Reviewed by Jon Michaelsen

The Blue Moon Cafe

by

Rick R. Reed

Review by Jon Michaelsen

I usually listen to audio books (the unabridged versions); via headphones traveling on hours long plane rides or driving long trips alone. So, when a book I had my eye on was released in audio book format, I decided to take a chance to listen while in my car – which proved to quite often as I found myself finding places to go, errands needing done so I could listen to Rick R. Reed’s suspenseful, romantic thriller, The Blue Moon Café.

Taken from the blurb for both print and audio format, “Someone–or something–is killing Seattle’s gay men.” Something moves in the dark night at full moon hunting and killing gay men in the places they gather. The protagonist is Thad Matthews, a young gay man done with relationships and certainly not ready–or even willing–to take yet another dive for his perfect dream that presents in the form of a sexy, super compassionate, masculine, hairy and handsome Caecilian restaurant owner and chef, Sam Lupino.

Reed begins The Blue Moon Café with his signature terror/horror prose he is well-known for delivering, quickly ensnaring the reader–or listener in my case–with heart-racing, pulsating suspense. Vivid detail and full-moon-lit scenery ratchets up anticipation pushing the listener forward, sans trepidation. Reed tempers the heightened elements of the novel with a strong romance that provides a little distraction from the bloody killings.

Thad Matthews is unemployed and without purpose. He is every guy’s friend, the boy-next-door type you’d introduce to mother, a best friend always there to support you, even if having to take a back seat. Along with his domineering Chihuahua, Edith (don’t let the docile name fool you!), Thad fills his days looking for a new job, taking care of his neurotic friend, and pining about lost love. Edith, however, comes to the rescue in more ways than one, quickly proving dogs are excellent judges of character and man’s best friend.

Thad treats himself to a night out, which he can’t afford of course, in hopes of finding someone to spend the night with. Thad dresses to notice and sets out for The Blue Moon Café, where he meets the manly, macho, Sam Lupino.
Not only the owner and chef of The Blue Moon Café, Sam happens to be a werewolf in a family of werewolves. He becomes seduced by Thad’s naive charm, but once drawn to the young man, trouble beings. After a night of hot and heavy love-making, Sam leaves a goodbye note and disappears from Thad’s life. But, not for long as Thad can’t seem to stay away from the mysterious man who tells lies and holds secrets that prey on his insecurities.

I can’t divulge more of the story without ruining the mystery behind the killers, the betraying Thad and Sam both feel at different times throughout their rocky relationship. What I can share, is listening to the audio book version, the voice of narrator Topher Samuels is soothing, calming when he needs to be and ratcheting up the suspense with inflection that makes the reader “feel” as if we’re there, staring down the beast with yellow eyes, or making love to a most compassionate man with a wounded soul.

The Blue Moon Café is a horror/mystery/thriller and gay romance that will pull you in, scare the crap out of you and have you rooting for the unlikely relationship between human and werewolf. Non-traditional in that it strays from the modern-day romantic epics and ends with a surprise that just might break your heart.

Last week I was tagged by the prolific author of (among many other genres) gay romance novels, Rick R. Reed Reality

Many, many writers are participating. I have tagged, Ryan Field, Kase J Reed Blog – Under Dragon’s Wing and David Sullivan (here next week via my blog Jon Michaelsen).  Just clink on their hyperlink and see what they are currently writing next Wednesday, January 2, 2013!

We all answer the same questions:

What is the working title of your book?

Prince of the Sea

Where did the idea come from for the book?

When in college years ago, I would travel to the closest beach with my friends near Savannah, Georgia, a little known island called Tybee Island, Georgia. It has one of the oldest, if not the oldest lighthouses in the U.S. Unspoiled by commercialism, I fell in love with the quaint little beachside town, the dark sandy beach, the lighthouse, the pier – not to mention the seafood. I have always wanted to write a story central to Tybee Island and for years, I played with various ideas. Considering the rich history of the island – and with a little artistic license.

What genre does your book fall under?

I created a speculative gay love story set in among the dunes of the island paradise with an expansion of old island lore of sea-folk.

Protogonist; Jonathan Lemke would be best played by gay actor, Steve Callahan.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Old Friend: Lucius; the sensual, alluring; childhood friend of Jonathan, played by Gilles Marini.

Conniving partner; Paul,would be played by gay actor, Cheyenne Jackson.

The recluse; Frances “Fannie” Madrigal would be played by the iconic, Maggie Smith

The villain, Billy Wayne Koots, would be cast as Billy Bob Thornton.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Can a broken heart find love in the depths of the ocean?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I do not have an agency; but I do have a publisher in mind.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Combined, about five-six months. I began working on the story a couple years ago, but got distracted when the novel wasn’t coming together and moved on to writing my current gay sexy thriller, False Evidence: Murder Most Deadly 1. I returned to Prince of the Sea a couple months ago.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

None come to mind. I personally feel each writer has his own voice, so it’s hard to compare.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Being a native of Georgia, the unspoiled beauty of Tybee Island, Georgia has always called to me to write a story set in the small island town. Its loveliness and tranquility commanded an unconventional gay love story.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I’ll leave you with this brief excerpt:

That feeling again.

Goosebumps spread across Jonathan’s chest and snaked along his arms.

“The stars shine bright tonight, no?”

Startled by a voice, deep and melodic to his ears, Jonathan turned, but the dunes stood bare. A sudden awareness, perhaps a sense of déjà vu engulfed him. The hair on his arms stood on end as he searched around. Seeing nobody, he shrugged off the feeling as having too much scotch. He turned and headed back toward the cottage.

“Jonathan.”

He spun around like a frightened squirrel. Syllables drifted through his mind forming words like inner thoughts, only the sound not his, but the voice of a long lost childhood friend.

Jonathan saw no one on the beach with him. “Who’s there?”

“It is I, your old friend, Lucius.”

The voice caused his heart to flutter, a flush to his cheeks. “Lucius, is that really you?” Jonathan called out. “Where are you? I can hear your voice, but I don’t see you.”

Please visit the many other writer’s participating in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop posting currently and authors I’ve tagged for positing January 2, 13. And stay turned for more excerpts and the release date of Prince Of The Sea in earlyer 2013!!!

Rick rated it

“Interesting foray into the obsessive mind, which is right up my nightmare alley. The only thing about it I didn’t like is that it ends on a cliffhanger with the dreaded “to be continued” as its final words. I will definitely be picking up the sequel, but not a fan of coitus interruptus, as it were. Still…highly recommended.”

It’s always with some trepidation that I open an e-mail from a cover artist with a subject line that indicates a JPEG of a brand-new cover is within. It’s a suspenseful moment, wrought with tension, and one in which you get to see if your baby is going to have the beautiful face it deserves…of if it’s gonna be ugly as sin, dooming it to a life of shunning and ridicule, much like my own life.

I think my baby has a beautiful face…and boy, am I relieved. Check out the cover design below for my October release, Dead End Street, my first young adult horror novel. Cover artist Trace Edward Zaber did a great job making a cover that’s simple, evocative, and creepy…all at once.

But mothers always think their babies are beautiful. What do you think?

Here’s a little “elevator speech” about Dead End Street, which will be released in October, just in time for Halloween (or the holidays, which is a heavy handed way of saying that it would make a great gift for son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandkid, or your own inner teen).

They were five misfit kids who had banded together in their small Ohio River town. Over the years, they had organized various clubs and now they had formed the Halloween Horror Club. The premise was simple: each week, each teen would spin a horrifying tale and at the end of five weeks, the scariest story won a prize. The twist: the stories had to be told in the infamous and abandoned Tuttle house, where, fifteen years earlier, an entire family had been murdered in their beds. The idea seems like a good one, until the kids begin to realize they may not be alone in the Tuttle house, which backed up against the woods. There seems to be someone—or something—watching them. Is it Paul Tuttle, the teenage son who disappeared fifteen years ago, the night his parents and sister were killed? Or is it someone even more sinister? 

With each story (each a completed short, original horror tale that stands on its own), the tension mounts…and so does the anger of this mysterious inhabitant of the house. He is enraged at having his space violated. And his rage could mean a real dead end for those who dare to invade his home…

Read the first chapter of Dead End Street here:

http://www.rickrreed.com/upcomingbooks.htm

Hey, everyone!

I’ve got a surprise coming up in October.  Each week, I’ll be featuring a “guest blogger” from some of the the hottest authors today.  Coming in October & November are authors Rick R Reed, Erastes, A.J. Llewellyn, Faith Bricknell-Brown, Anastasia Rabiyah, S. D. Grady, Cerise Amour; an clectic pool of talented authors for sure.

Be sure to check back regularly as you never know just who might pop in to guest blog for the week!!!