Today I am so pleased to welcome Ethan Stone to Joyfully Jay. Ethan has come to talk to us about his latest release, Closing Ranks. His has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Ethan a big welcome!

Returning to a much-loved series after time away was not an easy thing to do. There’s always a chance the same inspiration or chemistry won’t be there. Just look at the Terminator movies. The first two are classics; the second two shouldn’t exist. But I did it. Closing Ranks is my return to the world of Flesh after several years away.

When I first wrote In the Flesh, I knew there would be a second book, and that was Flesh & Blood. By the time In the Flesh was finished, however, I knew there would also be a third book. Gabe, a supporting character in the first two, really spoke to me, and I had to write his story. And that was Blood & Tears.

Blood & Tears featured Cristian Flesh as a supporting character, but the POV was from Gabe and his love interest, Drew. I’d written another book already so getting out of Cristian’s head wasn’t difficult, but having him featured in the story without allowing him to take over was a challenge.

Cristian can be an overpowering character at times. When he was in my head, there were times I couldn’t sleep because the bastard had so much to say. And that’s why I stayed away from him for so long. He had stories to tell, and I told the most important ones. The ones that had to be told from his perspective.

Closing Ranks is told in the perspective of Internal Affairs Inspector Jeremy Ranklin. He’s a new character in the world of Flesh, but one I believe fits in with the characters already established. And, once again, Cristian is a supporting character, but he plays a very important part in the mystery.

I’d had the main plot of this story in my head for several years and tried to write it from Cristian’s perspective. But it just never worked, so I put it aside. Eventually, I had an epiphany—I could tell the story from the perspective of someone other than Cristian. I’d been brainstorming an idea for an Internal Affairs cop so I decided to merge the two.

My IA cop, Jeremy Ranklin, known to his friends as Rank, becomes involved in a case in which Cristian is emotionally invested. At the same as they are investigating the case together, Jeremy is dealing with his own issues, such as being closeted and his attraction to uniformed officer Kipp Mosely.

Closing Ranks also introduces several other characters in the Reno Police Department such as lab tech Leif Carson. Leif, much like Gabe years before, became more than just a supporting character. And by the time I was finished writing the book I knew Leif needed his story. I’ve written that book, Confessions, and submitted it. I’m just waiting to hear back.

In addition to Cristian, his boyfriend Colby also makes an appearance in Closing Ranks as does FBI Agent Drew Bradley. Though I would’ve loved for Gabe to appear to, there just wasn’t a way to make it natural. Gabe is seen in Confessions, as does his friend Bailey Madison.

The more I write for characters in this world, the more I want to keep doing it. So right now I’m not saying there will be more Flesh books, but I’m also not saying there won’t be more books. If there are, they will probably be from the perspectives of characters other than Cristian. However, I recently wrote a free serial for the Flesh & Blood blog hop that was from Cristian’s POV. And guess what? He’s talking to me again and seems to say he has another story to tell.

Blurb

Internal Affairs investigator Jeremy Ranklin is looking into corruption within the Reno Police Department when he’s ordered to examine the suspicious death of the Chief of Police. The assignment partners Jeremy with Detective Cristian Flesh. Though they spar at first, Jeremy earns Cristian’s trust, and they work well together.

Deeply closeted, Jeremy fights an attraction to fellow cop Kipp Mosely. The investigation brings Jeremy and Kipp together, but lies and secrets prevent things from going any further. Jeremy will need both Kipp’s and Cristian’s help to discover how deep the corruption runs—and to stay alive when the danger hits close to home.

Bio

Ethan Stone is an out and proud gay man. Which is fairly new in his life, the out part, not the gay part. He’s been queer his whole life, though he tried to deny it for years with a wonderful woman. The years in denial weren’t all bad, he has two amazing kids out of it. His son is a teenager and his daughter has made him a grandfather, three times over. A way too young grandfather.

Ethan has returned to Oregon after almost a decade in Nevada. He no longer has a day job and is doing his best to make a living at this writing thing. If he can’t make a living, he at least wants to support his Mt. Dew and beef jerky addictions.

Readers can find Ethan online.

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ethan.stone.54
• Twitter: @ethanjstone
• Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EthanStone92
• Ello: @ethanstone92
• Website: www.ethanjstone.com
• Email: ethanstone.nv@gmail.com

Giveaway

Ethan will be giving away a $25 Amazon giftcard to one lucky commenter on the tour. Be sure to leave a thoughtful comment on each stop on the tour for additional chances to win. The tour organizer will select a winner from entires received as of close of business 1 November.

• 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.