Today I am so pleased to welcome Kate Pavelle to Joyfully Jay. Kate is here as part of Beach Read Bonanza and has come to talk to us about her latest release, Landfall, Book 3 of the Fall Trilogy. We also have some great giveaways going on. Please join me in giving Kate a big welcome
Hi, I’m Kate and it was my pleasure to write a special, exclusive short story of “something that happened” in Landfall. When you read Landfall and get to that three-day time skip of the guys being marooned on a tropical island? Well, aside from the usual fishing and water gathering and waiting to light a fire in case a ship comes close by, this is what happened. All I can say is, hooray for coconuts!
“Stranded in beach paradise”
A side story from “Landfall” by Kate Pavelle
The incessant crashing of the surf was just a white noise backdrop by now, and the glaring midday sun chased them into the dappled shade of palm trees. Sean looked up warily. The green fronds of palm leaves were hazy despite the fresh ocean breeze. He saw them flutter, frayed outlines all fuzzy against the painfully bright azure sky.
He blinked to see if any coconuts threatened overhead, but try as he might,, he couldn’t focus.
Dammit.
Maybe the ones that were going to fall already did take their plunge during the last storm.
Sean glanced at Asbjorn, who was sprawled in the warm and shady sand just two feet away from him. He blinked, then blinked again. “My eyes hurt.”
Asbjorn stretched out, pointing his toes down and his fingers up. He wiggled into his bed of sand, knowing he’ll go in the water as soon as the heat breaks and the breeze changes direction. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Sean hated having to admit it, but his eyes have gotten scratchy and hot and sore. Keeping them closed was a blessed relief, except then they got stuck with this gross yellow ooze and when he fell asleep during their daily siesta, they got glued shut, just like this morning and the morning before that.
He hated his helplessness.
It was like going blind for a panicked minute or two as he’d rubbed them open with his hands, trying not to let too many ubiquitous sand grains in.
Asbjorn sat up, knelt, and took Sean’s face in his big hands. His palms and fingers spanned from Sean’s chin all the way past his ears, and Asbjorn took advantage of his superior grip as he tilted Sean’s chin peered into his husband’s eyes. “Look at me, Sunshine!”
Sean blinked. Scratchy eyelids, itchy eyes, and his vision was going to shit. The world got pale and hazy around him. Even Asbjorn’s sharp features, occasional freckles, wisps of his sun-whitened hair – all those fine details disappeared as though an old-fashioned photographer put a sheet of gauze over the world.
It scared him.
They were alone on this godforsaken island. No pharmacy, no doctor, no nothing. No fresh water other than rain and what their distillation setup extracted from the wet beach sand.
Not much hygiene, either. They had relied on the UV light of the incessant sun and on the abrasion of omnipresent sand – and the salt in seawater – to kill what germs there were on their hands before they ate. But suppose he got an eye infection? He’d go blind, and then he couldn’t help Asbjorn if something bad happened to him… and how would he spear-fish for their meals?
“Sean. Sunshine. Breathe slowly, baby. You’re hyperventilating.”
Sean closed his eyes and sank into Asbjorn’s embrace. This was a panic attack coming on, sure as day, and he was damned if he was going to let it. Seeing the world all blurred was bad enough.
“But everything’s hazy! Like in a fog.” He buried his nose into the crook of Asbjorn’s neck, inhaling his familiar scent. Gone was the familiar fragrance of shampoo and civilization. Instead, Asbjorn’s peeling skin smelled like the sun, like coconuts they ate, like hard-earned sweat.
“You’ll be okay. Your eyes are red. Where’re your sunglasses?”
Oh. “They’re getting scratched.”
“Wear them anyway. You’re getting snow-blind.”
Sean peeled himself off Asbjorn’s shoulder and took in his blurred face. “There’s no snow.” His voice sounded petulant even to himself, but petulant was a step up from panicked with fear. At least there was a name for this thing.
“Too much sun’ll get your eyes all sore. Didn’t you ever get it out in California? You spent all that time at the beach, right? Surfing?”
“Yeah, facing east. An’ I wasn’t out there all day long.”
“Exactly. So here we’re sort of stuck outside all day long, and you’ve been skipping out on your sunglasses ‘cause they’re getting scratched. So don’t. Just wear ‘em anyway.”
Sean blinked, working hard against the scratch of his eyelids. “So, what, this is normal?”
Asbjorn shrugged. “It happens. Your eyes are irritated. Give ‘em a break, okay? Wash ‘em out.”
Sean groaned. “Our water’s limited and the saltwater just makes it worse.”
“I know.”
Asbjorn’s voice drifted to him from afar, over the crashing of the surf and the gentle rustle of palm leaves high overhead. He settled on his back, his eyes closed, letting his tired limbs sink into the sand, deep and heavy, as though he was just a giant sandbag. He was one with the beach, one with the rock deep underneath, one with the vast ocean surrounding them.
A wetness woke him.
“Shh.” Asbjorn’s voice. They were, after all, alone.
A wet thing pressed on his eyes. It felt cool and soothing, weighing his eyelids shut like a healing embrace.
“What’s this, hon?”
“Your other T-shirt, clean off the line. UV-sterilized. Very high-tech.” Amusement warred with concern in Asbjorn’s voice. “I soaked it in coconut water. It has all kind of biochemicals in it. And it won’t sting like our distilled water would.”
“Mmmm.” Sean felt no desire to move. “Nice.”
“You could nap.”
Sean thought he might. Later. “You think this will help?”
“Yeah,” Asbjorn whispered as he settled in the sand next to him. “Stuff’s like magic. Just you wait. Two days of rest and of coconut water compresses, and your eyes’ll be good as new.”
Sean tried to sit up in panic, but the pressure of Asbjorn’s hand on his chest kept him down.
“Shhh. Kept still, will ya? I meant rest. You want anything? Food? Drink?”
Sean considered his options. “I’d kill for a beer and a ham and cheese sandwich right now. And ice cream. Is there any chocolate ice cream?”
Asbjorn’s stomach next to him rumbled. “Asshole. I thought we agreed not to fantasize about food.”
“You asked.”
“Okay. As soon as we get off this lovely paradise island, I’ll get you whatever the fuck y’want. For now, there’s some charred fish left over from this morning. And fresh coconut meat.”
Sean was sick and tired of coconuts, he truly was. His eyes felt better already, though, so he took a deep breath and tried to relax. If he rested them, with compresses on, he’d be back to fishing tomorrow.
Maybe the coconuts weren’t all that bad after all.
“Sunshine?”
“I could go for a chunk of coconut,” Sean allowed.
“I figured. Open up!” Asbjorn slipped a piece of fresh, still-wet flesh between his lips. As Sean chewed, mumbling his thanks, he felt the sand shift beside him, and soon Asbjorn’s fingers carded through his overgrown hair.
“Your eyes’ll be fine.” Asbjorn’s voice carried to him as though from afar, over the noise of city streets his dreamscape provided on the verge of sleep. “You’ll be fine, and I’ll be fine…”
We’ll be fine.
Sean drifted off knowing that, a heavy, wet cloth pressing on his eyes as Asbjorn’s fingers twined through his hair.
We’ll be fine.
Blurb
Sean and Asbjorn’ s story of crime and revenge took place in Breakfall and Swordfall. Sean’s evil stalker is vanquished, the guys are married, but marriage takes communication – and that means actually talking to each other. In Landfall, a story of their redemption, our intrepid heroes take a much-needed tropical vacation. A boat trip to a nearby island leaves them stranded after a tropical storm. As they fight for survival, Sean realizes depends on him for a reason to live, and Asbjorn comes to understand that he doesn’t need to do the heavy lifting all the time.
Bio
Kate escaped from behind the Iron Curtain with her family while still a teen. Lots of moving, many adventures, an entrepreneurial upbringing – all that gave her a special view of the world and a healthy tolerance for adventure.
There’s a story in everything! She’s happily settled in Pittsburgh with her family now, where she rides horses and studies karate and kenjutsu, and writes wild books about adventures that missed her by just a hair. Follow her THURSDAY MORNING COFFEE BLOG on www.katepavelle.wordpress.com.
Giveaway
We have a whole mess of giveaways going on today! First, this post is part of our Beach Read Bonanza! Every comment on any Beach Read Bonanza post enters you to win the grand prize at the end of the month – an awesome beach bag full of goodies, including a kindle! Just leave your comment to enter. (Rules and full details can be found here)
In addition, Kate has brought has brought two books to give away! One is a copy of Landfall and the other is the Kickass Anthology. The Kickass Anthology was published by Kate Pavelle’s Mugen Press as a benefit for Eric Arvin, and consists of 12 illustrated stories where a seemingly weaker gay guy uses wit, grit, and guile to subdue a stronger opponent or beats incredible odds. To become eligible for either book, leave a comment at JoyfullyJay’s blog and tell us one difficult situation or emergency you overcame. Because deep down, we’re all kickass.
Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter to win the books. The contest ends on Saturday, June 6th at 11:59 pm EST.
- 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.
- All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
- 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.
Thanks for the great except Kate – not read this series of books but it definitely gives a great feel for them!
I don’t think I have personally had to overcome massive obstacles or emergencies, luckily, but I have supported my sister through loosing her partner through an RTA.
Looks like I’ve been lucky…no huge obstacles/emergencies that I can recall. Thanks for the giveaway,
Great excerpt! No great difficulties or emergencies in my life, thanks God. But I remember once I was left stranded in the wrong place in a foreing country with almost no knowledge of the language and no means to reach the friends I was supposed to meet there (no mobiles back then) . It was thanks to the goodwill of the people and a bit of luck that I manage to reunite with my friends… It was quite an adventure!
Thanks for this post and for the side story . I really enjoyed it 🙂 As for your question about a difficult situation or emergency i would have to say the birth of my oldest son who will be 12 next month. He was born 10 weeks premature and as a result of this has suffert brain damage and is multiple disabled.
Sounds like a great book!
Looks like a fun read!
I had to fill in at my dad’s office when he got sick…I had no knowledge of this particular industry, and his business partner was not a great guy. I basically just gritted my teeth and did it for him, and asked the workmen on the floor for help when I cold…
I enjoyed the side story from “Landfall.” I’ve never had to over come a difficult situation or emergency. Something did happened when I an operation on my back I was sent from one hospital to another to recuperate in an Ambulance and on the journey we had to divert to a car crash on the motorway it was really scary with the siren going and the speed of the Ambulance. Luckily when we reached the crash site the Amublance wasn’t needed. Shook me up for quite awhile but at least no one needed an Ambulance that day.
ShirleyAnn(at)speakman40(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk
I was in Chicago, Illinois on a business trip when 9/11 happened and all the airports shut down. I was supposed to go home that day! But was stuck instead. We kept being told the airport was opening, so I would go there to get a seat, only to find out that it was not true. While I was at the airport for one of the false alarms, I met a lady from a town near me and we decided to rent a car and drive home (all the way to Arizona). We did it without stopping except for gasoline and snacks. That was a really strange trip! My husband thought I was crazy to drive all that way with a stranger, but I had a good feeling about her and I was desperate. Good thing, too, because the airport did not open for many days (I think it was one of the last ones in the US to reopen).
Thanks for the post and TWO contests. 🙂
My first real obstacles that I had to face had to be my first born having open heart surgery at 5 months of age. He is currently a thriving 10 year old that recently graduated from elementary school.
Thanks for all the great giveaway chances on this post. The post itself was awesome too. When I was 14, was home alone for a few hours and someone broke into the house. I grabbed an unloaded gun for intimidation and eventually was talking to the police. Thankfully, the guy was a teenage kid high/drunk who wasn’t violent. I was seriously shaken afterwards though.
I had to leave college after 3 semesters & it was quite a struggle to go back to finish my degree while working a full time job. Thanks for the contests!
This isn’t a series that I was aware of, but now that I am… I’m looking forward to picking this up! Thanks for a chance in the giveaway.
Obstacle that I’ve tried to overcome – being me. 😉 (I just watched The New Guy over the weekend for anyone that’s wondering where they might have heard that line before.) There have been many, but none that are truly standing out at the moment.
Thank you for sharing the side story with us!
I don’t believe I’ve ever had go through any major obstacles or emergencies before. Thank you for the giveaway chance.
There are so many, but I guess my mom’s heart attack when she was only in her 50’s was probably the worst.
I enjoyed the short story. 🙂
I don’t have an experience to share, but thanks for offering the giveaway.
I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia two years ago (almost exact in a couple of days) at 38 and honestly thought I was going to die, leaving my three kids motherless. But I made it, a bit more tired, a bit more scared, much more of a worry-wort, but oh so grateful, because life is so great and I try to treasure every moment of it as a reminder that it is not something you can take for granted.
As a Scandinavian a name like Asbjorn (which I associate with Norwegians or old Swedish men) always catches my interest and I wonder whether the author has some sort of Scandinavian connection, or why else would they chose such a name? I see it quite often in fact and I’m curious. Surely they can’t be common in English speaking countries?
Thanks for an interesting side story and this giveaway, too!
Hi Sarah, Asbjorn was born in Denmark. I was born in the Czech Republic. In addition, I’m fascinated by Norse mythology. Bjorn sounded a bit “common,” but Asbjorn, now… and in the US, he’d have to deal with kids teasing him over Ass-Bjorn, so tossing an obstacle in my character’s way was an extra bonus!
Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
Thank you for the post to introduce us ‘newbs” ( as my kids would say) to the Fall Trilogy. I have put all three on my WANT TO READ List.
I haven’t really had any difficult emergencies except one that ended up not being so difficult but reminds me what a dummy I can be. When I was in college, I was going out of town to visit some friends but then decided to return some library books before heading out. I pulled up to the curbside drop off but being unable to reach I got out of the passenger door put the books in and locked the door before shutting it. I knew as soon as I shut it that I was locked out of my still running car! This was the pre-mobile phone era so I had to knock on a nearby house and ask to use the phone. Luckily a friend with a car was able to pick me up and take me home where I had to break into my house to get my spare keys.
New author me. The book sounds amazing. Sometimes life itself is the obstacles.
I loved this special story. I haven’t read any of the books yet, but loved seeing the couple together in a difficult situation work things out.
As for a personal obstacle, I moved from home and family over 1000 miles away to a new city where I didn’t know anyone. I’m so grateful that there were welcoming and very inclusive people who helped me right away.
I haven’t read any of Kate Pavelle’s work, so it was nice to get to know her through the post and to have a chance at the giveaway. My most kickass moment was probably when I, and the crew I was working with, were held-up in an after-closing robbery. I happen to be very cool under pressure, as I learned that day, because I was the manager they wanted the money in the safe from. Even with a gun on me, I was just very controlled, and maybe a bit petulant, with them about what they could and couldn’t have (the lower safe setting off an alarm was not something they wanted), and I, and the rest of the young staff, all made it through. I probably shouldn’t have made everyone laugh about how one of the other guys looked all bound up, but levity helps tense situations, and I really just couldn’t help myself!
Wow! How terrifying! I can’t imagine being so cool in a crisis like that!
I am know I am to late to comment for a book, but I did enjoy that extra scene for Landfall and the interactions and between the MC’s Asbjorn and Sean. At least there are two of them, unlike Tom Hanks character whose only friend was Wilson (a volleyball) 🙂
Like Su I am late for the giveaway for the book. I enjoyed the scene. I don’t think I’d do well on a deserted island. At least there are 2 people.
I know I missed the giveaway for this book, but this DOES sound like an interesting series.
I enjoy longer excerpts like this, it gives a much better feel for the writing and story.
Sounds great. Thanks for chance.
When i was young there was a fire at our house and i got my younger sister out.
so going to have to read this series
I have not read these series of books yet myself, but they sound like a great read!! I’ll have to check them out soon. Lucky for me, no real emergencies! Yay!!
I have to say I loved this (and everything else you write). The “fake” prize boat was great. I loved your take on that scam.
I have not had a chance to read this series. I have put it on my must read list. I look forward to read now.
Ooh the side story’s really interesting!
I’ve never read this author before- will be adding to my TBR!