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

 

A much more reticent, less chatty person, Audie was a difficult subject to approach. However: his best friend Justin is bi, and the interviewer has no shame. After buying drinks for Justin at the gay club Sweet Spot, Audie eventually wanders over, sweaty and looking rather delicious from dancing in a mesh top and smeary eyeliner. His ensemble includes leather pants so tight you can tell which way he’s tucked. Interviewer knows better than to buy Audie drinks, which he will refuse.

Interviewer: Who’s this?

Justin: This is my BFF and partner in crime Audie.

Interviewer: Hey. Does he go both ways, too?

Audie: No. I’ve got one too, sweetheart, sorry.

Interviewer: Where’s he at tonight?

Audie, clearly fairly intoxicated: Charleston. It fucking sucks. He goes to College of Charleston and we only see each other like, on weekend and shit.

Interviewer: What’s his name?

(Audie politely hails the bartender, orders a Johnny Walker to be put on his tab, and asks Justin and I if we want one. Shots ensue, courtesy of Audie).

Audie: His name’s Calhoun. He’s not named after the vice president of the Confederacy though. I asked. They’re just like, related somehow.

Interviewer: You seem like you really miss him.

Audie: (looks down) Yeah.

Justin: Oh Christ, don’t talk to him about Calhoun. He’ll get all maudlin and shit and Audie can be the most maudlin drunk ever.

Interviewer: No, I want to hear about him. Tell me about Calhoun.

Audie: So he’s so cute. He has this long brown hair to his shoulder and these super amazing blue eyes. And he’s the sweetest person in the world. I have no idea why the fuck he’s dating me. I just sort of take it, you know? Like some gift the universe has given me for no goddamn reason at all.

Justin: He also gets weirdly poetic when he’s drunk? No shock. He’s a poet. He’s start reciting it soon if we get him drunker.

(Interviewer orders another round of shots)

Interviewer: So how’d y’all meet?

Audie: My parents throw this fucking awful wine tasting every year. I hate it. But there was Calhoun, standing by the pool in this gorgeous blue seersucker suit. So we sneaked out together. I showed him the Battery at night. I wanted to kiss him so bad but it’s Charleston and you never fucking know who’s watching you there, you know? I hate it.

Interviewer: If you had to compare him to anyone in literature, who would it be?

Audie: (thinks hard) Probably Simon from Lord of the Flies. He’s sweet and such an old soul and he wants everyone to get along.

Justin: Simon dies at the end.

Audie: Shut the fuck up, Justin.

Interviewer: So what do you two do together when he comes up here? I guess he comes up here so no one sees you two together.

Audie: We hook up a lot. A lot. We go walking by the river and go out to dinner and, I don’t know, normal couples stuff. The cigar bar. I took him to a drag show once and it scared the hell out of him. We drink on the roof on my dorm.

Interviewer: Does he come clubbing with you?

Audie (laughs): God no. Calhoun’s not into that. Wish he was. He’s be fun to dance with.

Interviewer: So, I have to ask: who’s on top?

Justin, laughing: Audie. Calhoun’s on his knees as soon as Audie snaps his fingers.

Audie, smacking Justin: God, you don’t have to put it like that, asshat. I’d rather not talk about that, anyway.

Interviewer: Sorry, Audie. Do you ever get Calhoun presents?

(Justin rolls his eyes)

Audie: Yeah. I get him lots of clothes, which is easy because we’re the same size, and cufflinks because I love him in French cuffs, and all kinds of little stupid things I know he’ll like. You know. D&D stuff. Calhoun loves to play D&D. He’s such a dork sometimes. He keeps begging me to play with him but I’m a total holdout. (Sighs) I’m getting him Phish tickets soon. I fucking hate Phish but he can be such a jam band pseudo-hippie. Ironic, because he’s never even <em>tried </em>pot.

Interviewer: Have you?

(Justin snickers)

Audie: Moving on from my recreational drug experimentation. (Pause) Hey, do you mind taking some selfies with me? My dad’s always on my ass about fucking girls, and if I can send him some pics with a cute one, he lays off me for a few weeks.

Interviewer: No problem. (Poses with Audie, including on his lap and kissing his cheek. Many pictures are taken. Audie cleverly removes the mesh top for these photos and removes his eyeliner).

Audie (putting shirt back on): Okay, time to fix my guyliner. Nice to meet you. Thanks for the pictures, honey. It gets my dad of my ass and really helps me out. Hope to see you out again sometimes. (Kisses interviewer’s hand and wanders off. Total melt at his impeccable manners).



Blurb

Audie Currell, the only son of one of the richest families in Charleston, runs off from his parent’s wine tasting with his father’s business associate’s son, Calhoun Chatterton, another well-off teenager from Savannah. They start dating in secret. But Audie’s abusive childhood stands in the way of an authentic relationship — as does their family’s homophobia. They have to hide their relationship while coping with Audie’s trauma. Can two naive teenagers manage such a difficult task?

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Bio

Julia McBryant is, as the saying goes, Southern born, Southern bred, and when she dies, she’ll be Southern dead. When she’s not riding her horse or writing, Julia likes to play with her German Shepherds and rescued greyhounds, make all the crafts (especially those involving glitter), and hike, especially in the North Carolina mountains. She is grateful her husband tolerates both the dogs and the glitter.

However, she spends most of her time writing like tomorrow won’t arrive, like she needs it to survive, every second she’s alive, etc. (see Hamilton for details). She also lives to sing in the car, especially David Bowie.


Giveaway

Julia is giving away a $20 Amazon gift certificate with this tour, as well as eBook copies of It’s Enough, Like Sunshine, and Slow Dance. Enter via Rafflecopter

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