Release Blitz: Muscle Cub: Slade James
He’s a little too young and way too hot for me.
Austin Fox is a twentysomething beefcake living his best life working at a clothing-optional campground. He’s the reigning Best Cub of Bear Mountain Lodge. With a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile, he radiates body positivity and self-esteem.
He could have anyone he wants.
I’m a forty-two-year-old, once-celebrated author with a bad case of writer’s block, a dad bod, and “performance anxiety” in bed.
He picks me.
On paper, he’s offering me exactly what I came here for — a weekend of no-strings fun to reboot, “get my groove back,” and find my muse before summer ends.
But there’s more to Austin’s story than his title and appearance. He’s empathetic, wise beyond his years, and he challenges me to see myself in a new light. Despite our age difference, we’re in the same place, hoping to find a renewed sense of purpose.
If we choose to let go of the stories that no longer serve us, we can write our next chapter together.
Muscle Cub is an age gap, surly/sunshine gay romance that starts with a one-night stand and turns into a deeper reflection on identity and self-image. It’s the second full-length book in the Bear Camp series, featuring cringe-inducing karaoke, a makeover, and a man-pageant.
It can be read as a standalone.
Paul is a bear in need...in need of a hot and fun weekend, in need of a muse to inspire his writing, and in need of something to perk up his self-esteem. He is a professor and his writing career has had highs and lows. He’s older with a dad bod and some performance anxiety and issues that affect his self-worth. His friends invite him to a weekend at Bear Camp to help him get his groove back.
Enter the muscle cub, Austin. He is Mr. Popular at Bear Camp. Everyone knows him, everyone wants to be around him, and he gets around. He’s a charming, easy-going, attentive fitness instructor who is still figuring out his future plans.
Austin seems to have his eye on Paul and is giving him some special attention. And poor Paul has no clue why. But the more time they spend with each other, the more they realize that they might be more alike than they think, despite the differences in age and outwardly appearances.
This is an inspirational, heartwarming, fun, age-gap, opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine, unexpected romance that begins in an optional clothing, gay men’s camp. These guys have chemistry for sure but it is the connection they formed that really drew me in. There are cameos of our other bear friends from previous books. The atmosphere is fun and a bit over the top, but this book also deals with more intimate and emotional topics as well. There are opportunities for growth for both of these guys both individually and together during this story.
What do lumberjacks do at a gay, clothing-optional campground during the off-season? Play with wood, of course.
It’s time for the Jackolympics, the camp’s annual wood-splitting competition. This year I’m more determined than ever to win because I’ve got skin in the game.
I fell in love with Gunner the first night I met him. Two and a half years later, I’m still deep in the friend zone. I can’t go another season without telling him how I feel.
The wager is: if I win, he has to go on a date with me.
The Uncut Wood is a 12,000-word short story prequel to the Bear Camp series, featuring friends to lovers, a cabin in the woods, and a kilt-wearing lumberjack. This story can be read as a standalone.
Enter the muscle cub, Austin. He is Mr. Popular at Bear Camp. Everyone knows him, everyone wants to be around him, and he gets around. He’s a charming, easy-going, attentive fitness instructor who is still figuring out his future plans.
There’s something just so earnest and vulnerable about these two guys. They present outwardly so differently with Austin being so confident and outgoing, and Paul being more insecure, but deep down, they both just want to be accepted, loved, and be successful with something they are passionate about. I just love Austin's energy and how he wants to make Paul feel important too, but just also really wants to be around Paul....even when Paul doesn’t think he has anything exciting to offer. And I love the way he supported Paul with his intimate issues. Austin just seems more empathetic and wise beyond his years.
I also liked that we got to see the whirlwind of activities at Bear Camp but also their lives in the real world too.
I also liked that we got to see the whirlwind of activities at Bear Camp but also their lives in the real world too.
This is an inspirational, heartwarming, fun, age-gap, opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine, unexpected romance that begins in an optional clothing, gay men’s camp. These guys have chemistry for sure but it is the connection they formed that really drew me in. There are cameos of our other bear friends from previous books. The atmosphere is fun and a bit over the top, but this book also deals with more intimate and emotional topics as well. There are opportunities for growth for both of these guys both individually and together during this story.
The Uncut Wood
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What do lumberjacks do at a gay, clothing-optional campground during the off-season? Play with wood, of course.
It’s time for the Jackolympics, the camp’s annual wood-splitting competition. This year I’m more determined than ever to win because I’ve got skin in the game.
I fell in love with Gunner the first night I met him. Two and a half years later, I’m still deep in the friend zone. I can’t go another season without telling him how I feel.
The wager is: if I win, he has to go on a date with me.
The Uncut Wood is a 12,000-word short story prequel to the Bear Camp series, featuring friends to lovers, a cabin in the woods, and a kilt-wearing lumberjack. This story can be read as a standalone.
Grumpy Bear
Hooking up with an employee is not on my to-do list.
Making sure other men have a good time is my business, even if it means suppressing my own desires. It’s opening weekend at my clothing-optional campground, guests are starting to arrive, and I’ve got a pool party and a few hundred peoples’ vacations to save while battling Mother Nature’s tantrums.
The last thing I need is a temporary employee who can’t even put up a tent.
Luke Cody’s not my type. He’s too young, too pretty, and too much like my late partner. Another flaky musician? No thanks. But when a storm blows down his campsite, I can’t just leave him outside and soaked to the bone. Now he’s staying in my cabin, sleeping in my bed, and worst of all, he’s completely ignoring the proverbial sign over my head that says Grumpy Bear: Do Not Approach.
I’m not quite as immune to his charms as I want him to believe, but he’ll only be here for a few days.
Nothing’s going to happen…
Grumpy Bear is a boss/employee, grumpy/sunshine romance set at a gay campground full of bears. (Not shifters; the other kind of bears.) It’s the first full-length book in the Bear Camp series and can be read as a standalone.
The Day Pass
(Bear Camp # 1.5)
(Bear Camp # 1.5)
A Meet Cute with Muscle
It's just supposed to be one day at the men's campground—a few hours by the pool, a few beers before I have to go to work... maybe a little semi-anonymous quickie.
Living in the Boonies, I don't have a lot of opportunities to get lucky with other men.
Now, I'm making out with my bodybuilder fantasy come to life, he's looking at me like he's the lucky one, and it feels like this could be something more than a hookup.
I don't want this day to end.
How do I say goodbye to someone I only just met and already never want to leave?
The Day Pass is a 6,400-word short story from the Bear Camp series, featuring men in their fifties, size difference, and a tattoo that's a cosmic sign. It can be read as a standalone.
This short story is a promotional title only available via the author's website.
What if my best friend is the one that got away?
He told me he loved me back in college, but I didn’t believe I was good enough for him.
For twenty years, even as I tried to make other men love me, he’s the one who’s really been there for me.
Now we’re back at the campground where he first confessed his feelings for me. Did I mention the cabin he rented has a private hot tub and only one bed?
A little bourbon, a ton of memories, and a few bombshell truths… Maybe our being together was always just a matter of time.
The Cubby Hole is a 15,000 word short story from the Bear Camp series featuring friends to lovers, second chances, and one night that brings a true love full circle.
Slade James
One summer, not so long ago, Slade James started writing gay romance, turned fifty, and met the love his life. (In that order, in a matter of weeks!)
Slade and his partner, Stevie, live in a magical land in the American Southeast where three states converge. They call it "GeorBamaSee." They can be found playing disc golf in the parks, hiking in the mountains, kayaking in the creeks, and living in their own real life love story.
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