Today, Joe Cosentino is stopping by to share about his writing journey in celebration of two new releases!
Found at Last
Writing is a personal, almost spiritual journey, where writers discover a great deal about themselves. The reader becomes a partner in the writer’s journey, getting a rare and intimate look into the writer’s soul. My In My Heat series (An Infatuation and A Shooting Star) were loosely based on my self-discovery high school and college years leading to first love. The Bobby and Paolo Holiday Series resulted from a trip I took to the magical, glorious, and incredibly romantic Island of Capri in Italy. My Tales from Fairyland are my favorite fairytales with a deliciously entertaining gay spin. The Cozzi Cove series sprung from my visits to the captivating New Jersey Shore and my love for steamy soap operas. My Jana Lane mystery series uses my experiences as a professional actor in film, television, and theatre along with my love for whodunits. My cozy and comical Nicky and Noah mystery series is a result of my life as a college theatre professor, though thankfully nobody at my college has been murdered (except in my mind-smile).
All those books later in 2020, I felt ready to write a different kind of story, one that spanned decades. Digging deeper into my heart and soul, I wrote a story about two new young lovers reuniting two older, long lost lovers. The result was Finding Giorgio, Found At Last book 1. The novella was devoured by many readers who, like me, fell in love with Theo and Jamison as the two heroes fell in love with each other. The readers admired the young couple for risking so much to reunite the older couple, Nolan and Giorgio, who had been separated at eighteen years old by their homophobic parents.
To my surprise and elation, Theo and Jamison’s story didn’t end there. After my special stay at a beautiful resort in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains, I decided that Theo and Jamison would be the new owners of Nolan Giorgio’s Resort in the Poconos, where they would encounter a second challenge.
So in the next novella, Finding Armando, Found At Last book 2, Theo and Jamison embark on a second adventure. This search is for their friend, resort manager Asher, who has lost his first love, Armando, separated from Asher under the military’s archaic and destructive Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Complicating matters further, Jamison’s hunky playboy younger brother, Kendall, pays Theo and Jamison a visit while Kendall is on leave from the Navy. Also, a female employee at the resort makes Theo and Jamison a shocking offer that changes their lives forever. Will Theo and Jamison reunite the new pair of separated lovers and find a happily-ever-after ending for themselves? You’ll need to read this remarkable novella to find out. I can tell you the story ends with a riveting emotional climax that will leave you overjoyed while also tearing at your heartstrings.
You won’t want to miss reading Finding Armando. It truly comes from the heart. No worries. If you haven’t read either Found At Last story yet, the Found At Last (Finding Giorgio & Finding Armando) paperback is also releasing! So read Found At Last at last. I’m sure, like me, you will fall in love with Theo and Jamison and their amazing stories. I love to hear from readers. So contact me at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.
Finding Armando: Found at Last Book 2
An Ebook Novella
An investigative adventure in search of an elderly man’s first love brought Theo and Jamison together. Now they’re called to put their sleuthing skills to use once again and reunite Pocono resort manager Asher with his lost love, Armando. But the hunt through rural Pennsylvania won’t be easy with Jamison’s younger brother locking horns with the resort’s assistant manager and a shocking offer from the sous chef, Grace.
Excerpt:
Asher appeared to be transported back in time. “I always knew I was gay. Coming from a small farming town in Pennsylvania, I never acted on it. After attending community college, I joined the Navy and remained there for eight years. It was the best time of my life until….” Sitting back, he said, “Let me start at the beginning. During boot camp, I noticed another recruit from Pennsylvania. He had piercing, tortured gray eyes like a wounded animal. The guy was always alone, never speaking to anyone. I learned his name was Armando Caro.”
The name seemed familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it.
“Armando had jet-black wavy hair and a wide, strong build. Though we never spoke, he and I stole furtive glances at each other during drills, meals, and before bed. I wondered who he was, what he was thinking, and if he liked me.” He took in a shaky breath. “A bunch of the other guys in boot camp weren’t thrilled about me being Jewish.”
I asked, “How did you know?”
“They called me Christ-killer, Jew-boy, kike.”
“That would do it.”
“One night after lights out, they dragged me from my bed into the latrine.” A look of terror filled his face. “One guy held my hands behind my back. Another pressed down on my feet. Three others pummeled my face and stomach. I’d never been so afraid in my life. I screamed, thinking my life was over and wondering what my parents would do when the Navy shipped home my dead body. Like an angel of mercy, Armando appeared and threw them off me. I had never seen anyone fight like that. As if a windmill in motion, he landed punch after punch until they fled back to their beds. When Armando and I were alone, he rested my head on his shoulder, and he asked me if I was all right. I told him, ‘I’m all right for the first time in my life.’ Then he took a clean cloth, washed the blood off my face, and ran his fingers through my hair. Finally, he held me in his strong arms and rocked me back and forth. After that night, the others left me alone.”
“Armando was a true hero,” I said.
Asher nodded. “After boot camp, I couldn’t believe my good fortune when Armando and I were stationed on the same ship in the Middle East. One night after chow, he slid a piece of paper into my pocket. It read, ‘Meet me in the storage room near the forecastle at 0200.’ When I arrived, without saying a word, Armando took off his uniform and skivvies. Then he removed my clothes, and he gently rested me on top of some old blankets. Covering me with his powerful mass, he kissed me softly and tenderly. And I started to cry.”
“Why?”
“I had never felt anything so wonderful.”
“What happened next?”
“Armando taught me how to make love. I’m not talking only about the mechanics. I mean love itself.” He rubbed his forehead. “My parents proved their love to me by working hard—my father as a salesman and my mother as a bookkeeper and homemaker. As a kid, I heard a lot about the importance of making ends meet, owning a presentable home, wearing clean clothing, and having good manners. But my folks were never affectionate to each other… or to me.”
“And Armando was different?”
“That’s an understatement. He hugged and kissed me continuously throughout our lovemaking. Afterward, he pressed my back against his strong chest, wrapped his arms around me, and whispered of his love in my ear. Armando opened a whole new world for me, but it existed solely in that storage room. I never wanted to leave it.”
“But you had to.”
Asher made eye contact with us again. “Armando and I met in our secret place whenever we could get away, going mad when we were apart and living for those precious hours together. We not only made love, we shared our hopes and dreams for the future, and our fears too. I told him about my family life and my goal to enter the business world. Armando was from a poor neighborhood, and his family was very Catholic. His father was a car mechanic. Armando was a champion boxer in high school, and he wanted to have his own gymnasium someday. I told him I’d like to manage it. We both studied and worked hard in the Navy. Like the other gay couples onboard ship, we kept that side of our lives hidden, and nobody bothered us. Eventually Armando and I were each promoted to chief petty officer.” His face hardened. “That’s when the trouble started.”
“The trouble?” I asked.
Jamison was a step ahead of me. “You were in the military during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.”
Buy Links
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Found at Last Anthology
(Finding Giorgio & Finding Armando)
A Paperback Novel
Theo and Jamison meet while volunteering at a nursing home and come together on an investigative adventure to reunite elderly Nolan with his first love, Giorgio. Their sleuthing skills are needed again to create a second chance at happiness for resort manager Asher and his first love, Armando. As they search for the men who got away, Theo and Jamison grow closer, and the lessons of the past could change their lives—and their future—forever.
Buy Link:
| Publisher |
Praise for Joe Cosentino’s Books:
Joe Cosentino has a unique and fabulous gift. His writing is flawless…will have you guessing until the very last page, which makes his books a joy to read. His books are worth their weight in gold, and if you haven’t discovered them yet you are in for a rare treat.
Divine Magazine
…adventure, mystery, and romance with every page….Funny, clever, and sweet.
Urban Book Reviews
The author executed his storyline with a marvelous precision that would be the envy of many authors. He draws the readers into the lives of his characters, they become real and in turn, their emotions becomes yours….If you can only afford to buy one more book this year, buy this one.
Three Books Over the Rainbow Reviews
I really loved this book and having an ending that made me laugh and cry at the same time is testament to the brilliant writing.
BooksLaidBareBoys
In true Joe Cosentino style…this cast of characters will have you laughing out loud one minute before ripping your heart out the next.
Joyfully Jay Reviews
About Joe Cosentino:
Joe Cosentino was voted Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author of the Year by the readers of Divine Magazine for Drama Queen. He also wrote the other novels in the Nicky and Noah mystery series: Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle, Drama Dance, Drama Faerie, Drama Runway; the Dreamspinner Press novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star, the Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories: A Home for the Holidays/The Perfect Gift/The First Noel, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland/Holiday Tales from Fairyland, Found At Last: Finding Giorgio and Finding Armando; the Cozzi Cove series (NineStar Press): Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings;andthe Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Chair of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and he is happily married. Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and his books have received numerous Favorite Book of the Month Awards and Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions.