Today I am so pleased to welcome Amy Jo Cousins to Joyfully Jay. Amy Jo has come to talk to us about her latest release, Glass Tidings. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Paint and Ink and Images, Oh my
Years ago when I was writing for Harlequin, an editor told me she was hesitant to acquire a ms. I’d written about a woman in the theater business. “Romances about artists and creative types just don’t sell.”
Picture my jaw dropping, my gasp of disbelief. From my earliest days of reading romance, I’ve always loved books about “artists and creative types,” probably dating back to my early Nora Roberts obsession. She wrote stories about ballet dancers and singers, comic strip artists and glassblowers and actors. And I loved them all.
Declining to accept my otherwise lovely editor’s advice, I’ve since written about artists myself, including Eddie Rodrigues in my holiday romance Glass Tidings. Eddie works in glass, but my favorite romances about artists range from sculptors to painters, from tattoo artists to manuscript illuminators, from comic book artists to photographers to fashion designers.
Here are some of my favorites:
The French Have a Word for It by Josh Lanyon ~ A young man has run away to Paris to draw and to learn to live by himself. When he bumps into his former bodyguard, it seems a wonderful coincidence, especially now that Colin isn’t a boy anymore… I love this short story.
Beyond Seduction by Emma Holly ~ Merry Vance attempts to ruin herself to avoid marriage by posing for notorious rake and painter, Nicolas Craven. Holly’s historical romances are intensely erotic, with complicated and flawed characters.
Downtown Devil by Cara McKenna ~ This book about a photographer and the two men she gets involved with is diverse on so many levels: race, sexuality, class. McKenna excels at writing love triangles that leave me genuinely wondering how the story is going to turn out, especially since she writes both ménage and two-person relationships equally well. I’m never sure which option she’s chosen with a new book like this until I get to the end.
This Much Space by KK Hendin ~ Olivia, the heroine of this book, is one of my favorite characters ever. She’s a brilliant fashion designer and a cappella singer with a plus-size body she dresses in glamorous clothes because Olivia does not give a shit about anyone else’s opinions. I love that Thierry, the hot mess of baseball shortstop and Olivia’s partner for a group project is 100% into her, and that they get hot and heavy in pretty short order because Olivia is sexy as hell. This book deals with some heavy subjects, but the awesomeness of its heroine carried me through.
Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha ~ I’m a big fan of this post-apocalyptic motorcycle gang series that is powered by deep feminist beliefs and sex positivity. Consent is the name of the game in Sector Four, and the trio who feature in Beyond Shame have spent the previous books in the series getting their relationship to the tipping point. Of the three—Rachel, Cruz, and Ace—it’s Ace who is the artist, in ink and flesh. And Ace’s art is one of the ways this family of men and women who’ve chosen their loyalty to each other above all else show that they’ve claimed each other. He’s deeply woven into the entire series, and watching him break down enough to admit his vulnerability in Beyond Shame is one of my favorite plotlines of the entire series.
I’m going to make a mega-recommendation when it comes to romances about comic book artists. Superhero by Eli Easton is a terrific YA romance about two best friends in high school who work on a graphic novel together, while one boy hides his crush from the other. Tribute by Nora Roberts is classic Nora, with multigenerational family conflict, neighbors falling for each other, and lurking violence. The hero of Tribute is Ford Sawyer, a quirky graphic novelist, who soon has ex-child star Cilla falling for him. Drawn Together by ZA Maxfield is a personal favorite. This totally over-the-top story features Rory, a good ol’ Cajun boy who heads to a comics convention to proclaim his love to the girl of his dreams (the artist/author of his favorite graphic novels), only to find out the object of his affection is actually a man. There’s a murderous stalker, a cross-country chase and some smoking hot sex between Ran Yamane and the surprisingly flexible Rory.
Illumination by Rowan Speedwell ~ One of my favorite Speedwell books, Illumination is the story of a rock star running from his fame and a manuscript illuminator who’s hiding from the world out of fear and confusion. Their attraction is intense and complicated by the practical challenges created by their respective circumstances, and the entire story is made even more appealing by Rowan’s lovely writing.
So let’s go ahead and prove my old editor wrong. Let’s read the hell out of some books about artists and creative types, shall we? And if you’ve got more recommendations for me, please comment below!
Blurb
Eddie Rodrigues doesn’t stay in one place long enough to get attached. The only time he broke that rule, things went south fast. Now he’s on the road again, with barely enough cash in his pocket to hop a bus to Texas after his (sort-of-stolen) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Midwest, USA.
He’s fine. He’ll manage. Until he watches that girl get hit by a car and left to die.
Local shop owner Grayson Croft isn’t in the habit of doing people any favors. But even a recluse can’t avoid everyone in a town as small as Clear Lake. And when the cop who played Juliet to your Romeo in the high school play asks you to put up her key witness for the night, you say yes.
Now Gray’s got a grouchy glass artist stomping around his big, empty house, and it turns out that he . . . maybe . . . kind of . . . likes the company.
But Eddie Rodrigues never sticks around.
Unless a Christmas shop owner who hates the season can show an orphan what it means to have family for the holidays.
Bio
Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.
Connect with Amy Jo:
- Website: amyjocousins.com/
- Blog: amyjocousins.com/blog/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmyJoCousins/
- Twitter: @_AJCousins
- Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/amyjocousins/
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Glass Tidings, one lucky winner will receive $20 in Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 10, 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.
Happy release day, Amy. I’ve read the book and the Grinch met the wanderer made for an awesome story! Best wishes on the blog tour.
puspitorinid AT yahoo DOT com
Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I’ve got Glass Tidings waiting and burning a hole in my Nook. Can’t wait! And I always love your book recs. Thanks, Amy!
jensarafin at gmail dot com
Yay! Enjoy! 🙂
I’m so looking forward to reading Glass Tidings! Thanks for the book recommendations too – Nora Roberts’s Tribute is one of my all-time favourites… and would you believe I have just started re-reading ZA Maxfield’s Drawn Together for the first time in years? Another one on my favourites list and a real treat to read again.
I love Drawn Together so much! I know it’s super over the top, but it’s such a fun, crazy ride I just adore it. Might need to do a reread myself!
Tara Lain writes about artists quite often!
vitajex(At)aol(Dot)com
I’ve heard good things. I’ll definitely check her out, thanks!
I haven’t had the chance to read many book featuring artist and I can’t say I wouldn’t read one that was. Artists have their own appeal.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
I definitely agree. 🙂 They’re some of my favorite stories!
i loove kitrocha and loved downtown devil. can’t wait to read glass tidings
trinielf82(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks, lady! I’m so excited for the new Rocha book coming out shortly!
I love stories about artists, writers and other creative types. Maybe because I am not artistic myself.
Thanks for all the recs.
jen(dot)f(at)mac(dot)com
I think that’s definitely part of it for me. I love art, am an absolutely crap artist myself. LOL. Reading about it is fabulous fun though!
Congrats on the new release! I love this type of Christmas books.
serena91291@gmail.com
Thank you! I love reading them too!
I’ve always loved books with artists and “creative” types. I guess it’s because I don’t have a creative bone in my body. 🙂
aelnova@aol.com
Me neither! I mean, other than the writing, obviously. 😀 I’m a decent copyist, but a terrible artist. Love reading about them though!
Geez. I wouldn’t dream of not reading a book because one of the MCs was an artist. It’s a much more realistic profession than a billionaire! I’ve got my copy & I look forward to reading it soon.
legacylandllisa(at)gmail(dot)com
I love the title. It really makes me curious. Great cover, blurb and so much more. Thanks
debby236 at gmail dot com
That’s absolutely nuts! I know so many stories that have MCs in the creative arts.
Heidi Cullinan’s Dance With Me (and Enjoy the Dance), all of her Love Lessons have creative characters, Christina Lauren’s Wild Seasons, Lola is a graphic novelist, Running Barefoot (maybe this doesn’t count, but I am still recommending it) by Amy Harmon, Josie is a pianist, Amy Lane’s Behind the Curtain, #sorrynotsorry Amy Jo’s Full Exposure, Leta Blake’s Training Season (figure skater), Everyday History by Alice Archer (a teacher and writer (I really enjoyed this book. I think you would like it, Amy Jo))… and I need to get back to work. But still. Plenty! PLENTY!
You’ve mentioned several books that I’ve read and enjoyed — Illumination, Tribute, and Beyond Seduction — and have piqued my interest in several other books. A few older books I can think of that feature artists are Dream Walker by Jacqueline Marten which features a contemporary woman sharing memories with an American revolutionary war era painter, A Woman Without Lies by Elizabeth Lowell which features a glass artist, Hold Back the Night which features a sculptor. And now I’m trying to dredge my brain to come up with the title of an older book featuring a weaver (she marries a man who has amnesia and then loses him when his memory returns; the story is set some years later when they re-connect).
Congratulations, Ms. Cousins, on the release of Glass Tidings; I look forward to reading it.
I’ve read a few of these but I’ll have to check out the rest. Thanks for sharing! violet817(at)aol(dot)com
Superhero! That’s one of my all-time favorites, and that’s saying a lot since I don’t usually read or like YA. Thanks so much for your other recommendations. Congrats on the release.
waxapplelover (at) gmail (dot) com
Thank you for the wonderful recommendations, Amy! I’ve just read a couple of them, but I’ll make sure to add the others to my TBR list. And congratulations on the new release. I love your books!
Susanaperez7140(at)Gmail(dot)com
I love creative types! One of my favorites is A Threefold Cord by Julie Bozza, about a trio of actors who fall in love. Amazing, amazing story. Though really, anything by Julie Bozza is. And don’t even get me started on the Sinners series by Rhys Ford… Ooh, or Skin Deep by S.W. Vaughn. Who doesn’t love a sexy tattoo artist?
I have an entire artistry shelf and many of the books are my favorite reads: Play Me, I’m Yours by Madison Parker, Social Skills by Sara Alva, Conquest series by SJ Frost, Vivaldi in the Dark series by Matthew J. Metzger, In Me an Invincible Summer by Ryan Loveless…there’s so many more. I’m definitely going to read the stories I’m seeing on this post! Thanks for this one! peachescon(at)gmail(dot)com
Some great titles there. Unfortunately, I can’t remember things off the bat. Small memory capacity and all.
amie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for some great recs. And i loved Superhero 🙂
I have read a lot of your books and I still have some waiting on my kindle. I can’t resist to put Glass Tidings on my TBR pile.
booklover-forever(at)web(dot)de
Congrats and thanks for the post. I live in Chicago too, and now we no longer have to wait – go Cubs! Good luck on this great sounding, timely story.
Purple Reader – TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com