Xio Axelrod's Blog

Hello, my lovelies! As you know, I try to post my yearly faves at the bottom of the calendar year. 2020 was a challenge like no other, as you are no doubt aware. I found myself revisiting older faves, just looking for that sense of familiarity in a time when nothing seemed familiar.

That said, I did manage to get to a number of new goodies that instantly landed on my list.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything I fell in love with this year – which includes beloved books from Farrah Rochon, Kennedy Ryan, and Roan Parrish – but I hope you find some new faves among this incomplete selection.

Books:
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Taking on the Billionaire by Robin Covington
A Guy Walks into My Bar by Lauren Blakely
Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev
You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
Sugar Crush by Susan Scott Shelley
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Music:
Qoyskayga by Musti
Death of an Optimist by grandson
Græ by Moses Sumney
Made of Rain by the Psychedelic Furs
Róisín Machine by Róisín Murphy (not pictured)

2021 brings with it the promise of new books to devour and new music to love. Here’s hoping we discover a new normal where family and friends and safely come together and share the things we love in person.

Wishing you and yours all the best of the holiday season! See you on the other side.

Stay safe and healthy…

~X

Visit Sourcebooks Casablanca’s 2021 preview to read an extended excerpt from THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES, and enter to win a new release every month in 2021!

Hello my lovelies!

It’s been an exciting week for my Lillys and THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES. Publishers Weekly chose GWISHE as one of their top ten Romances for Spring 2021! Not only that, but they also gave Toni’s book a wonderful review, calling it “delightful” and declaring it “a gift for music lovers.”

Needless to say, my heart sang reading those words. Because I wrote GWISHE for you, my romantic, music-loving readers.

The cherry on this delicious sundae is more love for Toni and Seb from Fresh Fiction, who also chose THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES as one of their most anticipated books of early 2021, alongside titles from Mary Bly (a/k/a Eloisa James), Denny S. Bryce, Beverly Jenkins, and Talia Hibbert.

Speaking of Talia, she named GWISHE as one of the books she’s most looking forward to for 2021 for Goodreads. And I can tell you, the feeling is mutual! Act Your Age, Eve Brown, the final book in the Brown Sisters series, comes out March 9th and I cannot wait! If you haven’t met the Browns, get on it.

Hello lovelies!

I hope you and yours are safe and well. November has been a month of high-highs, low-lows, and everything in between. But good things are happening!

When Alyssa Cole, Courtney Milan, and Kit Rocha (aka Bree & Donna) created ROMANCING THE RUNOFF, a fundraiser and auction to support Fair Fight, the New Georgia Project, and Black Voters Matter in the Georgia Senate Runoffs, I jumped to participate.

Inspired by fellow romance author (and future-President,) Stacey Abrams, Romancing the Runoff has already raised over $300,000! This, after their initial goal was to maybe get $25,000. Needless to say, Romancelandia has risen to the challenge, and then some – along with people like Neil Gaiman and Charisma Carpenter who donated some truly amazing auction items!

I have two lots up for grabs, including a signed book bundle and a signed ARC of THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES!

As I type this, roughly thirty-one hours remain for bidding, and there are plenty of buy-it-now items still available. Visit the auction site and bid on everything from manuscript consults to rare, signed books, to a pajama party with an author. You can also donate directly to the fundraiser and every little bit helps.

In other news, Falling Stars is five years old this week!
In preparation for a super secret project, the Falling Stars duo will drop out of e-book and print circulation at the end of November. Right now, both FALLING STARS and STARLIGHT are in Kindle Unlimited. If you’ve been itching for a re-read, now’s the time to buy or borrow and experience Sam and Val’s epic saga.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating this week!

Stay safe,
Xio oxo

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Hello my lovelies!

I’m so excited to finally share the cover for The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes with you! You can see it AND read an exclusive excerpt today over at Entertainment Weekly.

You can pre-order it at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble and other fine retailers.

Don’t forget, you can follow the Lillys on social media:

https://www.thelillysrock.com/
https://bit.ly/TheLillysSpotify
https://bit.ly/TheLillysiTunes
https://bit.ly/LillysYouTubeChannel –
https://twitter.com/thelillysrock
https://www.instagram.com/thelillysrock/
https://www.facebook.com/thelillysrock/
http://thelillysrock.bandcamp.com/

Rock on!
Xio

Hello, my lovelies! I have some exciting news to share with you. The first book in my new Sourcebooks Casablanca series, The Lillys, has a title and a release date!

I’m so excited for you to meet Toni, Seb, and the rest of the Lillys. I hope they’ll rock your world! Here’s a bit more about the first book, The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes.

They say the road to stardom is paved with broken dreams.

Growing up, Antonia “Toni” Bennette’s guitar was her only companion…until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and he became Toni’s way out, promising they’d escape their small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back.

Now, Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia’s indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She’s in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn’t be if Seb didn’t still hold a piece of her heart, not to mention the key to her future.

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes will be available on 6 April, 2021 but, if you’re as anxious as I am, you can pre-order it at Amazon and Apple Books. And don’t forget to add it on Goodreads.

I’ve joined more than one hundred romance authors who stand in solidarity with the demands for change happening worldwide and to promote causes that are dedicated to affecting that change. The Love Over Hate auction will benefit Fair Fight 501(c), an organization created by romance author and politician, Stacey Abrams, to fight voter suppression. The other 50% will go to the Color of Change. All donations will be made in George Floyd’s name.

We hope you’ll be inspired not only to support the auction, but to consider individual donations to our organizations and/or use the following links as helpful resources. FAIR FIGHT: https://fairfight.com/about-fair-fight/
COLOR OF CHANGE: https://colorofchange.org

Hello, my lovelies…

We are living through some challenging times. The most vulnerable among us are in danger, and voices are struggling to be heard. People all over the world have come together to fight injustice, demand change, and express compassion, sympathy, and support.

And for all of the hate, vitriol, and tired rhetoric, there has been an overwhelming outpouring of love that warms my heart.

For the last two years, I’ve asked a few friends to come together for a cause and a celebration. June is Pride month in the US. The first edition of Love Is All was conceived as a way to celebrate the LGBT+ community and to raise money for an organization that served it. As individuals and entities seek to strip people of their basic human rights – simply because of how they self-identify, who they love, or the colour of their skin – it has become even more important to raise awareness.

We can do better and we must.

To that end, all proceeds from the Love Is All: Volume 3 will be donated to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute which organizes to protect and defend the human rights of Black transgender people.

Love Is All: Volume 3 contains seven brand new novellas and short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors, including To Build a Home, a short story set in the Frankie and Johnny universe.

Frankie Llewellyn was never a big fan of love songs. They always seemed so unrealistic, all those unchained melodies and sunshine-filled cloudy days written by fools in love. When he suddenly finds himself living in a nineties power ballad, Frankie wonders if maybe those fools were onto something all along. One night he was spinning dark wave during his DJ shift at WKMP, lamenting the end of the latest in a string of mediocre relationships, and the next he was tumbling head-over-heels into an Elton John anthem.

John Burton is every sappy lyric come to life. Frankie wants to hold his hand, call him “angel” in the morning, and give him every beat of his heart. It’s a little sickening how in love he is. Less than six months into the relationship, they’re moving in together. And despite how easy it is to be with Johnny, Frankie can’t help but to worry. His track record isn’t the best, and they’re really just getting to know each other. It’s too soon, right? Maybe?

Frankie has no idea what he’s doing. He’s never felt like this before, and he’s afraid. Can he really pull off a happily-ever-after? He’s going to try, even if it kills him. Because if Frankie knows anything, it’s that a life without John Burton would be nothing worth singing about.

The anthology also includes:
Pole Kisses by Wendy Gold
The Start of Something New by Megan Hart
Hands Off by Connor Peterson
Falling Faster by Susan Scott Shelley
and Custard and Kisses by Sophia Soames

Grab Love Is All: Volume 3 on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books.

I’m also super excited to be participating in LOVE OVER HATE, an auction to benefit organizations that are fighting systemic racism.

More than one hundred romance authors have come together to stand in solidarity with the demands for change happening worldwide and to promote causes that are dedicated to affecting that change. This auction will benefit Fair Fight 501(c), an organization created by romance author and politician, Stacey Abrams, to fight voter suppression. The other 50% will go to the Color of Change. All donations will be made in George Floyd’s name.

We hope you’ll be inspired not only to support the auction, but to consider individual donations to our organizations and/or use the following links as helpful resources. FAIR FIGHT: https://fairfight.com/about-fair-fight/
COLOR OF CHANGE: https://colorofchange.org

Thank you, and Happy Pride!
Xio

Black lives matter.
Black Trans lives matter.

Hello, my lovelies! I hope you and yours are healthy and happy. Temperatures are finally heating up here in Philly, which means Summer is right around the corner. It’ll be the perfect time to sit in your window, out on your patio or balcony, or in the backyard (maybe venture to a nearby park) with a good book.

There are so many fabulous new releases to enjoy, from authors like Priscilla Oliveras, Katee Robert, Sonali Dev, and Alisha Rai! As for me, I’m about to dive into the latest from Kennedy Ryan, Queen Move.

If you recall, I featured Kennedy early in my FoX Friday series and I still stan her so hard. She is an incredible prose artist. If you haven’t checked her out yet, get on it!

Hello my dearest darlings…

What can I say that hasn’t been said already, and by people far more eloquent than I? The world finds itself alone together. This is something I’ve never experienced in my lifetime. But reading stories about how we’ve dealt with things like this before has given me comfort.

That, and all of the incredible acts of kindness, generosity, and just plain silliness that I’ve witnessed over the last week or two.

Humans are, at our very nature, resilient. We will get through this.

I feel so helpless, though, as I’m sure many of us do. This week, I was scheduled to be in Nashville at Book Lovers Con, where I’d planned to hang out with many of you. It’s been postponed, of course, and hopefully it can be rescheduled soon.

Next week, D.C. and my first Apollycon were on the schedule. I look forward to the day when we can be together and celebrate the books we all love.

Hello, my lovelies!

I just popped by to let you know When Frankie Meets Johnny is now available everywhere for just 99 measly cents. I am overwhelmed by all the love shown to my surly Scot and his big-hearted crush. If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here’s your chance!

Scottish ex-pat Frankie Llewellyn lives and breathes music. Working late nights at WKMP, a radio station in suburban Philadelphia, he can play what he wants, sleep in every morning, and no one gives him any grief. No one but his most recent ex-boyfriend. Frankie is a serial monogamist, but after this latest break-up, he’s worried he’ll end up alone with nothing but his records to keep him warm at night.

When the station hires someone to do some much-needed renovations, Frankie is horrified to find out the work will be done during his overnight shift. But it makes the most sense, so he’s resolved to take one for the team. After he meets the mysterious contractor, a gorgeous, lumberjack of a man named John Burton, Frankie decides it may not be such a hardship after all.

John is reserved, and a bit mysterious. Quite the contrast to Frankie’s drama-filled life. But, as their friendship grows, John’s quiet presence has Frankie singing a new song.

Grab When Frankie Meets Johnny at: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books for 99 cents, for a limited time, and remember to check out my interview with the Big Gay Fiction Podcast. I discuss Frankie, my love of music, and what I’m working on next. You can listen anytime on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, and YouTube. And there’s even an audio file download.