Beyond the Sea by Keira Andrews : Guest Post, Review and Giveaway

Thanks so much to 2 Chicks for inviting me here today to talk about my new contemporary romance Beyond the Sea. Denise asked me to share where I got my inspiration for the book, and it came from various places.

First off, I visited Fiji 17 years ago (where does the time go?!), and the South Pacific is just so stunning. The clear water and fine sand, bright sun and peaceful calm. It was absolutely idyllic, and I long to return.

When my dad got sick and passed away last fall, it was obviously a very stressful time. I wanted to work on a book that was an escape and unlike any I’d written before. I’ve always loved to read stories about strangers thrust into survival situations together, whether it’s battling the elements or evil villains. On the latter count, Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz springs to mind as a fave. (And since Koontz got his start as a romance writer using a female pseudonym, his books often have a satisfying romantic element.)

My characters Troy and Brian fortunately don’t have any shadowy government figures on their tail, but they must work together to survive, totally cut off from the rest of the world. I wanted to strand two people who would normally never have known each other. Troy is a boy bander who grew up a child star, and Brian is an emotionally scarred pilot struggling with survivor’s guilt.

Brian’s past ties into another interest that contributed to the idea for this book: my love of aeronautical science. I’m purely a layman, but I find it so fascinating how we can fly, and what factors—from weather to a tiny mechanical part the size of a pencil—can cause an emergency. I watch a lot of documentary shows on the subject, and was shocked to learn that only 2-3% of Earth is actually covered by radar. (For Troy and Brian, this fact naturally proves to be a huge problem!)

Troy and Brian are unhappy and emotionally marooned in their lives, and I wanted to explore how by being lost, we can become found. This is a story of survival, exploring your sexuality, and finding true love where you least expect it.

Can two straight men fall in love without it being some dirty secret left on a deserted island? After reading Beyond the Sea by Keira Andrews, yes, I think it is. This is not a tale of men being gay for the right person, bi for the right person, or whatever other label you might want to give it. It’s the story of two men in a situation most of us couldn’t even fathom who wind up falling in love.

How many real life stories are there out there about people who come together because they’ve been through a traumatic experience together? Brian and Troy were the survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island out far enough that it was unlikely either of them would be found alive. I’d say that qualifies as the type of experience which would instantly bond them to one another. When they were tempted to give up, the only person they had to turn to was the other. It’s going to bring people closer together.

Add to that the very basic need for human touch and you have the recipe for two people falling in love.

One thing I love about how Keira Andrews wrote Brian and Troy’s story is that it wasn’t this instant, easy attraction. Even once they started fooling around, I don’t think they were totally comfortable with it, but it was the touch of another person. Not even just in a sexual way. It worked.

What really sealed the deal for me was how the men acted once they were rescued (yeah, sorry for the spoiler there). If this was nothing more than a deserted island fling, Brian and Troy would have said their goodbyes and moved on with their lives. But they couldn’t. What happened on that island changed them. It opened their eyes and forced them to approach love from an emotional rather than anatomical perspective. It’s a beautiful story that, I hope, will someday not be seen as scandalous.

GREAT JOB, Keira! 5 pieces of eye candy

Two straight guys. One desert island.

Even if it means quitting their boy band mid-tour, Troy Tanner isn’t going to watch his little brother snort his future away after addiction destroyed their father. On a private jet taking him home from Australia, he and pilot Brian Sinclair soar above the vast South Pacific. Brian lost his passion for flying—and joy in life—after a traumatic crash, but now he and Troy must fight to survive when a cyclone strikes without warning.

Marooned a thousand miles from civilization, the turquoise water and white sand beach look like paradise. But although they can fish and make fire, the smallest infection or bacteria could be deadly. When the days turn into weeks with no sign of rescue, Troy and Brian grow closer, and friendship deepens into desire.

As they learn sexuality is about more than straight or gay and discover their true selves, the world they’ve built together is thrown into chaos. If Troy and Brian make it off the island, can their love endure?

This is an LGBT romance about discovering yourself, finding love, and eating way too many coconuts. 85,000 words.

 

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1RGVrIr

Amazon Global: http://mybook.to/BeyondTheSea_KA

ARe: http://bit.ly/1UlSagE

iTunes: http://apple.co/1nDnESx

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1QS6SaI

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1SGDmsU

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1QTCzAp

After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

Website: http://www.keiraandrews.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2Z-G5

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiraandrews

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keira.andrews.author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1366040.Keira_Andrews

Amazon Author Page: http://author.to/KeiraAndrews

 

TCO is giving away a copy of Beyond the Sea to one commenter on this post. So, tell us what one thing you would bring to a deserted island if you had a choice.