters H1 and H2. Consider which tropes I’d like to include in this story. This one included among others: opposites attract, rent boy, celebrity, age gap…I write 3-4 lines about H1, and the same about H2. Age, build, hair colour, a little about their past, their current situation. I add to this as I write, but I like to have the essentials thought out before I start writing.
I like to use the Emotional Wound Thesaurus to give the characters’ backstory some teeth and make it clear how that influenced how they behave now. For romance I find it helps to be clear on their emotional conflict and what is keeping them from being with the other main character. Because if it’s all perfect and easy at the start, they meet, get together and the story ends after one chapter.
Matt, the rent boy had been homeless, from when his parents threw him out after he came out. So he has trust issues, uses sex to get what he wants, hasn’t known real care-taking, love in his life.
Grant, the celebrity has lived in the public eye for most of his life, is used to performing and pretending who he is, even when he’s not on TV, has been the provider and head of his perfect family for decades. But he’s lonely from being divorced, doesn’t know who he is without his family.
I pick a picture so I can ‘see’ H1 and H2. I find it really helps when I’m imagining what they’ll do throughout the story. This can be from the internet, real life, or somewhere else.
I think about another few secondary characters, and how they relate to H1 and H2, make brief notes about them, but not necessarily including their emotional wounds or emotional conflicts, because the story isn’t about them, it’s about H1 and H2’s journey towards their happy ever after.


2 – Outlining
I like to outline, but not in as much detail as I used to. I outline one or two scenes, write them, then outline the next few. I find this makes the story grow organically as I get to know the characters. If I have ideas about out of sequence scenes or themes to include, I note them on Post Its and stick them onto another piece of paper.
I’ve found Romancing the Beat invaluable for outlining. It includes the 4 acts of a romance novel, within these are ‘beats’ or elements you can include. There’s no set order, no set length for any part. Although act 1 comes before act 2 etc. I use these ‘beats’ when outlining. My outlines are brief, and I list whose point of view each section is from.
As an example, and it won’t be a spoiler because the first few chapters are available to download as a sample anyway, here’s what I wrote in the outline for the first few scenes:


H1 (Matt)
Leaving a client’s hotel doesn’t want to shower
an older guy who used him
thinks of £
Arrives home w flatmate 2 discuss rent £ owed
landlord came earlier re eviction
Can’t be homeless now b/c H1 spent last Xmas on the streets
Bone tired and dirty – showers – gets msg on rent boy app for client


(In the final draft, after the other parts of this process, which I’ll come onto, this 58 words became chapter 1, which is 3780 words.)


H2 (Grant)
After a day of smiling – finished filming talent show – and pretending, he speaks w his ex-wife re he’s seeing the kids for NYE, and she’s got them for Xmas.
The itch of alcohol reappears. He resists, hotel room and surfs porn instead.
Another itch reappears – an ad for men for the night
finds a clean, young guy + books him


(In the final draft, this 62 words became 2600 words of Chapter 2, before the point of view flips back to Matt.)


I always outline in coloured ink – a whole page of black ink bores me and I don’t want to write the story. Alternating colours by who’s POV we’re in seems to maintain the excitement to write it. I also absolutely can not outline on computer. If I start doing that I end up writing the story.


3 – First Draft
With my character bio to one side of my keyboard, and the outline to the other, I write my first draft. I alternate outlining and drafting, right through until I reach the end of the story. No going back, no tinkering with edits, nothing. Right. To. The. End. (I find that otherwise I end up tinkering endlessly with the first 3 chapters and never reach the end of telling the story.)
I write in order, one scene after the other. I rarely change the order of what I’ve written. Although in another story I had chapter 3 as All The Backstory. Which wasn’t a good idea, so I broke it down and wove it among the first 4 chapters. But usually, the order in which I write it is the order it ends up in the final story.
First Drafting Liam leaves Future Editing Liam notes in square brackets for things to fix or research. I don’t want to stop and look something up on the internet while I’m writing on a device that I’m using specifically because it doesn't connect to the internet. In this story First Drafting Liam’s notes included:

• Black trunk underwear [what are they called? Research this]
  
• [surname] I always add in these in later edits
  
• 45 pages in [add in earlier that the landlord doesn’t fix things…]
  
• [disability research this] in a discussion Matt has about a previous client who had a disability, I wasn’t sure what this would be but knew that the point of the discussion was to show how Matt cares about his clients, their needs, whoever they are
  
• [name] minor character names, I add in later
  
• [change this at the start, so it’s Drew’s fault more than Matthew’s] in relation to the flat, landlord, rent etc
  

My first draft is always just the bare bones of the story. It usually has very little setting or description, I am literally just telling myself the story. I include the internal dialogue, plus external dialogue and actions, but that’s about it.
I write in ‘rounds’ of 50 mins, with music to block out background noise, using Monica, my trusty Alphasmart Neo because it doesn’t connect to the internet.
The first draft was 54,000 words which took about a month, ranging from 0 to 6 ‘rounds’ per day. In total it was 37 x 50 min rounds, plus 20 mins. This doesn’t include the outlining time, or the character biographies, as described above, which was about another 4-6 hours.


4 - Self editing


This starts with reading the whole story, as an e-book, from start to finish. I make electronic annotated notes on the e-book and these focus on big content edit issues. Reading it as an e-book helps me stop tinkering with spelling and makes my brain focus on reading it ‘as a book.’ I do not worry about typos, punctuation etc at this stage. These notes on the e-book version of the story included:

• Point of view wobbles where I’d shifted out of one character’s head and inadvertently into another, while in the same scene.
  
• Consistency with characters’ motivations, back story etc. Issues with the romance or pacing being too slow or too fast.
  
• Timeline problems.
  
• No Christmas. At. All.
  

I return to the story and fix these big picture content edit issues. The biggest issue in Silver Daddy Jingle Bells was that for a Christmas story, it contained almost no Christmas. No snow, no presents, no tinsel, no Christmas trees, nothing. So at this stage, I wrote extra words which included layering in Christmas to the existing parts, plus writing new Christmassy scenes. These extra scenes, of course, I wrote out of order, but I wrote the new ones starting from the beginning, moving through the story, until the end. So the relationship development flowed along with the order in which I wrote these new scenes.
At this stage I’m layering and weaving in to fix these content issues, resolving inconsistencies etc.
Then I go through the story again and fix the original [First Drafting Liam’s square bracket fixes] which are usually smaller and simpler than the big picture content edit stuff I’ve just done. I do internet research in a batch, with a list of things to look up, before stepping away from the internet.
Then I have another edit through, which this time is a line edit – making sure that I’ve used the best phrase for that thing I’m describing. Looking out for repeated words near one another. I search for my crux words: particularly, rather, just, started to, began to, nodded, looked, that.
At this point I also fix typos and spelling mistakes. Note, I’ve not looked at these before this point, because otherwise I find I’m worrying about a semicolon rather than whether H1’s conflict is believable or not. Or I’m checking whether it should be ‘rent boy’, or ‘rentboy’ rather than if the character’s family history has believably led him to becoming a rentboy and his hang ups with relationships. They’re both important things, but the latter is much more important to most readers’ enjoyment of a book.
And then, and only then, I do one read through for proofreading. I do this from the back of the book to the front. Obviously I read from top to bottom of each page, but by reading backwards it helps me not become distracted and lost in the story and the emotions and conflicts within, and focus on the actual words on the page.
This self editing stage took 11 days, but part of that I was on a writing retreat in Rhodes, so this would more typically tend to take up to another month. This stage took a total of 33 hours and 20mins. It added 22,000 words too.


The end 4
And then it goes to my editor. Where we’ll do at least 3 rounds of edits together. This took about 3 weeks and added another 2,000 words. Once my editor’s finished, I’ll read it again for another final proof read and to check anything’s been missed while it was covered in track changes.
There follows the book typesetting and publishing process, which is a whole different post.
I hope this has been useful and interesting for those who are interested in how I write my stories. 

If you've found it useful or interesting, please consider leaving a small tip and buying one of my books! 

​They're all here on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk 

Love and light,
Liam xx

​December 2020 marks seven years since I became a published author. My first was a Christmas novella called Serendipity, published by JMS Books in December 2013. It’s now been combined with the other 2 novellas in that series, and re-released as Coincidental Christmas Boyfriend.

As I reach the end of 2020 I thought I’d reflect back on that seven years.

It’s 28 published books and 1,717,000 words. This includes one non-fiction book, Marketing the Romance, and one ghostwritten book. I’ve counted my three novellas as one book at their re-released length. There’s one book I’ve not yet re-released, which was previously published.

I'm looking forward to writing more gay romance with humour, emotion, sparkle and hoping they give people some escape from what can be a difficult world.

Love and light,

Liam xx