Day: September 10, 2015

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Take Your Pick by Missy Welsh Tour with Interview and Giveaway

RC

Today, I’m very lucky to be interviewing Missy Welsh author of Take Your Pick.

Hi, Missy. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hello! Thanks so much for hosting me today. I’m not too complicated, I am addicted to carbs, and I need an app on my phone to yell at me so I work through my to-do list. Sometimes I’m pink and frilly, but mostly I’m denim and bare feet. I’ve worked in membership management, IT, customer service, and marketing, but it’s writing fiction that I truly love.

Take Your Pick is about Peter Kim and his 5 housemates exploring their sexualities in the name of ultimate friendship. See, Pete’s in love with all of them and it’s become a secret he can’t contain any longer. After he’s found out, he’s both thrilled and wary about his housemates’ decision to spend a day with him doing whatever he wants, including sex. Pete’s going to learn a lot about each of them as well as himself by the end of this story.

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book.

It’s about 6 college age guys who live together and, well, all of them end up having sex with Pete throughout the course of the story. Yup, Pete’s a very busy guy! (I’m so laughing at myself right now…) I’ve never written a book with so much sex in it. At the same time, though, it actually turned out to be a love story.

How did you come up with the title of your book?

The inspiration for the book is a photograph of five, bare-chested guys lined up in a row. My first thought was that they looked like they were waiting for someone to take their pick of them. Eventually, I decided that they would’ve asked Pete to do that.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?

Pete has a lot of love in him for his housemates. I think he could’ve been just fine living the rest of his life without any of his best friends ever knowing he was sexually attracted to them as well. He might’ve gotten to know guys in college and been able to shift his attraction to other men and been very happy. But since I’m in charge of this story world, they do find Pete out and make him a wonderful offer instead. I think Pete is special because he’s able to jump on that offer and live in the moment, come what may.

What do you think makes a good story?

Emotionally involving the reader. I’m hoping Take Your Pick will not only, uh, stimulate readers, but maybe make some hearts clench, a few eyes tear up, and get a giggle or three going. That makes a book a success.

What does your family think of your writing?

I was honestly worried about telling any of them what I wrote when I was first published, but only because LGBT anything had never been something we’d discussed. They laughed at Jack from Will and Grace, muttered about how Ellen didn’t have to come out, and swore they didn’t know anyone gay. Nowadays, they still laugh at Jack, they respect Ellen, and they know and like a lot of gay people. I think I’ll go so far as to say that, by writing these books and being honest with my family about what I’m doing, I’ve opened their minds and hearts to being more understanding and compassionate toward LGBT people and equality for everyone.

Excerpt:
I watched them pile into the behemoth Devon’s mom had loaned for tonight’s trip up to Cleveland. They all looked good in their club clothes. Nothing flashy or too tight, but I’d spread some fashion sense around and they’d believed me every time. Not a single girl would be able to resist my boys.
Of course, there would be plenty of boys who’d be unable to resist them either.
Just like me.
I waved as they drove off, equal parts relieved and lonely. I didn’t want to let them go without me, but I had been wound way too tight lately. I had on one other piece of clothing—the tightest pair of briefs I owned—just to help mask the boner I kept springing every time I’d been near them for the past three days.
Something had to give, and it was going to happen in a gush of orgasmic heat all over my fist.

Buy the book:
Amazon—http://amzn.to/1Jup0Tg
All Romance eBooks—http://bit.ly/1JupqJv

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Meet Missy Welsh:
Missy Welsh stares into space a lot, has conversations with cats, takes notes while people-watching, records conversations (not the ones with cats), named her laptop Norbert and her phone Pushkin, has backups of her backups’ backups, faints at the sight of a misused semi-colon, and will often ask socially unacceptable questions of strangers.
Basically, she’s a writer.

Where to find Missy Welsh:
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/175mi7V
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1EiCGVk
Missy Welsh Book News (email list), http://bit.ly/1coHgOY
All Romance eBooks Author Page, http://bit.ly/1VanTjS
Amazon Author Page, http://amzn.to/P6ilxR

Goodreads Link: http://bit.ly/175mtjK
Publisher: Missy Welsh
Cover Artist: Thorny Sterling
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Candy Man Audiobook by Amy Lane Narrated by Philip Alces

Dreamspinner Presents:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Candy-Man-Audiobook/B014WARB1O

candy audioBlurb

Adam Macias has been thrown a few curve balls in his life, but losing his VA grant because his car broke down and he missed a class was the one that struck him out. One relative away from homelessness, he’s taking the bus to Sacramento, where his cousin has offered a house-sitting job and a new start. He has one goal, and that’s to get his life back on track. Friends, pets, lovers? Need not apply.

Finn Stewart takes one look at Adam as he’s applying to Candy Heaven and decides he’s much too fascinating to leave alone. Finn is bright and shiny—and has never been hurt. Adam is wary of his attention from the very beginning—Finn is dangerous to every sort of peace Adam is forging, and Adam may just be too damaged to let him in at all.

But Finn is tenacious, and Adam’s new boss, Darrin, doesn’t take bullshit for an answer. Adam is going to have to ask himself which is harder—letting Finn in or living without him? With the holidays approaching it seems like an easy question, but Adam knows from experience that life is seldom simple, and the world seldom cooperates with hope, faith, or the plans of cats and men.

Review

(From previously on site)

Adam is having a rough life. His mother and grandmother treated him like pond scum growing up, so he joined the military to prove he was “worthy”. He fell in love with one of his fellow soldiers, only to be left high and dry when his lover didn’t want to come out of the closet. He returned to the states to go back to school, but lost his grant when his car died and he could no longer attend classes. With his last gasp, he heads up to his cousin’s apartment for 6 months of free rent to try to get his life in order.

With what feels like divine intervention, Adam stumbles into Candy Heaven following the Help Wanted sign and is immediately set to work. His boss also plays the role of his fairy godfather and matchmaker by hooking him up with Finn, the sandwich delivery guy.

Finn is young, idealistic, freshly single, and unstoppable. He sees the darkness in Adam and knows he can bring in the light. By pairing his cheery disposition with offerings of free food, he slowly breaks through the walls surrounding Adam’s heart.

Adam, who fully believes he isn’t worthy of someone like Finn, does what he can to stave off the romance, but when he really needs help, Finn is there and it’s Finn who helps him see that he does have value and most importantly – hope.

**
This is one of Amy’s relatively “low angst” stories. Of course she will make you cry (for me it was at least twice) but most of the story is full of “awwww”. I was reminded of her story Christmas Kitsch in that Oliver – little Oliver – was the force of nature – blowing in and taking charge. In The Candy Man – that’s Finn. He won’t take no for an answer and he’s fearless.

I also really enjoyed the secondary characters and I really hope Joni gets her girl one day and that we get to read more about Rico’s romance. (Fingers crossed!). The vaguely paranormal part of the story left me with a new respect for Pixie Stix, as well!

Amy can describe a scene so thoroughly that I could picture Adam’s drawings, Finn’s hair, Gonzo’s fight against the medicine – everything. Adam’s sketch book journal was a particularly wonderful vehicle for showing both us and Finn the inside workings of his brain and past and I thought it was a tremendously clever tool.

I am thankful for this sweet story with little angst she has given us to brighten up our holiday season.

Audio

Philip Alces is growing on me I admit. I really enjoyed listening to this and thought he did a great job with Finn and Adam – especially the emotional times. I think he’s growing more comfortable with that aspect of his narration and it shows.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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