Friday, October 2, 2015

Cover Reveal: A Solitary Man


Welcome everyone! I know it's been a while but I'm so happy to see you here today! Today, I'm honored to have Shira Anthony and Aisling Mancy visit. You'll remember Shira from earlier visits. I'm a huge fan of her Blue Notes Series. You may not recognize the name Aisling Mancy, but he has also visited us before. Aisling Mancy is a pseudonym for YA author, Cody Kennedy, to write adult books. Surprise! I love his writing! They are here to show off their new book, "A Solitary Man"! It will be an amazing book as they are both extremely talented writers. So without further ado, I present the cover reveal of "A Solitary Man" by Shira Anthony and Aisling Mancy!


A Solitary Man Cover Reveal

Authors Shira Anthony and Aisling Mancy have teamed up to write a red-hot action-packed thriller!



 A Solitary Man coming from DreamspinnerPress November 6th!

Excerpt:
Evan pressed the button on his phone to connect. “Freddy? What did you find out?”
Fred laughed. “For this, I’m going to exact a price.”
“You mean the keg I sprang for at graduation doesn’t get me a freebie?” Evan shot back.
“We’ve been out of law school for how many years now? Eight?”
“Nine this year,” Evan corrected.
“Credit’s no good anymore,” Fred answered. “I’m thinking dinner at Ivy at the Shore next time you’re in LA. On you, of course. Including a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.”
“For that,” Evan said with a chuckle, “this had better be good.”
“It’s good. And it was hell to get.”
“Okay, okay. Dinner on me. Assuming you and Margie put me up for the night,” Evan replied. “I’m looking forward to seeing your McMansion.”
“Deal. Took a little digging. Seems your mystery man did some undercover work for the FBI.”
“And?”
“My buddy in the US Attorney’s office wouldn’t give details, but word is Constantine got fed up with the bullshit after a case went bad somewhere down in South America.”
“Drugs?” Evan asked.
“No. He dealt with human trafficking. Specifically, child sex trafficking. My friend says the guy’s good. He tried a few cases where Constantine was the government’s key witness. Knows his stuff. Works his ass off and gets into his work. I got the impression sometimes he gets a little too close.”
Now that was interesting. “Why?”
“Seems the guy’s rabid about protecting kids.”
“Any idea why?”
“Nothing anyone would tell me,” Fred replied.
Evan leaned back in his chair. At least Xav wasn’t a slacker, but it didn’t make Evan feel any better about the prospect of bumping into him at work. “Anything else?”
Constantine grew up in LA, went to school in Boston.”
Boston?” Even more interesting. So much for his initial assessment of Xav as a broceanographer.
“Yeah, you’ll love this.”
Evan could almost hear Freddy’s grin over the phone.
“He did undergrad at MIT. Mathematics major. Master’s in criminology from U Penn with an emphasis in cryptology. The FBI was probably falling all over itself to recruit him.”
No shit. This just got better and better. “What the hell’s a guy with that kind of background doing in North Carolina?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Fred shot back. “Of course, if you decide you want your own McMansion….”
“You couldn’t pay me enough to come to work for you,” Evan joked. Fred was serious—they’d had this discussion a half-dozen times before.
“Try me.” Fred paused for a moment and then asked, “This personal?”
Evan had no intention of telling Fred he’d slept with Xav. “Not personal.”
“’Cause word has it he’s gay,” Fred said. “Out but not advertising.” When Evan didn’t take the bait, Fred added, “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Evan shook his head and sighed theatrically. “Don’t even go there, Freddy. You know I don’t mix business and pleasure. I just want to know what I’m dealing with. That’s all.”
“You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, man.”
“Thanks for the help,” Evan said, foreclosing the topic. “I’ll let you know next time I’m out your way. Tell Margie she’s a brave woman.”
“Always do. Laters. And make sure you get your sorry ass out here soon.”
“Will do.” Evan disconnected the call and rubbed his mouth. Mathematics major at MIT and a master’s from U Penn? No wonder the FBI had recruited him. And he’d pegged Xav for a surfer! What the hell are you doing in Dare’s Landing, Xavier Constantine?

About A Solitary Man

Sparks fly when Chance meets tall, sexy Xav at a Wilmington bar and they have the hottest one-nighter of their lives. But Chance doesn’t do repeats, Xav seems detached, and they go their separate ways without a word. Two months later, when closeted Assistant District Attorney C. Evan “Chance” Fairchild meets Dare’s Landing’s newest deputy sheriff, Xavier “Xav” Constantine, Evan isn’t only wary. He’s irritated as hell.

Xavier is a former FBI agent turned deputy sheriff who is hot on the trail of a South American child prostitution ring. Evan is fighting to put an end to rampant cocaine trafficking and chafing under the thumb of an election-hungry boss. When someone tries to kill the thirteen-year-old witness who holds the key to both their investigations, they’re forced to work together as they put their lives on the line to protect him. As Chance and Xav collide in heat of a sweltering North Carolina summer, dodging bullets and chasing bad guys isn’t the only action going on.

Pre-order A Solitary Man now from DreamspinnerPress!

About Shira Anthony

Shira loves a great happily-ever-after and never writes a story without one. She’s happy to write what her muse tells her, whether it’s fantasy, sci fi, paranormal, or contemporary romance. She particularly loves writing series, because she thinks of her characters as old friends and she wants to visit them even after their stories are told.
In real life, Shira sang professionally for 14 years, and she currently works as a public sector attorney advocating for children. She’s happy to have made writing her second full-time job, even if it means she rarely has time to watch TV or go to the movies.
Shira writes about the things she knows and loves, whether it’s music and musicians, the ocean, or the places she’s lived or traveled to. She spent her middle school years living in France, and tries to visit as often as she can.
Shira and her husband spend as many weekends as they can aboard their 36′ catamaran sailboat, “Lands Zen,” at the Carolina Coast. Not only has sailing inspired her to write about pirates and mermen, her sailboat is her favorite place to write. And although the only mermen she’s found to date are in her own imagination, she keeps a sharp lookout for them when she’s on the water.

Shira looks forward to meeting you at Gay Rom Lit!

Find Shira on blog, Twitter @WriterShira, Facebook, and Goodreads and
Subscribe to Shira’s monthly newsletter for updates, free fiction, and subscriber-only contests!

About Aisling Mancy

Aisling is an author who lives, most of the time, on the West Coast of the United States. Aisling writes adult fantasy, adult LGBTQIA romance, and fiction for gay young adults (C. Kennedy).
Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, Aisling doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward, and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Aisling contemplates such weighty questions as If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Aisling can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary.

Aisling looks forward to meeting you at Gay Rom Lit!

Find Aisling on blog, Twitter @AislingMancy, Facebook, Goodreads, and
Aisling does respond to emails because, after all, it is all about you, the reader


     Thank you, Shira and Aisling, for visiting us! That is a beautiful cover and I'm so excited about your book. It really will be a great read. I also want to thank all of you for coming by to check out the cover reveal for "A Solitary Man". I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did . **HUGS**


Friday, April 24, 2015

Cody Kennedy's Slaying Isidore's Dragons Blog Tour






 Cody Kennedy and the Business and Pressures of being an Author

     Today I'm honored to welcome author Cody Kennedy to my Athenaeum! He's here to promote his incredible new book, "Slaying Isidore's Dragons".

 

 
 
 
     Cody has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about some of the pressure he faces in writing LGBTQIA YA books. Thank you, Cody, for visiting. If you're ready, we can get started with my annoying...er...my probing...umm...no. Not probing. Let's just start, shall we?

 
Join me in welcoming Cody back to my blog!
 
Cody: Hey, Jase, thanks for having me again. It’s always great to be here.
 
Jase: We’ve been friends for a couple of years now and one of the things we periodically discuss is the business of writing and that includes some of the pressures we experience and business decisions we make as authors. Talk about some of the pressures you endure in order to bring us your books?
 
Cody: Writing and editing deadlines are some of the most difficult. They require one to be creative on demand, so to speak, and the imagination doesn’t always cooperate. I love to interact with readers but need forty-eight hour days in order to be able to do so and keep up with the demands of writing. Another of the pressures stems from simply being human. I am generally patient and easy going, and like to have fun on social media. Yet, occasionally something will occur that requires me to be serious and it surprises people that I can be, and very direct if something calls for it.
 
Jase: I understand that you chose to write young adult LGBTQIA books for the boys for whom you advocate. What has been the best thing about writing them? And the worst?
 
Cody: Without a doubt, the best is seeing hope blossom in my readers. Nothing is more satisfying to me. The most frustrating is two-fold. First, trying to educate and deal constructively with the intolerance that exists toward the LGBTQIA community is a tall order. Second, being unable to put our books into the hands of the youth who need them most is extremely frustrating. Harmony Ink Press does everything within its power to distribute our books in all markets and venues, and make appearances at conferences and festivals. Yet, the youth who desperately need our books don’t have access to them. They don’t have access to them because mechanisms aren't in place for schools and libraries to purchase and carry them. It's also important to know that Harmony Ink’s books aren’t only for LGBTQIA youth and I’d like to find a way to market that effectively
 
Jase: Have you suffered personal or professional criticism for writing the type of books for youth that you do?
 
Cody: Both personal and professional, but none that I’ve allowed to affect me. Advocating for abused youth is very important to me.
 
Jase: You also write for adults under pseudonym. Of the genres you write, which are your favorite? And what genre have you not yet written that you would like to write?
 
Cody: That’s a tough question. I have three favorite genres. They are science fiction, fantasy, and high-action thriller-mysteries. I have yet to write historical fiction but plan to write a young adult novel next year about the youth who helped restore books and artwork after the Arno River flood of 1966. The youth were referred to as Mud Angels and I’ll write a book by the same name.
 
Jase: That sounds like it’ll be a great book. In conclusion, is there anything you’d like to say to everyone reading this interview?
 
Cody: Thank you for reading my books!
 
Jase: *grins* Thanks, Cody. As always, it’s great to have you here.
 
Cody: It’s always great to be here, Jase!

 
      Please check out Cody Kennedy's new book, "Slaying Isidore's Dragons"! I know you'll love it! And thank you all for taking the time to come to here and read this. I know I speak for Cody as well as myself when I say we greatly appreciate it! **HUGS**
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

About Slaying Isidore’s Dragons

 

5 Best friends
4 Vicious brothers
3 STD tests
2 Guys in love
1 Car bombing
&
Nowhere to run


     Follow the burgeoning love of two teens during the worst year of their lives. Irish-born Declan David de Quirke II is the son of two ambassadors, one Irish and one American. He is ‘out’ to his parents but to no one else. French-born Jean Isidore de Sauveterre is also the son of two ambassadors, one Catalan and one Parisian. His four half brothers have been told to cure him of his homosexuality. Both teens have lost a parent in a London car bombing.

 

5 Weeks of hell
4 Attempts on their lives

3 Law enforcement agencies
2 Dead high school seniors
1 Jealous friend
&
A love that won’t be denied

 

     Declan and Isidore meet at the beginning of their senior year at a private academy in the United States. Declan is immediately smitten with Isidore and becomes his knight in shining armor. Isidore wants to keep what is left of his sanity and needs Declan’s love to do it. One is beaten, one is drugged, one is nearly raped, one has been raped. They are harassed by professors and police, and have fights at school, but none of it compares to running for their lives. When the headmaster’s popular son attempts suicide and someone tries to assassinate Declan’s mother, they are thrown headlong into chaos, betrayal, conspiracy, allegations of sexual coercion, even murder. And one of them carries a secret that may get them killed.

 

5 New family members

4 BFF’s
3 Countries
2 Extraordinary Psychologists
1 Courageous Mother

&
A new beginning for two young men in love

 


 




About Cody Kennedy

 

     Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, Cody doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward, and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Cody contemplates such weighty questions as If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Cody can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary. 

 

Stop by Cody’s Blog with questions or comments, or simply share what’s on your mind.

Find Cody on Facebook, Twitter @CodyKAuthor, Medium, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+,

Ello, Goodreads, & read Cody’s free serial story, Fairy