Book Excerpts

Whistleblower by Dev Bentham : Book Blast, Excerpt and Giveaway

February 5, 2016 by Denise

Money can’t buy happiness. Jacob Nussbaum knows this better than anyone. He’s a corporate lawyer deep inside a huge New York firm, where he works overtime, sacrifices any chance at a personal life, and has been selling his soul for years. With a secretary as his only friend, he trudges on, until his whole world is blown apart by a manila envelope of photos—evidence that one of the firm’s partners is the dirtiest lawyer in one hell of a filthy business.

In search of the truth, Jacob travels to a small northern Wisconsin fishing resort. There he meets Ben Anderson, a brutally lonely man, who knocks him off his feet. Ben prompts Jacob to reevaluate his life. He’s a dozen years older than Jacob, still recovering from the death of his long time love, and doesn’t want to leave anyone a widower. But a jaded New Yorker on a soul-searching mission might be just the man to convince the grieving Ben that it’s never too late to begin again.

Author Name: Dev Bentham

Book Name: Whistle Blower

Release Date: February 5, 2016

Pages or Words: 214 pages

Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Romance

Goodreads Link

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Catt Ford

Ben got waylaid by a bunch of little things, so it took him longer than he’d expected to get back to the dock for Nussbaum’s—Jacob’s rowing lesson. As Ben approached the dock, Jacob was facing away, staring out over the lake. Which was good, since he was naked except for a skim of bright red Lycra that barely covered his ass. And what an ass. What a body in general. It had been a long time since Ben had seen a muscular olive-skinned back on which dark hair grew in such fascinating patterns. Manny had a back like that. Ben had loved to run his tongue along the thin lines of fur along his lower back. Manny hadn’t been hairy, really, just never quite naked. Jacob had that same look, except he was younger, stronger, and better built.

Feeling uncomfortable with that comparison, Ben tore his eyes away from Jacob’s body. Aside from leaving him feeling unfaithful to Manny’s memory, this was neither the time nor the place and, in all probability, not the man to indulge that kind of fantasy. Ben cleared his throat, and Jacob turned around. Jesus. Who’d have thought under all those clothes, there’d be this—high definition, perfect tone, and all that gorgeous skin. Ben forced himself to meet Jacob’s eyes. He reached into the boathouse, pulled out one of the clean tee shirts he kept for changing after rowing, and handed it to Jacob.

“It’s easy to get sunburned out here.” For the love of God, he had to cover up the guy if he was going to teach him anything, other than…. He cleared his throat again. “The beginner scull is up here.” He walked back up the dock to the boat rack, yelling at himself the whole way for unprofessional thoughts.

As Ben uncovered the practice scull, he was hit by an unexpected wave of memory. Manny had bought it for him their first summer in the Northwoods. It had taken Ben two years to outgrow the added stability and another to decide to try Manny’s MAAS. He ran a finger over the fiberglass patch from when he’d run the boat into the shore. Manny, from his own scull twenty feet away, had admonished, “Never get in a fight with a rock. The rock always wins.”

From behind him, Jacob asked, “Need any help?”

Ben straightened and walked to the far side of the boat. “Get the stern, would you?”

Jacob picked up his side of the boat, and in a monkey-see-monkey-do motion, lifted it onto his shoulder. Ben turned around, settling the bow onto his left shoulder, and led the way back down to the dock. On three they flipped the scull into the water. Ben squatted beside the boat, pointing and describing the various parts until he felt comfortable enough in his role as teacher that he could glance over at Jacob, who knelt beside him. Jacob was focused on the boat, taking in Ben’s instructions. Ben exhaled. Jacob covered up and concentrating on the boat was easier to deal with than he was as a just-about-naked man basking in the sun at the end of the dock.

Ben noticed Jacob’s shoes for the first time. No shorts, no water shoes. Evidently Mr. Nussbaum had been expecting an entirely different resort vacation, probably involving mai tais on the beach and plenty of bikini-clad young women. If he tipped over in the scull, which he was going to do, everyone did when they were starting out, those shoes would take a long time to dry. Ben had an extra pair of water shoes. Maybe they’d fit.

“What size feet do you have?” he asked.

Jacob glanced up. “Ten. Why? Does it matter for the stirrups?”

Of course he wore tens, because otherwise the physical comparison wouldn’t be perfect. “Your shoes will be awkward as hell in the stirrups. You need something lighter and better in the water. Don’t worry. I’ve got some you can borrow.”

Jacob wouldn’t fit in Ben’s nine and a halfs, but Manny’s old tens were still where they’d always been, on the top shelf in the boathouse. Ben found them. He brushed off the dust and cobwebs. The shoes weren’t sacred, and it wasn’t disloyal to let Jacob wear them. They were just old water shoes with cracks in the soles. Ben grabbed a pair of oars and stepped back onto the dock, dropping the shoes by Jacob. “Try these. I’ll get the oars set up.”

Ben fixed each oar in its oarlock, concentrating hard so he wouldn’t have to watch another man put on Manny’s shoes. Then he set about teaching Jacob Nussbaum the rudiments of rowing.

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Dev Bentham writes soulful m/m romance. Her characters are flawed and damaged adult men who may not even know what they are missing, but whose lives are transformed by true love.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dev.bentham

Facebook Author Page

Twitter: @DevBentham

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, BFD Book Blog, KathyMac Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Happily Ever Chapter, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Book Lovers 4Ever, A.M. Leibowitz, The Hat Party, Dawn’s Reading Nook, The Jena Wade, Andrew Q. Gordon, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Louise Lyons, Velvet Panic, Inked Rainbow Reads, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, MM Good Book Reviews, Unquietly Me, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Making It Happen, Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Molly Lolly, 3 Chicks After Dark, Alpha Book Club, Jessie G. Books, My Fiction Nook, Havan Fellows, V’s Reads, Kiki’s Kinky Picks, Divine Magazine, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Kirsty Loves Books

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Refired by BA Tortuga : Blog Tour, Interview, Excerpt and Giveaway

February 4, 2016 by Denise

When Kris Cerny walks back into Two Spirits, the art gallery he owns with Josh McPhee, all he wants is a clean break. Austin’s booming real estate market means the building he bought years ago is worth a fortune, and with the sale, he and Josh can finally go their separate ways. They won’t be reconciling, right? Josh may be sober now, but an addict is always going to be an addict, and Kris can’t take that chance again.

Josh isn’t willing to sell. Not yet. He’s discovered a new artist in Santa Fe he knows will put Two Spirits in the black, and if he can just make a success of the gallery, maybe he can earn Kris’s respect, if not recapture his love. He needs Kris to give him time for one more buying trip, one more gallery show. Josh wants nothing more than a final chance to make things right. Kris agrees to let Josh have this last ditch effort on one condition– he wants to go along for the ride. On the way Josh hopes they’ll find the next big thing in the art world as well as peace, forgiveness, and a love he thought was lost forever.

Author Name: BA Tortuga

Book Name: Refired

Series: The Recovery Series

Book: One

Release Date: January 18, 2016

#JUNKIE by Cambria Hebert : Blog Tour, Excerpt, and Giveaway

January 29, 2016 by Denise

Title: #Junkie

Series: GearShark #1

Author: Cambria Hebert

Genre: M/M Sports Romance

Published: January 20, 2016

Drew Forrester is a total adrenaline junkie.

His high of choice?

Cars.

The faster, the better.

He’s been making waves in Maryland’s underground racing circuit since he crossed the state line, and after speaking with him, we know he’s not hitting the brakes anytime soon.

So what exactly does it take to burn rubber and make a name for yourself in a world where the only rule is there are no rules?

You gotta be hungry…

You gotta have balls…

And you can never back down.

What’ve we learned here at GearShark?

Drew is all of the above.

We also know he’s got some secrets buried under his hood.

Secrets we think are loaded with octane and just might set the world of cars on fire.

Check out the full feature article inside…

Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).
Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.
Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.
You can find out more about Cambria and her titles by visiting her website: http://www.cambriahebert.com.

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Save of the Game by Avon Gale : Pre-Release Day Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

January 28, 2016 by Denise

After last season’s heartbreaking loss to his hockey team’s archrival, Jacksonville Sea Storm goalie Riley Hunter is ready to let go of the past and focus on a winning season. His new roommate, Ethan Kennedy, is a loud New Yorker with a passion for social justice that matches his role as the team’s enforcer. The quieter Riley is attracted to Ethan and has no idea what to do about it.

Ethan has no hesitations. As fearless as his position demands, he rushes into things without much thought for the consequences. Though they eventually warm to their passionate new bond, it doesn’t come without complications. While trying to financially help Ethan, Riley must hide his family’s wealth so as not to hurt Ethan’s immense pride. For their relationship to work, Ethan will need to learn when to keep the gloves on and let someone help him—and Riley will have to learn it’s okay to let someone past his defenses.

Author Name: Avon Gale

Book Name: Save of the Game

Series: Scoring Chances

This book is a ‘Scoring Chances’ novel. It can be read as a standalone.

Pages or Words: 200 pages

Release Date: January 29, 2016

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Sports, Hockey

Save of the Game on Goodreads

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Save of the Game by Avon Gale is the second book in the Scoring Chances series. I’m so glad Riley got his story because I felt bad for him in Breakaway. No really, I did! When he started asking Lane about Jared, there was just something that screamed unrequited crush to me. I wanted him to find his happy.

At first glance, Riley and Ethan seem like the Odd Couple. Ethan is a loud, obnoxious enforcer and Riley is the quiet goalie doing everything he can to prove himself as a goalie. As the reasons for Riley wanting to prove his worth unfold, I felt even more deeply for him.

Ethan is the character who sticks out more in my mind after the end of the book. He struck me as the dumb jock used to using his fists because it’s what he’s good at. At no point is he portrayed as a rising star. He’s a utility player there to do a job. He has potential, but given the fact that he’s slow and clumsy on the ice, smokes, and doesn’t eat right, he’s unlikely to reach that potential. All of that’s gotta give a guy a complex.

Even though Riley’s the better player, he seems to be jealous of Ethan to some extent, with good reason. Ethan has the one thing Riley would give up anything to have. And once they’re together, he gets a taste of what he’s missing.

Avon Gale walked the line between making Ethan accept his feelings for Riley too quickly and writing him as so tortured that it’s difficult to read. For a while, I did think he was too accepting and willing to explore what he felt, but once I met his family, it all made sense.

The Scoring Chances Series is quickly becoming one of my go-to series. I can’t wait to get my greedy little hands on the third book. I won’t go to extremes and threaten to tie Avon Gale to her chair until she hands it over, but only because illegal activity is frowned upon and I’m not sure how I’d get books in prison. Seriously, if you love a good hockey book, read this series. If you’re not a hockey fan, I won’t hold it against you, but I will still tell you to pick up Breakaway and Save of the Game. You won’t regret it!

5 pieces of eye candy!

His phone beeped, alerting him that he had a new text message. It was from Ethan Kennedy, the defenseman the Storm had acquired before the trade deadline last spring. The rowdy Kennedy, who had a heavy New York accent and was a huge fan of the New York Rangers—a team Riley hated, by virtue of being a New Jersey Devils fan—had bunked with him for a few weeks during the finals. He’d gone back to New York after the Storm lost in the playoffs. Riley hadn’t been sure if he was coming back or not, but the text message indicated he’d just gotten back to to Banner300x250 wn, and would Riley mind picking him up from the airport?

And oh, he got a cheaper rate by flying into Tampa, which was three hours away. Was that a problem? And one last thing. Riley didn’t need a roommate by any chance. Did he?

Riley looked around his apartment, which was nice and clean and quiet. Just like it always was, except for those few weeks last spring when Ethan was there. He was loud and messy and always in Riley’s space, left half-full cans of Pepsi everywhere, drank whiskeys with dubious-sounding names, and smoked like a chimney.

be there in 3 hrs, Riley texted and grabbed a few boxes of coconut water out of his fridge. The idea of coming home alone after games reminded him of those car rides in Wyoming, and he was getting tired of the silence.

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Character Interview

Excited to be interviewing Riley Hunter

What do you find attractive in a man?

Ethan would probably say my answer would be “blonds” but that’s just because I think Martin Brodeur is hot. But really I think my answer is passion and confidence. Also, tattoos.

The first thing that went through your head when you saw Ethan?

That I was going to be killing a lot of penalties. Sorry, Ethan, but my first impression was that you were a loudmouth who would end up in the box a lot and give the other team a lot of man advantages. And I was right about that. I wasn’t sure about the whole being into guys thing yet, but I noticed Ethan’s tattoos.

Do you think you’ll insist the author visits you again?

I hear I show up in the third book, and am at least mentioned in the fourth. I don’t mind if she comes back to visit, especially if she writes a book about how I’m the starting goalie for the New Jersey Devils. Then Ethan would have to cheer for the Devils instead of the Rangers, haha.

Before you met Ethan, what was your ideal man?

Uh, Martin Brodeur? (Laughs) I wasn’t really sure if I was bisexual or not. But I always wanted someone in my life to shake it up a bit. Someone to make things not so quiet all the time. I definitely got that.

You’re going out for dinner. What’s your favorite food?

I’m really boring about food when I’m training, which is basically always. I eat a lot of grilled things – chicken, fish, vegetables. I do like pizza, and stealing Ethan’s cheese fries from Cruisers. You’d think we would eat more seafood living in Florida, but I play hockey for the ECHL. Seafood is kind of out of our budget, unless maybe we caught it ourselves. Which I could do, but no way would Ethan have the patience.

Thanks Riley!

Avon Gale was once the mayor on Foursquare of Jazzercise and Lollicup, which should tell you all you need to know about her as a person. She likes road trips, rock concerts, drinking Kentucky bourbon and yelling at hockey. She’s a displaced southerner living in a liberal midwestern college town, and when she’s not writing you can find her at the salon, making her clients look and feel fabulous. She never gets tired of people and their stories — either real or the ones she makes up in her head.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avongalewrites

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authoravongale

Twitter: @avongalewrites

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/avongalewrites/

Other: (join my mailing list) http://eepurl.com/bGLSrD

Tour Dates & Stops:

29-Jan

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Posy Roberts, Book Lovers 4Ever, Mikky’s World of Books, Jessie G. Books, Gay Book Reviews

1-Feb

Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Kirsty Loves Books, Love Bytes, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Divine Magazine, Hearts on Fire, Open Skye Book Reviews

2-Feb

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, V’s Reads, Nautical Star Books, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, BFD Book Blog

3-Feb

Bayou Book Junkie, Alpha Book Club, Molly Lolly, Happily Ever Chapter, Unquietly Me, MM Good Book Reviews, 3 Chicks After Dark

4-Feb

The Novel Approach, Boys on the Brink Reviews, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Carly’s Book Reviews, The Hat Party

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Will & Patrick Fight Their Feelings by Blake and Griffiths : Release Day Blitz, Excerpt and Giveaway

January 25, 2016 by Denise

Follow Will & Patrick in this fourth installment of the romantic-comedy serial, Wake Up Married, by best-selling author Leta Blake and newcomer Alice Griffiths!

Will and Patrick have embraced adding hot sexy-times to their fake marriage, but as their emotions deepen, they confront whether or not they want to be more than friends-with-benefits. Freshly free of a restrictive relationship, Will’s not ready for more than exploratory fun. And no matter how Patrick feels about Will, his own difficult past has left him wary of love.

The heat is high (and occasionally kinky) in this episode of the Wake Up Married serial, but Will and Patrick struggle to accept their mutual affection, much less confess it. How long will they fight their feelings?

Episode 4 of 6 in the Wake Up Married serial.

Author: Leta Blake & Alice Griffiths

Title: Will & Patrick Fight Their Feelings

Series Title and Number: Wake Up Married, Episode 4

Publisher: Leta Blake Books

Release Date: 1/25/16

Genre: Romantic Comedy M/M Romance

Tags: gay, woke up married, tropes, rom-com, mafia, forced marriage, disabled heroes

Heat Level: 5

Pairing: M/M

Length: 38,000 words

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Wrung out after the long night, Patrick shovels in the eggs and toast he ordered from room service. His mind drifts lazily as he eats, but when he hears the shower turn off, his stomach churns. He hates that his brain can ruin a perfectly good moment with memories that make him twitchy.

“About last night…” Will’s voice cracks slightly.

Patrick’s heart stops.

“Maybe it shouldn’t happen again?”

A sharp, deep pain lances into Patrick and he can’t breathe. It’s so unexpected, this horrible feeling, and he can’t think of anything to say. But hope and lust surge together as Will shoves away from the door. He grabs Patrick so hard it hurts and kisses him until the world shifts under their feet.

Yep, it had happened again. Had it ever. God, their second night in a row of sex had been—

Patrick jerks back to the present as the bathroom door swings open and Will strides out fully dressed in a pair of trousers and a button-up shirt. The eggs churn faster in Patrick’s stomach.

Will sits at the breakfast table. He tests, calculates, and injects his insulin before starting on his cottage cheese on toast. He looks up, fixing Patrick with a resolute gaze.

Patrick dodges the look and pokes his eggs with his fork. “Do we have to talk about it?”

Will takes another bite and chews deliberately.

“Because I don’t want to talk about it.” Patrick’s much more interested in a “don’t think, just do” policy when it comes to sex with Will. He’ll take that over revisiting the surprising pain of Will’s near-rejection the night before.

Will’s brows draw low and he chews for a long, tense moment. Patrick’s heart lurches like a skipping record until Will speaks. “Really? So you think there’s nothing to talk about?”

“Nope.” Patrick’s fork scrapes against his plate. “I don’t see why there would be.”

Will, of course, has other ideas. Like that’s anything new. “Patrick, we had sex again last night. Three times.”

“I know what we did, Will.”

“And?”

“And I liked it. And I don’t regret it.”

Will pulls his lower lip between his teeth. “You really liked it?”

“Puddin’-pop, you were there. Do you doubt you’re the best lay I’ve ever had?”

“The best?”

“Unequivocally.”

Will grins and eats some more of his cottage cheese on toast, joy rising up like the sun on his face. “You too. I mean, you’re the best I’ve had.”

Shocking. Patrick wants an award for not saying that out loud. He reaches out and takes hold of Will’s fingers. “I like being with you. I like what we’re doing and I don’t want to talk about it.”

Will pulls his hand away and scratches his ear uncertainly. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want us to stop.” He clenches his fist on the table and summons the strength to say, “Unless you want to stop?”

Will shakes his head and studies the food. After putting some eggs on his plate and compiling another cottage cheese and whole-wheat toast sandwich, he clears his throat and tentatively meets Patrick’s eye again. “So you think it’s okay if we—”

“Screw without professing our undying love first?”

Will flushes but nods.

“We’re having sex, not committing a crime. Of course it’s okay. Why make it into something it’s not?”

Will butters his toast and carefully doesn’t meet Patrick’s gaze again. This. This is why Patrick doesn’t want to talk about things. “What did I say wrong now?”

Will shrugs and takes a bite of toast. He finishes chewing and swallows. “What would we make it into that it’s not?”

“That’s what I don’t want to talk about.”

“Because you think I’ll say we can’t have sex anymore if there’s no hope of us really falling in love and making a little family together?”

Patrick breaks into a fine sweat. “Won’t you?”

He has no idea what thoughts the tiny hamsters on the wheels in Will’s mind are cranking out, but he can imagine they’re racing overtime as Will gazes at him silently. He feels like he might puke.

Will’s mouth tilts up at the corner. “No.”

“What?” Patrick chokes on his toast and has to grab a swallow of water.

“No, I won’t say we have to stop. We’ll keep on…you know.”

“Having sex.”

Will’s eyes go hot with lust. “Yeah. We’ll keep having sex.”

“I knew you liked it.” He leans forward, smirking. “Now, tell me what you liked best. In detail.”

Will adjusts his napkin in his lap. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I didn’t want to talk about ‘Oh, woe, it was wrong, and I’m still hurting over Ryan, and we’re getting divorced as soon as possible,’ because I know all that.”

Will finishes off his cottage cheese sandwich. “I get it.”

“Tell me all the dirty stuff. I want to hear how much you loved it.”

Will’s smile is soft. “Oh, I loved it.”

Leta Blake

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

You can find out more about her by following her online:

On the web: http://letablake.wordpress.com/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letablake

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetaBlake

Alice Griffiths

A long-time reader of romance novels, Alice Griffiths finally took the plunge into writing, teaming up with best-selling author Leta Blake for the ‘Woke up Married’ serialized comedy. A lover of tropes, Alice enjoys mining old ideas and putting a fresh, funny spin on them. Formerly working in the newspaper industry, Alice is now an art curator. She lives in Sydney, Australia.

You can find out more about her by following her online:

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alice_Author

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alice.griffiths.7169

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Rock~N~Soul by Lauren Sattersby : Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway

January 21, 2016 by Denise

I’m Tyler Lindsey, and until recently, I had an okay apartment, an okay girlfriend, and an okay job as a bellboy at a respectable Boston hotel. Then rock star Chris Raiden died right before I brought his room service—stiffing me on the tip, by the way—and my life went to hell. My fifteen minutes of fame was more like five seconds, and my girlfriend left me in disgust.

But even worse—Chris is haunting me. Not the room where he died, like a normal ghost. No, somehow he’s stuck to me and is insisting on taking care of a bunch of unfinished business in California. So now I have to traipse across the country with the world’s most narcissistic ghost.

But . . . I keep having these weird thoughts. Thoughts about how much I like the way he makes me laugh. Thoughts where I kind of want to kiss the emo-narcissist, even though he’s a ghost and an asshole and I can’t touch him anyway. And even if I could, what will happen when he finishes his business and nothing’s keeping him here anymore?

Guest Post

Hi, I’m Lauren Sattersby, and this is the blog tour for my very first novel, Rock N Soul! I’ll be featured on various blogs over the course of the tour, and I’ll be sharing deleted scenes, playlists, answers to questions, and some of my thoughts on what it’s like to write a ghost story and make it both hot and romantic. Comment on each spot to be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card to buy some books from Riptide Publishing!

After I finished Rock N Soul, I tried my hand at a prequel story written in Chris’s point of view that would follow his time in Incite the Masses and then overlap a bit onto RNS. As I was writing, I was really struck by how individual characters can “feel” so different when writing, and Chris and Tyler have dramatically different voices in their first person narration. Where Tyler is snarky and fast-thinking, with punchy one-liners and jokes even in his internal thoughts, Chris turned out much slower, dreamier, and much more disjointed than Tyler. He thinks like a poet, which is fitting given that he ended up being a songwriter and musician.

I decided not to finish the prequel, mostly because it would have to have an unhappy ending (Chris is dead at the beginning of Rock N Soul, after all!) but it’s an interesting look into Chris’s character to see how he thinks about the world. So for your reading pleasure, I present a deleted scene from Chris’s point of view.

“You’re crazy,” Tyler says, looking at me out of the corner of his eye and gesturing at the TV screen. “Clearly Kirk is a better captain than Janeway. I mean, are you fucking kidding me? He’s Captain Kirk.”

I smirk, because it annoys him and I like it when he rolls his eyes. “That’s because you’re a sexist prick,” I inform him. “You only like Kirk more because he’s a man and you’re threatened by women in authority positions.”

“Not everything is a social issue, Chris,” he counters. He eats another forkful of his disgusting microwaved noodles and slurps to get the ends of the pasta in his mouth and I try to convince myself that the urge I’m feeling to lick his chin is completely because I have some sort of nostalgia for cheap noodles and not because it’s so easy to sit here with him and talk about nothing and everything all at the same time. “I’m judging them on their merits and you’re judging them on the fact that one of them is a woman and so you feel male guilt at admitting that she’s just not as good of a captain as the others.” He waves his plastic fork at me and continues, “And it has nothing to do with her gender and everything to do with the fact that she’s not badass enough to be a captain.”

“Just because she’s not waving her cock around at aliens all the time—both in sexy ways and in nonsexy ways, might I add—doesn’t mean she’s not a badass,” I point out. He’s fascinating when he’s animated like this, and nothing animates him like a nerdy Star Trek conversation so I spend a lot of my free time thanking my lucky stars that I’d bothered to watch Trek when I was alive.

He rolls his eyes at me but doesn’t fight it anymore, and green eyes are really pretty rare, comprising only 1-2 percent of the people in the world. Or so an article I once read said, anyway. I believe it, though, because my eyes are boring brown and so I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about how it would be to have beautiful eyes. Any color other than brown, really. Eric’s eyes used to be blue like the edges of the universe and all the possibilities between here and there, but for a long time now they’ve been blue like the metallic taste in your mouth just before you’re sick, the smell of bleach and cold ceramic and the residual alcohol on your tongue, and I can’t remember what color Tori’s eyes are at all and I’m not sure if I ever even noticed to begin with.

Tyler’s eyes are the color of the first leaves that peek out from the trees after winter ends and looking at them is like looking into all the springs you have in the future, the warmths and the resurrections and the rebirths, and I would tell him that except that he would make fun of me because this isn’t like that. But his eyes are springtime and peridot, fresh-mowed grass and the way that summer feels between your toes, the color that floods your brain when you’re convinced that you are young and alive and indestructible and he would give me so much shit for saying that out loud but it’s true, and part of me wants for it to be like that because I’ve never known what it was like to be happy and I’m happy when I’m with him, even though he’s a ridiculous little pissant and I want to strangle him half the time.

But he doesn’t want me that way. And isn’t that the story of my fucking life.

Lauren Sattersby works as a budget manager by day, but while she’s at her desk mindlessly crunching numbers, it’s a good bet that she’s also writing M/M romance in her head and counting the minutes until she can get home and write it all down. She is a grammar enthusiast, which is why she has a Master’s degree in technical writing, but that tends to scare friends away so she keeps that to herself.

Lauren lives in Wisconsin with her partner and their three terrible cats. She’s a recent transplant from a thousand miles further south, so she still gets crazy excited about snow. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found playing video games or scouring the countryside looking for interesting birds.

Connect with Lauren:

Website: laurensattersby.com
Facebook: facebook.com/laurensattersby
Twitter: @LaurenSattersby
Tumblr: laurensattersby.tumblr.com
Email: laurensattersby@gmail.com

To celebrate the release of Rock N Soul, Lauren is giving away $25 in Riptide credit! Your first comment at each stop on this tour enters you in the drawing. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 23, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Follow the tour for more opportunities to enter the giveaway! Don’t forget to leave your email or method of contact so Riptide can reach you if you win!