Today I am so pleased to welcome Rowan Speedwell to Joyfully Jay. Rowan has come to talk to us about her latest release, Angel Voices. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Rowan a big welcome!

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Hello! This is Rowan Speedwell checking in with more stuff about life, the universe, and “Angel Voices,” the second edition of my Christmas story, out November 28th. Since it is the holiday season, what better way to celebrate than with a drawing for a $15 Riptide gift card? Here’s the catch—you can’t just comment randomly. No, you have to ask a question—one I can answer, no “what’s the airspeed velocity of a laden swallow” sort of thing. And no math. And keep it clean! I’ll answer you back and at the end of the blog tour do a drawing for the gift card from all the entries!

One of the main themes of “Angel Voices” is family. Will’s family is deeply dysfunctional—his father is abusive, his mother disconnected, and his brother “goes along” just to keep himself safe. Contrast that to Quinn’s—warm, supportive, and welcoming. Quinn’s is the kind of family we all want, but too often, Will’s is the kind we get.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I have five loving brothers, all of whom married wonderful women. Do we always get along? Hell no. I’ve fought with all of them, and will do so forever, probably. Are they perfect? Hell no. Just me. (Hah!) Sometimes they drive me freaking nuts. They don’t do what they say they’re going to do when they say they’re going to do it. They get snippy. (Yes, guys do get snippy.) They argue with me when they KNOW I’m right. But when I need them, they’re there.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve lost my mother and my aunt. In both cases, there were estates that needed to be settled, and in the case of my mother, the care of one of my brothers to manage. (He’s disabled.) In both situations, no matter who was the executor, everyone stepped up to the plate to help—even my sisters in law. None of us had to handle anything alone. And since I was one of the executors in question, I am immensely grateful.

Oddly, they told me the same thing—that they were grateful for me, and for all I did for them. Really?

As I write this, Thanksgiving is on the horizon. A couple of years ago, just before my mom died, I took on a personal project. That was to stop every day and think at least once of something I was grateful for. I was pretty consistent, and to tell you the truth, it helped me through a couple of really rough years.

The biggest thing I’m grateful for is having a family like Quinn’s, and not Will’s. But there are too many like Will’s. Fortunately, you don’t have to accept them as the only family you have. There are other ways of making a family.

This has been a rough year, not only for me, but for so many others. We’re scared. We’re tired. We look at the world and hope trembles. It’s time like these that we need family around us. It doesn’t have to be your birth family. Maybe they’re like Will’s. Maybe your family is one you’ve built yourself. Whatever you perceive them to be. Be grateful for them.

Because they are grateful for you.


Blurb

Angel VoicesOne frigid winter night a week before Christmas, college student Will stumbles into a church during choir practice, bruised by his own father’s hands. He’s out of the closet now—there’s no going back since his fundamentalist father learned the truth—but he’s also out of a home, a family, and a future. Will has nowhere to turn. No one to care.

Except . . . Will’s roommate, Quinn, cares. Maybe too much. He’s been attracted to Will since they moved in together, but never dreamed his crush was gay. With Will’s life in pieces, Quinn doesn’t want to push. He also knows he has more experience than Will, who’s never even been kissed.

Then Will’s father makes a reappearance, and Will has to learn to trust his heart more than the voices of his past. But it’s the season of miracles, faith, and hope, and Quinn is determined to teach Will how to love and be loved.


Bio

An unrepentant biblioholic, Rowan Speedwell spends half her time pretending to be a law librarian, half her time pretending to be a database manager, half her time pretending to be a fifteenth-century Aragonese noblewoman, half her time . . . wait a minute . . . Hmm. Well, one thing she doesn’t pretend to be is good at math. She is good at pretending, though.

In her copious spare time (hah) she does needlework, calligraphy and illumination, and makes jewelry. She has a master’s degree in history from the University of Chicago, is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and lives in a Chicago suburb with the obligatory Writer’s Cat and way too many books.

Connect with Rowan:


Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Angel Voices, one lucky winner will receive $15 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with a thoughtful question and your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 3, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

  • 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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