Today I am so pleased to welcome Arden O’Keefe to Joyfully Jay. Arden has come to talk to us about a new release, It’s a Steal. Arden has also brought along copies to give away! Please join me in giving a big welcome!

 

Thank you so much Jay for hosting me on your blog today. I truly enjoy coming on here every now and then to feel the love we share for the books in the M/M genre!

While I have been a quiet reader in this genre, my mind has always created characters and stories of its own and occasionally I found myself creating word documents one after another full of these interesting characters. One of them, I recently decided, to put it out there for the world to read. This is the story of a cute nerd Dean Harrett who finds himself falling in love with a cafe owner Edric Wilcher a.k.a. Ed who is also a locally known rock star.

When I initially wrote the idea down, Dean was always pretty clear in my mind. He looks exactly the same as the guy portrayed on my cover page. When I sent my book for a beta read, one of the things the reader complimented me on was how clearly she could see the resemblance in my character and the model on the book cover. Plus, his story was crystal clear in my mind. Everything in the story happens because of the complicated situation in Dean’s life.

Edric, on the other hand, was more inspired by how Dean’s character is. The question I asked myself when I started thinking about Dean’s love interest was what kind of guy my Dean deserves. And that’s when the idea of a rock star began to grow in my mind. But then several questions bugged me – is Dean really the type who liked rock music? The obvious answer was no! And then another question arose – how would Dean bump into this rock God anyway? So, basically it took me a lot longer to develop Ed’s character and his story than Dean’s.

However, once I had them both figured, I couldn’t think of a better match for each other than them!

It’s a Steal comes out on July 27th, 2020 and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.


Blurb

Edric Wilcher has realized growing up that there are simply two things in this world he can never imagine his life without—music and coffee. This is the reason why he chooses the life of a famous rock star—at least, famous in his own small town, and then, goes ahead and opens up Rockstar’s Hideout Café. Every morning he serves his regulars and has a nice, long chat with them before they go back to their daily routine. His charms work wonders on them. Thanks to the good genes bestowed upon him, he doesn’t look half bad. So, it strikes him as odd that this new customer who walks in that morning carrying a heap of books doesn’t seem to even spare him a second glance.

“Coffee” is what he orders and Ed goes out of his way to make him feel special. But the redheaded nerd—okay, a cute nerd, probably cutest he’s seen in his life—just leaves with his books, leaving even the muffin-on-the-house completely untouched. The mystery surrounding this guy gets the best of Ed and when he finds a book left behind by this customer, he can’t help follow the trail to see him just one more time. Even if it is to get a name.

Dean Harrett has somehow misplaced the one thing that was supposed to help him out of his current problems—and that thing is not a cheesy, romance novel. What matters to him the most is what he’s kept in the book—the perfect plan that can make or break his future. And that book has gone now. Only if he can remember where he’s last seen that book…

Of course! The café, where that annoying barista just wouldn’t leave him alone so he had to leave.

But now Dean has to get back there and look for himself before anyone can lay their hands on it. He doesn’t even want to think about the worst-case scenario of someone finding out what he is up to. But this only means he will have to face the annoying, but handsome barista again. Ugh!


Bio

Arden O’Keefe has several passions and reading is one of them. It is through reading the works of several loved authors that O’Keefe was inspired to craft out some personal creations. The muse never stops to motivate and that’s how the story of Edric and Dean just developed by itself. This is where O’Keefe begins the journey hoping that it doesn’t end anytime soon.


Author Links


Giveaway

Arden has brought two copies of It’s a Steal to give away. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Tuesday, July 28th 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.
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