No Good Deed: Release Day!

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Blurb: Raised by an over-bearing and demanding father, Scott Owen leaves London and returns to Cardiff to take over the family business after his father is taken ill. He encounters a thief in his office who is in fact, his father's executive assistant, Connor Murphy who claims he is trying to retrieve what is rightfully his. Intrigued by his father's hold over Connor, Scott sets out to discover the mysterious secret.

He learns there is more to the young man than meets the eye. Connor accompanies Scott on a business trip to Cornwall, near his family home. Desperate to preserve his ancestral home and right a childhood mistake, Connor offers himself in exchange for the land and accepts Scott's terms. They must work together to overcome the evil figure from Connor's past who threatens to destroy their lives.

Kelly Clemmons: Website | Facebook
No Good Deed: Buy | Goodreads 

No Good Deed: Travellog

Connor and Scott's adventures take them across the hills of Wales and through the city of Cornwall. Here are a few stops they make along the way.
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Capitol Tower Complex, Cardiff Wales

Website: Capital Tower Cardiff - WELCOME

Hi. I’m Connor Murphy and I’d like to welcome you to Owen Development. The corporation is located next to the Capitol Tower Complex. Every morning when I wake up and open my curtains, it’s the first thing I see.

The Capitol Tower is Cardiff’s tallest office building and from the top you can see the entire city. The Secretary of State for Wales has an office in the complex, along with Tiger Tiger Nightclub.  

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Photo by Ben Salter

Penarth Pier and beach, Penarth South Wales

Forecast: Heavy rain and high surf

Scott Owen: Penarth beach, where I took Connor, Luger, and a few doggy friends, and the pier where I spent a miserable Sunday morning huddled up with Luger feeling sorry for himself.

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Photo by Blue Peter Inn

Blue Peter Inn, Polperro, Cornwall 

On Tap: Blue's Best

Scott Owen: I inherited Miranda’s cottage in Polperro from my grandmother. I spent a lot of time there after my mother died. Polperro lies on the south east coast of Cornwall. It's known for its idyllic location and fisherman’s cottages tightly built on the side of a hill overlooking the harbour.

Luger and I have some great friends and neighbors in Polperro, namely Cath and Tony. Our local pub, The Blue Peter Inn is right on the Harbour. Luger knows his way there, and has usually eaten his dinner before I can order my first pint.


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No Good Deed: Recipe

In need of a warm cozy meal? Scott's got you covered. After spending the day together at Penarth Pier, Scott asks Connor to join him for pasta dinner. Connor informs Scott most of his meals comes frozen or in a can and are heated in the microwave. Connor takes a rain check.

This is the first dish Scott teaches Connor to cook.

“Come on, let’s get something to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Scott steered Connor towards the walk-in larder.
“What do you fancy?”
“I’m not sure what Mrs. Porter prepared, but I heard you cook a mean pasta. I’m curious to see if the rumours are true.”
Scott laughed. “Who told you I cook?” He picked out spaghetti, flour, fresh leeks, salt, pepper; and from the double fridge: milk, cheese and bacon.
“I heard straight from the horse’s mouth. You told me at the beach when we took the dogs out.”

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Scott’s Cheesy Leek and Bacon Pasta
Serves 4 people.

Tagliatelle, or pasta of your choice.
1 large leek sliced into rings
6 rashers of back bacon

Cheese sauce made with:
2oz/50g mature Cheddar, grated
1oz/25g parmesan grated
1 pint/570ml milk
1½oz/40g plain flour
1½oz/40g butter
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Boil Tagliatelle (or pasta of your choice) for several minutes until soft.

Sautee leek rings in butter over medium heat for a minute or two. Rings will soften and turn translucent.

Grill or fry the bacon over high heat until crispy

Combine milk, flour, salt and pepper, and using a balloon whisk stir over medium heat until simmering.
Let cook for a minute to combine, then stir in grated cheeses until melted into a rue.
Add cooked bacon and leeks. Stir together.
Pour over cooked Tagliatelle

Serve immediately with crisp mixed salad and or crusty bread. Don't forget the white wine!

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No Good Deed: Excerpt

Keep your eyes open for No Good Deed, coming your way on the 22nd. In the meantime, feast on this little teaser.

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Scott inched closer, a hand on either side of the mirror to steady himself. He glanced at Esme. “Is this real?”

“This is Connor as we speak.” Esme’s gaze stayed on Scott.

The mirror showed him a man-- no, not a man-- Connor, on a small sandy beach. Scott saw him walk to the water edge. The sea foam rolled up and covered Connor's bare toes and soaked into the bottom of his jeans. Connor lifted his head and raised his arms as the sun rose on the horizon. Scott collided with Esme as he stepped back. From Connor's back a huge pair of wings unfolded. Connor stretched each wing then folded them neatly against his naked back. Scott gasped in awe. That explained the scars on his back.

He'd known Connor was different, but witnessing with his own eyes was somewhat of a shock. ”Connor.” 

Connor glanced about as if he heard his name then turned back to watch the sunrise.

In storybooks, Faeries were always depicted as tiny butterfly winged creatures, but here was Connor with a magnificent set of what looked like Golden eagle wings. Folded against his back they reached from the top of his head to his ankles. A gust of wind ruffled and lifted the longer feathers.

Esme stopped him when he reached out his hand to touch. “My son is glorious, is he not?” Esme searched Scott’s face. “You are not repulsed by his true form?”

“Yes, he is. That,” a note of wonder lit his voice as he pointed to the workbench, “doesn’t do him justice.” Scott couldn’t take his eyes off Connor as he walked the length of the small beach then retraced his sandy footprints. Tears welled, as he drank in Connor’s true form. What he wouldn’t give for a second chance to do right by Connor. Longing, regret, and guilt; he felt them all keenly.

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And don't forget to enter our giveaway for a chance to win a copy of No Good Deed!

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No Good Deed: Giveaway

We're happy to announce a giveaway open to everyone who is interested. We have TWO digital copies of No Good Deed to hand out to two lucky people in any format you want. Enter to win!

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Cover Reveal: No Good Deed by Kelly Clemmons

Coming Soon

Goodreads: To-Read

The Editor: Common Mistakes and Where To Find Them

By Katherine Johnson

Photo by Nic McPhee

Editor-in-Chief, Rooster & Pig Publishing

As an editor, I’ve noticed many common mistakes in manuscripts. Most of them are easily fixed with a close review. Spell check is great, but a majority of the mistakes aren’t going to be flagged by spell check because, in essence, they are spelled correctly. Below are some of the more prevalent errors.

1) Then/Than

Then refers to a measure of time. Something happened. Something else happened after it. Example: Rick got in the car. Then he buckled his seat belt.

He got in first. Then he buckled up after getting inside.

Than refers to a comparison. Something is compared to something else, usually in a matter of preference.

Example: I’d rather read a book than watch television.

I’m comparing my desire for reading over the desire to watch TV.

2) Punctuation outside of dialogue quotations

Most publishers use the Chicago Manual of Style (not all, but most). When writing dialogue, there will always be some sort of punctuation within the quotes. Sometimes this is a comma, and other times, it’s a question mark or period. (Or, in very rare cases, an exclamation point, but try to avoid them. Use action words to convey surprise, shock, and other similar emotions.)

Example: Rick said, “I’m going to the store.”

Example: “I’m going to the store,” Rick said.

3) Commas and proper names

When a name is used, sometimes a comma is needed. Always use a comma when the addressing a person by name. However, using the name but not directly addressing the person doesn’t require a comma.

Example: “Liz, come here.”

Example: “I told Liz to come here.”

Example: “Come over, Liz,” Rick said.

Example: “I told Liz to come over,” Rick said.

4) Pronouns

I write same-gender romance, so I completely understand the craziness in dealing with pronouns—especially when writing in third person pov (point-of-view). That said, it’s generally a good habit to stick to one referenced person when using pronouns of the same gender. If you have two men in a 3rd pov story and both men are referenced by pronouns in the same paragraph, it can become very confusing to determine who is who. Rule of thumb: one pronoun-referenced person PER paragraph. All other people of the same gender should be first names.

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Have you made any of these errors in your own writing? What trouble spots do you look for before you send a story out for submission?