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

Laura has written some questions and answers to share with us! 

What inspired you to write this particular story? What were the challenges in bringing it to life?

The inspiration for this original series was actually the last Star Wars trilogy! I was soaking up all that delicious smoldering tension between Kylo Ren and General Hux on an overnight flight to Asia and, in my slightly delirious sleep-deprived state, I was consumed by the incredible hotness of a possible hook-up between those two. What if they just sexed out all that tension and then totally fell for each other? They could literally change the trajectory of the whole galaxy. That pairing pretty much inspired my original heroes Dex & Nero in Anticipated Angel.

I was also inspired by the idea of a galactic empire that crucifies lovers for forbidden passions and the sort of explosive tension that would build in a world like that. There’s no crucifixion on the page in my story, and most of the series takes place after the practice of crucifixion has been abolished, but there’s still a powerful stigma and a lot of sexual baggage to overcome. Doing that takes great courage for all my characters. This novella has an open ending because it’s the very start of the fully published series. But Dex, Nero, and the other two who eventually form their polycule all find their happily-ever-after by the end.

Tell us something we don’t know about your heroes. What makes them tick?

Dex’s father is a galactic tyrant who crucifies soldiers for prohibited passions, including M/M pairings. So Dex has a lot of internalized homophobia to work through before he can even accept, much less act upon, his forbidden attraction for his male best friend. He assumes his best friend Nero, who comes from a rival race that doesn’t have this kind of baggage, must share the same worldview and would be offended to know Dex wants him. Nero has to be pretty direct and pretty persistent and really brave about his own attraction to Dex to compensate for all that.

What eventually became clear to me as I wrote this series is that Dex’s father Max, who never appears on the page but looms large across the story, has a M/M heartbreak in his own distant past.  It was only after his own romantic tragedy that Max turned into the psycho tyrant we hear about in the story. I’m exploring this backstory—the human behind the monster—and the repercussions that are still fallout from his disappointment decades later in the connected series I’m writing now.

Let’s talk to your characters for a minute – what’s it like to work for such a demanding writer?

Dex: That’s an utterly absurd sort of question. Clearly, I give the orders in this relationship. The bloody writer, like everyone else in the galaxy, marches to my drum.

Nero: Dex is probably telling you we all march to his drum. It’s important he feel that way, so don’t spoil it for him. We actually like the writer because she gives us lots (and lots!) of sexy times and a galactic happily-ever-after at the end.

Are you happy with where your writer left you at the end? (don’t give us any spoilers).

Dex: In a word, no.

Nero: We’re both in absolute fits. Thank gods this is only the prequel. We’re thrilled with where we are after Atomic Angel, which is where the full series wraps up.

What’s coming next for you?

The complete Astral Heat Romance Box Set Box releases wide on Apr. 11, and the print books come out in June. Right now I’m super excited to be releasing a standalone tie-in to that series set on modern-day Earth! Gemini Queen is a scorching MMMMF dark witch academy paranormal poly romance with lots (and lots!) of M/M action that’s available now for preorder here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V1PQRPB

Blurb

On an alien world that crucifies men for prohibited desires, two boyhood best friends risk the ultimate punishment to explore a forbidden passion.

Nero: He’s the most intimidating guy at our intergalactic next-gen leaders’ camp, and his psycho galactic tyrant of a dad has a crucifixion fetish. Our two races are deadly enemies, but Dex was my boyhood best friend. Suddenly this summer, he’s all grown up—and suddenly he can’t seem to stop staring at me. I don’t know whether to be afraid that it’s all a figment of my telepathic imagination…or that every dangerous desire we’re forbidden to acknowledge is searingly real.

Dex: I’m one combat-to-the-death away from the imperial command I’ve devoted my life to achieve. All I need to do is keep my dick in my pants. Besides, Ben Nero’s my oathsworn brother. Not to mention the most gorgeous, most maddeningly unattainable, most sought-after guy at leaders’ camp. There’s no way he’d ever look twice at a buttoned-tight, hyper-competitive, compulsive overachiever like me.

Until the night I blundered in on Nero in the shower. Which was a total catastrophic mistake. Because now I’ve seen what he looks like naked…now I’ve heard the way he sounds when he’s moaning my name…how in blazes do I keep him at arms’ length? Because my father crucifies men for loving men.

Which means letting Ben Nero in close, the way I’m burning to do, means risking the ultimate punishment.

For both of us.

Anticipated Angel is a steamy, angsty, friends-to-lovers MM new adult sci fi romance novella and the standalone prequel to the award-winning Astral Heat Romance Series.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/anticipatedangel/

Series Blurb:

The Astral Heat Romance Series is a steamy, angsty, enemies-to-lovers MMMF poly sci fi action romance series with M/M. Perfect for fans of Tymber Dalton, Kathryn Moon, Ariana Nash, and Pippa DaCosta. Here’s what early reviewers are saying about this category bestselling LGBTQ+ sci fi erotic romance series:

This award-winning series has notched contest wins in the RWA Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal On the Far Side Contest (speculative romance) and the 2021 Chesapeake Romance Writers’ Rudy Contest (erotic romance).

The Astral Heat Romance Series contains explicit M/M, M/F, and MMMF encounters.

Bio

A long time ago in a galaxy far away, Laura Navarre was an award-winning dark historical romance author for Harlequin, while her diabolical twin Nikki Navarre wrote sexy spy romance. In a daring bid to escape a global pandemic, armed only with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction and a professional background in weapons of mass destruction, Laura voyaged through a wormhole to an alternate universe where she crafts turbocharged, epic, hyper-erotic poly science fiction romance starring three sexy bi heroes, one seriously kickass heroine, and plenty of sizzling outer space action.

Interstellar Angel is a steamy, angsty, enemies-to-lovers MMMF poly sci fi action romance and your gateway to the Astral Heat universe, where Star Wars meets 50 Shades by way of The Hunger Games. Outer space adventure just got a whole lot hotter!

• Author Website: https://www.LauraNavarreSciFi.com
• Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.Facebook.com/LauraNavarreAuthor
• Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.Facebook.com/LauraNavarreInterstellarRomance
• Author Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LauraNavarre
• Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LauraNavarreAuthor
• Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LauraNavarre
• Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/laura-navarre/
• Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Navarre/e/B004NG6CTK/

Giveaway

Laura is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this 3 day blast:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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