Sample and Hold

by Erin McRae, Racheline Maltese

Nate may have a crossover hit with his first single, but he’s also a 19-year-old virgin who’s about to come out in Rolling Stone. But when Carson, the cocky sound engineer who’s helped put him on the map issues him one more challenge, Nate sees an opportunity he can’t refuse.


Also part of the First Timers anthology from Torquere Press.

15 pages, ebook

First published August 12, 2015

About the author

Erin McRae is a queer writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. She owns several pieces of paper from distinguished universities, including a Master’s degree in International Affairs from American University, which qualify her to have lengthy and passionate discussions about the microeconomics of Tunisia. She also engages in lengthy and passionate discussions about military history. She likes trenches.

Erin is a cofounder of Avian 30, a literary collective dedicated to narratives with magical and sexual realism. She delights in applying her knowledge of international relations theory to her fiction and screen-based projects, because conflict drives narrative.

She lives in Washington, D.C. with her partner and their two cats.

Reviews

[Serena Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any sort of debut into the public limelight is scary for someone who is mostly a musician and not so much hungry for attention. But doing it like Nate, who comes out at the same time, must be even scarier. It’s also pretty clever, and as Nate says, at least he won’t have to be afraid of someone exposing him if he does it first. This story is set on the evening before the publication of his coming out interview, and Nate is clearly a bundle of nerves. It isn’t the only first he faces though, except getting rid of his virginity is way more fun than what he has done before. Luckily he has Carson to look out for him, and the somewhat older sound editor turns out to be a very considerate lover. I liked reading this very entertaining account of Nate’s first physical encounter with a man, and would have liked to read more about these guys.

If you like young inexperienced rock musicians, if two men out for some action between the sheets sound like fun, and if you’re looking for a read that is as hot as it is sweet, then you will probably like this short story.


The anthology this short story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.