On NaNoWriMo and a New Release

According to the calendar I’ve still got today before November ends and NaNoWriMo is over, but I officially finished writing for this month yesterday. And I have to say I’m quite proud of what I’ve achieved.

The plan was to write the second book in a Dublin trilogy I’m working on. I know it is a cliché, but this story really did write itself and I was finished with it AND had reached my NaNo word count by November 21^st. 

Keeping an eye on my daily and overall word count made me curious about how many words I would end up writing in total this month, so I decided to create a spreadsheet in which I not only tracked the words I wrote for the new book—working title Equality— but also my flash fictions and guest posts.

Just when I thought I had done all the writing I needed to do this month, I realised that the developments in Equality meant the first book—Patience— which I thought I was more or less finished with, could do with three more chapters. Of course those words were added to the spreadsheet too, and brought the grand total for the month to 67401. Imagine what I could achieve if I managed to write as much every month of the year J For the curious, here’s a screenshot of my spreadsheet.

As coincidence (or not) would have it, Scenes from Adelaide Road, which goes on general release tomorrow, was written during NaNoWriMo last year. I’ll share all the information about this book below, but won’t add an excerpt. If you’d like to get a glimpse at the book you can find excerpts here and here, and two more excerpts will be shared during my visits to various blogs over the next two weeks.

Because I thought it might be nice to share some original fiction here I’ve decided to give you a small glimpse at Patience. Please keep in mind that the following scene, in which Xander and Troy share their first kiss, is unedited.

Troy wasn’t entirely sure if it happened by accident or if it had been his intention all along, but when he took the card from Xander, his fingers stroked Xander’s hand. He saw Xander’s throat work as he swallowed and realized the artist was as affected by their proximity as Troy was.

The silence between them, as they stared at each other should have been uncomfortable but felt natural. When they simultaneously shortened the distance between them, Troy wasn’t surprised at all. The kiss, when it happened, was soft and sweet...until it wasn’t. Troy had no idea when it changed or who had been the driving force behind the transition but within seconds the soft meeting of lips had turned into a heated battle between tongues. He raised his arm and grabbed the back of Xander’s neck, pulling him closer. God, the man tasted good. A soft groan escaped when he came up for air before losing himself in those lips, that tongue, those strong broad hands on his arse, pulling him close. He wanted more. He wanted skin on skin, dick on dick. Troy ground his crotch against Xander and it didn’t take a lot of imagination to visualise what it would look and feel like if both of them were naked.

“Sorry,” Xander pulled back, his heavy breathing and enlarged pupils belying his action. “I can’t do this right now.”

What the fuck? “You can’t do this right now? What does that even mean? Don’t tell me you don’t want it. I can taste your need, and it’s as urgent as mine.”

****

And that brings me to my new release:

Scenes from Adelaide Road

By Helena Stone

About the book:

Can a young man find the courage he never knew he had when faced with losing everything he holds dear?

A few months before his final exams in secondary school, nineteen-year-old Lennart Kelly discovers he’s inherited a house on Adelaide Road in Dublin from a grandfather he never knew. Having been ignored, bullied and abused for as long as he can remember, Lennart can’t wait to leave behind his father and the small town he grew up in. Moving away as soon as he finishes his exams doesn’t cure his deep-rooted insecurities though.

Meeting twenty-three-year-old Aidan Cassidy in a gay club on his second night in Dublin, scares Lennart. Used to being ignored and ridiculed, he doesn’t trust the attention he receives and can’t believe a man like Aidan could possibly be interested in him. It takes infinite patience and understanding from Aidan to slowly coax Lennart out of his shell.

But the past refuses to stay where it belongs and Lennart’s father is determined to take the house in Dublin off his son by whatever means necessary. Just when Lennart is learning to trust and embrace life, a violent attack threatens everything he holds dear. Suddenly Lennart is in danger of losing his house, the man he’s grown to love and maybe even his life. If Lennart wants to protect Aidan and safeguard his future, he’ll have to find the courage he never knew he had.

Ø  General Release: December 1, 2015

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Pages: 188

Genre: Contemporary Romance / MM / NA

Buy links: Pride Publishing                   Amazon.com                   Amazon.co.uk

Link to book trailer: YouTube

About the Author:

Helena Stone can’t remember a life before words and reading. After growing up in a household where no holiday or festivity was complete without at least one new book, it’s hardly surprising she now owns more books than shelf space while her Kindle is about to explode.

The urge to write came as a surprise. The realisation that people might enjoy her words was a shock to say the least. Now that the writing bug has well and truly taken hold, Helena can no longer imagine not sharing the characters in her head and heart with the rest of the world.

Having left the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam for the peace and quiet of the Irish Country side she divides her time between reading, writing, long and often wet walks with the dog, her part-time job in a library, a grown-up daughter and her ever loving and patient husband.

Helena can be found in the following places:

Author website      GoodReads   Facebook     Twitter         Pinterest