Peter E. Fenton November Newsletter … All About The GRL!

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On October 17th my partner Scott and I trundled our suitcases to the airport and headed down to Portsmouth, Virginia for the annual Gay Romance Lit Retreat. While there may be bigger conferences connected to romance writing, this is the largest conference in North America focusing on gay romance literature. The event was attended by 125 authors from around the world and had 400 attendees who are passionate about gay romance.

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I arrived at the conference early in the afternoon and was greeted by an amazing team that provided my author badge, a tote-bag sponsored by Macy Blake, the official GRL program and a host of treats to nibble on while attending the five days of panels, author meet-ups and book signings.

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Our room was on the 16th floor with a fantastic view of the harbour. Portsmouth is one of the hubs for the Atlantic Coast Guard and is situated across the river from Norfolk which is a major port for the U.S. Navy, including a dry dock where they repair huge ships.

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We spent the afternoon settling in and preparing some of the 150 swag bags that we would give away. Each package contained a Canadian chocolate bar, a Canada pin, a Peter E. Fenton pen, a sticker, as well as three postcards that each had a special promotion on them for the GRL retreat. The top facing card was a promotion from Pride Publishing that offered a chance to win one of five free e-copies of Mann Hunt if you scanned the QR code on the back. A second postcard had a QR code that you could scan to get a FREE e-copy of The Woodcarver’s Model. But it was the third postcard that we hoped would be the most tantalizing.

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During GRL, people were encouraged to scan the mystery QR code on the back of the question mark postcard. Everyone who scanned the code was entered for a random draw. The prize? The chance to have their name as a character in Hoodoo House, the second book in the Declan Hunt Mysteries series. The book will be coming out June 25th. I am thrilled to say that the winner was Kaci Bowen. Kaci will be featured as an important character in this upcoming mystery. Stay tuned for details.

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Most days we attended author panels, or met up with other authors and readers to discuss gay romance. I met authors from around the world and made lots of new friends. But it wasn’t all work. Scott and I managed to sneak away for an afternoon. We took the $2 ferry across the river to Norfolk and walked to the Chrysler Museum of Art which had a stunning collection of glasswork in the Tiffany Gallery and an array of unique pieces of fine art. And best of all, the museum was FREE.

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My author lounge was on the Friday afternoon of the conference, and I spent the entire 45 minutes signing autographs and meeting readers, while Scott handed out swag bags.

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Saturday was a bigger event, with half of the authors doing a signing session in the morning, and half of the authors doing a signing session in the afternoon. This is the room just prior to the doors opening. We ran out of swag and I signed books until my hand was stiff. It was a rewarding day.

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I was proud to be one of three Canadian authors at the conference and we met so many amazing people. If you want more information on GRL and next year’s event click here.

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While The Woodcarver’s Model and Mann Hunt continue to find new readers, I am in the writing room working on Hoodoo House, the second in the three part Declan Hunt Mysteries series. The manuscript will go to the editors by the end of the year. I’m doing final tweaks right now. Here’s the book description.

How far would you be willing to go to keep a secret?

When writer Malcolm Tulle is discovered dead at his writing desk, all signs point to suicide. But Malcolm’s publisher isn’t so sure. There’s the matter of the man’s missing computer, a mislaid manuscript, and the fact that he wasn’t necessarily the type to take his own life.

Declan Hunt and Charlie Watts are called into action once more. As the investigation moves out to The Badlands of Alberta, suspects begin to mount including a nervous editor, the author’s gay tricks, a mysterious housekeeper who takes care of a young boy, and an outside threat that keeps trying to break into Hoodoo House – a place filled with secrets.

Charlie and Declan follow the twists and turns of the case as they find themselves drawn closer to each other. Before this investigation is over, they’re going to have to decide if it is murder or suicide, and along the way determine if their partnership will extend beyond solving cases and into their personal lives.

Hoodoo House will be released on June 25th of 2024. You’ll be the very first to see the new cover for the novel, get access to exclusive excerpts and other tips and secrets about the book.

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My youth novel Not Not Normal being published by James Lorimer & Company Ltd. Publishers is now going to be a fall 2024 release. The book is in the editing phase, and the publisher wants to give more time to promote the book and put it in the peak period for school release in September. Watch my newsletter for more information on this heart-warming story. I am REALLY proud of the work in this novel, and I think it will make you laugh and cry.

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As we move past Halloween and into the pre-Christmas period, I hope that all of you have had a fantastic fall. I look forward to sharing news on my writing and keeping in touch with each of you. In the New Year I will be setting up a book signing for Mann Hunt in Toronto and planning other events that I’ll talk more about in future newsletters. And a reminder that Mann Hunt is available for FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Take advantage of this while you can. You can go to the site here.

In the meantime, thanks for reading and have a GREAT November.

Warmest Regards,