Today I am so pleased to welcome AF Henley to Joyfully Jay. AF has come to talk to us about her latest release, Wolf, WY (Book 1 of the Wolf Series). She has also brought along aย greatย tour-wideย giveaway. ย Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Wolf, WY Blog Tour Header

 

Welcome back to the Wolf, WY Tiny Teasers Blog Tour and Giveaway, and a warm hello to those who might be joining for the first time. We’ve been wandering through the pages of Wolf, WY and getting a quick introduction to the characters and locale by way of “tiny teasers” from the novel.

I’ve been debating how to introduce this post for some time. You see, I’ve done something that I disapprove of within this genre โ€“ I’ve made one of the female characters into a villain. Not the villain, but a villainous participant nonetheless. I absolutely hate the stereotypical ideal that a woman in a gay romance story automatically becomes a negative influence. Mommie Dearest (or evil ex-wife, overbearing female bestie, mean sister) has its place of course, unfortunately it’s overused in M/M fiction. I understand that women aren’t the enemy and I can say without doubt that the female influences in my life have been most appreciated and welcome. Requisite side note (i.e., if I ever want her to drop by with a pan of lasagna again): My mother is awesome and supportive and in no way indicative of the below-mentioned character. Happy, Mom? ๐Ÿ˜‰

Unfortunately in Wolf, WY’s case it was one or the other and I couldn’t lose the other. So please, forgive me.

Wolf, WY Blog Tour Giveaway ImageBefore I get into the introduction however, I want to remind you that these posts aren’t just about the excerpts from the novel. There’s also a giveaway โ€“ a single grand prize that includes a signed copy of Wolf, WY, a $20 LT3 gift certificate, and a Wind & Fire paw print bangle that not only looks cool, is not only manufactured with some very cool concepts, but that also supports a good cause. Be sure to read through to the end to find out more details on the prizes and how to participate.

With that out of the way, please allow me to introduce Wolf, WY’s next character, Randy Connor’s mother, the Honorable Mary Carleton-Connor:


Excerpt

Tiny Teaser: Introducing โ€“ The Hon. Mary Carleton-Connor

His mother took a long, deep breath, and both Randy and his father glanced at each other before looking her way. “Well you know, Randy, we’re all still the same back home. You can always come back.” She tilted her head and stared at Randy with what he liked to think of as her mind-melting glare. “Where you belong.”

Randy nodded and offered her a quick smile. “I appreciate that, Mom. I really do. But I think I’m going to tough it out here for a while yet.” He hoped the statement would be enough to pacify her. He should have known better. He almost groaned out loud when she slipped her glasses off her face and set them on the table.

“You know, Randy…” She steepled her fingers together and rested them under her chin.

From his peripheral vision, Randy saw his father flash a warning look. “Mary…”

She ignored the warning. “Avery stopped by my office the other day.”

The walls began to shake. The chairs they sat on screeched and trembled as the floor tried to toss them aside. Small ornaments and dishes fell to the tile, smashing into bits. Lighting swayed, and plaster crumbled off the walls to land in great puffs of dust. His father turned to scream at him, “Get under cover! We’ve been hit!”

Randy shook his head and told his imagination to knock it off. Nothing bigger than a fruit fly was moving in the air around them. He struggled to keep a grip on both composure and reality, and took a second to brush nonexistent lint off his shirt. “Oh?”

“He was asking about you.”

Oh, was he now? Randy thought, picturing himself jumping out of the chair and screaming the words at the top of his voice. Was he really?

Once again Randy reined in his internal role-play, and offered his mother a smile. What he wanted to say, after he’d worked up the requisite level of sarcasm, was: And can I assume, Mom, that you told him to go fuck himself? That you said your son had been through enough with his infidelity already, and if he didn’t leave the premises you’d have him escorted out by Security? That’s what you said, right, Ma?

What he managed to say was another, “Oh?”

“Apparently he’d stopped by the firm and they told him that you had left town. He was so concerned that he rushed right over to see me.”

Randy closed his eyes to hide the eye-roll that he couldn’t have stopped if he’d tried. That had no doubt been a good boost for Avery’s ego. A little story to share with the new boyfriends, a laugh they could have at his expenseโ€”distraught ex destroys his own career, home, and sanity after being dumped by partner. Never was completely there, if you know what I mean… Avery taps his temple… Sweet enough guy and all, but a person like me needs more than sweet, am I right?

“I see.”

“He and Michael have called it quits, you know.”

Randy frowned, masking disgust with confusion. “He and who?”

“Don’t be a smartass, Randy. You know who I’m talking about. The young man from the gym that he was seeing after the two of you broke up.”

Rather than keep trying to avoid his mother’s gaze, Randy stood and started clearing the table, despite his earlier insistence of waiting. But try as he might to distract himself in an attempt to hold his tongue, the words still cameโ€ฆ

 

Wolf, WY Excerpt

ยฉ AF Henley, 2015


Blurb

Wolf, WY Cover ArtThere’s nothing like a fresh start, and for Randy, still nursing wounds left by a cheating ex and harboring a deep mistrust for all things corporate, Wolf, Wyoming seems like the perfect place to start over. Secluded, quiet, and self-sufficient, Wolf is bound to not only inspire, but to bring Randy the peace he needs. The view’s not bad, either.

Vaughn O’Connell and his family are Randy’s only neighbors for miles, and while Randy knows it’s somewhat unlikely that a man with three kids is gay, it doesn’t hurt to look. When a misunderstanding brings Randy face to face with both Vaughn and his eighteen year old son, Lyle, Randy’s not sure what to feel about either of them.

But things are not what they appear in Wolf, and the closer Randy gets, the stranger the O’Connell family seems…

Word Count: 70,000

Genre: Gay, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Notes: Wolf, WY contains some explicit content


Bio

AF HenleyHenley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica. A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for โ€˜research purposesโ€™ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever sinceโ€”an indentured servant to the belief that romance and true love can mend the most broken soul. Even when presented in prose.

For more information please stop by for a visit at afhenley.com.


Giveaway

AF has brought a tour-wide giveawayย for one lucky winner overย the entire tour. The prize consists of a ‘Wind & Fire’ paw print charm bangle (a portion of the sales from this “Charms For Charity Bangle” goes directly to Guiding Eyes For The Blind), a $20 Gift Certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market (free books!), and a signed, print copy of Wolf, WY. Just follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter.

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6cc2dd0716/

  • By entering the giveaway, youโ€™re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
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  • 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.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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