Today I am so pleased to welcome J.A. Rock to Joyfully Jay. J.A. has come to talk to us about her latest release, Slave Hunt. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Why a Book Five?
Partly because Lisa Henry was ignoring me at our airbnb in LA. Partly because I knew 24/7, was gonna get pretty heavy, and I wanted to have an apology book ready. And partly because of D.
Let me start at the beginning.
It was November 2015, and Lisa Henry and I were holed up for two weeks in an apartment in LA. We would frequently lie on the bed and ignore each other for hours at a time while we stared at our computer screens. Then we’d go out and get Thai food and go back to ignoring each other. She looked like she was busy with Important Stuff, like looking at adoptable shelter dogs on Petfinder. I wanted to feel Busy & Important too, but the idea of working on 24/7 (The Subs Club #4), the project I was on deadline for, seemed very daunting. I was getting emails from a kink group about their annual slave hunt—an event where bottoms are hunted in the woods by tops and, if caught, put up on whipping posts to be played with by the hunters.
I couldn’t participate in the slave hunt because I’d spent all my money on burritos at GRL, but it occurred to me that there was a way to “participate” in a slave hunt: vicariously, through made up people. A hunt seemed like the kind of event the members of the Subs Club could be persuaded to partake in, for various reasons. If I wanted a sort of epilogue for all the series’ MCs, this seemed like a fun way to do it.
Then there was 24/7. I loved working on 24/7; it was easily my favorite book of the series. But it was intensely challenging to write, and pretty heavy compared to the previous SC books, because it dealt much more deeply and directly with the themes of grief and moving forward that run throughout the series.
So the idea of a fun epilogue became even more appealing. I started plotting in the airbnb shower. A lot of the subplots came very quickly and easily, but I think what really sold me on the project was the idea of D and Dave participating in the hunt. Obviously D, an earthy, Ron-Swanson-meets-Teddy-Roosevelt-meets-Katniss type, has been waiting his whole life for an event that combines kink and wilderness tracking. He would also assume that Dave is going to be awful at this. And Dave, who can’t stay quiet for more than a nanosecond, would probably a) be really awful at this and b) resent the assumption that he’s going to be really awful at this.
So that was my starting point.
From there, the book pretty much plotted itself. I sent a proposal email to Riptide, in which I acknowledged that probably no romance reader ever has said, “You know what would make a romance novel even better? If it was narrated by ten characters instead of one or two,” but stating that I’d really like to try the ten-narrator format. They were down with it. Then I asked if I could illustrate it, because if you’re gonna write a weird-ass romance novel, go big or go home. They said yes.
Basically, Slave Hunt was me having a whole lot of fun with characters I’ve enjoyed spending the past two years with. I hope you have fun reading it.
Blurb
Thirty people. Two hours. Only the strong will survive.
When Riddle decides to put on a slave hunt, the Subs Club is on board. Tops hunting bottoms in the woods with paintball guns? Yes. Captives strung up on whipping posts, at the mercy of their captors? Hell yes. But on the morning of the hunt, nothing’s going according to plan. Miles and Drix are at odds over Miles’s reluctance to move in together. Dave is determined to show up D, who thinks Dave won’t last two minutes in the woods. Gould finds himself torn between obeying his master’s orders and living out a longtime fantasy. And Kamen inadvertently becomes a double agent when he aligns himself with two different parties.
By the end of the hunt, alliances will be forged and broken, loyalties will be tested, relationships will be strengthened…and someone will barrel roll. Narrated by ten different characters, Slave Hunt tells the story of two hours in the woods that will change everyone forever. Or at least, remind them that love is the greatest victory of all.
Slave Hunt is available from Riptide Publishing: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/slave-hunt
Bio
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.
- Website: www.jarockauthor.com
- Blog: http://jarockauthor.blogspot.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jarockauthor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ja.rock.39
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Slave Hunt, one lucky winner will receive $15 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 22, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
- 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.
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I preordered this book on riptide and read it last weekend and I had so so much fun 🙂
I loved especially the voices of D, David and “shouty caps” Ryan. And Kamen, and Drix… ok maybe I loved every one.
Thank you very much for a brilliant and very unique book! booklover-forever (at) web.de
Yes this was so fun wasnt it? I read it last week and the review runs in a bit. And yes the different POVs were awesome!
The different POVs were awesome but I don’t think it would work as a standalone. As always I waited until the series was complete and I read it back to back so the characters were living for me. Also I’m not into BDSM but still I loved this series although I found it at times difficult to read 🙂
JA Rock is just a really great author!
It sounds like fun. Already in my TBR list. Thank you, J.A.
susanaperez7140(at)gmail(dot)com
This sounds really good!
kimandpete123 at gmail dot com
Thanks, Ms. Rock, for sharing how this book came to be. It’s always fun to get a peek into the writer’s mind. Slave Hunt sounds like a fun read. Congratulations on its release and best wishes with your next writing project.
I’m so pleased you’ve written a lighthearted romp to finish off the series as I also thought 24/7 was a bit heavy to wrap up with. I’m saving this for a day when I can devour out in one sitting!
Thank you so much, everyone! This book really was a blast to write.
This sounds like such a fun book. I can’t wait to read it. Thank you so much for sharing!
ree.dee.2014 (at) gmail (dot) com
Sounds like a fantastic addition to the series!
vitajex at aol dot com
Sounds like fun. I have several “fun” books that are easy to read over and over. I’m countng on adding this one to the list. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this book.
debby236 at gmail dot com
It’s already on my wishlist. I’m really looking forward to reading it.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Thanks for sharing how this book came to be! violet817(at)aol(dot)com
I’ve got my copy & I look forward to reading it!
legacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com
Yay!
For some reason I’d never watched Parks and Rec until recently. *Meeting* Ron Swanson while having D in my head was perfection. I’m going to have to re-read the series.
aahickman@hotmail.com
This sounds kinda ridiculously awesome. I’m going to have to read this series just so that I can enjoy Slave Hunt. 😀
Congrats on the book release and thanks for the giveaway chance
amie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com