Intro & FARM OF FANCY masterpost!

[juliannathorn]

Hi there! You may know me from such classic self-published hits as FARM OF FANCY, the story of veterinarian David and local curmudgeon Gabe trying to find love in the time of cholera—no, sorry, it was small-town British Columbia. You can:

• follow me on twitter,
• facebook,
• instagram,
• or spotify for playlists.
• You can also sign up for my newsletter to get extras right to your inbox.

I update the list of my titles on carrd before I do anything else—you can find purchase links for my titles there for various regions if the main link isn't working. At time of writing, my only released title is FARM OF FANCY, which can be purchased here!

Here is a backlog of my tumblr-posted promotional material for FARM OF FANCY:

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Plot synopsis:

Meet Gabe Byrne and David Meloy in a meet-ugly-turned-cute contemporary romance in rural British Columbia!

Gabe Byrne likes the simple life. Quiet, coffee, and the company of his horse are all he needs.

When his mare takes sick, Gabe calls David Meloy, the town’s new veterinarian—who’s so gorgeous Gabe can barely think straight.

In a town like Armstrong, it’s hard to find people Gabe can trust. After a tough break-up and a long recovery from cancer, Gabe knows this attraction isn’t a complication he needs, and he’ll do what it takes to protect himself from more heartbreak.

David Meloy might be new to small-town life, but after the sudden passing of his husband, a fresh start is exactly what he needs. With his own vet practice and a new dog to keep him company, life is starting to feel good again.

If only Gabe Byrne would stop insulting him in public.

David’s a professional, so when the call comes about Gabe’s sick mare, David answers—even if it means getting stuck in a blizzard.

Trapped together by the storm, can they look past their arguments to find a connection? Or will David’s conflicted feelings, Gabe’s insecurities, and the hard realities of small-town life rise to stand in their way?

FARM OF FANCY is an 74,000 word contemporary romance—the first in a series of standalone novels about gay life in rural British Columbia.

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Excerpt:

Gabe wasn’t sure what he was expecting of Dr. Meloy, but—as the truck pulled to a halt in front of the paddock—he was pretty sure it hadn’t been this.

The truck wasn’t a surprise. Armstrong was a rural town, a cheese factory its greatest claim to fame. If Dr. Mills was out of business, this guy probably served the whole rural area. Big, new, shiny trucks were part of the deal.

It was the man he hadn’t expected.

What had he expected? Someone shorter, maybe, definitely older; maybe wearing a lab coat, thick-lensed glasses sitting on his face. Doctor Meloy hardly sounded like the name of a walking adonis, a locomotive work of art, tall and solid and casually muscular. And yet there he was—hair a shock of dirty blond, cheekbones that could cut glass, the kind of eyelashes that could make wind on a stink-hot day.

Gabe’s horse was in distress, and all he could do was write poetry in his head about her savior. The guy hadn’t even closed the door to his truck yet.

Gabe looked at the ground, trying to get a grip on himself. All that did was help him notice Dr. Meloy’s boots. Brown. Practical. He’d slid plastic booties over them—presumably to stymie contamination. His jeans fit him well… obscenely well. He wore a plain v-neck t-shirt under his jacket, itself a gorgeous worn brown suede.

He was a boy from the city, no doubt about that. But he might have still held promise if he hadn’t then dragged a gym bag out of his truck.

A gym bag. A gym bag. Guy showed up looking like a Calvin Klein model and carried his veterinary equipment in a gym bag.

Gabe’s attraction took a hard left into confused indignation. What kind of right did this guy have—

Then Dr. Jock’s eyes focused on Gabe’s, and Gabe forgot to be mad in a heartbeat.

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FARM OF FANCY blog posts & extras:

• Guest Post @ Queer Books Unbound: I talk about character creation and how Enneagram types helped me keep David in character
• Guest Post @ Mikkuchan's review blog: How environment can be a key character in setting-heavy stories like this one!

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Gabe and David's playlist can be found HERE; tracklist below.

1. I Ain’t Perfect, Babe — Lisa LeBlanc

(gabe’s backstory—)

Twenty-five years old and wishing I were 30
Just to feel better in my own skin
The grass is greener on the other side

I’ve been lonesome for some time

I ain’t perfect, babe
Though, I’ve been trying
I know I’m a character
And as I get older, it doesn’t seem to get any better

2. Drifting — On and On

(david’s backstory—)

I had a dream that when I woke up you were finally there
And I believed that all the hours turned to minutes, it’s not fair
And when I turned to look at where you should’ve been I started drifting
I tried to stare into your eyes and realized that there was something missing

3. Gasoline — Haunting House

(for david’s long drive in search of something, toronto to armstrong)

thank god for the asphalt
with its yellow lines clear
the driving gets dark sometimes
but the headlights are always sincere

(i’m picking up pieces now
i’m walking in weakness
i’m breaking down
i’m breaking out)

4. Song for a Winter’s Night — Gordon Lightfoot

(that gentle longing on a cold winter’s night)

If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
On this winter’s night with you

5. I Fall In Love (Too Easily) — Chet Baker

(trying to be cautious in the face of new feelings)

My heart should be well schooled
‘Cause I’ve been fooled in the past
But still I fall in love so easily
I fall in love too fast

6. Oceans — Seafret

(david’s want for gabe—)

I want you
Yeah I want you
And nothing comes close
To the way that I need you
I wish I can feel your skin
And I want you
From somewhere within

(—and gabe wanting david just as bad, except—)

I want you
And I always will
I wish I was worth…
But I know what you deserve

(—for that thing between them gabe won’t address.)

It feels like there’s oceans
Between you and me

7. Neptune — Sleeping at Last

(david, trying to make sense of things—)

It was a stained glass
Variation of the truth
And I felt empty handed

You let me set sail
With cheap wood
So I patched up
Every leak that I could
’til the blame grew too heavy

(—and gabe’s sorrow at not knowing the course ahead.)

Stitch by stitch, I tear apart
If brokenness is a form of art
I must be a poster child prodigy
Thread by thread, I come apart
If brokenness is a work of art
Surely this must be my masterpiece

I’m only honest when it rains
An open book with a torn out page
And my ink’s run out
I want to love you, but I don’t know how

8. Mess We Made — The Paper Kites

(fixing the mess.)

So hard to get back to where we
Found this
Like a pulling tide in a dragging sea
And I want you to show me
That you’re wanting all the things
That make it worth it
To see it through

What about the mess we made?
The pieces that we gave away?

(What do they say?
Do whatever it takes.)

9. I Hadn’t Anyone Till You — Ella Fitzgerald

(the end; a beginning.)

I was a lonely one till you
I used to lie awake and wonder
If there could be
A someone in this wide world
Just meant for me
Now I see
I had to save my love for you…