Today I am so pleased to welcome Jeff Adams to Joyfully Jay. Jeff has come to talk to us about his latest release, Love’s Opening Night. He has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Jeff a big welcome!

Many thanks to Jay for hosting me today. It’s wonderful to be here for the conclusion of the Love’s Opening Night blog tour.

Love’s Opening Night is the story of Broadway performer Jeremy Steele and actor Ty Beaumont, who happens to be Jeremy’s long time crush. Ty isn’t an A-list actor, but he’s been on a successful TV show and usually spends his off-time in New York on stage. They end up cast in the same show and Jeremy discovers that Ty is a really good, down-to-earth guy. Jeremy tries to maintain professionalism, but when they end up working late one night because Ty needs some help with a dance routine, sparks fly.

Eventually they go on a date—and Ty’s very particular about what he calls a date. It’s not just hanging out at someone’s apartment or a gathering of their cast mates. He wants to plan an actual go to dinner and then do things date. Jeremy is all too happy to go along with that since he can’t believe that Ty is actually interested in him and he hasn’t been on a date in a long while because it’s difficult on an eight-show-a-week schedule to get out and meet people.

I love the whole idea of the first date in particular, even if it technically happens after a couple has been seeing each other and sort of dancing around the idea of going on said date. I believe you can learn a lot about a person based on the type of date they plan. And not all dates have to epic, even the first, but the occasional epic date night is a great thing—whether its in real life or in a romance novel.

I love writing first dates and Love’s Opening Night was a story that deserved one. After the rigors of  a week of rehearsals, Jeremy and Ty get to a Saturday and I enjoyed crafting a New York date for them. It’s a mix of food, fun and getting to know each other. You get a sample of the beginning of the date in the excerpt. You’ll have to get a copy to see where it ends up.

Speaking of getting a copy, there’s the chance for you to win an ebook copy of Love’s Opening Night. Please leave a comment below for a chance to win and I’ll check them out over the next few days. As part of your comment, I’d love to know a date scene from a book that you love.

Excerpt

I arrived at Ty’s door promptly at six. He was staying in a fancy glass building on Fifty-Fourth Street. I hadn’t been here yet, and it was cool to get this glimpse of his life. It was far different from mine, for sure.

“Hey,” he said, as the elevator opened into his apartment. He greeted me with a kiss as I stepped out. “Welcome to my little glass box.”

I chuckled. That’s exactly what it was. From where I stood, there was glass on three walls with only the kitchen having a solid wall. I wasn’t sure where the bedroom was—maybe the other side of the elevator. Unless this was a studio and Ty was sleeping on the couch, which didn’t seem quite right. The furniture was modern with a lot of glass and stainless steel. The word that sprang to mind was sterile.

“That’s one way to put it,” I said. “But it’s nice, right?”

“It’s okay. I can’t wait for the show to open so I’ll have time to find a place. This belongs to one of the producers. Technically I can stay here for as long as the show runs, but it’s a little much. I feel like I’m leaving fingerprints everywhere.”

“It could be worse. You could have the shoebox I live in.”

“Yours feels cozy, though. I don’t think this place could ever feel that way, not without a thorough makeover and lots of curtains.” He grabbed his jacket. “Anyway, enough about my housing. I shouldn’t be complaining. It’s a nice, clean place, and I’ve lived in my share of New York hovels. Shall we?”

He pushed the button and the elevator opened immediately.

“Where do you want to live?” I asked as we rode down.

“I don’t know. Brooklyn, maybe. Suburbs, maybe, if it was along a train line. I told a bunch of stuff to a realtor, so that once we’re open I’ll have places to look at.”

“Nice. I hate moving, but I always like looking at places. It’s kinda fun.”

“Wanna come with and help me find a good place?”

“Sure,” I said enthusiastically. “You’re looking for cozy without a ton of glass.”

“Exactly, and, please, some character that doesn’t make it feel like a clean room.” He stopped us as we stepped out on the sidewalk. “I didn’t call the car. Is it okay if we subway?”

“Of course. That and my bike are my usual transportation.”

“Cool. I feel weird always getting around in a town car, especially if it’s for personal stuff. It’s one thing back and forth to work, but, much like this place—” He gestured back at the building. “—it’s not quite me.”

“You didn’t have perks on CyberClear?” We started for the subway.

“I had a parking space at the studio, but I wasn’t driven unless we were on location, and then they were moving all of us around in vans.”

I looked at Ty and smiled. He gave me what I referred to as his quirky smile. It was mostly on his right side and was absolutely adorable. I’d never seen him use it with anyone but me, and I liked it.

“What?” he asked.

“I’d always hoped you were down-to-earth, and you just keep showing that side more and more. You’re beyond just nice and it’s more than just show. You really are a simple guy.”

“My parents would slap me upside the head if they ever read that I was being a dick. They were none too pleased when I moved and decided to give things a go in the big, bad city. Their hope was I’d maybe teach drama locally, but I wanted to see if I could hold my own and make a career of performing.”

“You’ve done pretty good for yourself.”

He nodded as we descended the subway stairs. “Yeah, I get to make a living at it. I’ve been able to pay off my parents’ house and stuff. And when I do go home, I drop in at my high school and teach a few classes so they like that too. What about your parents?”

Blurb

Can an onstage love story lead to a real-life romance?

Jeremy Steele is a veteran Broadway performer. For his latest role, he’s dancing alongside a man he’s fantasized about for years, TV star Ty Beaumont. Jeremy knows better than to get involved with a castmate, but when Ty has trouble learning the complicated choreography, Jeremy offers to lend a hand. When a rehearsal kiss turns into something more, Jeremy can’t help but wonder what a celebrity like Ty could ever see in a Broadway chorus boy like him. Will a relationship with his crush make it past previews, or can it become a long-running hit?

Bio

Jeff’s written stories since he was in middle school and became a gay romance writer in 2009 when his first short stories were published. Since then he’s written several more shorts and novels, including some in the young adult genre, and he plans to keep writing as long as wonderful readers keeping picking up his books.

Jeff lives in rural Northern California with his husband of twenty years, Will. Some of his favorite things include the musicals Rent and [title of show], the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition So You Think You Can Dance. If forced to pick his favorite book it would be a tie between Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and David Levithan’s Every Day.

Jeff is also the co-host of Jeff & Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast.

• Website: http://jeffadamswrites.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJeffAdams
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hockeyguynyc
• Jeff & Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast: http://biggayfictionpodcast.com

Giveaway

Jeff has brought a copy of Love’s Opening Night to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. Jeff would love to hear about your favorite book date scene! The contest ends on Wednesday, January 11th 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.
• 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.