December is here! I’m in Sweden, so for me December means snow and ice — though not as much snow and ice as some might think. There are no polar bears wandering our streets, sorry to disappoint. While there have been days where I’ve been stuck in the house because of snow or too-cold weather, it never lasts for days as it does in stories.

But I’m not here to talk about the Swedish climate. I’ve written a contemporary M/M romance, Christmas story. It’s about an established couple that’s had a rough year. They hardly see each other, and all spontaneity is lost.

Victor, the narrator, has more or less given up. He’s prepared for a boring, lonely holiday with his partner, Jian, either working or fallen asleep on the couch.

Jian has other plans, though. He’s not willing to give up on their relationship, and he has planned twenty-four dates from the 1st of December to the 24th

The reason I began this post by talking about the December cold is because Jian has one freezing date planned for Victor.

When I was a teen, I lived in northern Sweden. There the winters are long. The river that rounded the village where I lived froze. One year, in the spring, when the ice was breaking, a friend and I decided it was a good idea to go bathing — don’t ask.

Going in was terrible. The shock the body goes through when exposed to that kind of cold — shudder — but getting out. I was standing on the jetty in the cold without a stitch of clothing and it was so warm. For hours after, my friend and I were laughing.

Would anyone ask if I would go ice-hole bathing today, the answer would be no. But …

Continue reading Guest post by Ofelia Gränd →

I’m here today because I wrote a story, a Halloween story … sort of. The thing is, I’m Swedish, and we don’t celebrate Halloween. I’ve never been to a Halloween party in my entire life, and I have no Halloween decorations apart from one tiny pumpkin lantern. So why on earth would I write a Halloween story?

What we celebrate here is All Saints’ Day. Though it’s not saints we’re remembering on that day, it’s family members. It’s nothing special — no one is dressing up, no one is giving out candy, but if you’re ever in Sweden on October 31st, visit a graveyard. There are candles everywhere.

As a child, I thought it incredibly boring to walk around and find the graves of dead relatives I’d never met or couldn’t remember so Mum could light candles. Now, I make sure to walk by the church every October 31st.

This has very little to do with my story, and yet it’s related. Many of the holidays we see at the end of October or the first days of November are related to death — the death of harvest season or the remembrance of the dead. It can be All Hollow’s Eve, Samhain, Día de los Muertos, All Saints’ Eve, or something else. In the dark of October, the spirits are near, and they are in Soul Eater too.

Thaddeus Ezax is a wizard, a mage to be exact, but a lousy one. He’s never been able to do the spells he’s supposed to master, has never accomplished anything that has impressed the wizarding world. He is a detective working in Rockshade’s Paranormal Investigations Department, it’s the end of October and a case has him going to the black market to ask some questions.

As a mage, he has no connection to the spirits of the dead, and yet his entire being buzzes when he touches a skull. The seller at the black market claim it’s a werewolf skull. Against his better judgement, Thaddeus steals it. When he accidentally releases the spirit trapped in it, he realises nothing he believed about himself is true.

Sorcerers have connections with ghosts, not mages, and yet Thaddeus finds himself in possession of a ghost werewolf. Or perhaps it’s the werewolf who has possession of him.

Continue reading Guest post by Ofelia Gränd →

Why Quincy Dean is buying Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

I thought I’d drop by today and tell you a little about Quinny, Focus!, my latest story, but mostly about candy.

I’m Swedish, and you might not know this, but Swedes are said to have the highest candy consumption per capita in the world. I admit that I do my share to keep us at the top. My favourite candy is Djungelvrål, and I know you’ve probably never heard of it, but you can find it on Amazon, and if you want to, you can search on YouTube and see people’s reactions to eating it. I’ve done that, checking YouTube that is, so I knew that when Will in Quinny, Focus! was yearning for some sweets, Djungelvrål wasn’t what he was after.

As a writer, you Google a lot of things, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot. So naturally, I Googled, and the most popular candy in the US according to USA Today, is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. And luckily we had some at home! So, everyone in the household got one, and I told them that the characters in my story were having Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and that it’s the most popular candy in the USA — I teach my kids important stuff LOL

When I’d written the story and sent it to my beta readers, one of them got back to me and said Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups was her favourite candy, and she’s German. I guess Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have conquered the world. But I dare you all, if you get the chance, try some Djungelvrål.

Continue reading Guest post by Ofelia Gränd →