Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit + Giveaway - Edmond Manning

It's a bird! 
It's a plane! 
No...it's Edmond Manning with a delicious devious flash ficlet in his hands! Gather round and welcome his return to the stable!

Something Superman by Edmond Manning

“Jerry, this will never work. I’m sorry. You’re too conservative for me.”

“No, no, no! Michael, please. I’m trying. I love how outrageous you are. You awaken this spark in me who wants to go skateboarding and rent jet skis and eat spicy food that’s too hot for my mouth. I know I’m boring—“

“You’re not boring. Don’t say that.”

“Fine, not boring. But you’re fireworks and loud laughing and extreme silliness, and I…I’m in awe.”

“Jerry, I don’t need a fanboy. I need a partner. I need someone who surprises me with pranks and gestures bigger than edible arrangements. Which was a nice gift, but, I need something crazier. I know you like this energy in your life, Jerry, but I need Superman to my Batman. I don’t want Robin.”

“Wait. Michael. Give me a chance. Give me until Saturday noon. Saturday is our one month anniversary. Let me show you I can play. Let me…come up with something. Something big. Something Superman.”

“Jerry, c’mon. Don’t do this.”

“Michael, here’s the first of my big gestures. Here’s me, standing on my chair in a Thai restaurant. C’mon. Give me until Saturday.”

“Get down! Jesus, get down. Okay, okay, you have until Saturday. Get down, okay?”

“Did I surprise you?”

“You did.”

“You just laughed.”

“Yes, I laughed. You surprised me, I admit it. So…Saturday. You have something planned?”

“Not yet. But I will. Trust me. Something Superman.”

“Okay, Jer. Eat your basil noodles.”

“I want to delight you, Michael. Like you delight me.”

“You’re very sweet, Jerry. I definitely feel appreciated by you. I do. But you do realize I live on the 12th floor, right? Whatever street surprise you’re planning, I probably won’t see from up there.”

“Just wait, Michael. For Saturday. Something Superman.”

*****

Author info:

Edmond Manning has always been fascinated by fiction: how ordinary words could be sculpted into heartfelt emotions, how heartfelt emotions could leave an imprint inside you stronger than the real world. Mr. Manning never felt worthy to seek publication until recently, when he accidentally stumbled into his own writer’s voice that fit perfectly, like his favorite skull-print, fuzzy jammies. He finally realized that he didn’t have to write like Charles Dickens or Armistead Maupin, two author heroes, and that perhaps his own fiction was juuuuuuust right, because it was his true voice, so he looked around the scrappy word kingdom that he created for himself and shouted, “I’M HOME!” He is now a writer.

In addition to fiction, Edmond enjoys writing non-fiction on his blog, www.edmondmanning.com. When not writing, he can be found either picking raspberries in the back yard or eating panang curry in an overstuffed chair upstairs, reading comic books.

Goodreads 
Facebook
Twitter

Let Edmond know what you thought of "Something Superman" in the comments. BMBR humbly thanks Edmond for jamming with the unicorns today and delivering a hot, sweet, funny prezzie!

Didn't think BMBR would let you leave empty handed, now did you? Thanks to Dreamspinner Press, one lucky person will be able to choose one Dreamspinner Press book of their choice! 

Enter in the Rafflecopter Giveaway below for a chance to win.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway is open until 12:00 (Eastern time) on 11/11/16. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner!

Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hours or we will choose another winner. Good luck!

Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway here!

Trivia Question

Where do Emmet and Jeremy find their feet and begin to build a life together? (worth 20 pts)

Be sure to tweet your answer by tagging @BMBReviews along with your answer & the author's name for your chance to win DSP credits!

Review: King John (The Lost and Founds, #4) by Edmond Manning

English attorney Alistair Robertson can’t quite believe an astonishing tale of kingship and transformation he hears at Burning Man, the annual counter-culture art festival in the Black Rock desert. Who are the Found Kings? Is “being kinged” as magical as it sounds?

Determined to find the mysterious garage mechanic named Vin who helps men “remember who they were always meant to be,” Alistair catches his quarry amid the extravagant sculptures, fire worshipers, mutant cars, and lavish costumes. After searching for three years, he’ll finally get to ask the question burning inside him: “Will you king me?”

Wandering together through the desert, Vin Vanbly and Alistair explore Burning Man’s gifting culture and exotic traditions, where they meet the best and worst of their fellow burners. Alistair’s overconfidence in Vin’s manipulative power collides with Vin’s obsessive need to save a sixteen-year-old runaway from a nightmarish fate, and the two men spiral into uncontrollable, explosive directions.

In this fourth adventure of The Lost and Founds, beneath the sweltering summer sun and the six billion midnight stars, one truth emerges, searing itself on their hearts: in the desert, everything burns.

I've only read book one and four in this series and I absolutely need to remedy that. This book is brilliant. BRILLIANT. Edmond Manning writes prose to make my heart sing. The escapism of his stories is so complete that I find myself wandering lost beside his characters.

Vin Vanbly is back. Back with his unique take on humanity and people and living. This time though it is not him who has chosen the person to be Kinged, rather the person has sought him out. Alistair wants to be Kinged. He's spoken with other Kings and knows a little of the gift Vin gives them; the ability to recognise their true self; the ability to face fear - and he wants in. Vin's utter gift for reading people means he is unsure if Alistair has what it takes to be Kinged. He's hiding too much; from himself and from Vin.

Set against the background of the Burning Man event, Vin and Alistair start this journey. I loved the setting of the tale. This mass meeting in the desert where people can be the them they feel inside. The person they long to be when society isn't forcing them inside the boxes it loves so much. The traditions of the event, plus the beautiful descriptions of people and their interactions is stunning.

I think of this story as colour. It is bright and vivid and orange and red and yellow. Not in an autumn way but in a lively vibrant summer way. Deep blues and sharp light. Noise and smell and festival. When I think of this story, this is the impression I am left with. It's as clear to me as if a painter had painted the scene of the Burning Man in front of me. Something that vivid is as much a character in the story as the characters are.

And I love the characters. Especially Vin. Edmond Manning teases and tempts with what seem to real insights into the main character of the stories, yet really Vin is an enigma. An enigma I want to solve. I want to know him, everything about him.

We were talking at work the other day about magicians. Not the kind in fantasy novels, but the kind that do shows or tabletop magic. The kind you know is done by sleight of hand and trickery. Well I hate watching them, unless the tricks are explained to me. (Vin and I would NOT get on!!) I want to know how things are done as much as why things are done, and this is how I feel about Vin. It's like Manning has written around him, he seems solid but when it comes to it he's just a puff of smoke; a magic trick. AND I NEED TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS. All the things about Vin.

I devoured the story (and book one) gleaning information about this MC like my life depended on it. And it wasn't - isn't - enough. Except, truly, the author has done his job. He has me well and truly hooked. The story is a complete. We find out about Alistair and King John and the story arc is solid and true, there's no cliff hanger ending... but I still need more.

So I'll wait for the next book. I'm lucky, I have books two and three to keep me from being starved of Vin. I'm still waiting for another story because as well as wanting to know the ins and outs of Vin's arse (figuratively) I also want him to get an HEA. I want him to receive what he so generously bestows on others.

I want. I want. I want. I know... but I do!

If you've not read this series... well you need to. It's fabulous.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.
For more information, see Goodreads.

Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit - Edmond Manning

It's story time unicorn boys and girls! Gather 'round the pony paddock! Any The Lost and Founds fans out there? ;D Today, Boy Meets Boy Reviews is happy to have Edmond Manning here and wrote a flash fic based on a unicorn and author favorite image! *stares*

Happy Anniversary

by 

Edmond Manning

When I was ten, Dad took Mom out for their fifteen year anniversary at Timbers, the place that served kiddie cocktails with little plastic monkeys dangling over the cup’s edge by their tails. The folks confessed they thought about going dancing, but Dad’s leg hurt and mom didn’t want to overpay the babysitter, so they came home instead. Huh. I haven’t thought about that anniversary for years. It’s weird I should be naked and painting my body, thinking about Mom and Dad.

But hey, I guess it’s not that weird. After all, tonight is Sean and my fifteen year anniversary.

I wonder if Mom and Dad ever explored their sexual fantasie—eww. Nope, stop. I’m just glad he and I do. Sean was so cute stammering out his growing fascinating with nudity and color, the human canvas, and the idea of mixing those sloppy reds and creamy oranges together while making messy love. Uh, I’m getting hard. Save it for him. Save that purple and green erection for my man. Ha ha…I have a sudden desire to call mom and tell her how we’re celebrating. A nudist beach. Champagne and butt crack sand.

When I was ten, I could have never imagined living this crazy, this adventurously in love. But then again, I could have never imagined Sean. Happy anniversary, my love. My green and purple dick is waiting for you.

*****

Author info:

Edmond Manning has always been fascinated by fiction: how ordinary words could be sculpted into heartfelt emotions, how heartfelt emotions could leave an imprint inside you stronger than the real world. Mr. Manning never felt worthy to seek publication until recently, when he accidentally stumbled into his own writer’s voice that fit perfectly, like his favorite skull-print, fuzzy jammies. He finally realized that he didn’t have to write like Charles Dickens or Armistead Maupin, two author heroes, and that perhaps his own fiction was juuuuuuust right, because it was his true voice, so he looked around the scrappy word kingdom that he created for himself and shouted, “I’M HOME!” He is now a writer.

In addition to fiction, Edmond enjoys writing non-fiction on his blog, www.edmondmanning.com. When not writing, he can be found either picking raspberries in the back yard or eating panang curry in an overstuffed chair upstairs, reading comic books.

Goodreads 

Let Edmond know what you thought of "Happy Anniversary" in the comments. BMBR humbly thanks Edmond for jamming with the unicorns today and delivering a hot, sweet, funny prezzie!