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RB Bartels

Award-winning Texas author. Born and raised in the Lone Star State. Reading (and listening to audiobooks) is one of my favorite pastimes, especially gay romance. I live in the beautiful Texas Hill Country northwest of San Antonio with my precious little dog Missy. I'm retired, but I went back to work because I got bored. I am a widower (my husband of 20 years passed in 2004) who is surrounded by good friends and good times. I spend many hours laptop-in-lap working on my next book. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labors.

My novel Red Truck (just published) placed third in the 27th annual writing contest of the San Antonio Writers Guild. My novel Husker (yet unpublished) placed second in the San Antonio Romance Authors Emma Merritt contest in 2016, and my novel Classmates (yet unpublished - due out Summer 2023) placed third in that same contest.

I have one published non-fiction book for which I was a co-author: "How the Internet of Things Is Changing Our Colleges, Our Classrooms, and Our Students" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), and one short story, "Use By", published in SoUneque magazine, Winter 2021 edition.

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Books By RB Bartels

Word Count: 18000

Character Identities: Gay

Summary: Walking home in the pouring rain one dark evening, Hank wished he had driven his old pickup to work that morning. Suddenly his shadow stretched out before him, and he turned to see a speeding car. He jumped off the pavement just in time to see the terror-stricken driver’s face as the car skidded off the rural road and collided with a tree, landing on its side in the rain-swollen ditch. Naked in a strange room, the man thought he must have died and gone to hell. A large man appeared in the doorway and spoke in a calm voice. “You were unconscious. I brought you home.” The naked man could remember nothing, not even his name. Two men from opposite ends of the social spectrum formed a strong bond, but can love span the chasm between a poor sawmill worker and a billionaire’s son?

Ditch - RB Bartels
DitchPairings: M-M
Published:

Word Count: 78,163

Character Identities: Gay

Summary: Brody knew nothing about being gay. He hoped escaping small-town living to a new life in Fort Worth would give him a chance to be himself. On the first day of graduate classes, he met Gage. Was Gage the one? Gage lost his lover to suicide. Transferring from Houston to Long Horn University in Fort Worth would let him recover in an environment that held no memories. Then he met Brody. Maybe he could get over the tragedy more easily than expected. When she discovered he was gay, Brody’s mother intervened. He would marry a nice Christian young lady and give her grandchildren. No other option was on the table. Would Gage ever get his Brody back?

Classmates - RB Bartels
ClassmatesPairings: M-M
Published:

Word Count: 70,751

Character Identities: Gay

Summary: Danny lost his husband to a tragic accident. He couldn’t face another relationship. Then his dead husband’s deadbeat brother shows up and demands the estate, saying, “You ain’t family.” Andrew spent his teen years on the streets, homeless and hungry. He cleaned up his life, finished his education, and hoped to meet that special someone for the happiness and security he missed as a teen. Phil’s bad luck was always the fault of everyone else. He was determined to get his dead brother’s estate from Danny in any way he could. Then he discovered his old street buddy Andrew was part of the picture. Jackpot!

Second Chances - RB Bartels
Second ChancesPairings: M-M
Published:

Word Count: 95000

Character Identities: Gay

Summary: Sometimes…things aren’t always what they seem. For Trevor, being away from home for the first time was difficult enough. Add being gay and completely inexperienced and the difficulty jumps a notch. Top it off with being disowned by your family and being uncomfortable in new situations, and life seemed impossible. Then he saw the man of his dreams across a crowded restaurant, then he noticed the guy was with another man. Oh well…he’s keep looking. Then the attack happened. For Philip, recovering from a breakup was hard, and a good reason to swear off relationships. Counseling other LGBTQ individuals through their struggles was rewarding, but practicing what you preached was a challenge.  His eyes caught the most handsome man he’d ever seen across a crowded restaurant, but the guy disappeared.  Then he remembered his vow to remain unattached. Never did he expect a threat from years ago surfacing to plague him.

Red Truck - RB Bartles
Red TruckPairings: M-M
Published: