Today I am so pleased to welcome Andy Gallo to Joyfully Jay. Andy has come to talk to us about his latest release, Better Be Sure. He has also brought along some great giveaways. Please join me in giving Andy a big welcome!

 

C – T – R [Conflict-Tension-Resolution]

A big thank you to Jay for having me on her blog today. Jay was one of the first people in the MM Romance community to welcome me. When I ‘showed’ up on the scene almost six years ago, Jay invited me to the DC Area Meet Up. I’ve met some wonderful people through the meet ups. I remember the first one I attended. I had ‘lil q with me and I met a number of people I still count as friends.

Recently I was saddened to read that Patricia Nell Warren had died. If you’re not familiar with the name, Warren wrote, The Front Runner. When it was published in 1974 it was definitely on the cutting edge. It has been billed as the most popular gay love story of all time having sold ten million copies.

I read this in the late eighties and it was the first gay love story I’d read. In those days, you had to go to a gay book store to find a selection of gay literature. I’m not giving out a spoiler when I tell you that this doesn’t have a HEA. Back when this was written, that was how it went. Gay characters didn’t get a happy ending. Assuming they lived, which they often didn’t. These days you face a backlash if you kill off the gay character. Back then, however, it was pretty standard.

I bring this up because, like all things, gay love stories have changed in the forty years since The Front Runner was published. Even the last decade has seen a tectonic shift. A number of ‘older’ (read – pre Oberfell v. Hodges) MM romances talk about marriage in a wistful way or the marriage is symbolic, not legal.

As a gay man, I’ve benefitted mightily from the changes. ‘lil q, my seven-year-old daughter, recently said how it was weird that Mike and I had her before we were married. She said that we were just boyfriends when she was born. To her, she hasn’t known a world where her daddy and papa couldn’t get married. Similarly, as writers, we’ve benefit from the changes. There really is no difference any longer between mm romance and mf. (Other than the obvious physical ones.) If the characters fall in love, marriage is a natural ending. Two men having children, once rarely seen, no longer seems novel.

The same for a world class athlete coming out. Sure we’re still waiting for someone in the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB to come out, but there are enough other out, well known athletes that writing about one in a novel now wouldn’t come off as outlandish. In 1974, it was pure fantasy.

Thanks to the trail blazing of Warren and the courage of all those in the public eye who have come out, it is possible to write stories where the main character is well adjusted and accepted. Where the conflict in the story can revolve around similar things to those in MF romance. And where tension can be caused by one character not coming out to the frustration of the other main character who sees no reason to hide anymore.

Thank you Patricia and God’s speed to your eternal HEA.


Blurb

When the stakes are this high, you better be sure you can win.

Jackson Murphy lost his parents to a boating accident, but they’re never far from his thoughts. He attends the same university as his parents, joined the same fraternity as his dad, and even lives in his father’s old room, along with his adopted brother Marcus. Life brightens when he meets the man of his dreams.

Edward Knowles trades full-time college for working during the day and community college at night when his father’s factory closes. He intends to stay deep in the closet to keep his job in heating and cooling. But Jack pushes all his buttons.

Jack’s college rival challenges him to bring a date to the upcoming dance. He goads Jack into accepting even though failure means he and Marcus will lose their room and Jack must leave the fraternity.

Jack is falling hard for Ed, but Ed will never agree to go the dance. Ed—not knowing the stakes of the wager—has also made it clear that Jack taking another man will end their romance.

With pressure from friends and enemies alike, will Jack hold on to his legacy… or his heart?


Bio

Andy Gallo prefers mountains over the beach, coffee over tea, and regardless if you shake it or stir it, he isn’t drinking a martini. He remembers his “good old days” as filled with mullets, disco music, too-short shorts, and too-high socks. Thanks to good shredders and a lack of social media, there is no proof he ever descended into any of those evils.

Andy does not write about personal experiences and no living or deceased ex-boyfriends appear on the pages of his stories. He might subconsciously infuse his characters with some of their less noble qualities, but that is entirely coincidental even if their names are the same. And while Andy leaves the hard sci-fi/fantasy for his alter ego, Andrew, in his mind a touch of the supernatural never derailed a good relationship.

Married and living his own happy every after, Andy helps others find their happy endings in the pages of his stories. He and his husband of more than twenty years spend their days raising their daughter and rubbing elbows with other parents. Embracing his status as the gay dad, Andy sometimes has to remind others that one does want a hint of color even when chasing after their child.


Giveaway

Andy has brought two great giveaways today!

First, Andy and Anyta Sunday have teamed up to offer a copy of (Un)Masked by Andy Gallo and Anyta Sunday and one copy of Leo Loves Aries by Anyta Sunday. There will be one winner for each book. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Tuesday, April 9th at 11:59 pm ET.

In addition, Andy is giving away a $25 Dreamspinner gift certificate, two audio codes, and 3 $5 Amazon gift cards with this tour. Enter via the Rafflecopter for a chance to win.

*Readers are eligible to win one eBook during the tour and one of the three grand prizes

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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