Welcome, Brigham Vaughn!

Thank you so much for having me today, Deanna!

Five years ago, I got the idea for a story. I knew it would be angsty and emotionally difficult to tell, so I wrote down a few ideas and set it aside. I kept adding to it over the next few years, always adding a little more before I knew I’d reached my limit. It was a tough story to tell and I needed to grow into it as a writer. This past January, the story finally came together into a completed novel and I sent it to my beta readers for feedback.

With their suggested tweaks, what came together was the best story I’d ever written and a deeply emotional novel about two men finding each other in the midst of grief.

It is the first book in the series and there will be two more to follow.

Title: The Ghosts Between Us

Tagline: From Loss, A New Beginning

Series: The West Hills (Book 1)

While the stories in this series are connected, each book features a new couple and can be read as a stand-alone.

Word Count /or Page Number: 130k + words

Formats/Price: eBook – $5.99 Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Summary:

Dr. Christopher Allen knows how to deal with death. He’s a psychiatrist who works with hospice patients and their families, helping them cope with grief and letting go. But Chris’s job doesn’t prepare him for the sudden death of his devil-may-care brother Cal.

At Cal’s funeral, Chris is completely thrown when he meets Elliot Rawlings, an artist Cal has been dating. Chris is hurt to discover that the brother he knew as straight was actually bisexual. Elliot is angry and resentful of having been kept hidden from Cal’s family.

After the funeral, a night of drinking at the bar with Cal’s friends leads to Chris and Elliot falling into bed together. The next morning, they’re overwhelmed by guilt and grief and agree to never speak of it again.

But Cal’s apartment needs to be packed up and Elliot reluctantly agrees to help Chris, as well as answer some questions about Cal’s life and their relationship. Despite their guilt and initial dislike for one another, they sort through the pieces of Cal’s life and begin to fall for each other.

Despite his best efforts to fix things, Chris’s family seems to be crumbling around him and he begins to question who he is and what his role with them is. As his feelings for Elliot grow, Chris must decide if they’re worth further damaging his fragile relationships with his friends and family.

Elliot’s rough upbringing has left him distrustful of getting close to anyone, much less another man who isn’t willing to acknowledge him in public. The odds seem stacked against Chris and Elliot, but if they can overcome them, they may be able to lay Cal’s ghost to rest, along with their own demons.

Excerpt:

Hours later, I awoke to lips on the back of my neck and the prod of a hard cock against my ass. It took me a minute to emerge from the thick cocoon of sleep and remember where I was. The vanilla tea scent on the pillow and the wiry body behind me quickly reminded me whose bed I was in.

Elliot’s.

From the sound of his breathing, he was awake too. He didn’t have his arm around me anymore, but our ankles were tangled together under the sheet, and we were pressed together head to toe. I unwound our bodies and turned to look at him. Light filtered in through the skylights, and I could see him staring at me, his gaze solemn.

He spoke first. “Why did you come here, Chris?”

“I needed you,” I admitted, the dimness of the room giving me the courage to speak honestly. “I’m tired of fighting this too. I’m not going to pretend like things aren’t still fucked up because of how we met, but I need you in my life.” He nodded, and I knew there was one other thing he needed to hear. “And I’m not doing it because of Cal. I promise.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

I pretended like I didn’t see his fingers trembling as he reached for me. When he kissed me, I closed my eyes and greedily kissed him back.

At some point, I’d have to deal with my conflicted emotions about how we met. I’d have to deal with my family crumbling around me and the death of Hazel hanging over my head. But for now, there was just Elliot’s body against mine, the needy give and take of our lips, and the way he made everything else go away.

Readers and blog reviewers are loving “The Ghosts Between Us” and I know you will too!

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Bio

Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.

Her books range from short stories to novellas. They explore gay, bisexual, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.

Published Work:

Pride Publishing (Totally Entwined Group)

Standalone Short Stories

The Soldier Next Door (also part of the Right Here Right Now Anthology)

Tidal Series w/ K. Evan Coles (Novels)

Wake

Calm

Speakeasy Series w/ K. Evan Coles (Novels)

With a Twist

Extra Dirty

Behind the Stick (TBD)