In the last few years, I’ve been fortunate to meet many famous authors, and no
matter how much I’ve enjoyed their work I’ve never had a problem speaking to
them. They’re only people, after all. But that all changed when I read HOT HEAD
by Damon Suede.
Suddenly, I became Stalker Fan Girl.
How this happened.
My totally irrational condition began several years ago when
Mr. Suede entered the manuscript in a contest of which I was one of the
preliminary judges. I was fortunate to get to read the first twenty-five pages
of HOT HEAD before it was published. Those few pages simply blew me away.
I told everyone I knew that this book would be something
special then eagerly awaited the day it would be available to the public. I had
no idea who the author was (that’s the way contests work), so armed with only
the title (hoping it wouldn’t be changed), I stalked Amazon (praying some
intelligent editor would see what I saw and buy the manuscript.)
Then…one day the heavens opened and there it was. The book I
had waited nearly a year to read.
I bought it.
I read it.
I became Stalker Fan
Girl.
The manifestation of Stalker tendencies.
I am so in awe of his talent that I couldn’t muster the
nerve to introduce myself earlier this year when I attended a conference he was
speaking at. I was afraid, coming face-to-face with my idol, I wouldn’t be able
to force words past my lips. So, I worshiped from afar. Until last week.
The entire story is too long to write about here, so I’ll
cut to the chase, or the stalking, as the case may be.
Sitting next to the fabulous Jade Lee during the eBookExpo/Booksigning, we watched fan after fan approach the super-awesome Damon
Suede who was three rows over, directly in front of us. Knowing Jade and Damon
are friends, I mentioned my reluctance to meet the man. Well, that was like
waving a green flag in front of Jade. She sprung into action, dragging me out
of my seat and across the crowded room. There I stood, mouth agape, staring
like a crazed stalker at Damon while Jade introduced us.
At last, we meet.
“I’ve heard about you,” Damon said, suspicion in his voice.
(This is the part of the story I skipped over earlier. Clearly my stalker status preceded me).
I hastened to explain. I can’t remember exactly what I said,
but I mentioned the contest, that I had asked the contest coordinator to
forward my contact information to the author…. Yes, I gushed, I rambled, I
babbled.
I said the magic words (I guess), and suddenly, he
understood!
Long story short—he remembered the comments I made on his
contest entry, and no, he never received my message.
“That was you?” he asked.
“That was me,” I squeaked, relief flooding through me. I had
poured so much of myself into critiquing those few pages, not to mention
gushing and bowing to genius when it was warranted. And he remembered!
Giving credit where credit is due.
I don’t begin to
believe I had any part in the success of HOT HEAD. The manuscript was beyond
special when I first saw it, and the completed book, spectacular. Every author
has help, critique partners, editors, and beta readers who influence the final
version of their book, but first there must be talent and a unique voice.
Damon Suede has talent and a unique voice.
I want to write like Damon Suede when I grow up.
I’m still a bit intimidated by Damon’s talent, but I’m no
longer intimidated by the man himself. He was nothing but gracious and
understanding with his Stalker Fan Girl, and just in case he sees this post—I’m
going to slink quietly back into stalkerdom now so it's safe to go out in public. :-)
The evidence.
Thanks to Jade Lee, there is a photographic record of my
initial meeting with Damon.
Yeah, that’s the face of a totally besotted
stalker. J
Your chance to confess.
Who brings out the stalker in you? Each comment below will enter you to win an awesome package of SWAG from authors who attended the RT Booklovers Convention last week in Kansas City. I'll even part with some Damon Suede SWAG!
And here’s the review I posted on Goodreads and Amazon last
year.
We all know where we were on the morning of September 11th, 2001 when the world as we know it altered beyond comprehension. I was three thousand miles away, watching the live news coverage, horrified as the towers of the World Trade Center collapsed. Less than a year earlier, I sat on a bench in the plaza at WTC with my youngest daughter, eating hot dogs from a street vendor and marveling at the energy vibrating through the air.
Two months post 9/11 I was back in the city, this time with my oldest daughter. By then, much work had been done at the WTC site, but no amount of debris clearing could erase the overwhelming sense of sadness that had settled over the city. Healing had begun, but the wound was still raw, and far from being scabbed over. We visited the site to pay our respects to those who’d lost their lives there, and where once I had been moved by the energy of commerce surrounding me, I felt as if a black hole had opened up and swallowed everything good that had once occupied the space.
Hot Heads takes place ten years post 9/11, but Griff Muir, a New York City firefighter, is still dealing with the emotional trauma of that day. Through Griff’s eyes, we experience the horror of the event, and the day-to-day struggle to deal with the emotional upheaval so many brave first responders went through.
It’s human nature, following a tragic event, to reassess what’s important in our lives. Brave enough to risk his life amid collapsing skyscrapers, Griff struggles with a personal truth that threatens to bring down everything he holds dear, and he’d rather run into a burning building than admit he’s in love with Dante, his best friend and a fellow firefighter.
Griff can only stand by and watch as Dante digs himself deeper and deeper into financial trouble. When Dante finally admits he needs Griff’s help, the solution he’s come up with is Griff’s private dream and a public nightmare that might destroy them both if Griff can’t find a way out.
Extremely well written, the emotions will tug at your heart, and you’ll want to keep a fire extinguisher handy because the sex scenes are guaranteed to light your fire.
Damon Suede takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster and reminds us that bravery and heroism aren’t allocated according to sexual orientation, and that sometimes, loving might be the bravest thing of all.
I was simply blown away by this book. I give it 5 Stars
