Category: Contemporary fiction

Review: Nothing But Smoke By Daisy Harris

Rating: 4 stars out of  5

Sometimes good boys do bad things.

Cover_NothingButSmokeFirefighter Nicky O’Brian’s life is falling to pieces.  His mother is dying from cervical cancer and only has a short time to live.  The stress and pain of trying to ease his mother’s suffering at home, attending to her medical and emotional needs, is tearing Nicky apart.  Long hours at work, and the emotional strain of his home situation is pulling Nicky under.  To escape, Nicky hunts for a quick sexual gratification near the gay bars in town, hoping to lose himself if only for a moment.

Michael Larson’s life is full and overflowing.  Michael has just finished up his undergrad degree and is starting a masters in sociology in September.  He works in a local Seattle coffee shop and when not busy with friends, then his mother is sure to appear with unwanted advice, extra produce from her garden and lots of love. He also loves to run.  While on a run by the gay bars in town, Michael watches  as a hot guy on a motorcycle cruises the area for a quick encounter.  But what was supposed to be fun, fast, and anonymous turns into something unexpected and life altering when the man turns out to be a Seattle firefighter, Nicky O’Brian.

Nicky and Michael find their attraction to each other growing when they run into each other again at a Firefighter Picnic.  But huge problems loom for both. Nicky is deep in the closet and with his mother critically ill and highly religious, Nicky is not sure he will ever be able to tell her that he is gay.  Michael has sworn never to date a closeted man again after the painful relationship with his last closeted boyfriend imploded.  But as Nicky’s mother’s condition becomes dire, Michael must choose between his promises to himself and Nicky, who is clearly in need of support and friendship is not more.

“Nothing but Smoke” by Daisy Harris is Book 3 of the ‘Fire and Rain’ series about a group of Seattle firefighters and their lovers.  I am new to both this author and her series, so I am entering at Nothing But Smoke.  That fact didn’t seem to present any problem for me with either the story or the characters when entering after two stories and I don’t think it will for the other readers as well.

Seattle is the location for this story and series and Daisy Harris works many of the local establishments and iconic landmarks into her story to give it a wonderful feel as far as atmosphere and setting is concerned.  I love it when the author demonstrates a deep knowledge of the town her characters live in as the nuances and local flavor make it that much more authentic in bringing this story to life.

Harris’ characters are touching and real as are the situations they find themselves in, particularly Nicky and his mother, Lydia, as well as Michael and his mother, Ailene. Two very different son and mother combinations and the juxtaposition between them is startling. The scenes between the critically ill mother and her son are profoundly moving and believable.  I don’t know where Harris’ obtained her knowledge of the care and physicality of a terminally ill cancer patient , but they are so emotionally wrenching that it hurts . Harris’ descriptions of the crippling, painful manner in which Nicky’s mother is failing and it’s debilitating effect upon her son are the most heartbreaking elements of this story.  Nicky’s grief over the impending loss of his only parent and the mother he loves is visceral in its realness and denial.  Most readers will be awash in tears as Nicky and Michael survey her room with the objective of packing up her things to take to a hospice.  In fact, this whole aspect of the story is so strong, so compelling, that everything else almost fades in comparison.

Another strong and equally believable element here?  Nicky’s closeted status and his inability to add to his mother’s pain by declaring his homosexuality to her in her final days.  All the arguments, internal or otherwise, are clearly stated here.  To let a mother know who her son really is versus the peace of mind of a deeply religious Catholic woman who is dying.  Do you do what is best for you or for the woman who raised you?  An added stressful complication for Nicky is that his mother is almost always being attended to by a family priest who sees  homosexuality as a sin.  These issues alone could have filled this book.

What this story needed more of to be a romance is well….a romance or believable love story.  I loved Michael and Nicky as friends feeling their way towards each other through the emotional turmoil and struggle of Nicky’s situation.  I found that to be authentic, compelling, and practically perfect.  To use sex as a mean to forget or an outlet, I found that believable too.  But for Nicky and Michael to fall in love in a short amount of time and under those conditions? Not as the author has framed it.  I could see it if they realize that the situation was pushing those emotions onto them but it’s not the time for a romance, and the author makes no attempt to convey one here.  That case of instant love flew in the face of all the other painful realitiies that Harris dumps upon these wonderful characters and I missed the precision that Harris used with all the other aspects of her story.  Just look at how carefully Harris created the character of Michael’s vegan, gluten free, earth mother Aline.  From her  bounteous fruit bearing plants outside to her dubious kitchen abilities, this wonderful, opinionated “no bras for her” woman is a force to be reckoned with and you love her immediately even if a small voice inside is telling you how happy you are that she isn’t your mother.  Her impact is decisive, her personality forceful and loving.  I believed in her 100 percent.  And I needed that same feeling for the love between Nicky and Michael.  I believed in their need, their attraction, and  even the caring Michael demonstrates towards Nicky…just not an abiding love.  However, I adored these characters so much that I could shove that aside and concentrate on everything else.  Other readers might find their need for each other and attraction deep enough to call it love and be fine with the romance element here.  I will leave that up to you.

If you are searching for a book about firefighters in love, I am not sure this is the story for you. The firefighter aspect is missing here other than the occasional mention of Nicky’s profession and the other members of his station house in a couple of scenes. They might be more prevalent in the stories leading up to this one.  I just don’t know. But Nothing But Smoke is such a strong, emotional story that I will certainly search out the others in the series as well as other books by Daisy Harris.  There are so many outstanding elements here, so many great characters that I recommend this story to you.   Just be prepared for a story as much about loss as it is about love.  And keep those tissues handy.

Cover by Kanaxa,  Incredible cover from the tone and to design, you can almost feel the loss….

To enter the Daisy Harris Nothing But Smoke book release contest, visit here.

Buy Links:    Samhain         ARe            Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 214 pages
Published June 10th 2014 by Samhain Publishing
ISBN 1619221721 (ISBN13: 9781619221727)
edition languageEnglish
seriesFire and Rain #3

Stories in the Fire and Rain series include:

From the Ashes (Fire and Rain, #1)
After the Rain (Fire and Rain, #2)
Nothing But Smoke (Fire and Rain, #3)
November Rain (Fire and Rain, #4)

Touring with Daisy Harris and her Nothing But Smoke Release (contest)!

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Daisy Harris is stopping by ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords on her Virtual Book Blog tour.  There will be different book excerpts along the way so be sure to check out all the stops here!

Contest: Daisy will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  So to enter to win leave a comment and an email address where you can be reached in order to contact you.  In addition, you can visit this Rafflecopter link and/or like this NBtMR_NothingButSmoke_CoverBannerFacebook page to increase your chance of winning.

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Now on to Nothing But Smoke by Daisy Harris.  Nothing But Smoke is the third in the Fire and Rain series.  It comes with a warning that it contains sex in the trees, sex in parked cars, and sex in other uncomfortable places. Tissues are required, because the ending will make you cry—and maybe make you want to call your Mom.  And doesn’t all that just make you want to start reading?

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Nothing But Smoke
by Daisy Harris
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Sometimes good boys do bad things.

Fire and Rain, Book 3

Michael Larson considers himself one of the good guys. He recycles, eats mostly vegan, and volunteers. But one night, while on a jog through a Seattle park, he encounters a sexy man on a motorcycle he wants to be bad with.

Firefighter Nicky O’Brian barely has time to even think about a sex life. Between his job and caring for his critically ill mother, his only pleasures involve a few racy videos and occasional nighttime forays to find men willing to help him forget his troubles.

It was supposed to be a one-time, anonymous hookup—until fate intervenes and their mutual attraction blossoms into a furtive affair. Michael doesn’t date closeted guys, but for the haunted, lonely Nicky he makes an exception.

When Nicky’s mother takes a turn for the worse, Michael is forced to make a choice between idealism and compassion. And as Nicky’s needs spiral out of control, Michael realizes that a new set of ideals could be exactly what he needs to keep love in his life—for good.

Warning: Contains sex in the trees, sex in parked cars, and sex in other uncomfortable places. Tissues are required, because the ending will make you cry—and maybe make you want to call your Mom.

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Excerpt:

“I’m not religious.” Nicky went to the fridge and got out two beers. He handed one to Michael and opened the other for himself.

“Okay.” Michael downed a measure to have something to do with his hands. “You know, you don’t need to explain anything to me.”

Nicky glanced sideways, his lips pinching. “Like hell I don’t.”

The remark cut so fast that Michael couldn’t figure out where it came from. He gritted his teeth, trying not to rise to the bait. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing.” Nicky rubbed his face, hanging his head and looking small, like maybe he’d shrunk recently. “It’s just, I know what you need. What you want me to do if we’re going to…”

Michael thought about stopping Nicky, telling him that tonight Michael didn’t need anything from him at all. But he wanted to hear this, to know how things looked between them from Nicky’s perspective.

“I can’t be like that right now.” Nicky’s chest deflated. “Hell, I can’t even be a regular person. Do regular shit like go to work or to the store without worrying. And I have to pack her stuff up tomorrow…” He swallowed, eyes wide open and his gaze a bottomless pit of need. “But, I want you here. I can’t offer you anything, but I want you here so much.”

Michael crossed the kitchen in a few steps and grabbed Nicky around the shoulders. He didn’t worry about Nicky’s mom out in the living room, or anyone seeing through the pitch-black windows, because what Nicky needed right now was a friend. No matter what Michael might want in the future, he could be a friend for Nicky. The guy who held him and patted his back, letting him shudder and maybe cry a little.

“Hey. It’s okay.” Michael rubbed Nicky over his short-sleeved shirt, not letting their skin touch, because if that happened, Michael would want to give Nicky a kiss. “It’s fine. Just relax.” In the week since they’d last seen each other, Nicky seemed to have grown more fragile. “Let’s have another beer, huh?”

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Book and Series Details:

ebook, 214 pages
Expected publication: June 10th 2014 by Samhain Publishing
ISBN 1619221721 (ISBN13: 9781619221727)
edition languageEnglish
seriesFire and Rain #3

Books in the Series Include:

From the Ashes (Fire and Rain, #1)
After the Rain (Fire and Rain, #2)
Nothing But Smoke (Fire and Rain, #3)
November Rain (Fire and Rain, #4) expected publication date of Sept 2, 2014 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

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AuthorPic Daisy HarrisAuthor Bio:

Birkenstock-wearing glamour girl and mother of two by immaculate conception, Daisy Harris still isn’t sure if she writes erotica. Her romances start out innocently enough. However, her characters behave like complete sluts. Much to Miss Harris’s dismay the sex tends to get completely out of hand.

She writes about fantastical creatures and about young men getting their freak on, and she’s never missed an episode of The Walking Dead.

Want to learn more about new releases, general news and my latest inappropriate boy band crush? Sign up for my newsletter here.   You can also follow Daisy Harris at:

Website
Facebook

Buy Links for Nothing But Smoke          Amazon 

 

Contest Details:  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Contest: Daisy will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So to enter to win leave a comment and an email address where you can be reached in order to contact you. In addition, you can visit this Rafflecopter link and/or like this Facebook page to increase your chance of winning.  Visit here for all the tour stops!

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Review: Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon

.Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Stranger on the Shore coverWhen investigative journalist Griffin Hadley is hired by the patriarch of the wealthy Arlington family to write an account of a long ago family tragedy, Griffin had little idea of the danger he is about to encounter.  Twenty years ago young Brian Arlington, heir to Arlington fortune, was kidnapped for ransom.  Although a man was charged with the kidnapping and jailed, young Brian was never found and is presumed dead.  Brian’s grandfather wants closure before he dies and hires Griffin Hadley to renew the search for answers about his grandson once and for all.

Blocking Griffin’s investigation and efforts to write the story is Pierce Mather, the Arlington family lawyer.  Pierce Mather, cold, handsome, and resolute in his determination that Griffin leave the estate and Arlington tragedy in the past.  Pierce also administers and controls the Arlington billions.But he is not the only one unhappy that Griffin Hadley is about to dig up questions about the decades-old mystery.

As more and more factions line up against Griffin, he begins to wonder if he can figure out what really happened all those years ago.  And when Pierce begins to show that he is attracted to Griffin, Griffin wonders if it is due to passion or something more ominous….

 Stranger on the Shore a welcome return to writing for this author as well as demonstrating just why Josh Lanyon is on so many  readers TBR lists.  A story that is both a romance and a mystery is one of the favorite ploys of this author’s and one he does so well.  For me as a reader, one element I appreciate and look forward to in each of Josh Lanyon’s novels is the  unsettled atmosphere and haunting settings he evokes with his sensual imagery and vivid descriptions of his locations.  In Stranger on the Shore it is the old palatial Arlington estate whose very name conjures up mysteries, secrets, and opulence, that is the setting for the investigation into a young boy’s kidnapping and murder.

Ah, the mystery….well to be honest…the one mystery that looms the largest is also the most easily guessed at.  So it’s not so much the who,  but the why and how that defines the mystery and the investigation.  That is one of the pleasures of this story.  All the threads that have to be pulled together to figure out the larger picture and persons behind it all, and there is a myriad of plot threads to follow.  In Stranger on the Shore it’s the journey not the destination that is the true joy.  It’s the miasma off the waters, the perfectly manicured gardens that beg one to peer behind the hedges,  and the walkways that beckon as they lead into the darkness. It’s the indolent feeling of the old privileged powerful families and the weight of their wealth that slowly gives over to one of suspense and dread. A bubbling up of a malodorous past that Lanyon brings forth so precisely, fraught with clues that the reader cannot help but follow that makes this story sing. the Arlington estate and gardens  comes alive here, so much so it is as much a main character as Griffin and the Arlington family. In Stranger on the Shore we get ambiance, mystery and an alluring location.  All that and the romance too.

Lust in the heat, impulsive sex between lovers who don’t trust or perhaps even like one another, that’s sexy sizzle of desire is another great element of this story.  Pierce Mather, cold, calculating, and what exactly?  Is he loyal family retainer?  Part of the puzzle behind young Brian Arlington’s disappearance?  Controlled yet passionate lover?  He is all that and more as the story unfolds and Griffin Hadley is pulled deeper into the Arlington family history and current scramble for the family fortune. And then there is Griffin.  I wish I had a sense of Griffin as an investigative reporter, that seemed a little lacking here.  A writer yes, reporter no. But so much about Griffin is appealing.  He is vulnerable, unsettled and perhaps too trusting for the role he is to play here.  But he will engage your feelings as he goes about tumbling into the past  and present dangers of the situation he finds himself in.  Griffin and Pierce were perfect foils for each other and I loved their intense arguments as much as their love scenes.

I’m not sure why exactly Josh Lanyon has such a diverse and/or opposite effect on readers.  They absolutely adore him or his writing doesn’t engage them.  It seems to fall one way or the other.  I happen to love him.  I admire his stories even if I find I can predict the outcome or part of the plot before the resolution. His characters have always been able to reach me with their foibles and faults as well as their intelligence.  And as I have stated, his descriptions and imagery is captivating in its ability to pull you into a scene or situation smoothly and decidedly.  I love the emotions he brings forth and the  depth of love and believability he is able to create for his characters.  No, this story’s not perfect, but I found myself still thinking about the plot and characters days later.  That ability to resonate is aspect of good storytelling I require and I found that here.

Josh Lanyon took a sabbatical from writing for over a year and his voice was missed by many.  Now he has returned and I look forward to the stories and characters his inventive mind will create.  Stranger on the Shore is a terrific start.  I loved it and think you will too.   If you are new to Josh Lanyon, there is a huge backlist awaiting you, including many of my favorites such as Fair Game, Come Unto These Yellow Sands , and the Adrien English Mysteries.  Start here and work your way backward.  You have a wonderful journey ahead, get going!  Those of you who are Josh Lanyon fans, well, you probably have already picked this up and started reading.

Josh Lanyon and Stranger on the Shore are recommended author and novel at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords.

Happy Reading.

Buy Links:   Carina Press         ARe           Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages
Published May 5th 2014 by Carina Press
original titleStranger on the Shore
ISBN139781426898327
edition languageEnglish

Listen to Books? Finding Release by Silvia Violet is Out in Audio!

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Audio Book:   Finding Release by Silvia Violet

Do you listen to books?  Need a new book to listen to?  Check out Silvia Violet’s Finding Release, the first in her new Wild R Farm series.  As a part of Silvia Violet’s audio book release tour, you have a chance to win an audio copy for yourself.  To enter to win, visit this Rafflecopter link .  To listen to an excerpt, visit Amazon and click on play Sample.

 

 

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FR-audio Finding Release audio coverBook Name: Wild R Farm 1: Finding Release (audio version)
Author Name: Silvia Violet
Book Details:
Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 4 hours and 36 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Publisher: Silvia Violet Books
Audible.com Release Date: May 16, 2014
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English
ASIN: B00KHZB99O
Cover Artist: BitterGrace Art
Amazon Buy Link
url http://silviaviolet.com/book/finding-release/
seriesWild R Farm #1
charactersCole Wilder, Jonah Marks

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Blurb(s): Finding Release (Wild R Farm 1) is now available in audio!

Coleman Wilder is a half-breed werewolf. Some days the tension between his human side and his werewolf instincts threaten to tear him apart. But the challenge of running a horse farm as a gay man in a conservative Tennessee town keeps him focused until he meets horse shifter, Jonah Marks.
Jonah’s family insists that shifting is sinful, but Jonah longs to let his stallion run free. Desperate to escape his family’s judgment, he asks Cole, his secret crush, for a job. Cole turns him down, scared his desire for Jonah will make him lose control. When Jonah’s brother threatens his life, Cole struggles to save him and give them both a second chance at the life they’ve always wanted.

Excerpt: Hear this read at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Release-Wild-Farm-Book/dp/B00KHZB99O) by clicking on Play Sample.

The boy nodded. “I-yes. I’m Jonah. Cole?”

Cole nodded, unable to make his voice work. Soulful chocolate brown eyes. The smell of newly mown hay, orange groves, and clean young man. No wonder Demon seemed familiar.

“You were Demon.” Cole said, finally able to speak.

Jonah nodded.

Cole couldn’t verbalize his racing thoughts. He was shaking, sick at the thought of what Jonah had suffered, stunned, thankful. His knees threatened to give, and he grabbed the stall door to keep himself upright.

Jonah trembled. “My brother… he locked me in horse form. I forgot who I was. Forgot how… how to be h-human.”

Rage, fear, and a fierce need to protect had Cole ready to rip Nathan Marks apart.

Jonah looked lost and confused.

Cole wanted to pull Jonah into his arms and take his fear away, but he was afraid to move. “Tell me what happened.”

“C-can’t, not now. I… need… hold me.”

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FR BadgeTour Dates: June 10th, 2014
Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Kimi-Chan, Iyana Jenna, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Wicked Wolves & Dreaming Dragons, Amanda C. Stone, Love Bytes, MM Good Books, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Hearts on Fire

Author Bio:

Silvia Violet writes erotic romance in a variety of genres including paranormal, contemporary, sci fi, and historical. She can be found haunting coffee shops looking for the darkest, strongest cup of coffee she can find. Once equipped with the needed fuel, she can happily sit for hours pounding away at her laptop. Silvia typically leaves home disguised as a suburban stay-at-home-mom, and other coffee shop patrons tend to ask her hilarious questions like “Do you write children’s books?” She loves watching the looks on their faces when they learn what she’s actually up to. When not writing, Silvia enjoys baking sinfully delicious treats, exploring new styles of cooking, and reading to her incorrigible offspring.
Author Links:  Facebook     Twitter      Tumblr 

Contest Details:  Enter to win an audio book of Silvia Violet’s Finding Release.  Visit here to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway.

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In the Spotlight: David Pratt, author of Looking After Joey (Contest)

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In the Author Spotlight:

Meet David Pratt!

I recently read a story called Looking After Joey and immediately had to get to know the author behind this marvelous novel.  So I invited David Pratt to ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords today to talk about Looking After Joey, his inspirations, his muse, his favorite porn stars and whatever else came to mind.  What a great interview it turned out to be.  Here is a photograph of David Pratt at a reading.  Copies of the cover and model Nicholas Gorham can be found at the end of the interview.  Don’t miss out on those!

Contest:  David has brought with him a copy of Looking After Joey to giveaway.  To enter to win, leave a comment and an email address where you can be reached.  Contest ends June 18th at midnight.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.David Pratt reading

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STRW:. How did this idea (Looking After Joey) come to you?

David Pratt: Part One, “Calvin Gets Sucked In” comes from a short story I wrote. But I forget where the idea for that came from. Once I had it, though, it seemed natural to wonder, what if Joey took Calvin up on his offer and came into this world? I thought, that’s not a story. That’s a novel! A novel about what really matters to us — and what doesn’t. A novel that could be very funny. Half the stuff Joey encounters inspires existential wonder or panic. The other half inspires flat-out mockery! Some things inspire both.

STRW:  Is there a porn star out there you would like to see step out of a video?

David Pratt: I love watching Peto Coast. You can look for his videos on ice-gay.com. Now, I’m not sure about him stepping out of the TV. He is an extremely aggressive top. I can bottom, for sure, but he might be too much in person. In the Goofy Kid category, I like Paul Canon of Broke Straight Boys. I like Gino and Chase on Spanking Central, and I like this guy Kenny who’s on Sean Cody.He could step out of the TV for me! As could some of the guys from the Fraternity X website. But really, I did most of my porn watching in the 1980s, so I fondly remember Rod Garreto, Eric Manchester and Ted Cox from that era. I’d love it if Garreto stepped out of the TV! He was my fave.Rod Garetto porn star

STRW:. The Native American character was a terrific element, where did he come from and will we see him again in another story?

David Pratt: In the original short story, he was a joke, because of his name. In the book he acquires dimension because he reappears and we find out what he thinks of the “real world.” The decision he made shocked even me. I, of course, have experienced times when all arrows pointed to something in my work, but rarely does a character take a significant action that totally takes me by surprise. But Jake did, and I had to go with it. His presence signals a change for the other four. They can no longer think their world is all about wine bars and video nights. In the second half of the book there is an undoing of the cozy world of the first half. Everyone is growing up and moving on. Jake makes them think about who they are and what they are doing. Will we see Jake again? You never know. The whole gang of “Joey” characters could be revisited. I mean, tell me you don’t want to hear from Stuart again. In moderation, of course. And Desmond, hmmmm?

STRW:. That porn world was hysterical with all the elements most people see in a typical porn DVD, the delivery guys, the pizza, the gym etc. Do you think you will revisit this world and a certain character in it again?

David Pratt: Like Calvin, I learned two things about porn:  1.) it is rich with possibilities; and 2.) you run through those possibilities pretty quickly. Stuff starts to repeat. Which is kind of the point, isn’t it? There is just one character from that world that I’d be curious to follow up with. But I am not saying which one. I suppose I don’t want to be held to it. And writers never give away what they are thinking about that has yet to be written down. Or they shouldn’t.

STRW: . I found the pathos and angst surprising and it added layers of dimension that really made this story work. Had you planned on that happening or did the story take an unexpected direction once you started writing?

David Pratt: There was more pathos and angst in the original story, though there was comedy, too. In the novel,  Calvin and Peachy effectively become parents, so there has to be angst and pathos! Parents know, it’s a joyful but dangerous world out there. And it all starts with Calvin being lonely. His relationship with Joey springs out of loneliness and lack of confidence. For Joey there is angst and pathos in being introduced to time and the suggestion, which at first he barely understands, of death. That was just there. I had to include it. Think how completely different this world is from the world presented in porn.

Calvin compares Joey to an immigrant. The opera singer Teresa Stratas tells how, when her family emigrated to Canada from Greece, her father could not adjust. He sat and stared at the wall all day. Vietnamese dancer/choreographer Ea Sola freaked out when she came to France as a very young woman; her first performances consisted of standing still staring in the street, basically having a breakdown. Her audiences thought it was art; to her it was just what she did. My partner emigrated from Brazil. When he first came here, coincidentally, he delivered pizza. One day he stopped in the middle of the street in the rain and for a long moment couldn’t go on. This kind of paralyzing moment happens to Joey a couple of times. He’s immobilized by fear when he notices his fingernails growing — even after he’s cut them once! He can’t look at pictures of Calvin as a child. I think there is also a natural pathos as well as humor in, for example, Joey seeing what disabled people or people of different ethnicities look like. This is a rough world! But Calvin and Peachy and Doug teach Joey that there is love in it, and loyalty. And these defy time.

STRW: Do you have a favorite genre and a least favorite one? And why?

David Pratt: I tend to like “literary” fiction (see my New England background, below), but I have become open to anything. I never thought I’d go for erotica, until I encountered Erastes, Dale Chase and Ellis Carrington. I did not pay much attention to paranormal or fantasy until I read Felice Picano’s “Tales from a Distant Planet.” I had no interest in “spiritual” fiction until I stumbled on Cathryn McIntyre’s weird memoir/fiction mash-up “Honor in Concord.”

STRW:. What author or story has influenced your writing the most?

David Pratt: As a child I loved the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. They’re a direct influence on “Joey.” Chelsea is the Hundred Acre Wood. Calvin is Pooh, Joey is Piglet, and Peachy is Rabbit—or he’s Owl on speed! The House at Pooh Corner has one of the great endings ever: “Promise you won’t forget me, ever. Not even when I’m a hundred.” That could be the ending of “Joey,” too. In terms of the off-the-wall, what-the-hell feel of the book, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was probably an influence. I read everything by him when I was sixteen, though today I am not so interested. And as I come from New England, there’s all that transcendence and all that symbolism, though not so focused on the natural world. Emily Dickinson heard a fly buzz. Calvin hears a taxi. Melville had his white whale. Calvin and Peachy have Bunce van den Troell!

Finally, some more images are attached. Reading photo at Hotel Monteleone, credit it J. Stephen Young. All other photos,(c) 2014 Eva Mueller. Joey cover design, Adrian Nicholas, (c) 2014 Wilde City Press. Bob cover design, Peachy Boy Design and Distillery, (c) 2010 Chelsea Station Editions.

Thanks again so much for the great review and for your interest and the blogging opportunity. Let me know anything else you need.

Best,
David

STRW:  Thanks, David, for stopping by for such a wonderful interview and for generously donating a copy of Looking After Joey to give away.

Book:  Looking After Joey by David Pratt

Blurb: 

From the author of Bob the Book comes a funny, fast-paced, touching tale of love, laughter, family of choice and fabulousness!

Wouldn’t it be great if a character from a porn movie stepped right out of your TV, into your life? Well, be careful what you wish for. Because that’s how Calvin and Peachy end up looking after Joey. Then Peachy decides to make Joey the center of in a social-climbing scheme that will take them all from Chelsea to Park Avenue to Fire Island and will entangle a rogues’ gallery of eccentric Manhattanites, including portly, perspiring publicist Bunce van den Troell; theatrical investor Sir Desmond Norma; studly thespian Clive Tidwell-Smidgin; and evil lubricant king Fred Pflester and his mysterious nephew, Jeffrey. Tender, wise, witty and utterly deranged, Looking After Joey will make you wish you, too, had a porn character sitting at your kitchen table, pointing at the toast and asking, “What’s this called again?”

Details: ebook, 255 pages
Published April 2nd 2014 by Wilde City Press

Highly Recommended by ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords

Buy Links:   Wilde City  Amazon   ARe

Contest:  Leave a comment, your email address where you can be reached below.  Contests ends 6/18 at midnight.  

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All photo credits are Eva Mueller. The cover model is Nicholas Gorham.

Photograph and book covers are credited to the following:

Reading photo at Hotel Monteleone, credit it J. Stephen Young. All other photos,(c) 2014 Eva Mueller. Joey cover design, Adrian Nicholas, (c) 2014 Wilde City Press. Bob cover design, Peachy Boy Design and Distillery, (c) 2010 Chelsea Station Editions.

More Winner Announcements….and the Week ahead At ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords

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Places to go, things to do.  Busy, busy, busy.  so short and sweet this week.

I have some winner announcements to make.  All the winners have been notified.  Congratulations go out to:

  • The Winner of Leona Carver’s giveaway for No Oceans Too Deep is Hannah B!
  • *Winners of Shira Antony’s Into the Wind Tour are as follows:

Entry #992Lori P.
Entry #853Carolyn
Entry #44Shorty C.
Entry #493Chase P.
Entry #664Renee S.

  • The winner from my blog of an ebook copy of Stealing the Wind is Gabrielle Jones.
  • The Winner of John Inman’s Spirit is Joe.

 

The week ahead is full of book tours, audio book releases, reviews and contests.  Don’t miss out on a day of it.  The week ahead at ScatteredThoughts looks something like this:

  • Monday, June 9 – am:     On Tour with Brad Vance and his release, Apollo’s Curse
  • Monday, June 9 – pm:     Review:    Apollo’s Curse by Brad Vance
  • Tuesday, June 10 – am:     In the Author Spotlight with David Pratt of Looking After Joey (interview/contest)
  • Tuesday, June 10  – pm      Audio Book Tour:  Finding Release by Silvia Violet
  • Wed., June 11 – am            Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon
  • Wed., June 11 – pm           Audio Book Tour:  Brokenhearted by Cate Ashwood
  • Thurs., June 12 – am         On Tour with E.M. Lynley and Out of the Gate
  • Thurs., June 12 – pm        Review: Out of the Gate by E.M. Lynley
  • Friday,  June 13- am        Quickstop Tour/Contest with Daisy Harris and Nothing But Smoke
  • Friday, June 13 – pm        On Tour with Angel Martinez and Finn (Endangered Fae #1) Contest
  • Sat., June 14 –                      Nothing But Smoke by Daisy Harris