Santino Hassell's Blog

This post is challenging to write because so many other people are involved, so many people have been dragged in, and a lot of this took place before I was published.

First and foremost, I’m not going to launch into a huge defense of myself and pick and choose what it’s true and what’s not, what’s been twisted and what hasn’t. The purpose of this post is for me to apologize to readers who feel hurt by me and for my friends and colleagues who have now been damaged because of their associati...

Hello my lovely readers, it’s time for a rare blog post. I’ve totally abandoned my blog in the past few months because I’ve been working on a lot, and posting elsewhere. Namely on Twitter, three different Facebook groups (Get Hasselled, Team Swole – a spinoff of the Twitter hashtag #romancefit, and H2), and Patreon(where I post lots of exclusive shorts, early excerpts and news, and host bimonthly chats, etc).Things got a little hectic.

But anyway, I’ll start out with a tip: For those who don’...

Fast Connection, book 2 in the Cyberlove series, is coming out tomorrow! It seems like just yesterday me and Megan Erickson were brainstorming the plot of STRONG SIGNAL and now its sequel is locked and loaded on Amazon.

Writing this series has been an incredible experience, and this book in particular was so much damn fun. I can't wait until readers meet Luke Rawlings, the grumpy silver fox, and get to know Dominic Costigan better--the wisecracking blond gymrat from Staten Island. So far ARC readers are loving these two and commenting on how steamy their connection is. And when we say it happens FAST, we're not kidding. This book is hot but it also deals with very real issues like adjusting after life in the military, family, and falling in love despite barriers. I hope you all enjoy it and preorder now!



After a decade of serving in the Army, everyone still expects me to be Dominic 'Nicky' Costigan--the skirt-chasing player. They don't know I've been spending my days trying to figure out my post-military life. Including how to pick up guys.

When I meet Luke on a hookup app, he makes it clear it's for one-night only. That's fine with me, because I'm down to see what this silver fox can do. But after I arrive at his doorstep, it doesn't take long to realize we have serious chemistry, and we end up meeting again.

He's got more walls around his heart than a military base, but I think he's as addicted to me as I am to him. He can't resist me for long. I mean, who can? Except Luke's rules exist for a reason, and when I test his limits, things get complicated. Maybe too complicated.

*FAST CONNECTION is a standalone, full-length romance novel with no cliffhanger*

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FAST CONNECTION, book 2 in the Cyberlove series, is coming out tomorrow! It seems like just yesterday me and Megan Erickson were brainstorming the plot of STRONG SIGNAL and now its sequel is locked and loaded on Amazon.

Writing this series has been an incredible experience, and this book in particular was so much damn fun. I can’t wait until readers meet Luke Rawlings, the grumpy silver fox, and get to know Dominic Costigan better–the wisecracking blond gymrat. So far ARC readers are loving t...

FIRST AND FIRST, the third book in my Five Boroughs series, is now available! I’m thrilled for you guys to read it. Here are some things that might surprise you about this novel:

1. A lot of readers are reading this book as a standalone and THEN going back and reading the first two in the series! Don’t be shy to try it just because you’ve not read SUTPHIN BOULEVARD and SUNSET PARK yet! (if you haven’t, SB and SP are now on sale at all retailers for $0.99 and $1.99!!)

2. Many early readers hav...

For those who don't know, my co-written gay romance Strong Signal releases tomorrow. It's about a gruff soldier and a charming video game streamer who meet online and go from gaming rivals to flirtatious friends to two men who share immense amounts of love and respect. In preparation for the release, Megan Erickson and I asked people to fill out a Google Form and share their own stories of cyberlove whether they met a spouse or a close friend online.

We got over thirty stories! The amount of people who met significant others on social media or World of Warcraft or in Romancelandia was astounding. In a couple of blog posts, Megan and I are going to share quotes from these stories as well as people's thoughts on Internet connections in general. STRONG SIGNAL's release week will be spent celebrating online connections.

Cyberlove Stories

“My sister met her husband online through playing World of Warcraft. Eventually they met in person and later he moved across the country so they could be together. They have now been married for over 7 years and have a 5 year old son.”

-Nicole

“I love the dynamic of online connections. It reminds me of older times when couples (and friends and family) communicated via letters. The way someone writes says a lot about them. What they choose to put into words. Which words they use. Add gaming/role playing to that and you’re getting a lot more out of an evening together than shouting across a crowded club or eating popcorn at the theatre. You instantly have something in common.”

-author Kelly Jensen met her husband on a MUD, which is a text-based MMORPG

“A lot of people discount internet relationships because they know that people can pretend to be someone they’re not. And that’s true. That happens a lot online. And sure, it’s easier to hide behind an avatar and pretend you’re half or twice your actual age or weight or whatever other thing you want to hide or misrepresent. But there are two important things that get overlooked:

1) just because you’re talking to someone who’s sitting across the table from you doesn’t mean they’re being honest with you or telling you everything
2) it can be a hell of a lot easier to talk about personal stuff online, so often times you get much more frank, real conversations with people there than you would if you were speaking to the same person face-to-face. “

-author Karen Stivali

“I think especially when you’re a writer, it’s unlikely you’ll know people in your everyday life that write, and especially that write the same things you do. It’s so nice to have an online community for that because writing is a huge part of my life. My online friends know what I’m up to in a way that my family and friends in my regular life just don’t.”

-author Michelle Hazen met her best friend and critique partner while writing Vampire Diaries fanfic

“There is a connection with Lisa that I have never found before. She gets me. She gets my insane love for books and never judges me for talking about the characters as if they were real people. She gets all my ticks, the good, the bad and she laments and celebrates with me without reservation. She is the person I can fire off an email, message or text to with ridiculous glee or the need to vent/rant and knows that I don’t require I lengthy response, just an ear to get it out. I look forward to our chats every day.

From books to work to marriage to kids to dreams to just our lives, she’s my person now.”

-Sara met Lisa on Goodreads

Read more stories on Santino's blog!

For those who don’t know, my co-written gay romance STRONG SIGNAL releases tomorrow. It’s about a gruff soldier and a charming video game streamer who meet online and go from gaming rivals to flirtatious friends to two men who share immense amounts of love and respect. In preparation for the release, Megan Erickson and I asked people to fill out a Google Form and share their own stories of cyberlove whether they met a spouse or a close friend online

We got over thirtystories!The amount of peo...

Last October, Judith (of Binge on Books) and Anna Hullum (of awesomeness) assembled the New Avengers. JR Gray, JC Lillis, Roan Parrish, Kris Ripper, and I joined forced to produce 5 spooky Halloween tales. For the start of festival season, they've done it again and this time we're tackling Carnivale.

I really loved this prompt because it unleashes a realm of possibilities when it comes to exploring themes of decadence, masks, and released inhibitions. I tried to do something different this time around and wrote a story that was low on heat and high on whimsy. Hurricane follows a self-conscious introvert as a grifter takes him on a wild ride one Mardi Gras night. I hope you guys check it, and its four sibling stories, out!

Follow Me Into Darkness: Five Tales of Carnivale Romance
Carnivale is a time for decadence, for revelry, and for mischief. A time when we shed the figurative masks we wear in everyday life in favor of new ones… ones that allow us to be a little bolder, a little more adventurous, and perhaps a little truer to ourselves. Follow Me Into Darkness is a compilation of original tales of queer romance by five of the premier authors of contemporary romance.

Hurricane by Santino Hassell
Interesting things never happened to Zay. He was the wallflower everyone forgot about as soon as the booze began to flow, and Mardi Gras had never been an exception. But after a chance encounter with a devil-may-care grifter, this year's celebration brings adventure and whirlwind romance.

If We Be Friends by J.C. Lillis
Seventeen-year-old Ven should be flying high—he's playing the title role in a new TV drama about Hamlet's teen years, and tonight they're having a Mardi Gras cast party in a possibly-haunted castle. But Ven's lost all his mirth since his boyfriend suggested they "take a break," so he plans to skip the bash and brood in his trailer all night. Then the exasperating guy who plays Horatio challenges him to a Shakespearean soliloquy-off, and Ven knows his actorly honor is at stake. He says yes to the duel, trudges off to the the party to meet his fate--and finds that more awaits him onstage than a battle of wits and words.

Masked by J.R. Gray
Blistering heat and half-naked masked men as far as the eye can see, but Heath runs into the one face it’s taken him fifteen years to forget. Javier is plagued with a life of regret, but when a second chance confronts him, can he let go of his hang-ups and seize the moment?

The Queen’s Reflection by Kris Ripper
Isah plays the role everyone expects: malleable and cautious, a true queen. But what others see as a queen’s appropriate modesty is really just a disguise for what Isah has never told anyone, the thing no one can ever know.

This body, dressed in the queen’s gowns, is a lie.

Once a year, at carnival, Isah dons someone else’s clothes and becomes them for a night. A young cook in stained whites, or a stableboy in worn breeches. As long as no one gets too close the pretense holds.

Until two strangers look past all the characters and Isah finally exposes the person behind the mask.

Touched by Roan Parrish
Sometimes when he touches people Philippe Rondeau sees their future. It’s erratic and inconvenient, but mostly he’s learned to deal with it. Sure he hasn’t found true love yet, but he has friends and lovers, and is kept busy running his family’s jazz club in Prohibition-era New Orleans. But now it’s Mardi Gras and all bets are off. In the space of one night, Philippe falls under the spell of jazz musician Claude and learns a terrible secret about his powers. If Philippe is certain of anything it’s that the future can be tricky, but the chance at love makes it all seem worthwhile.

Last October, Judith (of Binge on Books) and Anna Hullum (of awesomeness) assembled the New Avengers. JR Gray, JC Lillis, Roan Parrish, Kris Ripper, and I joined forced to produce 5 spooky Halloween tales. For the start of festival season, they’ve done it again and this time we’re tackling Carnivale.

I really loved this prompt because it unleashes a realm of possibilities when it comes to exploring themes of decadence, masks, and released inhibitions. I tried to do something different this t...

So, there’s a new cover in town and it’s for my standalone novel AFTER MIDNIGHT.

I anticipate some people being disappointed to see the old cover go, but it wasn’t something I could avoid doing. The good news is: I love the new cover.

It’s edgy, it’s sexy, and Gordon Frost is finally getting some ginger love. I’m currently in the process of uploading it, and an updated mobi file, to Amazon, but it’s already up on Goodreads. Hope you guys like it!A new paperback version is coming soon.Ashley...