Happy 2024 everyone!
I hope your holiday season was safe and made you smile. I hope you had lots of fantastic books to read, and I hope on hope, that your 2024 is off to a wonderful start.
This week on the blog please give a warm welcome to CD Rachels.
Author Bio
CD Rachels has been coming up with stories since he was little.
First it was fanfiction, then YA queer novels, and now he’s moved up to the big leagues of adult MM romance. In 2020 during quarantine, he burned through more male/male romance books than he ever had in the previous 29 years combined.
He believes there aren’t enough BIPOC MC’s in MM romance, and he’s on a mission to change that.
He lives in New York City with the love of his life and works in health insurance. If you’re reading this, he’s honored that you took the time to help support him as a self-published author.
CD’s Quirky Questions
Holly: Describe yourself using… (choose one: a food, a book, a song, a movie, an animal, a drink, a place etc)
CD: I’m definitely the TV show Community. I’ve got quick wit, flaws, zany interactions, multiple genres, and, most importantly, plenty of heart and character development.
Holly: If you could create a new holiday, what would it be? Why?
CD: Is there a holiday celebrating gym rats like myself? Maybe like a ‘Celebrate Gym-Goers Day’?
Holly: Name an underappreciated novel that you love. What is it about this book that you adore?
CD: “The Vast Fields of Ordinary” by Nick Burd is a YA LGBT novel that made me come out. So it’ll always be special to me.
Holly: What was the weirdest thing you had to Google for your story?
CD: A lot of random Japanese phrases. I don’t know any Japanese, so I ended up cutting a lot of them, but I wanted the terminology to be realistic. The things you need to do for authenticity!
Holly: Let’s talk to your characters for a minute – what’s it like to work for such a demanding writer?
CD’s characters:
“The demands aren’t too much.” –Ravi
“Just the occasional drama.” –Steven (from “The Lines We Draw”)
“We’re generally pretty happy with our endings.”- Sly (from “The Roles We Own”). “Yeah but getting there was rough. He dragged me through it. Torture levels, mes amis.” –Robesy (from “Drive Back to You”)
“Aren’t you guys like millionaire motorsports dudes?” –Omar
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Plenty of painful moments.” –Damon (from “Drive to Thrive”)
“We have drama, too. He broke my heart.” –Landon (from “The Moves We Make”)
“Did he put you in a high-speed car crash?” –Daisuke
“Fair point.” –Dane
Holly: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
CD: I’m a both-er! I need the ideas and vibes and character arcs to be the framework to drive me forward. But I’m never afraid to, off the cusp, add a side plot or a spice scene. Whatever the story cadence needs!
Holly: How many books are you usually working on at the same time? How many unfinished WIPs do you have?
CD: I’ve been so good I only write one book at a time! I haven’t gotten to the point where I craft multiple books at once, so it’s really only one WIP. General ideas and vibes don’t count!
Failing A Bluff Check
Blurb:
My best friend’s brother has to pretend to be my boyfriend—how could this possibly backfire?
When I need a date for my cousin Omar’s wedding, I don’t even think of asking my best friend’s brother. Johnny Shiba—my hot as sin, teenage gay awakening—has been gone for years. But now he’s moved back in with his brother and me, and, no, he hasn’t gotten less hot.
Being in close quarters with him, my decade-long crush only burns brighter. We can’t cross that line because I could never betray my bestie—not that Johnny has any interest in me.
When he agrees to be my fake boyfriend for a weekend, it’s just a friend thing, right? And when we meet my career idol and he adores our fake relationship, Johnny helps me cement the charade. Kissing, holding each other, and telling me how attractive he finds me are all parts of the bluff.
Our heated moments and intimate touches could never mean anything. And if we roll in the sheets for fun, surely that’s all part of the lying game. I can hold my real feelings at bay, keep my best friend happy, and prevent career humiliation—I have to.
Strategy and card games have always been easy for me. But this might be one bluff check I won’t be able to pass for long.
“Failing a Bluff Check” is a male/male adult romantic-comedy featuring beach life, drum kits, slow dances, drinking on boats, and yes, fake dating between rounds of board games. Roll the dice with book 1 of the Single Gamer’s Society. These queer nerds are looking for love, and bluff or fold, they play to win.
Excerpt
“Damn, we were at school for a while,” I muse.
Firass bites his lips and shifts uncomfortably in the seat. “Um, yeah.”
With the engine off and no one in sight, the car now feels intimate. I tap my fingers on the steering wheel just to fill the silence. It dawns on me that I don’t care whether or not Firass leaves. He’s a chill little guy who’s grown a few inches in the past few years, and he’s loyal to my weird brother. Firass is alright in my book.
He unbuckles, then hesitates more than he usually does in my presence. Staring at the road in front of me, I ask, “What did you wanna ask me?”
“Huh?”
“I can feel your question from here, so you might as well ask it.”
From my periphery, I notice Firass bite his lip and look down. “Are you like…aren’t you concerned about those guys telling everyone that you’re…that I’m…?” He waves his hands aimlessly, and I almost want to laugh.
“That I’m your boyfriend?” I snicker, and Firass freezes. Turning to him, I say, “If lying about that gets those idiots off your back, then so be it. I’m graduating in a few months and getting the hell out of here.”
Firass’s shoulders slump and he slowly rotates to leave. A question pops into my head and out of my mouth before I have the wisdom to stop it. “Is it true what they said?”
Firass raises his eyebrows at me, looking like a doe-eyed deer of a Bangladeshi kid. He gulps and shrugs. “It’s…all in theory…but yeah, I have no interest in um…girls…and I kind of like boys. So I guess, by definition, that does make me gay.”
I shake my head. “Not that—that you’ve never been kissed.”
His shoulders slump even more, and I didn’t think this little nerd could be even more despondent than he was ten seconds ago. I barely remember a time when I was concerned about such a thing. Girls and the occasional boy have been tossing themselves at me since I was in elementary school. Shy nerdy Firass really has to put up with bullies and his own insecurities. Something about that infuriates me to no end.
So, without thinking too much, I lean across the stick shift to my right. Pulling him by his gray t-shirt, I slowly, gently move my face closer to his. I pause for a second, giving him the option to break away. His eyes dart to my lips, but he’s otherwise frozen. It feels like no one else exists on the planet, so I let him have this one little secret, something to hold on to after I’m long gone.
I put my lips on Firass’s mouth. I barely move around his surprisingly soft lips, and let the touch sweetly linger, giving him all the time in the world. His lips move forward slightly, giving me back some delicate pressure, and I’m pleasantly surprised that he smells so good.
I’ve made out with several boys, usually hurried affairs in darkened rooms, but this tender moment is nice, too.
When we finally pull apart, Firass looks shocked, like he discovered the secrets to the universe. “It’s so not a big deal, Rossy Baby.” I smile and my eyes dart down to his swollen mouth. “It’s just a first kiss. And now you can check that off your list.” I pat his cheek playfully, then bounce back to my seat.
I start up my car, and Firass’s eyes dart to his right, then back to me multiple times. “You got school tomorrow. And homework and shit, right?”
“Uh, yeah,” he mutters. He reaches for the door and slowly opens it up.
“Then have a good night, Firass Odom,” I say, staring straight out into the street.
“Goodnight, Johnny Shiba.” I can hear the smile on his face as he gets out.
It wasn’t a bad kiss at all, but he’s my brother’s best friend, his other half—I won’t be crossing that line, ever again. It’s our secret, and I think Firass knows that.
While I drive away, I touch my lip, feeling the ghost of his sweet mouth. Man, I might actually miss that little nerd when I leave Newlantic and never come back.
CD’s Socials
He has a website! Visit www.cdrachelsauthor.com
Get all the graphic teasers and wacky reels on Instagram and Tiktok: @cdrachels
The fastest way to contact him is to DM him on his Facebook group, where he hosts polls where YOU can affect the story: “CD Rachels’ Chill Discourse Room”
I hope you enjoyed this week’s episode of Holly’s Quirky Questions.
I’m sorry I don’t have any friends to shout about or what I’ve been reading section this week. I’ve been away from my PC, soaking up some much-needed sun and family time, but next week, I’ll have my holiday reading list to share with you all.
A huge thank you to CD. You are awesome!
Next week we have Jackie Keswick
Until then: Find a Spark of Magic Every Day.
