Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I’m battling toothache, which is, um, what happens when you neglect your teeth for a long time… 😦

Indie authors call it “going wide” when you release your book outside the KDP Select platform. I’m happy to announce that my latest novel, Elsie Street—a contemporary gay romance set in San Francisco—is going wide on Tuesday, December 15! It’s on pre-order right now; you can read a sample at Smashwords here (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/595096). The book is available for preorder on iTunes and Barnes & Noble, and I will be releasing it on Kobo and All Romance eBooks (https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-elsiestreet-1940503-149.html) in December as well.

David Fredrickson, author of Life on All Fours, a wonderful novel about a man and his dog living in the aftermath of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, wrote in his 5-star Amazon review: “This is a well-crafted San Francisco story with interesting characters who are flawed, conflicted, sexy and sweet. This book is believable, yet moves us into a romantic space where the unbelievable is also possible. Ms. West takes us on a journey where the pangs of love are still palpable, even for those jaded by love’s misfortunes. Well done.” 

Finally, happy World AIDS Day. I was around for the first World AIDS Day in 1988 (I had just come to the States a few months earlier) and I’m pleased to see how this date has become more socially accepted and meaningful every year. Apparently, 2 million adolescents are living with AIDS worldwide. There is still a long way to go. But hope is on the horizon—doctors are now talking about a cure by 2020!