by Rhys Ford
Just like my own has been
—Riding Low
Standing in a river of stones
Drowning in sorrow
Water knee deep but cold
Even though my mouth is clear
I just can’t breathe anymore
—River of Stones
Mouthful of whiskey
Sweat running down my back
Strings under my fingers
Amp cord hanging down slack
We gather here together
On stage for one more day
Stomp your feet and sing along
Rock and Blues are here to stay
—Roadshow Blues
Rock a bye, baby, don’t say a word
Your cradle is broken, childhoods all blurred
In the house you once lived, all the windows are black
Not who they wanted, can never go back
Come play in the sunshine, We’ve all gathered here
Laugh at the rainbows, learn to grin ear to ear
So come find this family,
Painting their roses bright bright red
Come to us, Alice, And be loved instead
—Roses for Alice
Death kissed me low
Left me on the road so black
Took my brothers up with him
They ain’t never coming back
Heaven saw me cryin’
Tearing up my soul inside
Reached down into its golden grace
To bring a Sinner to my side
—Saving a Sinner
Restless itch
Need to scratch my sin
Fingers in deep
Don’t let it end
Confused and alone
Someone’s puppet again
—Scratch My Sin
I can feel you breaking my skin.
My bones shatter when you walk by.
The blood I taste is from my tongue.
You say you love me but I know it’s a lie.
—Shattered Lies
Gypsy roses, and a white daisy crown
Waltzing in circles, We all fall down
Spin a thread, make it of gold
Weave us a family, brash, loud and bold
Let me sing to them in the darkness
Let me sing to them in the light
Let us sing together under the moon
Let us sing to keep back the night
When the road comes a’calling
Let me remember where I’ve been
’Cause once our song is over
We’ll want to come back again
Don’t sell your soul to the Devil
Take a nickel for every sin
Lift your voices so we can hear you
And dance with Crossroads Gin
—Shouting Down the Moon
Bled onto my hand,
Shoved his fist into mine
Stood tall against anyone
Who’d break through our line
No matter what they do
No matter what they say
Death’s already tried to part us
And we’ve already made him pay
So lift a glass to the Sinners
Lift a glass of cheap ass gin
Put your lips on the Gates of Heaven
’Cause we’re taking you to sin.
—Sinners’ Calling
An ounce of rotgut whiskey
A shot of bathtub gin
Teach one boy how to dance
Teach another boy how to sin
Laugh under a cold, pale moon
Cry in the pouring cold rain
Sing a song of sixpence
Fill your pockets full of pain
—Sixpence
Wrap me in leather
Buckle me down in hard lace
Drape me in white
Slap a mask on my face
Tie me down to your cross
Thorn ribbons in my hair
Blood down on my face
Kill me if you dare
—Skywood
Stars on the black
Stretching out into the abyss
How could you leave me, baby?
Didn’t you think you’d be missed?
A slash of metal on your arm
Stole my baby from my world
Spilled life on white tile
Death’s cloak ’came unfurled
Sing a song for the Devil
Sing a song for a God
Take my baby’s soul to Heaven
I’m sorry for its flaws
—Soul for the Taking
Pretty pretty baby, legs so damned long
Stop for a little bit, hear some of my song.
You’ve got a twitch in your hips
Something sparkly in your hair
A twinkle in your eye
And not a damned care
Watch who you tease
Watch who you break
’Cause maybe one day
Gonna be your heart that aches
—Sweet Little Tease
Hey there pretty boy
Whatcha doing over there
Come on over now
Don’t just sit and stare
Show you a right good time
Show you everything I got
Blowing town in an hour
But I’ve got time to hit the spot
—Talk is Cheap
A word from you opened a window
A window in my soul
It showed me a way out
Of the prison I had made
I couldn’t let go of my past
Forged the bars myself
Carrying every blow
Coloring in every bruise
Gripping my wounds tight
Until I bled out inside
Then you found a window
A window in my soul
Painted over, hammered shut
This window in my soul
A word from you opened it
A hug from you gave me the sky
And your love gave me wings
—Talking to Dad
The prophets and the wicked both wear black.
How do I tell one from the other?
When both want to kiss me,
And ask for my soul.
—The Consuming of Me
Stronger than sour mash
Harder than liquid steel
Your hands on my skin,
Pouring fire into my veins
—The Devil’s Brew
I see you scraping the black,
The black on your soul
When are you going to leave him
When are you going to let go?
I see you hiding the blue
The blue on your skin
Holding in all your tears
Not letting anyone else in
What is it going to take
For you to finally see
I’m not asking you to go
I’m begging you to leave
—Tight on Time
Time’s come to take me away
Leave a coin on my eye for the toll
’Cause the river man needs his pay
Don’t cry ’bout the way I’ve gone
Or the mud I’ve got on my soul
I’ve lived the way I needed to live
No way was I making it out whole
—Toll for the River
Don’t care what you look like
Don’t care who you know
Don’t want to see you ’round
Don’t come down to my show
You’re always bringing Trouble
Trouble knocking at my door
Don’t fuck with the guys I play with
I don’t want you here no more.
—Trouble in Spades
The sweet smell of you stayed when the sun came up.
I needed you there, in the flesh not in dreams.
And on the nights when I cry, so deep from inside.
The sheets are cold and filled with my screams.
—Untitled song, Hidden Track 34
Little boy, smile oh so sweet
Swinging your ass on C-town’s dirty street
Pick up your heels, move that sweet ass along
Stay here much longer
Someone’s gonna do you wrong
—Virgin Kiss Blues
A bit of silver for a lady
Slice of gold for a guy
Giving out my soul in pieces
Got to give it all away ’fore I die
Need to leave this world better
Better than when I found it that first day
Dance my way on through to Heaven
Hoping Hell’s devils and demons
Don’t hunt me down to pay
—Working Off the Red
Miles of black
Whiskey and rye
Keeps the band warm
And our damned souls dry
A million miles to go
A million miles to get right here
We’ve drank from every bottle
And more than our share of beer
At every single show
On yet another stage
We find you in the dark
Ready to rock and rage
—Whiskey and Rye
Long roads, bad food, no sleep in sight
Screaming our lungs out for one or a hundred
Strutting on stage every night
Do it for love
Do it for money
Do it for fame
Just stay in the fight
One more show to go, Sin
And everything’ll be all right
—Whore’s Prayer
Working in deep
End of the line
Black river at my feet
Red fire down my spine
Getting harder every day
To hold onto what is mine
—Working In Deep
More from Rhys Ford
Sinners Series: Book One
There’s a dead man in Miki St. John’s vintage Pontiac GTO, and he has no idea how it got there.
After Miki survives the tragic accident that killed his best friend and the other members of their band, Sinner’s Gin, all he wants is to hide from the world in the refurbished warehouse he bought before their last tour. But when the man who sexually abused him as a boy is killed and his remains are dumped in Miki’s car, Miki fears Death isn’t done with him yet.
Kane Morgan, the SFPD inspector renting space in the art co-op next door, initially suspects Miki had a hand in the man’s murder, but Kane soon realizes Miki is as much a victim as the man splattered inside the GTO. As the murderer’s body count rises, the attraction between Miki and Kane heats up. Neither man knows if they can make a relationship work, but despite Miki’s emotional damage, Kane is determined to teach him how to love and be loved — provided, of course, Kane can catch the killer before Miki becomes the murderer’s final victim.
Sequel to Sinner’s Gin
Sinners Series: Book Two
He was dead. And it was murder most foul. If erasing a man’s existence could even be called murder.
When Damien Mitchell wakes, he finds himself without a life or a name. The Montana asylum’s doctors tell him he’s delusional and his memories are all lies: he’s really Stephen Thompson, and he’d gone over the edge, obsessing about a rock star who died in a fiery crash. His chance to escape back to his own life comes when his prison burns, but a gunman is waiting for him, determined that neither Stephen Thompson nor Damien Mitchell will escape.
With the assassin on his tail, Damien flees to the City by the Bay, but keeping a low profile is the only way he’ll survive as he searches San Francisco for his best friend, Miki St. John. Falling back on what kept him fed before he made it big, Damien sings for his supper outside Finnegan’s, an Irish pub on the pier, and he soon falls in with the owner, Sionn Murphy. Damien doesn’t need a complication like Sionn, and to make matters worse, the gunman—who doesn’t mind going through Sionn or anyone else if that’s what it takes kill Damien—shows up to finish what he started.
Sequel to Whiskey and Wry
Sinners Series: Book Three
Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.
No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.
Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.
Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.
Sequel to Tequila Mockingbird
Sinners Series: Book Four
It isn’t easy being a Morgan. Especially when dead bodies start piling up and there’s not a damned thing you can do about it.
Quinn Morgan never quite fit into the family mold. He dreamed of a life with books instead of badges and knowledge instead of law—and a life with Rafe Andrade, his older brothers’ bad boy friend and the man who broke his very young heart.
Rafe Andrade returned home to lick his wounds following his ejection from the band he helped form. A recovering drug addict, Rafe spends his time wallowing in guilt, until he finds himself faced with his original addiction, Quinn Morgan—the reason he fled the city in the first place.
When Rafe hears the Sinners are looking for a bassist, it’s a chance to redeem himself, but as a crazed murderer draws closer to Quinn, Rafe’s willing to sacrifice everything—including himself—to keep his quixotic Morgan safe and sound.
Sequel to Sloe Ride
Sinners Series: Book Six
We’re getting the band back together.
Those six words send a chill down Miki St. John’s spine, especially when they’re spoken with a nearly religious fervor by his brother-in-all-but-blood, Damien Mitchell. However, those words were nothing compared to what Damien says next.
And we’re going on tour.
When Crossroads Gin hits the road, Damien hopes it will draw them closer together. There’s something magical about being on tour, especially when traveling in a van with no roadies, managers, or lovers to act as a buffer. The band is already close, but Damien knows they can be more—brothers of sorts, bound not only by familial ties but by their intense love for music.
As they travel from gig to gig, the band is haunted by past mistakes and personal demons, but they forge on. For Miki, Damie, Forest, and Rafe, the stage is where they all truly come alive, and the music they play is as important to them as the air they breathe.
But those demons and troubles won’t leave them alone, and with every mile under their belts, the band faces its greatest challenge—overcoming their deepest flaws and not killing one another along the way.
Readers love the Sinners Series by Rhys Ford
Sinner’s Gin
“This is a sexy, fast-paced, hurt/comfort, murder mystery with… scorching hot sexy times!”
—Gay Book Reviews
Whiskey and Wry
“It’s one thing to write a great book. It’s a whole other level of talent to write song lyrics, too, and Rhys delivers.”
—Happy Ever After, USA Today
Tequila Mockingbird
“The author has
done it again with a complex intriguing story line that explodes from the beginning and never slows down…”
—Guilty Indulgence Romance Reviews
Sloe Ride
“Sloe Ride is rife with mystery and intrigue. If you’re looking for unconventional characters and action, Rhys Ford’s books would be a perfect match for you.”
—Fresh Fiction
Absinthe of Malice
“It made me laugh, it made me angry, it made me irritated and at times, I was gutted. But in the end… it made me smile and be grateful I got to go on this journey with the guys.”
—The Novel Approach
RHYS FORD is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series and was a 2016 LAMBDA finalist with her novel Murder and Mayhem and a 2017 Gold and Silver Medal winner in the Florida Authors and Publishers President’s Book Awards for her novels Ink and Shadows and Hanging the Stars. She is published by Dreamspinner Press and DSP Publications.
She’s also quite skeptical about bios without a dash of something personal. Rhys shares the house with two cats, Yoshi, a grumpy tuxedo and Tam, a diabetic black shorthair, as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. She is also responsible for the care and feeding of a 1979 Pontiac Firebird and enjoys murdering make-believe people.
Rhys can be found at the following locations:
Blog: www.rhysford.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author
Twitter: @Rhys_Ford
By Rhys Ford
