Today I am so pleased to welcome Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock to Joyfully Jay. Lisa and J.A. have come to talk to us about their latest joint release, The Two Gentlemen of Altona. They have also brought along a fabulous giveaway.  Please join me in giving then a big welcome!

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Hi! We’re Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock, the authors of THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF ALTONA. We’re touring the web taking about our influences, our processes, anything we can think about actually, and even giving you guys a sneak peak or two! And what would a blog tour be without a contest? Check out the details at the bottom of the post to see what you can win!

Lisa: Something strange happened when JA Rock and I were writing our PLAYING THE FOOL series. Something strange, and a little disturbing. I discovered that J.A. has an intense hatred for Indiana. I’m not sure when I first noticed this. I think it was around the time when I wrote something about a lake in Indiana and was suddenly subjected to an expletive-laden essay about how that’s not a lake, that’s a puddle, and who the hell does Indiana think it is anyway?

I don’t know if all people from Ohio feel this way about Indiana. Admittedly, everything I know about Indiana comes directly from Parks and Recreation, but I tend to think of it fondly because of that. Basically, I just wanted to get all of that out of the way before J.A. arrives and says terrible things about what I’m sure is a wonderful place.

J.A.: Yeah. Yeah, Lisa. It’s a wonderful place. If you like corn. And NO LAKES. Here’s the thing. Ohio and Indiana are basically the same state. It’s just one flat stretch of land covered in cornfields and a few barns.

But there is a difference. Oh, there is a critical difference. Ohio has a lake. And not just any lake. A Great one. And yes, that lake’s shores are strewn with dead fish, and yes, it is the color of a septic leak, and yes, if you spend any significant amount of time in it you will probably grow a third foot and make a new home on the rank and turbid lake bottom and be forever known as Tripedis the Aquamutant of Erie. But it is a lake, dammit, and that is more than Indiana has.

And I’m not just prejudiced against Indiana because my brother and I once drove five hours there in the middle of the night to audition for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and didn’t get on the show.

I DON’T NEED YOUR CHARITY, INDIANA. I’M DOING JUST FINE ON MY OWN. *pans for gold in the backyard*

Fun game: Sing the song “Fifty Nifty United States,” but replace all of the state names with “Indiana.” It sounds like a foolish and pointless exercise, and it is, but sometimes it is surprisingly entertaining.

I’m not hung up on Indiana. I don’t even know why I’m still talking about it. Indiana, you’re lovely. Why don’t you and Regular Virginia get married?

I heard one of your denizens built a tiny roller coaster in his backyard. Congratulations. But, you know… *YAWN*

rollercoaster

Ohio. Compensating for something.

Lisa: And can I just make it clear that just because I don’t have a horse in this race, doesn’t mean I’m a better person. For the record: Screw you, New South Wales. You think you’re so great, with your Sydney Harbour Bridge and whatnot. The Great Barrier Reef shits all over your bridge. So nah nah nah.

J.A. Wow, Lisa, that’s kind of intense. Maybe you should be more accepting.


Blurb

TwoGentlemenOfAltona_400x600Mischief, thou art afoot.

Special Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness is having a rough week. Not only is he on a new diet, but he’s also been tasked with keeping Henry Page—the world’s most irritating witness—alive. Which is tough when Mac’s a breath away from killing the Shakespeare-quoting, ethically-challenged, egg-obsessed Henry himself. Unless killing isn’t really what Mac wants to do to him.

Con man Henry Page prefers to keep his distance from the law . . . though he wouldn’t mind getting a little closer to uptight, handsome Agent McGuinness. As the sole witness to a mob hit, Henry’s a valuable asset to the FBI. But he’s got his own agenda, and it doesn’t involve testifying.

When evidence surfaces of a mole in the FBI office, Mac and Henry are forced to go into hiding. Holed up in a fishing cabin, they’re surprised to discover that their feelings run more than skin deep. But as the mob closes in, Henry has to make his escape. And Mac has to decide how far he’s willing to go to keep Henry by his side.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF ALTONA is the first in our PLAYING THE FOOL trilogy. Book 2, THE MERCHANT OF DEATH, will be available on February 2. Book 3, TEMPEST, will be released March 9.

You can preorder the series, and check out excerpts, at Riptide.


Bio

Lisa likes to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters.

Lisa lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but she suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.

She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.

She shares her house a log-suffering partner, too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.

Connect with Lisa:

 

J.A. Rock has worked as a dog groomer, knife seller, haunted house zombie, standardized patient, cashier, census taker, state fair quilt hanger, and, for one less-than-magical evening, a server—and would much rather be writing about those jobs than doing them. A lover of m/m BDSM romance, J.A. lives mostly in West Virginia, and always with a beloved dog, Professor Anne.


Giveaway

Thanks for following our tour! To celebrate our release, we’re giving away an awesome prize – an ebook copy of a novel of your choice from either of our back catalogs. We’re also giving away a $20 Riptide gift voucher, and the contents of Henry Page’s bag during his arrest in THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF ALTONA: that’s some Shakespeare and a bunch of Henry’s favorite candy!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a way for us to contact you, be it your email, your twitter, or a link to your facebook or goodreads account. Please put your email in the body of the comment, not just in email section of the comment form, because we won’t be able to see it otherwise! On January 9, we’ll draw a winner from all eligible comments! Be sure to follow the whole tour, because the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win the prize!

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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