You may recall Anna Zabo as being last month’s featured author. Well, today, they’re back on the site to celebrate their newest release, a rock star romance called Syncopation, by recommending some more queer rock star romances!
First, here’s the dirt on Syncopation:
Twisted Wishes front man Ray Van Zeller is in one hell of a tight spot. After a heated confrontation with his bandmate goes viral, Ray is hit with a PR nightmare the fledgling band sodoesn’t need. But his problems only multiply when they snag a talented new drummer—insufferably sexy Zavier Demos, the high school crush Ray barely survived.
Zavier’s kept a casual eye on Twisted Wishes for years, and lately, he likes what he sees. What he doesn’t like is how out of control Ray seems—something Zavier’s aching to correct after their first pulse-pounding encounter. If Ray’s up for the challenge.
Despite the prospect of a glorious sexual encore, Ray is reluctant to trust Zavier with his band—or his heart. And Zavier has always had big dreams; this gig was supposed to be temporary. But touring together has opened their eyes to new passions and new possibilities, making them rethink their commitments, both to the band and to each other.
And here are Anna’s recs!
To be honest, when writing Syncopation, I didn’t read too many rockstar romances beforehand, but I have read a few over the years, which probably informed some of my writing.
These are in no particular order, and I cheated with one of them.
Running with Scissors by LA Witt (m/m)
One of the things I loved about this book was the nitty gritty of touring, and also how band members can break apart and come together. It’s a redemption book of sorts, too.
Body Rocks by A. M. Arthur (m/m)
A hookup that leads to two members of rival bands falling for each other… heavy on the angst, but that’s rock stars for you!
Rock N’ Soul by Lauren Sattersby (m/m)
Road trips, a sarcastic ghost of a rock star, and love? What more could you ask for? This was a fun book.
Out Of Rhythm by Shona Husk (f/f)
Lovely novella about an Australian rock band back home from their first tour and struggling to develop their next album. Gemma Field is caught between the band, her parents thinking she should get a “real” job, and trying to mend her long-time friendship with Kirsten Vincent, who Gemma’s hopelessly in love with.
Perfect Imperfections by Cardeno C. (m/m)
Gentle romance between a very sheltered rock star and a bartender/adventure seeker who ends up playing the part of a fake boyfriend. Road Trip mixed with Out For You mixed with Fake Relationship!
Anna Zabo writes contemporary and paranormal romance for all colors of the rainbow. They live and work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which isn’t nearly as boring as most people think.
Anna grew up in the wilds of suburban Philadelphia before returning to their ancestral homelands in Western Pennsylvania. As a child they were heartily disappointed to discover that they couldn’t grow up to be what they wanted (a boy, a cat, a dragon), so they settled on being themself whenever possible, which may be a combination of a boy, a cat, and a dragon. Or perhaps a girl, a knight, and a writer. Depends on whom you ask. They do have a penchant for colorful ties and may be hording a small collection of cufflinks. They can be easily plied with coffee.
Anna has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where they fell in with a roving band of romance writers and never looked back. They also have a BA in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.
