My name is Etienne, and I’ve written several books in the M/M contemporary genre.  They are not, however, romance novels.  At least, not in the generally accepted sense of the term.  I don’t write purple prose, or for that matter, even semi-purple prose.  Why?  Because people don’t talk like that in real life—maybe in Victorian times, but not today.  My literary world is populated by men who act—and react—like men.

Enter Chris Bottoms.  He is an RNFA (Registered Nurse First Assistant), which means he works in the OR, assisting surgeons at a somewhat higher level than surgical nurses.  Chris is also a bottom, but not by choice.  He’s a bottom because, between the ages of twelve and fifteen he was repeatedly sodomized by his stepfather.  Now, at age twenty-eight, bottoming is the only way he can enjoy sex.

He also has a best friend—Mickey O’Donovan, who was his roommate all through college and graduate school.  They are best friends and have been fuck buddies almost since the day they met.  Chris always had a yearning to settle down with Mickey, but was afraid to reveal his feelings.

Recently transferred from duty on a Carrier, to the hospital at NAS Jacksonville, he opts to live off-base, and rents a small house for himself that has a garage for Mabel—his 1968 Mustang, which he has lovingly restored to showroom condition.

He develops colo-rectal cancer which requires surgery, leaving him wearing an ostomy bag, and with his anus sewn shut—not a good thing for a dedicated bottom.  During the course of the surgery, a surgeon who’d been drinking accidentally cuts an important nerve, leaving Chris unable to control his bladder.

Chris now has to deal with the daily problems of the ostomy bag and self-catheterization.  The only bright spot in his life is that Mickey has been transferred to Jacksonville, and they’ve finally revealed their true feelings to each other, so they settle down to life together.

Then he gets a call from a lawyer in Arkansas.  His mother—whom he hadn’t seen since he was sent to live with his paternal grandparents after his stepfather’s abuse was discovered—is on her deathbed, and wants to see him.  He and Mickey fly to Arkansas, where he learns that he has a nine-year-old half-brother he didn’t know about.  He is persuaded to adopt his little brother, and after his mother’s death, he and Mickey fly home to Jacksonville and settle down to be parents.  During the process of which, they learn that Chris’s little brother has problems, which ultimately leads to the revelation of more family secrets.

About a Bottoms (a trilogy)

Vol 1 – Bottoms Up (released in November and available here)

Vol 2 – Bottoms Out (released January 15 and available here)

Vol 3 – Bottoms Away (coming in April or May)