Today I am very excited to welcome Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea her to Joyfully Jay. They are stopping by to chat about their new release, One Small Thing, and also to give away a copy of the book to one lucky commenter here at the blog. So please join me in welcoming Piper and M.J.!

Saving Delaware, the Little State with no M/M Romance!

There is one sad little state in our Unionโ€ฆand that state is Delaware. Right now there are two lonely little books set in the state of Delaware, and we are proud to soon join that number!

When we first started plotting One Small Thing, our forthcoming release from Dreamspinner Press, we had an idea but no setting. This story could have definitely taken place in a few different states, but while we were in the middle of outlining, we remembered the thread over in the M/M Romance group on Goodreads asking for an author to please, please, please, save the saddened romance-free state of Delaware. See, back when we first started working on this story in the middle of last year, poor little Delaware was completely unrepresented in the M/M romance genre. As in zero books. None. There was an โ€œAround the Country in 50 Booksโ€ challenge in the M/M group, but from what the girl running the challenge had found, there was not a single M/M romance set in the state. Obviously, we couldnโ€™t in good conscience let such a travesty go uncorrected, and so Delaware became the setting for our story.

Once we committed to saving Delaware, it became a matter of research. I (Piper) had never been to Delaware and M.J. had only driven through the state once when she was younger. I tend to be kind of anal retentive when it comes to these things, so I spent a good amount of time looking at pictures of Delaware, Wilmington, Rehoboth Beach, and even the college our character Erik would have attended as a young adult. I looked into parks and neighborhoods, the most popular types of houses, the real gay clubs in the city of Wilmington, the stores and cosmetology schools. A lot of the stuff I researched never actually made it into the story, but regardless it was important to me to know these things and have an idea of what the area looked like so I could describe it to the best of my abilities in the story itself. At one point I was even tempted to take a weekend trip there so I could see it all in person, but my husband nixed that idea. Let me say, though, if money were no object, I would have. Iโ€™m a little obsessive like that. ๐Ÿ˜‰

After the research we had to decide how Delaware as a setting played a role in the story itself. As youโ€™ll see when you read One Small Thing, our two MCs have very different viewpoints on the state. For one, itโ€™s his home, everything familiar, the place heโ€™s never left or wanted to leave. For the other, itโ€™s the place heโ€™s always longed to escape. He wants glamour, fashion, fun; a place where he can be out and proud and fabulous without people staring at him like heโ€™s a freak. Heโ€™s living in Delaware but having California dreams. In the end he has to decide what really means moreโ€”family or that once untouchable fantasyโ€”and whether itโ€™s the place itself that makes a home or the people who help you fill it.

(Note: In the time between the writing of One Small Thing and its eventual acceptance, our friend, Zach Sweets, wrote a short story set in Delaware for the M/M Romance Groupโ€™s โ€œHot Summer Daysโ€ anthology. As far as we know, that story, Luscious Love, and OST are two of only three M/M romances set in Delaware (the most recent of which only came out last month). Make sure to be on the lookout for our little nod to Zachโ€™s story in One Small Thing. :D)

~*~

One Small Thing will be available from Dreamspinner Press in both ebook and paperback formats on Friday, May 4th.

Blurb:

โ€œDaddyโ€ is not a title Rue Murray wanted, but he never thought heโ€™d have sex with a woman either. Now heโ€™s the unwitting father of a newborn named Alice. Between bartending and cosmetology school, Rue doesnโ€™t have time for babies, but he canโ€™t give her up. What Rue needs is a babysitter, and heโ€™s running out of options. Heโ€™s on the verge of quitting school to watch Alice himself when he remembers his reclusive new neighbor, Erik.

Erik Van Nuys is a sci-fi novelist with anxiety issues to spare. He doesnโ€™t like people in general, and he likes babies even less. Still, with his royalties dwindling, he could use the extra cash. Reluctantly, he takes on the role of mannyโ€”and even more reluctantly, he finds himself falling for Alice and her flamboyant father.

Rue and Erik are as different as two people can be, and Alice is the unlikeliest of babies, but Rue has never been happier than when Alice and Erik are by his side. At least, not until he receives an offer that puts all his dreams within reach and heโ€™s forced to choose: the future heโ€™s always wanted, or the family he thought he never did.

~*~

Piper Vaughn and M.J. Oโ€™Shea have been writing jointly since January 2011. Their first joint title, Moonlight Becomes You (released August 2011), was Piperโ€™s publishing debut, while M.J. already had several published titles under her belt. Both authors have solo titles available in addition to their co-written projects. You can visit them at their joint blog, Babes in Boyland, or their websites, http://pipervaughn.com and http://www.mjoshearomance.com.

And now Piper and M.J. are giving away a copy of One Small Thing to one lucky reader. ย Leave a comment here on this post to enter. The contest closes on Friday, May 4 at 11:59 pm EST. ย Usual fine print applies…

  • By entering the contest, youโ€™re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay andย leave your email addressย if it is not in your profile.