Today I am so pleased to welcome Eden Winters to Joyfully Jay. Eden has come to talk to us about her latest release, Drifter (which we reviewed here). She has also brought along copies to give away! Please join me in giving Eden a big welcome!

I started writing poetry young, well before I ever tried to write a novel. Sometimes words line up with meter and rhyme for me and won’t go away. Sometimes the music comes along with the words.

My latest novel, Drifter, about two musicians getting a second chance at life, contains several poems and songs that I wrote especially for the book, and others that I’d kept on my hard drive for some time. I might recite or sing these compositions for friends, but I’ve never tried to publish them.

Lyrics without music have to be poetry, and poetry with ideas, because you don’t want to read fifteen lines of yeah, yeah, yeah in a novel, and neither do I. I’ve tried to give the story lyrics that mean something to Killian Desmond and Mike Rose.

Through them, I can at least imagine these being performed before an audience.

Here are the words to the title song “Drifter:”

Drifter, just a drifter,

Unknown, unloved, alone,

I travel on this weary path,

Few have ever strode

In light and in the dark of night,

On and on I go,

I know not where I am right now,

Traveling this road

Drifter, just a drifter,

Wandering in the cold,

I seek a place I may not find,

May seek until I’m old

Drifter, just a drifter

But at the end of the day,

No matter what choices I may find,

I’d live no other way

If the names Killian and Mike sound familiar, they starred in novella Highway Man. Folks asked for more, particularly wanting to hear Mike’s point of view, as Killian was the narrator in the novella, and I like to give readers what they want.

Maybe one day these lyrics will find their music, the way Mike and Killy have found each other.

Drifter

Some legends never die.

Killian Desmond met his end in the fiery crash that killed his band, or so the newspapers say. Now a nameless drifter, he plays one pick-up gig after another in a haze of pain and regret, moving on the minute someone says, “You sound like that guy from Trickster.”

Getting outed cost Mike Rose his musical family. A bassist without a band, he’ll play any kind of music to earn a paycheck, but Trickster’s music provides light during the darkest moments of his life.

A chance meeting brings together two lost souls who spark enough heat to set their guitars on fire. Their chemistry, both onstage and off, feels like something written in the words of a song and gives them courage to face life again.

But to seize their future, they have to confront their past.

Every damned, ugly inch of it.

Blurb

Some legends never die.

Killian Desmond met his end in the fiery crash that killed his band, or so the newspapers say. Now a nameless drifter, he plays one pick-up gig after another in a haze of pain and regret, moving on the minute someone says, “You sound like that guy from Trickster.”

Getting outed cost Mike Rose his musical family. A bassist without a band, he’ll play any kind of music to earn a paycheck, but Trickster’s music provides light during the darkest moments of his life.

A chance meeting brings together two lost souls who spark enough heat to set their guitars on fire. Their chemistry, both onstage and off, feels like something written in the words of a song and gives them courage to face life again.

But to seize their future, they have to confront their past.

Bio

You will know Eden Winters by her distinctive white plumage and exuberant cry of “Hey, y’all!” in a Southern US drawl so thick it renders even the simplest of words unrecognizable. Watch out, she hugs!

Driven by insatiable curiosity, she possibly holds the world’s record for curriculum changes to the point that she’s never quite earned a degree but is a force to be reckoned with at Trivial Pursuit.

She’s trudged down hallways with police detectives, learned to disarm knife-wielding bad guys, and witnessed the correct way to blow doors off buildings. Her e-mail contains various snippets of forensic wisdom, such as “What would a dead body left in a Mexican drug tunnel look like after six months?” In the process of her adventures she has written twenty gay romance novels, has won Rainbow Awards, was a Lambda Awards Finalist, and lives in terror of authorities showing up at her door to question her Internet searches.

When not putting characters in dangerous situations she’s a mild-mannered business executive, mother, grandmother, vegetarian, and PFLAG activist.

Her natural habitats are airports, coffee shops, and on the backs of motorcycles.

Giveaway

Eden has brought five copies of Drifter to give away to Joyfully Jay readers. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Sunday, July 12th at 11:59 pm ET.

• 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.