Playing to Win

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Year of the Lads Month 3, Post and Giveaway #3


Welcome back to coverage of our third Year of the Lads book, Playing to Win, featuring those mad lads Colin MacDuff and (Lord) Andrew Sunderland.

DID YOU KNOW? 👀

Subscribers to my newsletter can now read a “development diary” I kept during the creation of Playing to Win, from Day 1 of Draft 1 through the rewriting phase to final copyedits. It’s a jaw-droppingly unfiltered look at the process of creating a novel. The only change I made was to assign real-life people nicknames to protect their privacy. I put the diary together years ago and then totally forgot to make the download link available.🫢

The development diary contains:

  • Invaluable insights into craft (“This could be a really beautiful scene, if I could only find good words”)
  • Abandoned nutball ideas (“Maybe Liam gets in with some gangsters who can look into the death of Robert’s dad and get revenge for him”)
  • Thoughtful self-criticism (“The writing [in this scene] is SO BAD. I hope I don’t die before revising this book, or people might see I wrote a phrase like “suddenly Colin felt his pleasure surge to a whole new level, streaking higher like a jet in the sky” (as opposed to what, a jet on the ground? OMG I am laughing so hard I am literally crying).”)

Get the development diary here. If you’re already subscribed to my newsletter, the process to get this diary is the same. Don’t worry, you won’t be “double-subscribed” unless you use a new email address.

And now…our main feature: 

For Year of the Lads I considered doing a Best Pet poll, but after a moment’s thought, it was clear there’d be only two serious contenders: Evan’s rescued pregnant stray cat, Trent (Playing in the Dark), and today’s subject…fanfare 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺

✨LADY GRETCHEN, BUTT-ER OF HEADS, GNASHER OF TEETH, CONQUISTADORA OF CARROTS ✨

Text: “Year of the Lads” and “Gretchen” Foreground Image: Head of a smug-looking white Shetland Pony wearing a princess crown. Sparkles surround her. Background image: Book cover of Playing to Win: A Glasgow Lads novel by Avery Cockburn

Gretchen, even more than most Shetland ponies, is strong-willed and stubborn. She truly DNGAF, which makes her an excellent match for Lord Andrew, since the force of his personality can overcome most mortal beings.

In this excerpt from Chapter 12, Andrew is grooming her during one of his regular visits home to Dunleven Castle. In the back of his mind, he’s working out why Colin ditched him after their night of passion in Edinburgh. 

One beta reader said this was the first scene where they didn’t hate Andrew! 😎

[Gretchen] grunted as [Andrew] transitioned from her back to her hindquarters, and he remembered to curry in smaller circles to avoid scraping her scars. As he progressed, his left hand found the dark slashes in the white landscape of her rump, marking each one to protect it from the comb.

As always, he had to swallow the rage he still felt toward her former owner. The little shit, who by now was probably a council leader or a commodities trader, had whipped her mercilessly for her slowness in pulling a cart. Once she was given over to the Scottish SPCA, her beauty and spirit had attracted many adopters, but her mercurial nature proved too much for them. Five families in a row had adopted her, then returned her to the SPCA. She was too stubborn for riding and carting, too unpredictable for therapy work. But Andrew, only six at the time, had loved her from Moment One.

So he’d set aside his desire for a flashy cart pony and settled for a pet. He’d spent hours with her every day that summer, simply keeping her company. He’d read to her, first sitting outside the stall, then, when the trainer thought it safe, inside the stall on this very footstool. He’d begun with Black Beauty, but thought the abuse sections might upset her, so he’d chucked it and moved on to Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague, then Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series. Stories of special horses who’d overcome outrageous odds because one human loved them for their flaws, not in spite of them.

After a month of Gretchen ignoring him, Andrew had gone crying to his mum. She’d told him that what the pony needed first and foremost was stability. To know that no matter what, she would have a home here forever. No matter what, they wouldn’t send her away. They wouldn’t reject her.

His fingers stilled on the longest scar of all, a thin black line at the point of Gretchen’s hip. Oh. How could he be so stupid?


Ding! Ding! Ding! Gretchen unwittingly gives Andrew a clue in the mystery of Colin MacDuff.
To be entered into this week’s giveaway and the monthly giveaway, leave a comment on this post. Who’s your favorite fictional animal?

I’m going initially with a classic, Snoopy from the Peanuts comic strip. He almost doesn’t feel like an animal, because we see his very human thoughts and whims. When I was a little kid, Snoopy was my imaginary friend, and we had all sorts of adventures. (This was before actual living children moved into the neighborhood to occupy my time.)

In terms of “real” fictional animals, it would have to be the Black, the title character from The Black Stallion series mentioned above. I think I read every book in the series, and I just discovered there are newer books written by Steven Farley! 🎉

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

  • Comments from all weekly posts will be automatically entered to win the monthly prize.
  • THIS WEEK’S PRIZE: a free ebook of mine, winner’s choice. Open through Sunday, 2 November. 
  • THIS MONTH’S PRIZE: An autographed copy of the Playing to Win paperback. Open through Sunday, 2 November.
  • Pool of entrants will consist of comments on this post, the blog version, and replies to my newsletter. 
  • One entry per person per weekly drawing.
  • International entries welcome

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“He is the one thing in this world you cannot afford.”

Colin MacDuff has nothing. Growing up in a Glasgow slum, he learned never to trust, never to cry—and never EVER to be at the mercy of anyone, especially rich men. So how did he end up half-naked at a rave with Scotland’s hottest young aristocrat?

Lord Andrew Sunderland has everything. From ancestral castle to posh prep school, he’s spent his life wrapping others around his wee finger. With a social circle full of celebrities and politicians, nothing can stop Andrew’s rise to the top. Nothing, that is, save his desire for a dirt-poor, wolf-eyed footballer whose scars and tattoos tell unbearable tales.

Colin and Andrew come from different worlds, believe in different worlds, want different worlds. Yet every time they touch, all worlds fall away.

Set amid the fiery Scottish-independence struggle, this searing gay romance tells the story of two men who must lose everything to win each other’s hearts.

—

Playing to Win can be read as a stand-alone and has happily ever after with no cliffhanger.

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Year of the Lads Month 3, Post and Giveaway #2

Welcome back to coverage of our third Year of the Lads book, Playing to Win, starring those wild-eyed enemies-to-lovers Colin MacDuff and (Lord) Andrew Sunderland.

Quick aside: There’s an official Playing to Win soundtrack! 

Warning: Soundtrack may cause dancing, crying, and dreams of revolution.

And now the main feature:

Text: “Year of the Lads” and "#Indyref" Image: Book cover: Playing to Win: A Glasgow Lads novel by Avery Cockburn. Two shirtless men visible from necks to thighs, embracing. They’re wearing green plaid kilts and sporrans (small black pouches) with chains. One man has a tattoo on his wrist of a broken chain.

Playing to Win takes place amid the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, an issue that polarized society across Scotland and beyond. Colin was a passionate supporter for the pro-independence Yes movement; while Lord Andrew, whose aristocratic family could lose money and prestige in an independent Scotland, campaigned for No by way of snarky tweets.

The two lads are from opposite worlds and perspectives to begin with, and this issue brings an extra dollop of (delicious) conflict to their relationship. 🔥

“Talking of explanations, what’s the story behind your tattoos?”

Colin stopped chewing, and a shutter seemed to fall over his eyes. Then he set down his sandwich and stretched his left arm across the table. “This is a unicorn.”

“I can see that.” Andrew examined the black-line, almost tribal-esque design, which included only the beast’s head, neck, and chest. Its mouth was open, and its flying mane resembled flames. “It’s rather angry-looking. Is it meant to represent a rebellious Scotland?” The United Kingdom coat of arms famously featured the lion of England wearing a crown, whilst the unicorn, symbolizing Scotland, was in chains.

“Very good. Especially cos this unicorn’s chain is broken.”

Andrew reached out and traced the links, which continued up and over Colin’s forearm, into the forest of fine, dark hair. “But those chains serve a purpose. Unicorns are savage beasts. Without their shackles, who knows what havoc they could wreak?”

“I guess we’ll see about that next month, won’t we?” Colin asked with a wink. It was the first time he’d referred to the Scottish independence referendum, even obliquely. Andrew tensed. Normally he relished political arguments, but today, with this man, he wanted to forget the world.

tattoo in black ink of a unicorn with a broken chain around its neck
Colin’s left-arm unicorn tattoo. Fun fact: You can see the rest of it on Playing to Win‘s front cover!

Later in the story, they hold a strip-debate of the independence referendum, with some unexpected results. 🔥😈

Andrew dreads referendum day, knowing that no matter the outcome, someone he loves will be destroyed. Sure enough, when the vote tallies start to be announced the night of 18 September, Colin’s heart shatters. Independence was more than a political issue for him. He’d pinned his every hope for the future on it, and for the first time in his life, he had felt something like hope, had believed a “skint lad fae the Drum” like him could make a difference. On the soundtrack, Passenger sings what Colin feels:

God knows I failed,
but he knows that I’ve tried.
I long for something that’s safe and warm
But all I have is all that is gone.
I’m as helpless and as hopeless
as a feather on the Clyde.


If you want to know more about what it was like to be there, I found an interesting link in my notes about that day, night, and immediate aftermath. This blog post was written by a young woman from New Zealand who was studying in Scotland at the time. Since she was a resident, she was able to vote and campaign in the referendum.

These days, emotionally crushing political results are common, when it feels like the whole world is at stake on every election or referendum. I had many readers tell me that the Playing to Win scenes on indyref night—as each constituency result was another kick in Colin’s gut—brought back memories of 2016, a year when the UK and the US shocked, well, everyone, including themselves.

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To be entered into this week’s giveaway and the monthly giveaway, leave a comment on this post. What’s your favorite fictional example of two people who start on opposite sides and become friends/allies/lovers?

We’re currently rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (actually watching more than rewatching, since we originally saw only the first 4 seasons and forgot most of what we did see). I love a good cop/criminal friendship, so I relished the relationship arc of stick-in-the-mud security chief Odo and contraband smuggler Quark. Complete moral opposites, they are already enemies when the show begins. But having such a formidable foe makes each character better at what they do, and that grudging respect eventually turns into a friendship they will neither admit nor abandon, no matter the risk to their lives.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

  • Comments from all weekly posts will be automatically entered to win the monthly prize.
  • THIS WEEK’S PRIZE: a free ebook of mine, winner’s choice. Open through Sunday, 26 October. 
  • THIS MONTH’S PRIZE: An autographed copy of the Playing to Win paperback. Open through Sunday, 2 November.
  • Pool of entrants will consist of comments on this post, the blog version, and replies to my newsletter. 
  • One entry per person per weekly drawing.
  • International entries welcome.

—

“He is the one thing in this world you cannot afford.”

Colin MacDuff has nothing. Growing up in a Glasgow slum, he learned never to trust, never to cry—and never EVER to be at the mercy of anyone, especially rich men. So how did he end up half-naked at a rave with Scotland’s hottest young aristocrat?

Lord Andrew Sunderland has everything. From ancestral castle to posh prep school, he’s spent his life wrapping others around his wee finger. With a social circle full of celebrities and politicians, nothing can stop Andrew’s rise to the top. Nothing, that is, save his desire for a dirt-poor, wolf-eyed footballer whose scars and tattoos tell unbearable tales.

Colin and Andrew come from different worlds, believe in different worlds, want different worlds. Yet every time they touch, all worlds fall away.

Set amid the fiery Scottish-independence struggle, this searing gay romance tells the story of two men who must lose everything to win each other’s hearts.

—

Playing to Win can be read as a stand-alone and has happily ever after with no cliffhanger.

by

Year of the Lads Month 3, Post and Giveaway #1


The third Year of the Lads book, for the month of October, is the second novel, Playing to Win, starring many readers’ favorite couple, our own wee drama queens Colin MacDuff and Lord Andrew Sunderland (“It’s only a courtesy title”).

I’ve expanded the interactive Lads’ Guide to Glasgow (and beyond!) to include Playing to Win locations, including Colin’s Drumchapel tower block, Andrew’s ancestral castle—as well as their myriad travel spots like Edinburgh, Lower Manhattan, and the Aegean Sea.

Click on each location in the list* for more information, and in most cases, photos. For most locations, you can then click “View in Google Maps” for a satellite view, more photos, etc.

*For some reason, the embedded map doesn’t show the list of places, so follow this link for the full experience.

I’ll add to the map with each book as it comes round on the calendar.

To be entered into this week’s giveaway and the monthly giveaway, leave a comment on this post. What place you’ve traveled to has knocked your socks off the way New York City stunned Colin? For me, it was the Grand Canyon. No photos or descriptions could prepare me for the awe.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

  • Comments from all weekly posts will be automatically entered to win the monthly prize.
  • THIS WEEK’S PRIZE: a free ebook of mine, winner’s choice. Open through Sunday, 19 October. 
  • THIS MONTH’S PRIZE: An autographed copy of the Playing to Win paperback. Open through Sunday, 2 November.
  • Pool of entrants will consist of comments on this post, the blog version, and replies to my newsletter. 
  • One entry per person per weekly drawing.
  • International entries welcome.

—

“He is the one thing in this world you cannot afford.”

Colin MacDuff has nothing. Growing up in a Glasgow slum, he learned never to trust, never to cry—and never EVER to be at the mercy of anyone, especially rich men. So how did he end up half-naked at a rave with Scotland’s hottest young aristocrat?

Lord Andrew Sunderland has everything. From ancestral castle to posh prep school, he’s spent his life wrapping others around his wee finger. With a social circle full of celebrities and politicians, nothing can stop Andrew’s rise to the top. Nothing, that is, save his desire for a dirt-poor, wolf-eyed footballer whose scars and tattoos tell unbearable tales.

Colin and Andrew come from different worlds, believe in different worlds, want different worlds. Yet every time they touch, all worlds fall away.

Set amid the fiery Scottish-independence struggle, this searing gay romance tells the story of two men who must lose everything to win each other’s hearts.

—

Playing to Win can be read as a stand-alone and has happily ever after with no cliffhanger.