Happy National Lighthouse Day!
Yes! That’s a thing! I’m so glad I was able to participate in another collaboration with some of the Naked Gardening Gang. For those of you coming in late, the Naked Gardening Gang I’m referring to is a group of authors I joined in 2022 for a project celebrating Naked Gardening Day, and not a gang of naked gardeners. Or, at least, not that I know of. Maybe they are! Personally, I’ve worked to keep a vampire complexion since I was thirteen, and I wouldn’t risk such a hobby. There isn’t enough sunscreen in the world!
This time around, I’m joining Holly Day and K.L. Noone, each of us bringing our unique take on the holiday.
For my part, my contribution is Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down. And it was so much fun to write.
Going into it, I initially planned for the story to take place in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, like The Death of Digby Catch. But, in the end, I moved it to Rockford, Maine for both the colder weather—it was so hot here, I needed to write about some place and time that was cold—and for the number of lighthouses in Maine.
Still, in Maine or not, the house in Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down is based on Manor by the Sea, a house in Cape Cod where I spent some time one autumn when I was a kid. I don’t remember how old I was, but I do remember that I found the old servants’ quarters and the attic super creepy. LOL
If you’re up for a lighthearted romance filled with yearning for a first love, family drama, uncheck suspicion, and a sliver of spooky, check out the blurb and an excerpt from Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down below!
Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down
Blurb: Milo Burnbrook has had a setback.
After being fired from his assistant manager position at an iconic Hollywood Hotel, he decides to return home to Rockport, Maine, as the new event coordinator for Rocky Cliff Lighthouse. But Milo ran from Rockport six years ago for a reason, and he quickly realizes he will have no choice but to face his past.
Milo may not be ready to make amends with his twin sister and all his old friends, but when sparks fly between Milo and Jackson, the man whose rejection sent him running to California in the first place, it looks like facing his past is exactly what he needs to do to finally have everything he has always wanted. That is, until he discovers Jackson was the prime suspect in the death of his previous boyfriend, Jason Reese, who fell from the top of the Rocky Cliff Lighthouse.
When Milo’s best friend Robert, and his new true-crime podcaster girlfriend come to visit from California, suspicions run high, things get complicated, and Milo will come face-to-face with the truth of what happened at Rocky Cliff the night Jason died.
It's not a fall. It’s a setback.
M/M Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery / 16733 words
Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down
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National Lighthouse Day Box Set
Buy Links: JMS Book • Amazon • Universal Buy Link
20% Off Now through August 8th at JMS Books
Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down
Excerpt: . “Hurry up. We’re running late.”
“For what?”
“We’re meeting up with the Crows.”
The Crows? Despite my desire to run at just the thought, I nodded and climbed into the passenger seat. I wasn’t sure if Mabel was trying to ease my anxiety or her own by making this a social gathering, but I suspected it was mine. There had never been a situation Mabel the girl hadn’t been able to handle, and I was sure Mabel the woman was a force to be reckoned with. Still, I might have preferred this meeting one-on-one; I wasn’t ready to see anyone else.
“Is Jack going to be there?” I finally asked once we were back on the road and the silence had gotten awkward.
“Jack? He goes by Jackson now.” Of course he did. I could imagine the name suited him better. “He is. And Bree. And Joshua. And Lemon. The whole murder.”
“Great.” Fuckity, fuck.
“Don’t be upset.” And here I thought I’d gotten better at hiding my emotions. “We already had something scheduled tonight, and everyone would have been furious if I showed up alone and then they found out you were in town.”
I nodded.
“But listen.” I had been staring straight ahead, but something in her tone made me look over.
“Jackson is not the same as when you left.”
What exactly did that mean? Was it some kind of accusation? Had Jack told her? “I suppose we’ve all changed.”
“No, I mean he’s been through some real shit.”
“Like?” Our abrupt pull-up to the curb interrupted me, and I groaned when I realized we’d stopped in front of a sushi place, which made Mabel laugh. Everyone else in our little murder of crows—Jack had been the one to start calling us that—had loved sushi, and I’d been the odd man out. And as they all ordered their California rolls and spicy tuna, I had eaten whatever I could manage to find. “Tell me they have—”
“Fried rice?” Mabel interrupted. “Of course they do.”
When we climbed from the car, honky-tonk music from the barbecue joint down the street blared through speakers loud enough that we could still make out the words, and Mabel came around to tuck her arm in mine.
“Listen,” she began, her voice low as we hit the door. I could already see our table, and I felt a sick pit in my stomach open up. “Everything will be fine, everyone will be thrilled to see you.”
I hoped she was right.
Somewhere between thinking about running away and actually doing it, I heard Lemon from across the room.
“Mr. Hollywood.” Lemon slipped from his side of the booth to meet us and pulled me into a hug. Unlike my sister, Lemon looked mostly the same as the last time I’d seen him. Maybe a little less of the stick figure he’d been in college, but in every other way, he was unchanged. “I couldn’t believe it when Mabel told me you were in town. I’m glad you came.”
“Mabel would’ve strangled me if I hadn’t.” He grinned at that and let go of me, only to herd me into the booth before sliding in after me, and Mabel slipped in after him. I wondered if they’d planned this, pinning me in so I couldn’t escape.
In all my memories of growing up, Lemon had been a constant, a fixture at my sister’s side, and I’d always hoped to receive a call one day to let me know that he’d become my brother-in-law, that their friendship had blossomed into something more. But that call had never come.
“How long are you staying?” The question came from Bree, sitting across from me. She still looked about thirteen. “Or is this more than a visit?”
“It’s hard to say. It’s up in the air at the moment. But I’m working at Rocky Cliff while I decide.” I glanced over, feeling Jack’s eyes on me from the other end of the table—Jackson now, I guess—and smiled. He didn’t smile back.
It was a struggle to look away. There had always been something about him that drew me, something that I couldn’t put my finger on. Maybe it was the nails always smudged with charcoal or splattered with paint, or the way he’d looked at me since we’d gotten older, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to paint me or kiss me. Or maybe it was that even as a kid, I knew he’d eventually grow into his looks. And he certainly had. All cheekbones and pointed chin, and cupid bow mouth.
Was it any wonder I ran away like I did?
You can check out a longer excerpt of this scene on my website HERE.
You can also learn about all the books that are part of this project in one place by clicking on the image below.
