I frequently write about people at career turning points, and this particular M/M novella hinges on one character’s decision to challenge workplace discrimination. Click the image below for product link!
Cover image by Ahmed Raza Kz @ahmedrazakz01 unsplash.com
Three key things about SCREW YOUR COURAGE:
yes, the title sounds familiar - it’s borrowed from the play ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare;
this is a low-angst, low-conflict story about two men - English teacher Casimir and ballet teacher Misha - who are ready to commit, just waiting for the right person;
the main characters receive plenty of support from friends and family. It’s a feel-good story!
This novella was mostly complete in February, but it took a while to find the right cover image. Then, when we found one that represented one of the main characters, I had to tweak his physical description in the story (this has happened before, most notably with F/M novella TAKE A NOTE).
I usually have pretty strong ideas about my characters’ appearance and their physical environments. This might be because while I read a helluva lot of books, I also watch a lot of movies. Visualizing a scene comes naturally.
Visualizing a character helps me imagine all kinds of other things about them. Their ethnic background (Casimir is half Egyptian, Misha is Russian) provokes contemplation of their family histories, which helps fill in the sketch of their parents, which informs the relationship they have with parents and/or siblings.
Casimir’s parents live in Los Angeles; he’s an only child. Because Misha came to the U.S. by means of what used to be called defection (it’s not quite that for him, because this story is set in 2018, long after the dissolution of the Soviet Union), he’s had little to no contact with the family left behind in Russia. His family in America is an older cousin and her husband. Misha has close relationships with some of his work colleagues; Casimir begins to develop the same over the course of this story. Yep, it’s another found-family story.
Like all my titles, SCREW YOUR COURAGE can be read as a stand-alone and promises a happy ending. Links to my other work are limited, but there are a few. Most notably, Casimir is acquainted with Dr. Valentine Gale of BE MINE. Happy reading!