Welcome to our Grand Finale celebrations for the amazing
In our final post, we're going to take a look at All Of The Above and The Other Five Percent, as well as a sneak peek at Quinn's upcoming release The Long Way Around, which has an expected publication in August 2018. We also have our author interview and one more chance to win one of Quinn's books from her backlist!
First up, All Of The Above
Brendon isn’t in a rut, per se—he just always seems to be in-between things. Jobs. Degrees. Boyfriends. He never finishes what he starts. The perfect path is out there somewhere, and if he can just figure out what it is, he’s certain everything else will fall into place.
The last thing he expects is to meet his soul mate in the pages of a magazine quiz. “Who Is Your Perfect Man?” by Matthew Kingston seems like a road map to his future husband: the author himself. Brendon may not have his life figured out, but if Matt is as romantic as his quiz, Brendon can check “true love” off his to-do list.
When Brendon fakes a meet-cute between them, Matt proves to be as wonderful as he hoped. The more Brendon gets to know him, the harder he falls. But Brendon has a confession to make: how can he explain to Matt that he arranged their “fated” meeting? Brendon can’t tell if he’s found his soul mate, heartache, or all of the above.
Excerpt:
Before Matt could get more than a few steps away, Brendon blurted out, “Doyouwannagetcoffeesometime?”
Matt halted and turned back. “What?”
Brendon took a deep breath before trying again. “Do you want to get coffee sometime? With me?”
Matt’s mouth turned down. “Really?”
“Well, yeah.” Brendon shuffled his feet. “If you want to.”
There was a beat of tense silence. Then Matt took a step back toward him. “I would like that.”
It was Brendon’s turn to ask, “Really?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Brendon hesitated. “Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but you don’t seem so sure.”
“No, I would love to. I just . . .”
Brendon waited. When an answer wasn’t forthcoming, he prompted. “You what?”
Matt was looking down at his shoes—brown leather dress shoes, Brendon noted, shined to perfection—but at that, he glanced up, and a smile slid across his lips slow as honey. “I was surprised, is all. I didn’t expect the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen to want to get coffee with me.”
Brendon’s heart skipped as if it were playing hopscotch on his sternum. It seemed he’d been wrong about Matt all along. He wasn’t shy, and he was sexy as hell. Brendon was beginning to suspect he was in way over his head.
It’s always the quiet ones.
While he was still struggling to think of something to say, Matt sauntered back over.
“Here.” Matt pulled out his phone and handed it to Brendon. “Put your number in.”
Brendon was almost afraid to take the phone. He’d probably drop it. What was up with him all of a sudden? He was usually an ice king around guys. He prided himself on the whole cool-mystique thing he had going on. But with a look, Matt could rob him of basic motor functions. It was disconcerting but also thrilling.
When he’d finished entering his full name—so Matt could add him on Facebook if he wanted—and his number, he paused. There was a moment when they both looked at each other, a question lingering in the air. Matt grinned. That was all the encouragement Brendon needed. He hit the Call button and pulled out his own phone. He held them next to each other while Matt’s dialed, and a second later, his screen lit up.
Matt took his phone back, still grinning. “I was giving you an out, you know. I wouldn’t have called you until after I left in case the number was fake. We could have both saved face.”
“No face to save here.” Brendon batted his eyelashes. “Now you can’t escape me.”
“Oh no, whatever will I do.”
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Second in today's line-up, The Other Five Percent
Logan Vanderveer has a joke he’s been telling since college: he’s ninety-five percent straight. He did some experimenting in school, but none of the men he fooled around with inspired him to abandon “the plan”: meet a nice girl, get married, and settle down, just like his parents always said.
None of them except Ellis Floyd, who aroused desires and feelings that scared Logan. So much so that he abandoned their burgeoning relationship just as it might have become something. But four years later, Ellis is back, and Logan finds himself questioning his sexuality in a big way.
Ellis doesn’t fit into Logan’s plan. He’s happy being a starving artist, whereas Logan has sold his soul to corporate America. Ellis is ripped jeans, and Logan is tailored suits. And, most notably, Ellis is out. But seeing him again is dredging up memories—like how it feels to kiss Ellis, and that time they almost went all the way. With chemistry like theirs, Logan isn’t sure he can—or should—keep ignoring the other five percent.
Excerpt:
If asked later, Logan would swear up and down that he had not, in fact, jumped out of his skin. He also hadn’t whirled around with all the grace of an unhinged ballerina. And he certainly, certainly had not made a shrill squeaking noise that’d made all the dogs within a five-mile radius sniff the air.
“Ellis,” he yelped when he’d regained control of his vocal chords. “Uh . . . uh.”
“So you do recognize me.” A wry smile slid onto Ellis’s face. “I wasn’t sure.”
For a bewildering moment, Logan honestly considered just getting into his car and driving off. His watch was ticking in his head, and his desire to avoid this particular conversation hadn’t lessened. It was only the thought of hot coffee spraying across his leather seats that checked him. And Ellis’s eyes, admittedly; they were beautiful from a distance but downright captivating up close . . .
Logan tore his gaze away and swallowed. Uh oh.
Ellis gave him a quizzical look. “You okay?”
“Um, yeah,” Logan answered with all the majesty of a cow giving birth. Seriously, man, get it together. Is this your first time talking to another person? He tried again. “Sorry, I ran off like that. I didn’t see you.”
“Really?” Ellis’s smile sharpened. “You sure left in a hurry for someone who didn’t see me.”
Well, fuck. It seemed Ellis still wasn’t the sort to mince words.
“Uh, sorry, man. I just realized I’m late for work.” It wasn’t a total lie, but his voice took on the high-pitched, whiny quality it got when he was being dishonest. “I gotta get going.”
He reached for his door handle slowly, as if a sudden movement might make Ellis strike.
He hesitated, however, when Ellis’s expression turned mournful. “Dude, seriously? It’s been four years since we’ve seen each other. You can’t spare a minute for an old friend?”
Logan’s heart did a strange lurching somersault in his chest. His sisters’ voices rang in his ears: “Logan Allen Vanderveer, where are your manners? You’re acting like the guy is going to bite you.”
Well, if memory serves, he very well might.
That thought threatened to give him another flashback. He jerked himself back to the present. Maybe he should lay off the caffeine after all.
“Right, sorry.” He gave himself a mental shake. “How have you been since I last saw you? That was what, sophomore year? Where are you working these days?”
Logan’s eyes slid down to assess Ellis’s garb. A paint-splattered black shirt—not stylistically splattered either. Accidentally splattered. Logan could tell the difference—ripped jeans, and red high-top sneakers. If this was how Ellis dressed on a Monday morning, he probably hadn’t gone the corporate route like Logan had. Logan had to admit, though: it was a good look for him. Especially now that he’d gotten all . . . muscle-y. Muscular. Whatever.
Ellis caught his eye, which was lingering somewhere around the sliver of underwear visible just above his jeans, and raised an eyebrow challengingly. “Did you just give me a once-over?”
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And, coming soon, The Long Way Around
A wrong turn could lead to Mr. Right.
Sam Cooper is the definition of an introvert: shy, bookish, and the sort to think a wild Friday night involves ordering takeout. He enjoys his quiet life, but after a bad breakup, he’s been yearning for a change of scenery. Luckily, his best friend and former college roommate has the solution.
Wesley Reed—a jokester and expert Sam-handler—proposes an epic road trip to a wedding across the country. They’re both between jobs and boyfriends. Why not hit the open road and make some memories?
Stuck in close quarters for the first time since their dorm days, they’re both surprised at the heat that springs up between them. As best friends, they’ve shared so much over the years, so why does sharing a hotel room—and occasionally a bed—make them want more? Chemistry this smoldering is hard to ignore, but there are road blocks to their romance. Wesley’s keeping a secret, and Sam can’t rely on Wesley to drag him out of his comfort zone forever. If they’re not careful, their relationship may take the ultimate wrong turn.
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Author Interview with Quinn Anderson
1. What inspires you? What gets you writing?
I draw inspiration from all sorts of sources. Sometimes, I’ll think of a great title and then come up with a whole book to go around it. Other times, a scene will pop into my head, and I’ll scramble to write it down while it’s playing movie-style. That was how I got the idea for one of my upcoming releases, The Long Way Around. I had a certain sexy car scene in my head for MONTHS before I finally devised a book to go with it. New Heights was based on a real event: I was trapped in an airport last year thanks to a delayed flight. I remember messaging my girlfriend and saying, “I should totally write a book about an airport romance.” And I did!
2. What's your writing process? Seat of your pants, lots of sticky notes, complex spreadsheets?
I plan the crap out of my books. Chapter by chapter. I don’t always stick perfectly to the outline, but for every book, I write about 8,000 words of outlining, and I keep that document open for reference while I work. I also keep physical notebooks for writing down ideas, leave memos in my phone, and I use OneNote to jot down revisions and plans as I go. So yeah, I’m definitely not a roll-with-it sort of writer. Mostly because I’m forgetful, ha ha. True story: when I was writing The Other Five Percent, I actually woke up in the middle of the night, sat up in bed, and said out loud, “Did I remember to have that one character take his glasses off before sex?” I went back to check, and I’d totally forgotten to do that. Glad I caught it before the final cut! Lots of my notes to myself are like that: “Don’t forget to do blank” or “Go back and add blank because you forgot it.” I also call myself a variety of mish-mashed insults, like “bedraggled sock monkey” and “stale piece of bread.”
3. Which character from your books is your favorite, and why?
Ugh, this question is so hard. So, it used to be Zack from my very first book, Hotline. I’ve always loved his playful spirit, and there are times when I really miss being in his head. He was such a riot. But unfortunately, as much as he’ll always be in my heart, his position was recently usurped by my latest novel: Fourteen Summers. I love all three of the main characters in that book—Oliver and twin brothers Max and Aiden—but Aiden is hands down my favorite. He’s a different character from the irreverent, mouthy jokesters I usually write. He’s quiet and serious with more subdued energy. That should make him less interesting, but Aiden has this steadiness and stability that’s so soothing. He’s the sort of guy who’d get off the phone with you after a long day and immediately show up at your house with wine and ice cream, even though you never told him anything was wrong. He’d be able to hear it in your tone and would already be planning ways to cheer you up. Thoughtful and considerate. And in Fourteen Summers, when you get to see him through Oliver’s eyes, you can’t help but fall totally in love with him.
4. Which character is your least favorite, and why?
Hmm, this is also hard, but in a different way. Probably Logan from The Other Five Percent. I made him deeply flawed and ignorant as part of the plot of that story, and there were definitely times when he wasn’t the most likable person. He gets better and grows, but out of all my guys, he has the most problems.
5. If you could go back into one of your books and change one thing, what would that be? And why?
It’s funny you should ask this, because from the start, I always had an alternate ending to Hotline in my head. I don’t regret going the route that I did with that book, but one thing that always niggled me about it was the phone sex. Quick synopsis: Hotline stars Zack, a young man who’s scraping by as a phone sex operator. He lands a sexy client named John who ends up being a student from a wealthy family, and they have a lot of explosively hot sex and romance, et cetera. Well, it makes sense for Zack to be good at phone sex, because that’s his job, but John is naturally gifted at it. That’s possible, of course. I’m sure there are lots of people in the world who are good at phone sex without any formal training. But I had an alternate ending in my head where in Hotline, it turned out that John was secretly a phone sex operator too who called other PSOs to practice (and for the fun of it.) If I were to change anything, I might have given Hotline—no spoilers—that denouement instead. It’d be fun to go back in time and see everyone’s reactions to the twist. If only!
6. What's next for you? What amazing book are you working on?
I’m rewriting my first novel! Not Hotline, but my actual first novel that I published back in college. It’ll be releasing it under the title The Academy, allegedly in September. Maybe sooner. Keep an eye out for that back-to-school treat!
7. Anything else you'd like to share with your readers?
More about Quinn:
Quinn Anderson is an alumna of the University of Dublin in Ireland and has a master’s degree in psychology. She wrote her dissertation on sexuality in popular literature and continues to explore evolving themes in erotica in her professional life.
A nerd extraordinaire, she was raised on an unhealthy diet of video games, anime, pop culture, and comics from infancy. Her girlfriend swears her sense of humor is just one big Buffy reference. She stays true to her nerd roots in writing and in life, and frequently draws inspiration from her many fandoms, which include Yuri on Ice, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Buffy, and more. Growing up, while most of her friends were fighting evil by moonlight, Anderson was kamehameha-ing her way through all the shounen anime she could get her hands on. You will often find her interacting with fellow fans online and offline via conventions and Tumblr, and she is happy to talk about anything from nerd life to writing tips. She has attended conventions on three separate continents and now considers herself a career geek. She advises anyone who attends pop culture events in the UK to watch out for Weeping Angels, as they are everywhere. If you’re at an event, and you see a 6’2” redhead wandering around with a vague look on her face, that’s probably her.
Quinn can also be found on Tumblr.
Giveaway:
Thank you for celebrating this fabulous author with us all throughout May. We hope you found a few more books for your TBR and also learned some fun facts about Quinn.
Until next time, happy reading!
Thank you for sharing this post. I love the blurb of The Long Way Around and i look forward to the cover reveal.
ReplyDeleteLaura05