Today I am so pleased to welcome Kelly Jensen to Joyfully Jay. She has come to talk to us about her latest release with Jenn Burke, Skip Trace, the third book in their Chaos Station series. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Kelly a big welcome!

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It would be kind of obvious to say Zander and Felix from the Chaos Station books I write with Jenn are one of my favourite gay couples. I mean, I write them. 😉 Instead, to celebrate the release of SKIP TRACE, our third adventure with them, Jenn and I thought we’d write about our other favourite gay couples.

Here are mine, in no particular order:

 

Lito and Hernando (Sense8)

It’s so tempting to just link a video here, but some of you might be reading this at work!

I’m not going to go into detail about the TV show Sense8, except to say Lito is one of the eight sensates, or linked characters, and Hernando is his boyfriend. These two together… It’s hard to remain coherent enough to talk about them. First of all, they’re both so handsome, but not necessarily in a conventional way. Hernando has the geeky thing going on with his glasses and Lito’s face could be a little too long. But when Lito smiles, my heart stops.

What do I like about their relationship? It’s clear from the beginning of the story that these two are close. They’re in love. They are one another’s support network. Events that harm one, harm the other, and when their foundation is rocked, they fall together. It’s one of the truest depictions of a romantic partnership I’ve ever seen.

 

Qhuinn and Blaylock (Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward)

I read ten of the most ridiculously over the top paranormal romance tomes to get to this book—and loved every minute of it. You have to take the Black Dagger Brotherhood as written; there just is no other way.

Qhuinn and Blay’s story evolves through several of the preceding books and, as I continued through the series, I found myself skipping bits just to get to their scenes. Their story is fraught with all the angst, tension and drama you’d expect from a paranormal romance novel, but it also addresses issues that cross genres, such as sexual identity, love and commitment.

When they finally figure things out, it’s one of those golden, shining moments. Also, friends to lovers? Favourite trope.

 

Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist (Brokeback Mountain)

You know, I’m really not into over the top, angsty stories, but there is something about the relationship between Ennis and Jack that draws me back to this movie over and over again. I think it’s the time factor. The fact their love endured, even when they wished it wouldn’t.

Cue famous line: “I wish I knew how to quit you.”

It’s so…messed up. These guys are tortured by their love, and you can’t help but wonder what might have been if they’d lived in a different place and different time. Their situation obviously added to the intensity of their emotional bond. But there are also glimpses in the quiet moments of what they could have had. Gah!

 

Elliot Mills and Tucker Lance (All’s Fair, Josh Lanyon)

I’m an unabashed fan of Josh Lanyon. I adore his understated approach to romance and I think the relationship between Elliot Mills and Tucker Lance are a great example of why I keep reading his books.

These guys don’t communicate well, which is so very male. But I never get the feeling they’re avoiding the big conversation for the sake of plot convenience. More, they’ve got stuff to do and intend to get on with doing it—their way. Too bad if that’s not anyone else’s way. And sometimes they just don’t know the little factoid they forgot to mention is important.

Men.

But there’s still room for the sweet stuff and fluff. The attraction is obvious, as is the deep affection. Love these guys.

 

Aedan and Iain

The first book of Chaos Station series is dedicated to these guys. Who are they? Well, um, they’re not actually published anywhere. But these two will forever occupy a place inside my heart.

Aedan and Iain are characters Jenn and I created for roleplay. Best friends since childhood, separated by war, each believing the other dead, then reunited at a time when each really, really needed someone at their side. Sound familiar?

We wrote these guys together for about eighteen months, from age sixteen to about thirty. We watched them fall in love and struggle with what that meant for their deep and abiding friendship. We watched the effects of war, and a country still torn apart by conflict, mess with their hard-won equilibrium. We bent the road on them, over and over again, and watched as they navigated every turn until they found an HEA, a home and a family.

It was hard to give up writing them, but there comes a point when every story is done, so we created another two guys and started again from the beginning. You can never tell the same tale twice, though, so Zander and Felix (and their world) are a whole new adventure, one we’re privileged and thrilled to share with everyone else.

Check out Jenn’s favourite couples at Prism Book Alliance on Wednesday, October 7.


Blurb

Skip traceBook three of Chaos Station

Zander Anatolius has been revived from the fatal effects of the super-soldier program, but now he has to face his estranged family and tell a story few would believe. With his lover and the crew of the Chaos at his side, Zander returns home to a media frenzy, threats from the military and pressure to join the family business.

Felix Ingesson still struggles with the horror of believing Zander dead. And no matter how strong their emotional connection is, Felix feels out of place in the glittery world of Zander’s rich family. His lover would be better off without a broken, low-class ship’s engineer holding him back.

When the crew receives word that another of Zander’s former teammates needs rescue, Felix travels with the Chaos…setting Zander free. But when Zander is arrested for treason, the men realize they need each other as much as ever—not only to survive, but to make their lives worth living.

Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks


Bio

Jenn and Kelly met in 2009 through a mutual infatuation with a man who wasn’t real. After all but crashing the video game’s forums with daily dissection of their obsession, they started writing together, discovered they really liked writing together and began plotting stories in worlds of their own creation.

The CHAOS STATION series aren’t the first books they’ve written together, and they’re pretty sure they won’t be the last. As long as their so-called smartphones keep making autocorrects that trigger brainstorming sessions, they’ll have enough character ideas and plots to keep them writing for years to come.

www.chaosstation.com

Connect with Jenn: Twitter | Facebook | Website

Connect with Kelly: Twitter | Facebook | Website


Giveaway

Kelly has brought a tourwide giveaway. Just follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter. 

Prize: The first two books in the Chaos Station series, Chaos Station and Lonely Shore, and a $10 gift card to your favorite online bookseller. Signing up for our newsletter gives access to our free Chaos Station story, “Graduation”.

Terms: Two prizes. Rafflecopter runs from 12:00 AM EST 10/05/2015 to 12:00 AM EST 10/09/2015. Giveaway is open internationally. Gift card value is US dollars. Winners will be contacted via email. If a winner already has one or both of the books, gift card value will be increased to $15 USD.

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