Today I am so pleased to welcome Cheryl Headford to Joyfully Jay. Cheryl has come to talk to us about the launch of CoolDudes Books and her latest release, Draven’s Gate. She has also brought along some great giveaways. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

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Launch of CoolDudes Books and Cheryl Headford’s amazing book, Draven’s Gate

We’re excited about this baby because we’ve worked hard to get it going, you know, like a locomotive chugging up a long hill. It’s been a huge challenge for the CoolDudes team, after all, every one of the team is a writer, or a beta reader, or an editor in his/her own right. And wow, what an excellent team it has turned out to be. We are excited because our imprint is a baby and we want to nurture it and see it grow. You know, feed it breast milk and purity and ween it until it’s adult enough to scare the living daylights out of our competition. We are excited because we want our writers and readers to feel at home with us. Babysit for us when we’re out, teach us when we’re wrong. Love us when we’re right. Smack us when we’re wrong.

Everything there is to be, we can guarantee you we’re not

an answering machine.

form letters.

a call centre.

Every step of the process goes through a human being with heart and soul. Some are parents with families, some are lovers who live together, some are happily married in a mutual gay relationship or a mutual hetero relationship. But, most importantly, we are all supporters of LGBT and this is our way of giving back to our amazing society.

We intend to give you strong M/M romance, and just as strong YA romance. Y/A is a category often overlooked in the MM genre, but the trend is there, and that’s why we’re launching with Cheryl Headford’s brilliant YA novel, Draven’s Gate. It’s available now at http://www.cooldudespublishing.com and Amazon.

With this launch we intend to give a $25.00 Amazon coupon to a lucky subscriber to our site. To top that, all our participating bloggers will give a prize of all three e-books to one of their lucky commenters.

We look forward to serving you, the reader and author. That’s our main concern. We hope you’ll love us.


Excerpt

Draven’s Gate by Cheryl Headford

Something flashed at the window and he looked up sharply. There was nothing there, but there had been. In that fraction of a second between his head beginning to move and his eyes orienting on the window, there had been something or someone looking in. Someone with a small pointy face. Shit.

Take it easy, he thought to himself. If something was there he didn’t want to frighten it away before he found out what it was.

He took up the uneaten pizza, making a show of putting it onto a plate and into the fridge. The back door was open to let in the summer warmth, and the bin was next to it, out of sight of the window. He folded the pizza box, and headed for the bin – only he wasn’t going to the bin at all. He lifted the lid, so the sound carried out into the garden, but before he let the lid drop he dived for the back door.

Nothing was there, but there had been. There had been someone crouching under the window, peeping in. It was someone with long white hair, a pointed face, and unnaturally blue eyes. It was all seen in the blink of an eye, and after he’d blinked there was nothing there, and no sign there ever had been.

“I know you’re there. I’ve seen you three times now,” he called into the silence. “I know what you are.” Why had he even said that? It couldn’t have been anything but a figment of his imagination. Human beings couldn’t move that fast, and it was certainly no animal. Then what? A fairy? Hah.

Smiling at his own foolishness, he went back into the house and closed the door.

He was half way through the remaining pizza, drinking his third bottle of beer, and feeling pretty mellow, when there was a soft tapping at the back door. This surprised him very much. No one ever knocked on the back door. Why would they? How could they? They’d have to be in the garden, and there were only two ways into it, the door at which they now tapped, or a tiny gate right at the bottom which would have necessitated them traipsing right through the garden. Who would do that?

With a frown, gripping the bottle in his hand like a weapon, he walked through the kitchen to the door. He could see a vague form through the frosted glass. There was definitely someone there. He wondered if they’d disappear by the time he opened the door. He laughed at himself for the foolish thought.

When the door opened, Keiron froze. He’d never seen anything— anyone remotely like the creature who stood on his back door-step.


Blurb

Draven's GateAll Keiron wants is a quiet life. Fat chance with a boyfriend like Bren. But if he thought Bren complicated his life, it was nothing to the complications that begin when he opens the door to a naked young man who claims to be his slave.

Draven is a fairy with his sights set on the handsome human who keeps a wild place in the garden for fairies. When Draven slips though a fairy gate into the city, and Keiron’s world, he sets in motion a series of events that binds him to Keiron forever, and just might be the end of him.

While Draven explores Keiron’s world with wide eyed wonder, Keiron does everything he can to keep Draven’s at bay, until the only way to save Draven and bring him home is to step into a world that exists only in children stories and animated movies – doesn’t it.


Bio

Cheryl was born into a poor mining family in the South Wales Valleys. Until she was sixteen, the toilet was at the bottom of the garden and the bath hung on the wall. Her refrigerator was a stone slab in the pantry and there was a black lead fireplace in the kitchen. They look lovely in a museum but aren’t so much fun to clean.

Cheryl has always been a storyteller. As a child, she’d make up stories for her nieces, nephews and cousin and they’d explore the imaginary worlds she created, in play.

Later in life, Cheryl became the storyteller for a re-enactment group who travelled widely, giving a taste of life in the Iron Age. As well as having an opportunity to run around hitting people with a sword, she had an opportunity to tell stories of all kinds, sometimes of her own making, to all kinds of people. The criticism was sometimes harsh, especially from the children, but the reward enormous.

It was here she began to appreciate the power of stories and the primal need to hear them. In ancient times, the wandering bard was the only source of news, and the storyteller the heart of the village, kept the lore and the magic alive. Although much of the magic has been lost, the stories still provide a link to the part of us that wants to believe that it’s still there, somewhere.

In present times, Cheryl lives in a terraced house in the valleys with her son, one hamster, two black cats, and a crazy dog. Her daughter has deserted her for the big city, but they’re still close.


Giveaway

Cheryl has brought along three books to give away to one lucky commenter: Draven’s Gate, Stars Fall, and The Island (available end of January). Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Sunday, January 11th at 11:59 pm EST.

In addition, anyone who subscribes to the CoolDudes web site will be entered for a $25 Amazon gift card.  

  • 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.