Book promotion and reviews. Please email requests to bayoubookjunkie@gmail.com *** Disclaimer: The personal opinions of our reviewers do not necessarily reflect the views of Bayou Book Junkie. **
Can a man improve his appearance without losing everything good inside him?
Oliver has always been obese and suffered from a negative body image. He’s tried diets before, failing time after time, but he vows this time will be different. As he begins an exercise program, his confidence increases—and so does his interest in his friend and coworker Benjy. Though they bonded long ago over a love of online gaming, it takes a lot of courage for Oliver to share his new body and be intimate with another man.
A passionate romance blooms, but as Oliver nears his goal, it seems he doesn’t need Benjy—with his chronic anxiety and troubled past—now that he’s made attractive new friends at the gym. But not all relationships are equal, and Oliver realizes that Benjy, who loved and supported him when no one else did, is more than a reminder of his old life.
A pleasing appearance means nothing when it hides a lonely, empty heart, and if Oliver cannot decide what’s truly important, he’ll lose what he cherishes most.
Virtual Tour: M/M ~ Speedy Rewards by Jeff Erno ~ (Author Interview, Excerpt, Book Trailer + Giveaway)
Synopsis
Phil Mitchell pours his heart and soul into his job as manager of Speedy Mart, a local convenience store. He loves his work and he loves his fellow employees, but when it comes to his personal life, Phil is lonely and depressed and still pining for his long-departed ex.
He embarks upon the week from hell where anything that can go wrong does. It begins with a truck crashing into his outdoor sign and only goes downhill from there.
Add an asshole homophobic boss hell bent on seeing him fired and Phil realizes he needs to put into place a plan to save himself and his job.
First step in his plan… do something about his love life.
Meanwhile, Ezra, one of Phil's team members, is dealing with his own roller coaster ride of a week.
As is Brandon, the local cop…
And Mark, the homophobic boss…
Perhaps, with a little… luck, the next week will be better.
Excerpt
“I better get back to work,” Phil said, crushing out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe. He’d toss it in the trash bin on the way back inside rather than littering. “Boss, it’s time for you to go home,” Judy said. “Christ, you’ve been here since what? Five o’clock this morning?” “Five thirty, and I still haven’t had time to get into the cooler. I was waiting for you to get here.” “Why don’t you just go home? You look exhausted. I’ll send one of the CSRs in to do the cooler.” Phil shook his head. “You’ve got Wayne and Erin tonight, and neither one of them really knows how to do cooler.” “Oh fuck.” Judy rolled her eyes in protest. “I thought you liked Wayne.” “I love Wayne, but with him there’s so much drama.” As Judy took the last drag from her cigarette, Phil headed back around the corner toward the front of the building. Judy followed. When he got to the edge of the sidewalk he stopped to toss his butt into the waste bin but heard something strange over the outdoor loudspeaker. He held his hand up, motioning for Judy to stop. Wayne was using the P.A. system to address one of the customers at the pump. Phil looked to see whom he was talking to. A twenty-something, rather buff athletic guy stood beside his sports car at pump six. “Honey, hold onto that nozzle of yours while you’re pumping!” Wayne’s singsong voice echoed from the loudspeaker beneath the canopy. “Or if you’d like, I can come out there and hold it for you... so you don’t spray all over the place.” Phil, horrified, turned to look at Judy who stood directly behind him, laughing. She cracked up so loudly she nearly doubled over. “You go girl!” she screamed. Phil rushed down the sidewalk toward the store’s entrance, glancing one last time toward the pumps to see what other customers were on the lot. When he flung the door open and stormed inside, Wayne stood at the counter, holding the microphone in his hand like a stage performer and appeared poised to continue with his routine. “Wayne!” Phil shouted. “What the hell are you doing?” Erin, the other cashier, stood a few feet away with a shit-eating grin on her face. She began to giggle. Wayne, however, looked up at Phil, his expression insipid. “I’m talking to a customer,” he stated in the calmest of tones. “Are you trying to get us all fired?” Phil said, moving quickly toward him. “Do you know what’ll happen if someone complains to corporate?” Wayne waved his hand dismissively, flipping his wrist in the process. “Oh, that’s my friend Freddy. He’s a body builder I originally met at the gym, and he’s one of my biggest fans. He comes to all my drag shows.” Wayne made no attempt to deny his identity as a drag queen. Phil approached the counter, leaning in to lower his voice. “Wayne, please, I’m begging you. Can you please, please try to at least be a teenie, tiny bit discreet?” He held up his thumb and forefinger to signify a small measurement. “I know it’s hard, but....” Indignant, Wayne straightened his posture and then twitched his chin while flicking his hair back in the process. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were just a tad homophobic,” Wayne said, his voice shrill with emotion. “Wayne Baxter, you watch your mouth!” Phil turned to see Judy right behind him. With arm extended, she pointed an accusing finger toward Wayne. “You know that’s not true. Phil don’t have a prejudiced bone in his body. He’s just trying to keep you from getting your ass fired.” “The customers like it when I joke around with them,” Wayne said in a much lower, more timid voice. “I know, Wayne,” Phil said. “I didn’t mean to... um... you know I support... uh....” “What he’s trying to say,” Judy interrupted, “is he’s cool with you being gay and doing drag and all that. But you can’t get on the fucking loudspeaker and say vulgar things!” “Speaking of vulgar,” Phil said. “Language!” Judy rolled her eyes.
Author Interview
Hi Jeff!!
That's so much for being here at Bayou Book Junkie today!! Boy, a week in the life of 4 men all taking place against the backdrop of the local Speedy Mart. Sounds like a very intriguing story!!
What inspired this story?
Many of our fictional stories depict average, working-class protagonists who rise above their plight and go on to achieve extraordinary things. I wanted to showcase a group of working people who would probably never become rich and famous, save the world, or find a way to leave behind their droll existences of living paycheck to paycheck. Having been a member of the working class my entire life, working in a retail environment, I can attest that often the lives of ordinary people are far more flavorful and interesting than anything you see in movies or read in books. I’ve tried to weave some of the real-life experiences I’ve encountered into an entertaining fictional story. The cast of characters in Speedy Rewards are all make-believe, but each one them at least in some way was inspired by a real life person.
What are your favorite qualities about each of these main characters?
Phil, the manager, is probably the central character of the entire book, which consists of several interconnecting stories featuring the employees and patrons of the store he manages. I think I most admire Phil’s integrity. He’s an honest man who genuinely cares about his employees. Arguably he bends rules sometimes and has his weaknesses. He’s not perfect, and to be honest, that probably makes him even more likable to me.
Humberto’s just downright sexy. Latino. Muscular. Need I say more.
And Brandon is the hero. He’s the local cop who frequents the store during his midnight-shift beat. At one point he thwarts a robbery and he does something absolutely amazing to help a young boy in need before the story’s over.
Ezra is a rebel, but he’s extremely endearing. He wears the piercings and tattoos, and he buys pot from his drug dealer in the parking lot. He gives one of his sexy customers a blowjob right on store property when he gets out of work. There’s so much of his badboy persona I really love (and envy because he’s opposite me in almost every imaginable way).
Wayne is a showoff. Flamboyant. Girly. Sassy. He’s the type of gay boy who’s totally embraced his feminine side and doesn’t give a f*ck what anyone thinks. He also seems to have no filter or boundaries.
And there are a couple female characters I adore. Doreen and Judy are the moral compasses for Phil even though each of them also have their own flaws.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
In my late twenties I started writing erotic, over-the-top BDSM authoritarian stories for the Nifty Archive. I received a lot of positive feedback and went on to write some less graphic, more series stories. When my first published book, Dumb Jock, began to do fairly well, I channeled a lot more focus and energy into developing my writing skills.
Can you share the project(s) you are currently working on?
I’ve contracted with Wayward Ink Publishing on an erotic anthology called Bad Boys. It’s a series of sexy stories about bad boys and what happens to them when they’re naughty. Here’s a couple of the titles from the anthology: “Bad Boys Get Spanked” and “Bad Boys Get Tickled”
A night out on the town or a night cuddling in front of the T.V.?
At this stage in life (age 48), I’ll take cuddling. When I was younger I loved the gay bars.
Prizes: $20 WIP Gift Card, $10 WIP Gift Card, ebook copy of Speedy Rewards a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the author
JEFF ERNO began writing LGBT fiction in the late 1990s. Although an avid reader and amateur writer from a very young age, Jeff pursued a career as a retail store manager in Northern Michigan. When his first gay-themed novel was published, he was shocked that anyone would even want to read it. So far, he's published over thirty novels. Jeff lives in Southern Michigan, where he works part time at a convenience store.
Jeff's writing credits include a variety of themes and sub-genres including male romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, erotica, and BDSM. He is the winner of a 2012 Rainbow Award and an Honorable Mention in 2011. His style is unpretentious and focused upon emotionally-driven, character-based stories that touch the heart. Jeff is especially passionate about young adult literature and combating teen bullying and youth suicide.
Email: jeffaerno@gmail.com
Website: http://www.jefferno.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jefferno
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffErno
Book Blog Tour: Speedy Rewards by Jeff Erno ~ (Excerpt)
Synopsis
Phil Mitchell pours his heart and soul into his job as manager of Speedy Mart, a local convenience store. He loves his work and he loves his fellow employees, but when it comes to his personal life, Phil is lonely and depressed and still pining for his long-departed ex.
He embarks upon the week from hell where anything that can go wrong does. It begins with a truck crashing into his outdoor sign and only goes downhill from there.
Add an asshole homophobic boss hell bent on seeing him fired and Phil realizes he needs to put into place a plan to save himself and his job.
First step in his plan… do something about his love life.
Meanwhile, Ezra, one of Phil’s team members, is dealing with his own roller coaster ride of a week.
As is Brandon, the local cop…
And Mark, the homophobic boss…
Perhaps, with a little… luck, the next week will be better.
Phil had started out in retail back in high school, working as a bag boy at the local supermarket. He took some community college classes but did not complete his degree. It didn’t matter, though. Back then, a college degree wasn’t required, especially not for retail management. He rose quickly in the company, advancing to a management position.
Finally, when the company he’d worked at for ten years went belly-up, he found himself in the unemployment line. At age twenty-five, his mom had just died and he found himself completely alone, unemployed. He decided to go back to school to complete his degree. He signed up for online classes and continued with them even after he landed the job managing the convenience store. He received his diploma right around the time he met Darren online.
Looking back on his life, he realized that period, though difficult, had been perhaps the most hopeful he could remember. Though still grieving the loss of his mother, he felt like life had begun anew. He had a new career, a man he genuinely loved, and even a college degree. That was also when he began learning Spanish.
But the honeymoon stage of his relationship with Darren didn’t last long, and when it became obvious Darren was far more interested in spending his free time with a bottle of booze than with Phil, they started to grow apart. Phil devoted most of his energy to the store, and when he wasn’t working, he spent a good deal of time online. The relationship withered on the vine, until one day, Darren was gone.
“You work hard,” Humberto said. “You’re always working, no?”
“SÃ,” Phil said, laughing. “Yes, I’m always working.”
“Every day I see you. You no have days off? You work too hard, man.”
“Well, it seems to me you work pretty hard, too, Humberto. You’re in here every day, on your way to work. Come on down to this register. I’ll ring you up.” Phil stepped over to the check stand on the far end, the one Janine had just vacated.
“Gracias,” Humberto said, stepping up to the counter with an armload of junk food. He placed the bags of chips and the Hostess snack cakes on the counter.
“What do you do?” Humberto stared at him, smiling, and Phil wondered if maybe he didn’t understand the question. “¿Cual es tu trabajo?”
“Oh… oh. Soy un manitas.”
“¿Manitas?” Phil had heard the word, but couldn’t immediately remember the meaning. “Oh, you’re a handyman. You fix things.”
“SÃ, sÃ.”
“Wow, like, do you do plumbing work?”
“Oh yes, yes of course. Por supuesto.”
“Hm. Ya know, I need to find someone to come fix my sink. At home, I mean. At my house. Do you have a card?”
Humberto cocked his head to the side, as if thinking.
“¿Una tarjeta? A business card.”
“Oh, yes. Yes!” He reached into his shirt pocket and removed a business card, handing it to Phil. “Call me and I’ll come fix you up.” He winked, and as Phil looked into the man’s eyes, a lump formed in his throat. “I have all the right tools for the job.”
Phil quickly looked down at the touch screen on his register, trying to focus on the task of completing the transaction. “Uh, yeah. Um, do you want a bag for this?”
“Una bolsa,” Humberto said, laughing. “SÃ.”
Phil placed the business card next to his register and tore off a plastic bag from the dispenser. Then he began filling it with Humberto’s items.
“I’ll let you see my big hammer,” Humberto said, lowering his voice.
About the author
JEFF ERNO began writing LGBT fiction in the late 1990s. Although an avid reader and amateur writer from a very young age, Jeff pursued a career as a retail store manager in Northern Michigan. When his first gay-themed novel was published, he was shocked that anyone would even want to read it. So far, he’s published over thirty novels. Jeff lives in Southern Michigan, where he works part time at a convenience store.
Jeff’s writing credits include a variety of themes and sub-genres including male romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, erotica, and BDSM. He is the winner of a 2012 Rainbow Award and an Honorable Mention in 2011. His style is unpretentious and focused upon emotionally-driven, character-based stories that touch the heart. Jeff is especially passionate about young adult literature and combating teen bullying and youth suicide.
Email: jeffaerno@gmail.com
Website: http://www.jefferno.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jefferno
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffErno
