Today I am so pleased to welcome Posy Roberts to Joyfully Jay. Posy has come to talk to us about her release of the North Star Bundle (Spark, Fusion, & Flare). She has also brought along two great giveaways. Please join me in giving Posy a big welcome!

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Hugo refused to give this beautiful instant up to something as trivial as getting wet, so he tilted his head, opening his mouth for something deeper—something that might ground them enough to ignore the rain that seemed to be coming down harder with each passing second. Kevin licked into Hugo’s mouth, intensifying the kiss, seeming to pour all his love into Hugo’s lips. Hugo tried to do the same, to share the moment with their mouths. They seemed to be informing each other of their love in a way their words never were able to manage.

Then water poured from the heavens, and they were drenched.

Kevin pulled away, quickly helping Hugo to his feet and dragging him by the hand away from the wooded meadow and toward the trail.

If Hugo had known that was to be the last kiss they would share, he would’ve stayed, kissing Kevin with water dripping down his face, into his ears, his mouth, his eyes—his clothes soaking through, his body getting cold. But he had run away from the green meadow framed by trees, following Kevin as tiny purple and pink flowers became a blur the faster they ran.

That’s a scene from the first page of Spark, book 1 of North Star, which is now bundled. Hugo is remembering his one true love and their very last kiss when they were teens. North Star is about second chances. Not just second chances at love, but second chances at being a better person, a better father, a better partner, and even being a better son. I knew I had to tell a story that spanned many years if I wanted to achieve that.

North Star starts with Spark, where Hugo and Kevin meet at their jobs during the summer before their junior year in high school. It doesn’t take long for them to fall in love. They’re great for each other, but college happens, they drift apart, they change, and they don’t stay in contact after that kiss. When they meet again by chance fifteen years later, their passion for each other is still there. But how do you combine two lives that look nothing alike? That’s where Fusion and Flare come in. And yes, that part does take two books versus falling in love twice. Fusion and Flare are the meat of this trilogy, while Spark is the fluff.

I truly love writing about real life struggles and how people face them, how they grow during those moments we all have the possibility of facing. Life can get messy, and in North Star it gets very messy.

I felt it was important to show Hugo and Kevin as teenagers so readers could see how much they grow throughout the books. Kevin starts off being controlled by his father to such a degree that he compromises much of who he is. Hugo does the same in high school but for very different reasons: his father is dying and he doesn’t want to rock the boat at home.

When we first see them as adults, Hugo has fully come into himself, but he’s lonely. Kevin is just starting to figure himself out, but it took his father dying for him to make the changes he needed, starting with getting out of a loveless marriage and working on becoming a better father. The journey to the end of the book brings about many changes in both of these men and their lives. They grow separately and as a couple.

I know many romance novels end just as the relationship begins, but North Star begins where the relationship starts and follows it through many ups and down. Perhaps that comes from all my years working with couples and families and being awed by how resilient some of those relationships were.

We all know how to fall in love, but staying in love through thick and thin is the hard part. To me, it’s the fascinating part.


Blurb

North StarHugo and Kevin were best friends and secret lovers in high school, but a chance meeting years later proves that the spark that drew them together before is still there. In <em>Spark</em>, Hugo and Kevin must try to put together a relationship while overcoming the obstacles of coming out, divorce and children. In <em>Fusion</em>, an unexpected illness may tear apart all they’ve been building. And in <em>Flare</em>, though they’ve finally settled together happily, outside forces are working hard to upset their family.


Bio

Posy-Roberts-HeadshotPosy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

Posy is a Jill of all trades and master of the drill and paintbrush. She’s married to a partner who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep during her writing frenzies. Her daughter, a budding author and cinematographer, helps her come up with character names. For fun, Posy enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make regular life more interesting.


Giveaway

Posy has brought along two giveaways today. First off, she is giving away a copy of Farm Fresh, the first book in her Naked Organics series, to one lucky Joyfully Jay reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Saturday, August 13th at 11:59 pm EST.

Posy also has a tour wide giveaway for a $10 Dreamspinner Press gift card and a $10 Amazon Gift card. Follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter.

Rafflecopter giveaway

  • 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.
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