Today I am so pleased to welcome the fabulous Keira Andrewsย back to Joyfully Jay. Keira has come to talk to us about her latest release, Semper Fi. She has also brought along an excerpt and a greatย giveaway. Please join me in giving Keira aย big welcome!

 

Poppy

Photo credit: Photo credit: Pat McDonald / Foter / CC BY-NC

Today marks Veteranโ€™s Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada and other Commonwealth countries. This day was established after World War I formally ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Almost a hundred years later, of course we sadly have many more wars and veterans to remember.

When I was a kid, Remembrance Day was a statutory holiday and we had the day off. That changed when I was in middle school, and instead we had an assembly to commemorate those who fought for our country. By high school there was no assemblyโ€”just a reading of โ€œIn Flanders Fieldsโ€ over the PA, followed by a minute of silence at eleven a.m. I remember thinking that by the time I was an adult, โ€œlest we forgetโ€ would be mere lip service.

I suppose writing Semper Fi was one way I could remember the veterans who sacrificed so much. In the dedication of the novel I mention my Dad and his incredible collection of WWII books and films. A few years ago he lent me a nonfiction book about Guadalcanal, one of the Pacific islands that was a key battleground in the war against Japan.

Me being me (I always have romance on the brain!) it started the wheels turning as I thought about the Marines fighting there, and what their lives were like. If any of them were gay. If any of them were in love with each other. If any of them lived happily ever. I wanted the answer to be yesโ€”especially to the happily ever afterโ€”and Cal and Jim were born.

What does happily ever after look like in 1948? Can two men have a life together and raise a family?

Discover how love finds a way in Semper Fi:


Excerpt

โ€œJim?โ€

He glanced at Cal, who had walked back from the tree he was pruning and now eyed it critically. โ€œAre these branches evenly spaced, or should I cut that little one off?โ€

From midway up his ladder, Jim gave the tree a once over. โ€œCut it off. Itโ€™s drooping too much. The branches should sort of look like the rungs of a ladder when youโ€™re done.โ€

Cal nodded thoughtfully and took a gulp of water from his canteen after wiping his forehead. Heโ€™d taken off his jacket, and he and Jim both had their plaid work shirts rolled up at the sleeves. โ€œSpeaking of ladders, after those goddamn rope nets we had to climb to board the ships, I swore I wouldnโ€™t get on another ladder even if you paid me.โ€

Jim remembered the treacherous climb after Guadalcanal, his limbs burning, the rope swaying and shifting as dozens of men scaled it. He gave the solid wooden ladder a pat. โ€œThese are a little easier to manage.โ€

Cal climbed his and whacked at the offending branch with his machete. โ€œGood thing, or Iโ€™d be liable to take off my own hand if I was swinging around like we did on those ropes.โ€

Jim chuckled. He could always rely on Cal for a laugh. Not to mention all the other things he could rely on him for. Cal understood the nightmares and didnโ€™t say a word in the morning light. Jim hadnโ€™t felt soโ€ฆsettled in a long time. โ€œSpeaking of getting paid, we really need to discuss that.โ€

Ignoring him, Cal hacked away.

โ€œI know you can hear me.โ€

โ€œWhatโ€™s that? Gone partially deaf. I was in the war, you know. Lots of explosions. Hell of a racket over there.โ€

โ€œHar, har. Seriously, Cal. Iโ€™m paying you.โ€

Cal pointed up. โ€œHey, is that a hawk?โ€ He whistled softly. โ€œLook at that wingspan.โ€

Jim glanced at the bird soaring above the treetops. โ€œYes, itโ€™s a hawk, and donโ€™t change the subject.โ€

With a sigh, Cal faced him, propping one foot up on a low branch, the other firmly on the ladder. โ€œIโ€™m not taking your money.โ€

โ€œWhy not? Youโ€™re doing the work, fair and square. So you should be paid, fair and square.โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t need it. I have more money than I know what to do with. Put it aside for the kids. Send Adam off to college one day. Maybe even Sophie. Itโ€™ll do a lot more good that way. Just make sure they go to Princeton and not Yale.โ€ He winked.

Jim contemplated the notion. He knew Cal was richer than the devil himself, and that any salary Jim could pay him would be hopelessly paltry. But it didnโ€™t sit right, not paying a man for his work. โ€œYou need to be compensated. Even Mrs. Oโ€™Brien lets me give her a little every week. Fought me tooth and nail, but I wore her down.โ€

โ€œI am being compensated!โ€ Cal waved his arm around. โ€œLook at this place. Itโ€™s paradise, Jim. Plus Iโ€™m getting room and board. I hated the bank. Sure, I had a lot more to do than before the war, but Iโ€™ll never really make my father happy.โ€ He snorted. โ€œNot until I get a wife and have a son to carry on the family name.โ€

โ€œWell, thatโ€™s another thing. You arenโ€™t going to meet many women around here.โ€

โ€œOn the contrary, my good man, just the other day I met a delightful woman who happened to ride up on her bicycle. Amazing cook.โ€

โ€œAside from being two decades your senior, Mrs. Oโ€™Brien is happily married.โ€

โ€œAlas. Another heartbreak, but Iโ€™ll persevere.โ€

Jim chuckled. โ€œBut really, out here you arenโ€™t going to meet anyone.โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t want to meet any women,โ€ Cal muttered as he went back to the branch, hacking into it forcefully.

โ€œYouโ€™re thirty now. Not getting any younger.โ€ Jim kept his tone jocular.

โ€œOh, this handsome face will still be reeling โ€™em in for years to come, donโ€™t worry.โ€ He finished cutting through the branch with a flourish.

โ€œI just hate to see you missing out.โ€

Cal climbed up a few rungs and went to work on pruning another branch. He didnโ€™t meet Jimโ€™s gaze. โ€œIโ€™m not missing out on anything. Iโ€™m exactly where I want to be.โ€

โ€œBut youโ€™ll make a great father, Cal. And you wouldnโ€™t believe how wonderful it is to have children. Until Sophie was born, I didnโ€™t know I could love another person that much.โ€

โ€œWhat about your wife?โ€ As soon as the words left his mouth, Cal blanched. โ€œIโ€™m sorry. God. Forget I said that.โ€

The ever-present guilt churned Jimโ€™s gut and dried his throat, but he kept his expression neutral. โ€œOf course I loved Ann. She was a good woman.โ€

โ€œAbsolutely.โ€ Cal ran a hand through his hair. โ€œGeez, Iโ€™m sorry. I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Donโ€™t listen to me. What the hell do I know about any of this stuff anyway?โ€

With his good looks and gift of gab, women had always flocked to Cal, but since Jim had known him, Cal had never kept a lady around for long. As they went back to work, Jim wondered if Cal had ever been in love.


Blurb

Semper FiThe war is over. The battle for love has just begun.

As Marines, Cal and Jim depended on each other to survive bloodshed and despair in the Pacific. Relieved to put the horrors of war behind him, Jim went home to his apple orchard and a quiet life with his wife and children. Knowing Jim could never return his forbidden feelings, Cal hoped time and an ocean between them would dull the yearning for his best friend.

But when Jimโ€™s wife dies, Cal returns to help. He doesnโ€™t know a thing about apple farmingโ€”or childrenโ€”but heโ€™s determined to be there for Jim, even as the painful torch he carries blazes back to life. Jim is grateful for his friendโ€™s support as he struggles with buried emotions and dark wartime memories. Then Jim begins to see Cal in a new light, and their relationship deepens in ways neither expected. Can they build a life together as a family and find happiness in a world that would condemn them?


Bio

Keira AndrewsAfter writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, andโ€”although she loves delicious angst along the wayโ€”Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, โ€œThe good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.โ€ You can find out more about Keira and her books at herย website, and on Facebook and Twitter.


Giveaway

Keira has brought an ebook from her backlist to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Saturday, November 15th at 11:59 pm EST.

  • By entering the giveaway, youโ€™re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number.ย No purchase necessary to win. ย 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. ย 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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