Welcome Jon Keys with his new story, Showstring

Hi JC, thanks for letting me visit! This is Ben taking over the blog hop from Jon. Monday I had so much fun at Raine’s Hat party that I told Jon I would just take over. He was cool with that. He thought a young dude like me might do a better job than an old fart like Jon. Don’t tell him I said that though!

Anyway, Showstring is the story of how Jayden and I met and it’s pretty cool. It’s coming out as part of the Rode Hard anthology from Torquere Press. It’s about hot cowboys, like me. But there’s also a lot of drama that’s coming from Jayden. Since Jayden told the story to Jon, I thought I’d fill in a some on my side of the story and explain a little about showing cattle.

I thought I’d start by tell you a little about that first time Jayden and I ‘bumped’ into each other. I saw Jayden walk into the cattle barns and right away I thought he was smoking hot. Curly blond hair and tall-lanky body, he got my juices flowing. I was bringing Norman back from walking him. Norman is the champion bull that’s part of the showstring I’m showing at all the state fairs I can work in. But you’ll find out more about Norman in the story.

Anyway, I could have gone down a different walkway to get to my tie down spots, but I really wanted to meet this cute guy. It was adorable how he kept pushing his curls back. So, anyway, I take a detour so I can blame everything on Norman. I wasn’t really being sneaky or anything. Norman can be really stubborn when he wants to be. But I really wanted to get to meet the cute guy. So, anyway, that’s how we met.

 

~ Ben ~

 

 

Blurb

Jayden Laine has spent his life in the city, dreaming of cowboys and cattle ranches. He looks forward to each fall when his life is exchanged for his dreams when the state fair opens.

 

This year when he steps into the barns he’s greeted by the sights he’s come to see, and one additional sight of Ben Ramos fighting to move a two-thousand pound bull that’s decided he doesn’t want to move. What happens next starts a juggernaut of emotions in Jayden that turn his world upside down. Now all he has to do is reevaluate his entire life and decide who to believe. And he has only a few days to do it.

 

Excerpt from Showstring.

Stepping into the barns from the bright sunshine, I paused for a moment to let my eyes adjust. The earthy scent of cattle merged with the sweet odor of hay and the sharp bite of pine shavings to play across my senses while I waited. I lost myself in this world each fall during the state fair. It always took a little sneaking around so my father didn’t know how I was spending my time. If he figured out my desire for cowboys hadn’t changed, he’d send me off for treatment again, or worse. But this was my time to dream I was normal, to pretend I didn’t know I was damaged.

Locking my guilt away, I moved down the aisle, determined to allow myself a few moments of peace. The neat rows of cattle lying contentedly on immaculately groomed beds of wood chips revived the world I lost myself in each time I could. While forming an important part of my fantasy life, the cattle intimidated me. They were huge, but I still dreamed of working with them.

“Sorry, excuse me.”

Startled I glanced up to find myself in the way of a guy who looked only a few years older than me, leading a massive black animal. Scrambling out of the, the heat of my clumsy embarrassment burned across my face. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

The tanned cowboy gave me a bright smile. “If it wasn’t for old fat ass Norman here, it wouldn’t be a problem. But he doesn’t like to be led. So taking him out is a chore.”

He planted his worn boots against the walkway and heaved at the lead rope. The animal took one slow step and stopped again. Exasperation filled the guy’s face. “Holy crap! I’d so make you into hamburger if you weren’t the best bull we’ve had in a while.”

 

eBook Link: 

Amazon

Torquere Press

 

Bio:

Jon Keys’ earliest memories revolve around books; with the first ones he can recall reading himself being “The Warlord of Mars” and anything with Tarzan. (The local library wasn’t particularly up to date.) But as puberty set in he started sneaking his mother’s romance magazines and added the world of romance and erotica to his mix of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books.

A voracious reader for almost half a century, Jon has only recently begun creating his own flights of fiction for the entertainment of others. Born in the Southwest and now living in the Midwest, Jon has worked as a ranch hand, teacher, computer tech, roughneck, designer, retail clerk, welder, artist, and, yes, pool boy; with interests ranging from kayaking and hunting to painting and cooking, he draws from a wide range of life experiences to create written works that draw the reader in and wrap them in a good story.

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