Today I am so pleased to welcome Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott to Joyfully Jay. They have come to talk to us about their latest release, Dantès Unglued (which I reviewed here and really enjoyed). They have also brought along a great tour wide giveaway. Please join me in giving them a big welcome!

Dantes Unglued Tour Banner

Living, Breathing Characters

What makes characters come to life? So many different things! Their thought process, their habits, hobbies, and favorite foods. Their families and pasts. Have they ever been in love? Had their hearts broken? Are they loners or social butterflies? Do they have lots of friends or one really good best friend?

Do they absolutely loathe bananas?

Basically, all of the traits that make real people individual.

When Jocelynn and I first dream up a character, we create write-up pages with a ton of information about them. We document every single thing that comes to us and then we go through images until we find just the right model. When we’re done, we have a common visual and we know them pretty well, from their love life down to their complete pasts—even if all that information doesn’t make it into the book. (The fun part is we still learn about our guys as we write!)

But all of this work is so important. It is for an individual author, but it’s doubly so for co-authors. And because Jocelynn and I write characterization-heavy books, this part matters a lot to us. We want our characters to sing to us as much as we want them to resonate with readers.

Writing a character’s thought process is a very intimate thing. I know, that sounds crazy, but it is. Our thoughts are private and here we are jumping into someone else’s head. Maybe they’re a little like ourselves, with some of our personality traits, but in order to create someone unique, we have to also consider an inner narrative true to that person’s perspective.

For instance, I’m fairly liberal and have strong feelings about certain subjects, but a character may not feel the same way I do. That can be a real challenge! Trying to write a perspective different from your own can really make you dig deep.

Gives new meaning to that phrase about walking in someone else’s shoes, eh?

So yes, our people aren’t alive, but when we spend this much time delving into them, living with them, creating lives for them…they feel very real to us.

So giving them someone who loves them for exactly who they are, is like giving them a gift. One everyone deserves.

Dantès Unglued, book #2 in our Ward Security series, features Quinn Lake and Shane Stephens. Quinn first came to Jocelynn and Shane first came to me and oh, did we love them! But together, we got to explore deeper into who they are and then we discovered just how perfect they are for each other. Jocelynn and I hope you love reading their story!


Blurb

Dantes Unglued Cover SmallWhen private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.

Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month he’s on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.

But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayor’s re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.

With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possibly…falling in love.


Bio

Author Bio PicWho are Drake & Elliott?

Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.


Giveaway

Jocelynn and Rinda have brought a $25 Amazon gift card to give away along their tour. Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter. 

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