Authorpreneur Dashboard – Lex Chase
Checkmate Ever After
Gay & Lesbian
The day disgraced superhero Memphis Rook literally fell into Hogarth Dawson’s lap, you could say it was fate. But the brawny Rook did nearly crush Garth’s pancreas. What started as two ships passing in the night ended on the weirdest adventure of their lives. Together, Rook and Garth form Checkmate, a daring super duo that keeps Axis City safe from a rogue’s gallery of nefarious villains, dastardly masterminds, and a coalition of calamity. Fighting evil wherever it appears—from reality shows to comic book conventions—Checkmate serves up knuckle sandwiches of justice. But by day, they’re a couple of broke losers who can barely afford a burger and navigating a weird thing called a relationship. Ain’t true love grand? Rook and Garth may be in over their heads, and even super heroes fail sometimes, but they’re ready to take a stand when no one else will. Don’t hate the players, because Checkmate owns the game.
Book Bubbles from Checkmate Ever After
Loving and Loathing Vegas
Gay & Lesbian
Jackson has loved Vegas since God created Man—literally. As demonic incubi hailing from the Seventh Circle of Hell, Jackson and Vegas have never been anything more than roommates. Now living among humans, they run Eaven, a TripAdvisor-recommended detour-worthy diner famous for its devilishly decadent pies. Business is dead on the holidays, and Jackson will gleefully stab himself with a spatula if he has to clean spotless pots and pans one more time. For fun—or torture—Vegas makes him a bet that should Jackson win, they take a much-needed vacation. Should he lose, he’s doomed to clean out grease traps for all eternity. When the challenge is to fall in love with other people by Christmas, it proves Vegas isn’t the least bit interested. But when they find an abandoned baby in the trash, she could be the Christmas miracle to warm Jackson’s cynical heart. A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2015 Advent Calendar package "Sleigh Ride".
Book Bubbles from Loving and Loathing Vegas
Incubi, Babies, and Damned Good Pie
I love Twin Peaks. I repeat. I LOVE Twin Peaks. I love the idea of the extraordinary among the completely ordinary. Enter Jackson and Vegas, two ordinary guys on the outside who happen to be sexy incubi on the inside. I used Twin Peaks as my guiding inspiration. You take two seemingly average guys who aren't so average, and make their lives as complicated as possible. When saddled with caring for an abandoned baby, suddenly even their extraordinary lives can even get a little weird.
Some Assembly Required
Gay & Lesbian
Everyone wishes they were dead when wandering the purgatory of a home furnishings store, but these guys actually are. Benji Goss is the quintessential good guy. When his boyfriend dumps him and moves out, Benji obligingly keeps the cat—even though he’s allergic—because his ex’s new place doesn’t accept pets. He’s always joked the cat would be the death of him, but not in a way he expects when a feline mishap crushes him under a DEL TORO bookcase. Snarky loner Patrick Bryant is in such a rut he barely remembers the life he used to lead. The last thing he recalls is being decapitated by a DEL TORO bookcase in a freak accident. As a spiritual CASA resident, he haunts the aisles of affordable Italian furniture, assisting fellow spirits in moving on to their final destinations. When Benji appears in the CASA café, Patrick considers the naïve spirit just the man to cure his boredom. Benji’s relentless optimism chips away at Patrick’s sarcasm, making him question if there’s something beyond what he can see. But the heart is like CASA furniture—there’s always some assembly required.
Book Bubbles from Some Assembly Required
The Saga of the MILAN Bed
Our first introduction to Patrick, we learn not only does he sleep in the CASA bedroom showroom, but he's very attached to his MILAN bed. Bordering on unreasonable. From the luxurious memory foam mattress to his duvet and pillows. But not only that, he's a spirit haunting CASA for all eternity. His bed is the only thing that brings him comfort in his purgatory, and of all the things, he will fight to protect it. Bru Baker and I had a lot of fun with Some Assembly Required in describing the furniture and making CASA a living, breathing entity.
You're The Death Of Me
When Bru Baker and I set off to write this crazy book about two dead guys who meet in the afterlife in the purgatory of a home goods furnishing store called CASA, we never thought it would work. But it did. And we had a fantastic time doing it. Bru took the helm with the first chapter, where we meet Benji and his picture perfect albeit a little empty life. We learn like all cats, Mr. Whiskers is an epic jackass who will be the death of him. Some Assembly Required is a little cracky, a lot silly, and full of heart.
Americana Fairy Tale
Gay & Lesbian
Screw-up Princess and Skillful Huntsman Trilogy: Book One A Fairy Tales of the Open Road Novel Modern fairy-tale princess Taylor Hatfield has problems. One: he’s a guy. Two: his perfect brother Atticus is the reincarnation of Snow White. Three: Taylor has no idea which princess he is supposed to be. Four: Taylor just left his prince (a girl) at the altar. Despite his enchanted lineage, Taylor is desperate to find his Happily Ever After away from magic, witches, and stuffy traditions. Regrettably, destiny has other plans for him. Dammit. When word reaches Taylor that Idi the Witchking has captured Atticus, Taylor is determined to save his brother. He enlists the help of rakish and insufferable Corentin Devereaux, likewise of enchanted lineage. A malicious spell sends Taylor and Corentin on a road trip through the kitschy nostalgia of roadside Americana. To save Atticus, they must solve the puzzles put forth by Idi the Witchking. As they struggle, Taylor and Corentin’s volatile partnership sparks a flash of something more. But princesses have many enemies, and Taylor must keep his wits about him because there’s nothing worse than losing your heart… or your head.
Book Bubbles from Americana Fairy Tale
Curseless and Curses
In Chapter 6, we learn about being Curseless. With Enchants, your curse is what defines you. It is the hardship you face and with determination, you can overcome it. It tells the world you are stronger than the poison apple, the clock ticking to midnight, the spinning wheel, etc. But Taylor doesn't have one. He's directionless and has no goal. He has no way to prove he is likewise strong and has a purpose in the world. Despite being a magical being, we all see something in ourselves about finding our purpose.
Not Your Momma's Fairy Tale
One of my favorite Broadway plays is Into the Woods. If you're not familiar, it's basically take a bunch of different fairy tale characters, toss them in a room, and see who will be left standing. The concept for the Screw-Up Princess and Skillful Huntsman series basically grew from that. But you add in things like our main character, Taylor being not only a guy, but a princess on top of it. He's a complete screw-up of a person, and not at all princess-like. I think we all can relate how Taylor struggles to find his feet and ultimately, acceptance.
Bayou Fairy Tale
Gay & Lesbian
Screw-up Princess and Skillful Huntsman Trilogy: Book Two A Fairy Tales of the Open Road Novel Modern day fairy-tale princess Taylor Hatfield has problems. One: he’s a guy. Two: he’s Sleeping Beauty, the most useless princess in existence. Throw in his true love, Corentin Devereaux, a huntsman descended from child-eating witches, and Taylor’s younger brother, Atticus—this generation’s Snow White—who tried to kill him. That didn’t go so hot. For two years, Taylor and Corentin live their Happily Ever After. But Corentin is cursed to lose his memory every seven days, including his life with Taylor—a painful reminder that he can’t provide for the man he loves. Taylor insists Corentin has the strength to succeed, and when Taylor discovers a way to break the curse, he is more than willing to pay the cost. When an enchanted blizzard devastates Corentin’s hometown of New Orleans, Taylor is convinced Atticus is to blame and grows desperate to find him amid the Big Easy turned frozen wasteland. Corentin believes Taylor is chasing a ghost while he chases the ghosts of his own past. Old tensions scratch open scars, leaving both to wonder if they have each other’s best interests at heart. The clock is ticking until Corentin loses his memory and the rabbit hole goes so deep they may never come out.
Book Bubbles from Bayou Fairy Tale
You Wanna Make A Memory?
After the events of Americana Fairy Tale, Taylor and Corentin had found true love at last. They found each other when no one was looking, and resolved through thick and thin, they would make it work. But not all is well in this fairy tale love. They still have to cope with every seven days, Corentin completely loses his memory, and his life with Taylor. He copes via writing down every single detail in his monstrous journals. Bayou Fairy Tale is very much Corentin's story, and with it, readers finally get to see from his perspective where he "goes" as he remembers by "reading" the journals.
