Today I am so pleased to welcome Carter Quinn to Joyfully Jay. Carter is here as part of the GRL Blog Tour and has come to talk to us about his upcoming release, Ashes to Embers. He has also brought along a great giveaway! Please join me in giving Carter a big welcome!

 

GRL tourI’ve been thinking a lot about getting back to my roots lately. It’s been almost two years since my dad passed away (which is one of the most bizarre sentences I’ve ever written). It seems like since he’s been gone, I’ve been fighting one health issue after another. Perhaps it’s some cosmic joke. Maybe it’s me getting old. Perhaps it’s him trying to get me to stop being such a knucklehead. Could be all three, to be honest!

Whatever the case, it’s impacting my work. My latest novel is called Ashes to Embers. It’s a sweet little tale of a prodigal son returning home to discover the love he left behind years before is different from what it was, but still as compelling. Well, basically. I’ve thrown in a twist here and a complication there just to make sure it isn’t easy for them. I don’t have a cover to share with you yet. I’m being coy with it. Or I forgot to ask my cover artist to have it finished. I’ll let you figure out which is true. lol

This book is a little bit different, a little bit outside my comfort zone, but I think that’s good. I don’t want to write—and you’d be bored to tears if you had to read—the same thing over and over. I promise no cliffhangers this time! I haven’t written those last 6 letters yet, but it’ll be after a happy. I’m excited for you to see it. It’ll be out September 10, just in time for another GRL.

Can you believe it’s that time of year already? And I don’t have to fly to get there this time! Hallelujah! I can’t wait to see all of you in my own neck of the woods this time. Kansas City, here we come!

Here’s a tiny preview of Ashes to Embers


Excerpt

Jake awoke to the scent of bacon and warm maple syrup. He jerked his eyes open and sat up, ready to give the previous night’s trick hell for ordering room service without permission. It took several frantic heartbeats for him to recognize the semi-darkened room as his childhood bedroom.

He collapsed back onto the pillow with a laugh. No tricks here, thank goodness. Years of practice still hadn’t made Mornings After any less awkward. Usually he was smart enough or wired enough from the show not to fall asleep until he’d ushered the piece of ass du jour through the door, but occasionally they still slipped through. Because, occasionally, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he’d let them stay just so he didn’t have to wake up alone again.

The call of nature forced him from the warm comfort of the bed. He dug around in his still-packed suitcase for a pair of basketball shorts. He threw them on with a t-shirt and headed down the hall with his shaving kit. His one teenage regret was that he’d never been able to convince his parents he needed his own private bath. Instead, he was forced to share the main bathroom down the hall with whatever infrequent guests were around.

Bladder relieved, Jake studied his image in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. He still looked good for thirty-five, he thought. The daily grind of his first tour had worn him out quickly, threatening to ruin his voice and his health. Since then, he and Tim had made it a rule to work out at least three times a week, no matter where they were. He’d changed his diet and limited his alcohol intake. He didn’t mind the strength training—especially when he saw how it tightened up and enhanced his already nice body—but he hated the cardio. Hated every single crucial moment of it, even as he knew how incredibly important it was to his vocal health. He needed power and capacity in his lungs and diaphragm to pull off the energetic shows Lassiter was known for.

Jake ran a finger along the dark stubble on his jaw. If he let it go for more than a day, he could see flashes of silver there. A few gray hairs had already shown up around his temples. He wasn’t afraid of going gray—hell, it worked for Anderson Cooper—but he wasn’t ready for that daily reminder of how far he was from the fresh-faced nineteen year old who’d hit it big with his first album. He decided he’d shower and shave right after breakfast. The welcoming aroma of his mother’s cooking winning out over the temptation of a long, hot shower.

In the kitchen, he stepped up behind his mother and grabbed a waffle from the plate while kissing her other cheek. “Ouch!” Between the surprising heat of the bread and the smack of his mother’s fork on the back of his hand, he dropped the waffle and stepped back, bringing his fingertips to his mouth.

Willow Wilson laughed and turned to her son. “Has that move ever worked?”

“I thought you might be slower in your old age,” he pouted.


Bio

Carter Quinn was born and raised in a very small Western Kansas town where cattle vastly outnumber humans. He came out in 1992, when doing so was still considered an act of rebellion. He discovered M/M in 2010 and started writing again after a fifteen year break. Now he’s told Corporate America to kiss his books. Carter again lives in cattle country, entirely too far from his beloved Colorado Avalanche.


Giveaway

Vanished The Complete Trilogy cover for giveawayCarter has brought a copy of Vanished: The Complete Trilogy, plus a copy of Ashes to Embers to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Friday, August 5th 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.
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  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
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  • Void where prohibited by law.