Renae:  Today I welcome back to my blog a wonderful writer – CJane Elliott.  I first had CJane on my blog back in January 2014 with Wild and Precious!  Wow – has it been that long?

CJane:  It doesn’t seem like it! Thanks for having me back.

Renae:  And now you have a new book out Sex, Love and Videogames.  Tell me, what have you been doing between now and Wild and Precious?

CJane:  Working, dancing, visiting my family in the Washington, DC, area. We’ve also been hosting my son’s best friend who moved back to the area, so with two 19 year old musicians in the house, it’s been lively! In the writing game, along with finishing Sex, Love, and Videogames, I also wrote a follow up novella to Wild and Precious, titled There You Are. It should be out by the end of this year.

Renae:  Congratulations on the new release that came out on the 21st of August.  Let’s have a look:

Blurb

Shy guy Jed Carter has always felt invisible next to his charismatic older brother, Kent. Kent’s master plan for Jed is simple: University of Virginia, fraternity, business, sports, and ladies’ man. None of it is Jed, except for playing on the rugby team, which he joins in defiance of soccer-loving Kent. Jed comes out in his sophomore year and starts seeing Pete, an attractive junior, who uses him for sex and videogames. Jed wants more—in life and in love—and starts making his own plans. First on the list: getting to know Charlie, the handsome guy working at the local videogame arcade.

Charlie Ambrose has always felt like an oddball, and not just for his tendency to stutter. Being gay sets him apart from his African-American community, and as a “townie,” he doesn’t fit in with the college crowd. Charlie’s inspiration is his cousin, Morocco, who’s transgender and doesn’t give a fig about fitting in. Art is Charlie’s passion, and when a local videogame designer discovers him, Charlie’s living a dream. The only thing he’s missing is love. But the last person Charlie expects to find it with is a cute, white U.Va. rugby player named Jed.

Renae:  The shy guy and the stutterer?  Most stutterers I know are pretty shy themselves.  How on earth did they ever get together?

CJane:  Right? It’s pretty much of a miracle because neither one of them reeks confidence. But Jed has gotten fed up with not being the author of his own life and he’s just been dumped by his “sex and videogame” buddy Pete. Something impels him to go over to the videogame store and talk to that cute guy Charlie. On Charlie’s part, his cousin Morocco happens to be present when Jed stops by, sees the sparks between the two, and sees how Charlie is being stopped by his concern about his stuttering. She drags Charlie to Jed’s next rugby game because she’ll be damned if she’ll let Charlie get in his own way.

Renae:  Do you have any personal experience with a stutterer?  My husband and son are both stutterers (I don’t believe you are ever “cured,” you just learn to control it).  I know the emotional toll it can take on a person when they are unable to control their own mouth.  My husband is emotionally scarred by the stutter he didn’t learn to control until his late teens.  My son as well, he was only five, but it worried him greatly.

CJane:  I knew people who stuttered growing up and in courses that I took. It has to be a hard thing emotionally, like anything that makes a child “different” or subject to teasing. It was satisfying showing Charlie overcoming his concerns and ultimately not being stopped by his stuttering in love or profession.

Renae:  Coming from Australia, our ethnic groups are very different from those of America.  I therefore enjoy learning about different cultures in different novels.  Did you find it hard to write one black and one white character?

CJane:  Race in America is a hard subject. You only have to look at what is happening with the disproportionate police violence against black people to know that racism is still deeply ingrained in our culture. When Charlie emerged as a biracial character (meaning, I didn’t plan for him to be so but that’s what he was), it wasn’t so much hard to write him and his family, as daunting, only because I was afraid of unknowingly perpetuating stereotypes or racist attitudes. Dreamspinner Press has a Diversity Panel which will review manuscripts and I felt fortunate to have their feedback.

Renae:  What about college life?  How hard do you find it to write that?

CJane:  I love writing about college life. I think it’s that “new adult” phase that I find interesting. It’s the period in life when people are having to discover who they are and what they want, and unlike most teens, have the freedom to do something about it. I like writing about their changing relationships with their families and their discoveries.

Renae:  The blurb mentions “Pete” – is this Pete from the first novel in the Serpentine series?  Serpentine Walls?

CJane:  Yes. Pete is the main character in Serpentine Walls. He goes through a number of bad relationship choices until finally ending up wiser and with the guy he was meant to be with. Jed was one of the guys who Pete wasn’t very nice to, not that Jed deserved that, but because Pete wasn’t ready to be with anyone in a serious way.

Renae:  So when you wrote Serpentine Walls, did you always plan to write Jed’s story?

CJane:  No. I didn’t plan ahead to write more in the series, but even before the end of Serpentine Walls I knew I wanted to write about Aidan Emery, the glamorous senior who is involved with the professor. I wanted to know why a guy like Aidan, who seemed to have everything going for him, ended up so damaged. That book became Aidan’s Journey. But people who read Serpentine Walls loved Jed and felt for him, and after I got Aidan out of my system, I decided to write his story.

Renae:  Do we need to read the first books in the Serpentine series before this one?

CJane:  Not necessarily. They’re stand-alone novels, although Serpentine Walls covers some of the same events from Pete’s point of view. Jed doesn’t even come into Aidan’s Journey at all.

Renae:  In our 2014 interview, you mentioned two more books in the Serpentine series.  Are these still going ahead?  Can you tell us a bit about them?

CJane:  The next book in the Serpentine series will be the story of Jed’s brother Kent and Kent’s college roommate Tucker. They are going off to Quantico to be in the military at the end of Sex, Love, and Videogames and neither one of them is identifying as gay. But they love each other deeply and so… we shall see!

Renae:  And what are you working on now?

CJane:  Two things. I am writing a third novella in the Wild and Precious universe on a young character that will be introduced in There You Are. And Dreamspinner just came out with a Harlequin-inspired imprint called Dreamspun Desires. I’m all over that! I’m plotting a cruise-ship romance of enemies to lovers.

Renae:  I have to ask though – rugby?  Is it a big thing in the US?

CJane:  Ha ha, not really. I picked rugby as Jed’s sport while writing Serpentine Walls. I wanted him to be a jock of some sort, someone quite different from Pete who is more of an artsy type. I did Google to make sure U.Va. had a rugby team! But I have to confess, I know next to nothing about rugby so I was praying that I could skate by on some vague references!

Renae:  I’ve googled some pictures of rugby (here in Western Australia, we tend to watch Aussie Rules over rugby – maybe I should change my mind...)  Tell me, did you pin up pics of rugby players to get you in the mood.  (You can tell me the truth **wink**  Come on!)

CJane:  Oh yes, that’s really why I picked it! Rugby players are fine!

Renae:  Okay, okay.  Tell us where we can find you on social media.

CJane:  
E-mail: cjaneelliott@gmail.com
Website: http://www.cjaneelliott.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJaneElliott
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjane.elliott

Renae:  Thanks for joining me again today.  Repeat customers are always the best.  Thanks for the fun and I hope you have a great release.

CJane:  Thanks so much, Renae! You ask the best questions. I always have fun answering them.

 

 

Renae:  Hi everyone!  On today’s blog I have another lovely Dreamspinner author joining me to chat about their latest release, which is out TODAY.  Let us please welcome Charley Dess— Dee— Day—  Dammit!  Okay – you need to tell me how to pronounce your name because I have to say Dess-Cott-Toox in my head in order to spell it.  **feels like the uneducated Australian and realises that she is**

Charley:  Hi everyone! Thank you so much for having me, Renae. Haha, sorry about that! If I’d really thought my Romances would be published I would’ve chosen a pen name that was easier to spell. It’s pronounced Des-ka-Toe. I have my love of old-school Romances and my French Canadian heritage to blame. ;)

Renae:  Right.  Thank you.  And sorry about that.  If it makes you feel any better, I can tell you I used to work for a company called Yamaatji Marlpa Barna Baba Maaja Aboriginal Corporation.  I can pronounce it easily **winks** but it was a bit of a mouthful when you were answering the phone.

Charley: Now THAT is a mouthful! When I first moved to Oregon it was so hard to remember how to say Willamette (the second syllable is stressed wil-Lam-et) and that was embarrassing.

Renae:  So congratulations!  Happy release day  **throws confetti**  Today has been the release of your new story, Buchanan House.

Blurb:

Eric Allen, thirty-three-year-old line cook, moved in with his grandmother, Jewell, after a disastrous coming-out when he was in middle school. She raised him, and he cared for her when she fell ill. When Jewell died, she left everything to Eric—angering his parents and older brother. The inheritance isn’t much, but Eric and his bestie, Nathan, pool their money and buy an abandoned hotel on an isolated stretch of the Central Oregon Coast. The hotel isn't far from Lincoln City—a town with its own Pride Festival and named for a president—so they christen it Buchanan House after James Buchanan, the “confirmed bachelor” president with the close male friend.

Eric and Nathan need a handyman to help them turn Buchanan House into the gay resort of their dreams. Eric finds Tim Tate in the local listings, and over the months leading to opening weekend, Tim reveals himself as a skilled carpenter with many hidden talents. Eric falls hard for Tim, but before he can see a future with the gorgeous handyman, he has to get over twenty years of being bullied and shamed by his birth family. It would be much easier if Eric’s brother Zach wasn't trying to grab part of the inheritance or ruin opening weekend.

Renae:  **looks up from her computer screen**  Oh, sorry.  I got side tracked when I went to google facts about James Buchanan.  An interesting man.  What do you think – was he gay?  Bisexual?  Broken-hearted but straight?

Charley:  I’d like to think he was bi, but I’m a little biased that way. As far as I know he never formally came out, so until someone invents a time machine we can only speculate. He was an interesting president, it’s too bad he had to serve right before Lincoln and the Civil War. Timing is important—good ideas ahead of their time don’t always win a lot of friends.

Renae:  Do you ever think about your international audience when you write a book?  As an Australian author I’m conscious of every single word I write in a book and try to work out if it will translate.

Charley:  Interesting question! I live in Northwest Oregon, way up in the Northwest corner of the US. It’s a beautiful area which, for better or worse, a lot of people haven’t seen and know little or nothing about. Because of this, I try to be as descriptive as possible—especially with the “local flavour” bits—so everyone can enjoy the story without being confused. I hope this helps my foreign readers. I love reading books set in places I’ve never been and it would be wonderful if someone read Buchanan House and felt almost like they’d taken a vacation on the Oregon Coast!

Renae:  So in this book, Buchanan House, Eric is scorned by his parents when he comes out, but accepted by his grandmother.  Was there a reason that his grandmother was so accepting whereas his parents weren’t?

Charley:  The details about his grandmother are spoilery—you’ll have to read the book to learn those. But the reaction of his “liberal” parents is taken from my own life. Most of my family always seemed liberal, maybe even open-minded, so when my daughter came out as trans their hostile reaction was a shock to me. They didn’t bully her, that would’ve been going too far, but within a few months they had all disowned me. I’ve heard many authors say they put certain parts of themselves into their characters. I gave poor Eric some of my reactions to being bullied and it was cathartic. Hopefully it makes a good story too.

Renae:  And Nathan, Eric’s best friend, is he gay too?  Is this why they have decided to open a gay resort?

Charley:  Yes, Nathan is flamboyantly, colorfully gay. Eric and Nathan met in middle school because they were both targets for bullies. Their dream back then was to open a B&B. It took them a while but they made that dream come true, even if it’s not exactly as they’d pictured it.

Renae:  I’m assuming that buying an old building and converting it to a hotel would be a horrendous amount of work.  Do you have any experience in the hotel industry?

Charley:  The camp is old, but it’s not in bad shape. They did have a lot of work to do, but I tried not to make readers slog through it all with them.  **grin**

I have a tiny bit of experience with B&Bs. A friend of mine ran one on her property and I helped her with it a few times. Just enough to know that I’m not cut out to make a career of it!

Renae:  Do you think there is a need of gay resorts?  Is it something that is a viable business?  Is it discrimination against the non-gay people?

Charley:  I don’t see anything wrong with specialized or themed resorts of any kind, as long as people aren’t turned away if they don’t “measure up.” In an area like the Pacific Northwest, with a high LGBTQ+ population and a thriving tourist industry, I think it could go over well if done right. In the case of Buchanan House the camp isn’t visible from the highway so they wouldn’t get many (if any) drop-ins. That would virtually eliminate any need to turn anyone away. I saw Eric and Nathan advertising at Pride and in gay travel guides, growing their business mostly by word of mouth.

Renae:  How much different do you think Eric’s life would’ve been if his parents had not rejected him, but had begrudgingly allowed him to continue to live with them?

Charley:  Probably it would have been a lot worse for Eric. As it was, his family was vocal about his “lifestyle choice” but he had his grandmother’s unconditional love to rely on. Without that, he would’ve had a much harder time getting comfortable with his sexuality.

Renae:  Tell me about your writing?  You write across a variety of genres, different lengths, and also in YA.  Is there a niche that you’re most comfortable with?

Charley:  Most of my stories are contemporary, and that’s the sub-genre I’m most comfortable with. But I also love reading all kinds of speculative fiction so sometimes those stories come knocking at my door too.  

Length is a tricky one. I started many years ago with short stories and still love writing them. I understand that they’re not always emotionally satisfying for readers, though. I love sinking into a world and really getting to know a group of characters and that’s not possible with shorter works. Some stories seem to want to be novellas but I’m taking extra time now to decide whether a story is truly finished or if I can tell a little bit more and give readers a more satisfying experience without that feeling of padding. 

Renae:  Does Nathan have a story to tell us?  Is there going to be a part two to the book?

Charley:  *fingers crossed* I sure hope so, because I wrote his story!

Renae:  As an Australian, I have little knowledge of American states, but I had to look up if Oregon had a coast!  I didn’t realise **yeah, please don’t laugh too hard at the Aussie**  To me Oregon is wagons and snow (I loved the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers which was set in 1850 Oregon **wink**).  How do you pick your settings for your book?  Do you need to have visited the place?

Charley:  Not laughing at all! We Americans have a reputation for not being aces at geography and I have to admit that I wouldn’t get an A+ on a quiz about Australia. Most of what I know about your part of the world is from movies and reading Romances.  *grin*

I set my stories in places I love, places that seem almost like characters to me.  The greater Portland area is perfect for a writer—we have everything here. If you drive two hours west you’re at the coast, two hours east to the mountains, and in between there are wetlands, forests, small towns, and five-star hotels. I love the whole Pacific Northwest, from Oregon and Washington to British Columbia, there are so many stories here!

Renae:  Is there a place you long to set a book in?

Charley:  I’d love to set a book somewhere in South America—Brazil or Colombia. Probably because I’ve always wanted to go there. My wish list would also include Japan, Australia, France and the UK—heck, I want to travel everywhere and then write a book set there! **grin**

Renae:  What are you writing now?

Charley:  I’m busy with edits for two stories so I haven’t been writing as much as usual. This year I’ll have a standalone Christmas story with Dreamspinner, Cascades. Right now I’m beginning edits and waiting for cover art. I love stories of second chances and guys who don’t usually appear in M/M Romances (like silver foxes!) and JB and Doug qualify on both counts!

Renae:  Where can people contact you?

Charley:  I hang out in all the usual places: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and the prettiest timesink on the internet--Pinterest. Rattle my cages anytime!  **grin**

Renae:  Thanks for coming along and meeting with me today.  It’s been wonderful having you visit.  Congrats once again on the release, and I hope it does fabulously for you.

Charley:  Thanks so much for having me, Renae!

Yes.  This weekend in my household there will be marital discord, because I go for the Dockers and my husband is an Eagle.

But wait, there’s more.

You see, my Dockers are currently on top of the AFL ladder, and the Eagles are second.  So it’s sure to be a huge game.  Any time that it is one-versus-two it’s big.  But to have the two Western Australian teams...

To understand a little more about how much of a big deal this is, I’ll tell you a little history of the game.  We’re talking about AFL here – the Australian Football League, otherwise known as Aussie Rules to differentiate it from soccer or rugby.  The sport developed from a game that has its earliest documented history in about the 1820’s.  It is said to have been created in Melbourne, which is the capital city of Victoria.  But soon the whole of Australia was playing it.  By the time I was born, each capital city had their own leagues.  The Western Australian league is called the WAFL (pronounced ‘waffle’) where our top clubs compete.

But by far, the most popular league was the VFL – the Victorian league.  It was run on a national level, where the best players from all over Australia were drafted into the various Victorian clubs, and the serious money and fame were involved.  But they only had Victorian teams, and I still remember my father going for Carlton.

Then, as my fellow Australian author, Sean Kennedy likes to say, the other states of Australian whinged about how they wanted to join the VFL, and so the competition expanded and became the AFL.  It was now a league that was Australian wide, with the first non-Victorian team entering the competition in 1982. 

In 1987, Western Australia got their first state team – the West Coast Eagles.  We were extremely proud of our team, and since WA has one of the strongest amateur football leagues, WCE soon became a powerhouse team.  Converting from a fan of whichever VFL club you went for, to go for your new state team was a pretty easy choice for most.  However, in 1995, Western Australia became the first state outside Victoria to be represented by more than one team.  The strong support in WA meant there was now room for another team – and The Fremantle Dockers were formed.

Oh, what a dilemma this created in the hearts of footy fans in WA.  When there was only the Eagles, we knew who to go for – but now there were two teams.  How to decide?

Perth is very divided geographically – we have a river that runs from east to west, and most people orient themselves in Perth by being North of the River (NOR) or South of the River (SOR).  The city of Perth is located on the north banks, and is technically NOR.  Our shipping port is Fremantle, and is technically located on southern side of the mouth of the river.  It was decided that the SOR WAFL clubs would lead to Fremantle, and the NOR WAFL clubs to Eagles.

It should’ve been easy to pick your team then – SOR people go for Dockers, and NOR for Eagles.  But no.  Since 1995 there has been a rather large resentment amongst the ranks.  Die-hard Eagles fans who refused to “switch” teams, see those who did change as “traitors.”  Freo fans see the Eagles being high-and-mighty, looking down their noses at their poorer brother.  To add to the mix, Fremantle has based their club around the history of the Fremantle ports, taking their name from the working-class dockside workers.  It is seen as a blue-collar working man’s club.  In comparison, the Eagle’s home ground is Subiaco, which is an inner city suburb of Perth, and there is a joke about the car park at an Eagles game having only the most expensive cars in it.

However you decided your team, you were frowned at by the others.  And as Sean Kennedy likes to tell me, if you live in Perth and go for a team other than the WA teams, you are even more of a social leper.

My husband’s family made the switch to support the Dockers.  His mother, father and brother are all dyed-in-wool Dockers.  I’m a Docker.  I made the switch too.  However my husband refused to give up on “his” team and has firmly remained an Eagle.

Something is happening in Perth.

Something very special is happening in Perth this weekend.  Sunday to be exact.  From around 2pm.

             The Western Derby.

For those who don’t know what this is, you’re probably pronouncing it wrong too.  It’s DERR-BEE – the way it looks, not the olde English pronunciation of DAHR-BEE.

Davo from my latest release, You Are the Reason, explains it well.  Excerpt from Chapter Two:

The Tav was busy but not as crowded as it usually was. I strode to the bar and waved the owner, Charlie, over.

“Hey, Davo. What can I get you?”

“Corona, thanks. Where is everyone tonight?” I looked around at the slim pickings I had for the night’s entertainment.

“Derby,” Charlie grunted as he plonked the bottle on the bar for me.

I grimaced. I’d forgotten that the two local football teams were going head-to-head that night. It was a big deal in Perth. Bragging rights were on the line. We’re talking about sell-out crowds, marital discord, and at least one on-field fight per derby played.

After eschewing anything girly, I’d thrown myself into the football scene. Like every man in my family before me, I’d had to pick a football team to go for. I’d looked at my local team choices—West Coast Eagles or Fremantle Dockers—and decided they weren’t macho enough. So then I looked interstate: the Magpies, the Kangaroos, the Hawks, the Swans, the Lions….

Finally I’d set my eyes on the Demons. Yes. That described my internal struggle. So I became a Melbourne Football Club fan, and thus I hadn’t seen a premiership flag. Yet. I was hopeful. At the core of every Australian is the inability to give up on your footy team. So what if I’d followed them for fifteen years and never seen a flag? They’d once won three premierships back-to-back.

In the ’50s.

Yes.  This weekend in my household there will be marital discord, because I go for the Dockers and my husband is an Eagle.

But wait, there’s more.

You see, my Dockers are currently on top of the AFL ladder, and the Eagles are second.  So it’s sure to be a huge game.  Any time that it is one-versus-two it’s big.  But to have the two Western Australian teams...

To understand a little more about how much of a big deal this is, I’ll tell you a little history of the game.  We’re talking about AFL here – the Australian Football League, otherwise known as Aussie Rules to differentiate it from soccer or rugby.  The sport developed from a game that has its earliest documented history in about the 1820’s.  It is said to have been created in Melbourne, which is the capital city of Victoria.  But soon the whole of Australia was playing it.  By the time I was born, each capital city had their own leagues.  The Western Australian league is called the WAFL (pronounced ‘waffle’) where our top clubs compete.

But by far, the most popular league was the VFL – the Victorian league.  It was run on a national level, where the best players from all over Australia were drafted into the various Victorian clubs, and the serious money and fame were involved.  But they only had Victorian teams, and I still remember my father going for Carlton.

Then, as my fellow Australian author, Sean Kennedy likes to say, the other states of Australian whinged about how they wanted to join the VFL, and so the competition expanded and became the AFL.  It was now a league that was Australian wide, with the first non-Victorian team entering the competition in 1982.

In 1987, Western Australia got their first state team – the West Coast Eagles.  We were extremely proud of our team, and since WA has one of the strongest amateur football leagues, WCE soon became a powerhouse team.  Converting from a fan of whichever VFL club you went for, to go for your new state team was a pretty easy choice for most.  However, in 1995, Western Australia became the first state outside Victoria to be represented by more than one team.  The strong support in WA meant there was now room for another team – and The Fremantle Dockers were formed.

Oh, what a dilemma this created in the hearts of footy fans in WA.  When there was only the Eagles, we knew who to go for – but now there were two teams.  How to decide?

Perth is very divided geographically – we have a river that runs from east to west, and most people orient themselves in Perth by being North of the River (NOR) or South of the River (SOR).  The city of Perth is located on the north banks, and is technically NOR.  Our shipping port is Fremantle, and is technically located on southern side of the mouth of the river.  It was decided that the SOR WAFL clubs would lead to Fremantle, and the NOR WAFL clubs to Eagles.

It should’ve been easy to pick your team then – SOR people go for Dockers, and NOR for Eagles.  But no.  Since 1995 there has been a rather large resentment amongst the ranks.  Die-hard Eagles fans who refused to “switch” teams, see those who did change as “traitors.”  Freo fans see the Eagles being high-and-mighty, looking down their noses at their poorer brother.  To add to the mix, Fremantle has based their club around the history of the Fremantle ports, taking their name from the working-class dockside workers.  It is seen as a blue-collar working man’s club.  In comparison, the Eagle’s home ground is Subiaco, which is an inner city suburb of Perth, and there is a joke about the car park at an Eagles game having only the most expensive cars in it.

However you decided your team, you were frowned at by the others.  And as Sean Kennedy likes to tell me, if you live in Perth and go for a team other than the WA teams, you are even more of a social leper.

My husband’s family made the switch to support the Dockers.  His mother, father and brother are all dyed-in-wool Dockers.  I’m a Docker.  I made the switch too.  However my husband refused to give up on “his” team and has firmly remained an Eagle.

People often laugh at our split household and ask me how we “cope.”  I tell them (with a rather large grain of truth) about the two rules I have.
                1.  You don’t put down the other person’s team.
                2.  On derby day, the house is mine.

You may laugh, but it keeps the peace.  We don’t get angry at each other, because we’re not insulting the other team.  And when our teams play each other, he can go to his friend’s house where they can yell at their team together, because I will be in front of the TV yelling at my team.

With 20 years of history between the two teams, there is a huge rivalry.  You would think that the two teams that share so much (ie they are both hated by the teams “over east” and both have the physical disadvantage of being the teams that need to travel the longest distance in the league) would be a great support to each other.  No.  We have the greatest rivalry.

This morning I washed my Dockers jacket, ready to wear proudly for the next 48 hours.  Should they win, I will be wearing it all next week too.  Should they lose, I’ll put it away for a couple of days while I cry in shame.

In the next 48 hours you will not be able to greet someone without asking who they are going for. 

This morning on the news, three of the six top stories had to do with the derby . The other three articles were about a murder, a mining company losing $1.4b, and an extinction threat to the numbat.  Yes, the derby rated ABOVE gruesome stabbing murders and $1.4b. 

The radio gave me the latest betting stats.  

Cars are flying flags of their team. 

The latest craze in Perth is the great “bake off” where shops are making Eagles/Dockers themed cakes, muffins and more.

All for a game where 36 muscled men chase a red ball around the ground.

Some more stats for you about AFL:
                1.  AFL is the highest spectator attended sport in Australia.
                2.  The AFL grand final has the biggest crowd in attendance – in the world.  Yes.  The 2014 Grand Final had over 99,000 people there.  In comparison, the 2015 FA cup in England had 89,000 and the 2015 Playoffs in the US had 85,000 people. 2015 Superbowl had 70,000.
                3.  Stats for the Western Derby are tight with the Eagles beating the Dockers 21 times, but losing 20 times.  Of the last 15 games (ie the last 8 seasons) Fremantle have dominated, with WCE only winning 3 of those games.


So there is only one thing I can say.  GO FREO!

I had a fun morning looking at You Tube clips:
I’d like to see that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2TO35rZjO4
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwOrUwiv4zI

Top marks, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCoUKnswVWw

Top goals, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7hD0-xTv2w

Hard hits:  Obviously an Eagles fan made this.  Had a bit of a buzz from the old footage, but wow it’s a hard game.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh5hNY83UA4

Renae:  Hello, world.  I have survived my release and I’m now looking forward to Nic Starr’s new book – Andrew’s Promise.  It released today!  Yay!  **throws confetti** So happy release day! **grin**

Blurb

Young mechanic Andrew Campbell’s life couldn’t be better. He is about to restore a Ford Mustang with his dad before heading off on the ultimate cross-country road trip with his best friend, Tanner McKenzie.

But tragedy strikes, and Andrew’s life is shattered. Worried his family will be torn apart if he doesn’t step in, Andrew makes a tough choice between following his heart and doing what he needs to do to protect his little brother.

When Andrew pushes Tanner away, Tanner heads off on the planned trip alone. Once Tanner leaves town, his life takes a different path and it’s ten years before he returns. Now a firefighter, he’s never forgotten his first love, and no one has ever taken Andrew’s place in his heart. He’s determined to see if Andrew feels the same way. He just hopes Andrew’s excited to see him, hopes that he’s available—and finally out—after all this time.

They might not have been ready to deal with emerging feelings years ago, but now might be the time for their second chance at love. 

Renae:  This is the second book in the Heroes Series, following on from Charlie’s Hero which was released in June 2015.

Hi, Nic!

Nic:  Thanks for hosting me today, Renae. I’m so excited to be celebrating the release of Andrew’s Promise and it’s always a pleasure to visit your blog. **dances in confetti shower**

Renae:  So explain to us what the connection between Charlie’s Hero and Andrew’s Promise is.

Nic:  Charlie’s Hero is the story of Josh and Charlie. Josh was reluctant to come out to his brother, Andrew, and this put pressure on his relationship with Charlie. The reason for Josh’s hesitation was fear of losing the only family he had. Andrew had devoted his life to raising Josh, but certain things had lead Josh to believe that Andrew would push him away if he knew he was gay.

Andrew’s Promise tells Andrew’s story. It shows the type of man Andrew was before his father’s death changed the course of his life, and importantly, it gives Andrew his happy ever after.

Renae:  So this book starts before Charlie’s Hero took place?

Nic:  Yes. The story starts about ten years before the events in Charlie’s Hero. You’ll get to meet Josh when he was only fifteen, and meet the young Andrew and his best friend, Tanner.  Some of the events from the first book are retold but this time from Andrew’s point of view. The story then picks up at the end of Charlie’s Hero when Andrew and Tanner reconnect. I know a lot of readers particularly loved the little glimpse of Tanner at the end of Charlie’s Hero. **wink**

Renae:  So Andrew and Tanner were best friends – but never kept in touch?

Nic:  Andrew had his reasons, perhaps misguided, but with his brother’s best interests at heart, he pushed Tanner away. It was too painful for both of them to see each other if they couldn’t have more than friendship, so Tanner left town. Tanner ended up in the military, a career that kept him away.

Renae:  A second chance at love?  What about you?  What would you do if your high school crush turned up and declared he loved you?  Do you think you’d think about it if you were single?

Nic:  To be honest, while I love the idea of second chances at love, and enjoy reading about them in stories, I don’t think it is for me. Maybe it’s because I’m thinking back on my own boyfriends and none of them are up to scratch. I like the memories but that’s where they should stay. Perhaps it’s because it wasn’t really true love?

Renae:  Ten years?  Are they even the same people?

Nic:  People change a lot over the course of ten years. Particularly when they are young at the beginning of the journey.  Andrew and Tanner were only in their early twenties when they separated. They knew in their hearts they loved each other but they still had a lot of growing up to do. Andrew faced a lot of responsibility over ten years, and some of his regrets coloured his life. Tanner experienced life away from their town and saw more of the world than Andrew did. But at their core, they were the same people, just with different experiences and a new level of maturity.

Renae:  And what about Charlie and Josh?  Do we get to catch up with them in this book?

Nic:  Of course! It was fun to write Tanner’s response to meeting the ‘grown up’ Josh and learning he was in love with Charlie. And there’s a sneak peek at Josh and Charlie’s future.

Renae:  Can you tell us where your idea for the story and the series came from?  Was there something in particular that caught your attention?

Nic:  I started Charlie’s Hero in response to a story submission call for stories about love at first sight. The publisher only wanted shorter stories though, and my word count grew as Charlie and Josh’s story developed. So my short story grew to a novel. Andrew’s Promise came about because I wanted to give Andrew his happy ending. He’s such a caring and loving brother, he deserved to have the man of his dreams too.

Renae:  So you’re going to write a third?  A fourth?  For the series?

Nic:  The ending of Andrew’s Promise gives a big hint that Patrick and Simon will get their story in the next book. *grin* As friends of Josh and Charlie, they make an appearance in both books. When Patrick experienced some issues with his housemate, he moved in with Simon, a paramedic who works with Josh. They have a crush on each other but haven’t explored a relationship yet. So along with working up the courage to get together, Patrick needs to deal with some issues from this past. The book is called Patrick’s Savior. I have ideas for a fourth, and potentially a fifth book, so we’ll see.

Renae:  So in Charlie’s Hero we had a paramedic...  and now we have a firefighter in Andrew’s Promise...  Do we get a policeman in the next?

Nic:  Funny you should mention that! *grin* Patrick’s Savior’s lead characters are a paramedic and a school administrator. However, the police do get involved in the story. You’ll see some more of Duncan, a secondary character from the earlier books who is a cop. He’s the partner of Tanner’s best friend, Antonio. Antonio is an accountant by the way, so they’re not all emergency workers. And don’t forget Charlie is a schoolteacher and Andrew is a mechanic. LOL.

Renae:  C’mon – you can admit it Nic.  It’s just me (and all my readers).  Do you have a little bit of a “thing” for emergency workers?

Nic:  Yep! *grin* Doesn’t everyone?

Renae:  Okay, okay.  So tell me, was the second book hard to write when you had to match up timelines?

Nic:  Don’t remind me. Urgh! Keeping the timeline and story straight was a large focus during the writing of Andrew’s Promise. There are a number of scenes that appear in both books that needed careful consideration. But my biggest challenge was writing one particular conversation that appears in both books. It’s the scene in the first story, where Josh gets the idea that Andrew is not supportive of gay people. After this discussion takes place, Josh sees Andrew push Tanner, his best friend away, so is sure this is what Andrew would do to him. In Andrew’s Promise, this whole series of events is told from Andrew’s point of view.

Renae:  Is there any great sacrifice you’ve made in your life for family?

Nic:  Sacrifice is part of being in a family and having kids. As mothers, we always put our children first. But I don’t believe I’ve done anything any other mother or family member wouldn’t do. Any sacrifices I’ve made have been relatively small compared to some of the life changing acts I’ve seen of others. I’m grateful every day, that my family is healthy and whole, and these types of sacrifices aren’t required.

Renae:  Thanks for joining me on my blog, and sharing a bit of your journey.  Good luck with this new book and I hope it’s a great release day for you.

Nic: Thank you so much for having me. It’s been lots of fun as usual. **heart**

Character interview – Davo and Lee

 

Renae:  Today on my regular interview blog spot, I thought it may be fun to interview my characters.  I’ve never done it before, so I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out, but I’ve invited Davo and Lee to come down and chat with me today, and tell me a little bit more about their story.

But...  **looks hopefully at the door**  ...they haven’t turned up.  **Checks her watch**

Umm...

Okay, look – perhaps we’ll start with the blurb while we wait.

Blurb:

Davo’s a pretty average guy. He has a decent job, owns his own home, and spends his weekends at the pub. He fully accepts that he’s gay, but doesn’t want to be one of those gays, who are femme and girly. He likes football and other masculine pursuits, and firmly avoids anything that could be seen as femme—including relationships that last beyond fifteen minutes.

Then Davo’s friend and gay idol not only gets a boyfriend, but also adopts a baby girl. Davo is seriously spooked and scuttles down to the pub in fright. That’s where he meets Lee, who is cute from her cherry-red hair, to her pretty little dress and pointy red shoes. Davo is charmed—but how is that possible? He’s gay. Isn’t he? Then Lee tells him he’s actually a guy—he just likes to wear women’s dresses occasionally. Thoroughly confused about an attraction that’s out of character for him, Davo begins the long journey to where he can accept himself without caring what everyone else thinks.

 

Renae:  So I thought it would be fun to ask Davo and Lee a little bit more about... **hears a noise and looks up**  Davo!  Lee!  I’d just about given up on you.  Come on in and take a seat.

Davo:  Sorry we’re late.  There was... uhh... traffic.

Lee:  **rolls his eyes**  You can tell her the truth, Dave.

Renae:  The truth?

**Lee and Renae look at Davo, who just grits his teeth**

Lee:  **sighs**  Look, the truth is we’re late because Davo accidentally told me that we had to be here at ten-thirty.

Renae:  **confused**  But you did have to be here at ten-thirty.

Lee:  **nods**  Which is why you should always tell me ten o’clock.

Davo:  I didn’t accidentally tell you.  I told you ten.  You snooped and found out.

Lee:  Yes.  I did find out.  And I also found out that you lied to me and told me the wrong time.

Davo:  **affronted**  But you just told Renae to lie to you and tell you the wrong time.

Lee:  That’s because I don’t know her.  I know you.  And now that I know that you lie to me, I have to go behind your back and check the real time, so that I know.

Renae:  But even when you found out the right time, like today, you’re still late.

Davo:  **chuckles**

Lee:  **glares at Renae**  Whose side are you on?

Renae:  **looks nervously between Lee and Davo** Umm...  The side of whoever is going to make people turn up to things on time?

Davo:  Exactly!  Who made us late to Maxine’s baptism?

Lee:  We were only a couple of minutes late.

Davo:  **mutters**

Lee:  **shrugs**  Okay, so we were fifteen minutes late.  We didn’t miss the important bit, did we?

Renae:  **interjects before it gets any further**  How about we start the interview?  We’re now thirty minutes behind.

**More muttering from Davo which she ignores**

Okay.  My first question is for Davo.

Davo and Lee together:  Dave.

Renae:  Huh?

Lee:  Dave.

Renae:  I though he...

Davo:  **flushes**  Leave it, Lee.

Lee:  No, it’s alright.  Renae will understand.  “Davo” is only for friends.  Male friends.  He prefers if the ladies, his family and workplace call him Dave.

Renae:  But you called him Dave earlier on. 

Lee:  I have special-special privileges.  I’ve earned them.

**Renae and Dave both blush**

Renae:  Righto.  Moving right along.  So, Dave.  The first time you met Lee, you didn’t realise he was a guy.  Why not?

Davo:  Because he was wearing a dress.

Renae:  So?

Davo:  So guys don’t wear dresses.

**Lee elbows Davo who winces**

Okay.  Sorry.  I used to think guys don’t wear dresses.  I now know better.

Lee:  Yes.  I’ve taught him well.  He can now see a lot of advantages to the custom of me not wearing pants.

**Renae and Dave both blush again**

Renae:  **clears throat**  Moving along again.  Lee, this time, you.  Why were you wearing a dress?

Lee:  **shrugs**  Why not?

Renae:  Oh, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it, I was just wondering if there was a special occasion as to why that night?

Davo:  He was meeting another guy.  A straight guy.

**Lee elbows Davo harder**

**Renae thinks she heard an “oomph” that time**

Lee:  Shut up.  You’re skewing the situation.  Renae is going to think terrible things now.  Yes – I was meeting another guy--

Davo:  Who is straight.

Lee:  —but not like you think.

Renae:  You mean I’m not thinking why would a gay guy dress in women’s clothing and go to a pub to meet a straight man?

Lee:  Fine.  You are thinking.  But Bobby – the guy I was meeting – is trans.  That’s why I was in a dress.

**Renae thinks maybe she got out of the wrong side of the bed and ended up in a parallel universe or something **

Lee:  That still didn’t come out right, right?

Davo:  Only a third left-hand turn could be more right.

Lee:  Shut up.  **heaves a sigh**  You see I work for this youth centre, and my special interest is in counselling trans youth.  Bobby is trans, and was trialling going out in public as the opposite gender to what he was used to.  So I dressed as the opposite gender to support him.  So yes I was meeting a straight guy while I was in a dress, but there was nothing sexual about it.

Davo:  **mutters**

Lee:  Pardon?

Davo:  I said, your thoughts may not have been sexual, but any guy that saw you in that dress...

Lee:  **gives a coy smile**

Renae:  **squirms uncomfortably**  Ok.  So obviously the dress turned Dave’s head.  What about you, Lee?  What drew you to Dave?

Davo:  Hey – how come he gets all the questions?

Lee:  Because you hogged the whole book.  People find out so much about you, but I don’t get the spotlight at all.

Davo:  Who has a whole stripping scene at the end of the book?

Lee:  **smiles reminiscently**  Oh, yeah.  True.  It was a good scene, wasn’t it?

Davo:  Yeah.  Definitely.

**Renae thinks that maybe she should give up and leave the room**

Renae:  Ahh...

Lee:  Sorry.  What was the question again?

Renae:  Don’t worry.  How about we move on?  Dave – what is one thing about Lee that annoys you.

Davo:  Tell me, Renae – did you notice us turn up on time, or not?

Renae:  Uhh – right.  How about you Lee?  What does Dave do that annoys you?

Lee:  He talks to my dad.

**awkward silence**

Renae:  And that’s a bad thing?

Lee:  Yes!  They talk about things that I don’t understand.  Like splags and sputters.

Davo:  **drops his head into his hands**  It’s slag and spatter.  And they’re welding terms, Lee.  It’s nothing hard.  I told you that I would teach you how to use the oxy if you want.  But you refused.  You also refused to learn how to make a good batch of cement, how drill a hole in a wall, and how to use a hammer without hitting your thumb.

Lee:  But I don’t need to drill a hole in the wall.  You can do it for me.  And you’re still are banned from talking to my dad.  He rings our house to talk to you.  It’s like I’ve been demoted in my role as son.

Davo:  But didn’t Jake ring you to ask about a recipe this morning?  He’s my friend, yet called you.

Lee:  He’s our friend now.

Davo:  And you can’t share your father?

Lee:  No.

**Renae wonders if she’s superfluous to this interview**

Davo:  Why not?

Lee:  It’s a rule somewhere.  I’ve seen it.  I mean, next thing I know is that Dad will be coming around to pick you up to go to Bunnings.  And you two will go off and look at tools together.

**Davo looks at the floor**

Lee:  **screeches** WHAT?  You’ve gone to the hardware store with my dad?  When?

Davo:  **looks really chagrined**  You work some Saturday mornings.  I was bored.  And when Howard offered...

Lee:  Why didn’t you tell me?

Davo:  Because I knew you would over-react.  Like now.

Lee:  I am NOT over-reacting.  **Lee crosses his arms**

Davo:  Lee?

**Lee refuses to answer**

Davo:  Lee?  Look.  I’m sorry.  I’ll wait until you’re home next time Howard rings and the three of us can go together.  And I promise to not say a word if you have to buy coffee while you’re there.

**Lee still doesn’t answer**

Renae:  What’s wrong with buying coffee at Bunnings?  I do it all the time while I wait for my husband.

Davo:  Exactly.  Only people who are bored in Bunnings buy coffee.  So Lee buying coffee when he goes with me, is telling everyone he’s bored.  It’s embarrassing.

Renae:  So you don’t stop and buy coffee there?

Davo:  Never.  I’m too busy rushing home to play with my new toys.  **Looks at his boyfriend** Lee?

**Lee pouts**

Davo:  Fine.  **Looks at Renae**  Sorry about that.  This interview will go a lot smoother now that Lee’s not talking.

Renae:  **tries to hide a smile** Right.  Umm, where was I up to in my questions.  Sport!  Yes.  Now I understand that the two of you go for different football teams?  That could make things a little hard when the two teams play each other.

Davo:  Ha.  Super hard.  I mean, I at least go for a decent team.  Lee goes for Sydney and they--

Lee:  Are the best team ever.  Hello?  Who else has a double Brownlow Medal winner playing on their side?

Davo:  **gives Lee a sideways look** Welcome back.  Did you have a nice sulk?

Lee:  Who sulked after their Melbourne lost to my Sydney in Round six?

Davo:  I didn’t sulk.

Lee:  Did.

Davo:  Didn’t.

Lee:  Did.  I was banned from watching my foreign films on your TV for a fortnight.  It was rather petty of you, if I must say.

Renae:  Shall I tell you I’m a Dockers fan and we’re on top of the ladder at the moment?  So really, my team beats both of you.

**Lee and Davo both glare at Renae**

Lee:  **whispers to Davo**  Shall we leave now?

Dave:  **continues to glare at Renae**  Yes.

Lee:  I knew there was a reason we were late.

Davo:  I should’ve trusted you.  **stands up**

Renae:  Wait?  What about the interview?  Where are you going?

Davo:  We’re going to Bunnings.  C’mon, Lee.  I’ll buy you a coffee.

**Takes Lee’s hand and leads him from the room**

Renae:  Hey!

 

You Are the Reason releases on Friday, 7th of August.
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Amazon
ARe



In order to celebrate my release of You Are the Reason, I’ve organised a scavenger hunt.  I will be releasing ONE WORD as the hunt item on several stops of my blog tour.  In order to WIN an eBook copy of the book, follow along the blog tour and find a minimum of FIVE unique words.  Email the five words to me at renaekaye@iinet.net.au before August 16th to be in the draw.


Today’s word is:  BUNNINGS

I look forward to hearing from you.