Today I am so pleased to welcome Chris T. Kat to Joyfully Jay. Chris has come to talk to us about and share an exclusive excerpt from her latest release, Mending the Rift. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Chris a big welcome!

 

Thanks so much, Jay, for having me back on your blog. I’m excited to share an exclusive excerpt from Mending the Rift, my new science fiction/m-preg (male pregnancy) story, with you and your readers.

I also wanted to talk a bit about my writing journey thus far. I started my career as a fan fiction writer. I never thought I’d become a published author, and neither did I think I’d write my books in English (which is only my second language).

Anyway, around 2007 I discovered the world of yaoi mangas, and then the big world of slash fiction. For about a year I read pretty much anything I could get my hands on in a variety of fandoms. I got stuck in the House MD fandom, mostly because I loved House and Wilson together. When I couldn’t find a certain story type, I finally plucked up my courage and wrote my very first story in which Wilson could shift into a puppy. After that came an m-preg story that clocked in at around 86k. But that wasn’t the end of that particular story. I wrote many short stories, and there were two follow-up stories, both in novella length.

For a while I wrote exclusively in the House MD fandom before I decided to spread my wings. I wrote quite a few stories in the Live Free or Die Hard and White Collar fandoms, and also wrote a couple of pieces for The Sentinel, Fake, and Stargate 1.

It took me even longer to come up with the courage to try my hand at writing original fiction. In the beginning, I exclusively wrote stories about domestic discipline relationships—one I combined with a shape-shifter (Ben & Joey).

After having tested the waters with all kinds of stories, I wrote Seizing It and submitted it. Dreamspinner Press picked it up right away, and after that I was writing and writing and writing… I loved the whole writing and publishing process in the beginning, but after a couple of years I realized how stressful writing could become. I have a stressful day job, two kids, plus some health issues, and at first the writing helped me cope with everything. But the longer I wrote, the more I realized it was becoming too much for me. All that led to the insight that I can’t go on like that. Something has to give, and in my case it’s the writing.

But before I retire from writing, I wanted to go back to my roots and write another m-preg story, thus Mending the Rift was born. There’ll be another contemporary novella coming out in June/July this year, but then that’s it. I had—and I’m still having—a good time, but it’s time for me to move on. But first an exclusive excerpt from Mending the Rift.

Excerpt

Luca grimaced when another spasm overcame him. Biting his lower lip helped to keep a yelp inside, but he couldn’t help both hands clamping onto his abdomen, rubbing fiercely. A belt buckle snapped open, and someone knelt next to him, followed by a hand clasping his neck.

“Shit, you’re burning up. Probably caught a bug during your time outside,” Marcus said.

“The area isn’t contaminated,” Luca replied through gritted teeth.

“True, but you’re not used to being anywhere other than close to home. Viruses and bacteria are different in the forest.”

Luca pressed his hands against his lower abdomen, a whimper tumbling over his lips unbidden. “Hurts.”

Keith unbuckled too, frowning. He crouched between Luca’s thighs, gently but insistently pushed Luca’s hands out of the way, and pulled his shirttails out of his waistband. “This is no bug.”

Luca smacked his head against the backrest of his seat when all his muscles went rigid at once, leaving him gasping for air. Keith remained seated between his legs, stroking over Luca’s belly with firm up and down movements. The pain lessened after maybe a minute, and Luca cast a glance between Marcus and Keith, releasing a shaky breath.

Keith showed a myriad of conflicting emotions. Luca tapped his shoulder lightly. “You know what this is, don’t you?”

“Yeah, kid, I know what this is. And if you think hard, you should realize what’s going on as well.” Keith rose to his feet, rummaged in an overhead compartment, and pulled out a small bag. He broke the content inside the bag and then pressed it against Luca’s taut abdominal wall. “This’ll get warm and help with the spasms. At least for a while. If you’re anything like your dad, you’ll need a high dosage of painkillers soon.”

“Painkillers? What’s going on? Keith!”

“Do you really not get it, Luca?” Marcus asked in a harsh tone.

Luca shook his head. “No, I don’t, and I also don’t get why you’re mad at me. I’m sorry I ran away, okay? It’s what I do, what I’ve always done. I know it’s wrong and doesn’t resolve anything, but when I panic I can’t think clearly. It’s that same damn flight reaction animals have.”

A wry smile appeared on Marcus’s face. When Luca gazed from Marcus to Keith, the other man smiled at him. “You’re so much like your dad it’s frightening.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true,” Keith said. “Also, you’re pregnant. You’re in the beginning of the first stage. The fertilized egg has been transported to the womb, and in the next twenty-four hours your body will either accept the pregnancy or not.”

Luca’s mouth fell open. Hot flashes surged through his body, and breathing took conscious effort. Everything around him vibrated as he clutched the armrests to anchor him to something. This couldn’t be true!


Blurb

Mending the Rift by Chris T. KatIn a future where man’s ability to reproduce is severely compromised, humanity has adapted to survive. Breeders—male and female—have become precious commodities, and they are strictly guarded and subject to limitations.

Luca Walker is a breeder. Though he knows what’s expected of him as the youngest son of the Northern Confederacy’s Vice President, he’s held out against the pressures of an arranged marriage because he longs to marry for love, not duty. But he’s been promised to Colonel Liam Smith and there’s little he can do about it, no matter that Luca is secretly in love with his bodyguard, Marcus Gray.

When Luca finds himself pregnant with Marcus’s baby, Smith is furious and vows to take what is his—by force, if necessary. Now Luca must fight for his life and the life of his unborn child… as well as the love of Marcus and the happily ever after he’s always dreamed of.

  • eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7448
  • Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7449

Bio

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there’s any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.

Where to find the author:


Giveaway

Chris has brought $15 gift card to give away to one lucky reader on her tour. Just follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter.

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