Nobody’s Home by Dev Bentham
Release Date: November 15th 2016
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance
Thanks for asking about my inspiration for writing Nobody’s Home. This is an updated rerelease. The original story came out in 2013, which is a while ago. It’s interesting to think back on my motivations.
I was particularly interested with Nobody’s Home in writing a story where two characters travel independent journeys but keep getting drawn back together. The story is written as an alternating third person narrative where the guys are coping with very different life changing situations. And yet they just can’t stay away from each other. Their experiences are opposite in some ways. For example, Nick has come back to the town he left as a kid and Jonas is running away from the place he’d thought was home. They’ve both been betrayed. It’s a terrible thing to have in common, but it also makes things very real, very quickly.
What I was hoping to do was tell a love story in which each of the main characters already had more than enough on their plate without adding something new. They have abundant reasons not to get involved. I think that makes it even more tasty that they do.
And on top of that, I got to incorporate two of my greatest loves—dogs and art. Nick’s an artist. I’m in awe of people who have that kind of talent. Jonas is a veterinarian and it’s a dog that gets the whole thing started. I’m an unabashed dog nut. Really, I see myself years from now as the crazy dog lady so I had a wonderful time with the pups.
Art, dogs and the healing power of love. How could I resist
BLURB
Second chances can appear where you least expect them.
An artist: You can’t go home again—that was Nick’s motto for the past twenty years. He was a teenager when he left his abusive, mentally ill father back in Lacland, a small town in the northwoods of Wisconsin.
Nick’s made a successful life for himself in New York. Then comes the call—his estranged father has killed himself. Nick flies home to a house crumbling from years of neglect, and one very fat bulldog.
And a veterinarian: Jonas doesn’t love his job enforcing university research protocol. His passion is working with dogs, especially volunteering for his boyfriend’s behavioral studies projects. But when he discovers his so-called “life partner” is messing around, he leaps at a job offer in a small town miles away.
In spite of the grief swirling around Nick and Jonas, their first meeting is electric. But Nick will be in town for only a short time and Jonas is still stinging from the betrayal. The men try to keep their distance, but that’s easier said than done, especially in a small town where misery and hope share the same address.
This poignant story about two mature gay men will warm the hearts of readers who believe happy endings are within anyone’s grasp.
**This is an author’s version of the original story first printed in 2013 by Amber Allure.**
Purchase: Amazon
Goodreads
EXCERPT
Somewhere in the middle of the third song, a guy at the bar caught his eye. Tall, thin, with a slight stoop to his shoulders and big sad eyes. He had the kind of tragic beauty that always got to Jonas. And for some reason he was staring at Jonas. The guy’s gaze locked with Jonas’s and he felt a thrill of excitement shoot through him. How long had it been since someone looked at him like that? Ever?
Jonas held the gaze while he danced. The tight band of fear in Jonas’s gut that kept him from making a fool of himself snapped and he felt a sudden surge of freedom. He shoved aside the thought that he’d regret it tomorrow and let himself revel in the feeling of that gaze glued to him. The guy bit his lip. His eyes slid down Jonas like a caress, like a promise. Jonas leaned into the feeling of being wanted. Fenton’s betrayal disappeared into the background.
Jonas danced toward Adam, leaned down and shouted, “Who’s that?”
Adam followed his glance. His brows furrowed, he peered and then he looked surprised. “Wow—that looks like Nick Alsteen.”
“Is he single?”
Adam shrugged. “Don’t know. I think he lives in New York.”
Jonas nodded and danced away. He—Nick?—was still watching him. The song ended. Jonas walked to the bar, telling himself he was meeting the neighbors and having a beer. He leaned against the bar, two stools down from the guy who might be named Nick. Then the realization of what he was doing hit him and he ordered a double scotch.
Nick slid onto the stool beside him. “Hi.”
Jonas looked into his eyes. They were sad and dark in the dim light. “Hi.”
His curly dark hair looked soft, like a spaniel’s ear. Jonas had to hold onto the bar to keep himself from touching it. Which was weird. Jonas couldn’t remember feeling this drawn to a stranger. To anyone, really. It was probably a reaction to the turmoil of the last few days.
Nick was looking at him with a crooked smile and those meltingly sad eyes. He nodded toward the dance floor. “Your boyfriend?”
Jonas started. Boyfriend? Did he mean… “Adam? He’s a kid. Without a daddy kink. I mean, no. Of course not. I hardly know him. His boyfriend is in the band.” Jonas sputtered to a stop, mortified.
The bartender set down his drink. Jonas closed his eyes and downed it.
When he opened them Nick was still there, looking amused.
“Sorry. I’m not good at this.” That was an understatement. He should get out of there. Instead he heard himself ask, “Want to dance?”
Nick’s lips twitched slightly. He gave a skeptical glance toward the stage. “I’m more of a classical, blues, indie kind of guy.”
Well, that was that. Rejected again. Jonas signaled the bartender. One more drink and he was out of there. Home to Gunner to bury himself in work or something.
Nick leaned close, his breath hot on Jonas’s neck. “A slow bump and grind to Etta James would be nice though, don’t you think?”
Giveaway
Giveaway: Win a copy of Dev Bentham’s Tarnished Souls series
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About the Author
I write contemporary gay romance. My characters are flawed and damaged adult men who may not even know they’re looking for true love, but when they meet their bershert, their true love, their lives are transformed. My stories are set in the real world where gay men have gay friends, families who do or don’t accept them, personal histories they’re not necessarily proud of and a myriad of experiences that have made them who they are.
I live in Northern Wisconsin with my Boston Terrier and Chicago spouse. I’ve published short stories, poetry, newspaper articles and academic papers and have worked in nearly every profession from restaurants to retail to open-water diving and now write m/m romance out of my fascination with love, courage and gender.
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Glenn Holloway’s predictable life ended the day he confessed his homosexuality to his family. As if that wasn’t enough, he then poured salt in the wound by walking away from the ranch he’d grown up on, to open the restaurant he’d always dreamed of. Without support from his father and brother, and too proud to accept assistance from anyone else, he had to start from scratch. Over time things worked out: Glenn successfully built a strong business, created a new home, and forged a life he could be proud of.
Temptation, peril, and dirty poker.
