Tag Archive: Clarence Limont


Red (Hot) Letter Day — August 12, 2016 — A SUMMER’S DAY and UNDERTOW

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August 12, 2016

RedHotDay

As if it being Friday weren’t enough…! First, A SUMMER’S DAY, an amazing anthology of twelve m/m takes on the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare, is live as of today, with all proceeds going to benefit the It Gets Better Project. Here’s an excerpt from my contribution, “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound,” in which we meet Clarence, a fading star of the London stage headlining an off-off-Broadway production of “The Tempest,” and Jaymes, his starry-eyed Ariel.

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Jaymes’ mouth twisted. Frustration? Anger? “It’s his favorite way of getting into my personal space, where he has no business being. And reminding me that I have nappy hair. And reminding me that somebody like me has no business doing Shakespeare.”

All Clarence could do was stare. “Has he actually had the gall to say that to your face?” he finally managed.

Jaymes’ tight shrug made Clarence feel hollow inside. “He’s not the first, he won’t be the last.”

“Wonderful. We have positive proof the man’s a certifiable lunatic as well as a clinging arsecrumb.” Thank God, there was a drink next to his elbow at last. He snatched it up and drained nearly half in one go. “Has he paid even one iota of attention to the London stage for the last, oh, five seasons?”

“What did you just call him?”

Ah, the smile was back. Not quite at full wattage, but enough for Clarence to warm himself at. “One of my favorite non-Shakespearean epithets.”

“Worthy of inclusion in the canon.”

Clarence laughed, trying to make it sound like less of a bark than his laughter usually did. “Perhaps I’ll slip it into a rehearsal sometime.”

“I double dog dare you.”

And if I take your dare, what will you forfeit? Christ, he’d almost asked aloud. Back to staring into his glass — a damned sight safer than looking into eyes that threatened to melt him.

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Pick up your copy at http://ow.ly/T4cS303bCa6!

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And it’s a fantastic day for UNDERTOW, too, thanks to Becky Condit at USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog, with a review that made my day, and week, and month, and is in the running for year!

http://ow.ly/ETIW303bAHf

And here are a few relevant buy links —

UNDERTOW (Amazon): http://ow.ly/CCig303bBdb

HARD AS STONE (Amazon): http://ow.ly/ojjI303bBoA
HARD AS STONE (Riverdale Avenue Books, 50 percent off during August with coupon code 8HAS2016): http://ow.ly/xHSL303bBDp

MANTLED IN MIST (Amazon): http://ow.ly/ANdn303bBK4

Happy reading — I’m off to stage manage at the Irish Fair of Minnesota for the weekend. If you’re out there, stop by the River Stage and say hi!

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Rainbow Snippets, June 4, 2016 — “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound”

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June 4, 2016

FlagOne

Happy Pride Month, fellow Snippeteers! For my first offering for June (June?!?!? Where is this year going?) I’m pleased to offer six sentences from my just-completed WIP (yay!!!!), “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound” — which, if you haven’t seen prior snippets, is my contribution to an anthology commemorating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, with stories rewriting, or based on, the authors’ favorite Shakespeare plays. My play is The Tempest, and my story is about Clarence Limont, a fading star of the London Shakespearean stage, playing Prospero, and Jaymes Stafford, a young American actor playing Ariel, and dazed at the opportunity to work with one of his idols. And to set the scene, it’s just before midnight, and Clarence and Jaymes are in the alley behind the off-off-Broadway theater in which opening night will be occurring in less than 24 hours. And, of course, the best line is the Bard’s…

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“What is it?” Almost, Clarence reached out to wipe away the streaks along Jaymes’ soft cheek – soft, he knew it would be soft – but his hand was shaking, and he let it fall. “Why do you cry?”

Jaymes was silent for so long that Clarence wondered if he were going to answer at all. And when he did speak, his voice scarcely rose above a whisper. “I weep at mine unworthiness that dare not offer what I desire to give, and much less take what I shall die to want.”

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And a couple of links —

First, back to Rainbow Snippets on Facebook, for more LGBTQIA+ goodies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets/

And rather than single out one of my books, I’m just going to gently urge y’all toward my Amazon author page, where you can find SoulShares and oboroten’ and even a bit of science fiction! http://ow.ly/77L3300V2Ad

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Rainbow Snippets, May 28, 2016 — “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound”

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May 28, 2016

Rainbow Food

Happy Memorial Day weekend, Snippetteers! — here’s a bit of Clarence to accompany you into summer! (I needed seven sentences this time, rather than the prescribed six — hopefully no one minds? *winks*) This scene is set at the first blocking rehearsal for the Perchance to Dream Theatre Company’s production of The Tempest. Clarence Limont is the production’s Prospero, a major (but slowly fading) star of the London stage who has taken on the role as a favor to the director, an old school chum; Jaymes Stafford is the production’s Ariel, a recent college graduate who has quite captivated Clarence. And Troy Miller is Caliban, an arsecrumb of the first water and the particular bane of Jaymes’ existence. I picture Clarence as a slightly younger Ian McKellen (he’s in his early sixties, but at the moment is feeling considerably older); Jaymes’ mother is of German and Scottish descent, and his father is Jamaican; I can picture him perfectly in my mind, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a photo that does him justice. You’ll just have to imagine him for yourself — tall, lean, tawny, with an angular face and big dark eyes, and a cloud of tightly-kinked dark-blond hair. And quite shy, usually, in the presence of a Giant of the London Stage…

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By God, he felt a moment of genuine excitement, gesturing into the wings, Prospero bidding, coaxing Ariel forth for the first time in the play. And when Jaymes allowed himself to be teased out, as light-footed as a spirit in battered trainers, it seemed the excitement was mutual. Or at least contagious. Clarence was willing to settle for contagious.

A snicker came from the opposite wing, and Jaymes’ slight, sweet smile dissolved. Clarence didn’t need to turn to identify the culprit as Troy. The arsecrumb had been stepping on everyone’s lines, all through the reading process, and apparently was set to continue his winning ways, a dyspeptic God’s gift to the Bard’s canon.

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And, finally the usual couple of links:

Rainbow Snippets on Facebook — your destination for many more LGBTQIA+ goodies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets/

And just for today (May 28) my Russian shapeshifter novella, WOLF, BECOMING, is on sale at Dreamspinner Press for 25 percent off, as part of their birthday sale (but even when it’s not on sale, it’s a heck of a deal!) http://ow.ly/F34d300GBFc

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Rainbow Snippets, May 14, 2016 — “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound”

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May 14, 2016

arielprospero

Good afternoon, Snippetteers! — I’m getting close enough to finishing UNDERTOW that if I give you a snippet of new material, I’m going to be giving away the twist in the HEA, so I thought I’d give you six sentences from “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound,” my story for the Summer’s Day #Shakespeare400 m/m romance anthology. In this snippet, the cast of “The Tempest” is hanging out in a local watering hole, Angels Nest, after their first blocking rehearsal. Clarence, the production’s Prospero, is nursing a gin and tonic and watching a fellow cast member, Denton Miller, who’s just cheated in a game of pool against Jaymes, the production’s Ariel.

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At first he’d thought he was simply reacting to the fellow in character; Prospero was an aristocrat, and Caliban was a vile, base creature who leered after Prospero’s virgin daughter and plotted to kill him. Not much there to like, surely.

It was possible, however, to play Caliban as, if not a sympathetic character, at least a complex one, filled with passion for the island he believed to have been stolen from him, moved by an impossible desire to be loved. Denton had obviously chosen otherwise for the character, making him almost cartoonish in his villainy. A lazy choice.

Even in the quiet twilight of his career, Clarence could not abide laziness.

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And a few links for you —

Rainbow Snippets on Facebook, for more tasty LGBTQIA+ goodness on a weekly basis: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets/

And MANTLED IN MIST, SoulShares #6 (to whet your appetite for number seven, UNDERTOW): http://ow.ly/Q8kO300ciDt

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Simply Shakespeare Blog Hop — April 23, 2016

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April 23, 2016

I’d like to share with you all an excerpt from “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound,” my contribution to the Summer’s Day m/m romance anthology. But first, there’s another Shakespeare reference that’s been heavy on my mind these last few days, and I wanted to give that pride of place…

Princes

Good night, sweet Prince… and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

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Now, for a bit of Clarence Edward Limont, his old school chum and current director Jeremy, Clarence’s Ariel Jaymes, and some of the delights of a lengthy career in the theatre…

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The little table bumped and slid as Jeremy pulled up a chair and seated himself beside Clarence, his fist wrapped round the neck of a bottle of Smithwick’s.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Clarence grumbled.

“Why so gloomy? I thought things went rather extraordinarily well today.” Jeremy went to take a swig from his bottle, but from his expression found it empty, and motioned to the bartender for a refill.

“Are you always blind, or do you need regular practice to stay in good form?” The words came out sharper than Clarence had intended. Or maybe not. Clarence’s subconscious was on the pushy side.

Jeremy blinked at him. “I don’t recall any major disasters today. We made it through first blocking with no one getting killed or committing murder. Which is an achievement, more often than not.”

Clarence’s thoughts, at the moment, were full of the light going out of his Ariel’s eyes. “When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.”

“Really, Clarence? Juliet?” Jeremy put up a brow. “Something’s turned you into an ingénue?”

Clarence shrugged. “Hardly. I’m a bit past that sort of thing now, aren’t I?”

Jeremy shook his head with a gusty sigh. “I hope you aren’t expecting me to read your mind. I was never any good at that.”

Clarence had almost forgotten how Jeremy’s diction managed to make even statements sound like questions. And how irritating that could be. “I’m just sick to death of the pettiness of the theatre, that’s all.” His drink was mostly water, now; he swirled it around, staring at it without seeing it. “Just once, I’d like to be in a production where no one’s trying to look better by stepping on someone else. Just once in a forty-year career.”

“Oh, dear. I think we need someone to pull the thorn from the lion’s paw.”

Yes. Jaymes, if you don’t mind.

“I’m not a fucking lion, I’m an actor trying to do my fucking job, and just maybe get some fucking enjoyment out of it for a change!”

He hadn’t meant to be quite so loud, but good intentions were of little consequence to the people for several tables around, judging from the looks he received. Ah, well, his voice was an instrument, tuned to play to the last seat in the last balcony without any need for a God-forsaken lavalier microphone.

Jeremy finally looked taken aback. If Clarence had been just a little less out of sorts, he might have snorted at his old friend’s expression, a bizarre mix of placatory and panicked.

“Clarence.” Jeremy set down his bottle and extended his hands, palms down, patting the air as if he were trying to calm a possibly-but-maybe-not-harmless lunatic. “Are you saying you’re… not happy? With the production?”

Clarence snorted. He couldn’t help it. “Jeremy. My dear. Old. Friend.” He shook his head, setting the glass down and pushing it aside, hoping the bartender would notice and send over a replacement. “I cannot recall the last time I was happy with any production. I would be delighted to simply be not unhappy.”

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Rainbow Snippets — April 9, 2016 — “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound”

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April 9, 2016

Good morning, Rainbow Snippetteers! — today’s Snippet is from a short story I’m working on as my Camp NaNoWriMo project this month. I’m taking part in an anthology of m/m stories based on Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets; each author has picked a favorite play, and the stories all incorporate the plays in some way. I chose The Tempest, and in my story, “Deeper Than Did Ever Plummet Sound,” we meet Clarence Limont, a renowned Shakespearean actor from London who is beginning to think it’s time to pack it all in, but he’s agreed to play Prospero in an off-off-Broadway production of The Tempest as a favor to the director, an old school chum. And he just might be about to recapture some of the magic of the theater….

In this snippet, Clarence has just arrived for the first “table read” of the play with Jeremy’s company, an all-male Shakespearean company. (I’ve had to go a few sentences over my six, I fear — I hope you’ll forgive me the indulgence…)

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Interrupted conversations and awestruck stares seemed to hang in the air as Clarence wrestled out of his too-heavy wool coat, and he stifled a sigh. Sometimes he wondered how far from the London stage he would have to get before he could be just Clarence Limont, and not the Clarence Limont.

The Battle of the Burberry over at last, he dropped into his folding chair, a good deal more slowly than he would have liked. No doubt the younger men around the table thought him decrepit… well, he’d earned a certain amount of decrepitude, he supposed.

Jeremy rubbed his hands together briskly, beaming. “Now that we’re all here, I’ll say it again, gentlemen – good morning. And, obvious though it is, welcome to the first table read for our production of The Tempest.”

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And now for a couple of links —

Rainbow Snippets on Facebook, for more LGBTQIA goodies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets/

And HARD AS STONE, the first book in my SoulShares (m/m urban fantasy erotic romance) series: http://ow.ly/10tKrr

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