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I said I was going to talk Hottie Scotty, so here it is.


(It's a bit late. I had a bunch of stuff going on at once, and I apologize.)


In between Treasure for Treasure getting accepted, and A Dandelion for Tulip coming out, and audiobooks and blog tours (never again with the blog tour. I don't think it's a format suited to someone who takes things too seriously and makes terrible first impressions), and real life, I released a short little story onto Amazon. It's called Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter.

I'm not going to pretend it's deep, because it isn't. What it is (to me) is a soft tribute to the books of short romantic stories Lucy Maud Montgomery used to write. But, you know, gay. And set now. (I grew up with her books, and some of those shorts in her collections have influenced me so much. Seriously. I always tell people, A Dinner of Herbs explains so much about my writing style. And someday, just imagine a collection of sometimes funny, sometimes sad, gentle, kind queer love stories in that style. SIGH.)

Anyway. Obviously LMM didn't write a slightly kinky relationship between a small town firefighter and a librarian, but she did like to show bullies in all their pettiness, and that is an inspiration here, too.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I should just link to the book and post the blurb, and I will. But I wanted to talk about it a little first, because I ignored it for so long. My quiet story about the scent of jasmine, and two very lonely people who are in fact quite similiar, even though on the surface no one would ever think that. They are so good and brave with each other, but (hopefully) realistically brave. Because everyone has fears and nerves, and some have them for really good reasons, and it's so wonderful to me when people who are struggling try and then find that someone loves them. I just... smiles, you guys. It gives me such smiles. So that's what I wanted, and that's what I wrote. A gentle story about two dorks who might seem to be put together, or unobtainable levels of hot, but who are, in fact, just nervous dorks who really, really like being around each other.

Of course, we don't live in an LMM world, so small town bullies are a little less petty or thoughtless, and a little more outright unfeeling and terrible, but this is R. Cooper's world, so our dorks get a happy ending anyway, and the bullies get to see themselves portrayed in a story, being as horrible as the rest of us know they are.

<3

To help out his sister, Scott moved to the small town of Montgomery, where there isn’t much to do and no one for him to date. Well, there’s one other openly gay man in town—Henry ‘Cole’ Porter, a widower who runs the school library, but after one drunken night together, Cole has kept his distance. Scott is used to that. He spends a lot of time working out to look good, and from the slow way he talks and the frat house atmosphere at the fire station where he works, it’s easy to assume he’s stupid. Most people are happy to admire his body and assume that’s all he wants from them, and deep down, Scott is too afraid to try asking for more.

Which is why sweet, romantic Scott has been secretly pining after Cole for months when some of the town’s nosier residents decide Cole has been single long enough. They have a plan to throw every successful, smart, professional gay man in a thirty-mile radius Cole’s way, whether he likes it or not. Their list of candidates doesn’t include Scott, and Scott’s insecurities prevent him from stepping forward—even when it seems as though Cole is asking him to.

Cole is everything Scott isn’t; highly educated, stylish, with refined tastes. He’s also stubborn and sarcastic, and not nearly as smart about the workings of his own heart as people might think. It might take a lot of the wrong men for him to realize the right one has been in front of him all along.

Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter

Date: 2016-07-14 12:55 pm (UTC)
ext_1749416: (Default)
From: [identity profile] sunakoyue.livejournal.com
Sounds so sweet! And I can't believe you are a LMM fan! I am too! It is always awesome to find out that one of your idols is fan of another idol XD I was wondering from the first time I've read one of your books... do you think you would write someday a book that is not MM? Because I have friends who are not into that genre, and I want them so much to read your stuff because I love your characters and the world you create and more people should read you! But sadly MM is not for everybody (in my country is still some kind of taboo... we are pretty traditional)

Anyway, I can't wait to read this one, thanks for sharing!

Date: 2016-07-16 08:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] r-cooper.livejournal.com
It's an eternal dream of mine to write something that isn't m/m, (or, that might still be queer, but doesn't have to adhere to m/m romance standards). But it's always a matter of time and me needing a paycheck that gets in the way. But hopefully, someday. :)

Date: 2016-07-15 02:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bluesimplicity.livejournal.com
Read this the week-end it came out and LOVED it so. **contented, happy sigh**

Date: 2016-07-16 08:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] r-cooper.livejournal.com
Thank you! I love hearing that!

Date: 2016-08-13 01:39 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I seriously hope this one gets an audiobook, even though its shorter than your other ones that have one. It's so amazingly adorable, i'd love to be able to listen in my car, when I cant have my kindle in front of my face.

Date: 2016-08-14 04:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] r-cooper.livejournal.com
Oh! I never expected that!

I self-published that. I wouldn't even know how to go about an audiobook. (I wouldn't protest if someone did a podfic of it, though, as long as they didn't charge for it or make money off it.)

:) This made my might.

Hottie

Date: 2016-08-15 01:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] stregamari.livejournal.com
I just finished (and reviewed) this and loved it!

Re: Hottie

Date: 2016-08-19 04:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] r-cooper.livejournal.com
Thank you!!! So glad you liked it!

Date: 2016-09-13 02:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] smallnico16.livejournal.com
Ack! I missed this! I love LMM too, so excited to dive in.

Date: 2016-09-15 03:31 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] r-cooper.livejournal.com
LMM is such an influence on me. I love her so much.

Hottie Scotty

Date: 2016-10-26 04:12 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I absolutely loved this book. I find myself going back to re read it on a monthly basis. Can't wait to read anything else you have planned . I've already read all the released ones I could find. 🤓📖📚

Re: Hottie Scotty

Date: 2016-10-27 07:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] r-cooper.livejournal.com
Aaaah thank you! Scotty and Cole are going to be such a quiet power couple. Thinking of them in the future makes me happy. :)
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